A few weeks ago, a friend of Jason and Mittu’s called to say he had five free adult tickets to The Ark Encounter in Williamstown, KY, and asked if they wanted them. They asked if we were interested in going, and then arranged to go on the weekend Mittu’s mom would be visiting so she could experience it, too. I’m not sure why their friend had these tickets, but we’re grateful for his generosity.

Children under ten got in free. The man at the door looked at us skeptically when we said Timothy was only 9. 🙂 But he didn’t question us.

If you’re not familiar with the Ark Encounter, it’s a life-sized replica of Noah’s ark built according to the dimensions in the Bible..

The Ark is a little over three hours away from us, so we drove in two separate cars. Jason and his family planned to stay overnight, but Jim and I came back that evening.

We met for lunch at Hansie Flip Burgers in Wlliamstown, not far from the Ark, Jason had looked up places nearby that had gluten-free options for Mittu and Timothy. It was kind of neat to visit a local place rather than a restaurant we’re used to. It’s in an area which is renovating a lot of old buildings. There were not a lot of choices on the menu–mainly just large and small burgers–but they were good. And their Hansie sauce was wonderful.

When we got done there, we headed over to the Ark. Thankfully, they had a shuttle bus from the parking spot to the Welcome center. We were able to find a parking spot not far from the shuttle.

The most impressive part of the whole day for me was walking up to the Ark itself and seeing how massive it was. Their web site says the structure is 510 feet long, 85 feet wide, and 51 feet high.

This doesn’t give you the best idea of the scale, since we’re closer to the camera and look bigger. But if you look back to the Ark, you can see the tiny people on the ground and how they compare to the structure.

The Bible doesn’t tell us much about the ark itself besides the size and materials it was made of. We don’t know how Noah and his family managed the animals, food storage, waste products, etc. But those who built this Ark used their best guesses based on research of ancient history. They had a lot of signage indicating where they took artistic license.

The Ark has three levels filled with displays and information. They had life-sized displays of animals and cages, food storage, an indoor garden, Noah’s family and their imagined living quarters. Many of the animals looked unfamiliar but were based on fossil records.

Imagined living quarters of one of Noah’s sons and his wife.

The people looked quite realistic!

Some of the animals were not like any we’re familiar with. The builders used fossil records to simulate animals that would have been around at the time. We saw part of one video while we were resting that showed how they did some of the art work and animal replicas. That was pretty interesting.

There was also an abundance of information on the walls: the story of creation, man’s fall, and the descent into violence and lawlessness that led to the flood; how big is a cubit; the difference between kinds of animals and species, and why that’s important; the after-effects of the flood, and so much more. I think we would have gotten much more from the experience if we had read more of the signage. I wish I had taken more pictures of it to read later.

We were there for almost four hours, I think. There was more we could have explored, but we were tired.

There were a lot of other attractions outside, but they were closed for the season. Jason and Mittu did take Timothy to a zoo area after Jim and I left.

There were also snack and gift areas on every floor, as well as lots of benches and restrooms.

Timothy and his grandmothers taking a break. 🙂

We kind of joked about some of the modern-day amenities that would not have been on the original ark. But I was glad for air conditioning and elevators and other modern touches.

I have to confess, years ago, when we first heard the Ark was going to be built, we wondered if it was a wise use of money. It would be neat and interesting, yes. But would Christians’ donations be better invested in missions or education or evangelism?

But I think the Ark is both evangelistic and educational.

On the downside:

• The Ark’s fees are incredibly high: $50 for adults, $40 for seniors, $30 for kids ages 11-17. Children under 10 are free. They had other price combinations if you’re staying for more than a day or going to the nearby Creation Museum as well. And parking is $15 per car. I don’t think we would have ever gone if we hadn’t had free tickets.
• Jason and Mittu had been before and said the buffet there was a little expensive then, but manageable. This time, though, it was $20 per person (which is why we ate elsewhere).
• It did seem awfully commercialized. Maybe that’s just a part of an attraction like this. I was thinking that a Christian fiction novel has to be an excellent story, or it’s message will fall flat. So this kind of venue probably has to have all the usual things that come with being an attraction to be taken seriously.
• The shuttle brought us to the Welcome Center (which housed a large gift shop, coffee shop, etc.), and then we had to walk quite a ways to the Ark itself. I don’t know why they couldn’t have put the Welcome Center closer to the Ark, or taken the shuttle to the Ark rather than the Welcome Center, or provided another shuttle.
• They had a lot of staff around to direct or answer questions. They were helpful when we did ask them something. But a couple of them over-directed us needlessly (telling us to go where we were already going, etc.). The people wanting to take a group photo (to try to sell you later) were the most pushy.
• One video depicting a skeptical, derisive “reporter” asking Noah what he was up to did depict the attitude the people at the time had toward Noah. But it was done in a light, almost flippant way that, to Jim and me, took away from the message.

