The Son & the Sand
http://www.barefootbelievers.com – May 2004
Have you ever met one of your heroes?
Since my last newsletter, I met one of my heroes. Phil Keaggy’s music has been a part of my life since 1993. I have over a dozen of his CDs (way back home, cinemascapes, 220, acoustic sketches, blue, crimson and blue, majesty and wonder, beyond nature, inseparable, time 1 & 2, true believer, etc…) as well as several others that he contributed to (a tribute to Brian Wilson, a tribute to the Beatles, City on a Hill with Jennifer Knapp, a tribute to Mark Heard, Jackson Finch, This Train, Invention with Wes King and Scott Dente) He really is my favorite recording artist. Thea got a chance to see him in concert a few years ago. She said he was amazing live. I can’t wait to catch one of his shows someday soon. The following words were scribbled in my journal on April 26th on my flight from Nashville to Mobile:
I met Phil Keaggy at the Nashville Airport. He was about to leave for Tulsa, Oklahoma for a gig with one-eighty ministries. He saw me playing my Martin Backpacker Classic, walked up to me and asked me if it was a martin or a custom. I looked up and almost immediately realized who he was and all I could think was no way, no way…I was star struck, almost speechless – I think I mumbled “Phil…you’re…you’re my hero. I asked if he wanted to play my guitar. He did. He played for a couple of minutes. Then said goodbye. I sat perplexed and amazed. A few moments later I approached him in an airport snack store and asked him if he would sign my guitar. He did. Then he gave me a CD and signed it too. Wow! What an exciting experience – to meet a musical hero, wow!
One of the great things about meeting Phil was the fact that just 10 minutes before he walked up I was telling a couple of other guys from Iowa about how much I enjoyed Phil Keaggy’s music – particularly the CD – acoustic sketches – the CD Phil gave me was called “freehand – acoustic sketches 2” So cool!
After Phil got on his plane to go to Oklahoma, and my friends got on their plane to go to Iowa, I got out my MP3 player, and played a Keaggy song I had taken with me on the trip to Tennessee — “let everything else go” from the way back home album…
The lyrics: “I can’t wait to see you Jesus face to face / nothing in this world can take your place / all the pride of man laid low / and all his works of gold / nothing can compare to what your are / let everything else go / let it all go
So there at the airport, I had this little inspirational moment regarding my joyous meeting with a musical hero of mine. I thought about my initial meeting with Jesus. How I had come to Him by faith at the University of Alabama in October of 1995. I not only reflected on my initial encounter with Jesus, but also as I considered that lyric of anticipation from Keaggy’s song: “I can’t wait to see you Jesus face to face nothing in this world can take your place” I thought about how as a believer, I can anticipate great joy at the face to face meeting with my Savior that will come not in this life, but in heaven. So I ask the question – have you ever met one of your heroes? Maybe an athlete, a musician, someone else? How about a Savior?
It was a true blessing for me to have the opportunity to meet my musical hero, but that initial meeting with Jesus that I have experienced in this life, and that meeting that I’ll have in the next – that’s something that surpasses all other encounters with men and women that we admire in this life. Jesus is the real hero – his death on the cross, his life from the grave – his promise of abundant life and heaven as our home.
Adopt a Missionary in the Summer of 2004
Our summer missionaries leave much of what is familiar to spend a summer serving alongside mission teams in the following ministries: day camp, backyard Bible clubs, VBS, beach evangelism, drama, music, puppets, and various other creative ministry activities. If you, your Sunday school class, church, or family would like to adopt one of our summer missionaries, please let me know. Just drop me an email, and I will assign you a summer missionary. Last year the staff received letters of encouragement, phone cards, stamps, and lots of great prayer support from their adopters. Adopters – that’s a real word…I even spell checked it. For more information regarding this partnership opportunity email Jeff & Thea at bbagarm@gulftel.com
Looking Back / April Happenings
- Beach Evangelism Mission Project with students from the Church on the Eastern Shore
- Ongoing campground worship services each Sunday
- Many exciting opportunities to share about Annie Armstong Easter offering, the North American Mission Board, and resort missions including an “On Mission Celebration” in Tennessee – Cumberland Association in Clarksville.
