Standing in the Gap for Oregon

Willamette Falls, Clackamas County, OR This says the Lord: “Keep justice, and do righteousness, For My salvation is about to come…” Isaiah 56:1 Clackamas County is part of the Metro area of Oregon, meaning it is one of the three counties that make up Portland: Clackamas, Multnomah, and Washington. However, Clackamas County has other areas of interest as well. The south-eastern portion of the county is largely rural and extends into the foothills of the Cascade Mountains. The county seat is Oregon City. I was born in Oregon City because the hospital was here. My parents were living in those foothills at the time. A couple of years ago I moved to Oregon City and have now learned something about the history. The town was platted, originally, by Dr. John McLoughlin, and his influence is everywhere. The park site where his house and grave are located is a couple of blocks from me. The McLoughlin Promenade is also a couple blocks away and has views of much of his original land claim, inc...

  Canyon Trail, Silver Creek Falls, Marion County Thus saith the Lord, stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls… Jeremiah 6:16 Marion County was one of the original counties in Oregon, created in 1843 as Champooick District, then Champoeg County, then Marion in 1849. The county seat is Salem, which is also the state capitol. The Methodists are well-documented in Marion County with Jason Lee’s mission established in the mid-Willamette Valley in 1834. The Methodists Episcopal Church had a strong presence in Marion County, but there are other religious groups who also played an important role in the early settlement of the Willamette Valley. Marion County, OR From the last decade of the eighteenth century to the mid-nineteenth century, America experienced the Second Great Awakening. While established Protestant denominations such as the Methodists, Baptists, and Presbyterians benefited...

Jordan Valley Church, Malheur County, OR May there be peace within your walls and security within your citadels. Psalm 122:7 NIV A very large county, Malheur lies in the extreme southeast corner of the state. This is the final county in our Oregon Outback region. Idaho is to the east, Nevada to the south. In size, it is second to Harney, with 9,926 square miles and a population of around 30,000. It still holds the distinction of having the worst crime rate in the state. Vale is the county seat with Ontario being the largest town. I have fond memories of Malheur County. Since the time I was a college student there, being a border town has had both perks and problems for those on either side of the state line. Residents in Idaho could purchase goods across the river and not pay Idaho sales tax, for example. At one time the legal drinking age was lower in Idaho, as well as the qualifications to graduate high school. That has changed, but now another issue has raised its head. Malheur...

Harney County Courthouse But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times. Micah 5:2 While we might have questions about Klamath or Lake Counties, there is no doubt at all that Harney County is in the Oregon Outback . It is in the southwest corner of the state, bordering Nevada, and is five hours from Portland, but only three from Boise, Idaho. At 10,622 square miles it is the largest county in the state – in fact, in many states - and Oregon’s sixth least populated by total population, but the most sparsely populated when calculating people per square mile. The county seat is the town of Burns, with Hines, just next door, being the other incorporated town in the county. Harney County, OR The Harney County Sheriff currently is Dan Jenkins. The office recently hired two new 911 dispatchers and two patrol deputies. While still short staffed, the...

Goose Lake, Lake County, OR But He made his own people go forth like sheep, And guided them in the wilderness like a flock. Psalm 78:52 We are looking at a new region this week. The southeastern corner of Oregon is unofficially called the Oregon Outback and is the most uninhabited region in the state. It is traditionally Harney and Malheur with parts of Lake and Klamath counties. We will focus on Lake County , but first we will look at the region as a whole. Statistics can be interesting, and sometimes put things in perspective. The entire state of Oregon is 95,997 square miles. The total area of Lake, Harney, and Malheur Counties is 28,488 square miles. That is roughly 30% of the state by area. Our total population (2022) is 4,259,743. The total population for the three counties is 47,103 (and 31,623 of that is Malheur County). That is a little over 1% of the population of Oregon living on 30% of the land area. The area is high desert, about 4,000 feet in elevation with mountai...

Signing of the Magna Carta But Peter and the other apostles answered and said: "We ought to obey God rather than men."  Acts 5: 29 I don’t believe I’ve ever done a book review on this blog but couldn’t resist when I read this book.   The book is The Doctrine of the Lesser Magistrates by Matthew J. Trewhella. Lesser magistrates are officials under the authority of a greater ruler. In government, for example, the governor of a state would be a lesser magistrate compared to the President of the United States. All authority, according to the Bible, is delegated by God and this includes not just governmental authority, but church, family, business and so forth. Every organization has leaders. As long as such authorities make decisions or decrees that align with what is good and right, obedience is expected and should be observed. However, the controversy arises when those in authority make demands or decrees that violate the law or morality. Some argue that obedience is al...

De Sales Cathedral, Baker County, OR (We are on vacation this week, so revisiting parts of an earlier post. ) The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.   Psalm 23:1-3   The second anniversary of the 2020 Labor Day fires was this month, so many Oregonians are on high alert. Recently I-84 between Baker City and Pendleton was blocked due to wildfire. Continued prayers are appreciated for the entire state, as well as Baker County.     In 1811 Wilson Price Hunt was sent by John Jacob Astor to lead a group overland to establish the fur trading post of Astoria. Another group had been sent by sea. Hunt was young, fit and capable as a leader, but he lacked experience and underestimated the time it would take to get to the Pacific. The Overland Party followed the trail blazed by...