Many, many moons ago (23 years to be exact) I was a young man in the 6th grade. I had several teachers before then and had many more since. I even married a teacher. However, no teacher that I ever had compared to my favorite - my 6th grade teacher. Yes, even my wife knows that she is not my favorite teacher.
This past week, through a little internet searching (isn't the internet just amazing?) I was able to track down my favorite teacher. I must say that I was quite shocked to discover that she was still teaching 6th grade at the same elementary school. I was even able to e-mail her and she, as true to her nature that made her my favorite, responded back. As my wife now likes to tell people, I am "giddy" over having found my favorite teacher.
Even though I have several memories of my 6th grade year, I find it hard to say here is the one or two things that made Mrs. Findley my favorite. The fact of the matter is that it was her overall attitude. She made you feel special and made you feel that she was there because she enjoyed being there. It wasn't just a job. She made things fun. She never seemed to takes things to seriously. Even when I got in trouble once for writing a note in class that said something derogatory toward another student I had to sit out of recess but I wasn't made to feel like I was necessarily bad or stupid. I was just a kid who had written something stupid.
On the last day of school we had lined up to head to the buses for one last time. As we walked past our respective teachers some students, mostly girls, hugged and thanked their teachers. Me, being a macho man didn't want to seem silly in front of the other guys so I calmly walked past Mrs. Findley like it was just any other day. I always regretted that I never said thank you and for letting her know that she really meant a lot to me. Well, it took nearly 23 years but I was finally able to let her know that she was indeed my favorite teacher.
This whole experience has me thinking of others that I failed to say something to. It was really shear luck that I was able to find my favorite 6th grade teacher. What if that had not happened? I'd still be living with that regret. Perhaps this should be a lesson for us all. Take advantage of the time that we have. Tell those who are important to us just what they do mean to our lives. 23 years later I am still learning from my 6th grade teacher.
Monday, March 10, 2008
Monday, February 04, 2008
Numbers
It is often said that numbers don’t lie. However, the numbers can be misleading especially if Baptists are doing the counting. Now we all are fully aware of the notorious church membership rolls with people on them who have not been in a church in years. However, if we look at the figures of the latest annual church profile report I think we can get a pretty good look at the state of our Baptist churches.
The first thing we should do when looking at these figures is to throw out the total membership number of just over 16 million. The number is flawed and virtually worthless. A more accurate figure can be found looking at the primary worship attendance figures. According to the church profile this number is a little more than 6 million. Now it is true that we have people who regularly attend our worship services who are not members but I think it is safe to say that the 10 million members who are not attending the primary worship service are members in record keeping only and might as well be considered non-members (and most likely lost).
Now then, let’s assume that the 6 million attending worship is a more accurate figure of membership. We can they figure in, based on Barna research that nearly 2/3of those regularly attending worship services are in fact not saved. If we subtract that 2/3 from the 6 million we surprisingly come up with just over 2 million people. This just happens to be the number of people reported to be involved in discipleship training.
So what are we then left with? Well, the real core of the Southern Baptist Convention is just over 2 million. We have 4 million who are regularly attending worship services but most likely either need to be saved or at the very least need to get involved in discipleship training. Fortunately, they are already inside and simply need to be moved to get more involved. That leaves 10 million on our rolls that really should simply be considered part of the larger world population that is simply lost. We can either view this as a 10 million-member loss and be disheartened or we can realize that this is the truth of our convention and get to work at getting a real membership total of 16 million and beyond.
Another issue to look at is that of baptisms. If we assume that the 2 million involved in discipleship training are those people who are primarily responsible for the work that allowed for the 387,947 baptisms last year. That brings the ratio number of baptisms to membership to 1 baptism per 5 to 6 members. This number is much more encouraging than the 1 to 42 ratio when based on the membership number of 16 million. This suggest that if we could get the 4 million others who are already attending our worship services into discipleship training chances are very likely that we could easily see the magical number of 1 million baptisms in a year.
