3 Quarters Today

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#17/52: Holy Family Shrine

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The Holy Family Shrine can be seen as people travel on I-80 between Omaha and Lincoln Nebraska, although many do not know what they are seeing. It sits high on a hill and for those who take the time to venture off the beaten path.

Holy Family Shrine in Gretna Nebraska
Holy Family Shrine in Gretna Nebraska

It is very peaceful to walk through the gardens and reflect in the chapel.  It is rumored that the Thorncrown Chapel in the Ozarks was the inspiration, but this I do not know for sure. It has become a popular location for photography and the view from the top of the hill is breath taking.

Prayers for a Woman’s Soul

Holy Family Shrine, Gretna Nebraska
Holy Family Shrine, Gretna Nebraska

 

Directions to Holy Family Shrine in Nebraska

Take Exit 432 off I-80, turn south towards the Flying J truck stop and go almost 1.5 miles on Hwy 31. There will be a sign on your right hand side onto Pflug Road (it is gravel) proceed west one mile. Hours are Mon-Sat 10-5 pm and Sunday 12-5pm. There is a parking lot outside the gate and you can walk on the hiking trail after hours.

Religious Gifts to Inspire

Jeremiah 29:11 KeyringJourney White Resin Plaque With Bronze Title Bar And Scripture Verse Jeremiah 29:11Sterling Silver Miraculous Army Military Protection Medal PendantKONOV Jewelry Classic Vintage Cross Mens Ring, Stainless Steel Band, Silver, Size 9

Information About the Holy Family Shrine in Nebraska

Holy Family Shrine still a beautiful traveler’s rest

The Holy Family Shrine is the result of a vision from a priest in the early 1990s that brought together four individuals who previous to the shrine’s inception, didn’t know each other. What they shared is a belief that it was God’s will to be involved …
Billionaire Joe Ricketts plans religious retreat near Mahoney State Park

The Holy Family Shrine, a glass-walled and timbered chapel seen by many interstate travelers, is about five miles north of the Ricketts property. Deacon Dave Christensen said he does not know much about the project but he welcomed it to the neighborhood.
Holy Family Shrine by BCDM Architects | CONTEMPORIST

BCDM Architects designed the Holy Family Shrine in Gretna, Nebraska. . Description from the architects: Through a unique and divine series of events, a group of people with diverse backgrounds discovered each other and …
Holy Family Shrine

The Holy Family Shrine overlooks the Platte River Valley and is covered in all natural prairie grass and wildflowers with a meditation trail winding throughout. The Holy Family Shrine offers an intricate architectural designed all glass chapel, …
The Holy Family Shrine, Gretna Nebraska

BCDM Architects designed the Holy Family Shrine church in Gretna Nebraska. Inspired from the Thorn Crown Chapel. Located off interstate 80, the Catholic chapel overlooks the Platte River valley and incorporates its …
Holy Family Shrine | Twenty Ten Productions

We just received a new lens in this week and finally got to test it out for the first time. With only a few days left before heading out to Colorado for a week in Estes Park, we made the trip to the Holy Family Shrine off of interstate …
Knorr Architecture Blog: A Religious Experience on …

The Nebraska apparition my sister and I came upon is the Holy Family Shrine –Fay Jones’ last ecclesiastical design. The entrance is a pedestrian tunnel carved through an earth berm seeded with prairie grass. This tunnel …
Reasons to love Nebraska {the Holy Family shrine}

Reasons to love Nebraska {the Holy Family shrine}. I’ve been daydreaming for a few years about camping near this gorgeous Nebraska spot so that I can take pictures at dawn or sunset. Turns out that’s already been done…by …

Holy Family Shrine by BCDM Architects » CONTEMPORIST

BCDM Architects designed the Holy Family Shrine in Gretna, Nebraska. . Description from the architects: Through a unique and divine series of events, a group of people with diverse backgrounds discovered each other and …

#10/52: Lutheran Lenten Services, My Favorite Piano, and my Favorite Lenten Hymns

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Lutheran Lenten Services and my Favorite Piano

My favorite piano sits in front of my home church, Trinity Lutheran Church in Murdock Nebraska.  It is my favorite church season of the year, Lent.