Overall, though, it was a good visit, and I am glad we went.

Timothy was a little droopy, and we thought he was just tired from picking up his other grandmother from the airport late the night before. His parents thought perhaps he was a little dehydrated and got some apple juice and water into him. That night, at the hotel, he developed a 102 degree temperature. We felt bad for him that he was coming down with something during the day. He had a low fever over the weekend and sniffles since then, but otherwise is ok now. I think he still enjoyed the visit.

Have you been to the Ark Encounter? What did you think?

Some of the things that have crossed my mind lately, some mundane, some not:

During the holidays, I heard a radio preacher complain about people who only came to church at Easter and Christmas. Wouldn’t it be better to capitalize on their coming and make a special effort to welcome them and share truth with them?
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Why do so many main characters in novels have chestnut hair?
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It’s almost two months past Christmas. But when I sweep, I still find pine needles.
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The Internet seems to like blog posts that begin with numbers, as in X numbers of ways to do or celebrate or handle something. But honestly, I don’t look at posts if the number is above twelve or so. If you’ve got 25 or 100 things on a list, I might skim through them, but I am more inclined to skip the post.
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The term “bucket list” arose as people planned for things they wanted to do before they die (coming from the term to “kick the bucket” as a euphemism for dying). So I am a little amused when I see someone refer to summer or vacation bucket lists.
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In college and young adult years, I heard about time management. These days, though, we hear about productivity. I wonder when the emphasis shifted. Actually, I like “time management” better, because I am managing my time. “Productivity” seems more pressured, like I am not doing anything worthwhile if I am not producing something, even though all the productivity experts I’ve read include the need for rest.
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Lent is one of those things that we do or not as unto the Lord. The Bible doesn’t tell us to observe it or not. Some people find it deeply meaningful. For myself, I don’t see anything in Scripture about giving up something for 40 days, so I don’t. But it does speak about fasting, and some who can’t fast from food for physical reasons might benefit from fasting something else.

I do, however, like to read something about Jesus’ death and resurrection in the days leading up to Easter. Sometimes I’ve read the passages in the gospels about that period. Other times, I’ve read books, like Jesus, Keep Me Near the Cross: Experiencing the Passion and Power of Easter. and The Women of Easter: Encounter the Savior with Mary of Bethany, Mary of Nazareth, and Mary Magdalene by Liz Curtis Higgs. I haven’t decided whether to reread one of those or look for something else. But it strikes me that I don’t think there are nearly as many Easter/Lent devotionals as there are Advent and Christmas. Or maybe I just haven’t seen them. Any recommendations?
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I’ve seen some say that we shouldn’t celebrate Valentine’s Day or Mother’s Day because we should be showing love and honor all year. That’s true. But the same is true of Thanksgiving, isn’t it? We should be grateful all year long, but having a day set aside especially for thankfulness reminds us of it. We’re happy to have certain people in our lives all the time, but we especially celebrate them on their birthdays.
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I’ve always found it odd that in John’s gospel, he refers to himself as the disciple whom Jesus loved. For years I thought that sounded like he was elevating himself above the other disciples, which was puzzling. But he was also inspired by God to write what he did, so God must have had some reason to have him call himself that.

It’s only been recently that I realized that this was not an example of pride, but of humility. I don’t think John named himself in his whole book. He was just one of the ones whom Jesus loved.
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I get tired of hearing that whether you see a glass as half full or half empty indicates your outlook on life. Just drink what’s in the glass already. 🙂

But lately I have thought of it this way. If you’ve just poured a glass of something, and all you wanted was half a glass, the glass is half full. If you had a full glass and drank from it already, the glass is half empty.

