PASSION PLAY EXPEDITION!

If it has been a while since you visited the 667-acre campus of The Great Passion Play, (www.greatpassionplay.org), in Eureka Springs, Arkansas, I am hoping that this information will "put it on your radar", as a place you need to check out for the first time, or re-visit, if you have not been there in a while.  You will see this impressive sculpture, fountain, flower garden, and columned sign as you drive on to the campus. 

Shortly past this fountain, will be another sign, pointing you to the paved road, that leads to the Christ of the Ozarks Memorial Statue.  All cars stop of the gate-keeper kiosk, where a staff member will welcome you, give you a map, and happily provide information on making donations to this non-profit entity. 

There is ample parking, and clean restrooms, in front of this sidewalk, that leads to statue. 

As you start up the sidewalk, the statue will become visible, framed by trees:

The memorial stands 67 feet high, which is about the same as a seven-story building.

   

One of the reasons I wanted to revisit this memorial, was to get a photograph that focused on the 65 feet arm span of the statue.  I wanted it to serve as the visual aid to help me with one of my First Place 4 Health (www.FirstPlace4Health.com) memory verses that says, The Lord answered Moses,"Is the Lord's arm too short?  You will now see whether or not what I say will come true for you."  Numbers 11:23

To put the immensity of the statue into perspective, this photo shows me at 62 inches, and the statue at about 13 times my height!

Yet another reason I wanted to revisit this campus, is because when my grandson and granddaughter toured their Holy Land replica (See September, 2017, in blog archives) the tour guide mentioned that they had just been awarded a grant from the Walton Foundation, to build a vast network of mountain bike trails on the property.  I was not surprised to hear this because I had read that the grandsons of Sam Walton (founder of the NWA-headquartered company of Walmart) were dedicated mountain bike enthusiasts, and had been heavily involved in making Northwest Arkansas, the mountain biking capitol of the USA.  However, when I saw the trailhead sign below, I realized it was the biggest and best trailhead sign I had ever seen, in all my treks around the USA!

I was impressed the way the creators of this massive structure, used bicycle wheels in both a functional and artistic way.  The information here will tell you that the trails are FREE, designed for ALL ages and skill levels.  One can go to www.GreatPassionPlay.org/trails to get up-to-date information on races, events, pictures, and trail maps.  In addition, you can interact with other users by typing "Great Passion Play Trails" into your Facebook search window. 

One of the trails will lead you to the area in the woods (marked by where the trails make an "X") that is just a few feet from the paved sidewalk beneath the statue, and quick access to the covered pavilion.

It is good to know that the 20 miles of trails also have enough room for hikers, as well!

Since there is a covered pavilion below the statue, that looks out over the town of Eureka Springs, you might consider this spot as a scenic place for a sack lunch!  It would also be a lovely place to enjoy a colorful Ozark Mountain sunset.  (The area is open from dawn to an hour after dusk).

Visitors are encouraged to stroll into the Cross Prayer Garden, that is adjacent to the memorial statue:

Nearby, one can also look into "Church in the Grove", which is reminiscent (both on the inside and outside) of many country churches I have visited:

A few feet from this little church, is a section of the Berlin wall, which represented the dividing line between Communist East Berlin, and the free West Berlin.  Notice the reference to the 23rd Psalm in the painting on it:

Another campus site I revisited, was the Bible Museum.  It is located beside the gift shop, and although there is no admission charge, donations are welcomed!  My grandson and I visited here on one of our grandma/grandson outings, and I was very impressed with his knowledge of the history of the Bible, that he had learned at his Christian parochial school.  He pointed out several items on exhibit that  he had learned about in his Bible history classes!  There was a great deal of publicity when The Bible Museum opened in Washington, D.C., a few years ago, but let me assure you, there are enough exhibits in this museum right here in the Ozarks, to occupy history buffs for a very long time!

It was a very gifted (and patient!) artist that drew this picture of Jesus, using 181,253 words from the New Testament.  The features of the painting are made to stand out by using variations of light ink and dark ink.

The Bible Museum has 7,000 Bibles in 625 languages and dialects.  The one shown below is in Hebrew.

The artifacts in this display case include cuniform writings, carved stone memorials, and writing on parchment .

The Bible often talks about scrolls, and an example is shown in photo below.  A tech-savvy  teenager today might think that the word "scroll" only means the movements they make with their finger, as they peruse (scroll) through their social media accounts. But the word originated long before social media!

The museum has a page of the Gutenberg Bible, and also this model of a Gutenberg printing press. 

There is also a copy of the Jefferson Bible.  For this publication, President Thomas Jefferson only included the words of Jesus.  He cut out texts and arranged them in order on blank pages.  He retained statements that clearly were the words of Jesus.  He did this for his own personal use, and it was not published until many years after his death.

The photo below shows the Martin Luther Bible, from 1534. 

Bibles brought over by the pilgrims are also on display.

