CROSS EXPEDITIONS!

One can see representations of a cross all over the planet, and they are especially prevalent in the Ozarks area of the South, where I live. 

For example, a sacred pilgrimage site in Branson, Missouri, called Shrine of the Holy Spirit, has a silver-colored, metal cross, perched on a pedestal beside their entrance wall.  The site has an indoor chapel, plus dozens of Bible verses dealing with the Holy Spirit, etched on stone tablets in the outdoors,  surrounding the shrine.   Perhaps these tablets could be thought of as modern-day "petroglyphs".   A petroglyph is an image created by removing part of a rock surface by incising, picking, carving, or abrading, as a form of rock art.  Petroglyphs are estimated to be thousands of years old, and classified as protected monuments and have been added to the tentative list of UNESCO's world heritage sites.  Petroglyphs are found worldwide, and are often associated with prehistoric peoples.  Perhaps, thousands of years from now, someone will come across these words carved on stone in Branson, and be intrigued by the civilization that made them. 

   More info on this very inspiring Branson location is available on their website at www.shrineoftheholyspirit.com  

 

Another attraction near Branson is a "hard to miss" roadside anomaly, with the name "Images of the Cross".  

This photo was taken when I visited in March, 2020, shortly after my California cousin Lynette, posted a photo she  took of the cross in the dark, on their way to the airport, in January, 2020.  Although I go to Branson often, I had not been on the highway north of Branson, since the cross had been erected.  The photo she took from a moving vehicle is shown below:

After some searching on the Internet, I found the directions to the Missouri site she had photographed.  Surfing the Internet to research "crosses along the highway", I was reminded of a long road trip my family took out to Southern California in the 1950's, to see our cousins and their parents.  My mother always referred to the road as "Bloody 66", so I remember in my childhood naivety, being fearful of the drive to California on "Bloody 66".  I insisted on taking along the life jacket I used for swimming at the lake, so that I could sit atop it in the back seat, thinking it would be beneficial, if we had an automobile accident. (Remember, this was before the advent of seat belts in consumer automobiles).  It was not until much later that I learned there was another name for the road we were on, and we were one of many families who used this famous road between Chicago and the California coast.

The reason Lynette's photo "struck a nerve", was because when our family made that trip on Route 66 in the very hot summertime, my father planned it so that we drove across the Southwest desert at night, (recall that the 1950's  was before the days of air conditioners in cars).  Being unable to go to sleep, I sat in silence in the back seat, with the window rolled down so I could feel the wind.  For hundreds of miles, I sat in the dark, wide-eyed,  as we drove by dozens of small white crosses along the roadside, being illuminated by our headlights. This was not something I had ever seen in the Ozarks, and it really "spooked" me, as I had no idea why they were there!

It was not until I was an adult, and the practice of "memorial crosses" at the site of a traffic fatality, had made its way to the Ozarks, that my fear of driving in the desert at night, became manageable!  

 

Back to present day information regarding the Branson cross,  I read an article in the Springfield, Missouri, newspaper that gave the information I needed on the Missouri cross, and learned that its physical address is 4180 U.S. Highway 65, Walnut Shade, MO  65771.

Due to ongoing construction at the time I visited, I could not get close to it, so this photo was taken from the parking lot.  

When you are a long distance from this roadside cross, you cannot see the 8 blue "tear-drop-shaped" designs painted vertically on the cross.  They represent the Grace of Christ, and are representative of new beginnings.  Because of God's Grace in the Old Testament, 8 people were saved in the Ark---Noah, his wife, three sons, and their three wives.  (see the April 8, 2017, article in the archives of this blog, for info on the Noah's Ark replica in Kentucky).  The 5 horizontal tear drops are representative of the 3 nail wounds, the spear in the side and the crown of thorns that Jesus suffered.    This photo is serving as the visual aide for one of my First Place 4 Health (www.FirstPlace4Health.com) memory verses that says, "He himself bore our sins in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness: 'by his wounds you have been healed'." 1 Peter 2:24

This is almost the same photo, but I included the truck in the picture to give it a sense of scale. 