I believe that the thing we should take away from this look at the numbers is the importance of discipleship training. The next questions we need to answer then are:
1) What exactly constitutes discipleship training?
2) How do we best do discipleship training?
3) How can we get those current 4 million not involved in discipleship training involved and how do we get new baptized members involved?
Well, I don’t have all the answers to those questions but hopefully we can work together to get them answered. God bless you all and remember to live today knowing that it is in His Kingdom that you live.
The first thing we should do when looking at these figures is to throw out the total membership number of just over 16 million. The number is flawed and virtually worthless. A more accurate figure can be found looking at the primary worship attendance figures. According to the church profile this number is a little more than 6 million. Now it is true that we have people who regularly attend our worship services who are not members but I think it is safe to say that the 10 million members who are not attending the primary worship service are members in record keeping only and might as well be considered non-members (and most likely lost).
Now then, let’s assume that the 6 million attending worship is a more accurate figure of membership. We can they figure in, based on Barna research that nearly 2/3of those regularly attending worship services are in fact not saved. If we subtract that 2/3 from the 6 million we surprisingly come up with just over 2 million people. This just happens to be the number of people reported to be involved in discipleship training.
So what are we then left with? Well, the real core of the Southern Baptist Convention is just over 2 million. We have 4 million who are regularly attending worship services but most likely either need to be saved or at the very least need to get involved in discipleship training. Fortunately, they are already inside and simply need to be moved to get more involved. That leaves 10 million on our rolls that really should simply be considered part of the larger world population that is simply lost. We can either view this as a 10 million-member loss and be disheartened or we can realize that this is the truth of our convention and get to work at getting a real membership total of 16 million and beyond.
Another issue to look at is that of baptisms. If we assume that the 2 million involved in discipleship training are those people who are primarily responsible for the work that allowed for the 387,947 baptisms last year. That brings the ratio number of baptisms to membership to 1 baptism per 5 to 6 members. This number is much more encouraging than the 1 to 42 ratio when based on the membership number of 16 million. This suggest that if we could get the 4 million others who are already attending our worship services into discipleship training chances are very likely that we could easily see the magical number of 1 million baptisms in a year.
I believe that the thing we should take away from this look at the numbers is the importance of discipleship training. The next questions we need to answer then are:
1) What exactly constitutes discipleship training?
2) How do we best do discipleship training?
3) How can we get those current 4 million not involved in discipleship training involved and how do we get new baptized members involved?
Well, I don’t have all the answers to those questions but hopefully we can work together to get them answered. God bless you all and remember to live today knowing that it is in His Kingdom that you live.
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Hanging Rock State Park, North Carolina
The following are pictures from a hike that Dottie and I took at Hanging Rock State Park in North Carolina. We hiked the Hanging Rock Trail to the top of Hanging Rock.
It is an amazing hike.
It is an amazing hike.
Monday, January 28, 2008
The age of Adam?
The following was my response to a discussion that I was part of on the age of Adam. The Bible records Adam's age at 930 years. In this discussion we were trying to determine if Adam's age was counted from the moment he was created or the moment was expelled from the Garden of Eden. Here is where my thoughts went on this issue:
In our ongoing discussion about the age of Adam, I would like to provide you with something to ponder. Let me begin by telling you that the responses I am receiving seem to fall in one of three categories. People believe either that the 930 years of Adam’s life represent his time from his creation to his death, or they simply admit that they do not know, or they show a complete disinterest.
Now let me add something to the question. As you recall I wanted to know whether the 930 years represented Adam’s life from creation or from after the fall. I then asked a follow up question that asked how much time Adam (and Eve) spent in the Garden of Eden before the fall (curiously this question received no real response). Again for those who answered the first question the consensus was that the 930 was from Adam’s creation. I would now like to propose the possibility that the 930 years were in fact the number of years that Adam lived after the fall.
