Young Life at The Cove

A couple weeks ago we went to the local Young Life banquet at The Cove (aka Billy Graham Training Center). I was never part of Young Life, and after watching the slide show, I am pretty sure I don't qualify - I'm just not fun and crazy. I don't require extreme entertainment, I think reading is fun, and I don't like to get messy. Yes, I was like this as a 16 year old. But I do love being able to support Young Life and am very happy their ministry exists. As a history nerd, I particularly appreciated how they tied in the history of Young Life and the evangelical movement of the last 50 years. It's all about perspective - understanding that my little life in my little town is not all that is going on in this world. God has been at work long before I showed up.

Asheville is a beautiful place, and The Cove is an especially beautiful place. Before we left, we walked through the Billy Graham Hall of Fame. That's just what I call it - it is the history of Billy Graham's crusades over the last several decades. Again, history pops up. The work and vision of Billy Graham is really impressive, and even if the crusade style evangelism has trailed off, the difference it made in the history of the evangelical church cannot be denied.

My favorite picture was an image of Ruth Graham's gravestone. There is a Chinese image (she was an MK in China) of righteousness, her name and dates, and the best quote I've ever seen on a gravestone:

"End of Construction - Thank you for your patience."

I seriously might have to steal that. I love it. People can have a perfect picture of Ruth Graham all they want. She obviously was never under such an illusion. She knew she was a work in progress - under construction - right until the very end.