God Talks to Ranchers

Moses: Take these words of mine into your heart and soul. Teach them to your children, speaking of them at home and abroad, whether you are busy or at rest. Write them on your doorpost and gate, so that as long as the heavens are above the earth, you and your children may live on in the land which the Lord swore to your fathers he would give them.

I hope that today Moses would include "on your blog" with your doorpost and gate as places to write the Word. There is something reassuring about consistency of place. The ranching families strive to pass on the very same land that they have managed to their children, and hope to instill the love of the land in their children so that the legacy of being in their place is handed down for many generations. So it is that the descendants of feudal Lords in Scotland scattered out to America and Australia, and each hoped to build an "estate" like the one back home to pass on to their descendants. It is a dream that runs in their blood, and they only give it up with a great struggle. The land itself seems to call to me, reminding me of the vision, hopes, industry and dreams of the pioneers who came before me. And no, you don't have to have a deed to hear the call. Every time I approach the Rockies from the east I think of how my pioneer ancestors gazed upon the wonder and beauty and promise of that land as they toiled to get there without the benefit of a road, riding horses and wagons drawn by oxen. Of all the places in the world, Jerusalem is the on that seems to inspire the greatest importance of association. The promised land. The Temple. The crucifixion, the resurrection, the second coming. Something that keeps Islamics martyring themselves over the right to be there. I do think there is a feeling associated with places, especially natural places, but also buildings. Some may call it ghosts. I don't know. I have at times felt my ancestral spirits rejoicing with me as I enjoy the beauty that God creates in this place.

What Moses (if I may be so bold as to assume that he authored Deuteronomy, which we don't really scientifically know) was talking about was that the Word of God endures forever, and remains unchanged in all circumstances. People, being mere mortals, attach great significance to real estate and property. The spiritual reality of God's Word is more enduring, and a greater treasure.