Table Rock State Park, Branson, Missouri
And He said to them, “I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. ~ Luke 22:15
Did you know that today is Maundy Thursday? For many, it’s a forgotten day of remembrance. It tends to get lost in Good Friday, and all the Easter hullabaloo, but it’s very important. It’s the pivotal point of Jesus preparing to leave His earthly ministry and leaving it behind in the hands and feet and mouths of His beloved twelve (well, eleven), and heading to the Cross. His ultimate act of sacrifice on behalf of all those who would believe He is Who He says He is. The Great I AM.
“Maundy” comes from the Latin word mandatum, or commandment, reflecting Jesus’ words during the evening of His last Passover Meal – “I give you a new commandment…” (John 13:33) The Latin then became an Old French word ‘mande’, which then eventually became the Middle English word ‘maundy’.
During His Last Supper, Jesus actually gave His twelve apostles several commands. I’ve chosen to share four today.
“Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you.” (John 13:14-15) This during a teaching moment of the attitude Jesus expects of his followers – humbleness. Never think of yourself of higher worth than anyone else, in fact, always consider others better than yourself.
“What you are about to do, do quickly.” (John 13:27b) With these words, Jesus sent Judas on his way to betray the Son of God. Jesus knew. Jesus could’ve stopped him. But Judas was the catalyst to begin His agonizing walk to the Cross.
And He took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.” (Luke 22:19) And so with the cup. By these things (what we now call communion), we remember through symbolism that Jesus’s earthly body was destroyed/broken and His blood spilled to pay the sin-debt for all who choose to believe. I don’t believe Jesus shared this intimate commandment with Judas. His intention was that it be shared only with those who believe so that we’d remember.
“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” (John 13:34-35) Jesus now commands love. A love that can only come from Jesus living within us. ‘Love is a commitment to actions seeking the well-being of another characterized by a willingness to forfeit one’s rights or privileges for the sake of another.’ (Pastor Mike Castelli) It is this love that proves our position in Christ.
Today, we walked to the Table Rock Dam Army Corps of Engineers Visitor Center. It’s a couple of miles from the campground along that paved trail you’ve seen us on before.
It’s a nice place, but the weather was too, so we decided not to spend too much time here today. There’s a bit of nasty weather promising to move in over the next few days, so we thought to save most of it for another time.
And then we walked home.
After lunch, we chose a not-paved trail and headed towards what we hoped would end at the top of this rock we can see from our site. We didn’t quite make it. Turns out, it’s private property. Drat!
Still, the dirt pile was damp and very muddy!
So, once again, we hiked back home.
Nice view of the lake!
Once there, we jumped into the Jeep and headed out a short distance to the Shepherd of the Hills Fish Hatchery, which is run by the Missouri Conservation Department. This place sits on 155 acres!
Here’s what their website has to say:
Shepherd of the Hills Fish Hatchery is the largest trout-rearing facility operated by the Missouri Department of Conservation. It is located six miles southwest of Branson on Highway 165 just below Table Rock Dam. Every year, the hatchery produces between 350,000 and 400,000 pounds of trout. Both rainbow and brown trout are raised at the hatchery with 80 percent of production going into Lake Taneycomo. The remainder of the fish are stocked into other Missouri trout management areas. Construction of the hatchery began in 1957 and production of trout began in 1958. The completion of Table Rock Dam by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers created a large, deep lake that varies in water temperature from surface to bottom. The water near the bottom stays cool, averaging 48 degrees Fahrenheit year-round. During hydroelectric generation, this cold water is released into Lake Taneycomo. Although the cold water release caused the loss of the native warm-water fishery, it created the ideal environment for trout, a fish that thrives at lower water temperatures.
Males have hooked ones, females don’t.
That’s caviar!
Can you imagine eating these?
I tasted caviar somewhere once. It was really gross!!
How many of these do they do each day??
At this time, they’re cleaning races.
As we walked alongside the races, they’d follow.
It was pretty funny – – and fun!
And when you do, the frenzy begins! More fun!
This same picture of the woman holding trout is the same one used earlier. : )
Maybe? What do we know. : )
Once we were done being awed by all this fish stuff, it was back home again to get cleaned up. We have dinner and a show here in Branson!
Blaine took me to the #1 restaurant in Branson! Believe it or not, it’s run by The College of the Ozarks, a private Christian university here in Branson. They enroll over 1,400 students and offer more than 30 academic majors. It was originally founded in 1906 by a Presbyterian minister as a high school. In 1956, it became a junior college and then in 1965, became as it is now, a four-year bachelor’s program.
Their lodge and restaurant (called The Keeter Center), as well as other things on the property are all student-worked (no shortage of staff here 😊), allowing them to earn money towards their tuition. Our two servers (one was in training) were studying science (I forget which field) and nursing. Set in a rustic lodge atmosphere, their service and food was more like that of an upscale restaurant. What a wonderful and yummy experience we had!
When Blaine ordered the smoked prime rib for dinner,
I teased him about going out and choosing his cow, like they do with lobsters at Red Lobster. lol
But I believe most, if not all, are actually dairy cows.
They make everything – including the whipped cream – fresh in-house!
Soooooo good!!
Driving through town to the theater….
Our evening ended with Tripadvisor’s #1 show – – –
Five brothers and one sister able to play over 20 instruments, share exceptional harmonies, showmanship and family fun. All we can say is, “WOW!!!” What an incredible, fast-paced show! And it wasn’t too loud, which was commendable in and of itself – especially since I didn’t think to bring my ear plugs.
Anyway, they range in age from 30-44 and are all enormously talented – singing, harmony, instruments, simple choreography, lights, pyrotechnics, comedy, relaying love for their roots (we were all introduced to their parents), and creative tap dancing! There were also ingenious and comical motorized props at times (like a go-cart thing made out of a large plastic cooler, and a drum beat relayed by putting a microphone in front of a clothes dryer [towed by a motorized recliner] with clothes and stuffed animals thumping around in it). The only member onstage who wasn’t family was the drummer. There are two other brothers who don’t perform with the group, but the group never mentioned them, and I couldn’t find any information on them.
We had front row, near center seats! Blaine’s not sure how that happened, because we don’t usually like to sit that close to the action, but they were perfect (as you’ll see). We think maybe the box office just gave us best available when he ordered tickets online.
One brother entered the stage upside down, playing an electric guitar via the ceiling. Blaine attempted a picture, but lighting was too bad. He pretty much flew right over us. However, I happened up a picture from their website. 😊
Her skill with a fiddle was absolutely amazing!
Two other brothers joined them in this tap dancing portion of the show. Excellent!
Next to Blaine on the aisle, was a woman who enjoys traveling alone. She’d just recently been on an excursion to Iceland, and was now taking in Branson shows – two to three per day! Guess what makes this truly remarkable? She’s 80! Very sweet woman who could easily pass for someone in her late 60s.
And that’s it for today. Tomorrow being Good Friday, we won’t do much.