It seems that in the realm of time two events must occur. One, something must begin and two, something must end. The measuring of time is contingent upon that measurement having a fulfilled destiny. When measuring the time of one’s existence that measurement is based on one’s existence beginning and ending. Even the mid-measurements (such as birthday’s) are contingent upon the very fact that sometime in the future there will be and endpoint.
To further illustrate this point let us look at the nature of time in an everlasting state. In an everlasting environment where one neither physically ages nor dies, the very concept of measuring time becomes irrelevant. Surely, no one believes that when we get to Heaven we will track the number of years we have been there. What would be the point? If something never ends then its time frame is non-existent. You may have a starting point but if there is no end, then why count the days at all.
Remember the movie Groundhog Day. Bill Murray’s character woke up everyday to find that he was reliving Groundhog Day over and over. Even though he was living, he was not aging and he was not going to die. Once he figured out what was going on he realized that even though the same events were constantly occurring around him he could act differently every day. Now imagine if everyone else knew that they were living everyday without regards to aging or dying. Would anyone in this situation be counting his or her days? What would be the point? Would not they just be living life to its ultimate fulfillment? Perhaps they would take the time to master the piano as Bill Murray’s character did? After all, they would have ALL the time in the world to do whatever they wanted to do. The point of all this is to show that time is not a factor when time does not end.
Now imagine, Adam and Eve in paradise. A paradise where time is not a factor because there is no end to paradise and no death has yet come to Adam and Eve. It would seem that life as we know it, a life where death is a factor is fundamentally different from life without death. Imagine if everyone began life in paradise and then everyone fell from paradise. Where would we begin to count their days? We do not sit around and say that Paul is now nearly 2000 years old. We do not say it because it is not true. The Apostle Paul may have died nearly 2000 years ago but he has not continued to age in Heaven. For Paul time is no more. Now put that scenario in reverse. Before the fall, time simply was not a factor. The world may be twirling in space and the plants and trees may be growing. Nevertheless, Adam and Eve were waking everyday to another day where they were not getting older and they certainly were not marking the passage of time to their deaths.
Naturally, someone will ask about the days. After all, we know that at least 7 were counted. I do not want to get into a discussion about whether they were 7 literal days or figurative. Although that is an important issue, for our discussion here it is not important. However you may view the 7 days of creation the fact remains that by the time Adam and Eve came on the scene there was a sun and moon and the earth was rotating and that means that there were days and nights. The question we have to ask is would 2 people whose lives were never going to end bother to count those days? Furthermore, once they had fallen and had begun to age, it seems quite conceivable that they would begin to count their days. It seems very likely that Adam would remember that it has been 12 moons since he was thrown from the glories of paradise. It further seems plausible that Adam would count his days from this point forward. Perhaps not even Adam knew exactly how long he was in the Garden.
I cannot say for sure that this little theory of mine is correct. I can say that whether it is correct or not it in no way takes away from the integrity of Scripture. For if this theory is correct it does not mean the Bible was wrong in the 930 years it simply means that the Bible in its own calculation of the 930 took in to account the very nature of measuring time as well as the fundamental differences of a life with death and a life that is everlasting.
Now then, many of you maybe wondering why should we even be concerning ourselves with this issue. First, it is important because any knowledge that we can gain about Scripture is worthy of pursuit. Secondly, it is important because I believe it provides us with insight into exactly what paradise and therefore what Heaven is like. I often believe that as Christians we limit our view of life to the days that we count and not to those that we will live in the everlasting. This look into Adam’s age gives us a look into the difference of life with Christ and life without Christ. With Christ one is free to live life to its fullest without regard to aging and the ever present approach of death. Life without Christ is being bound to the rat race that forces one to struggle with trying to do everything before their inevitable death. Life without Christ is a constant battle to cheat death. Unfortunately, death cannot be cheated forever. You may get lucky and be able to count your days for many, many years but sooner or later death will find you. Without Christ this will always be a fact. With Christ though, death is merely a shift in life from one with aging, pain, and disappointment to one that allows for freedom, creativity, and fulfillment in Paradise. So imagine, if you were Adam or Eve, and you spent your days not worrying about how many had passed and how many were left, how would you change the way you lived?
