The blanket that saved my life

Condemnation made its way to me. He was wearing a black suit and hat. He stopped walking when he was right in front of me and stared at me in the face; he was much, much bigger than I. With one hand, he removed the hat from his head and with the other he proceeded to do what I had been dreading all my life up til this point--Condemnation lifted a hand and pointed at me; not past me, not in my general direction, not at the cold, dreary ground...but at me.

The best thing that has ever happened to me occurred then. No one gave me a million dollars, Friday and Saturday didn't become the only days of the week, I didn't wake up on the beach in New Zealand--Someone handed me a blanket saying, "Take this." While sitting baffled and lost in a state of confusion, I then somehow still made the best decision I have ever and will ever make in my entire life. I took the blanket.

The moment I received this strange and unexplainable gift, the Man that offered it to me proceeded to spread it out with His hands and cover my entire body with it. I suddenly didn't feel cold anymore. But the Man didn't leave after He had covered me. He stayed right beside me, extending his arms across me with this warm, cotton quilt. I heard Him say to Condemnation, "This one is Mine." It was then that I recognized this Man from stories I had heard growing up, I had seen glimpses of Him in people that loved others unconditionally and said it was because "He first loved us," but now I was looking right at Him with my own eyes, and all that I had been missing my whole life was right here. His name is ישוע, but I've most commonly heard Him referred to as Jesus.

I learned then that everything has a name, and from inside the blanket I noticed the lettering that I had been ignoring that was stitched into the cotton quilt. It spelled out G-R-A-C-E.

But Condemnation... I forgot about my warmth immediately and poked my head out of the blanket to see if the man in the black suit and hat was still there. And he was! He was still standing over me, holding his hat in one hand and pointing at me with the other. He looked so frightening. The moment my eyes reconnected with him, I felt an unpleasant lump form in my throat. He wanted me more than he did before. And now, not only was he still standing over me, but he was shouting ugly and terrible things. Spit spewed out of his mouth when he hollered.

And though he was frightening, and awful, and convincing, and standing so close to me... he never touched me.

If I stayed under the blanket, he couldn't.

But even though my body was covered and Condemnation couldn't take me anymore, my head was stilling poking out and I was looking at him, hearing him, believing him.

Jesus, still beside me and covering with the blanket, said, "Look to Me. Focus on what I have to say in this present moment and what I have planned for you in your bright and glorious future. Focus on Me and you will not see him."

Receiving Grace saved me, but did not spare me from lies, pointed fingers, accusations, temptations, troubles, or sickness. That is our daily choice-- not whether or not we want them, but what we're going to do in the duration of them. Even after we begin to build a relationship with this magnificent Saviour, the world is still ugly. Wake up, brothers and sisters! Every day we have choices to make, are we going to stare at Condemnation and let his spit and slander splash against our faces? Are we going to let Doubt make a home inside our ears? Are we going to repeat the deception we've been told?

Or are we going to choose to look away and focus our attention on Jesus and what we know is true? It is in the overcoming that the miraculous happens. Leave your worries at the future and come home to the present.

Today, I am choosing to abound in Grace instead of Deception.

Tomorrow, I'm going to choose it again.

The Abandoned Journal: Ghost Village

I decided to begin sharing a tiny morsel of my obsession with abandoned places and things by using my blog to post some of my adventures amongst them, for all of my fellow explorers out there and those on the internet hungry for a good discovery or history lesson.

Place: Palio Hora village

Location: Kythira Island, Greece

Approx. year built: 1500

Approx. year abandoned: 1537

History: "Palio Hora is a place of legend and history. Hidden by a magnificent gorge, legend holds that the pirate Barbarossa had to capture and torture the villagers in order to find out where it was. Beside the ruins of the fort is a terrible 330ft abyss, where mothers threw their children before leaping themselves to avoid being sold into slavery by Barbarossa. It's known as Kakia Langada (bad gorge) for that reason. You can walk the gorge of Palio Hora in five hours; the Kakia Langada beach will be your reward." (Source: http://www.greek-islands.us/kithira/)

The Abandoned Journal: Locked Castle

I decided to begin sharing a tiny morsel of my obsession with abandoned places and things by using my blog to post some of my adventures amongst them, for all of my fellow explorers out there and those on the internet hungry for a good discovery or history lesson.

Place: Redwood Castle

Location: Co. Tipperary, Ireland

Approx. year built: 1210

Approx. year abandoned: 1653

History: "Redwood Castle was originally constructed around 1210 by an Anglo-Norman family by the name of De Cougan. Redwood’s strategic position was of the utmost importance owing to its close proximity to the River Shannon. The Anglo-Normans made several attempts to cross the Shannon and administer the west of Ireland, but none were successful enough to allow the invaders to settle on a permanent basis. As a result, the Anglo-Normans faced the constant danger of being attacked themselves from across the Shannon, leading to a long line of castles and towerhouses being constructed along its eastern bank. The original structure here at Redwood was only two storeys tall, and there were no entrances or exits here on the ground floor for security reasons. The original doorway would have been on the second floor, accessible by a retractable ladder. The main entrance you see today dates from the mid-1300s. For many years ivy covered all of the castle except this doorway, and so a lot of tourist material still mistakenly dates the entire castle from this period.

