The Son and the Sand – September 2004

The Son & the Sand www.barefootbelievers.com – September 2004 One Last Glimpse of the Summer As August comes to a close, I feel the need to take one last look at our ’04 summer ministry efforts. The call that God placed in the hearts of our many partners in ministry was an amazing encouragement to thousands of beach goers and campground visitors. We pray that God will continue to call others to this area to share the gospel of Jesus Christ with visitors and residents. Please consider urging others to visit our website and check into receiving more information regarding a ministry partnership via email. We have already placed three teams on our 2005 summer schedule, and we would love to have a chance to work with your church or a church in your area. I’ve mentioned the 2004 summer ministry staff often in the last several issues of The Son & the Sand. Here’s a photo of the hard working team: http://www.barefootbelievers.com/CI.htm Please continue to pray for Lisa, Lindsey, Alana, Tiffany, Kristen, Heather, Michelle, and Emily. Although they are no longer on Alabama’s gulf coast, God is still calling each of them to share what he has done in their lives with the world around them. Seasons of Music Playing guitar and leading worshipers in praise choruses and hymns, singing duets with my soul mate: Thea, singing songs at snowbird fellowships, running the sound system at various spring break and summer concert events on the beach and at campgrounds…these types of musical endeavors have been essential to our effectiveness as ministers of the gospel. Music has always been a wonderful aspect of the many undertakings of Gulf Area Resort Ministries. I received my first guitar (an electric with built in speaker…more of a toy that a serious instrument) at the age of 14. I began learning to play on my first acoustic guitar at the age of 21. I’ve been playing regularly ever since. My close friend, Fred Bueto, introduced me to the concept of home recording about five years ago. Now I consistently strive to create original music at home. I can even capture my creative attempts on CD. It’s a great little hobby. Music is a part of all of our lives. Music touches us deeply in times of sorrow. Music lifts our spirits on a warm summer day. Music comforts. Music quiets us. Music encourages us. Music is a wonderful tool for praising the Creator. There’s nothing like singing about our Savior. Music can become a partner in our prayer lives. Music can focus our attention upon the divine. I’m obviously pretty passionate about music. You may share a passion for music as well. I love trading lists with friends. What music moves you? Send me your list. Here’s mine. A list of some of my favorite songwriters: #1 (of course) Phil Keaggy, Rich Mullins, Keith Green, Charlie Peacock, & Kyle Matthews. Please pray for us as we use music to glorify God and reach out to a world of people that are hurting and need something real to bring music to their hearts. Pray for Me…and I’ll Pray for You Here’s our most recent update in the area of prayer requests. Don’t forget to reply back with your prayer concerns. We want to be faithful to pray for you as well. – Please continue to pray for Thea as she experiences the joys and challenges of her work at Foley High School. – BCM…Baptist Campus Ministries. Please pray for Joe Friman as he works in Bay Minette, Kevin Hamlin at Fairhope, and for me as I continue to develop a strategy to reach out to students at the Gulf Shores campus. – The Greek Course is underway. This is my first language course. I will be taking Greek and a preaching class each Monday. Pray for God’s guidance and my ongoing seminary efforts. – Thea and I continue to prepare and recruit volunteers for the 2004 Shrimp Festival. Pray for us as we make these preparations. If you are interested in volunteering at the Children’s Art Village, give me a call today. Thanks. – Snowbirds will begin flocking in next month. Pray for our many ministry partners. Pray that God would give us the best season ever. – Spring Break and Summer 2005 calendars are well on their way. Please consider sending a student and / or adult mission team our way. – Resort Worship – Some of our services in the campgrounds are year round. We pray that God would prick the heart of a camper, usher them into a resort worship service each Sunday, and there our guest would find encouragement, grace, and His love. And Remember Our beautiful mission field on Alabama’s gulf coast reminds us of this wonderful passage: Psalm 93:3-4 The mighty oceans have roared, O Lord. The mighty oceans roar like thunder; the mighty oceans roar as they pound the shore. But mightier than the violent raging of the seas, mightier than the breakers on the shore-the Lord above is mightier than these! Peace in Christ, Jeff Ford GULF AREA RESORT MINISTRIES EMAIL: bbagarm@gulftel.com WEBSITE: http://www.barefootbelievers.com PHONE: 251.967.4086 We are a ministry of the Baldwin Baptist Association, and we are partners in ministry with the Alabama Baptist State Board of Missions and the North American Mission Board