Journey

 

JOURNEY

    Join me as I share a glimpse of our recent journey which encompassed 1800 miles through Virginia, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Kentucky and West Virginia.  The inviting path above is part of the gardens at Stan Hywet Hall in Akron, Ohio.  I do love a good path and this one reminds me of one of my favorite verses in Psalm 16:12: "You will show me the path of life; in Your presence is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore."

    I'm going to share some of my favorite pictures of the road trip.  I love to illustrate photos with truths from God's Word.  I hope you will enjoy what follows - "A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of silver," Proverbs 15:11 

   It was a foggy morning in the mountains of West Virginia.  There is something evocative and haunting about foggy scenes.  While you can see part of the picture, other 

parts are shrouded in mist and mystery.  

    I'm reminded of the verse in 1 Corinthians, "For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face; now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known," 13:12 

    

In contrast, these beautiful bright blooms growing at the Cincinnati Zoo in Ohio evoke smiles and feelings of joyful abandon.  These yellow flowers are like sunshine on a stalk.  David was speaking of the God of Israel when he said, "And He shall be like the light of the morning when the sun rises, a morning without clouds, like the tender grass springing out of the earth," 2 Samuel 23:4.

This historic building in Beckley, West Virginia, was used as a workshop by a person in the 1800s.  It's a wonderful old place, complete with stacks of chopped wood for the fireplace, and beautiful autumn foliage falling to the carpet of green grass below.  It would make a snug workplace in the winter.  We took a tour of a coal mine nearby.  This workshop would have been a palace compared to the mines.  "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men," Colossians 3:23.

Cherry trees grew all around Frankfort, Kentucky.  Unfortunately, I don't think they were edible, but they were pretty pops of red color among the green leaves and I was happy to get this nice picture on the grounds of the WVA State Capitol.  You can probably guess the verse I choose related to fruit (:  "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is not law," Galatians 5:22-23.

    Ah, the Ark.  I've wanted to visit this actual-size wonder for many years.  So glad we finally had the opportunity to go to Kentucky and see it up-close and personal.  This ark is so large that if you could see people under the piers holding it up, they would be tiny.  

    Although our visit was somewhat marred by crowds, it was still a wonderful experience and helps scripture come to life in special ways.  "Then the Lord said to Noah, "Come into the ark, you and all your household, because I have seen that you are righteous before Me in this generation," Genesis 7:1.

The second day of our trip, we were in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania - home of Larry's favorite baseball team, the Pirates.  Ever since he was a little boy beginning to follow sports, through thick and thin, he's been a Pittsburgh Pirates fan.  So, of course, a major stop for us was PNC Stadium, complete with a 90-minute tour.  This photo is taken standing on the Sixth Street Bridge which runs alongside PNC Park.  God blessed us with a beautiful, warm sunny day.  You can see that Larry is a very happy camper!  "How precious is Your lovingkindness, O God!" Psalm 36:7.

This was one of the few spots where there was this much leaf color grouped together.  As we drove past, I snapped a quick picture and I'm glad it's in focus.  We were on our way to the New River Gorge in West Virginia (the next picture).  Here's a nifty "tree" verse:  "Then the trees of the woods shall rejoice before the Lord," 1 Chronicles 16:33.  Pretty cool to think that even trees can rejoice (:

    This elegant steel structure spanning the river is the New River Gorge Bridge.  It's the second highest vehicle-carrying bridge in the US and the third longest single arch bridge in the world.  Finished in 1977, it's 876 feet high and over 3,000 feet long.  We rode across the bridge and then wound around narrow roads to get to the gorge below.  It was lovely!

    While the word "bridge" does not appear in the Bible, here are a few meaningful sayings using bridges:  "Prayer is a bridge between panic and peace." - "Jesus Christ is the bridge to everlasting life." - "Only Jesus could build a bridge to heaven with two pieces of wood." - "Faith is the bridge between where I am and the place where God is taking me."

    We enjoyed a lovely walk along the Ohio River in Columbus, Ohio, with great views of the big city in the background.  I love the way the buildings are mirrored on the surface of the water.  It's like a mirror image, but a bit murky and unclear.  

    Near the beginning of this post, I used the verse about "seeing through a glass, darkly..." from the King James version of the Bible.  This scene reminds me of the NKJV of the same verse in 1 Corinthians 13:12, when it says, "For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face..." it's like the  muted skyline of Columbus reflected in the water's surface - unsubstantial, fleeting and not the real thing.  That's kind of how life is on this ole planet earth.  We're living in a pale reflection of what life will someday be when we'll see Jesus face to face and live in a solid eternal world that is more wonderful than our imaginations can ever conceive.

As the sun sets on this particular post, I wish for you joy in the Lord, "From the rising of the sun to its going down the Lord's name is to be praised," Psalm 113:3.