However, by this time, Redwood Castle had reached its apex, and its decline began with a tide of political and religious unrest which culminated with Oliver Cromwell’s invasion of Ireland in 1649. The development of artillery effectively ended the reign of castles and towerhouses in Ireland, which had previously only had to deal with the occasional uprising by poorly armed peasants. Nearby Lackeen Castle was forfeited to Cromwell’s troops in 1653, whilst records of 1654 state that by that date, the castle at Redwood was nothing more than a ruin. It therefore seems likely that Redwood was besieged sometime in 1653. There are no obvious signs of damage from heavy artillery on the outside of the castle, and therefore it seems likely that the castle was forfeited without a fight once the Mac Egans saw what they were facing. Whatever the circumstances of the castle’s seizure, we do know that once it was in the possession of Cromwell’s troops, it was fired and practically burnt to the ground. The roof and most of the floors were wooden, and so only the walls and the spiral stone stairway were left standing.

The castle remained in ruins for over 300 years. At the turn of the twentieth century, a local farmer cut a second opening into the ground floor, just wide enough to let through a horse and cart which could be sheltered from the elements under the stone-barred vaulted arch. It is believed that it took three men a fortnight to cut through the 11 foot thick western wall. In 1972, a lawyer from Castlebar, County Mayo by the name of Michael Egan bought Redwood Castle and undertook its restoration. He was a descendant of the Mac Egans of Redwood, and so was determined to restore his family seat to its former glory. The government refused to support the project with any grants, believing the ruins to be beyond redemption. Michael Egan therefore funded the entire restoration project out of his own pocket. His ultimate goal was to have the castle as a second family home, which could also be used for important family occasions. To avoid tax burdens, the castle was opened to the public for sixty days a year as a site of historical interest, beginning in the early 1980s." (Source: http://www.redwoodcastleireland.com/castle-history-page.html)

Keep in mind, this is technically a tourist site, so the place has dates as to which it is "open" and "closed." It was closed this day. So we just had to be all the more adventurous and climb through the gate. The castle itself was locked, though, hindering us from exploring the inside.

Did Alfred Hitchcock ever visit Ireland? Because if he did, he left his bird here
















Sorry for the lack of photos on this one. Again, we were unable to get inside and had to trespass to even get close. It was also raining!

The Abandoned Journal: Bombed Cathedral

I decided to begin sharing a tiny morsel of my obsession with abandoned places and things by using my blog to post some of my adventures amongst them, for all of my fellow explorers out there and those on the internet hungry for a good discovery or history lesson.

Place: St. Michael's Cathedral

Location: Coventry, England

Date built: May 1902

Date abandoned: November 14, 1940

History: "On the night of 14 November 1940, the city of Coventry was devastated by bombs dropped by the Luftwaffe.  The Cathedral burned with the city, having been hit by several incendiary devices. 

The decision to rebuild the cathedral was taken the morning after its destruction.  Rebuilding would not be an act of defiance, but rather a sign of faith, trust and hope for the future of the world.  It was the vision of the Provost at the time, Richard Howard, which led the people of Coventry away from feelings of bitterness and hatred.  This has led to the cathedral’s Ministry of Peace and Reconciliation, which has provided spiritual and practical support, in areas of conflict throughout the world. 

Shortly after the destruction, the cathedral stonemason, Jock Forbes, noticed that two of the charred medieval roof timbers had fallen in the shape of a cross.  He set them up in the ruins where they were later placed on an altar of rubble with the moving words ‘Father Forgive’ inscribed on the Sanctuary wall.  Another cross was fashioned from three medieval nails by local priest, the Revd Arthur Wales.  The Cross of Nails has become the symbol of Coventry’s ministry of reconciliation." (Source: http://www.coventrycathedral.org.uk/about-us/our-history.php)

Though this memorial is right in the middle of the city of Coventry, there hangs a deafening silence amongst everyone the moment they step foot inside

Though the historical ruins are devastating, this is the most moving part: In 1990, the Service of Remembrance and Reconciliation began inside ruins of the cathedral to remind us that in the face of destructive forces, human dignity and love will triumph over disaster and bring nations together in respect and peace.

As tokens of reconciliation, plaques were hung on the walls that were standing and this statue was places inside

This is posted below the statue

Behind the cross, on the wall, is written: "Father Forgive."

This photograph nearly brings me to tears every time I look at it. I wonder what he was remembering.

To see the short documentary I filmed over this place, visit here

The Abandoned Journal: Slick School

I decided to begin sharing a tiny morsel of my obsession with abandoned places and things by using my blog to post some of my adventures amongst them, for all of my fellow explorers out there and those on the internet hungry for a good discovery or history lesson.

Place: Slick High School

Location: Slick, OK

Approx. year built: 1930's

Approx. year abandoned: 1960's

History: "Slick High School was built of red brick with decorative concrete accents. The layout was the typical, a central auditorium with two separate wings for the grade and high schools. This school also had a partial second story and a gymnasium below. Once the school was finally closed, the town used it for their city offices and as a senior citizen center until roof leaks forced it final abandonment." (Source - http://www.abandonedok.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=35&t=1458)

Be frightened

The uncertain remains of a floor in which one must walk across in order to get to the other side of the building

Some unfinished business, I would presume

Blurry photo-- but I seriously debated picking this up and taking it with me. Sadly, I'm not sure if it worked, though, as its batteries were nowhere to be found

The hauntingly beautiful auditorium

Some ghosts I met in there

(to see more photos of actual human subjects, visit my Flickr)

Another blurry photo-- this is the staircase that led to the second floor with more classrooms

Behind my lovely friend who's reading some documents we found, is the gymnasium

The gymnasium
(Pardon all the photos with people in them. My creativity kept getting swept away with the fact that I had so many models with me)

A very creepy exit