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What is Desert's Sage?
Desert’s Sage is a ministry that emphasizes a growing affection for our Lord Jesus Christ – otherwise known as spiritual formation – through Biblical understanding, prayer, and the meditation on or reappearance of Scripture in life and especially in the home.
So...where does the name Desert's Sage come from?
Desert Sage, also known as salvia dorrii or purple sage, is a beautiful little shrub with sage gray foliage and tiny periwinkle flowers that emerge from indigo bracts.
Desert Sage is special, being a plant that will not only withstand but actually thrive in some of the most extreme and defiant planting sites. In fact, areas with high heat, full sun exposure, low soil fertility, and that are tolerant to droughts will be the most effective locations for Desert Sage to grow and flourish into the lovely shrublet it was created to be.
Does this sound familiar?
High heat reminds me of Daniel 3 when Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego refused to worship King Nebuchadnezzar’s golden image and consequentially got thrown into the furnace of blazing fire. Miraculously, they stood unharmed by the flames alongside a fourth man described like the son of the gods, and they walked out with their bodies unaffected by the inferno resulting in the blessing of the one true God by King Nebuchadnezzar himself.
Full sun exposure makes me think of Jonah 4 when God caused a worm to attack the plant that protected Jonah from the sun and designated a scorching east wind to beat down on Jonah’s head creating the perfect environment for Jonah to see the Lord’s compassion for not only His chosen people Israel but also the Gentile nation Nineveh.
Low soil fertility brings to mind the Book of Numbers when the Israelites wandered for forty years in the dry desert increasing their reliance on God’s faithfulness each day to provide manna for them to eat and water for them to drink.
And tolerance to droughts stirs in my memory Genesis 41-50 when Joseph, from inside the Egyptian prison, interpreted Pharaoh’s dream foretelling seven years of abundance followed by seven years of famine. Subsequently, the Lord abundantly prepared through Joseph to care for not only Pharaoh and the people of Egypt during the seven years of famine but to Joseph’s surprise, even his own family, the beginning of the nation of Israel.
In each of these seemingly extreme and defiant circumstances, God’s people withstood, grew, and thrived, just like the Desert Sage shrub.
God’s people endured the enemy’s flames of hatred for the one true God, they saw past the wickedness of a fallen nation to gaze upon God’s compassion for mankind, they experienced a sovereign God who sustains and provides even amidst the consequence of their own unbelief, they obeyed God to serve and feed the enemy trusting Him with the outcome.
They saw God. More than that, they looked beyond their own reason, their own comfort, their own feelings, and chose to see through God’s eyes.
They knew their God and sat watching for Him. They thirsted and yearned not for water but for Him. They saw His refuge, His power, His glory. They knew His grace to be better than life. They were completely satisfied in His love. They remembered Him and meditated on Him, how He had been their help, and clung to Him as He took hold of them. They believed His words of righteousness and ultimate justice against the wicked. They boasted in their weakness because He was their strength (paraphrase of Psalm 63).
They saw their God. He was beautiful, and they followed after Him. THIS is the heart of Desert’s Sage…to see the one true God and to have such affection for Him to have no other option than to follow after Him.
My desire, the mission of Desert’s Sage, is that here you will see a clear and beautiful picture of Christ and grow in your love and devotion to Him. Objectively this will be done through:
Biblical understanding: the teaching of the redemptive story of Scripture (Deuteronomy 32), where we fit in the story (Romans 11), and gaining a biblical and eternal perspective of our identity and purpose (Hebrews 11),
Prayer: practicing dependence on God (Matthew 6:9-13), recording prayers to remember God’s work in your life (Deuteronomy 8), copying and memorizing Scripture to recall God’s biblical and eternal perspective (Deuteronomy 17:18-20), and communing with and responding to God (Psalm 27:8), and
Meditation/Reappearance of Scripture: artwork with inspiration from Scripture to reappear in your life and especially in your home (Deuteronomy 6:6-9).
I am so glad you're here!
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