Category Archives: Churches

R is for…

For April I’m challenging myself to an A-Z photo a day excluding Sundays and in addition to any regular posts that come to be.

Today is Monday April 21st and we are on the letter R.

R is for the Resurrection of Jesus Christ our Redeemer, our Risen Savior!

Our greater family and friends were celebrating Easter from Washington State, California, Texas, Utah, New York and North Carolina. We had such joyous, meaningful, epic celebrations in our church gatherings and in our homes.

There will be a ridiculous amount of photos to document Easter 2025.

I’m starting with First Baptist Colville and our Colville Kids. Our Pastor’s Easter sermon was exceptional, focusing on why the Resurrection is the keystone of Christianity. God is good. The whole service was wonderful.

We were in charge of our continental breakfast between the first and second service on Easter Day.

Canyon Hills in Bothell, Josh and Laura’s church, had an epic service renting Angel of the Winds Arena in Everett so their very large congregation would be able to worship together instead of having many services.

Laura’s family gathered at Josh and Laura’s for their Easter Meal.

We gathered at Dan and Jamie’s after our church services for our meal and for the Easter Egg Hunt!

JJ and Addy posed as bunnies.

We were able to dodge the rain showers for the hunt.

Our Texas Family attended services at Watermark Church and had their Easter meal of Shashlik (Lamb Shish-kebab) and other goodies at our sister’s home.

Lana got creative and formed her Kulich/Paska (Easter Bread) into a tomb with the stone rolled away.

One of the California gatherings with the more traditional Kulich/Paska (Russian Easter Bread) and the Seernaya Paska (sweet cheese spread).

I stole borrowed some of these photos off of the family texts. It was a full day of Rejoicing!

Today, Easter Monday, will be a rest and recuperation day for me.

 

Good Friday 2025

Today we remember Good Friday, the day Jesus was crucified on a cross and when he breathed His last and was laid in a tomb.

Were the angels looking down from heaven to see all that would transpire?

We are so fortunate to be able to attend a Good Friday service this evening in Colville.

And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” that is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”
From Matthew 27:45-66

The Death of Jesus

 Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour.  And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” that is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”  And some of the bystanders, hearing it, said, “This man is calling Elijah.”  And one of them at once ran and took a sponge, filled it with sour wine, and put it on a reed and gave it to him to drink.  But the others said, “Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to save him.”  And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and yielded up his spirit.

 And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. And the earth shook, and the rocks were split.  The tombs also were opened. And many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised, and coming out of the tombs after his resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many. When the centurion and those who were with him, keeping watch over Jesus, saw the earthquake and what took place, they were filled with awe and said, “Truly this was the Son of God!”

 There were also many women there, looking on from a distance, who had followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering to him, among whom were Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of James and Joseph and the mother of the sons of Zebedee.

Jesus Is Buried

 When it was evening, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who also was a disciple of Jesus. He went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then Pilate ordered it to be given to him. And Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a clean linen shroud  and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had cut in the rock. And he rolled a great stone to the entrance of the tomb and went away. Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were there, sitting opposite the tomb.

The Guard at the Tomb

 The next day, that is, after the day of Preparation, the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered before Pilate and said, “Sir, we remember how that impostor said, while he was still alive, ‘After three days I will rise.’  Therefore order the tomb to be made secure until the third day, lest his disciples go and steal him away and tell the people, ‘He has risen from the dead,’ and the last fraud will be worse than the first.” Pilate said to them, “You have a guard of soldiers. Go, make it as secure as you can.” So they went and made the tomb secure by sealing the stone and setting a guard.

 

Is it not strange, the darkest hour
That ever dawned on sinful earth,
Should touch the heart with softer power,
For comfort, than an angel’s mirth?
That to the Cross the mourner’s eye should turn,
Sooner than where the stars of Bethlehem burn?
~Spurgeon

It’s No Mystery…

…we love her to pieces!

On Saturday we gathered to celebrate Addy turning eight. She requested a Hardy Boys Mystery Themed party. We were each given a character from the books to be on this day. Wigs, scarves, and other costume choices were made.

