Echoes From Zion

I love to watch Worshipers worship. I like to gaze on the Gazers: those who are lost in His presence. I know it may sound strange to some (maybe even a little creepy), but I'm not staring for the sake of being awkward. I simply know that people who gaze on the Beauty of the Holy One have a story to tell. They may see something in Him that I have yet to see. They may know elements of His nature, His holiness, His goodness that I have yet to know. And as I look upon them encountering His Love, I know that they have a redemptive story to tell. All of this, in turn, makes me further see the goodness of God and, in short, it makes me want to be a better worshiper. Recently, I was pondering what it would have been like to watch Jesus worship while He was on earth. Of course, my first imagination of this was seeing him with hands raised singing a love song to God. I mean, can you imagine hearing the Lamb's song rising to Adonai; to hear the Son glorifying the Father? It excites my h

In case you have not heard the news, Geoff and I will be moving soon. We are starting a new chapter of our life…in Illinois, of all places!!! J A new chapter is always exciting. However, please know - We have no intention of ever closing the chapter of knowing and loving each one of you. We will always, ALWAYS be there for you. With Facebook and Skype we can always stay in touch, but even beyond that, we pray we stay personally connected to each of you. Knowing that we’ll soon be packing up and moving on, I’ve had a deep longing to give each of you a glimpse into my heart concerning you. So, what words can I leave you with? First off – know that my prayers will not stop for you. I never felt very good at connecting with you guys on a ‘buddy’ level like Geoff could. I was always envious of Geoff’s ability to be fun loving and down to earth with you all. But know that no one ever loved you more than me. My affection for you, although different from Geoff’s, has always been poured

Psalm 23:5, "You prepare a table for me in the presence of my enemies..." I don't think there can be a more striking picture of contrast than this verse:You prepare a table for me in the presence of my enemies. This means peace in the midst of terror, love in the midst of hate, rest in the midst of turmoil, a feast in the presence of my enemies. This kind of peace doesn't come to the 'casual oberserver' of Christ; it is found in intimacy with Christ. For those who truly learn to walk united with Christ, there is a joy unspeakable, a peace that's not understandable that rules the heart. And it all starts at a table. How many times in scripture do we find Jesus sharing at a table with his disciples? I'm sure we could go through and count many times where he is literally eating supper or breakfast with his boys. One account is found in John 5. Jesus prepared one of the biggest meals of his life - a meal that fed at least 5,000 people including his di

Yesterday, I found myself pondering on Psalm 91:1 in prayer. It was one of those prayer times where this thought leads to another thought which leads to this verse which leads to a worship chorus which leads me to another verse....stream of consciousness type of praying! It can seem so, soooo random! I didn't mean   to end up on Psalm 23 but I streamed my way to it. Like I said, it all started with my meditation on Psalm 91:1, which says: He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I love the imagery of this verse! What a beautiful picture that it paints: dwelling in the secret place of God, abiding under his shadow. Doesn't it just project safety, security, and belonging? I don't think it's coincidence that the Psalm proceeding 91 opens with the words, "Lord, YOU have been our dwelling place in all generations (Ps 90:1)." The very secret place we are invited to dwell in is God himself . The secret, the

Psalm 23:2b-4 , "He leads me beside the still waters . He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His names sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death.. ." I sure like it when the Lord leads me beside quite waters. The whole, 'Be still and know that I am God' thing is quite nice. The, 'Come to me...and I will give you rest'? Very nice, indeed. I could park my little lamb rump in this green pasture forever, just lounging beside the stream. Truly, it is in the season of rest, of lying down in green pastures and being led by quiet waters, when our soul is restored. But what is the purpose of restoration? Once it is completed...then what? More green pastures? More quiet streams? According to this passage, it seems that after our restoration, our Shepherd leads us away from the quiet waters and onto a path. A path isn't a place you park your sheep seat; on the contrary, a path is made for a journey, for a

This is a journal entry that I am currently working on. I'm spending time pondering and listening to what God has to tell me about Jacob's Bethel experience. As I read it this week, I began to focus on Gen 28:22...which led me to Matthew 7:24-25 & 16:18. He really began to unfold some stuff to me as I presented it to him. I'll share other entries as the Lord gives them.         Here I am, Lord J . Take all of me this morning. Thank you for your word, for your peace, for your direction, oh God, my God! In reading this morning, you see my mind falls on Gen 28:22, "And this stone which I have set as a pillar shall be God's house"…& Matthew 7:24-25, "Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock”…& Matthew 16:18, “And I also