My favorite piano and my favorite sheet music Lorie Line
Lorie Line During Lenten Vespers

It’s a time of reflection when I play the piano every Wednesday night during Lent. Lorie Line is my favorite pianist and her amazing piano hymn arrangements just perfect for this Holy season before East.

I have played the piano for the Lutheran Lenten Services at Trinity Lutheran Church since 1997 (I think)  and sometimes I think I should change up my sheet music. But I keep going back to the Heritage Collection II because I love these standard hymns.

These hymns are friends, they have seen me through the worse times in my life and given me comfort.  Sitting at the piano at the front of the church listening to the reading of the passion served as a therapy.

My Favorite Hymns: Lenten Season

Below are a few songs directly from Lorie Lines You Tube Channel. I can’t count the number of times I had this CD on auto-repeat.

  • Be Thou Vision
  • Nearer, Still Nearer
  • Faith of My Fathers
  • In The Garden
  • Rock Of Ages
  • Take My Life and Let It Be
  • David of the White Rock
  • Beach Spring
  • Con Que Pagaremos?
  • O Thou Fount Of Every Blessing
  • Nearer to God To Thee
  • Be With Me Lord
  • This Is My Father’s World
  • How Can I Keep From Singing?
  • An Irish Blessing
  • How Great Thou Art

I have played this piano book from front to back and most pieces are at the intermediate level and have a strong arpeggio style. This makes it easy to play but still very stylish and sounds wonderful.

Although I have played many pianos over the years my favorite piano my church piano and is the home of my spiritual soul and faith.

As the journey of Jesus takes me through Lent, Good Friday and Easter I am humbled, I pray for peace and glory at the promise of resurrection on Good Friday and celebrate Christ resurrection on Easter.

Last year I finished a daily Advent Devotional Series and this year I will concentrate on a weekly Lent series revolving around the Lutheran Lenten services at Trinity Lutheran Church.

If you have a favorite piano hymn or link to sheet music you like place your link or website here, I’m always interested in finding more piano hymn variations.

Day 146/365:Christ the Lord is Risen Indeed

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Christ the Lord is Risen Indeed, Alleluia! Happy Easter to one and God Bless you and your families this Easter season.

Christ The Lord is Risen Indeed!

Today, on Easter, this image of theRelated articles

Day 139/365: Rose of Jericho, Resurrection Plant, A Sunday School Lesson

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Grow a Resurrection Plant for Lent and Easter

I love teaching Sunday School. I especially when I have a visual aid that gets the kids excited. Kids Sunday School lessons are always more fun, engaging and memorable when you kids can relate everyday items, events, and discoveries to Jesus and the Bible. 

The Rose jericho, or Resurrection plant is a perfect Sunday school lesson for Easter, Lent or during the church year when you want to teach the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Learn how to grow a resurreciton plant and where to buy a resurrection plant for your students.

Here is how to grow a Resurrection plant as an example of Jesus Christ and the Resurrection Easter.

On Palm Sunday I used this unique Resurrection Plant to show the death of Christ and how the Easter miracle of resurrection brings everlasting life and rebirth with the forgiveness of sins. Easter lessons in Sunday school classes should be especially memorable.

Sunday School Ressurection Lesson

I’m always looking for ways to keep kids interested and looking forward to attending Sunday School. When kids reach 4th-6th grade they often are bored with fill in the blanks, coloring, and crafts. A Sunday school resurrection lesson is perfect for Easter or Holy week but works just as well during other church seasons.

During my 25 years of teaching Sunday school at Trinity Lutheran Church I have learned a lot, and obviously every year I teach the kids about the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. It is difficult for kids to wrap their tiny brains around “everlasting life”. It’s hard for adults to grasp as well.

The best way I have of getting kids to remember their lessons from week to week, or even from one year to the next is to give leading questions and they supply the answers. They discover the true Easter lesson of resurrection, life everlasting and how the water from their Baptism gives life to their faith.