In our ongoing discussion about the age of Adam, I would like to provide you with something to ponder. Let me begin by telling you that the responses I am receiving seem to fall in one of three categories. People believe either that the 930 years of Adam’s life represent his time from his creation to his death, or they simply admit that they do not know, or they show a complete disinterest.
Now let me add something to the question. As you recall I wanted to know whether the 930 years represented Adam’s life from creation or from after the fall. I then asked a follow up question that asked how much time Adam (and Eve) spent in the Garden of Eden before the fall (curiously this question received no real response). Again for those who answered the first question the consensus was that the 930 was from Adam’s creation. I would now like to propose the possibility that the 930 years were in fact the number of years that Adam lived after the fall.
It seems that in the realm of time two events must occur. One, something must begin and two, something must end. The measuring of time is contingent upon that measurement having a fulfilled destiny. When measuring the time of one’s existence that measurement is based on one’s existence beginning and ending. Even the mid-measurements (such as birthday’s) are contingent upon the very fact that sometime in the future there will be and endpoint.
To further illustrate this point let us look at the nature of time in an everlasting state. In an everlasting environment where one neither physically ages nor dies, the very concept of measuring time becomes irrelevant. Surely, no one believes that when we get to Heaven we will track the number of years we have been there. What would be the point? If something never ends then its time frame is non-existent. You may have a starting point but if there is no end, then why count the days at all.
Remember the movie Groundhog Day. Bill Murray’s character woke up everyday to find that he was reliving Groundhog Day over and over. Even though he was living, he was not aging and he was not going to die. Once he figured out what was going on he realized that even though the same events were constantly occurring around him he could act differently every day. Now imagine if everyone else knew that they were living everyday without regards to aging or dying. Would anyone in this situation be counting his or her days? What would be the point? Would not they just be living life to its ultimate fulfillment? Perhaps they would take the time to master the piano as Bill Murray’s character did? After all, they would have ALL the time in the world to do whatever they wanted to do. The point of all this is to show that time is not a factor when time does not end.
Now imagine, Adam and Eve in paradise. A paradise where time is not a factor because there is no end to paradise and no death has yet come to Adam and Eve. It would seem that life as we know it, a life where death is a factor is fundamentally different from life without death. Imagine if everyone began life in paradise and then everyone fell from paradise. Where would we begin to count their days? We do not sit around and say that Paul is now nearly 2000 years old. We do not say it because it is not true. The Apostle Paul may have died nearly 2000 years ago but he has not continued to age in Heaven. For Paul time is no more. Now put that scenario in reverse. Before the fall, time simply was not a factor. The world may be twirling in space and the plants and trees may be growing. Nevertheless, Adam and Eve were waking everyday to another day where they were not getting older and they certainly were not marking the passage of time to their deaths.
Naturally, someone will ask about the days. After all, we know that at least 7 were counted. I do not want to get into a discussion about whether they were 7 literal days or figurative. Although that is an important issue, for our discussion here it is not important. However you may view the 7 days of creation the fact remains that by the time Adam and Eve came on the scene there was a sun and moon and the earth was rotating and that means that there were days and nights. The question we have to ask is would 2 people whose lives were never going to end bother to count those days? Furthermore, once they had fallen and had begun to age, it seems quite conceivable that they would begin to count their days. It seems very likely that Adam would remember that it has been 12 moons since he was thrown from the glories of paradise. It further seems plausible that Adam would count his days from this point forward. Perhaps not even Adam knew exactly how long he was in the Garden.
