Desert Journeys Joshua Tree

Desert Journeys Joshua Tree Desert Journeys Joshua Tree is a faith-based desert retreat center which is affiliated with the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles.

Many of us were raised with D-Day a memory in the recent past.  It was a big deal for our parent’s generation.  June 6, ...
06/06/2026

Many of us were raised with D-Day a memory in the recent past. It was a big deal for our parent’s generation.

June 6, 2026, is the 82nd anniversary of D-Day when Allied Forces landed on the beaches of Normandy, France.

o It was the largest amphibious invasion in history.

o It began the liberation of Nazi-occupied Europe.

o It turned the direction of World War II.

PRESIDENT LEADS IN NATION PRAYER

For obvious reasons, the invasion of Normandy was a secret.

After it began, President Franklin Roosevelt led our nation in prayer. It was broadcast across the U.S. on radio.

The prayer was cited throughout the remainder of World War II.

This is the prayer President delivered on June 06, 1944:

“I ask you to join with me in prayer:

Almighty God: Our sons, pride of our Nation, this day have set upon a mighty endeavor, a struggle to preserve our Republic, our religion, and our civilization, and to set free a suffering humanity.

Lead them straight and true; give strength to their arms, stoutness to their hearts, steadfastness in their faith.

They will need Thy blessings. Their road will be long and hard. For the enemy is strong. He may hurl back our forces.

Success may not come with rushing speed, but we shall return again and again; and we know that by Thy grace, and by the righteousness of our cause, our sons will triumph.

They will be sore tried, by night and by day, without rest-until the victory is won.

The darkness will be rent by noise and flame. Men's souls will be shaken with the violences of war.

For these men are lately drawn from the ways of peace.

They fight not for the lust of conquest. They fight to end conquest.

They fight to liberate.

They fight to let justice arise, and tolerance and good will among all Thy people.

They yearn but for the end of battle, for their return to the haven of home.

Some will never return. Embrace these, Father, and receive them, Thy heroic servants, into Thy kingdom.

And for us at home - fathers, mothers, children, wives, sisters, and brothers of brave men overseas - whose thoughts and prayers are ever with them - help us, Almighty God, to rededicate ourselves in renewed faith in Thee in this hour of great sacrifice.

Many people have urged that I call the Nation into a single day of special prayer.

But because the road is long and the desire is great, I ask that our people devote themselves in a continuance of prayer.

As we rise to each new day, and again when each day is spent, let words of prayer be on our lips, invoking Thy help to our efforts.

Give us strength, too - strength in our daily tasks, to redouble the contributions we make in the physical and the material support of our armed forces.

And let our hearts be stout, to wait out the long travail, to bear sorrows that may come, to impart our courage unto our sons wheresoever they may be.

And, O Lord, give us Faith. Give us Faith in Thee; Faith in our sons; Faith in each other; Faith in our united crusade.

Let not the keenness of our spirit ever be dulled.

Let not the impacts of temporary events, of temporal matters of but fleeting moment let not these deter us in our unconquerable purpose.

With Thy blessing, we shall prevail over the unholy forces of our enemy. Help us to conquer the apostles of greed and racial arrogancies.

Lead us to the saving of our country, and with our sister Nations into a world unity that will spell a sure peace a peace invulnerable to the schemings of unworthy men.

And a peace that will let all of men live in freedom, reaping the just rewards of their honest toil.

Thy will be done, Almighty God.

Amen

CELEBRATING 100 YEARS OF ROUTE 66ORIGINS OF ROUTE 66In California, the original Route 66 crossed the Colorado River at N...
06/04/2026

CELEBRATING 100 YEARS OF ROUTE 66

ORIGINS OF ROUTE 66

In California, the original Route 66 crossed the Colorado River at Needles, and then proceeded west across the harsh climate of the Mojave Desert.

But Route 66 was not the first road to generally follow that course of travel.