Where to buy a resurrection plant for Sunday School activities

Introduction:

  • Does this plant look dead to you? Why? What makes it dead (get input from all the students, going around the room)
  • Do you think it could ever come back to life and be green again? (again get input from kids)
  • What if I said I can make this plant live again. Would you believe me?
  • Pass out the bowls, pour about 2 inches in each child’s bowl
  • What’s in the bowl? (obviously water- use references to baptism)

Give each student a Rose Jerico (Resurrection plant) of their own and have them place it in the water. Explain how Jesus remained in the tomb for three days before he rose from the dead on Easter morning.  Jesus appeared dead in the tomb. Your plant appears dead.

This resurrection Sunday School lesson is perfect for Palm Sunday, Easter or anytime during the church year
2 Hours- kids can come back down after church to see the progress

If you are doing this lesson on Palm Sunday this same Sunday school activity continues the next week as an Easter Sunday lesson.

Resurrection plant fully open

You can discuss how every living thing needs water. We can go without food for several days, but we can’t live without water. We can’t live without water, we can’t truly live in Christ without Baptism.

Word Association Lessons: Sunday School

  • Everlasting life – life everlasting – heaven
  • Water – baptism – life
  • Reborn – rebirth
  • Resurrection – miracle
  • Faith – feed your faith – water it on a regular basis – How? Answer: Scripture, attending church

What is a Resurrection Plant?

The Resurrection plant is also known as the Rose of Jerico,  Miracle Fern, or even the Dinosaur plant. While they are actually a couple of different species they have several traits in common. Both are from very arid parts of the world. During the dry seasons, the plant curls inward in a protection mode. It is thought this plant can lay dormant for 100 years just waiting for rain.

They appear dead without water, yet when their roots are placed in the water this grey dead (seemingly) plant uncurls, opens up, turns green and comes back to life. Much like water in baptism gives you new life.

We placed the Resurrection Plant in a bowl of water and I promised to take pictures during the next 24 hours and bring them the next week, along with the plant. Here is the sequence.

Resurrection Plant- Rose of Jerico
Time: 8 hours (SOOC)
Time: 10 hours (SOOC without custom white balance)
Resurrection plant fully open
Time: 24 hours (SOOC) A New Life in Christ

The kids decided they wanted to plant this remarkable plant and keep it in our classroom as a reminder of the miracle of Christs’ death and Resurrection. I think that is a good idea.  Sounds like another Sunday School activity to me.

Where to Buy A Resurrection Plant

It’s a good idea to purchase one for every student, then they can take it home after Easter as a daily reminder. You can purchase Rose Jerico plants in bulk from several nursery suppliers on Etsy.

A resurrection plant is the perfect Easter Sunday School activity.. Also know as the Rose of Jerico this plant shows an example of the resurrection of Christ.

They don’t have to worry about watering and killing the plant as the Jerico fern keeps coming back to life.

Time Lapse Video of a Resurrection Plant

It was actually very amazing how fast the plant opened. The video below of the Rose of Jericho plant opening is obviously a time lapse. 

But in just a few hours from the start of Sunday school at 9:30 until when church was dismissed the plant had opened halfway. I did use warm water, that might have an impact. All I know is the kids loved it.

So do you think you might be using a Rose of Jerico (Resurrection Plant) for your Easter Sunday School Lesson this year?

Photography Tips: You will notice the photo at the 10 hour mark is distinctly “off color” and the others are pure white, even with the SOOC, straight out of the camera. I left this on purpose. I have been experimenting with my cameras white balance and none of the preset options (fluorescent, incandescent) gave me the results I wanted, so I tried the custom and LOVED the results.

Mind you I don’t have a fancy camera, just a

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Day 127/365: Photographic View of Church

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Today was my day of playing around in Photoshop again. This time with plug-ins from Xero-Graphics. The subject my home church of Trinity Lutheran in Murdock Nebraska. I was driving by ans a friend was taking pictures for our upcoming open house dedicating the new fellowship hall. So I stopped, said “Hi” and took a few myself. Turned out to be a perfect subject for some special effects.

Which one do you like best and why?

#1: Straight out of camera (SOOC)

#2; Xero Tweak w/burn edge

#3 Xero Illustrator w/burn edge

#4: Xero Line Art

#5: Not sure which effect, misname it, but it's a xero effect, I can find it again.

Here is a different photograph, but taken at the same time in black and white. I’ll tell you which is my favorite after the comments and voting is tallied.

#6 Different image, taken at the same time, but an effect I like