Kris and Kell had a good night’s sleep in their hotel in Eureka Springs, Arkansas after their visit to the Thorncrown Chapel. They both had had a very special encounter with God, and they hoped that they could spend some more time in this special place because their lives had been so busy with traveling that they both felt like they had not had enough time to just be still and spend time with God. They were disappointed the next morning to find another envelope that had been shoved under the door of their room. Kell opened the envelope and found plane tickets to Boise, Idaho! They had to eat breakfast, pack, and head to the airport right away.
As they were checking out of the hotel, the clerk gave them a large package that had been delivered for them. In the package were winter coats! Kris said, “It must still be cold in Idaho, I wonder what kind of adventure we will have? I was hoping to go to a place where it is spring already.”
On the plane Kris and Kell were very quiet, they were both thinking about the wonderful time they had in Arkansas, meeting with God in that chapel.
When they landed in Boise, a driver met them and took them out in the country and stopped by a huge potato! The driver helped them unload their luggage and then drove off and left them there! Kris and Kell were confused! All that was there was the huge potato, a round metal corncrib, and a brown cow standing in the field! They did not know what to do.
Just then a woman walked up to them and said, “Welcome to Big Idaho Potato Hotel!” That big potato that you see is a sculpture of a potato that used to be a promotional tool for the state of Idaho. The potato weighs six tons, and it traveled around the country on the trailer of a semi for seven years! That potato has traveled to 48 of the United States. After the potato was done touring the country, I had it brought back here and made it into a one-room hotel! It is cozy, and you will enjoy staying in this special room! Also, I made the round, metal, corncrib into a spa! You can soak in the hot tub and totally relax! The brown cow is very friendly, and it is your pet for the time that you spend here!”
Kris and Kell could hardly believe this place! It was exactly like the woman described it! It was the perfect place to come to after their special experience in Arkansas. They spent the rest of the day relaxing and walking in the pasture with the cow. They spent the evening in the hot tub and felt totally relaxed. They spent more time with God and just enjoying His presence!
The next morning Kell woke up just as the sun was coming up, and she put on her warm coat and went outside to watch the sunrise. The brown cow came and stood by Kell, and they watched the spectacular sunrise together. After the sunrise, Kell noticed that the cow had a string tied around its neck, and there was an envelope attached to the string. Kell untied the string and opened the envelope. There was a note that said, ‘The driver will pick you up at 8:30am.’ Wear swimsuits under your clothes and bring towels, you will need them.’
Kell went into the potato and woke up Kris and showed him the note. They could not understand why they had to wear swimsuits under their clothes. It was too cold to go swimming; there was still some snow on the ground in a few places!
Promptly at 8:30 the driver picked them up and headed north from the Boise area. The driver would not tell Kris and Kell where they were going. They continued traveling for almost two hours and then they noticed that there was some fog in the area ahead of them.
The driver dropped them off at Kirkham Hot Springs Park and said that he would pick them up at 2:00 and take them back to the Big Potato Hotel. Kris and Kell walked carefully through the fog and down a long set of wooden stairs. When they got to the bottom of the stairs, they could not believe their eyes! They were surrounded by pools of hot water! These pools were fed by hot springs, and there were even some hot waterfalls coming down from the cliffs above! Now Kris and Kell understood why they needed their swimsuits. They quickly took off their heavy coats and their warm winter clothes and jumped into the nearest pool! The water was so warm and felt so good! When they stood under the waterfalls, it felt like they were in a warm shower!
Because it was winter, they had the place all to themselves. They explored all the pools and swam, floated, or just rested in the warm waters! It was so relaxing and refreshing! Kris said, “I feel so rested and refreshed! I am ready for all the great adventures that are still planned for us!”
All too soon it was time for their driver to pick them up, so Kris and Kell reluctantly got out of the warm waters, dried themselves off, and put on their warm clothes and coats. They walked back up the wooden stairs and found their driver was just arriving as they got there.
They got to spend another night at the Big Potato Hotel and that was a perfect way to finish their time of relaxing and refreshing.
Lesson Learned about God
That night while they were in the hot tub, Kris and Kell talked about their amazing time in the Thorncrown Chapel and in Idaho at the Potato and at the Hot Springs. They both agreed that they needed time to just slow down and relax a little. Kell also said, “We needed to do more than just relax. We needed to take time to spend with God and make sure everything was good in our relationship with Him. The Bible tells us to take time to consider our life, talk to God, repent of any known sins, and just enjoy our time with Him.”
Kris agreed with Kell, but he said, “I am not sure what sins I needed to repent of; I do not think that I have done anything particularly sinful lately.” Kell agreed that Kris had not committed any terrible sins, but reminded him, “One sin that people overlook most of the time is the sin of being so busy that we have no time for God! We jump out of bed in the morning, eat some food, maybe say a quick prayer and read a few verses from the Bible, then we rush into our day. That is not how God wants us to live. We need to set aside time for God and not rush through it. We also need to take time to just think about the things we learn from the Bible and to talk to God about what we are learning and how it should affect our life!”
Kris and Kell spent the rest of their time in the hot tub that evening talking about God, praying together, and just thinking about what God was teaching them. This was the most refreshing part of their trip so far!
In the Bible in Acts 3:19-20a it says:
Now repent of your sins and turn to God, so that your sins my be wiped away. Then times of refreshment will come from the presence of the Lord
In the Bible in Matthew 11:28-30 Jesus says:
Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.”
In ‘The Message’ translation of the Bible Matthew 11:28-30 Jesus says:
“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me – watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.
In the Bible in Isaiah 40:28-31 it says:
Have you never heard? Have you never understood? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of all the earth. He never grows weak or weary. No one can measure the depths of His understanding. He gives power to the weak and strength to the powerless. Even youths will become weak and tired, and young men will fall in exhaustion. But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint.
Report to the grandmother:
- At the travel agency – God has a good plan for us. Jeremiah 29:11
- Florida – God is watching over us, we do not need to be fearful. Psalms 23
- Wisconsin – Temptations. I Corinthians 10:13, Proverbs 14:12, I John 1:9
- Minnesota – Never take your eyes off Jesus. Matthew 14:22-33
- Kentucky – God’s Word (the Bible) is the truth! John 17:17
- Louisianna – Choose Heaven and the Tree of Life. Revelation 20:11-15, Revelation 21:27 thru 22:5
- Illinois – God is in control. Jeremiah 29:11, Romans 8:28-30, Proverbs 16:9
- New Mexico – God is our place of safety. Psalms 46:1-3, Psalms 91:1-2, Psalms 18:1-2, John 14:1-3
- Alabama – Training for heaven. I Peter 1:18-21, I John 3:2-3, Ephesians 5:1-2, I Peter 2:21, II Timothy 4:6-8
- Georgia – Sin erodes a person’s life and brings death. Galatians 5:19-21, Romans 3:22-25a
- Texas – Jesus offers abundant life. John 10:10, Mark 12:29-31.
- Kansas – Humans are filled with hatred and evil. Genesis 8:21-22, Romans 3:21-25a.
- South Carolina – Reminder of the Crucifixion. Isaiah 53:3-9
- Arkansas – Jesus is Crowned with Glory and Honor. Hebrews 2:9-10, Revelation 19:16, John 11:25-26
- Idaho – Times of Refreshing. Acts 3:19-20a, Matthew 11:28-30, Isaiah 40:28-31