Mr. Hardy, Mrs. Hardy, Frank, Joe, Iola, Calli, Belinda, Biff, Ethel, Chief Collig, were all present and accounted for. A few more characters were due to arrive.

Eight is Great!

Mysteries were solved and clues were followed. Which shoe made what print?

I’m sorry I didn’t take a photo of the 3×5 treasure hunt clues we found all over the house that Addy’s dad wrote out for us to follow to find the treasure!

When all the characters arrived, we enjoyed baked potatoes with many toppings for lunch.

Orange Creme soda and root beer right out of a bottle will be a fun memory.

After lunch it was time for presents before we enjoyed the cake.

It’s getting easier each year for Addy to read the cards on her own.

The last present to open was her new scooter and she was thrilled! Uncle Andrew, the aeronautical engineer, was given the task to put it together!

Time for Cake!

 

The cake was another masterpiece by Addy’s mom. It was a delicious S’mores cake!

When you are eight, you get to light the candle on the cake!

 

Another great birthday celebration in the books.

And for the record this wasn’t the only celebration on this day. After Addy’s party was done, we gathered again at Gramps and Baba’s for a Chinese themed dinner of Hot and Sour Soup (homemade). Our kids put this meal together while Baba watched a movie with Addy and JJ. We gather the moments when our kids from the Westside are in town! After dinner we introduced SKYJO to everyone.

Our family highly recommends this game and it can entertain a wide range of ages! Tested at our home for 8 year olds and up!

On Sunday we all gathered at church for the early service and we were surprised with a special number by Addy on the piano. Our country church includes from time to time special numbers that anyone from the congregation can share with the church. Addy chose to play It is Well with My Soul as a special gift for me. Yes, there were tears.

Thank you, Addy. Baba loves you and is so happy that you love Jesus. Baba and Gramps pray that you will grow closer and closer to Our LORD and Savior, Jesus Christ each new year of your life.

Because of Jesus, It is Well With My Soul.

Rathdrum, Idaho

On the way to our getaway in Coeur d’Alene to celebrate my birthday we made a stop in Rathdrum for our lunch. While we were in The Westwood Brewery for our meal we read some interesting history which included this church that is the oldest brick church in Idaho. After lunch we drove by the church for a photoshoot.

Settled in 1861, the City of Rathdrum is located in the Pandhandle of Northern Idaho, 12 miles northwest of Coeur d’Alene, Idaho and 25 miles east of Spokane, Washington.  In the late 1860’s, a pony express relay station was established in Rathdrum and in 1882, the first Northern Pacific rail line was laid allowing ore from the Silver Valley to be shipped by rail to the mills.

Rathdrum is one of the oldest towns in North Idaho. From the beginning, Rathdrum has been an important crossroads, the Indians referred to the area as the “Great Road of the Flatheads.” Hudson Bay and Pacific Fur trading companies traversed the Rathdrum Prairie in the early 1800’s, followed by the Jesuit missionaries in the 1840s. Originally named “Westwood” after Charles Wesley Wood, local pony express rider, rancher and land developer, the city became the County seat for Kootenai County in 1881. In 1908, electors voted the County seat to Coeur d’Alene. In the late 1800s, the city’s name was changed from Westwood to Rathdrum after Rathdroma, Ireland, the birthplace of a local businessman.

Present day Rathdrum is a thriving community of 6,500.  In spite of three major fires, the earliest in 1884 and the last in 1924, many historical buildings still stand including Saint Stanislaus Church, the oldest brick church in the state of Idaho.

I thought it was fun to have our St. Patrick’s Day meal in a town named after a town in Ireland.

The restaurant’s version of corned beef and cabbage with mashed potatoes, gravy and rye bread. Greg ordered the fish and chips. My mocktail was a March special. Blue Curacao with pineapple juice and sprite.

After lunch we drove a few miles to Coeur d’Alene stopping at UGM Thrift store before we checked into our Inn. More about our Inn in another post.

Family Time in Dallas

Dinner at the Rusty Moose in Airway Heights on our way to the Spokane airport.

