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Brooksyne Weber
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Thursday, May
11, 2023
Salvation Mountain
Click to enlarge
Click to enlarge
"Salvation
Mountain"
Message
summary:
Thank God for
meeting our
greatest need
on Salvation
Mountain. That
is, Mount
Calvary.
Listen
to our message
on your audio
player.
"And when they had come to the place called Calvary, there they crucified Him, and the criminals, one on the right hand and the other on the left" (Luke 23:33). "The death He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life He lives, He lives to God" (Romans 6:10). "We have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all" (Hebrews 10:10). “For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God” (1 Peter 3:18).
I
believe in a
hill called
Mount Calvary
I believe whatever the cost
And when time has surrendered
And earth is no more
I'll still cling to the old rugged cross
I believe whatever the cost
And when time has surrendered
And earth is no more
I'll still cling to the old rugged cross
Last week after visiting the desert area around Palm Springs we headed back to San Diego, although not by the most direct route. I wanted to see a place called Salvation Mountain in a funky off-grid place called Slab City. This required a less direct route down around the Salton Sea in one of the most desolate parts we've ever visited which rivaled Death Valley that we visited about five years ago.
Salvation
Mountain is a
result of many
years of labor
by Leonard
Knight who
went to be
with the Lord
ten years ago,
yet his
inspirational
work remains.
The
following info
was adapted
from Knight's
biography on
his website:
Leonard
was visiting
his sister in
1967 in San
Diego. She was
always talking
about the Lord
and it sort of
bothered him.
One morning to
escape her
sermonizing,
Leonard went
out of the
house to sit
in his van. He
started
repeating the
Jesus, I'm a
sinner...
Sinner Prayer
- "Jesus, I'm
a sinner,
please come
upon my body
and into my
heart." It was
on that
Wednesday...
at 10:30 in
the morning...
in his van...
all by
himself... at
age 35... he
accepted Jesus
into his heart
and he was a
changed man.
His passion
was
unwavering,
his dedication
intense.
He
sought out
various ways
to express his
faith which
included a
large balloon
with lettering
"God Is Love".
He eventually
settled in
Slab City and
began working
on Salvation
Mountain.
Again
from the
description on
the website:
Forever
trying to
promote what
was burning so
deeply inside
of him,
Leonard
decided to
make a "small
statement".
Armed with
half a bag of
cement, he
fashioned a
small
monument. One
thing turned
into another -
days turned
into weeks and
weeks turned
into years.
Each day,
Leonard would
put a little
more cement
and a little
more paint on
the side of a
forgotten
riverbank.
As his monument grew taller and taller, he would pack old junk he found at the dump onto the side of his "mountain," fill it with sand and cover it with cement and paint. As cement was hard to come by, he would mix a lot of sand with it (too much, in fact). Leonard's mountain grew and grew - 30, 40, 50 feet and more. It was the same familiar patchwork of colors emblazoned with a big red "God Is Love" on a white background. Below that was the Sinners Prayer and a red heart. It was quite a spectacle out there in the middle of nowhere.
As his monument grew taller and taller, he would pack old junk he found at the dump onto the side of his "mountain," fill it with sand and cover it with cement and paint. As cement was hard to come by, he would mix a lot of sand with it (too much, in fact). Leonard's mountain grew and grew - 30, 40, 50 feet and more. It was the same familiar patchwork of colors emblazoned with a big red "God Is Love" on a white background. Below that was the Sinners Prayer and a red heart. It was quite a spectacle out there in the middle of nowhere.
Now
certainly this
is a very
unconventional
means of
witness but
people still
come from all
over the world
to visit this
place (there
were several
last Thursday
morning when
we visited).
It's a bit
rundown now
and requires
constant
maintenance by
volunteers due
to the harsh
desert
environment,
with temps
that soar to
130 degrees.
This
Salvation
Mountain is a
reminder to me
of Mount
Calvary where
God's dearest
and best for a
world of lost
sinners was
slain.
The word "Calvary" is only found once in the Bible in our first daily text in the King James Version. Calvary is the anglicized form of Calvarić from the Latin Vulgate. However the Greek word is actually "The Skull" to describe the place which most versions use. (Perhaps it was similar in appearance to the photo we shared yesterday). For that reason not all versions even use the word "Calvary" in this passage. See here for this text in an interlinear New Testament and here for a variety of Bible translations.
