The falls were beautiful and offered a nice back drop to many photos. I took some time to explore the features of my camera adjusting the exposure, ISO, aperture and shutter to see what type of photos I could take. Setting up a tripod and testing my remote shutter cable, I took lots of photos of the falls. If I must say so myself, I think my camera performed well.
After hiking into the forest about two miles (which took two hours with all of the stops I made), I turned back and picked up the pace to make it back in time to clean up and head off to a night of teaching and worship. Along the way, I stopped at one bend in the river to just sit, read the Word and pray. As I sat there, the Lord just kept on impressing upon me to pray for workers for the ministry. So I did.
That evening and weekend, I had the opportunity to hear Tommy Oaks and John thomas Oaks minister the Word in song, drama, preaching and teaching at First Christian Church in Big Stone Gap. Every single word delivered was one that ministered greatly to me. It was nice to have a weekend of rest in the house of God and with the saints of God - one person I've known for about 7 years now - Donna Townsend and then I met many new saints - Pastor Greg Townsend, Sister Nancy, Jacob, Jennifer, Mike and many more. For being an out of town visitor, I sure felt like I was at home in that church. They made sure I felt that way.
The Sunday afternoon message took me back to my prayers sitting on the rocks overlooking the river at Little Stony Falls. Tommy Oaks delivered a message from James 2 and Matthew 9. Basically, the message was that "Faith without actions is dead." It provides no good. When faith is put to work, it provides great profit. “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field." One way in which we, as Christians, need to put our faith to work, is to pray that the Lord send workers into the harvest. As we pray, we need to be asking, "Lord, what is it you would have me to do?"
The message all weekend was abundantly clear - the harvest is outside of the four walls of the church building. It is in our neighborhoods, in our families, among our friends and co-workers. I am so blessed to be part of a ministry that recognizes the harvest is bountiful and it is outside of our doors. "Lord, what is it you would have me to do in your harvest fields?"