“… So they will be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.” Isaiah 61:3d NAS

I have always enjoyed being in the woods. The smell of dirt, leaves and acorns are all very familiar to me from since I was young. I guess growing up in western Pennsylvania, the woods were always a place to play, make up stories of adventure, heroism and bravery. Even now, as an adult, the woods still hold that feeling of adventure for hunting deer and turkey, sports I enjoy even to this day.
In those woods, there is one type of tree that stands out more that all the others: the oak tree. In the woods where I grew up, there are lots of them. I learned what type of trees they were by the shape of the leaves, the texture of the bark or most importantly, by the acorns they produce. When you see acorns on the ground, you can be sure that an oak tree is not far off.

The oak tree is an age-old sign of stability. So much so that the Bible uses it to describe the type of person that we are supposed to be. We are to be oaks of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.

In order for an oak tree to grow, an acorn has to fall from the tree, go into the ground and die. Only then will there be a new tree. Only then will there be new roots growing into a new tree. Every acorn has the potential of growing into what it was intended to be, and so do we!

In this season of our lives, Debbie and I find ourselves wanting to inspire the next generation of young disciples (new roots if you will) of those who are coming up behind us. These are the new missionaries, church planters and revivalists. Those of us who have gone on before them need to reach back and pull them into their destiny. Everywhere we go we are finding those who are now calling us: “Mama Deb and Pappa Dan.”

~ Dan Ecker