Calvary was the specific place where Jesus Christ offered Himself as the "once for all" sacrifice for our sins. The other three texts we use today each has this very significant phrase, "Once for all". This speaks of the completeness and finality of what took place on Calvary, God's salvation mountain.
Whatever problem you are dealing with today rest assured that there is absolutely no problem with Calvary, the cross was enough. “For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God” (1 Peter 3:18).
The word "Calvary" is only found once in the Bible in our first daily text in the King James Version. Calvary is the anglicized form of Calvarić from the Latin Vulgate. However the Greek word is actually "The Skull" to describe the place which most versions use. (Perhaps it was similar in appearance to the photo we shared yesterday). For that reason not all versions even use the word "Calvary" in this passage. See here for this text in an interlinear New Testament and here for a variety of Bible translations.
Calvary was the specific place where Jesus Christ offered Himself as the "once for all" sacrifice for our sins. The other three texts we use today each has this very significant phrase, "Once for all". This speaks of the completeness and finality of what took place on Calvary, God's salvation mountain.
Whatever problem you are dealing with today rest assured that there is absolutely no problem with Calvary, the cross was enough. “For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God” (1 Peter 3:18).
Be
encouraged
today, (Hebrews
3:13)
Daily
prayer:
Father, thank
You for
sending Jesus,
Your only
beloved Son,
to die for my
sins once for
all, His
righteousness
for my
unrighteousness,
that I might
present a
fully forgiven
and
unblemished
heart to You.
I have
complete
standing
before You
right now
because of the
completed and
perfect
sacrifice of
Jesus at Mount
Calvary.
Though the
fierce winds
and tumultuous
storms assail
me I am
victorious
because the
Christ of
Calvary is my
hope, my
strength, and
my stay. Amen.Today's
Suggested Music and Supplemental
Resources
Today
we will share
photos of our
visit to
Salvation
Mountain and
Slab City
Leaving
the Palm
Springs area
we passed many
date palm
trees as this
is the largest
date producing
area in the
US. In fact
Brooksyne
stopped by our
local grocery
store last
night and
picked up a
package of
dates and sure
enough they
came from Coachella
Valley, CA (See
here)
Click to enlarge
Click to enlarge
The
Salton Sea has
an interesting
background.
Click to enlarge
Click to enlarge
A
guide told us
that the man
who developed
the Salvation
Mountain lived
in the back of
this truck and
often slept on
the couch in
front. The
springs remain
from the bed
in the back of
the truck and
the bench seat
in the front
of the truck.
Later in life,
due to his
diabetes, he
lost one leg.
Given his
living
quarters, I
think it's
safe to say,
he was just a
bit eccentric!
Click to enlarge
Click to enlarge
This
is the vehicle
at the base of
Salvation
Mountain that
Leonard was
driving when
he first
arrived in
1967.
How
many of you
had a station
wagon when you
were young?
Click to enlarge
Click to enlarge
We
wrote about
Slab City is this
message
from last
week.
Brooksyne
expressed to
me that she is
not interested
in moving
here!
Click to enlarge
Click to enlarge
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In considering support we are so pleased when we hear from you, our readers, that our messages are a source of teaching and encouragement to you. We also urge you to consider the mission aspect of these daily teachings that are freely available and read by many all over the world.
To
donate
directly
online
click here.
(This will
open to a page
that
designates the
offering
to: STEPHEN
&
BROOKSYNE
WEBER -
700001-237376 SERVING
IN SPECIALIZED
CHAPLAINCY)
If
you desire you
can also
donate
directly
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This will open
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"Brooksyne
Weber". We
keep this
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for
international
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and for those
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Thank
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&
Brooksyne
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radioPermissions: Please feel free to pass on, reproduce and distribute any material on Daily Encouragement Net, in part or in whole, in any format, provided that you do not alter the wording in any way or charge a fee beyond the cost of reproduction. It is our desire to spread this material, not protect or restrict it. We do request that you keep the contact, copyright and subscription information intact.
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."
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