autumn wisdom

I like spring, but it is too young. I like summer, but it is too proud. So I like best of all autumn, because its tone is mellower, its colours are richer, and it is tinged with a little sorrow. Its golden richness speaks not of the innocence of spring, nor the power of summer, but of the mellowness and kindly wisdom of approaching age. It knows the limitations of life and its content.
-- Lin Yutang (1895-1976) Chinese author.  

Above: Seeger Chapel on the campus of Milligan College.

prayers for charleston

I refuse to accept the view that mankind is so tragically bound to the starless midnight of racism and war that the bright daybreak of peace and brotherhood can never become a reality.... I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word. 
--Martin Luther King, Jr. (1929-1968) Minister and Civil-Rights Leader.

Prayers for Charleston and the families of the victims of last week's horrible tragedy. Peggy Noonan wrote a beautiful tribute and reflection that I recommend.

Above: St. Michael's Episcopal Church (1751), Charleston, SC

alignment

I often think of that rare fulfilling joy when you are in the presence of some wonderful alignment of events. Where the light, the colour, the shapes, and the balance all interlock so perfectly that I feel truly overwhelmed by the wonder of it. 
--Charlie Waite (b.1949) English landscape photographer.

Above: Seeger Chapel at sunset.

faith, hope and triumph

A man with a grain of faith in God never loses hope, because he ever believes in the ultimate triumph of Truth.  
--Mahatma Gandhi (1869-1948) Indian Philosopher. 

Above: St. James Episcopal Church in downtown Greeneville, TN, built in 1850.

we are the church together

We all know that a church is not a building.
--Robert H. Schuller (b. 1926) American televangelist, pastor, and author.

After hiking out to Little Rock Knob from Hughes Gap, I drove by Cove Creek Presbyterian Church in Roan Mountain, TN.  It was such a beautiful sight with the rhododendron blooming and the hill in the distance, I had to stop and take a picture.  I can't find any information for the church online, so if anyone knows the history (or can share a link) I'd appreciate it. Next to the church is a large rock-adorned building that says "fellowship hall" on the sign out in front. However, above the door, spelled out in smaller rocks, is "Cove Creek School" with a date (can't quite make it out).  See below.  But in the course of my search, I did come across a fantastic Facebook group for Roan Mountain and Carter County History.

blessed assurance

When I was young I was sure of everything; in a few years, having been mistaken a thousand times, I was not half so sure of most things as I was before; at present, I am hardly sure of anything but what God has revealed to me. 
--John Wesley (1703-1791) minister and theologian. 

A view of the steeple of Munsey Memorial United Methodist Church in downtown Johnson City, TN, with Buffalo Mountain in the distance.

they ask me why I teach

I don't know the history of this old building located near Roan Mountain, TN. The sign over the door reads "Bowling Chapel Methodist Church," but a local told me the building once served as a schoolhouse.  And it's for that reason, I offer the following poem.  To hear Coach John Wooden recite it, click here and fast forward 5 minutes into his talk.

They Ask me why I Teach, Glennice L. Harmon

They ask me why I teach
And I reply, "Where could I find more splendid company?"
There sits a statesman,
Strong, unbiased, wise,
Another later Webster
Silver-tongued.
And there a doctor
Whose quick, steady hand
Can mend a bone or stem the lifeblood's flow.
A builder sits beside him --
Upward rise the arches of that church he builds wherein
That minister will speak the word of God,
And lead a stumbling soul to touch the Christ.

And all about
A lesser gathering
Of farmers, merchants, teachers,
Laborers, men
Who work and vote and build
And plan and pray into a great tomorrow.
And, I say,
"I may not see the church,
Or hear the word,
Or eat the food their hands will grow.
And yet -- I may.
And later I may say,
"I knew the lad, and he was strong,
Or weak, or kind, or proud
Or bold or gay.
I knew him once,
But then he was a boy.

