Rock City     11/19/21

Raccoon Mountain Campground and Caverns, Chattanooga, Tennessee

Then God said to Jacob, “Go up to Bethel and settle there, and build an altar there to God, Who appeared to you when you were fleeing from your brother Esau.” ~ Genesis 35:1         In order to understand this verse better, we need to re-visit the past.  Back to Chapter 28, when Jacob was running from Esau and had his ‘Jacob’s Ladder’ dream.  The dream where God promised to protect and provide for Jacob and his descendants, and promised him the land he was lying on.  For Jacob’s part, he named the place Bethel (‘House of God’) and vowed that if God would “give me food to eat and clothes to wear so that I return safely to my father’s house, then the LORD will be my God and this stone that I have set up as a pillar will be God’s house, and of all that you give me, I will give a tenth.”.  And over the next few chapters, we learn that God did more than Jacob even thought to ask for.  According to commentaries, it’s been 7-8 years since Jacob left Laban and came into Canaan; making it close to 30 years since his vow to God.  And it seems that his vow at Bethel when he was running for his very life, has been forgotten. Even the recent tragic events from Chapter 34, haven’t reminded Jacob of his vow.  So God reminded him.  How often do we make promises to God during times of duress?  How often are those vows ridiculous, but seemingly valid at the time?  How often do we pull the “if You . . . then I” routine?  And then, if God chooses to meet that demand we make, how often do we keep our end of the bargain?  God’s Love and Provision for us isn’t meant to be used as a bargaining chip.  He doesn’t need us to fulfill His purpose.  We need Him.  And no matter whether we remain faithful or not, God always keeps His promises.

We went into downtown Chattanooga today.  Our first stop was to be the Post Office.  We had a difficult time locating it, because it turned out to be inside this ginormous building that also contained other government offices.  We didn’t take a picture because it was so huge and the sun wasn’t in the right place either. But at some point, someone did and posted it on Google.

Once we’d divested ourselves of our mail, we walked around downtown for a while before driving over to the much anticipated Uncle Larry’s.

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We were definitely NOT disappointed!!  It truly is just a tiny diner, not much to look at, but the service and the food were both remarkable!  We both ordered catfish, but discovered that the coating was available in three different choices – plain, Cajun, and lemon-pepper.  We decided to get a plain and Cajun and share.  And then when the bill came, we learned that the Cajun seasoning was $.50 extra.  LOL  Made us smile.  So, sooo good!  We’re glad we decided to give it a try!  But we were stuffed to the gills (pun intended) when we left, so it’s good we had more walking in our immediate future.

Last year, my brother David (who lived in Chattanooga for a few years) suggested a visit to Rock City Gardens, but we just didn’t have the opportunity to fit it in, plus it seemed a bit touristy for our taste.  Well, it is touristy, as it was designed to be, but it was also a pretty cool place.  We’d recommend it as well.  And we were fortunate enough to show up the day they were going to begin their Christmas festival in the evenings.  They’re charging somewhere around $25/person to come walk around at night and see their lights.  YIKES!  Maybe they’re offering other things as well??  Anyway, as you’ll see, we were able to see most of them lit up while we walked around this afternoon.  Enjoy!

Here’s some interesting information I scrounged up on the internet that wasn’t posted anywhere in the Park.

Mr. Carter was considered one of the fathers of miniature golf!  It seems that in 1927, he was the first to patent a version of the game which he called “Tom Thumb Golf”.  The course was built on Lookout Mountain where he owned a hotel.  Within just a few years, thousands of Tom Thumb courses opened up all over the US.  He eventually sold the rights to his patent and used his fortune to . . . .

 . . . . start Rock City Gardens!