Our flight to Dallas left the Spokane airport at 5:30 am. Since we live about 2 hours from the airport we decided it would be wise to spend the night at a hotel at the airport on Friday. That worked out well. We were able to walk to the airport on Saturday morning in good time to check in and go through security. Our brother-in-law and sister picked us up at Dallas-Fort Worth airport when we arrived before noon.

This was our first time to see Steve and Lana’s new home. It is beautiful and comfortable. Lana prepared Cottage Pie for dinner and soon a few of Steve’s family members arrived along with our brother Leonard’s family. It was a nice relaxed evening getting caught up with everyone.

On Sunday morning we met up at Leonard and Mandy’s church for the 11:15 service and then enjoyed lunch at their home. Yummy fajitas with all the fixins hit the spot.

We had a good discussion about the sermon around the table.

Our sister Lana and her husband, Steve.

Our brother Leonard and wife, Mandy.

And here are our niece and nephew.

The day ended with a good rain storm.

Tomorrow we are planning a trip to the Fort Worth Stockyards.

Hope your March is starting well.

Many Hands Make Light Work

…along with a lot of planning and organization.

I agreed to take on an event at our church for the sending off  and 10 years of service of our dear Youth Pastor’s family. They are heading to a new ministry in Georgia. The event was a three hour drop in event and I wanted it to be as simple as could be with finger food and no heating necessary but also have some elevation in taste and presentation.

This is the beautiful family we were celebrating.

Volunteers were enlisted for three shifts of service. My first 5 shift volunteers from 1pm until 4pm did all the peeling, chopping, mixing, slicing, stuffing, frosting, arranging and clean-up for West Coast Chicken Sliders, Veggie platters, and elevated brownie bites. Once the sliders were stuffed they were stacked in stainless pans between waxed paper and stored in the refrigerators for the event. Before the volunteers arrived I staged the serving tables with tiered servers and some sparkly accents and candles. My second shift of volunteers had the task of keeping the buffet tables stocked with the goodies we prepared. Husband, Greg, was in charge of the water and coffee. We had a third shift of two families who were in charge of the final clean-up, putting away tables and chairs and taking out the trash. The first two shifts of volunteers kept the kitchen clean-up to a minimum washing prep items as we went along. What a fabulous crew.

We will miss this dear family but send them off with prayers for their continued growth in their love for the LORD Jesus Christ and the Great Commission to go out into the world and make disciples.

I’m battling with Plantar Fasciitis for the first time ever . With lots of prayers on my behalf, I was able to make it through the event with little or no pain. As is the case with this condition after coming home and sitting for a while and then standing up again my feet ceased to function well. I’m trying some remedies to ease the problem along with good supportive shoes. I woke up on Wednesday with very little pain and am thankful. Hopefully icing, massaging, and doing a few exercises before I get out of bed will help the condition and make it cease.

Hope all is well in your corner of the world.

Scotland Travel Journal ~ Edinburgh Reformation Tour 1

Monday September 23rd was our last full day in Edinburgh and Scotland. This would be a day filled with walking and stairs and information. We were thankful on this morning that Greg was well enough to walk and not miss our special tour.

We took the Lady Stair’s Close to get up to the Royal Mile. We stopped to take some photos outside the Writer’s Museum.

Early on the Royal Mile there were fewer folk milling about. That would change soon.

We scheduled a private Scottish Reformation Tour on this day.

I included the link above. We were to meet Jimmy at 9am in front of St. Giles Cathedral.

Soon we saw who we assumed was Jimmy and he came right to us assuming we were his clients for the morning.

St. Giles was not open to the public yet on this particular morning so Jimmy took us around to the parking lot between St. Giles and The Supreme Court building. We would visit the inside of the cathedral at the end of our tour.

It looked to Jimmy’s keen eye that something was going on in the Supreme Court building so he managed to gain us access into the hall outside the courtroom.

It was quite fascinating to see all the ‘big wigs’ standing around and some pacing back and forth the length of the room discussing their cases.

Back outside we were on the search for parking space #23.

Here at space number 23 in the car park is approximately where John Knox is buried!

