The place of Shalom

I have spent a few restful days at Bennett Springs.  I made it for the last two days of the season for catch and release.  The place is tranquil and undisturbed and I am staying in a place really close to the river.  There are some nice trails in the woods and a few signs of critters.   I am renaming Bennett Springs to The Place of Shalom. Shalom of course is the Hebrew word for peace but it goes much deeper than our understanding of peace.  It carries with it the idea of God's presence in the garden of Eden before the Fall when God walked with man in the cool of day.

I also am enjoying reading through the book of Joshua and the Gospel of Mark and Jesus' prayer in John 17.  Astonishing:  Jesus prays and says the Father loves you and me AS MUCH as He loves Jesus! - John 17:23 NLT

Joshua is cool because the Lord is guiding Joshua and the Israelites into take the Land to take possession of that which the Lord promised.  There is a carry over for us today — We have entered the "Land of Salvation" and now we are to take possession of our inheritance found in the New Covenant (read Ephesians 1-3).

The Gospel of Mark is a fast read but it is worth slowing down and reflecting on the many episodes that Mark sews together into a holy tapestry of Jesus' life.  Mark uses a literary technique called "inclusio" to set some themes apart.  Inclusio is like using bookends:  Here is one for example — The healing of a blind man in Mark 8:22-25 is one bookend.  Mark 10:46- 52 is the other bookend in the healing of a blind man.  In between are twelve episodes of the realities of life in the life of Christ that we need to "see" with new eyes.

This is my prayer:   I want to see Jesus for who He truly is and I want to see life and this world the way Jesus sees it.

I have attached some pics:

On my way to spend some time with Matt @ MSU.

in the grip of His grace,

doug