I love these doors. I finally stopped yesterday afternoon and took a photo of them. They have been restored, and I think that they are so simple that they are elegant. The church is beautiful. I also had a chance to go inside and see where the founder of Toccoa Falls College preached for so many years. Dr. R. A. Forrest (pictured below) was the pastor from 1925 until 1950.

“In 1925, the First Presbyterian Church issued him a call to become their pastor. After much consideration and with the understanding that he would be able to continue his evangelistic work throughout the United States and Canada, he accepted the call and served as pastor of this church for twenty-five years. During his pastorate a beautiful brick edifice was built, and the church membership increased. It is of interest to note that, though he felt several times that he should resign because of the pressure of his other duties. The church refused to allow this until he reached the age of retirement.” —Taken from the book: Achieving The Impossible with God.

Here’s another view of the doors. I love the lamp post, too!

The browns of a forest floor, the brilliant greens of summer, and a dash of sunlight: perfect ingredients for a sweet photograph.

You know how I often say that the college owns over 1,100 acres of land that back up to a National Forest? Well, we also have an original Indian footpath that runs through part of our campus. It called the Unicoi Trail and at one time it was used only by the Cherokee Indians. Later, thousands of settlers traveled it as they moved north. It even became a “toll” path.Today, it leads to a couple of beautiful waterfalls and then on to Helen, Georgia.

Sometimes a photo really is worth a thousand words! The one above fits in that category. It is of a student during Commencement at Toccoa Falls College yesterday morning. Below is a photo of Prof. Julio Vena, one of my favorite profs. He was my New Testament teacher while I was at TFC, and this is his last full-time teaching year. Next year, he will teach part-time. Since the college’s Centennial in 2007, he has carried the mace into the auditorium as a part of the academic regalia.

I love this photo. It truly captures the heart and spirit of Toccoa Falls College.

I wish Toccoa Falls College founders, Richard and Evelyn Forrest were alive to see and experience all the activity that took place at their home today. WSB TV (Channel 2) was back on campus filming for the program Georgia’s Hidden Treasures, which will spotlight Toccoa Falls along with several other places of interest in Georgia. News anchor John Pruitt drove up with the show’s producer and camera crew. Having them on campus these last few weeks has been lots of fun. They are super, super nice! And we will miss them, but we can’t wait to see what Leona—their ace photographer—puts together. (Do you see the falls in this photo? Upper left corner. It’s visible from the deck at Forrest Cottage.)