The Scottish Reformation leader’s grave was paved over and is now a parking lot. The stone inscription reads;

‘The Above Stone Marks

the Approximate

Site of the Burial

In St. Giles Graveyard

Of John Knox

The Great Scottish Divine

Who Died 24th November 1572′

It’s said that Knox wanted to be buried within 20 feet of Saint Giles, so he was laid to rest right outside the church in what was once a proper graveyard. However, the site has since been tarmacked over and is now a functioning parking lot. A plaque in parking space number 23 marks the approximate location of his now-lost grave.

Knox was a 16th-century preacher who commanded that his people be able to read the Bible in their own language. He was a key figure in turning a nation of Catholics into one of Protestants. His fire and brimstone sermons and teachings often put him at odds with the Catholic Mary, Queen of Scots.

On our walk to Victoria street we came across this Famous Heart.

The Heart of Midlothian is both a historic mosaic dating to the Middle Ages and a landmark that denotes the location of Edinburgh’s Old Tolbooth administrative building. Locals often spit on the sign as a good luck charm, a tradition that has morphed from its original meaning of disdain for the many executions that took place at this site over the years. The Heart of Midlothian F.C., the local soccer club, takes its name from the mosaic and the Old Tolbooth.

The Heart was installed as part of a replacement building to the Old Tolbooth in 1561, and after this second building was demolished in 1817, the Heart was all that remained. It has been an inspiration for the writings of Sir Walter Scott and has become an iconic part of the city’s culture and historic identity – even if many now don’t remember its true origins.

FYI: Tolbooth is a Scottish term that refers to a townhall, jail or guildhall where tolls are collected.

From here we walked down Victoria Street to Grassmarket.

Victoria Street is said to be an inspiration for Diagon Alley in the Harry Potter books but J.K. Rowling denies that it is. Nonetheless fans flock here and stand in line to get in the museum on this colorful street.

This is where the ‘meat’ of our Reformation Tour began as we were told that this was the route that martyrs would take from their sentencing in the courts above then down Victoria Street to the public gallows. Once we reached Grassmarket we stood around this monument to Martyrs and Covenanters who lost their lives at this spot for their faith.

The Grassmarket is an wide open street on the south side of Edinburgh’s Old Town. The city had the public gallows there, and many Covenanters were executed during the Covenanting period.

A circular memorial, erected by public subscription in 1937, marks the site, and an adjoining plaque lists the names of the many Covenanters who were hanged there.

In a recent renovation of the locality, a representation of the gallows’ shadow was made on the ground using different coloured stone, as seen in the picture to the left.

Our tour continued from here. We made stops at Greyfriars Kirkyard, The National Museum, The National Library and St. Giles Cathedral.

At this stage in January, many months later, I’m not sure of the order of those stops! Travel failure in not writing a journal while on our trip. I’ll put it down to the fact that our days were so full we didn’t have a lot of down time in the evenings.

Hello to February. I was hoping to have our Scotland Journal Posts done by the end of January but it will take a few days into February to accomplish that.

Scotland Travel Journal ~Edinburgh 3

Continuing our sight seeing experiences in Edinburgh on Sunday September 22nd we traveled by Uber from the Grassmarket area to St. Mary’s Episcopal Cathedral for evensong. On this Sunday evensong was from 3:30 to 4:30. We arrived a little early so we had time to take some photos outside and inside before the service began.

St Mary’s Cathedral is the Mother Church of the Diocese of Edinburgh, the largest Cathedral in Scotland, and the only one to maintain the tradition of daily Choral worship. With its three spires dominating Edinburgh’s western skyline, St Mary’s is a renowned masterpiece of Victorian Gothic architecture. Designed by Sir George Gilbert Scott, the Cathedral was consecrated in 1879, and has been open daily for public and private prayer ever since.

Some History of the Cathedral can be found here.

We weren’t able to visit the interior of the Song School but found this YouTube that shows the beautiful panels!

We appreciated the beautiful singing and the scripture readings during the Evensong but to be honest and transparent some of the prayers given at the end of the service made our heads snap up. Bottom line they didn’t line up with Biblical accuracy and were bent toward human speculation. It put our Berean mindset to the test.