I cannot say for sure that this little theory of mine is correct. I can say that whether it is correct or not it in no way takes away from the integrity of Scripture. For if this theory is correct it does not mean the Bible was wrong in the 930 years it simply means that the Bible in its own calculation of the 930 took in to account the very nature of measuring time as well as the fundamental differences of a life with death and a life that is everlasting.
Now then, many of you maybe wondering why should we even be concerning ourselves with this issue. First, it is important because any knowledge that we can gain about Scripture is worthy of pursuit. Secondly, it is important because I believe it provides us with insight into exactly what paradise and therefore what Heaven is like. I often believe that as Christians we limit our view of life to the days that we count and not to those that we will live in the everlasting. This look into Adam’s age gives us a look into the difference of life with Christ and life without Christ. With Christ one is free to live life to its fullest without regard to aging and the ever present approach of death. Life without Christ is being bound to the rat race that forces one to struggle with trying to do everything before their inevitable death. Life without Christ is a constant battle to cheat death. Unfortunately, death cannot be cheated forever. You may get lucky and be able to count your days for many, many years but sooner or later death will find you. Without Christ this will always be a fact. With Christ though, death is merely a shift in life from one with aging, pain, and disappointment to one that allows for freedom, creativity, and fulfillment in Paradise. So imagine, if you were Adam or Eve, and you spent your days not worrying about how many had passed and how many were left, how would you change the way you lived?
Sunday, January 20, 2008
Christian Books?
I am currently reading a book that I was asked to read and evaluate. So far I believe that there are some things in the book that are worth whiled. However, there are some other things about the book that I find troubling.
The book is a popular book written by two popular Christian writers. It is a non-fiction book that, if it were not a Christian book, would be found in either women’s issues or in the self help section of a secular bookstore.
The book is primarily a look into the psychological workings of a woman’s heart and her desires. The problem I have with the book is in its theology and in its use of Scripture. If the writers were to eliminate their use of Scripture and many of the more theological areas it would be a decent enough book that could sit proudly next to anything written by Dr. Phil. Furthermore, the more psychological aspects of the book do not seem to be contrary to any teachings of Scripture. Oddly enough, the writers do not say anything that is contrary to Scripture other than in the areas where they directly use Scripture or where they attempt to make theological claims.
To be fair, I would guess that the majority of Christian’s reading this book would not notice the improper use of Scripture nor the questionable theology. Being that this is the case the book would probably do little harm to people’s theology and again the psychology seems to be very enlightening. However, as I read this book I think of many other books out there that have the same problem. It seems that we are willing to give a pass to many authors because they are Christian and because for the most part what they write is helpful and insightful. But should we give them a pass or should we expect more?
Again, nothing these writers say in their psychology is contrary to Scripture and had they either taken the time to study more or to seek the advice of a more astute theologian they could have found Scripture that would have been more suited to the points they were trying to make. It simply was not necessary for them to slightly bend Scripture to make their points. More than likely it was just easier.
Am I saying that no one but trained theologians can write a Christian book? Certainly not. What I am suggesting is that we as a Christian community demand that if someone is going to write a book, which by it’s very nature carries an air of authority, and if we then are going to promote that book in our churches as one useful for personal and for group study, which gives further approval to that which is written in the book, than the writer of the book either needs to be as well versed in theology and in Scriptural interpretation as they are in their own personal field of expertise or they need to seek the guidance of someone who is. I am also suggesting that we as a Christian community put more thought and concern in the books and studies we recommend to our congregations. Far too often, we simply recommend the latest, hottest Christian book because it is the latest and hottest book without ever really examining the contents. Perhaps the best thing we can do is stop buying the latest, hottest self-help, put my marriage back together, help me raise my kids, and show me my purpose in life books and go back to the one book we claim to have all authority on our lives.
The book is a popular book written by two popular Christian writers. It is a non-fiction book that, if it were not a Christian book, would be found in either women’s issues or in the self help section of a secular bookstore.
