Standing in the Gap for Oregon

Fish Lake, Jackson County, OR But whoever listens to me [wisdom] will dwell safely, and will be secure, without fear of evil.  Proverbs 1:33   Jackson County, named for President Andrew Jackson, was established in 1852. It is bordered by the State of California to the south, Klamath County to the east, Josephine to the west and Douglas to the north. The first county seat was Jacksonville. In 1884 the railroad came to the Rogue Valley and established Medford, the rail station, about five miles from Jacksonville. The town, due to the railroad, prospered, and in 1927 the county seat was moved there. Medford is now the 8 th largest city in the state.   The Oregon Shakespeare Festival in Ashland, about twenty miles south of Medford, is something, as an English major, I have long wished to attend, but never been able to get there. The Siskiyou Mountains, a subrange of the Klamath Mountains, runs through Jackson County and into California. I once took an Amtrak trip to Californi...

South Santiam River, Linn County And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.  Hebrews 4:13   While I enjoy history for its own sake, there are several reasons for looking into the past when praying for an area. The attitudes and spiritual atmosphere of a place is built on the foundation of those who came before. One does not have to get super-spiritual to see that old feuds can taint relationships for generations. We sometimes need to repent for the sins of our fathers, including injustice and violence that occurred in the past.  Also, we have spoken of “redigging old wells,” or praying for the revival of good foundations laid down by those who came before us.  We explore each county to focus on current-day needs and issues for prayer, of course, but also to search out old strongholds buried in the history of a place.    This week we are looking at Linn County. ...

Alvord Desert and Steens Mountain, Oregon The wilderness and the wasteland shall be glad for them, and the desert shall rejoice and blossom as the rose; it shall blossom abundantly and rejoice, even with joy and singing. Isaiah 35:1 Harney County is the largest county in the state, at over 10,000 square miles, and the least populated with a little under one person per square mile. It is in the southeastern corner of the state, bordered on the east by Malheur County, Lake County to the west, and the state of Nevada to the south. The county lies in the rain shadow of both the Coast Range and the Cascade Mountains, which block moisture from the Pacific, making it a place of low rainfall.     The county seat is Burns, a place I have visited only a few times. Burns and nearby Hines make up about 60% of the county population. There are many interesting places in Harney County and it is popular destination for hikers, hunters and rockhounds. One unique place in Harney Count...