Barnful of faith: Lithia jamborees pluck heartstrings

As Mike Holmes stood at the foot of his father's casket, he caught a glimpse of the weathered old Bible propped in the corner.

"You gonna bury that with dad?" he asked his mother.

She nodded. "Unless any of you boys want it."

Oh, he wanted it all right. Holmes had taken a detour from his Christian roots and he was looking for a way back home.

That Bible meant something powerful. It was the constant companion of his father, an evangelist preacher who moved throughout Kentucky and Indiana starting new churches. Mike would have fought an army for that book, and now it was his, simple as that.

"The mantle was passed," Mike says of that moment four years ago. "It's like the Lord gave me a blood transfusion standing by that casket. I haven't been able to do enough for him ever since."

Mike Holmes, founder of Horse 'N Tack magazine, went from hard-driving businessman to affable barnyard host, opening his 11 acres in Lithia once a month for a free Country Praise jamboree.

"He's a changed man, all right," says Denise, his wife of 18 years. She believes Mike's spiritual transformation saved their marriage and her husband. "His priorities are completely different. He didn't have a heart before, it was all about business. Now it's all about people."

And the people are coming in droves.

Every month, the crowds get bigger. The Holmes' evening of music and food has drawn as many as 300 friends and strangers, from farmers in faded bib overalls to clean-cut young families from the suburbs to retirees living on meager pensions. Baby boomers sport T-shirts with images of the Beatles and Led Zeppelin. A veteran fresh from Iraq wears his combat boots and a flag pin on his shirt collar.

They pull up the drive in their Dodge pickups, Ford trucks and old-model Buicks, parking in a makeshift dirt lot to the right of the horse corrals. They claim a folding chair or plastic seat in Mike's barn-turned-performance hall and get in line for chips, a soft drink and a grilled burger or hot dog prepared by Denise and her friends. Some drop a few dollars in the donation bucket, but nothing is required. Then they settle in for hours of live music and song by locals.

It's an ever-changing assortment of entertainers up on stage. It could be a Nashville recording artist, or it could be Harry Goldenberg, 84, from Sun City Center. He used to spend his Friday nights in an Orthodox Jewish synagogue, but he converted to Christianity a few years ago, and now he's here, strumming the gut bucket with the makeshift Country Praise band.

"Heavenly," he says. "A beautiful night and we're making beautiful music. And maybe we're planting a few seeds to get them thinking about the Lord."

Anyone with an instrument and a little bit of pluck can take the stage. Harmonica player David Raines of Tampa, a father of four and lymphoma survivor, likes the simplicity of the gathering. This isn't about fame, money or worldly gain.

"It's just about the music and glorifying God," Raines says.

Mike tells him what he tells all the musicians and singers: Just keep it clean and respectful. He also makes it clear to the audience that there's an agenda to this platform.

"I tell folks, if you're offended because I sing about the USA and God, then you should stay home," he says. "Because that's what we're all about here. God and country music."

Not that country music, the kind with lyrics about drinking 'til the cows come home and cheating on your wife with your best friend's girl. This brand of country celebrates wholesome living and thanks God for all that's good in the world. Instead of chugging beer and chewing tobacco, its audience is hooked on soda pop and tapping to the beat.

Mike, 58, opens the night with a quick prayer and welcomes the entertainers to share a bit of their testimonies, but he draws the line at preaching. He doesn't want Country Praise to be confused with coming to church. That would scare too many folks off.

Greg Shepherd, 56, has made the trip twice from Dade City. A security worker for the Shriners Hospital in Tampa, he says he has never experienced anything quite like this.

"I don't know many folks who open their backyards to total strangers, not in today's world," he says.

He also likes the laid-back atmosphere infused with a subtle, nonthreatening faith message. He's been thinking about going back to church. This is a nice way to ease into it, he says.

"There's a lot of prayers that go on in the songs," he says. "But it's not in your face."

The first Country Praise night 18 months ago didn't have a name. It was just a gathering of a half-dozen musicians around a campfire in Mike's backyard. He and Denise brought the idea from Nashville, where they had attended a late-night pickin' party with fellow members of the Christian Country Music Association.

This is a great idea, Mike told his wife. We need to bring this back to Florida. Some may call his instinct a gut feeling; he prefers "God's voice." Listen to that, he says, and you won't go wrong.

He had only recently returned to his guitar. He'd taught himself to play when he was 12, but put the instrument aside a dozen years later when his first marriage broke up. That's when he quit going to church, too. So it seemed natural that after he got right with his Lord again, the music would follow.

Now he's back in it full swing: playing, singing, writing. He quit training and trading horses several years ago, devoting himself full time to his trade magazine and his creative energies. He's got two Christian books in the works and plans to debut his faith-inspired play "Leftovers" this fall in his barn.

He never anticipated the Friday night songfests would grow so popular so quickly. He extended an invitation in his magazine, and word-of-mouth took care of the rest. He has had to move the location three times - from the campfire, to a small barn to a bigger one - to accommodate the crowds.

That tells him just how hungry people are for free, wholesome entertainment.

"I think people are tired of pulling out a $50, $100 bill every time they take their family out to do something fun," he says. They have the option to give a donation to help pay for the food that Mike and Denise provide, but there's no pressure. Some months, they get more than enough to cover expenses; other months, it doesn't come close.

At May's jamboree, Denise and her volunteer crew serve up 120 burgers and 160 hot dogs, working for two hours over hot grills as the baking sun sets in the west. All the trucks and cars and strangers were a little daunting at first, she admits.

Then she looks up at the stage. Mike is chatting up the crowd, drawing laughter. Shadow, his beloved tri-color Aussie shepherd, is at his feet. He strums a few notes on the Parkwood six-string acoustic guitar slung around his neck and works into a song. Denise heaves a contented sigh.

"Look at how happy he is. And look at all the smiling faces around here," she says. "I look at the man he's become, so giving and so unselfish, and I know we're doing the right thing."

Mike doesn't know where this is going, but he knows where he would like it to go.

He's encouraging farmers and ranchers all over the United States to open their properties and host events like this. He sees a twofold benefit to Country Praise nights: They inspire fellowship in communities with a free, family-oriented gathering, and they provide a venue for budding Christian country entertainers.

He doesn't carry that Bible he rescued from his daddy's casket. It's precious to him, so he keeps it safely put away. That doesn't mean he forgets the lessons it teaches.

"I read a sign a long time ago that said, 'You may be the only Bible your neighbor ever reads,'" he says. "So I try to live up to that. Show a little love and kindness to your neighbor. That's what we're trying to do."

COUNTRY PRAISE JAMBOREE

WHAT: live music by local and national entertainers, food and drink

WHEN: 7 p.m. the last Friday of the month

WHERE: 7818 Lithia-Pinecrest Road, Lithia

COST: Free, but donations accepted

SPECIAL EVENT: June 26, Nashville recording artist Greg McDougal performs

INFORMATION: (813) 685-9663