If these walls could talk

The morning dew evaporates from the freshly manicured grass as the sun climbs higher in the sky. Dust dances above the gravel road as small children chase one another before their mother gives them that dreadful Southern Momma chin down, eyebrows raised, you're-one-breath-away-from-a-butt-whoopen look. Long blonde ringlets adorn the shoulders of a six-year-old clothed in a white linen dress as she nervously clutches her momma's hand and shields her eyes from a few unfamiliar faces. The child's two older brothers and three older sisters seem to be unphased by the newcomers as they scamper up the front steps of the family church. The excitement in the air is electrifying as the adults greet one another other with toothy grins and warm embraces. For the few who have moved away in pursuit of a different life, the church's annual homecoming celebration has drawn them back home. The acoustics inside the church is perfect for laughter after the benediction concludes. Blankets soon begin to dot the green landscape outside as the late Spring sun warms the contents of the picnic baskets as children run and play.

This was a time when the word "technology" filled the vocabulary of few and most had yet to buy their first car. A world where television and computers had yet to be invented. (Dan Quail's parents weren't even in existence yet, so no internet either. 😀) Time was slower back then but in a grand way. Events weren't crammed in squares of color-coded schedules on refrigerator doors. Children weren't given hours of homework each night.

Do you ever fantasize about scenes like this when you see an old church house that has withstood the tests of time by still standing? Do you ever wonder what the church services would have looked like back then? Was the preacher a compassionate man who loved the Lord with all his heart and wanted nothing more than to lead others to Him, or did he have a superiority complex and denounce his congregation demanding they live more like him? Who would have attended the services within these walls?

This particular church, All Saints Episcopal Church in Stonewall,  is believed to be the last standing plantation church in Lousiana. It was built in part by a master carpenter by the name of Thomas Hudnall. To this day, numerous historic homes and churches built by Hudnall in the late 1800's grace the landscape of Desoto Parish.

A few years ago I was given the opportunity to tour the All Saints Episcopal Church with Thomas Hudnall's granddaughter and my mother-in-law, Ginger Lane. Despite the fatigue and pain induced by numerous rounds of chemo in an effort to fight AML, Mrs. Ginger was full of excitement as her eyes adjusted to the sanctuary lit only by sunlight bleeding in from several antique stain glass windows. Her knowledge of local history in addition to her own attention to details that went into her grandfather's work was astounding. On this particular day, Hudnall's lineage reaching four lines down was given the opportunity to witness the lasting impact a person can literally and metaphorically have in his community.

As I moved down the aisle of the tiny dust-filled room, many antiques fought for my attention such as carefully crafted wooden church pews, a golden clover banister, and a wooden altar whose carved details matched that of the arches in the windows. The one item that held my attention the longest, though, was the beautifully worn Mason and Hamlin organ in the far north corner of the room. You could almost hear the melody of "How Great Thou Art" or "Amazing Grace" upon inspection of the worn ivory on the old keys.

Once the tour of the church was complete, I roamed around the property surrounding the structure and came across many wildflowers decorating the new growth of Spring's grass.  To my absolute joy, I discovered an old cemetery with tombstones containing dates ranging from the late 1800s to the early 1900s. Daffodils grew at the head of each tombstone as if they were saying, "you are not forgotten."

The image I was fortunate enough to capture of the cemetery with the withering flowers in the foreground and tombstones and church in the background is one of my all-time favorites. Quite literally "the grass withers and the flowers fade, but the word of God stands forever." This image is a spot-on representation of Isaiah 40:8. 

Click here to hear Zach Williams' Old Church Choir