After visiting their website, I learned that the cross memorial is a father-son project (one might think of Jesus' association with the cross, as a "Father/Son" project!)  Mr. B. Dean Brown (born in 1932) is the author of the book, "Turning Points: From the Outhouse to the Penthouse" had the original vision for a cross on property he owned at this location.  His son, Kerry Brown, a former attorney,  continues to oversee the project, which is located on the west side of the intersection of U.S. Highways 65 and 160, in the Walnut Shade, Missouri, community.  The cross shown here is now listed as the tallest roadside cross in the USA.  It is 218 feet tall (any structure over 200 feet tall must have a beacon at its apex, according to FAA regulations.)  More information and photos are available on their website at www.imagesatthecross.org .

Before the Missouri cross was built, a roadside cross in Effingham, Illinois was the tallest.  I remember the first time I drove that highway and set my eyes on the gigantic cross in the distance, I was awe-struck!  Although I did not stop at the time (because I did not know which exit to take to access it), I determined to find out more about it.  Thanks to the Internet, I learned that it is sometimes called "Cross at the Crossroads".  On Facebook, their page is called The Cross in Effingham.  The crossroads referenced are Interstate 57 and Interstate 70.  It stands 198 feet tall, and was built around 2001.  In the summer of 2001, plans were made to have a dedication and nighttime illumination ceremony on the darkest night of mid-September, the evening before the new moon.  Then the terrorist acts of destruction on September 11, 2001, (known as the "9/11 Attacks) in New York City, Washington, D.C., and rural Pennsylvania, made the need for a symbol of hope especially important for the throngs of people that gathered at the base of the cross, for its initial lighting ceremony,  on the evening of September 16, 2001.  

Another place where you can find a cross sculpture, at an angle seldom seen, is in Saint John, Indiana, where you will see the cross laying on the ground,  instead of standing up.  The location is The Shrine of Christ's Passion, which I did an article on in this blog (available in archives with date of  Sept 16, 2019).  It shows life-size sculptures of Jesus laying on the cross, with a soldier hammering nails into his hands.  This sculpture is one of several the visitor can meditate on as they walk (free of charge) along the half mile winding pathway that allows you to journey through the Passion of Christ.   This is a very worthwhile site to visit, and you can learn more about it at their website, www.shrineofchristspassion.org

Another cross that I have visited that was part of a "winding path" (aka, switchbacks ascending a very steep mountain in the Ozarks) is the one on top of the bluff overlooking Buffalo City, Arkansas.  I had observed the cross from far below several times, while kayaking at this site on the White River, where the Buffalo National River empties into the White River (shown in background of photo).  When a friend offered me the opportunity to hike to the cross, via a boat her husband navigated across the river to a drop-off location at the bottom of the mountain, I jumped at the opportunity!  My arms are uplifted in heart-felt gratitude to Jesus for dying on the cross for my sins, and to Dave and Carol, who facilitated the opportunity, and Marilyn who took the photo!

 

Another location in northern Arkansas with a cross landmark, is Cross Church (www.crosschurch.com), in Rogers, Arkansas.  Anyone who has ever driven the very busy I-49 corridor between Fayetteville and Bella Vista, has seen this landmark, that is located in front of the main sanctuary of Cross Church:

The cross atop Mt. Sequoyah in Fayetteville, Arkansas, is another "destination" cross that many people drive to, as it makes a stunning addition to a sunset photo, like this one taken by Mary French.  The "Cross at Overlook Park" was part of the Mount Sequoyah Retreat and Conference Center, founded in 1922, by the Methodist Episcopal Church.  The location continues to be available for retreats and other events, which you can learn about at their website, www.mountsequoyah.org .

This photo with two of my grandkids illustrates the reason we share the good news of the Gospel---so that others can experience the abundant and eternal life that Jesus' sacrifice on the cross made possible.  We especially want that for our loved ones, like the ones shown in this photo!

Thanks to Jesus willingly dying on the cross for my sins, then being resurrected from the grave, I can rejoice in the good news (aka, "Gospel") that the cross remind us of!  That gives me "MILES OF SMILES"!!  Tricia