Standing in the Gap for Oregon

Josephine County, Oregon Siskiyou Mountains Violence shall no longer be heard in your land, neither wasting nor destruction within your borders; But you shall call your walls Salvation, And your gates Praise . Isaiah 60:18. Drawing lines around Oregon ‘regions’ is a bit subjective and arbitrary, but it seems safe to put Josephine County in the ‘Southern Oregon’ region, along with Jackson and Klamath. This area lies along the California border and is a mixture of forested mountains and drier climate as we move east toward the high desert ‘Outback’ of Oregon. Josephine County was established in 1856 from part of Jackson County, and was the last county created before Oregon became a state. The county seat is Grants Pass. In early days the pioneers traveled the Applegate Trail through this part of Oregon, usually going somewhere else. The land was hilly and heavily forested, so it was an area to get through to get to easier ground – until gold was discovered. Due to the gold rushes a...

Wreck of the Mary D. Hume, Curry County Oregon For they shall partake of the abundance of the seas  And of treasures hidden in the sand.  Deuteronomy 33:19 Did you know: Most of the Easter lilies grown in the United States are grown in Curry County? Curry County is, of course, in the southwestern corner of the state, and is the final county in our South Coast region of Oregon. It is bordered by Coos County to the north and California to the south. It contains Cape Blanco, the westernmost point in Oregon. Curry shares a lot of history with Coos County and much of southern Oregon, with the discovery of gold in the 1850’s leading to a small gold rush, and then settlement by farmers and ranchers. The original natives, the Tutuni and Chetco, were relocated to the Siletz Reservation after the Rogue River Indian Wars of the mid-1850’s. The population centers are along the coast and include Brookings, Port Orford, and Gold Beach (the county seat). Brookings g...

  Coos County, Oregon Those who go down to the sea in ships, who do business on great waters, they see the works of the Lord, and His wonders in the deep. Psalm 107: 23 - 24 Keeping a prayer focus on the upcoming primary on May 17 th and the general election on November 8 th , in Coos County two County Commissioner seats are up for election as well as the County Clerk and the County Sheriff. Pray for the Lord’s wisdom and direction for voters in filling these positions. In our journey down the west side of the state, we are now officially into the Southern Oregon Coast region. This section of coastline is less traveled than the north and central sections and is considered more rugged, less developed. The beaches and towns along the coast, while certainly attracting tourists, are less crowded than the north and central coast which are more accessible to the population centers of Portland and Eugene. Each section of the Oregon coast has its own unique features and attractions. ...

  Our county-by-county exploration of Oregon will continue as scheduled but I had some other thoughts this week as well. I am involved with a couple of prayer groups that are dedicated to praying for Oregon. I recently began filling in as moderator for one that is a call-in/zoom meeting. We begin about half an hour before prayer time to chat and catch up, and this week I thought nobody was going to join me. At the last minute two dialed in (Whew! Thanks guys!) and we had our prayer time. During that lonely half-hour I was thinking about the role of intercessors, of what it takes to “stand in the gap.” I have a friend, Joanna, whom I meet for breakfast every Tuesday. After breakfast she rides with me to our church where she joins the Tuesday morning prayer meeting and I (who used to be the bookkeeper) help count the offerings. Joanna, at 92, is only a few years younger than my late mother. Her personality reminds me a little of my grandmother, but she feels like a peer. Not to...

First Presbyterian Church, Roseburg, Oregon Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.   Psalm 51:10 As a prayer focus, the upcoming primary on May 17 th and the general election on November 8 th have been high on my list. Douglas County has three county commissioners who are all up for election this year. The current commissioners are Chris Bois, Tim Freeman and Tom Kress. The county surveyor and county assessor are also on the ballot. A county measure to keep in mind is measure 10-185, to expand the Idaho State border to include Douglas County. There have been several votes in Oregon with various counties wanting to be under the authority of Idaho rather than Oregon and is an indication with how dissatisfied people are in some parts of Oregon. Douglas County Oregon Douglas County was established in 1852 out of what was Umpqua County. The seat is Roseburg. A man named Musgrove lived as a squatter in Douglas County in the late 1840’s. His squatte...