What's in the name?

Why GreenPlaces?  Perhaps I run the risk of having this blog associated primarily with environmental stuff.  That's not my main thrust, though I do care a great deal about our natural environment, which I'm sure will show up here from time to time.  In naming this blog, though, I am responding to again being particularly intrigued and placed at rest by the opening words of Psalm 23:

Our "girls" enjoy a green place to rest after hiking a section of the CT.

The Lord is 
My shepherd,
I shall not be in want.
He makes me
Lie down
in green pastures.


He leads me
beside quiet waters,
He restores my soul.

Green pastures -- green places: places of  rest, abundant life, provision, and soul restoration.  Jani and I spent six days hiking a segment of the Colorado Trail a couple of weeks ago, and found that some sections of the trail were incredibly dry.  How thankful we were for the green places!  Green meant water, life, and rest. We need green pastures.  We need to be reminded that the Lord IS our shepherd.  As we seek Him and commit our lives to His care, He will provide Green Places for our provision, rest, and restoration.

The name also appeals because I've typically had a tendency to think that the green places might be "on the other side of the fence." I've been repeatedly challenged over the last few years to rest in contentment with where I am right now.  That means trusting that the Lord is MY shepherd -- that this pasture he has me in is in fact a green place. 

So my intention here is simply that things I post be full of life in one way or another.  I hope they will be thought provoking, restorative, helpful, encouraging -- that they will add to the life in my life, and contribute to healthy life in any readers who come along. I hope it will be a GreenPlace.

Lord, make me lie down...