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(Click refresh or reload for current message) Friday,
September 30, 2022
![]() Last Friday we rode on the Cog Railway which
climbs to the summit of Mount Washington. However due to
severe weather at the summit we were only able to climb to
the 5,000 feet point above the treeline.
"Jacob's
Ladder"
Note:
Brooksyne is in Tulsa visiting with her family for a
week. Today she will be going with her brother to visit
relatives in Arkansas for the weekend. Thus these
messages won't have the benefit of her input and editing
and I will be reading the podcast solo!
Message
summary: Today we consider
the assurance God gave Jacob in the form of a dream and
a ladder.
"And he
(Jacob) dreamed, and behold, there was a ladder set up
on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven. And
behold, the angels of God were ascending and
descending on it!" (Genesis 28:12).
Mount
Washington in New Hampshire is the tallest mountain in
New England. It's a mountain that seems as high as any
western mountain I have seen up close due to the
differential in the base elevation of 1,565 feet and
summit of 6,288. In fact about 20 years ago we passed
Mount Elbert, the tallest mountain in Colorado at over
14,000 feet but due to the fact we were already so high
in elevation it didn't appear nearly as dramatic as
Mount Washington.
There are
three on the ground ways to get to the summit of Mount
Washington; hike, the auto road (which we took Saturday)
and the cog railway. On Friday morning we rode on the
Mount Washington Cog Railway. However due to weather at
the summit we were only able to go to about 5,000 feet
and experienced the very high winds and bitterly cold
conditions. Mount Washington is known to have the worst
weather in the world and the winter conditions rival
those of Mount Everest and the Polar regions.
We were
disappointed (I was anyway) that we weren't able to go
all the way to the summit but it was still a neat ride
(they refunded an amount nearly enough to pay to drive
up the mountain the next day on the auto road).
When you get in the railcar to be seated the
seats lean uncomfortably forward to the point you almost
slide off but level out as you hit the grade. You really notice the grade when you stand up
or when you see how the buildings beside the track look
so unlevel. The
ride included climbing a portion known as Jacob's
Ladder.
From an
engineering standpoint, Jacob’s Ladder is very
impressive. 300 feet long and curving to the left, the
train is now climbing at a 37.41% grade (that’s a 37
foot elevation change for every 100 feet of forward
movement). Jacob’s Ladder is the steepest section of the
Cog Railway, and the steepest railroad trestle anywhere
in the world.
I was
unable to find the origin of the name Jacob's Ladder in
regard to the Cog railway but assume it's based on
Jacob's ladder in Genesis 28. Many place names are based
on Biblical references.
The story
of Jacob’s ladder in the Bible refers to the vivid,
prophetic dream in which Jacob sees a ladder stretching
from heaven to earth. The dream not only represented the
connection between God and man; it also affirmed Jacob
as the father of God’s chosen people, the Israelites.
Jacob had
placed a stone under his head to use as a pillow (v.
11), not very conducive in my view to a good night's
sleep! "And he dreamed, and behold, there was a
ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached
to heaven. And behold, the angels of God were
ascending and descending on it!" (v.12).
God spoke
to him in the dream, "And behold, the Lord stood
above it and said, 'I am the Lord, the God of Abraham
your father and the God of Isaac. The land on which
you lie I will give to you and to your offspring. Your
offspring shall be like the dust of the earth, and you
shall spread abroad to the west and to the east and to
the north and to the south, and in you and your
offspring shall all the families of the earth be
blessed. Behold, I am with you and will keep you
wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land.
For I will not leave you until I have done what I have
promised you'" (vv. 13-15).
This
brought great assurance to Jacob. When he awoke from his
dream he said, “Surely the Lord is in this place,
and I did not know it.” And he was afraid and said,
“How awesome is this place! This is none other than
the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven”
(vv. 16,17).
May God
give each reader a similar assurance today of God's
presence!
Be
encouraged today, (Hebrews 3:13)
Stephen
& Brooksyne Weber
![]() Today's
Suggested Music and Supplemental
Resources
"Climbing Jacob's Ladder"
Video Ann
Downing, Greater Vision, The Nelons,
The Ruppes
"Jacob's Ladder"
Video Cedarmont Kids
"Surely The Presence Of
The Lord Is In This Place"
Video
Studio Singers
"Same God" Video
Brandon Lake
Jacob’s Ladder on the Cog Railway I did get this bumper
sticker (photo) but since
I drove up in a rental car I have no
where to put it!
Some more photos from our New England trip. Inside the Cog Railway car
we rode up on.
Our attempt at a "selfie". I
guess we don't know which way to look.
![]() After
our rail ride we went over to visit
the Mount Washington Hotel. A nice
place to visit but quite pricey to
stay at! (some $750 per night this
weekend!)
The
Mount Washington Hotel lobby!
Saturday
morning was beautiful so we decided to
drive to the summit of Mount Washington
on the auto road but when entering was
told the summit was closed due to severe
weather. I didn't want to go part way up
again!
So we went down to the North
Conway area and spent several hours,
including a hike up to this vista
point with views of the White
Mountains.
Brooksyne especially enjoyed
this gift shop in a real covered
bridge. It was mid-afternoon and we
were uncertain what to do when I
checked the auto road website and saw
the road was open to the summit so we
headed over!
The Mount Washington auto
road below about 4,000 feet had clear
skies. The views at this point were up
to 70 miles.
At above 4,000 feet it
started getting very cloudy and cold
with high winds! We got to the summit
parking lot and got out of the car but
it was so cold with very high
winds so we decided not to climb the
steps to the actual summit and headed
back down. About 1/2 way down it was
nice again and I wondered if just
maybe it had cleared up at the
summit... so we went back up again!
Of course it wasn't any
better the second time but I was
determined to climb those steps to the
very summit! That's me waving to
Brooksyne. I reached the top but it
was so bitterly cold and windy with
virtually no visibility I didn't go
any farther for fear I would either
slip on the ice or get blown over!
This was
at 6,000 feet near the summit.
Who knows
what this sign says!
At the base building we saw
this sign.
I'll share some more photos
from our trip next week as we left the
New Hampshire mountains and headed to
the Maine seacoast and stopped to see
some old friends along the way.
![]()
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![]() ![]() Stephen & Brooksyne 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, New King James Version (NKJV) Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. and the King James Version. Personal Mission Statement: "I am created by God to bring Him glory. Through God's Son Jesus Christ I have been redeemed and make it my life's goal to please the Lord. My mission in life is to honor God through my faith and obedience and prepare myself and all whom I may influence for eternity." © Copyright 2022 Stephen C. & Brooksyne Weber - All Rights Reserved Daily Encouragement Net - 495 Kraybill Church Road - Mount Joy, PA 17552 USA |