Art Bailey, Senior Crusade Director of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (www.billygraham.com) tells of “Rock the River” with Franklin Graham under the St. Louis Arch.  The event features music from six bands popular with young people – “Flyleaf,” “Hawk Nelson,” “Kirk Franklin,” “Lecrae,” “Red” and “Skillet” – during seven hours (2:30 – 9:30 PM) on Sunday, August 2 under the famous St. Louis Arch by the Mississippi River.  Franklin Graham will present the Gospel of Christ three of four times during the day to thousands of young people.  It could be something of a “Christian Woodstock.” Eight BGEA staff members are currently in St. Louis, led by Art Davis, in preparation of Rock the River. They are connecting with local people, visiting pastors and churches, readying counselor training, attending to the details of the main day and the subsequent follow-up activities.  Much excitement is already developing, and much prayer is requested.  The Graham leadership emphasizes that the three primary factors that drive such an event:  “Prayer, Prayer, and Prayer!”

"As a young woman, Mary Kay Beard let the pain and anger from an abusive childhood drive her into a life of crime and danger. By the time she was 27, she was wanted by both federal and state authorities and was the target of a mafia contract. Finally captured, convicted of armed robbery, sentenced to 21 years, and thrown into solitary confinement in an Alabama prison, Mary Kay took stock of her life. And she started reading the Bible. Thus began God's amazing transformation of a broken, bitter criminal into a mighty woman of faith and service.” From www.marykaybeard.com.

Chuck Colson invited Mary Kay to serve with him through “Prison Fellowship.”  During that time she founded Angel Tree, a ministry that provides Christmas gifts to the children of those serving terms in prison…in the name of their parents.  To date approximately 6 million children have received gifts … and joy … from gifts through Angel Tree. 

Chuck Colson calls Mary Kay Beard, “a trophy of God’s grace. She has one of the most dramatic and dynamic testimonies I have ever heard. I commend her ministry to anyone and am proud to serve with her as a colleague in the cause of Christ’s kingdom.”

Mary Kay Beard’s story is told in the book “Rogue Angel: the Spiritual Journey of one of the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted” – and in the radio interview you can hear now.

"Dr. Eugene Birdsong, my high school classmate, has delivered 8,000 babies and cared for 12,000 children. But in our recent high school class reunion I learned of new joys and fulfillment in Gene's life. He periodically takes his medical skills and his heart to needy parts of the world via short term mission trips. Now you can hear some of the moving and meaningful stories told Gene Birdsong, including his travels to serve the victims of the tsunami devastation. He now delights in the joy of having delivered babies on three different continents and of helping save lives during those journeys. His joy is sometimes mixed with pain in seeing some deaths occur simply because the right medicines or facilities were not available. Some nostalgia gets into the interview when we recalled the great Jackson, MS Central High School football team with their near perfect winning seasons. The remarkable backfield included other friends . Mike Stanley, John Gainey, the late Johnny McKeithen, and, yes, Dr. Eugene Birdsong!"

While this interview was tied in with his speaking at the Missouri Baptist Convention in St. Louis, it is a lively conversation of several stimulating subjects, including a summary of how one can be forgiven and find peace with God.  After an unlikely background for a preacher, Dr. John Bisagno received Christ, was “saved,” at the “world largest youth encampment” – Falls Creek Assembly in southern Oklahoma.  55 years later the new 7,250 seat Falls Creek Tabernacle Worship Center was named in his honor!  For 30 years he pastored the First Baptist Church of Houston, TX, now composed of 22,000 members.  He has written 25 books, among them The Power of Positive Praying, which has sold 2,000,000 copies.  He has served as the President of the Southern Baptist Pastors’ Conference and has gained national recognition as a dynamic and effective crusade evangelist and Bible Teacher.  His honorary doctorates have come from Oklahoma Baptist University (his alma Mata), Southwest Baptist University (MO), and Houston Baptist University where a “Chair of Evangelism” is named in his honor. Dr. Bisagno has spoken at the SBC national convention, the World Congress of Evangelism, and at every major state convention and state evangelism congress.  He has conducted 37 international evangelistic crusades and has lectured at every SBC seminary. 

Dr. Henry Blackaby (www.blackaby.org) is perhaps best known for his Experiencing God; Knowing and Doing the Will of God.  Briefly stated, Dr. Blackaby teaches that we should seek God, discover what He is doing and then join him in the doing of it.  Before any of his teachings were published, Dr. Avery Willis (www.averywillis.com) heard his message and offered to get it in print.  With the writing skills of Dr. Claude King, it happened and now has made impact upon millions nationally and worldwide.  In this radio conversation Dr. Blackaby discusses the need for revival and his recent writings about it (Fresh Encounter, Revised and Expanded), concerns regarding biblical illiteracy, his ministry that has developed -- at their request -- with CEO’s of Fortune 500 companies, and the Second Coming of Jesus Christ.  Dr. Blackaby states his conviction that Christ will return in the lifetime of some living now and gives biblical reasons why.  “No one knows the day nor the hour,” Dr. Blackaby quotes Jesus in saying, but specific signs of which Jesus spoke, reflected in current world conditions, indicate that the time is near. Works of Dr. Blackaby can be seen and obtained at www.blackaby.org and click on “Resources.”

Part 1

Part 2