When Evensong was over we decided to walk a short distance to see picturesque Dean Village.

 

Dean village is a picturesque quiet village in Edinburgh. A beautiful hamlet!

We again decided on an Uber to get us back to our apartment to see how Greg was doing and if he was up to walk to dinner. He was ready for a meal so we walked down Thistle Lane looking for a likely spot for dinner. Again we didn’t have reservations. We walked by a Thai restaurant that looked very popular. After a short distance further we decided to go back to the Thai Restaurant and see if we could be seated. The owners took pity on us and found a spot for us explaining they needed the table soon for a reservation. We assured them we didn’t need a lot of time to eat. The food and service was excellent and we were pleased. We were done in good time and went back to our apartment with our ‘doggie bags’. We highly recommend Dusit Thai Restaurant.

Correct me if I have my day off for our Thai meal being on Sunday and not Monday, Laura or Josh. 🙂

Our Sunday was complete. I will share Josh and Laura’s photo travelogue of their time at Edinburgh Castle next. Monday would be our last full day in Edinburgh.

 

 

Scotland Travel Journal ~ Edinburgh 2

On Sunday September 22nd we would have an eye full of amazing sights to see but first, coffee!

The Black Sheep was just around the corner from our apartment and we started our mornings there.

Edinburgh has so much history and so much to see. We saw as much as we could in our 2 full days there. I’ll have a few posts to cover everything. Our apartment was positioned well for getting around Edinburgh. We made our way across the Mound and up many stairs to reach the Royal Mile and Edinburgh Castle. The Mound is the elevated walkway above Princess Gardens that you can see in the distance. On the Mound you walk past the National Gallery of Scotland and the Royal Scottish Academy. It was another day of overcast weather with little or no sunshine.

Josh and Laura had tickets for the Castle and my plan was to head down to Grassmarket and see what I could see, solo. Back in 2004 we toured the castle with our daughter, Katie, so I didn’t need to spend the money to see it again. This was Josh and Laura’s first trip to Scotland so the Castle was a priority. When they completed their Castle tour we would meet up. Greg spent this day in bed working on getting better.

I left Josh and Laura at the entrance to the castle and headed down two separate flights of stairs to get to the Grassmarket area of Edinburgh.

I spent my time this morning below the castle.

If I was to visit Edinburgh again, I would choose lodging in the Grassmarket area of Edinburgh.

Walking along King’s Stables Road I entered the cemetery adjacent to The Parish Church of St. Cuthbert.

Looking up from St. Cuthbert I had a different view of the castle.

From here I went into the church and was greeted kindly and given a brochure with some history of the church. I asked if I could take photos and was granted enthusiastic permission. Information I’m sharing is from the brochure.

Tradition tells us that the Celtic missionary, Cuthbert, preached from this spot in the 7th century and established the first church here. Since then there have been at least seven buildings on the same site. By the late 19th century the people of St. Cuthbert’s wanted to rebuild their 18th century “God-box”, a very plain building. In 1894 the present building designed by architect Hippolyte Blanc, was opened and has been in constant use ever since.

The Apse: In 1906 the Minister of the day, Dr. James Macgregor, celebrated 50 years of ministry. To commemorate this occasion Dr. Macgregor commissioned the alabaster frieze on the wall of the apse. It features Jesus and His disciples and the design is based on The Last Supper by Leonardo da Vinci. From left to right the characters are Bartholomew, James the Less, Andrew, Judas, Peter, John, Jesus, James, Thomas, Philip, Matthew, Thaddeus and Simon.

To the left of the apse is the pulpit. It is thought that the earliest church was probably built on the spot where the pulpit stands today. Under the pulpit is the foundation stone of the building along with a time capsule containing documents and artefacts of the 1890’s, including photographs, coins, newspapers, and copies of the Minister’s sermons.

 

The Communion Table is made from alabaster and marble, mostly Italian, green and Egyptian. The middle of the Communion Table shows the cross of St. Cuthbert which can be seen in the decor in other parts of the building.

