New Home Fall Poster by Crystal A Murray (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0) with help from Gemini, Nano Banana, Wombo Dream, and Photo Studio Pro
What’s a country that’s at the top of your bucket list?
I would’ve liked this question better as a city because I’m actually really happy to be from the good ‘ol USA. I walked across The Rainbow Bridge from Niagara Falls New York to Ontario, Canada. It was a nice experience until the restaurant cheated us on the currency exchange. I do have some nieces and nephews in Canada, so if I had to pick a country outside the US, at least I have a reason to travel there.
My least favorite step outside of our country was a very brief crossing of the bridge at Ciudad de Juarez in Mexico just so we could say we’d been there with the boys (our nephews) while we traveled with them. We drove up a street that felt very unsafe, drove back toward the giant Mexican flag, let the boys burn a little energy on a park playground, and then got right back to the US. It was years later when that show called The Bridge was on TV and showed a glimpse of how awful Juarez could be. I’m glad we didn’t stay longer and thankful we didn’t have any issues.
My most favorite foray outside of our country was a very fast 3-day cruise to the Bahamas. Most of our time was spent on the 50+-year-old ship, but we got 8 hours in port and used it for a small tour of Blue Lagoon. But, oh, that turquoise water was absolutely worth all the travel it took to get there. Here’s one of the pictures from there in a smaller size, but you can see and download the full size at Flickr and read about the trip.
The Backside of Blue Lagoon, Nassau Bahamas, Feb 2004 by Crystal A Murray (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0)
The question also said top of my bucket list, so in thinking about the one country I hope to enjoy (for eternity after this life is over), it has to be in the city of the New Jerusalem when God creates a new Heaven and a New Earth. I imagine this beautiful image of the Caribbean is nothing compared to The Crystal Sea. 🌊💎🌊
And I’ll finish this post with a nice hymn that isn’t apparently that well known since I could only find one with lyrics. It’s called “Address Change Notification” and it’s about moving to a brand new home in Heaven.
Address Change Notification by Young Harmony (with lyrics)
What’s on your bucket list? Image by Flickr User Teresa Alexander-Arab Click image to view original and access photo stream.
In the first verse of today’s reading from Genesis 45:28 through Genesis 46:27, Jacob is ready to go with the rest of his family to Egypt. He is excited and filled with life again, but he knows it’s short, so he tells them they must hurry up and go because he wants to see his son Joseph before he dies.
When Jacob goes to sleep that night, he has a vision of God calling out to him. God tells him that He is the God of his father, Isaac, and that He is still with him. God then tells Jacob not to be afraid to go to Egypt because it is there that He will make a great nation of him. And then God promises that after Joseph closes Jacob’s eyes for the last time, he will return to his homeland.
So Jacob and all his descendants; sons, son’s wives, daughters, and grandchildren, head to Egypt with all their possessions. Verses 8 through 25 list the genealogies of those making the journey, and the reading ends with giving us the number seventy as the total number of Jacob’s descendants moving to Egypt.
I love that Jacob was ready to go without a vision of promise from God, even though a vision is an important thing if someone wants to know where the finish line is at. But my guess is that no matter what was on Jacob’s bucket list before, once he found out his son was alive, everything else was scratched off and replaced with the desire to see Joseph. I laugh with people about things i should put on my bucket list, but I’ve never actually made one. Part of me thinks I’d be putting too much stock into human things instead of just trying to seek God’s will for my life. But if I were in Jacob’s position, seeing a child I thought was dead and have now found to be alive would definitely be worth making a list. Beyond that, I do have some things I’d like to accomplish, but I’m still seeking for a clear vision and focus in the midst of all my desires. What about you?
Share some things on your bucket list, and maybe I’ll share some of my heartfelt desires that could qualify for bucket list items.
Crystal is, like her name, multi-faceted. She can even write about herself in third person and only feel a little awkward about it. 🙂 She loves to write; she loves kaleidoscopes, fractals, and all things colorful; she loves her husband, her family, and her feline furkids; and mostly she loves Yahveh Almighty, her Creator. She believes her creative mind is in her DNA from Him, and she believes He sees His creations as she sees the images inside a kaleidoscope–all different yet all beautiful and most beautiful when light (His light) shines through them.
Jacob’s Bucket List
What’s on your bucket list?
Image by Flickr User Teresa Alexander-Arab
Click image to view original and access photo stream.
In the first verse of today’s reading from Genesis 45:28 through Genesis 46:27, Jacob is ready to go with the rest of his family to Egypt. He is excited and filled with life again, but he knows it’s short, so he tells them they must hurry up and go because he wants to see his son Joseph before he dies.
When Jacob goes to sleep that night, he has a vision of God calling out to him. God tells him that He is the God of his father, Isaac, and that He is still with him. God then tells Jacob not to be afraid to go to Egypt because it is there that He will make a great nation of him. And then God promises that after Joseph closes Jacob’s eyes for the last time, he will return to his homeland.
So Jacob and all his descendants; sons, son’s wives, daughters, and grandchildren, head to Egypt with all their possessions. Verses 8 through 25 list the genealogies of those making the journey, and the reading ends with giving us the number seventy as the total number of Jacob’s descendants moving to Egypt.
I love that Jacob was ready to go without a vision of promise from God, even though a vision is an important thing if someone wants to know where the finish line is at. But my guess is that no matter what was on Jacob’s bucket list before, once he found out his son was alive, everything else was scratched off and replaced with the desire to see Joseph. I laugh with people about things i should put on my bucket list, but I’ve never actually made one. Part of me thinks I’d be putting too much stock into human things instead of just trying to seek God’s will for my life. But if I were in Jacob’s position, seeing a child I thought was dead and have now found to be alive would definitely be worth making a list. Beyond that, I do have some things I’d like to accomplish, but I’m still seeking for a clear vision and focus in the midst of all my desires. What about you?
Share some things on your bucket list, and maybe I’ll share some of my heartfelt desires that could qualify for bucket list items.
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December 11, 2013 Posted by Crystal A Murray (aka CrystalWriter) | Bible Study, Nonfiction, Torah Commentary | Adonai, Almighty, Bible, Bible Gateway, Bible reading, Bible study, Biblical genealogies, brothers, bucket list, Complete Jewish Bible, Creator, crystalwriter, Egypt, family, Genesis, God, Holy Bible, Jacob, Joseph, Lord, Old Covenant, Old Testament, Parashah, Portions, possessions, Scripture, The Complete Jewish Bible, Torah, Torah commentary, Torah Portions, Torah Reading, travel, vision, Word, Word of God, Word of the Lord, www.biblegateway.com, Yahveh, Yahweh | Leave a comment