- Wonderful Easter services at various campgrounds
- More pre-project visits as we continue to prepare for summer 2004
Looking Ahead / May Prayer Points
- 2004 Summer Missions Staff:
Alana, Michelle, Lindsey, Tiffany, Lisa, Emily, Heather, & Kristen
- Many of our 2004 visiting church mission teams will be preparing for a week of ministry with us in June or July – here’s a few of the teams we will be working with this summer:
MAY 24-28 BELLVUE BAPTIST CHURCH – GADSDEN, AL
JUNE 3-6 FBC MADISON – MADISON, MS
JUNE 4 FBC HAMPTON, HAMPTON, GA
JUNE 5-12 FBC HOUSTON – HOUSTON, MO
JUNE 7-12 GARDEN LAKES BAPTIST – ROME, GA
JUNE 13-17 MUNFORD BAPTIST CHURCH – MUNFORD, AL
JUNE 19-26 DWIGHT BAPTIST – GADSDEN, AL
JUNE 19-26 COLLEGE HEIGHTS BAPTIST – GADSDEN, AL
JUNE 20-25 THELMA BAPTIST – WETUMPKA, AL
JUNE 26-JULY 2 LAKEVIEW BAPTIST – SOUTHSIDE, AL
JUNE 28-JULY 2 JUBILEE BAPTIST – DAPHNE, AL
JULY 3-5 NEW HAVEN BAPTIST – NEW HAVEN, MICHIGAN
JULY 3-10 SANDROCK BAPTIST – SANDROCK, AL
JULY 11-17 EASTABOOGA BAPTIST – EASTABOOGA, AL
JULY 19-23 YOUTH ON MISSION TEAM – SHREVEPORT, LA
JULY 19-20 LEXA BAPTIST – LEXA, AR
JULY 24-30 FBC TIFTON – TIFTON, GA
JULY 30-AUG. 4 BETHLEHEM BAPTIST – CUNNINGHAM, KY
(if you’d like to add your team to the list just give us a call at 251.967.4086)
- Continued development of partnerships with hotels, campgrounds, and other organizations and businesses in the Gulf Area.
- Various final preparations on our end for the 2004 summer season
- Thea wraps up another year of teaching at Foley High School
- Jeff finishes another semester (one-day-a-week-student) at the Pensacola extention center of New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary
The Barefoot Believers’ Mission Statement
We seek to share the life changing message of God’s love and grace with hungry hearts and thirsty souls in ways that meet the needs of resort visitors and residents as we challenge and encourage followers of Christ, on Alabama’s gulf coast, to be ambassadors of Christ everywhere they go.
(the above “mission statement” is a work in progress – please email me your suggestions regarding the wording and / or your thoughts on the statement. We haven’t posted it the website yet, but we are thinking of putting it on the front page.)
A Biblical Basis For What We Do
People often joke around with us about resort ministry. “Suffering for Jesus” is a catchphrase that I often hear when I go and speak at various churches and events. You may ask – why do resort ministry? It’s clear from scripture that we are called to carry the gospel to the world. According to our welcome center, our area received over one million visitors in 2002. It’s likely we received around a million and a half visitors last year. We may end up having over 2 million visitors soon. With all of these people flocking to Alabama’s Gulf Coast, we have been given the unique opportunity of being in mission field where the world is literally at our doorstep. Through a variety of creative ministries, we can answer the call that God has placed on our lives – to love, to reach, and to care for resort area residents and visitors. The Bible gives us the challenge:
1 Cor. 9:19-23
Though I am free and belong to no man, I make myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. [20] To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. [21] To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law), so as to win those not having the law. [22] To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some. [23] I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings.
Matthew 28:18-20
Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. [19] Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, [20] and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
Romans 3:22-24
This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, [23] for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, [24] and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.
John 4:13-14
Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, [14] but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”
2 Cor. 5:20
We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God.
Romans 10:15
And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!”
Peace in Christ,
Jeff Ford