The Mojave people, and to a lesser degree the Chemehuevi and Serrano, had created extensive trade routes along the Colorado River and westward across the desert toward coastal California.

Their trails connected natural springs, water holes, and mountain passes.

During the late 1700s and early 1800s, Spanish explorers and later American trappers and military expeditions adopted many of these Native trails.

In the 1880s, the Atlantic & Pacific Rail Road (A&PRR) essentially followed those same trails.

NOTE: The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway (AT&SF) absorbed the A&PRR in June 1897.

Once the A&RRR crossed the Colorado River and entered California they established the town of Needles.

A&PRR then began to create a series of small towns as water stops along the trail.

We are concerned now with the main stretch across the Mojave which connected the towns of Needles and Barstow.

The National Old Trails Road (est. 1912), also called the Ocean-to-Ocean Highway, connected Baltimore in the east to Los Angeles in the west.

American Automobile Association (AAA) and local auto clubs marked the National Old Trails Road with simple, hand-painted roadside signs to guide early motorists.

The earliest alignment of Route 66 existed between 1926 and1931. It went from Needles to Goffs, Homer, Essex, Danby, Chambless, Amboy, Ludlow, Newberry Springs, Daggett, and Barstow.

Very brave young African Christians who became the MARTYRS OF UGANDA (c.1886)The Third Day of June is UGANDA MARTYRS’ DA...
06/01/2026

Very brave young African Christians who became the MARTYRS OF UGANDA (c.1886)

The Third Day of June is UGANDA MARTYRS’ DAY.

This is a wee bit long, but we pray you find it worth the read. If you like it, PLEASE give it a thumbs up.

On June 3, we celebrate the lives of 23 Anglican and 22 Roman Catholics who were incredibly brave young men, Christians persecuted for their steadfast beliefs.

Between November 1885 and January 1887, on orders of King Mukasa. The martyrs were killed, most by burning, for refusing to denounce Christianity.

Their martyrdom totally changed the dynamic of Christian growth in Uganda. Today, Uganda has the largest percentage of professed Christians of any nation in Africa.

The Basics of the Story

King Mwanga was the last independent kabaka (e.g., ruler) of Buganda which is now part of Uganda in east central Africa. He ruled from 1885 to 1887.

Mwanga’s father, King Mutesa, had allowed Christianity to be preached but only to the immediate members of his court.

Unfortunately, the wise and politically skilled Mutesa died prematurely. That thrust his young inexperienced son into the leadership of the nation.

When young Mwanga became king (1884), his understanding was that Christian converts put loyalty to Christ above loyalty to him.

His understanding was that the Christian converts had abandoned the old tribal traditions.

Threatened by the existence of the Christians, in 1885, King Mwanga forbade anyone to go near a Christian mission on pain of death.

That did not slow the number of converts to Jesus Christ and Christianity continued to grow.

Mwanga felt his authority was imperiled so he decided to resolve his problem by wiping out the Christians.

On January 31, 1885, in the village of Busega, three young men, Yusufu Rugarama, Makko Kakumba, and Nuwa/Noah Serwanga, were the first Christians to be killed.

They were dismembered and then burned.

The results were opposite of Mwanga’s intent.

As the martyrs were processed to their death, they sang hymns and prayed for their enemies.

That inspired many observers who immediately sought instruction from the remaining Christians.

In October of 1885, The Right Reverend James Hannington, Anglican Bishop and head of the Eastern Equatorial Africa Church, was murdered on his way to Buganda on orders of King Mwanga.

Then, one of the King’s senior advisors named Joseph Mukasa Balikuddembe, a Christian, advised King Mwanga he should have given Bishop Hannington a chance to defend himself as was customary.

King Mwanga did not take that advice well. On November 15, 1885, Mwanga ordered Balikuddembe killed by beheading and burning.

Several murders continued until the peak which occurred on June 3, 1886, when twenty-six Christians were burned to death at Namugongo.

There are forty-five Anglians and Roman Catholics who were known to be martyred. They are the only ones for whom the churches could formally account.

