The Cove. And the Designated Extrovert.

Last week I wrote about doing something a little different–attending a concert with Steve. And guess what I did this past weekend? Another something a little different.

My friend, Greta (from Manteo), and I took ourselves off to Montreat, NC, for a girls’ road trip.  And yes, there was actually a concert there, so it was my second concert in ten days. I am quite the party person!

Greta spent the night at our house on Friday, and we took off  Saturday morning. We had lunch in Asheville, NC, at a place downtown called The White Duck Taco Shop, which has tacos of every kind.  I had a Chicken BLT with seasonings and salsa, and it was one of the best things I have ever eaten.

I loved the back wall and the chandelier. Quirky and smile-inducing.

The only unhappy part of the lunch was when we found out we had inadvertently parked in a private parking garage instead of a city garage, and the total due  (for an hour) was $25 instead of the $2 we were expecting. Oh well. It’s a good thing Greta and I are both made of money. (ha)

Our eventual destination was the Billy Graham Training Center at The Cove.

I took this off the cover of one of their magazines since I didn’t have immediate access to a plane or a drone.

The only thing that could make a beautiful place any better is good food. And they had a lot of that.

Everyone at The Cove eats meals together in an enormous dining room.  I loved the lazy Susans in the middle of each table; such an efficient way to make everything reachable.

For both dinner and breakfast, we found a table of delightful ladies to sit with. For each meal, I maneuvered things so that Greta sat next to a person, and I would sit on her other side next to the empty seat.  I told her she was my Designated Extrovert because she is so fabulous at starting conversations. I would always chime in immediately after, but it was nice to have her break the ice.

One mealtime conversation went in an interesting direction.

A couple of our dining companions said they were from First Baptist Church in Orlando.  My ears perked up immediately because Steve has an uncle and aunt who used to attend that church.  At the beginning of Sarah’s cancer treatment, the church paid for us to come to Orlando and visit Disney World.

They were doing their Singing Christmas Trees with a full orchestra during our visit. At the beginning of one of those performances, the pastors brought our whole family up to the stage.

I will always treasure this photo. To see Dr. Jim Henry, the pastor of an enormous, well-known church, kneeling on the floor with his arms around a desperately sick little girl and offering a prayer for her, touched our family deeply.  (He is on her right.)

The best thing about this story is that one of the women we talked to is visiting Pastor Henry next week. (He is now 85.) She is going to share with him what I told her about our memory of that incredibly special moment.   I hope it is an encouragement to him–in the same way he was an encouragement to us all those years ago.

Back to our visit to The Cove.

We visited the Chapel on the grounds, which was breathtaking, even under a rainy sky.

I took this photo for my brother-in-law, Randy, who loves hymns and hymnals. This was right beside the grand piano and brought an immediate smile because I love hymns and hymnals, too.

I couldn’t refrain from standing behind Billy Graham’s Traveling Pulpit and delivering a few words. Pretty incredible to stand in the pulpit of such a great man. (I’m pretty sure his sermons were better than mine.)

This is the view from the back of the pulpit..  The little buttons to the right let him know how much time he has left. I joked to Greta that every pastor’s wife wishes she had one of those in her hands during a service!

Greta volunteers with Samaritan’s Purse as a chaplain doing disaster recovery work, so she was familiar with the layout of the lodging and the conference center. That was a good thing because I was wandering around in the most pitiful circles, trying to figure out which mysterious passageway/staircase/hallway to go down next.

There were little nooks, couches, and chairs everywhere you looked.  I especially loved this checkerboard table.

These steps lead to an expansive deck equipped with about fifty rocking chairs, a place to sit (on a less rainy day) and breathe in the beauty.

Here are a few additional photos of the place.

Next two photos by Greta.

Having too much fun!

Travis Cottrell did a concert Saturday night.

He has traveled for 30 years with Bible teacher Beth Moore, doing music and worship at her large events.  We didn’t really go there for the concert–just for the getaway part of it, but he and his band were wonderful.

If you look at the backdrop behind the band, that is a huge shade that lowered as the concert started. When it’s open, all you can see are trees.

As we were leaving the concert, Greta looked behind to make sure her wandering friend was within view. I tell you, if she hadn’t been there, I would still be wandering morosely up and down the halls, hopelessly lost.

I loved the mist over the trees near the the parking lot.

Greta took this photo on our way back to Charlotte; she got her car and headed out on the seven hour trip back to Manteo.

As another week starts, I am thankful for a unique outing and the refreshing that comes from spending time with a dear friend in the middle of God’s creation.

What about you?

Is there anything specific you have done in recent days/weeks that has been especially refreshing to you?

Have you heard of Beth Moore and Travis Cottrell?  Beth has written a wonderful autobiography called, “All My Knotted-Up Life.” If you’ve ever gone through situations where you need to learn how to forgive, that is one of the many things covered in the book. 

On another subject, we are in severe drought here in North Carolina. How are things where you live?