It’s All True!
I just got back from First Baptist Palmetto, where I did both a VBS Rally and a Concert.
I started doing events at this church in 1999, and it holds a special place in my heart. It’s where I wrote the song It’s All True (sort of my life’s “theme song”) while I was there in April of 2000.
In January of that year my daddy was diagnosed with spindle cell melanoma and was told he might have 6 months to live at the most. The doctor said there was no treatment available due to the rarity and aggressiveness of this form of cancer.
I immediately called a bunch of pastors and children’s ministers to ask them to get their churches to start praying for my dad. One pastor from Birmingham called back a few minutes later and said the Lord had spoken to him and told him to tell me “It’s all true!” He began quoting scriptures to me and would stop every few minutes and say, “Remember TODAY Jeff, it’s all true!”
Then this pastor began quoting lyrics from some of the VBS songs I had written, and again every so often he would pause and say, “Remember TODAY, it’s all true!” At that moment I knew there was a song in that, so I tucked it away in my heart to work on later.
I went to my parents’ home that night, wrote down every scripture of healing I could find in the Bible and gave them to my daddy. I told him that there WAS a treatment…THE WORD! I asked him to start reading those scriptures over himself everyday, and he did.
A couple of months later, I was diagnosed with polyps on my vocal chords and had been told by a doctor I needed to have surgery and quit singing for at least a year – otherwise, I would permanently damage my chords. He put me on complete vocal rest for 10 days before I went to do an event in Palmetto in April of 2000.
The first night I lost my voice while I was leading worship… nothing would come out… I couldn’t even whisper. I felt a panic start to come over me.
I called my vocal coach and could barely get the words out, “Help me.” She told me to not open my mouth the next day to allow my voice to rest.
The next morning I went out on a pier overlooking the bay and sat there all day praying and begging the Lord to heal me.
In the breeze that was gently blowing over me I could hear the Lord say, “Remember today, Jeff, It’s all true.” And the Lord began to craft that song in my head.
I wrote the entire song that afternoon… in my head… with no instrument… in complete silence. I had never done that before. The next day I was able to sing it for the first time.
I have sung it thousands of times over the past 11 years. I never went back to the doctor. I just told the Lord that as long as He gave me breath I would use my voice to declare wherever I go that “It’s All True.” I have not missed a single event in the past 11 years!
My dad passed away on March 19, 2003. Three years and three months after the doctor gave him 6 months. I don’t think he missed a single day reading those scriptures over himself or having one of us do it for him when he was too weak. I placed those tear stained sheets of paper in his casket before they closed it, then walked into his service and sang “It’s All True” once again!
This past weekend was the first time I have been back to Palmetto in many years. It was such a sweet blessing to get to sing that song there once again!!
And I’m glad others were blessed, too. Here’s what some of them have written to tell me:
“Hey Jeff Thanks for the concert last night it was awesome! so excited for VBS this year!!” (Nathaniel Miller)
“Thank you Jeff for sharing with us last night!! It was a beautiful worship time! So nice to see you again!! Blessings!!!” (Peggy Pyles)
“Thanks Jeff for a Great Evening of Praise and Worship!! See you in Nashville.” (Pat and Alicia Kennedy)
“Thank you for blessing our church today. You are amazing. I have some amazing pictures that I will be sending you. God bless you for all you do. What a great day we had a FBC Palmetto.” Mary Johnson Mattison