Today, I took some time to pray outside. Though it's a bit nippy, it's a beautiful day today. The sun was shining bright as I began to walk down a gravel road, talking with my God. As I walked and talked, my mind began to confess my many weaknesses. I have a lot of things on my mind right now - I'm seeking direction, His will for my life, His path and purpose for me - and as often is the case in these 'big moments' of life, I tend to put my focus on myself. Walking down that road, I began to fret, worrying that I am going to miss God's best. I mean, since I'm asking for Him to show me what step is next AND since I'm not hearing or seeing it, there must be something wrong with me, right?  Maybe I haven't sought him hard enough. Maybe I should be fasting everything. Maybe there is some hidden sin in me. Maybe Me. Me. Me. Me. It was in that moment I began to confess who the Lord is for me - my rock, my shield, the glory and the lifter of my head. I th

He restores my soul... I don't think better words could ever be spoken. If there was a title to the biography of my life, I think this would be it: He restores my soul.  All throughout my life, the Lord has brought restoration to the deepest parts of me. He restores me time and time again, in various ways and in various forms...but at the core, it's always the same - he restores me with His Love. Some moments when His love restored me? On the swing set in my back yard . As a child, this was one of my favorite places to retreat. I would begin to sway back and forth to the rhythm of a melody in my heart. Songs of praise, adoration, and thanks to my God rose time and time again from that little swing set. Since I was surrounded by trees, I was usually singing about God as my Creator, the one who made all the nature I could see and still saw me swinging in the middle of the woods. Though I did not know it fully at the time, His love was filling my heart and restoring my so

Here is a journal entry from 2011 that the Lord brought me back to recently. I asked the Lord to show me truth in his 23rd Psalm. He began to paint for me a picture that began with us in the pasture but it ended with me understanding so much more about our relationship. It was a revelation that my heart needed...and I still need to return to it often. I pray it blessed you this morning! January 24, 2011 Lord, what do you want to say to me this morning about the 23 rd Psalm? I see Jesus kneeling by a sheep...a wooly sheep. It has a collar and a bell and there is a leash on it. But, Jesus is bending down and taking the leash off from the collar.                           You are not led like this, child. I reach down, kneeling beside Jesus and pet the sheep. After a moment, it trots off with a baa and a jingle of its bell to the other sheep. We laugh. This leash in my hand…? Jesus tosses it. It’s not needed, with you, child. Jesus put his arm around my shoul

He makes me lie down in green pastures... While reading this passage, I was struck by the words 'He MAKES me.' I'm sure the writer simply meant 'he causes me' to lie down but still, I had to laugh as I pondered the interpretation through a personal story my parents shared with me. My parents have often reminded me of a time when I was around 2 years old and, for what ever reason, I refused to sit down in my high chair one day at the table. No matter how many times they told me to sit down, I would not. They even resorted to swatting my chubby little legs and alas - I would not sit down. I was determined: I would not sit. Period. Now certainly I had a 'good' reason for standing, being the angelic 2 year old that I was (cough, cough, wink, wink). Of course, my parents were able to see the benefits of sitting in my chair that I could not. As parents and guides, they understood the danger of standing in a high chair. They understood how much easier it is to en

I don't think that there is a Psalm more quoted than Psalm 23. Whispered by the bedside of the dying, confessed in the prayers of the seeking, it has brought comfort to many in times of need. I'm sure that David had no idea that his little song would be cherished by so many throughout the ages and yet, I'm sure that this Psalm held just as much meaning, if not more, for David. As a shepherd, he had insight into pasturing that most of us in the modern day world do not have short of Wikipedia and google. Still, this ancient song sweeps over our souls as we picture Jesus, our great Shepherd, leading the way. In the next few weeks, I'm going to share my thoughts on this Psalm, verse by verse, as well as journal entries that the Lord has spoken to me. I know that this Psalm is bringing me comfort in this season of life, just as it has many times before and as I'm certain it will many more times in the future. To anyone who reads this blog, I pray you will find comfort