In my last blog post, I talked about covered bridges. As nostalgic, iconic subjects worthy to be included in the Scouting Guide, they were just the perfect thing to blog about in light of the current assignment.

So, when it came time to think about what to blog about this week, I thought, “Why not highlight the beauty of quaint, picturesque little churches that I’ve run in to in various places over the years?” A nice church in a scenic setting would be worthy to be included in the Scouting Guide too!

So, I did a quick search for churches in my portfolio. And I found quite a few of them!

In my area in West Virginia, there are little country churches everywhere. Drive down most any valley and you will likely run into one. Old, beautiful relics of years gone by, still home to little congregations tucked away up mountain hollows.

The little Methodist Church above is in the same valley where my Grandmother grew up.

This Baptist Church is just a few miles from my home, a scenic spot I keep finding myself going back to because of its idyllic location up on the top of a hill.

This gorgeous spot is about a half hour away down a pot-holl ridden highway, but you couldn’t ask for a better spot to bring your camera for a sunset!

I happened to be driving through Blandville, WV, (a town that distant relatives of mine founded way back when) at just the perfect time for the above photo. I had thought about stopping to photograph this church when driving by in the past, but never thought the location to be picturesque enough. Well, the sunset made things pretty enough to change my mind that evening!

Ever heard of a Seventh Day Baptist Church? Well, that’s what this one is, nestled in the little town of Salem, WV, where I’ve lived for the past couple decades. And you can’t not like the beauty of a calm winter scene!

Of course, beautiful churches worth photographing can be found all over the place! This is Rich Patch Union Church in Covington, Virginia.

Below is Whiting Community Church, in (you guessed it) Whiting, Vermont.

Here’s the chapel building on Lehigh University Campus in Allentown, Pennsylvania.

This is Frost Memorial Chapel at Berry College, in Georgia.

There are Catholic cathedrals spread out everywhere across the Quebecian countryside.

And this is a Congregational Church on the Cheshire Green, in Cheshire, Connecticut.

Looking through all these photos of churches got me to thinking. The outside of these buildings make for really good pictures! But I have to wonder, what is the inside of each church like? Is there a spirit of prayer? Are they preaching the unaltered truth of God’s Word? Do they preach the Gospel?

Recently, I was so encouraged by a resolution passed by the legislature of Tennessee and signed by Governor Lee, setting aside the month of July as a time of prayer and intermittent fasting as they entered their new fiscal year. The resolution itself is jam packed with Scripture.

It challenged me to fast and pray for the needs of our country and my own home State. I discovered quickly that this is quite hard to do! I don’t pray as much as I thought I did. And fasting takes more effort than I realized. Over the month of July, I felt led to pray for two things:

One, that God would bring to shame those in authority who hate Him. “Fill their faces with shame; that they may seek Thy name, O Lord. Let them be confounded and troubled for ever; yea, let them be put to shame, and perish: that men may know that Thou, Whose name alone is Jehovah, art the Most High over all the earth.” Psalm 83:16-18.

And secondly, that God would raise up leaders who will protect the lives of the unborn, and who would stand fast to the Biblical definition of marriage. “I will hear what God the Lord will speak: for He will speak peace unto His people, and to His saints: but let them not turn again to folly.”

There is a beautiful passage in Scripture that paints a picture of the relationship between Christ and the church. Ephesians 5:25-27 says, “That He might sanctify and cleanse it [His bride, the Church] with the washing of water by the word, that He might present it to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.” (Ephesians 5:25-27)

It’s glorious to think that God is creating a more beautiful masterpiece than any building man could construct. As photographers, it is easy to get wrapped up with the outside. But let us be sensitive to the Holy Spirit. Let us let the water of the Word wash us. Let us allow the Lord to have His way in us, that we might be a holy church, a spotless bride that brings glory to the Lord Jesus Christ. Looking good on the outside isn’t enough.