Opryland Hotel

Nothing Shall Be Impossible

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“And, behold, thy cousin Elisabeth, she hath also conceived a son in her old age: and this is the sixth month with her, who was called barren. For with God nothing shall be impossible” (Luke 1:36-37, KJV).

I went to check out the Ice! exhibit and to see the lights at the Opryland Hotel. It hit me in all the right feels as it does every year. I always love seeing the grand old hotel decked up in festive lights and decorations.

On my bucket list is to stay a night in that hotel, preferably in a room overlooking the Delta atrium and ideally around Christmas time. After that, I think I could just about die and go to heaven. But maybe not right away.

But anyway, back to the story. There’s a nativity setup outside the front of the hotel that I always visit. There’s a narrator over a loudspeaker reading from the Christmas story in Luke 1-2. Probably because of public domain, it’s in the ye old King James. Plus, I’m sure everybody over a certain age remembers Linus reciting the passage in A Charlie Brown Christmas.

This year, the line that hit me was about how Mary’s cousin Elizabeth was in her sixth month. She had previously been unable to conceive or bear children, and back in those days it was shameful to not have children.

So I love where it says that she who was previously known by her shame was now known by being the miraculous mother of a boy who would be the forerunner of the Messiah. I mean how cool is that?

Somehow, the ol’ KJV rendering hit me more forcefully this time: nothing shall be impossible with God. Any promise He’s ever made is as good as done. Any dream He’s put in your heart or desire He’s planted in you will come to pass because there’s no such thing as impossible to God.

I always love what I heard a pastor say once that what seems impossible to us isn’t even remotely difficult for God. You might say He specializes in making the impossible possible.

So I snapped my usual 1,000 photos, ate my pizza from Paisano’s, got in my 10,000 steps, and a good time was had by all. Even the weather cooperated.

And I was reminded yet again of the faithfulness of God. How many more times will it take, Lord, before I finally get it? Maybe just one more.

A New Bucket List Item

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I spent the evening at one of my favorite places– the Opryland Hotel.

What makes this place so special is how they will spend 6 months putting together all their Christmas lights and decorations. The results are more than worth it.

As usual, I put in over 20,000 steps walking around from one conservatory to the next. It’s impressive. It’s ridiculously over the top in the best way possible. It’s overwhelming at times.

I think I have a new bucket list item. I want to stay in one of the rooms overlooking the Delta Atrium during the Christmas season (or at least when the lights are all up). I think I’d prefer to stay on either the very top floor or the one just below it. Either would work just fine for me. I think a weekend stay would suit me just fine.

I’d also like to dine at the Old Hickory Steakhouse. Even though I’ve never dined there, I always imagine it’d cost me at least one of my vital organs. Or just an arm and a leg.

I’m refraining from looking up how much all of this would actually cost. I don’t want to ruin my perfect little fantasy.

At the very least, I get to spend a couple of hours every year taking in all the holiday glory that is the Opryland Hotel in December.

Merry Christmas to me, indeed!

23,000 Steps and Counting

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I got my 10,000 steps in (and then some).

Actually, I tallied in the neighborhood of 23,000 steps, which equates to 10.3 miles. That’s a lot of walking.

I did what is coming to be known as my Annual Christmastime Visit to Opryland Hotel. It’s easy to log in a lot of steps because there’s so much to see and so much ground to cover. Literally.

If you haven’t been, I can’t recommend this place highly enough. It’s like a massive version of the Enchanted Forest with an insane amount of Christmas lights strung up and enough decorations to satisfy the festive hearts of even the most fanatical devotees to all things Christmasy.

It helps if you wear comfortable shoes that can handle walking long distances. It also helps if you’re in at least moderately good shape.

You may or may not want to take a massive quantity of photos while you’re there to capture the moments. That all depends on your skills as a photographer (and possibly how good your camera is).

If I’m not mistaken, the good folks at Opryland Hotel start decorating in July. Once you see the final result, you’ll understand why. It’s a spectacle with few equals.

Give yourself plenty of time to take in all the sights and sounds (and maybe bring some cash for a souvenir or two).

I think I should add staying at the Opryland Hotel to my bucket list, preferably in one of the rooms that overlook one of the conservatories. I’m not sure of the exact price, but I imagine it would involve 1) selling an organ, 2) the sale of any possible future offspring, 3) sacrificing a small woodland animal, and/or 4) a huge wad of cash.

So for right now, I’ll settle for visiting and putting in all those steps. Maybe one day I’ll see some of you there.

 

 

Step by Step

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You know what generation you are by what song came to mind with the above title. If you are from my generation, it was probably Huey Lewis and the News. If you came a generation later, you probably heard the song by New Kids on the Block.

But that has nothing to do with anything. Just one of those random observances that I am so very good at.

I went to the Opryland Hotel after work to see the Christmas lights. I ate at the food court at Opry Mills and walked over. After I reached the hotel, I probably walked for at least a solid hour.

Today, I logged over 21,000 steps on my Fitbit. That’s a new personal record.

It’s true that every journey begins with a single step.

It’s also true that there will be some days and seasons when you don’t feel at all like making a journey, when you are bone-weary, all you can do is put one foot in front of the other.

