A while back, Trey McCarley, our dear artist friend, gave Jeannie and I one of his paintings. We love all of his work, but we are especially thankful for his gift to us entitled “Fresh Sails.” If you look closely, you will see two sailboats out in the middle of a vast ocean picking up the winds and moving forward. For me, those boats represent Jeannie and I moving forward to where He, Christ is leading us now. FRESH SAILS, NEW BEGINNING, OPPORTUNITIES TO TRUST HIM!! “Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?” Isaiah 43:19
Starting a new ministry called Legacy Landing at the age of almost 70…what am I thinking? www.legacylanding.org
I have always known, since I became a Christ follower that I had my one life to live for Christ. I certainly wanted to make Him known, to share the gospel. I could not imagine a greater calling, to be able to give “ALL” of my hours to help fulfill the Great Commission. When I graduated from Ole Miss in 1975, I had a few choices before me; go into coaching, business or into ministry. At that time, I was pretty convinced that Christ was coming back any day and I felt I had no time to waste. I needed to get busy sharing the gospel with my generation. And I have continued through the years with that same passion.
This week I begin my 47th year in full time ministry. The journey has been marked with so many highs and lows. It has taken me from the sidelines of the North Texas Football Team as a Chaplin, director of a Campus Ministry at UNT and TWU, corralling college students at Grambling and La. Tech in Ruston to share the gospel. I have found myself speaking at Fraternity Houses at Texas Tech. Sharing Christ with professors at MIT, Harvard, Dartmouth, and other Ivy league colleges. How incredible that God would use a PE major from Ole Miss to boldly share Him on college campuses in the Northeast. I have led 4 summer mission projects with Cru in Virginia Beach where our team of college students shared Christ with 20,000 folks each summer for 4 years. I have helped start a Christian College, The King’s College, in the Empire State Building NYC. I have served with FamilyLife in Little Rock, first as their Homebuilders Director, and later as a Donor Rep, raising funds for the ministry. Then for 6 plus years I served with Spark of Life, an amazing ministry that comes alongside grieving individuals who have experienced tragic loss. Finally, my last stop was Revelation Retreats, where the heart of this ministry is to encourage individuals to experience silent retreats, host retreats and mostly point people back to Christ. This ministry is led by Doug and Kristi Dawson…there are no words that can ever express our love and appreciation for you two!!
God has hand picked many of you to help keep us in the battle. Hundreds of you to love us, speak into our lives, pray for us, and financially support our ministry. You have helped buy us cars, refrigerators, pay medical bills and helped us buy our first home in Texas and our next home in Arkansas. We could go on and on and on. When we think of your partnership with us, we are overcome with gratitude. We have experienced love from each of you in so many ways. Thank you!
This journey has not been easy. Nothing worthwhile is easy. You have seen us through some very hard times – we have been broken, struggling to get by with “short” paychecks, at one point being four months behind on house payments, living with depression and fear. Sometimes people in ministry want to appear that they have it all together. We never have, we never will.
So why start a new ministry now? Simply put, our struggles, our burnouts, our failures and successes, our experiences in ministry have equipped us to speak honestly into the lives of others on issues of marriage, parenting, ministry, and developing and maintaining an intimate relationship with Christ who is our first love.
Many of you know we have dreamed for years about having a ministry of hospitality, serving, teaching, discipling, and loving others. Christ’s example of “getting away and being still” is so much of what Legacy Landing is all about. A place to walk the beach, to be still, to reflect, to listen, to be renewed. Not to mention having someone serve and love you well while you attend one of our custom retreats. When some dear friends asked the question, “If we buy a beach house in Florida, would you want to use it for ministry?” The answer was, “YES, YES, YES!”
So that is where we are, 47 years later. Fresh Sails…we might move a little slower than we did 47 years ago, but we are not lacking in vision, passion, and a heart to serve God with all we are. I am so thankful that God has given me Jeannie as my partner in life and in ministry. She still cheers me on and trusts in God along with me. She really is amazing! I know all of you are agreeing, nodding your head yes! “DUH”
So where are we now? We are building a prayer and support team, just like we have for 47 years. Some of you have already joined us, you have jumped on board to pray, give, or both.
We invite you to jump on this boat with us, continue to ask Him to keep us afloat. If you are already on board, thanks, if you are considering it, thanks. We love each one of you!
Catching the Wind with Fresh Sails,
Barry and Jeannie
P.S. We have already had people requesting information about attending a Legacy Landing retreat. We know the need is great.