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Prayers for the Week: Jesus’ Triumphant Entry

April 9, 2017 by Mike Ellis

¹²The next day the large crowd that had come to the feast heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem. ¹³So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, crying out, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!” ¹⁴And Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it, just as it is written, ¹⁵ “Fear not, daughter of Zion; behold, your king is coming, sitting on a donkey’s colt!” ~ John 12:12-15 (ESV)

Welcome to this week’s Prayers for the Week post. Today in the Christian calendar is Palm Sunday, the date that we remember Jesus’ triumphant entry into the city of Jerusalem. It is a day of celebration, a day when all the world seems right, a day when it seems like nothing can go wrong. But for those of us that are Christians, we understand all to clearly that this is, in many ways, a smokescreen, a day which will lead to much distress throughout the coming week, a day when we learn that just as we praise Jesus today, later in the week we will be shouting “Crucify Him!”

The rollercoaster of emotion in this week is real, and it is something that I see in myself each year at this time. For those that may not understand the calendar of events this week, here is a brief summary for you:

Today, Palm Sunday, we remember Jesus’ triumphant entry – the fulfillment of prophecy – into the city of Jerusalem.
Thursday is called Maundy Thursday, and on this day, we remember the Last Supper of Jesus and His Disciples in the Upper Room before His arrest in the Garden of Gethsemane.
Friday is Good Friday, the day when Jesus is Crucified and dies on the Cross.
Next Sunday is Easter, the day when Jesus is resurrected from the dead, proving that He is the Son of God.

Today we celebrate. Thursday we watch and scatter as Jesus is betrayed. Friday we are the mob shouting for His Crucifixion. Sunday we celebrate because despite our sins, Jesus died for us to pay the penalty so we don’t have to, and we learn that Jesus really is our Savior if we just Believe in Him and put our faith in Him.

Welcome to Holy Week, everyone, the week when the roller coaster of our emotion is in full display.

Now, please continue reading and pray with us our prayer requests and praises.

Prayer Requests & Praises

Kelly has a prayer request: Please pray for my GodFather – Uncle Alan. Went to the doctor about a week ago and he will be having a quadruple bypass next Wednesday. Thank you.
Continued prayers for Stephanie: Thanks for the prayers guys. I seem to still be battling it to an extent. I feel like I can’t get rid of the fluid in my ear and it’s effecting my hearing so another call is in order for the doc!
Continued prayers for Barb’s husband, who is getting better: His DVT is feeling better, still there, but the Lovenox seems to be helping. Thanks for asking, and for your prayers!
Continued prayers for Jodi’s brother Ken, who is also getting better: Ken was finally moved out of ICU today!!!! Talking about moving him to a recovery/therapy center for about a month. Meanwhile, his spirits are down, because he is confined and bored and is stressing himself out about everything from hospital bills to taxes to missing Sue (his late wife who passed away in Sep.)…Please continue prayers!!!
Praises for Ivon’s prayer request: Update… Grandma had her surgery yesterday and it was a success. Her new pacemaker is in and she’s doing great! Thank you so much everyone for all your wonderful, answered prayers.
Lastly, continued prayers for my brother-in-law Jerry, who had his knee surgeries. He was in a lot of pain but he is doing much better now, so prayers and praises are the rule of the day today!

Now, please wrap things up with us by praying the prayer that Jesus taught us to pray:

Our Father, who art in Heaven,
Hallowed be Thy Name.

Thy Kingdom Come, Thy Will be done
On Earth as it is in Heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread
And forgive us our trespasses,
As we forgive those that trespass against us.

Lead us not into temptation
But deliver us from evil.

For Thine is the Kingdom, and Power, and Glory
Forever and ever. Amen.

On the Road at the NC Museum of Art

January 13, 2016 by Mike Ellis

The West Building of the North Carolina Museum of Art. Image Credit: On the Road with Mickey.

On the Road at the NC Museum of Art

By Mike Ellis.

Yesterday we talked about the Museum Park that exists on the grounds of the North Carolina Museum of Art; today, we continue our look at this museum by exploring the museum itself, and tomorrow, to wrap up our look at this great museum, we are going to talk about the special exhibit that is wrapping up soon, featuring works of M. C. Escher and Leonardo Da Vinci.

The NC Museum of Art features two buildings; the West Building and the East Building. East Building is where the special exhibits are featured, and where the Escher and Da Vinci exhibits are housed. Today, Cindy and I explored the West Building, which is home to the permanent collection. I don’t know exactly how big it is in terms of square footage, but it houses a large collection of paintings, sculptures, and more, including the tranquil Rodin Garden. At just two miles from my house, the Museum of Art is conveniently located to be able to get over for a visit almost any time.

Background History

In 1947 the state legislature appropriated $1 million to purchase a collection of art for the people of North Carolina. The appropriation, which was unheard of at the time and drew national attention, was in response to a then-anonymous challenge grant from noted philanthropist Samuel H. Kress of New York through the persuasive efforts of Robert Lee Humber. Humber was an international lawyer and native of Greenville, N.C.

Humber worked tirelessly with the legislature to ensure the bill’s passage. An amended bill was finally passed in the waning hours of the last day of the legislative session. Rep. John Kerr of Warren County, in support of the bill, famously said, “Mr. Speaker, I know I am facing a hostile audience, but man cannot live by bread alone.”