The book is primarily a look into the psychological workings of a woman’s heart and her desires. The problem I have with the book is in its theology and in its use of Scripture. If the writers were to eliminate their use of Scripture and many of the more theological areas it would be a decent enough book that could sit proudly next to anything written by Dr. Phil. Furthermore, the more psychological aspects of the book do not seem to be contrary to any teachings of Scripture. Oddly enough, the writers do not say anything that is contrary to Scripture other than in the areas where they directly use Scripture or where they attempt to make theological claims.
To be fair, I would guess that the majority of Christian’s reading this book would not notice the improper use of Scripture nor the questionable theology. Being that this is the case the book would probably do little harm to people’s theology and again the psychology seems to be very enlightening. However, as I read this book I think of many other books out there that have the same problem. It seems that we are willing to give a pass to many authors because they are Christian and because for the most part what they write is helpful and insightful. But should we give them a pass or should we expect more?
Again, nothing these writers say in their psychology is contrary to Scripture and had they either taken the time to study more or to seek the advice of a more astute theologian they could have found Scripture that would have been more suited to the points they were trying to make. It simply was not necessary for them to slightly bend Scripture to make their points. More than likely it was just easier.
Am I saying that no one but trained theologians can write a Christian book? Certainly not. What I am suggesting is that we as a Christian community demand that if someone is going to write a book, which by it’s very nature carries an air of authority, and if we then are going to promote that book in our churches as one useful for personal and for group study, which gives further approval to that which is written in the book, than the writer of the book either needs to be as well versed in theology and in Scriptural interpretation as they are in their own personal field of expertise or they need to seek the guidance of someone who is. I am also suggesting that we as a Christian community put more thought and concern in the books and studies we recommend to our congregations. Far too often, we simply recommend the latest, hottest Christian book because it is the latest and hottest book without ever really examining the contents. Perhaps the best thing we can do is stop buying the latest, hottest self-help, put my marriage back together, help me raise my kids, and show me my purpose in life books and go back to the one book we claim to have all authority on our lives.
Thursday, January 17, 2008
Stone Mt. State Park
Here is a slideshow of pics from my overnight camping trip to Stone Mt. State Park in North Carolina. It was a wonderful trip. Other then a couple of rock climbers, the park rangers, and the deer, I had the whole park to myself. It was quiet and beautiful.
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Bear Face Mt., Shenandoah National Park - July 30, 2007
This is a slideshow of a hiking trip I and Jer-bo took to Bear Face Mt. in Shenandoah National Park last July. Somehow these hikes are always better in picture after you have forgotten the exhaustion and the pain in your feet, knees, and your legs in general.
Saturday, July 01, 2006
Vacation June 2006
Stop 1: Fort Frederica in Georgia- Joshua practiced gun drills as part of the British Army and the rest of us learned more about gun drills than we ever wanted to know.
Stop 2: Congaree Swamp National Park in South Carolina- Notice the tree smiling behind the kids. It was quite hot and the kids were not impressed with the boardwalk. There were, however, some very well trained turtles that knew stupid tourists were the best way to get fed. (Of course, we were not the stupid tourists.) 
Stop 3: 96 National Battlefield in South Carolina- Joshua had just got hit in the eye with Dottie's ring and is therefore not too happy. The battlefield is named 96 because it was a trading post that was 96 miles from Cherokee territory.
Stop 4: Carl Sandburg National Historic Site in North Carolina- The kids enjoyed hearing the Rootabaga Stories on the way to his home. A big part of his home was the farm. His wife raised award winning goats. They were cute but they kept trying to eat Dottie's purse.
Stop 5: Cowpens National Battlefield in South Carolina- Another Revolutionary War site where to the chagrin of the kids we saw yet another cannon.
Stop 6: King's Mountain National Military Park in South Carolina- This was actually a very nice park that had a nice trail going up the mountain. In this picture, Joshua appears to be in a thoughtful mood but really he was just watching a bug.
