Sunday was fun...

We were invited to play at Fire Fest 2007. The brainchild of a few local people who have a heart for the church's in Waverly to work together! There was some anxiety about worshipping in front of people that have watched us grow up. It is so much easier to worship with people you don't know very well. Worshipping in front of people who know so much about you, your life, your family makes you question yourself. It is an attack. Plain and simple. Here are a few pictures from the event from my great friend and the official pilot of the MFE, Jon Mark Hall.


Since I brought it up, I have to apologize. I play with 2 bands. One is an amazing group of guys God has put in my life to help me grow as a musician. Jim, Dale, Roy, Jesse, and Dan are fantastic people, who use their musical gifts to Praise God in amazing ways. Awesome hearts. I love these guys. I do not get to play with them often enough. We have been trapped in a band name since the beginning...I run, i hide, but it is still there. The Marty Ford Experience. My friend Jesse played a practical joke on me and it has stuck. We just can't escape it. I am embarrassed to give the band name to people for events we are playing. I have had Pastors offer prayer for my "big ego", people laugh because they know I am not much of an experience, and people who love it because they know that I far from the egotist the name suggests.

The second band I play with is the group of kids you see in the pictures. They help me lead worship at church once a month. These kids are incredible. They have developed into great musicians, but even better worshippers. I have seen in them a desire to draw close to God in worship. They understand it is a response and it is not for us. I can't express how proud I am of them and the young leaders they have grown to be. I love being around them, their energy and passion is infectious. I love them like they were my own kids.



Here is the reason for the apology.... These kids have no identity when they are with me. What I mean by that is for the one day of Fire Fest, they were official members of the MFE, whether they like it or not. That was painful for me. I purposefully did not give the organizers of the event a band name so the kids would not be stuck in that band name, self promotion sort of activity. My plan sort of backfired. Instead of calling us the MFE...they called us "the River Valley Worship team". I felt awful about that. Don't get me wrong, I proudly stand up and represent RVCC! But there are so many others not involved with Fire Fest that day that are just as much a part of the River Valley Worship Team. I felt so bad that I sent a text message that night to Steve to apologize. I felt I was offending people either way. Call us "MFE" and the kids fall into the same trap I am in and call us "RVCC Worship Team" and the others who did not participate but belong in that name are possibly hurt.

Sunday was fun. I so need a great band name.