Saturday, May 19, 2012

~The Way Home

We left The Potter's House Retreat on Sunday around
lunch ~ our first stop was in the town of Blowing Rock, NC. The town was bustling with tourists & activity.  We were able to go inside this church ~

The stone walls were insulated with horse hair and I tried to get a close-up shot of it, but was not able to.

The foyer ceiling was recently painted by an artist.
One Side
The Other Side

Later that evening we drove into Asheville and visited with another blogger, Sandy, at Faith, Hope, and Love.  Our hearts were so blessed by our visit with her and her husband.  I left my camera in the van, so I did not get a picture. :-(

We traveled on down into Brevard, NC on Sunday evening - lovely town.  I have marked this stop on the map, definitely want to re-visit Brevard.  We spent the night and enjoyed shopping there. 

just a short drive out from Brevard, is Pisgah National Forest
Looking Glass Falls is located in Pisgah
You can see the waterfall off to the right in this picture. 
Dianne researched and found the waterfall is over 60 feet high.


Marilyn, my Mother-in-law taking a break from going down the
stairs to the waterfall.

The rhododendrons were beginning to bloom.
I really don't know who had more fun snapping pictures, me or Dianne. It was such a blessing to be able to share this adventure
with her and Marilyn.
such a peaceful area out in the Pisgah National Forest - lots of people walking and this great poser for the camera was enjoying being out with his owner - his name is Titus. 
after leaving Brevard, we headed out on the Blue Ridge Parkway for quite a few miles, but eventually left the Parkway for a much more curvy and narrow road - very slow going! oh, the blessings of taking the back roads - we did pull over for a few pics, but not alot of pull off spots. 

 Bridal Veil Falls and we did not take the road underneath it -
we played it safe.

The next few pictures were taken around The Highlands of NC.


The highlight of my trip ~ a covered bridge!


 The white house in the above picture is a Bed and Breakfast in
The Highlands.


The little church below is located in Dillard, GA.  We came down through the north part of Georgia and spent the night in Gainsville.


We decided the Presbyterian churches were some of the most beautiful ones we found along the way ~ the picture below is a stained glass window of the Presbyterian in Aliceville, AL. established 1837.



We made a wrong turn and found this one in Aliceville
also - no sign and don't believe they still meet here.


It was fun and I hope you've enjoyed coming along for the
re-cap of the journey.



Tuesday, May 15, 2012

~Reaching the Destination

You might like to read the previous two posts about the trip to The Potter's House before continuing...

In these next moments as you scroll, I pray you will be able to capture the beauty and stillness the Lord desires to enjoy with us each day.

Whether it be in the mountains of North Carolina or the clay hills of MS, He desires our fellowship...

We arrived to this view...

and to the magnificent sound of this

and was greeted by these two precious ladies
Nancy (L) and Pat (R)





Amazing how the Lord has given these
two ladies a place to serve and minister together
to hearts that are ...


desiring a fresh encounter with the LORD.


(sharing from my journal)
clearing the right paths through our hearts and minds

Colossians 1:10
That you may walk (live and conduct yourselves)
in a manner worthy of the LORD,
fully pleasing to him...
growing and increasing in a knowledge of him



removing the loudness & distractions
 [self, fears, pride, outside hinderances.....]
Draw near to God and he will
draw near to you.  James 4:8

move beyond the Past
"I have placed you in the Present [right where you are]"
I have met with you,
mark it, [write it down]
for a rememberance.
your steps are charted...
what peace this brings LORD
 knowing you see
my footprints in front of me
~~~
In his heart
a man plans his course,
but the LORD
determines his steps.
  Proverbs 16:9

We spent a weekend renewing
our minds and having our
hearts re-shaped for HIM.

Nancy, Marilyn (my MIL), Pat, & Dianne

But, now you have arrived at your destination:
By faith in Christ you are in a direct relationship with God.
Your baptism in Christ was not just
washing you up for a fresh start.
It also involved dressing you in an adult
faith wardrobe~Christ's life, the fulfillments of
God's original promise.
Galations 3:25-27

more information about
&
be sure to visit Dianne's blog


Friday, May 11, 2012

Day 2 ~ almost twice the time



Day Two dawned after an evening of laughter
and a night of rest...


the view from our hotel room
 Breaking of Dawn

I did have to climb a steep embankment to get the picture
but it was well worth it ~ never crossed my mind
about how I was going to come down

flip-flops, wet grass and a steep incline
just don't go together
I made it safely as my mother-in-law
 watched from the hotel window

~~~

You did read the title of the post?




map quest did not like the route
we mapped ~ it was adamant
about staying on the much larger roads



Approximate four hour trip
calculated up to a 8 hour trip  :-)

but, I cannot tell you how many times
we said,
 "we would not have seen this if we had not come this way"




a beautiful maple tree
in the yard of the church below


New Providence Presbyterian Church
Founded 1786
Maryville, TN




notice the engraving above the doors
Enter Into His Gates With Thanks
And Into His Courts With Praise



we were in the town of Maryville, TN
and I snapped this one out of the passenger side window
such a beautiful firestation
and "yes, I was driving"



didn't take long for her to catch the fever
of snapping pictures of churches



Seventh Day Adventist Church outside of Maryville, TN



just a small pic relating to my next post
~Reaching the Destination
and you will not want to
miss the next post either
~On the Way Home
it took two nights stay on the way back  :-)


Wednesday, May 9, 2012

~the journey to The Potter's House

Anticipation and Preparation filled
the days and weeks prior to April 26th ~

My mother-in-law, Marilyn, and I definitely knew the
Lord had gone before us and prepared
the way for the trip to The Potter's House.
We both shared such a peace
as we made plans.

And the Lord, he it is that doth go before thee;
 he will be with thee,
 he will not fail thee, neither forsake thee:
 fear not, neither be dismayed.
Deuteronomy 31:8
The desire to invite someone along for the journey
was shared by both of us.  We asked the Lord to
send us someone to share in the adventure and
was the designated guest ~ amazing
how God worked! 
Dianne shares more in-depth how
it all came about.  

Dianne drove in from Little Rock, AR
on Wednesday afternoon and the
three of us, departed from my home
for North Carolina on Thursday morning. 

We made quite a few stops along the way to stretch the legs
and snap a few pictures ~
(I believe Dianne's love for churches & clouds has rubbed off on me)
so sit back and enjoy scrolling through
 the first day of our trip

Mashulaville Baptist Church ~ Noxubee County
10 minutes from my house  :-)


Everhope Plantation - Eutaw, AL
 circa 1852

~ ~ ~
Later that afternoon, we stopped
 in the lovely little town of Athens, TN
 to spend the night.
Athens is about an hour outside of Chattanooga.

McMinn County Courthouse
Athens, TN


This was the fellowship/activity building of
St. Paul's Episcopal Church




years meshing two hearts
and HIS love binding new found friends


loved the rocking chairs on the porch


the journey is more fun when
traveled with those of kindred spirits ~

Thank you for being patient with my posting.
I have been enjoying time with company
and doing some projects, before the hot
summer sets in.
~~~  
Be watching for my next post -
Part 2 of the Trip