Good Friday, 2022

 Matthew chapter 27, verses 35 – 37 and 45 – 54, New King James Version

Then they crucified Him, and divided His garments, casting lots, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet:

“They divided My garments among them, And for My clothing they cast lots.”

Sitting down, they kept watch over Him there. And they put up over His head the accusation written against Him:   

THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS.

Jesus Dies on the Cross

Now from the sixth hour until the ninth hour there was darkness over all the land. And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?” that is, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”

Some of those who stood there, when they heard that, said, “This Man is calling for Elijah!” Immediately one of them ran and took a sponge, filled it with sour wine and put it on a reed, and offered it to Him to drink.

The rest said, “Let Him alone; let us see if Elijah will come to save Him.”

And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit.

Then, behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth quaked, and the rocks were split, and the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised; and coming out of the graves after His resurrection, they went into the holy city and appeared to many.

So when the centurion and those with him, who were guarding Jesus, saw the earthquake and the things that had happened, they feared greatly, saying, “Truly this was the Son of God!”

Maundy Thursday, 2022

 Today is Maundy Thursday, the day we commemorate the institution of communion during Jesus’s Last Supper. And though it was Jesus’ Last Supper, it was, in a way, the First Supper for His eleven remaining disciples. After their Teacher is crucified and rises from the dead, His disciples will forever be free of their sins; they will be new men, as if eating and drinking – breathing – for the first time. But they have a few difficult days to get through first.

Matthew chapter 26, verses 26 – 46, New King James Version

Jesus Institutes the Lord’s Supper

And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to the disciples and said, “Take, eat; this is My body.”

Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins. But I say to you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in My Father’s kingdom.”

And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.

Jesus Predicts Peter’s Denial

Then Jesus said to them, “All of you will be made to stumble because of Me this night, for it is written:

‘I will strike the Shepherd, And the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’

But after I have been raised, I will go before you to Galilee.”

Peter answered and said to Him, “Even if all are made to stumble because of You, I will never be made to stumble.”

Jesus said to him, “Assuredly, I say to you that this night, before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.”

Peter said to Him, “Even if I have to die with You, I will not deny You!”

And so said all the disciples.

The Prayer in the Garden

Then Jesus came with them to a place called Gethsemane, and said to the disciples, “Sit here while I go and pray over there.” And He took with Him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and He began to be sorrowful and deeply distressed. Then He said to them, “My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Stay here and watch with Me.”

He went a little farther and fell on His face, and prayed, saying, “O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will.”

Then He came to the disciples and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, “What! Could you not watch with Me one hour? Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”

Again, a second time, He went away and prayed, saying, “O My Father, if this cup cannot pass away from Me unless I drink it, Your will be done.” And He came and found them asleep again, for their eyes were heavy.

So He left them, went away again, and prayed the third time, saying the same words. Then He came to His disciples and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting? Behold, the hour is at hand, and the Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of sinners. Rise, let us be going. See, My betrayer is at hand.”

Simple Beauty, Dells post #10

It’s Holy Week, so I debated whether or not to write today about that vacation I took to Wisconsin Dells back in October. I still have so many pictures to share. But it shouldn’t be about the pictures; it should be about the story.

About all that God has created and given to us. How thankful I am that I had that weeks’ vacation. How I had no clue at the time that I would really be retiring this spring.

How much I do appreciate the small things in nature.

And the great things.

And even the manmade things which show great beauty.

Or power.

 But so many people, instead, look to the monstrosities that man has created.

And call them entertainment.

Sure, these buildings and structures have their own sort of beauty.

But so does a simple bouquet of flowers.

Just so we praise God for all He has given us. And remember why Jesus died for our sins and rose again so we could have eternal life with all other believers. 

Palm Sunday, 2022

Today is Palm Sunday, the day we celebrate Jesus’s triumphant return to Jerusalem and the beginning of Holy Week. I’m always baffled by the stark contrast between Jesus being greeted with such joy one day and the crowds turning on Him just a few days later. At the end of this post, I attached a link to an article that offers an explanation.  

In the meantime, though, read Jesus’s final thoughts from His Sermon on the Mount.

Matthew chapter 7, verses 7 -14 and 21 – 27, New King James Version

Keep Asking, Seeking, Knocking

“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him! Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.

The Narrow Way

“Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.

I Never Knew You

“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’

Build on the Rock

“Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock.

“But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall.”

 Here's the link I mentioned above - https://theskepticalguy.com/2018/03/27/the-one-big-lesson-i-always-take-away-from-palm-sunday/

Timme in the Wall, Dells post, #9

    Sorry that I didn’t post here on Wednesday, as I usually do. Hubby and I had a rare date night and didn’t get home until 10:00 Tuesday night. Way past our bedtimes.

I’m still sharing the details of my trip to a condo near Wisconsin Dells last October. This is once again taking me way longer to write about than it should.

A friend from Minnesota joined me on Monday evening, and the next morning we took off exploring. The first place we stopped at was Timme Mill in Wisconsin Dells.  

There was a dam near this site since 1849, originally used to power sawmills.  

A few years later, dams throughout the area were powering flour mills, as wheat was becoming Wisconsin’s first major agricultural crop. This site saw many owners over the years, but when August Timme, a German immigrant, purchased the grist mill in 1894, it would forevermore be known as Timme Mill.

The actual mill is now just a memory.  

Just next to the dam is an interesting hole in the wall. Claims are that it housed one of the first bars in Wisconsin Dells in the late 1800s.

From what I’ve found online, the actual history of this cave carved into the rock is somewhat obscure.

For more information: 

On Timme Mill - https://saukcountyhistory.org/timmes-mill-and-mirror-lake

A shortened version on Timme Mill - https://www.co.sauk.wi.us/parksandrecreation/timme-mill

The Hole in the Wall Tavern - https://www.onlyinyourstate.com/wisconsin/abandoned-cave-wi/

A better history of this "tavern". Or not - https://detritusofempire.blogspot.com/2016/04/forgotten-brewery-caves-lake-delton.html

Fifth Sunday in Lent, 2022

    Next week is Palm Sunday already. We’ve had another wintery weather week here in the Northwoods, making it hard to believe that it’s supposed to be Spring.

But Spring will come. The flowers will bloom. The birds will return from their wintering grounds down south. God will take care of all of that, along with everything else. We can turn our worries over to Him.

Matthew chapter 6, verses 19-34, New Living Translation

“Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.

“Your eye is like a lamp that provides light for your body. When your eye is healthy, your whole body is filled with light. But when your eye is unhealthy, your whole body is filled with darkness. And if the light you think you have is actually darkness, how deep that darkness is!

“No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and be enslaved to money.

“That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn’t life more than food, and your body more than clothing? Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are? Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?

“And why worry about your clothing? Look at the lilies of the field and how they grow. They don’t work or make their clothing, yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are. And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith?

“So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.

“So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today.”

The Devil is in the Details, Dells post #8

     On Wednesday, I told you about my ascent to the top of the trail at Devil’s Lake State Park.

The views were truly breathtaking.

But I was now on a more traveled trail,

which meant signs of mankind.  

Devil’s Doorway.

What looks like a man’s face in the rock.

Balanced Rock and a man on the rock.

Devil’s Lake.

And the descent down to it.

The sign says to stay on the trail. Really?

Some people were more prepared and much more ambitious than me. 

But oh, so worth the trek.