The initial $1 million legislative appropriation was used to purchase 139 European and American paintings and sculptures.

The Kress Foundation matched the $1 million appropriation with a gift of 70 works of art, primarily Italian Renaissance, adding the Museum to its program of endowing regional museums throughout the United States with works from the Kress Collection. The Kress gift to the Museum became the largest and most important of any except that given to the National Gallery of Art. The Museum’s original collection, along with the Kress gift, established the North Carolina Museum of Art as one of the premier art museums. (NCMA)

Until today, I had no idea that North Carolina’s art heritage went back that far, or that the State had such an early attention towards the arts. That in and of itself is pretty cool to me. What follows is some of the pieces that I enjoyed the most, I hope you like them, and that it is a driving force towards getting you over to the Museum on a visit of your own one day!

Lines that Link Humanity, El Anatsui, 2008

Indian Fantasy, Marsden Hartley, 1914

A201 Ribat, Jackie Ferrara, 1979.

Tar Baby vs. St. Sebastian, Michael Richards, 1999.

Untitled, Kay Hassan, 2013

Egungun Costume, Artist Unknown, 20th Century.

Coffin of Amunred, Egyptian, Possibly from Heracleopolis, Third Intermediate – Late Period Dynasty 25-26, circa 715-525 B.C.E.

Inner Coffin of Djedmut, Egyptian, possibly from Thebes, Third Intermediate – Late Period Dynasty 25-26, circa 715-525 B.C.E.

Sawfish Headdress, Artist Unknown, 20th Century

The Kiss, Auguste Rodin, Modeled circa 1881-1882, cast later.

Part of the Rodin Garden, a tranquil setting outside the NC Museum of Art.

The Eruption of Mt. Vesuvius, Pierre-Jacques Volaire, 1777

St. John the Baptist, Jusepe de Ribera, circa 1624.

I hope you have liked exploring the NC Museum of Art with me. There is a lot to see and do here, and it is well worth your effort to make the trip if you are a local or in the area. Have you been to the Art Museum? Tell me, what did you think of it? Let me know in the comments, and thanks for stopping by!

On the Road at William B. Umstead State Park!

January 9, 2016 by Mike Ellis

Image Source: On the Road with Mickey

On the Road at William B. Umstead State Park!

By Mike Ellis.

Today my wife, daughter and I went to William B. Umstead State Park for the first of their “100 S’more Years Events”! The weather on this day was cool, kind of cloudy, but that didn’t stop us from having a great time!

Umstead Park is located at 8801 Glenwood Avenue, Raleigh, NC (telephone 919-571-4170), and features two main entrances — one on the south side of the park off of I-40 and Harrison Avenue (known as the Reedy Creek Entrance) and one on the north side of the park off of Glenwood Avenue. Here are some facts about the park that may make it worth the visit:

Umstead State Park is approximately 6,000 acres of land. That’s over 9 miles of park!
Umstead Park features 22 miles of hiking trails, and 13 miles of bridle trails for those that wish to ride horses.
Additionally, the park features mountain bike trails for those that wish to ride their bikes — Umstead Park is one of the few North Carolina State Parks that features mountain bike trails.
Camping: Umstead Park features both traditional camping as well as primitive camping opportunities. The tent/trailer campground is open from March 15 – December 1st, and the primitive campground is open year round. Additionally, there are two group camp locations that are open from April – October for youth and non-profit camp organizations.
Fishing is allowed, with a North Carolina fishing license. Common catches include bass, bluegill, and crappie.
Umstead Park offers canoe and paddleboat rentals from April through the second week in October. No private boats or gasoline powered engines are allowed.

100 S’more Years Events

Image source: On the Road with Mickey

In addition to today’s event, Umstead Park is offering these events on the following dates and times:

Sunday, January 17, 2016, from 1:00 – 3:00 PM
Sunday, January 31, 2016, from 1:00 – 3:00 PM
Saturday, February 6, 2016, from 1:00 – 3:00 PM
Sunday, February 14, 2016, from 1:00 – 3:00 PM
Saturday, February 20, 2016, from 1:00 – 3:00 PM
Sunday, February 28, 2016, from 1:00 – 3:00 PM

So, as you can see, there are many opportunities to enjoy some great S’mores! This is just one of several opportunities across the state to help celebrate the 100th anniversary of North Carolina State Parks. Will you participate in any of the events? Check out the Centennial Events page for more details, and have fun!

In addition to enjoying the S’mores event, we also looked at many of the exhibits they have in the visitor center and drove around the park a bit. Here are some of the photos that we took from our day, I hope you enjoy!

The canoe and paddleboat rental location on Big Lake. Image credit: On the Road with Mickey

One of the creeks that winds through the park. Image credit: On the Road with Mickey.

Right by the road was one of the parks wildlife, just watching us. This was one of three we saw. Image credit: On the Road with Mickey.

In the Visitor Center, a taxidermy of a beaver is on display. Image credit: On the Road with Mickey.

A taxidermy of a coyote at the Umstead State Park visitor’s center. Image credit: On the Road with Mickey.

Prayers for the Week: Jesus’ Triumphant Entry

Prayer Requests & Praises

On the Road at the NC Museum of Art

On the Road at the NC Museum of Art

Background History

On the Road at William B. Umstead State Park!

On the Road at William B. Umstead State Park!

100 S’more Years Events

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