GREG LAURIE - Monday, September 23, 2019 Longing for Something More “Now behold, one came and said to Him, ‘Good Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?’” —Matthew 19:16 After Johnny Cash’s divorce, deciding that he needed a home of his own where he could relax, write, entertain, and showcase his expanding collection of books and records, he went to noted Nashville architect and builder Braxton Dixon and asked to see available lots on which he might build his dream house. Dixon happened to be in the process of building a one-of-a-kind house for himself overlooking Old Hickory Lake in Hendersonville, about 20 twenty miles north of Nashville, and took Cash to have a look at it to get some ideas for his own place. Dixon’s house was built of stone and hand-hewn timber he had collected from more than a dozen old barns and houses—some more than 200 years old. The rafters were made of skinned tree trunks, and three of the outside walls were glass. It was unusual and impressive, and as soon as he saw it Cash wanted it. He loved the lake and the roughness of the stones and wood. It filled him with a sense of peace and space. He imagined it as a place where he could straighten out his life and get reacquainted with the trees, flowers, grass, and other natural things that had lulled and inspired him as a boy. What Cash was really longing for was that simple, childlike faith he once possessed as a boy in Arkansas. But his mind was so blurred from drugs and other bad choices, he really did not know which way was up. So he became obsessed with this house that somehow connected him to simpler days, like fishing with his brother Jack and talking about life.

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