http://www.imagesatthecross.org/

Images at the Cross / Branson Cross, 4180 US Highway 65, Walnut Shade, MO (2026)

06/03/2026

The Journey is not about Destination, its about Development and who you are with.

I remember rejoicing when after 8 years of working behind the scenes the Teardrop Cross was assembled in September 2018. Once in place, I admit I became focused on the problems and things that needed fixing. I still do that more than I like to admit.

God does chasten or reprove those he loves but it's really not about beating yourself up - it's about maturing and growing through the process. Being refined in the heat to get the dross out of the molten metal so we reflect the face of the craftsman.

The following scripture talks about this: but it's easy to miss the point if you focus on the chastening. The point is that the journey is taken with someone who loves you more and better than you know how to love yourself. And it's an open book test so he will help you cheat with short cuts and encourage you to improve.

And he sets a very fine table at which we fellowship and dine with Him and our Christian family. Enjoy the journey today - you are never alone and have the best company and hospitality around.

Revelation 3:19‭-‬21 AMPC
"Those whom I [dearly and tenderly] love, I tell their faults and convict and convince and reprove and chasten [I discipline and instruct them].

So be enthusiastic and in earnest and burning with zeal and repent [changing your mind and attitude]. [Prov. 3:12.]

Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears and listens to and heeds My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will eat with him, and he [will eat] with Me.

He who overcomes (is victorious), I will grant him to sit beside Me on My throne, as I Myself overcame (was victorious) and sat down beside My Father on His throne."

06/02/2026

Christ is the depths of Peace.

For Christ himself has brought peace to us. He united Jews and Gentiles into one people when, in his own body on the cross, he broke down the wall of hostility that separated us. He did this by ending the system of law with its commandments and regulations. He made peace between Jews and Gentiles by creating in himself one new people from the two groups. Together as one body, Christ reconciled both groups to God by means of his death on the cross, and our hostility toward each other was put to death. Now all of us can come to the Father through the same Holy Spirit because of what Christ has done for us. Ephesians 2:14‭-‬16‭, ‬18 NLT

While Paul speaks of the reconciliation of Jews and Gentile in these scriptures, Christ did much more.

He reconciled all and put all hostility toward each other to death.

Pray for each other when we miss the mark. When a brother or sister misses the mark, we can ask for mercy on their behalf and give them life.

Choose to give Life.

06/01/2026

Draw close to God and He will draw close to you.

James 4:5-10 NLT
"Do you think the Scriptures have no meaning? They say that God is passionate that the spirit he has placed within us should be faithful to him.

And he gives grace generously. As the Scriptures say, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”

So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

Come close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world.

Let there be tears for what you have done. Let there be sorrow and deep grief. Let there be sadness instead of laughter, and gloom instead of joy.

Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up in honor."

05/31/2026

"Love is patient and kind.

Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way.

It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out.

Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.

Three things will last forever—faith, hope, and love—and the greatest of these is love."
1 Corinthians 13:4‭-‬7‭, ‬13 NLT

Recent media stories of anger, wrath & strife are spiritual attacks meant to sow seeds to bring an even bigger harvest of the same.

Adversity is the opportunity to see and perceive things from a better perspective. The above scripture shares God's perception of what true Love is.

In our nation's history, our unity is made strong by the infinite diversity of the peoples that chose to come together - E Pluribus Unum - "From Many, One".

Over and over, we have missed the mark of Love. And yet, in the most incredible of circumstances, we've also reached it.

In decades of slavery of the worst kind, a people brought to this nation remind us of the power of Love. You see, when the worst happened to them by the hand of other men - they praised God. They sang spiritual songs of thanksgiving and did something to make God marvel.

They as a people did not blame God.

They sowed Love.

And went free.

This is not a time to burn down - it's a time to build up. Sow Love. Go Free.

05/30/2026

God's Presence, the Fullness of Joy

David hit upon a powerful truth as he fought to care for and protect his sheep. Instead of being defensive and reactive all the time, he purposefully attacked his worries, concerns and fears. He found the greatest of weapons during those moments when he was alone as with a thankful heart he learned to praise God.

Especially when he struggled to be thankful and to muster up praise.

Verses 1-5 of Psalm 103 clearly shares how he learned to command all the negative emotions to get in line thankfully and respectfully because of God's goodness especially in what may seem like bad times.

"Let all that I am praise the Lord; with my whole heart, I will praise his holy name.

Let all that I am praise the Lord; may I never forget the good things he does for me.

He forgives all my sins and heals all my diseases.

He redeems me from death and crowns me with love and tender mercies.

He fills my life with good things. My youth is renewed like the eagle’s!"
Psalms 103:1-5 NLT

What David discovered is that:

First, the Word says "God inhabits the praises of his people."

Second, the Word says "In His (God's) Presence, there is Fullness of Joy".

Third, the Word says "The Joy of the Lord IS my strength."

Then David trusted enough to apply what the Word of God told him and see the results.

What David learned as a shepherd boy served him through years of persecution by Saul and also all his time leading the people of Israel.

He constantly made mistakes - but David always remembered that his portion and responsibility as a child of God was one thing:

Praise.

05/29/2026

Coming Up Out of the Fallen World

"The world would love you as one of its own if you belonged to it, but you are no longer part of the world. I chose you to come out of the world, so it hates you.

Do you remember what I told you? ‘A slave is not greater than the master.’ Since they persecuted me, naturally they will persecute you. And if they had listened to me, they would listen to you.

They will do all this to you because of me, for they have rejected the one who sent me. They would not be guilty if I had not come and spoken to them. But now they have no excuse for their sin.