Stop 7: Guilford County Courthouse in North Carolina- This bird was the most exciting part of this stop. There were also a couple people in period dress that Joshua asked way too many questions. I'm pretty sure the man was thrilled when we finally dragged him away.
Stop 8: Mount Airy, North Carolina AKA Mayberry- A personal highlight was seeing the town that inspired the best TV show ever. I was thrilled to be thrown in the Mayberry Jail, to eat the famous pork chop sandwich at the Snappy Lunch Cafe, and to get my haircut at Floyd's Barbershop. Joshua was simply amazed that there is a Taco Bell in Mayberry (Of course we didn't eat there because I hate Taco Bell). Hannah simply enjoyed being able to watch the Disney Channel in the hotel room (I hate cable TV too).
Stop 9: Blue Ridge Parkway in North Carolina and Virginia- Above is the Mabry Mill. Below, is one of the many overlooks on the parkway. We weren't planning on going on the parkway but it was a wonderful 80 mile side trip that took us within an hour of Jeremy and Deandra's (sorry, we didn't stop by, Jerbo, but we were thinking about you).
Stop 10: Interstate 81- It is tradition that we break down at least once every vacation and this vacation was no different. This time the problem was the belt. We were blessed that our hotel was around the corner from a Meineke and the total bill was only $85 and only put us off schedule by about 30 minutes.
Stop 11: Andrew Johnson National Historic Site in Tennessee - The kids just love learning about dead presidents.
Stop 12: Cumberland Gap National Historical Park in Tennessee, Kentucky, and Virginia - A beautiful park. Above is a picture of Gap Creek. This was one of JoTo's favorite places as we all played in the creek or as Joshua referred to it "the place with the rocks and water." Below is the actual gap. This is the very spot where travelers, including Daniel Boone, crossed into the promise land of Kentuck. I was impressed by this but the kids were more concerned with the hill we had to climb to get here (sadly, us Floridians don't see many hills and they tire us out rather quickly).
Still in the gap, Dottie's and Joto's first hiking injuries.
The Henseley Settlement- This is also in Cumberland Gap. This is on top of the mountain where the Henseleys and the Gibbons lived from the early 1900's until around 1960. They never had electricity, running water, or a road to the settlement. This was just how they liked it because it kept unwanted visitors (specifically the law looking for moonshiners) out.
Skylight Cave - Just a little hike (ok, maybe it wasn't that little but then again that whole
Florida thing came into play) and we find ourselves at this small cave also at Cumberland Gap. Once again lots of moaning about the hike but once we reached the cave the kids thought it was pretty cool.
Stop 13: The original KFC in Kentucky (of course!) It was the most expensive meal up to this point on our trip.
Stop 14: Yahoo Falls in Big South Fork National Recreation Area, Kentucky- To quote Hannah, "This is better than Mt. Rushmore!" It was really cool. We stayed here for quite a while and would recommend it as a place to go to.
Stop 15: Blue Heron Mining Company also in Big South Fork- This is an old mining town that the park service has built these skeleton structures representing different buildings that were in the town. The picture above is of the church that would have been there. Each building has displays along with recordings from people who actually lived in the mining town talking about life growing up in these harsh conditions of Appalachian coal mining.
Last Stop: Chattanooga, TN- We did not take one picture while we were there. The kids played with their cousins and Dottie and I went out for her birthday. The entire time we were out on our date, I kept running to the bathroom to blow my nose. Apparently, I'm more allergic to cats than my wife or son. JoTo took a tumble on the treadmill (or training wheel as he called it) after his cousin continued to make it go faster and faster. JoTo says it was a hundred miles per hour. Of course, he took no blame for being on something he shouldn't have been on but there will forever be some of his skin embedded in that treadmill.
Well, it was just a little over a week, a little over 2000 miles, and the gas, well let's not talk about the price of gas these days, but it was a great little vacation. The kids can't wait to go see some more cannons and some trees. They just haven't learned to fully appreciate nature and history but I'll learn 'em.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)