The Exalted Christ with His angels on either side of Him was the first of the murals painted by Robert Hope RSA. In 1928 Professor Gerald E. Moira of Edinburgh College of Art painted the four apostles. Then in 1933 the angels on the spandrels at either side of the chancel area were painted by John Duncan RSA, RSW. The angels are seen worshipping God in two different ways. The one on the left is quietly praying to the spirit within, while on the right, the angel with raised hands and head worships joyfully, radiantly!

The windows on the left of the church depict stories from the Old Testament and on the right the New Testament. Upstairs on the North side you will see a young David, sling in hand, going out to meet the giant Goliath. This window was created by Tiffany of New York in 1903 and is one of only five Tiffany windows in Britain.

When I was done at St. Cuthbert’s I strolled back to Grassmarket to wait for Josh and Laura.

I waited at the White Hart Inn, Edinburgh’s most ancient tavern.

Follow in the footsteps of Oliver Cromwell, William Wordsworth and Robert Burns by enjoying a tankard of fine ale or one of our world-famous whiskies. Founded in 1516, The White Hart is named after the rarest of all Highland creatures, which can be spotted sometimes no more than once in a century. It was used as a heraldic symbol in the 14th century by King Richard II, and for almost five hundred years has welcomed travellers through these doors.

The food choices here were not hitting the spot for us so when Josh and Laura met up with me after their castle experience we found a table at the Fiddler’s Arms.

This image above is from The Fiddler’s Arms webpage. You can see what a sunny day would look like in the shadow of the castle. Below is what the atmosphere was like when we were here.

After lunch we popped into a couple of shops, took some photos and then we got an Uber to take us to St. Mary’s Episcopal Church to enjoy evensong which was due to begin at 3:30 on this Sunday. That will have to be another post.

Scotland Travel Journal ~ Dunfermline 3

On September 21st which was a Saturday and our journey from St. Andrews to Edinburgh we stopped to visit the Dunfermline Abbey and Palace. Although I’ve posted the exterior and interior of the Abbey already we toured the palace grounds first on this day. The kiosk to pay for our visit was located in the palace ruins area. This part of our visit involved going up and down different elevations within and along the ruins of palace.

In the cellars with some great acoustics we had an impromptu moment of worship as Laura began to sing ‘Praise God From Whom All Blessings Flow’. We all joined in and it was a sweet time together.

Praise God from whom all blessings flow, praise Him all creatures here below, praise Him above ye heavenly hosts, praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost, Amen.

The Abbey was obliged to offer hospitality to pilgrims and to other travelers whether rich or poor. The guest house was built here in the 1200’s and later became part of the royal palace. 

Not all overnight visitors would stay in this guest house; those of lower social rank would be given beds in nearby hostels. Because Queen Margaret founded the monastery and later monarchs chose to stay here, what you see is frequent alterations and additions to provide comfortable royal apartments. 

After the union of the crowns of Scotland and England in 1603, these buildings were abandoned and robbed of stone leaving the spectacular south wall with its windows overlooking the glen.

St. Benedict required the abbot dine with all visitors to the abbey. ‘Let the abbots table always be with guests and travellers’, he directed. However, when nobles knocked on the door, the abbot probably arranged for poorer pilgrims to eat elsewhere, while he enjoyed lavish feasts with his high-ranking guests.

This was such a worthwhile stop on our way back to Stirling to drop off our rental car and take a train to Edinburgh for the last few days of our Scotland Trip. Our sunshiny days were behind us.

Back to the present:

Today, January 20, 2025, in the United States is the inauguration of our 47th President, Donald J. Trump. We will be watching the ceremony. We hope for the best for our country and it’s people and our world. For us as believers, the very best is yet to come and it’s not happening here. In the meantime, we pray, we hope for the best, and we remain good citizens of our country doing our part as citizens. We acknowledge that we are not in control of the world and what is happening around the world but we know the One who is in control and who holds our world together.

As the song resounds, ‘This World is not my home I’m just a passing through, my treasures are laid up somewhere beyond the blue, the angels beckon me from heaven’s open door, and I can’t feel at home in this world anymore.’