I wonder what philosophers would think of that. Am I the one overthinking, or are they? 🙂

This week has been a blur for many reasons. My mindset can’t think very deeply at the moment, so I decided to share various passing thoughts, some tongue-in-cheek, most not terribly important.

I received an email advertising the ESV Panorama New Testament. My mind kept reading Panorama as Paranormal.

We don’t get HGTV, but the last couple of times I was in the hospital, we had that station on. I was amazed that any time on any show they staged a house for viewing, someone karate-chopped the sofa pillows. Who decided dented pillows were a thing?

Speaking of decorating, I just recently became aware of a new/old style called grandmillennial, explained here. It’s “halfway between minimalism and maximalism” and “nostalgic and comfortable without looking kitschy.” Sounds like my tastes! Except they advocate earthy colors, and I am partial to my pastels.

Why do people pay $20-50 for a one-hour online course but balk at paying $10-12 for a ten-hour book?

I occasionally see or hear people say something like, “If you’re going to drink decaf, why bother?” Well, some of us can’t have caffeine. In my case, I am not supposed to have it due to heart rhythm problems. But I like the flavor and warmth. I’d be more concerned about not being able to make it through the day without caffeine.

Does it bug anyone else when speakers say “I see you” to people they can’t actually see?

Why do people use Latin phrases and then put in parentheses what the phrase means? Why not just use the English words in the first place?

Are people really motivated by being yelled at? The climax movie of the movie Facing the Giants had a coach on hands and knees alongside a player, yelling, “Don’t quit, Never quit.” But if I were in that position, I would want to yell back, “Stop yelling!” Even Pelaton commercials turn me off. (I’m not an athlete. Can you tell?) I respond better to coming-alongside encouragement than having someone in my face.

I’m about done with articles that won’t let you read further without subscribing or unblocking ads. I know they need to make money, but that doesn’t seem the best way to get subscribers. I like some sites that let you read so many free articles per month.

Sometimes I see foot massages referred to as a romantic gesture, but I can’t stand the thought of someone messing with my feet.

When I am actually in a grocery store, I’ll see people filling online orders with their big carts. They’ll scan an item and put it right in the shopping bag. I’ve thought that would be nice to be able to do as an average shopper–scan and bag your items as you get them instead of moving everything to cart, to conveyor belt at the checkout, and back to the cart again. But that will probably never happen because of the expense of the handheld scanners and because of dishonest shoppers who wouldn’t scan all their items.

Do you have favorite things you do with certain leftovers? I love making a sandwich with leftover meatloaf, sometimes grilled-cheese style. I can remember my mom making little strips of leftover pie crust dough, putting a little butter and sugar and cinnamon on it, and putting it in the oven just a few minutes to cook through. So good. (Odd, though, I don’t remember her making pies from scratch–but she must have if she had pie crust dough.) If we have tacos, I like to make a quesadilla with the leftover taco meat and cheddar cheese for lunch the next day. And if I am making rice, if I have enough, I like to make a little bowl of rice with butter and sugar. That must be the base of rice pudding, though I have never had it.

Sometimes my thoughts do pinball between topics like this. Occasionally I’ll retain one long enough to write it down. 🙂

Do any of these resonate with you? Do you have stray unrelated thoughts floating around?

(I often link up with some of these bloggers.)

Thank you so much for your kind comments yesterday and your prayers while I was in the hospital. I’m back at home now and feeling well. I have follow-up appointments with my primary care doctor and cardiologist soon.

I’m probably going to have to have a second ablation. I can’t tell you how much I hate the thought of going through that again. But I also hate having afib and going to the ER. We’ve known people that were much improved after the second one. So, we’ll see what the doctors say.

Meanwhile, I’m going to mainly relax the rest of the weekend.

Hi folks. I’m in the hospital again with atrial fibrillation. I’d appreciate your prayers that my heart would covert to the right rhythm and for wisdom in how to proceed afterward. I don’t have a Friday’s Fave Five post together at this point – maybe later. Thank you!