True maturity and spirituality isn’t about doing great things. It’s about how you keep taking the next step, no matter what, even if you don’t know where the next step will lead you.

If you’re not in that dark place, maybe what God is calling you to is to walk with somebody who’s there. Maybe you can be the encouragement a friend needs to keep going when all they want to do is quit.

One downside from sitting down after all that walking is that you realize how sore you are. On the upside, I saw the usual amazing lights and decorations, plus I got in a fair amount of people-watching (which is probably one of my favorite sports).

Life is hard, so go easy on yourself and on others. You never know the secret battles many are facing, so be sure to err on the side of grace and forgiveness.

Always.

 

If I Had Lots of $$$$

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I was thinking what I’d like to buy if I had loads of cash, i.e. I won the lottery or a distant rich relative kicked the proverbial bucket.

Note: This is all for fun and none of it has any bearing whatsoever on reality.

I’d like to buy:

1) A red mini-cooper (preferably one with a British flag emblem either on the roof or on the side-view mirrors).

2) A Mac Book Pro.

3) One of those houses either on West Main Street, Fair Street, or one of those side streets around the heart of historic downtown Franklin.

4) The complete series of Friends on blu ray.

5) One of those ultra lightweight carbon bikes.

6) An upgraded DSLR camera that shoots HD (maybe a Leica camera even?)

7) A sizeable donation to Freedom’s Promise (who works with the victims of sex trafficking in Cambodia).

8) Being able to anonymously buy people’s dinners and pay their bills.

9) A really old Bible from the 1700’s.

10) A really old coin from the 1700’s.

11) Anything from the 1700’s.

12) A vacation in Scotland, Ireland, and England.

13) A cruise around the Mediterranean.

14) A newer and spiffier iPad with improved WiFi.

15) To stay one night at both the Peabody Hotel in Memphis and Opryland Hotel in Nashville.

16) One of those portable DVD players.

17) More vintage transistor radios to add to my burgeoning collection.

18) One really old and really big radio that still works (like the one in A Christmas Story).

I think that covers it. At least it covers all that I can think of in my tired old brain at 11:03 on a Saturday night on this first day of August in the year of our Lord 2015.

 

 

May Day: Five Years Later

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Photo014

“When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they will not overflow you” (Isaiah 43″2a).

It happened five years ago. On that day, it started raining and didn’t let up for two whole days. And I don’t just mean a friendly little sprinkle. I mean a full-on deluge that resulted in some of the worst flooding that Nashville had ever seen.

They called it a 1,000 year flood. Perhaps, 1,000 years from now, people will still be talking about it. All I know is that I was there. I saw images of portable schoolrooms floating down the interstate. I saw pictures of downtown Nashville under water. I read about how the basement of the Ryman got flooded, along with Opryland Hotel, Opry Mills, and several other businesses and homes.

It’s still crazy to think about. So much changed because of those two days. So much was lost in terms of businesses and merchandise. But we survived. We’re still here.

Who knows what the next disaster will look like? Who knows what form it will take? A pastor I greatly admire once said that everybody is either in a storm, coming out of a storm, or going into a storm. Perhaps your next storm won’t be the kind with strong winds and heavy rains. But the same Jesus who bid the waves be still in the midst of the storm can calm your fears in the midst of your metaphorical storms as well.

I do remember how people got together to help those affected by the flooding. I was fortunate enough to be able to participate in some of the clean-up and witness firsthand what flood waters can do. I also witnessed firsthand what God can do through His people when they simply become available for God to use.

 

 

 

Things I Love 6: The Neverending Story of God’s Goodness to Me

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island hammock

The list of things I love continues because daily I am reminded again and again of the goodness of God in his gifts to me everywhere I go. So I start again with #102.

123) Finally being comfortable in my own skin and having a lot of fun being me, quirks and all.

124) A lovely evening spent hitting the volleyball around and having life-changing conversations.

125) When a line from a song or a book jumps off the page at me and almost begs me to quote it on facebook.

126) Having air conditioning in my car on a really hot and muggy day.

127) The unpredictability of life itself.

128) That God’s ways are not my ways and his thoughts aren’t my thoughts. His ways and thoughts are so much bigger and grander and wilder and more beautiful than mine could ever hope to be.

129) That God still blows my mind to smithereens.

130) Good musicals starring Ewan McGregor and Nicole Kidman.

131) Anytime the good guy wins and the nice guy gets the girl.

132) That the righteous are never forsaken and God sees where I am and feels all of what I feel.

133) All the lights and decorations in and around Opryland Hotel during the holiday season.

134) Breakfast for dinner.

135) Eating dessert first.

136) An unexpected bargain find at a thrift store.

137) An absurdly long but captivatingly written biography of a life well lived.

138) Watching fireworks on the 4th of July.

139) Watching classic movies at the Franklin Theatre (where the price is always $5. Beat that, Carmike.

140) That God’s no really is paving the way for a much bigger and better yes to come.

141) The good tired I feel after a good run at Crockett Park.

142) Amazing grace that saved a wretch like me.

143) Those random songs that pop up in my head periodically and make my life a kind of musical.

144) A day rummaging through antique shops and used bookstores with lots of dusty old books.

145) That I’m not even close to bringing these blogs about things I love to a close. There are many more to come yet.