The Outpost — Pickwick Dam, Tennessee
Our story drives
our mission
God has given us a vision far beyond just building a restaurant. Discover how God is using The Outpost to restore and bring balance to people's lives.
Watch the Story
"I only have seven dollars, but I do have a vision and faith."
— James Harrison
Chapter One — The Beginning
A Vision Born from Setback
After some life changing setbacks and multiple failures in life I knew something had to change. Our home was about to go into foreclosure, and we were struggling to get by but I was determined to wait upon the Lord to show us our direction. During this time, I received a vision with a plan for a general store & restaurant that would serve multiple purposes with a mission that would also give back to the community.
I will never forget the morning that I woke up and told my wife (Cher) that I was going to Clifton, Tennessee. I thought it was for ministry purposes due to being led into prison ministry. So, I drove to Clifton that day and found the CCA prison now CoreCivic located in Clifton and walked in the front doors but as I entered it did not feel right at the time, so I turned around and left the facility.
As I was returning home, I passed a business in Clifton that had a large sign on the front. This sign had a phone number on it that just so happened to match another number that we had been looking at on a piece of property just below the Pickwick Dam to possibly start the mission at the Outpost. Now I knew why I was led to travel to Clifton, Tennessee.
The original property below Pickwick Dam
After contacting the business owner in Clifton, we set a time to meet at the owner's home to discuss his piece of property that was for sale just below the Pickwick Dam on the Tennessee River. On the day of the meeting and prior to entering his home I began to apply what I had learned during my setbacks in life by simply stopping for prayer before attempting to do something on my own. Upon entering his home there were two men in the room — one was fighting cancer and the other was a business partner from California. I introduced myself and said these very words: "My name is James Harrison, I only have seven dollars, but I do have a vision and faith." Paul (the property owner with cancer) then told me to write it down on paper and to come back to share it with him at a later date.
The day came for us to meet again and as we discussed the vision, we then began to negotiate the price. I knew financially what he had in the property due to some previous research and not to mention the state that it was in, but we were in no place to negotiate the price or terms due to simply being financially broke. But again, we may have been financially broke but we did have a vision and faith.
Once we reached our agreement Paul then began to share with me what sparked his interest in our first meeting. He told me that when he started a hotel in Lake Tahoe, just prior to opening he had been out gambling and lost his money that night — left with only seven dollars — and lightning even struck his hotel sign that same night. I knew then that God had crossed our paths for more than just the purchase of the property. It was about his soul.
Chapter Two — Humble Beginnings
The Outpost in its early days
Two Hands, Two Feet
Now the work was to begin — how were we to open a business with a property that needed so much work and without the financial means to even begin. I remember praying and asking how, Lord? Then the Lord placed it in my spirit that He gave me two hands and two feet with the capability to begin. So how did we begin? We began with grassroots efforts by simply picking up garbage and cleaning up the litter on the property.
After securing a loan at a local bank we finished out the portable building on site — the general store & bait shop offering take out only, with a couple of staple items we still serve today: smoked chicken, pulled pork and baby back ribs. I recall even stocking the store with all of my own fishing gear just to have inventory to sell.
We did not even have an oven at the store, but it was brought to my attention that we had one at home. So every morning we would get up at 3am to cook biscuits at our home and transport them in a cooler to the store to keep them warm. Talk about humble beginnings! This is where we really understood Zechariah 4:10 — "Not to despise these small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin."
"There are no words to express the blessings of starting something together and being able to work together as a family unit."
— James Harrison
Chapter Three — Family & Sacrifice
Colby
As the work continued and the business began to grow, our son Colby left college to join us. We worked together as a family, not looking at the returns on the money but staying focused on the mission and simply trying to survive. I can recall asking Colby one day, "Why did you leave school?" And he replied, "I wanted to help you and mom." As a father there are no words to express the blessings of starting something together and being able to work together as a family unit.
A couple years later we were finally able to open the restaurant for dine in — but in December of 2013 we experienced the worst nightmare for any parent when a State Trooper came knocking on our door. He informed us that our son Colby had been in an accident and was being airlifted to Vanderbilt in Nashville, Tennessee. When we arrived, they directed us to a private room to inform us that our son had passed. There are no words to describe this pain in our hearts.
With our responsibility to our employees at that time we closed for a week before reopening a week to the day. It was extremely difficult to return to the Outpost without Colby by our side, but we knew that this had to be done. I'll never forget one of the employees coming up to me on the day of our reopening and asking if I would like to know Colby's last words to him.
He said it was as if God spoke through Colby directly to him just before the accident. "I was mad and venting on the drive back to Teen Challenge and was going to give them a piece of my mind — and just as he was about to get out, Colby said these words that changed his whole approach: 'Be careful the words you speak because you never know if they may be your last and the impression that you may leave.'" Those words changed him from entering out of anger but out of love. It was during this season of our life that MissionCraft was inspired due to the cost of coffins and assisting families during their time of loss.
In Memory of Colby
The Mission Continues
Every plate served
fuels a fresh start
When you dine at The Outpost, you're doing more than enjoying a great meal — you're helping provide jobs and housing through Balanced Life Ministry. Every plate served fuels fresh starts and changed lives.
The vision that began with seven dollars and a prayer has grown into a community gathering place, a source of employment, and a beacon of hope on the banks of Pickwick Lake.
Balanced Life Ministry
Restoring lives through purpose-driven work
Be Part of the Story
Every visit to The Outpost supports the mission. Come experience great food, warm hospitality, and a community built on faith and purpose.