 

An exhibit on William Tyndale teaches that this man played a significant role in making Bibles as accessible as they are today.

A display case of various forms of Gideon Bibles is on exhibit, and includes a one-of-a-kind 1898 Bible signed by all of the original Gideons. 

Hope this blog has provided some ideas for an expedition to see all the interesting features available at The Great Passion Play attraction .  To start planning your trip to Eureka Springs, visit www.EurekaSpringsChamber.com.  A visit there is sure to give you "MILES OF SMILES"!!  Tricia

 

SCRIPTURE GARDEN EXPEDITION!

I recently had the opportunity to visit the (somewhat) new addition to the outdoor campus of College of the Ozarks (www.cofo.edu), in Hollister, Missouri.  The arch in this photo marks the beginning of the sacred space.

 This close up photo of the sign shows that one is entering a "Scripture Garden".

The photo below shows that the sign can also be read by looking at its shadow on the sidewalk.  I would like to think that the metal artist who fashioned the sign, knew this would be a benefit of cutting the letters out of the metal, instead of just painting them on the sign.

I am part of a healthy living program (www.FirstPlace4Health.com) that encourages memorization of the Holy Scriptures, in that we are given the challenge of learning one new Bible verse by memory each week.  This "Be still"verse is always a favorite for young parents to learn, so they can train a fidgety youngster "in the way they should go"!

There is a gazebo on the property, and the view it provides is breath-taking!

 

 

Ever wonder about the definition of the word "faith"?   This Hebrews verse answers that question!

Every garden needs a water feature, and this one has a lovely pond, with a butterfly sculpture within it.

I need lots more Godly wisdom, so I ask God for wisdom very often.  And even though my lack of wisdom sometimes causes me to make mistakes, God does not point out my faults in condemnation!

If a student wants to "get away from it all", to study or meditate, all they have to do is tie up their hammock to one of the numerous trees adjacent to the scripture garden!

This verse is a reminder that I should be pure in heart, not prideful.  

When I was doing photography at the scripture garden, this pretty lady came strolling through.  When I saw that she had on a College of the Ozarks shirt, I asked her what her connection was to the school.  She told me she is a volunteer ambassador for them, perusing the campus to help visitors find what they are looking for, and to answer their questions. She is also happy to take photos for people who want to remember their visit to this amazing campus, but do not want to try to do it by taking a "selfie"!

The dedication plaque at the garden, lets me know the name of the "human" behind the gift of these scriptures carved in stone.  Thank you Helen D. McVey!

I want my bones to be healed, so it is better for me to speak pleasant words, than mean words, according to Proverbs 16:24.

This verse from Proverbs 5:5 references "directing our path", which is what the black fence is doing near the edge of the bluff---directing out path!

 

Directing my path was this decorative black fence, that silently tells visitors, "Do not go past this fence"!

 The body of water one can see behind me is called "Lake Taneycomo".  Although it may sound like an Italian word, it actually comes from abbreviating the words "Taney County Missouri".  (The standard abbreviation for the state of Missouri is "MO".)

How thankful I am for this promise, that no matter what happens, God can turn it around for good, for those who love God, and are called according to his purpose.

This verse from the Psalms tells the reason we memorize scripture:

 

 

Beside the gazebo, is a pleasant seating area, that looks down on farm property managed by the College of the Ozarks. 

The way I remember the digits of the verse below, is by saying "to 911", as in when one calls 911 to get help.

This reference of Jeremiah 33:3 is sometimes called "God's Telephone Number".  I use this admonition so frequently to help me find "lost things", that I finally realized, this could also be a reminder to pray for "lost people", who have not yet made the decision, to accept the salvation provided by Jesus.

Saying the Philippians 4:13 verse out-loud, over and over, has gotten me through some very touch situations, including the time I got stuck in my kayak on the edge of a small waterfall in a Missouri river. God answered my prayers for help, and his Divine Strength, finally enabled me to free myself from the torrents of fast-moving water, that were on either side of my kayak!

The Scripture reference of this Bible verse from the Old Testament book of Numbers, is the one I am using as the visual aid to help me remember one of our First Place 4 Health memory verses for our current session.  Numbers 12:11 says, "And he said to Moses, "Please, my lord, do not hold against us the sin we have so foolishly committed."  It refers to when Moses' brother is asking to be forgiven for making the golden calf to worship, while Moses was up on the mountain for forty days with Yahweh.

The First Place 4 Health name originated from the verse shown here, of Matthew 6:33. That is because the verse advises what people should seek FIRST!  In the program's beginning, it was simply called "First Place", because its mission was to train people what was the FIRST, and most important, goal for a healthy life. 

The Hebrew word for praise means, "Hands upward toward God", which is what I am doing here---praising God for the beautiful world he has created! Seeing the College of the Ozarks Scripture Garden gave me "MILES OF SMILES"!!  Tricia