Podcast Preview
In this episode of 12-Minute Convos with Jesus Believers, Engel Jones connects with Major David W. Ebel. David vulnerably reflects on his unique 25-year journey as a master clown and evangelist, traveling across 49 U.S. states to bring high-quality theater and the message of God's love to children. Having been saved after spending his youth without hearing about Jesus, David felt a profound calling to ensure the next generation experienced the gospel with passion and creative excellence.
Listen in as David shares stories from the road, his life with his wife Diane ("Double D's"), and his current chapter in California as an award-winning photographer navigating physical disability with grace. If you are looking for an inspiring testimony of creative ministry, lifelong devotion, and faithful service, David’s story will deeply refresh your heart!
Guest's Bio
After an incredibly difficult beginning, I way dying and was involved in a medical experiment hoping to keep me alive. The experiment became illegal to humans just 4 months because the side effects included birth defects including malformed bones and muscles, dwarfism, sterility and 100% mortality by 20. Add to that Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis at age 6 causing me chronic pain that increased with age. Being the smallest kid in the school, being the target of bullying till 12th grade, not being able to do any sports made me feel like I had to hide my pain trying to fit in.
Graduating at 16 I started college on a disability scholarship and lasted 3 semesters of me trying to be "normal" and having a nervous breakdown. The college arraigned to freeze my scholarship and allowed me to leave without penalization. What I thought they were saying was "You are a failure, a loser and a disgrace" which spun my pain driven depression to new depths. My friends thought I needed to relax and took me to a bar and month of that involvement ended up with me being able to drink all my friends under the table. I had inherited my mother's alcoholism and added drugs to self-medicate and began sinking faster. The pain increased till it seemed the only escape to my pain driven, drinking and now behavior only had one way out. I met a girl who brought me to church where I found out that Jesus was real. Once I surrendered myself to Christ, He delivered me from drinking and drugs, demon possession, a hemorrhaging ulcer and once I was surrendered, He then called me to preach in a audible voice. Once I received Jesus's love I was mentored on how to live for Christ.
As time went on, I came to realize that I was 20 years old and had no clue who Jesus is. What if I had been told when I was a child, what kind of life would He have done in me? I married a woman with the same vision and heart and had 3 children doctors said could never happen. That opened me to figure out how to reach kids and families introducing them to the love of God. That motivated me to be excellent at what we do therefore I would seek professional magicians, storytellers, puppeteers and ventriloquists and then I became trained by Ringling Brothers professional clowns to become a Master Clown. From that I created The Kid's-Celebration Circus which I took internationally sharing the good ness of God's love. We toured for 12 years full time 48 weeks a year and 20 shows per week. Eventually medically, I had to leave the road and began starting churches successfully. I taught seminars I wrote, 8 manuals/Seminars and trained in uncountable seminars and classes. I toured 48 weeks of churches, youth camps and school shows across America and was featured on TV, radio, magazines and podcasts. In the Salvation Army where I serve as an Officer/pastor, one location the need required me to become trained in disaster response including being certified in Critical Incident Stress Management and Grief, Trauma and Loss by the highly respected author, trainer and responder, H. Norman Wright who then mentored me for 6 years.
After all that training I then became an internationally dispatched trainer in all these topics empowering hundreds so they also could train lives in crisis. I also ended up serving as Chaplain for Fire Departments, Police, Salvation Army disaster responses and hospital and institutional locations. After serving for over 50 years, we retired and I began doing award winning photography and wrote my first internationally published book: "When the Doctors say NO! God says YES!!!" I would be honored to serve in any way that would help people know that their lives can grow.
My mission is to help people with "Renew and Restore, Rebuild and "Be Re-inspired". If you think I would fit in your program I'd be honored to be considered.
Email: david@davidwebel.com
View my NEW website: www.davidwebel.com