Nothing But the Blood of Jesus

Our search for sunshine led us to Buckhorn Campground at the Lake of the Arbuckles near Sulphur, Oklahoma. 

It soon became apparent how Sulphur got its name.  As we drove through the town’s valleys, our nostrils were assailed by that familiar rotten egg smell.  It turns out that Sulphur has natural springs that are high in elemental sulfur.  While public mineral water fountains are available in Sulphur, we didn’t try the water this time.  Thankfully the noxious smell tended to hang in low spots and didn’t permeate the whole area. 

While we were there, we explored nearby Chickasaw National Recreation Area. 

As we hiked the trails, we watched armadillos snuffling through the woods.  These little creatures buried their noses in the ground and bulldozed their way through the forest, eating dinner as they went. 

After our time in Oklahoma, we went back to KC so we could vote absentee.  We had planned to vote before our trip south, but we failed to remember that county offices would be closed on Columbus Day.  Although the miles add up, we didn’t mind returning to KC to perform our civic duty.

When we are in Kansas City, we get to see some of our kids and we get to worship with our church family.  When we are on the road, some Sunday mornings we watch our church’s online services and sometimes we find a local church to attend.  It’s encouraging to meet fellow Christians throughout our country and it’s fun to experience how different churches worship the Lord. Upon arrival at one church we visited, we were each given a small paper lunch bag which contained our communion elements.  In the churches we have attended, communion is celebrated with a small wafer and a sip of juice.  However, this church gave us a generous wafer and an eight ounce can of grape juice.  After the communion meditation and prayer, the sound of popping can tops echoed throughout the sanctuary.  It took several swallows to drain the juice can.  At first, the copious amount of juice made us chuckle but on reflection, isn’t that what Jesus offers?  His blood was shed to cover all of our sins, not just a sip of them.  He invites us to drink deeply and be filled with His love and His grace.  An acronym for grace is God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense.  We left that service with a fresh reminder of God’s riches and Jesus’s abundant, overflowing love for us, thanks to an eight ounce can of Welch’s Grape Juice.   

https://youtu.be/Ju-9_NBB1Yo