Our family experienced our very first vacation together. Twenty-two of us ventured southward to Kentucky. Thirteen members of the family couldn’t come due to distance and other circumstances. But what an adventure we had!
Our home base was in Florence, Kentucky. It is a very nice town with every store anyone would need. The Drury Plaza Hotel provided comfortable rooms and delicious meals for our stay of four days and three nights. I highly recommend this facility.
On Friday morning we loaded up in our vehicles and headed to the Creation Museum. Most of our family members had been there before, but the grandchildren had not.
In a variety of displays, this museum presents the Biblical account of creation. Also included in the museum are the seven C’s of history which show the major events of the Bible (and it’s a handy way to remember these important events): creation, corruption, catastrophe, confusion, Christ, cross and consummation.
Creation is when God created everything. Corruption is when Adam and Eve ate the fruit of the tree which God said not to do, thus committing the first sin. Catastrophe is the worldwide flood that destroyed all humans except for Noah and his family. Confusion refers to the Tower of Babel. Man wanted to build a structure to reach into the heavens. God prevented this foolish task by confusing their languages. Since the men couldn’t understand one another’s languages, they spread throughout the world. Christ, of course, is the coming of Jesus. Cross is the symbol of the sacrifice that Jesus gave for all mankind. Consummation is the completed and fulfilled plan of God to redeem mankind back into fellowship with Him through the final sacrifice and resurrection of Jesus. These are all important events to always remember.
On Saturday the family once again left our home base and headed further south to the Ark Encounter. This is an exact measurement replica of the ark which God had Noah build according to the dimensions given in the Bible. Just seeing the big structure from the outside makes one a bit intimidated. However, inside the ark is full of information on how eight people could feed, water and remove animal waste on a daily basis. Also, the structure of the ark is simply amazing in itself. Since the Biblical gopher wood is unknown, the replica used huge Douglas fir trees for the pillars and Engelmann spruce for the thick beams within. This ark is truly a piece of workmanship at its finest.
In all reality, faith building was my goal for this family vacation. By learning about the Biblical account of creation and then the massive ark which took Noah 100 years to build, the reality of our awesome God and Creator of all things becomes more real. It has also been stated that if a person doesn’t understand the first 11 chapters of the Bible, they miss the foundation of God’s plan. I desired for our family to experience a deeper foundation of His plan.
What an adventure we had though! God’s creation is simply amazing! Kentucky was sporting the look of spring with green grass, some blossoms on the trees, and small leaves popping out on bushes and trees. It gave me hope that spring will move north in the next month and beyond.
Gail loves the Lord most of all. She delights in her calling to be a wife to Ed Malick and a mother to seven children and grandmother of 19. Ed is the sixth generation on the homestead family farm in Ypsilanti Township, Michigan.
Seeds of Hope
A man once lived so steeped in dishonesty that even his neighbors joked his shadow bent crookedly behind him. Then, one day, he surrendered his life to Christ. The change was so striking that a curious neighbor asked his wife what happened. She answered simply, “He gave his life to Jesus and God changed him completely.”
No past failure, no ingrained habit, no lifetime of wrong turns is beyond the reach of God’s renewing power. When we willingly place ourselves in His hands, He begins rewriting our story, turning our crooked lives straight and true.
The invitation stands open to every one of us, no matter our age, our history or how far we feel we’ve strayed. God does not require us to clean ourselves up first or muster enough strength on our own; He only asks for our willingness to surrender. In that moment, fear gives way to faith and weakness becomes strength. Today, pause and ask yourself the question that matters most: If I am not yet the person God created me to be, am I willing to let go of the old and allow Christ to make me new? Step into that surrender and watch the miracle unfold as the old passes away and the new creation begins to shine through.
Today’s Prayer: Lord, help me to become the person You want me to be, to change me from the inside out. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Today’s Scripture: Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.
2 Corinthians 5:17
This article originally appeared on Farmers Advance: A family vacation to strengthen belief: Inside the Creation Museum and Ark Encounter
Reporting by Gail Malick, Farmers’ Advance / Farmers Advance
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
