Singing in a State Capitol. Gazing at Nashville’s Parthenon.
Do you enjoy “traveling” through someone else’s stories? Stories that pull you somewhere new—across the country or into a fresh way of seeing things?
The two devotions below are excerpts from the new book, From Sea to Shining Sea: 50 Daily Devotions from Traveling to Every State in America, which I wrote with my parents, Gene and Marsha Frame.
Over nearly 60 years together, they have visited all fifty states. The book offers easy-to-read devotions that connect travel and faith, inspired by their journeys.
There is one short devotion for each state, each written through the eyes of my parents. The two below offer snapshots from Kansas and Tennessee. You’ll join my parents for a singalong inside the Kansas capitol and their visit to a former school now preserved as an important National Historic Site. You’ll also visit a park in Nashville, Tennessee, home to an exact replica of one of the world’s most famous ancient landmarks.
The Kansas devotion reflects on prejudice and the call to show kindness to everyone. The Tennessee devotion considers what it means to live free from the things that pull us away from God.
Come along and explore.
Kansas
Prejudice
On a beautiful spring day, we visited the Kansas State Capitol building. It has a distinctive dome topped with dark copper that rises tall above the main part of the building.
We joined a tour led by a retired gentleman who wore a jacket and tie and was knowledgeable about all things Kansas. He talked about the official state song, “Home, Home on the Range,” and we all sang it together:
Oh, give me a home where the buffalo roam,
Where the deer and the antelope play;
Where seldom is heard a discouraging word,
And the skies are not cloudy all day.
As we walked on the marble floors throughout the building, we stopped in front of painted murals that depict the history of the state. These included paintings of Native peoples, farms and animals, abolitionist John Brown, and President Dwight Eisenhower, who grew up in Kansas.
Eisenhower was president when the Supreme Court case Brown v. Board of Education was decided in 1954. In that case, the Supreme Court decided, “Separate educational facilities are inherently unequal,” and racial segregation in public schools was ruled unconstitutional.
The Kansas State Capitol building is a little over a mile away from Monroe Elementary School, a two-story red-brick building that looks similar to the schools we’d attended as children. Years ago, this was a segregated school only for African American children. Today, it’s a National Historic Site, commemorating the Supreme Court’s decision on Brown v. Board of Education.
Inside is a museum, and there we saw a doll in a glass display case. It was one of four dolls used in the “doll test,” an important psychological study with young African American children. In the study, children were asked questions about the dolls to see how they perceived them. Each doll was the same, except in its skin color. Most children preferred the white doll.
This study led to the conclusion that racial discrimination and segregation brought about inferior feelings in African American children. While this study took place years before the Brown v. Board of Education case, the findings played a role in the Supreme Court’s decision.
This school and the segregation it represented are a reminder of prejudice in our world. We’d like to think that things are better now than they were in the past. Yet, a glance at the news tells us that not everyone feels equally valued and loved in our world. And while we may think of prejudice as something from the past, or existing only within other people, we can pray about any buried prejudices of our own.
May we think well of others, love everyone, and seek God’s help for feelings within us that may need to change.
Reflect
In what ways might I struggle to feel love for all people?
Read
Micah 6:8:
The Lord has told you what is good.
He has told you what he wants from you:
Do what is right to other people.
Love being kind to others.
And live humbly, trusting your God.
Pray
To remove any prejudice within me.
To be kind to all.
Tennessee
God and “gods”
Tennessee is known for many things, such as Nashville, Graceland, and the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. But most aren’t aware that an exact replica of the Greek Parthenon is also in Tennessee. Located in Centennial Park in Nashville, this large structure was originally built in 1897. It was rebuilt with concrete twenty-five years later, and still stands tall and strong today.
The original Parthenon in Athens, Greece, was a temple dedicated to the goddess Athena. It is very old—built over four hundred years before Jesus was born—and is visited by millions each year. The Parthenon in Nashville was carefully designed as a replica. It’s about two-thirds the length of a football field and sixty-five feet tall. It has forty-six huge columns.
We visited the Nashville Parthenon on a bright, cold day in late December 2009. Beforehand, we had toured the Tennessee State Capitol and seen the grave of James Polk, the 11th president of the United States, who is buried next to the Capitol.
Arriving at the Parthenon, we looked up at the stone carvings at the top, which are also replicas of the originals. They depict stories of Athena and Greek mythology.
Each god in Greek mythology has a story, like how Athena was born from the head of Zeus. Most people today probably don’t believe these stories. We’re not tempted to worship gods like Athena or Zeus. Yet, there are other “gods” that draw people to them—the hunger for possessions, money, power, and so on. Whatever might have a hold on us is something like a god, controlling us in some way or leading us away from holiness.
With God’s help and healing, the Holy Spirit, and the power of Christ in us, we can live free of what draws us away from God’s full sovereignty over our lives.
Reflect
What may have a hold on me?
Do I feel that the power of Christ in me is stronger than earthly things that draw me to them?
Read
1 Corinthians 8:6:
But for us there is only one God. He is our Father. All things came from him, and we live for him. And there is only one Lord—Jesus Christ. All things were made through Jesus, and we also have life through him.
Pray
To be free of what draws me away from God’s full sovereignty over my life.
John Christopher Frame is an author who writes about faith, travel, and global awareness, helping Christians reflect more intentionally on their faith and how they live it out. His books include Homeless at Harvard, 7 Attitudes of the Helping Heart, and From Sea to Shining Sea. John grew up in the United States and has lived on three continents. He has traveled to all 16 biblical towns in Turkey that St. Paul visited, as mentioned in the Book of Acts. His writing focuses on everyday spiritual reflection and practical faith formation. His free devotional, 7 Days to Upping Your Prayer Life, Loving Others, and Having More Joy, is available at johnchristopherframe.com/prayer.