The Cove

Rock

Let me continue to discuss my road in retirement in Asheville, North Carolina; and with the continued focus theme of God as an immovable rock. In Isaiah 26:4 God’s rock nature is described this way: “Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord God is THE rock eternal." Chris has been looking for one last perfect rock for our two-year old landscaping that has been taking shape in spurts. The bigger the rock, the more issues getting it to a spot in our yard, but also the more permanent it becomes. God is the hugest of all huge rocks; infinitely permanent. When we go to him for our prayers, needs, concerns, and praises, he is always there. He is the penultimate of permanence or as Isaiah says, THE rock eternal. 

Retreat

One of our side trips in Asheville, was penciled into the itinerary as a possible “maybe." It’s called the Billy Graham Training Center at The Cove. It sounds corporate, commercial and why would we go there? But when we arrived it became a more mysterious meaningful venture. The Cove was tucked almost secretly into the mountains outside Asheville and definitely had the allure of a place to retreat and recover. Billy’s wife Ruth had grown up in Montreat, a quant city in the mountains close by. The retreat center today is comprised of several hotel-like guest units and central meeting and gathering spaces. It’s meant for people in ministry to retreat and refresh their hearts and souls. Billy and Ruth lived most of their lives three hours east of Asheville in Charlotte, NC, but they found divine respite, peace and recovery in the mountain solitude of the Cove. They always dreamed of sharing “The Cove” so they turned it into a retreat, rest, and renewal center. They wanted this place to be known as a mountain of prayer.

Chapel

We heard of a prayer garden and museum but had no idea that snuggled among the towering oak, pine, fir and spruce trees on a steep a turn-off from the main retreat center road was a small high-steepled chapel. We sheepishly entered the small parking lot and found out from a staff person that the chapel was open to the public and a museum dedicated to telling the Billy Graham ministry story was in the basement. The chapel was part of our recovery venture (see last blog) and we spent some time in the beautiful oak and pine trimmed main sanctuary with its huge windows and natural light. The thick wooden pews were donations from a 200-year-old London school for blind children, and a large wooden pulpit was from England as well but was 400-years old! We sat there for some time and thanked God for our ability to make it here and just recover a bit from what has sometimes seemed a three-year war against Parkinson’s and dysphagia. As we left the chapel, we noticed that the structure was hewn into the side of the mountain with the chapel devotion area on the main floor and the museum and offices located in a large walkout basement. We wheelchaired down a long curved paved path that descended from the front doors to the basement entrance. Dr. Graham’s ministry history and legacy were humbly displayed and documented in this lower level, and anyone can tour at their own pace, read about his evangelistic ministry development, and marvel at the interesting photos for only a $100 donation (ok ok Chris made me put that in here. No, it was all free!).

Garden

When Chris probed me for my favorite moments in Asheville, Ruth’s Prayer Garden was at the top. Positioned on 1.5 acres adjacent to the chapel amongst the tall oaks and short needle pines, Ruth’s Prayer Garden is just that, a great place of quiet solitude to pray; only in the open air and under a canopy of green. More than 80 species of garden plants adorn a steep switchback path that winds back and forth up the mountain side with a cadence of prayer stations that offer reflective psalms of David. Chris pushed and huffed us through the God-oriented mini-labyrinth and was grateful for the stations, to pray and catch his breath, mainly the latter. For me, this place, this garden, was solid rock peace.

Permanence

I’ll close this blog with another reference to permanence. God is a rock. He is permanent and eternal. I find peaceful serenity in knowing just that. For those who will trust in him and believe in his son, he truly becomes a permanent fixture of faithful reliability. I was glad the Grahams loved this place and then dedicated it to those seeking the face of God. Ruth’s garden fulfills the hope they had for this part of the Blue Ridge Mountains; to be a mountain of prayer. Both Grahams are deceased, Ruth first and then Billy, buried in their hometown area of Charlotte. But interestingly Billy asked that his body be laid in rest for a few days at The Cove immediately after his passing and before taking it to the burial site in Charlotte. To me that was beautifully fitting, a space of peace on the mountain of prayer, before permanence, spirit with God and body next to Ruth’s in Charlotte.