There were many more murders which went unreported and therefore there is no formal record of their names. They are unnamed martyrs.

Rather than deter the growth of Christianity, the martyrdom of these early Christian believers sparked the growth of Christianity.

Almighty God, keep the memory of these brave Christian men in the hearts of all Christians. They were brave and faithful. Give us the strength to be as brave and faithful as they were. Amen.

NOTE: All but two were born and raised in Africa.

PHOTO: The photo depicts some of the martyred Christians. Fr. Léon Livinhac, was the priest from France who established the Roman Catholic church in what is now modern Uganda.

RESEARCH SOURCES: The Official Buganda Kingdom Website; The Episcopal Church; St. Alban's Episcopal Church of Monroe, Louisiana; Britanica; All Saints Episcopal Church of Tacoma, Washington; AllAfrica dot org.

All principal feasts of the Episcopal Church commemorate either a person or an event, except Trinity Sunday. Trinity Sun...
05/30/2026

All principal feasts of the Episcopal Church commemorate either a person or an event, except Trinity Sunday.

Trinity Sunday commemorates the reality
and doctrine of “The Trinity is one God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.”

Trinity comes from the Latin words “tri” meaning three, and “unitas” meaning unity.

Tertullian, (c. 155 – c. 220 AD) the prolific early Christian scholar from Carthage located in the Roman province of Africa, used it to explain the mystery of the Trinity - one God existing in three distinct persons.

* God the Father
* God the Son (Jesus Christ)
* God the Holy Spirit

The three shared one essence - “threefold in unity.”

SOURCE: The Episcopal Church, Book of Common Prayer, Biblical and Theological Studies on the Trinity.

WIGWAM MOTEL ROUTE 66 IS 100 YEARS OLDLast week we spoke of ROUTE 66’s inspiration for unique styles of architecture and...
05/28/2026

WIGWAM MOTEL
ROUTE 66 IS 100 YEARS OLD

Last week we spoke of ROUTE 66’s inspiration for unique styles of architecture and design – motels, roadside diners, and attractions all lit with neon signs.

One of the most iconic examples of unique architecture were the Wigwam Motels.

The Wigwam Motels were individual units built to resemble a wigwam or teepee used by Native American Indians.

The Wigwam Villages," were built during the 1930s and 1940s.

There were seven locations: two in Kentucky and one each in Alabama, Florida, Arizona, Louisiana, and California.

Only two were built on ROUTE 66 and both are still open and welcome guests today.

One is in Rialto, CA, and the other in Holbrook, AZ. The photos are of the Holbrook location.

They are roughly 32 feet tall and 20 feet across at the base. They have a bed, sitting area, and bathroom. Comfortable but not luxurious.
Members of our Desert Journeys family have stayed there because it was a bucket list item. But they liked it so much they stay there when they are in the area.

Perhaps you remember the Wigwam Motel from Disney’s Pixar 2006 film “Cars.”

The story includes the role of the Cozy Cone Motel which is located in the fictionalized town of Radiator Springs.

“Cars” told the story of economic decline of small towns along ROUTE 66, after Interstate 40 opened.

Radiator Springs is a compilation of numerous towns that were bypassed by interstates.

SOURCES: California Historic Route 66 Association; Library of Congress, National Park Service; Wigwam Village #6, Wigwam Village #7.

Today we celebrate Augustine, the First Archbishop of Canterbury. (c 540-605 AD).Augustine of Canterbury, led the missio...
05/26/2026

Today we celebrate Augustine, the First Archbishop of Canterbury.
(c 540-605 AD).

Augustine of Canterbury, led the mission to re-evangelize the Anglo-Saxons to Christianity at the direction of Pope Gregory.

Queen Bertha, the wife of King Æthelberht of Kent was a Christian.

She was crucial to giving Augustine a foothold in England by lending her stature as sympathetic royal contact.

She provided a place of worship and legitimacy for the clergy.