Anyone who hates me also hates my Father. If I hadn’t done such miraculous signs among them that no one else could do, they would not be guilty. But as it is, they have seen everything I did, yet they still hate me and my Father.

This fulfills what is written in their Scriptures: ‘They hated me without cause.’

“But I will send you the Advocate —the Spirit of truth. He will come to you from the Father and will testify all about me. And you must also testify about me because you have been with me from the beginning of my ministry."
John 15:19-27 NLT

05/28/2026

When worry becomes an accepted weight in your life.

Philippians 4:6-7 NLT
"[6] Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.

[7] Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus."

Last night I had a challenging medical moment that I wondered how it might turn out. I ended up by myself and realized that I was carrying weight that had slowly built up quietly over time.

Those can be fearful times but are also times of great Faith. Times when your Trust stays in One who promises to never leave or forsake you. In my case I got still and reminded myself that in those still places, God makes himself known intimately to me.

I automatically (after months of training myself to go there 1st) began praying and thanking God for his care and all He has done. That was my portion (read Phillipians 4:6 above again).

God's portion was providing His Peace for me that guarded my Heart and (subdued) my Mind as I Lived (and continued to Live) by the power of Christ Jesus.

Eventually, I fell asleep and as scripture says, "He gives His Beloved Rest". I awoke much better but will still continue to rest today.

Take the time to do our portion (pray, give thanks) and let God's Peace cover and guard you. That is the most powerful of all prayers - the one in which you know:

He Said.

05/27/2026

The Power of our Identity IN Christ.

"So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death. But you are not controlled by your sinful nature. You are controlled by the Spirit if you have the Spirit of God living in you. (And remember that those who do not have the Spirit of Christ living in them do not belong to him at all.) And Christ lives within you, so even though your body will die because of sin, the Spirit gives you life because you have been made right with God. The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, he will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living within you."
Romans 8:1‭-‬2‭, ‬9‭-‬11 NLT

This photo of the Teardrop Cross from just after it's assembly recently came to my attention. I thought it was interesting that the Teardrops were skillfully edited out - probably because they didn't fit the opinion or the box that someone thought the Holy Spirit should be limited to.

We all do the same thing - we edit the Word of God with our traditions thereby making Jesus (who is the Word who became flesh) of no effect.

The scriptures from above in Romans are an interesting case on point and well worth reading in different translations. In certain translations, an opinion was actually added by translators that wasn't in the original 1st century texts.

The opinion?

That you have a choice on whether you walk after the flesh and not the spirit.

What?

People who haven't received Christ through belief in Jesus do not have a quickened individual spirit. Their spirit lays dead and dormant and their flesh and soul (brain, will & emotions) rule them as a fallen world has trained them. Literally, if you don't know Jesus - you are walking around spiritually dead like zombies with no life. The only thing these individuals can do is walk after the flesh - until and unless they choose Jesus and receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

That one choice makes all the difference - it brings your individual spirit to life when you receive the Holy Spirit.

And it makes you a spirit being like your Father in Heaven with a great benefit - you are no longer bound to walk after the flesh or soul. You are controlled entirely by the Holy Spirit. You are no longer condemned (judged) by your wrongdoing (past, present & future) before God because you are bought and paid for by the blood of Christ.

That's something worth knowing - and remembering.

05/26/2026

Rose Sunset at the Cross

Philippians 2:4-5 TPT
"Abandon every display of selfishness. Possess a greater concern for what matters to others instead of your own interests. And consider the example that Jesus, the Anointed One, has set before us. Let his mindset become your motivation."

What mattered most to Jesus?

Grace. Compassion. Mercy. Love.

All of these were the heart of Jesus and His Father for each of us.

But the greatest of these was Love.

1 John 4:9-10 TPT
"The light of God’s love shined within us when he sent his matchless Son into the world so that we might live through him. This is love: He loved us long before we loved him. It was his love, not ours. He proved it by sending his Son to be the pleasing sacrificial offering to take away our sins."

God's mindset was not that "We" loved Jesus. We couldn't. We didn't know Love before meeting Jesus. People without Jesus do not and cannot know True Godly Love.

11 disciples at the last supper protested their Love for Jesus, Legalistically, like it was a Commandment.

None of them were at the Crucifiction.

If we could have Loved God like we believed we could have kept the Ten Commandments of the Old Testament Covenant, we never would have needed a Savior.

John, the only disciple that dared to say He was the one whom Jesus loved, showed up and was of use.

John 19:25-27 TPT
"Mary, Jesus’ mother, was standing next to his cross, along with Mary’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. So when Jesus looked down and saw the disciple he loved standing with her, he said, “Mother, look—John will be a son to you.” Then he said, “John, look—she will be a mother to you!” From that day on, John accepted Mary into his home as one of his own family."

Spend time with your Savior Jesus and know He loved you first so you could know what Love is.

Only then can we Love others and be intrusted with the most important thing - another person's heart.

05/25/2026

As Memorial Day draws close this weekend, I was looking back through the changes from prior years pictures. Honor is sharing how valued you find someone. A great thing to meditate upon in the next few days.

"And if you pour out that with which you sustain your own life for the hungry and satisfy the need of the afflicted, then shall your light rise in darkness, and your obscurity and gloom become like the noonday. And the Lord shall guide you continually and satisfy you in drought and in dry places and make strong your bones. And you shall be like a watered garden and like a spring of water whose waters fail not." Isaiah 58:10‭-‬11 AMPC

Images at the Cross / Branson Cross

06/03/2026

06/02/2026

06/01/2026

05/31/2026

05/30/2026

05/29/2026

05/28/2026

05/27/2026

05/26/2026

05/25/2026

Address

Website

Alerts

Contact The Place Of Worship

Shortcuts

Share