Echoes From Zion

Every weekday morning, I awake before dawn. I quietly and sleepily make my way down the stairs where I enjoy my first cup of coffee in my overstuffed chair. I always love listening to the early morning sounds of birds lifting their chorus. I close my eyes and sip my coffee to the sweet sound of nature praising God in the dawning light. This morning, however, was a bit different. I still quietly and sleepily made my way down the stairs to enjoy my coffee. However, this morning as I settled into my overstuffed chair, I heard thunder in the distance. Gazing out my window, I noticed a coming storm. Lightning and thunder was peeling in the dark sky, steadily creeping towards my house. It was in this instance that I noticed my familiar morning greeting: the birds were still singing in their trees. I sat in awe, listening to the birds noisily lift their voices as the steady rhythm of thunder and the flashing dance of the lightning drew closer and closer to their habitation. It was such a st...

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...