Standing in the Gap for Oregon

Lafayette Historical Museum They may curse, but  you will bless: when they attack they will be put to shame, but your servant will rejoice .   Psalm 109:28   Lafayette, Oregon is a pretty little town along the Yamhill River on Oregon Route 99, about 35 miles southwest of Portland, 25 miles north of Salem. It is the third oldest town in the Willamette Valley, established in 1846 and incorporated in 1878. It is in Yamhill County and was originally the county seat until 1889 when the citizens voted to make McMinnville the seat. The population is currently around 4,000.   The town has a number of old homes and historic buildings, a few even on the National Register of Historic Places. The Lafayette Locks Park is at the site of a former dam and locks that were decommissioned in the 1950’s. Other points of interest include a log house museum and the Lafayette Pioneer Cemetery which was established in 1873.   The old cemetery has a lot of atmosphere and is associated w...

Mount Hood, Oregon Your mercy, O Lord, is in the heavens; Your faithfulness reaches to the clouds. Your righteousness is like the great mountains; Your judgments are a great deep;  Psalm 36: 5-6   We turn our attention to Multnomah County, but most eyes, and news cameras, are fixed there already. Multnomah County is the smallest in land - 466 square miles - and the largest in population…and influence. Compare Multnomah with 1705 people per square mile, to Malheur County with three. This is, of course, due to Portland, the largest city in the state, which is also the county seat. In fact, since 1968 the county government has had a consolidated city-county government and there have been some attempts to merge the city-county government into one unit.  Multnomah was created in 1854 out of the eastern edge of Washington County and a northern strip of Clackamas County. Its northern border is the Columbia Ri...

For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong Image by  Susanne Jutzeler, suju-foto  from  Pixabay holds.  II Corinthians 10:4 In spite of the catchy title, I’m not sure “praying in opposites” is really a thing. So what do I mean by it? What I'm going for is to pray in something holy in place of something unholy – an exchange of light for darkness.  When I was in college - many moons ago - I had the following prayer taped inside my notebook. It is known as the prayer of St. Francis of Assisi, the 13 th century Italian friar. Other sources dispute the authorship, suggesting it is of more recent origin. No matter; I was drawn to the sentiment, not the author. Lord, make me an instrument of your peace Where there is hatred, let me sow love Where there is injury, pardon Where there is doubt, faith Where there is despair, hope Where there is darkness, light And where there is sadness, joy O ...