They ask my why I teach and I reply,
"Where could I find more splendid company?"

patience

Patience with others is Love,
Patience with self is hope,
Patience with God is faith.
--Adel Bestavros (1924-2005) 

Above: Seeger Chapel on the campus of Milligan College

crayola sky

Artists are just children who refuse to put down their crayons.
--Al Hirschfeld (1903-2003) American caricaturist

house of prayer

 

The function of prayer is not to influence God, but rather to change the nature of the one who prays.
--Søren Kierkegaard (1813-1855) Danish philosopher, theologian and author.

Above: 'Primitive Baptist Church' (built 1887) located in Cades Cove within the Great Smoky Mountain National Park.  To the right is a view inside (click to enlarge).

rejoice!

We consider Christmas as the encounter, the great encounter, the historical encounter, the decisive encounter, between God and mankind. He who has faith knows this truly; let him rejoice.
--Pope Paul VI (1897-1978)

Above: Stained glass window, Hopwood Memorial Christian Church, Milligan College, TN.

Merry Christmas!

If Everyday was like Christmas

I will honor Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year.
--Charles Dickens (1812-1870) English novelist. 

 Above: The beautiful Saint John's Church (dedicated in 1862) in Valle Crucis, NC.

Click here to listen to Elvis sing "If Everyday was like Christmas".

I believe...

I believe though I do not comprehend, and I hold by faith what I cannot grasp with the mind.
--St. Bernard of Clairvaux (1090-1153) French abbot

Above: Stained-glass detail, St. Dominic Catholic Church, Kingsport, TN

Happy Easter!

It came upon the midnight clear

It came upon the midnight clear,
That glorious song of old,
From angels bending near the earth,
To touch their harps of gold:
"Peace on the earth, goodwill to men
From heavens all gracious King!"
The world in solemn stillness lay
To hear the angels sing.
--Edmund Hamilton Sears (1810-1876) American minister

Stained glass window detail from St. Lawrence Basilica, Asheville, NC.

Merry Christmas!

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A Christmas Prayer

Bless us Lord, this Christmas, with quietness of mind; Teach us to be patient and always to be kind. 
--Helen Steiner Rice (1900-1981) American writer

St. Thomas Episcopal Church in Abingdon, VA, established in 1846.

blessings

The unthankful heart... discovers no mercies; but let the thankful heart sweep through the day and, as the magnet finds the iron, so it will find, in every hour, some heavenly blessings!
--Henry Ward Beecher (1813-1887) minister 

Hopwood Memorial Christian Church (established 1834) on the campus of Milligan College.

The Shepherd

The shepherd always tries to persuade the sheep that their interests and his own are the same.
--Stendhal (1783-1842) French writer

Now his elder son was in the field; and when he came and approached the house, he heard music and dancing. He called one of the slaves and asked what was going on. He replied, 'Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fatted calf, because he has got him back safe and sound.' Then he became angry and refused to go in. His father came out and began to plead with him.
--Luke 15:25-28 (NRSV)

The beautiful stained glass windows behind the alter at Hopwood Memorial Christian Church (established 1834) on the campus of Milligan College.

original logs

The challenge of history is to recover the past and introduce it to the present.
--David Thelen, author and professor

Acuff Chapel, Blountville, TN, the first Methodist meetinghouse west of the Appalachians (1786).

aim to lose

The aim of life is not to gain a place in the sun, nor to achieve fame or success, but to lose ourselves in the glory of God.
--Eulogy for St. Ignatius Loyola

The alter of the amazing Basilica of St. Lawrence in Asheville, NC.

Grace Episcopal Church

Grace Episcopal Church, built in 1905, is located on a prominent hilltop on Merrimon Avenue in Asheville, NC. This distinctive stone church was designed by Richard Sharp Smith, an English architect who also supervised the construction of the Biltmore House following the death of Richard Morris Hunt. Smith made many other important contributions to Asheville architecture, more information here and here.