It was not long until Augustine baptized King Æthelberht.

Augustine laid the institutional foundations for Christianity in England.

He is regarded as a principal founder of the English Church.

Photo: Statue commemorating St. Augustine of Canterbury, the first Archbishop of Canterbury.

MEMORIAL DAY Monday, May 25, 2026.We honor the men and women who died while serving in the U.S. military. It began after...
05/25/2026

MEMORIAL DAY
Monday, May 25, 2026.

We honor the men and women who died while serving in the U.S. military.

It began after the Civil War with “Decoration Day” celebrations and ceremonies where people decorated the graves of fallen soldiers with flowers.

Over time people began to call Decoration Day , Memorial Day.

In 1967, Congress officially declared the holiday to be Memorial Day.

Please take a moment time to thank God and the men and women who gave their lives for our liberty. 🇺🇸

TH+

Photo: The Grand Army of the Republic Monument located in
Washington, DC; in Penn Quarter- 7th Street NW, north of Pennsylvania Avenue NW.

PENTECOST SUNDAY May you this day, be filled with the Holy Spirit.
05/24/2026

PENTECOST
SUNDAY

May you this day, be filled with the Holy Spirit.

MEMORIAL DAY is observed on the last Monday of May.  This year, Memorial Day is Monday, May 25, 2026.It honors the men a...
05/23/2026

MEMORIAL DAY is observed on the last Monday of May.

This year, Memorial Day is Monday, May 25, 2026.

It honors the men and women who died while serving in the U.S. military.

The celebration originated after the Civil War.

May 30, 1868, was the first recognized national ceremony of what was then called “Decoration Day.”

People across the U.S. began to honor fallen soldiers with memorial ceremonies conducted at burial sites where they decorated graves with flowers.

Over the decades, people increasingly referred to Decoration Day as Memorial Day.

After World War II, the term Memorial Day was used more commonly than Decoration Day.

In 1967, Congress officially declared the holiday to be Memorial Day.

In 1968, Congress passed the Uniform Monday Holiday Act, which declared that specific federal holidays would be observed on Mondays.

Today, we celebrate Memorial Day with family barbecues, televised sports, and spring sales at the local furniture store, car dealership, and garden center.

If you have read this far, you are undoubtedly a contemplative, caring and thoughtful person.

Please consider dedicating some time to thank God and the men and women who gave their lives for our liberty.

REMEMBER.
HONOR.
RESPECT.
GRATITUDE.

TH+

Photo: The Grand Army of the Republic Monument located in
Washington, DC; in Penn Quarter- 7th Street NW, north of Pennsylvania Avenue NW.

This story of ROUTE 66 – THE MOTHER ROAD continues on Throw Back Thursday as we honor its 100th Anniversary (1926-2026)....
05/21/2026

This story of ROUTE 66 – THE MOTHER ROAD continues on Throw Back Thursday as we honor its 100th Anniversary (1926-2026).

It is important because ROUTE 66 changed the economy and culture of America.

It is seen as a symbol of freedom and automobile travel as opposed to trains, and not long before that, by horses and wagons.

Along ROUTE 66 a unique style of architecture was developed with iconic motels, roadside diners and attractions all lit with neon signs.

The symbols of ROUTE 66 were illustrated in literature, music, and movies.

John Steinbeck’s 1939 novel “The Grapes of Wrath,” was the source of ROUTE 66’s nickname - “The Mother Road.”

That legacy came from its role as the primary route for westward migration during the Dust Bowl.

Farming families from Oklahoma and the Plains States moved west on ROUTE 66, toward California in search of a new life.

Steinbeck characterized ROUTE 66 as “The Mother Road” by amalgamating* both the road’s practical importance and its symbolic status as a source of refuge and hope.

*The use of AMAGAMATION is a little Canadian lingo for our beloved Canadian Desert Journeys family members.

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Joshua Tree, CA
92252

Telephone

+17603624670

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