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"The path of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, shining ever brighter till the full light of day" (Proverbs 4:18).
Saturday I went with a group of men to explore a long abandoned portion of the Pennsylvania Turnpike. The highlight of our trip was a bike ride through the Sidling Hill tunnel, which at 6,782 feet had been the longest tunnel in the turnpike system. It was initially intended for a railroad and the tunnel was bored through the mountain in the late 1800s but refinished for the turnpike, which opened in 1940 as the nation's first superhighway.
It was sure a neat adventure. I strapped an 18 volt flashlight to the front of my bike and with all the others from our group going through we had plenty of light and I never really had the opportunity to see just how dark it would be with no light. We pedaled all the way through and then explored the inner workings of the tunnel, including a huge ventilation shaft and fans above.
Today's text is from the Proverbs. "The path of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, shining ever brighter till the full light of day" (Proverbs 4:18). Isn't that an interesting verse?
There are two other Bible verses that seem to have a similar sense. 2 Peter 1:19 reads, "And we have the word of the prophets made more certain, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts." 1 John 2:8 states, "Yet I am writing you a new command; its truth is seen in Him and you, because the darkness is passing and the true light is already shining."
Riding slowly through that tunnel from the light and into the darkness and then back out provides a spiritual illustration of these verses. Due to the tunnel's length and the slight curvature designed for drainage you cannot see either end from the middle. However a slight wisp of light exists due to the reflections off the tunnel ceiling. As you approach the light in exiting the tunnel an optical illusion makes it seem that the opening is much closer than it really is. It gradually gets brighter and brighter till you finally exit it into brilliant sunlight.
We've all heard the expression "the light at the end of the tunnel." As we journey through life we can experience times of intense darkness, particularly during a personal trial. Sometimes the light at the end is very hard to see and is very faint. As followers of the one true God we are on the "path of the righteous." The world is spiritually dark and we are moving toward the light, and we can be assured on the veracity of God's Word that "the darkness is passing and the true light is already shining."
Be encouraged today,
Stephen & Brooksyne Weber
Twice
we trucked up Blue Mountain to the summit and road our bikes some 5
miles down to the valley. Here's a photo of an opening showing the
distant road we will soon be on. It starts off gravel path and then
onto a paved road. We are heavy on the brakes practically the entire
trip!
Here's an interesting description of a tour through the tunnel.
Here's an extensive photo album.
Monday, September 10, 2007
The light at the end of the tunnel
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message on your audio player."The Path Of The Righteous"
"The path of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, shining ever brighter till the full light of day" (Proverbs 4:18).
Saturday I went with a group of men to explore a long abandoned portion of the Pennsylvania Turnpike. The highlight of our trip was a bike ride through the Sidling Hill tunnel, which at 6,782 feet had been the longest tunnel in the turnpike system. It was initially intended for a railroad and the tunnel was bored through the mountain in the late 1800s but refinished for the turnpike, which opened in 1940 as the nation's first superhighway.
It was sure a neat adventure. I strapped an 18 volt flashlight to the front of my bike and with all the others from our group going through we had plenty of light and I never really had the opportunity to see just how dark it would be with no light. We pedaled all the way through and then explored the inner workings of the tunnel, including a huge ventilation shaft and fans above.
Today's text is from the Proverbs. "The path of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, shining ever brighter till the full light of day" (Proverbs 4:18). Isn't that an interesting verse?
There are two other Bible verses that seem to have a similar sense. 2 Peter 1:19 reads, "And we have the word of the prophets made more certain, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts." 1 John 2:8 states, "Yet I am writing you a new command; its truth is seen in Him and you, because the darkness is passing and the true light is already shining."
Riding slowly through that tunnel from the light and into the darkness and then back out provides a spiritual illustration of these verses. Due to the tunnel's length and the slight curvature designed for drainage you cannot see either end from the middle. However a slight wisp of light exists due to the reflections off the tunnel ceiling. As you approach the light in exiting the tunnel an optical illusion makes it seem that the opening is much closer than it really is. It gradually gets brighter and brighter till you finally exit it into brilliant sunlight.
We've all heard the expression "the light at the end of the tunnel." As we journey through life we can experience times of intense darkness, particularly during a personal trial. Sometimes the light at the end is very hard to see and is very faint. As followers of the one true God we are on the "path of the righteous." The world is spiritually dark and we are moving toward the light, and we can be assured on the veracity of God's Word that "the darkness is passing and the true light is already shining."
Be encouraged today,
Stephen & Brooksyne Weber
More weekend camp photos!
Recon for return trip throough tunnel
Twice
we trucked up Blue Mountain to the summit and road our bikes some 5
miles down to the valley. Here's a photo of an opening showing the
distant road we will soon be on. It starts off gravel path and then
onto a paved road. We are heavy on the brakes practically the entire
trip!On the way down the mountain we met a snake and received a lesson from Mike Book, a science teacher. He's very demonstrative!
Campfire griddles. Did we ever eat!
For sense of scale note shovel on the left photo filled with coals
For sense of scale note shovel on the left photo filled with coals
Yes we did a have service around the campfire and I shared a mesage from John 21, titled "Breakfast with Jesus"
On the way home yesterday afternoon we passed an Amish church having dinner on the grounds.
More tunnel info
Here's an interesting description of a tour through the tunnel.
Here's an extensive photo album.
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Scripture references are from The Holy Bible: New International Version. © 1984 by International Bible Society; NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, Copyright © 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission; and the King James Version.
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