Red Door Travel Cullman

03/30/2024

Today's Lenten meditation is from Grace Episcopal Church's "40 Days of Grace" written annually by parishioners.

HOLY SATURDAY
March 30, 2024

Lam. 3:37-58 Heb. 4:1-16 Rom. 8:1-11

So then, a sabbath rest still remains for the people of God; for those who enter God’s rest also cease from their labors as God did from his. Hebrews 4:9-10

Today is Holy Saturday, the day that falls between the horror and sadness of Good Friday and the joy and celebration of Easter Sunday. After the drama of Holy Week, nothing much happens on Holy Saturday, at least in the Gospel accounts. It is the Jewish Sabbath, the day of rest. On this day Jesus’ body lies in the tomb. For all anyone knows the story is over, another tragic death of a holy man. But of course, we know the rest of the story. And though Jesus has died, Christians assert that on this day Jesus descended to the dead and freed the righteous souls there. The Prayer Book says that Eucharist is not to be celebrated on Holy Saturday, though our celebration of Easter can begin at sundown with the Easter Vigil.

Rest is not a virtue in our overactive society. No one will give you an award for the quantity or quality of your rest. I once heard a CEO of a large multinational corporation claim that she works 20 hours a day most days, getting up at 4:00 a.m. and going to bed at midnight. That may be an extreme example, but it reinforces the belief that if work is good, then more work is better. If hard work is a virtue, then rest must be a vice. But human beings are not machines, and even if we were, we would still need downtime for routine maintenance. Holy Saturday is a good day to recognize the need for Sabbath rest in our lives. As our reading from Hebrews reminds us, God rested on the seventh day, and God longs for us to enter into his rest. Rest is the reward for our labor. Rest is the opportunity to renew ourselves, our relationships with others, and our relationship with God. Rest actually improves the quality of our work and our ability to sustain our work over the long term. On this Holy Saturday may you enjoy a time of holy rest.

03/29/2024

Today's Lenten meditation is from Grace Episcopal Church's "40 Days of Grace" written annually by parishioners.

GOOD FRIDAY
March 29, 2024

Lam. 3:1-9,19-33 1 Pet. 1:10-20 John 13:36-38 (morning) or John 19:38-42 (evening)

When I was younger, I went through some difficult times. There were times when I felt that God was not with me. I felt that He was punishing me for some reason. I had my doubts whether there was even a God to begin with. I asked myself “Why would God put me through all of this?”. I always did my best to try to be a good person, a kind person, a caring person, and to try to put others needs ahead of my own, even though I had gotten caught up in the ways of man. It did not always work out the way I wanted it to. However, I still do feel that I always had a good heart and been a hard worker and I have tried to hold on to that throughout my life.

It was not until later in my life that I was able to see the true blessings of the good Lord. He has brought so much joy into my life that I could only truly believe that it was all by the hands of His work. He has helped me to overcome my struggles, has been by my side and helped me to grow and stay focused on working hard, and He has provided me many opportunities to better my life. I have been blessed with a beautiful and loving wife, a daughter who is so smart and caring, and a career that provides well for my family. He has also shown us the way back to his salvation by bringing us to the church and for that I am grateful.

With all that has happened over the course of my life, good and bad, I will always remember where I came from. I will always remember the struggles that I had been through to get where I am today. All of these things are what have molded me into the man that I am today. I feel that the good Lord has had His plan for me all along, I only needed to stay focused and be patient.

“For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.”

Dear Father Almighty, thank you for all that you have done for me throughout my life. Thank you for showing me the way back to your salvation. You have taught me many lessons through struggle when I was young and I will never forget them. Amen.

03/05/2024

03/04/2024

The Far Side

03/01/2024

A recent traveler sums up what you can expect!
Great Value - Yes, Great Accommodations - Ye

03/01/2024

12/10/2023

Highclere Castle is celebrating the Castle’s history as a medieval Bishop Palace-taking the purple of the Bishop of Winchester’s robe as their colour scheme. 💜

12/10/2023

All credit due and respect to the castle soldiers who had to run up and down these things in an emergency wearing armor and carrying swords or spears. Dundrum Castle, County Down.

12/10/2023

Edinburgh, Scotland💫

📸instagram.com/patrivilaf

11/22/2023

📍Isle of Skye, Scotland🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

📸instagram.com/watschinger_lukas

07/29/2023

I look forward to seeing you Saturday to walk through this pilgrimage and answering your questions!