Angela Beach Silverthorne

Discovering More About The Power of God’s Story: A Visit to Billy Graham’s Training Center at the Cove

 For Christmas Dallas and I were given a gift certificate by very special friends to attend a teaching conference at the Billy Graham’s Training Center at The Cove in Asheville, North Carolina. I had been looking at their ministry schedule for three years hoping to attend classes one day. You cannot imagine how excited I was for the prompting to finally go. In January, I booked us into the Senior Celebration.

I truly had no expectations except to hear God’s Word. On our drive over this past week, I prayed for a word or scripture that I could carry away for growth and spiritual enrichment. I had no clue who the spiritual leaders were or the entertainers. I just knew God would show up, and I would be blessed.

The drive to Asheville was beautiful. As we entered The Cove, there was an immediate feeling of beauty, serenity, and peace. The lodge was quaint, nestled into a knoll, and surrounded by blooming rhododendrons, azaleas, and daffodils. We were greeted and escorted through the main hall of the lodge down to our room. When we opened the door, we gasped. One whole wall was a window, exposing a steep incline of rock, flowers, and dense foliage. At this point, I wanted to stay . . . forever! No TV, no radio, and little to no cellphone reception. I thought Dallas would whine, but he didn’t.

Our next venture was to go to the Training Center to register. The story of Billy and Ruth Bell Graham’s life in ministry, and their impact in evangelism covered the lower level floor’s walls. You could imagine their lives being intertwined with God’s as they yielded to His business.

I want to tell you more about the ministry sessions we attended, but for now I want you to see a few of the pictures on Billy Graham and his ministry. I’ll share more in other posts. God bless you always!