Pastor's Blog

Lisa arrived home literally just before midnight last night.  All is well and we are thankful for traveling mercies.  I miss her whenever she is not here but I am glad she got to be with Audrey on her birthday.

Bro. Abel should be in Houston as I type this entry.  He has a pretty tight connection but I am praying all will go well through customs, the security check, et cetera.

Our morning attendance was up a bit yesterday morning.  I am thankful to the Lord and to those who are faithful.

Our evening service was different as we had a boatload of folks in the CAB assembling “Bags of GRACE” which will be shipped early next month.  This is a new ministry endeavor for us and I think it will simply grow in the years ahead.  Thank you to each young person and adult who helped  last night, who brought bags of GRACE in weeks gone by and who gave financially to help us purchase the items for the remaining bags.  Kayla Hatcher & Daphne Hutto did a ton of shopping over the past week or so getting the needed items and I thank them for doing so.

The final ladies Bible study for this series takes place today beginning at 10:00AM.  Pray for this to be a good day for those ladies.

Our church will host a service at the Mission of Hope tomorrow night, 9/26, beginning at 7:00PM.  Everyone invited. Grant Tillman will be speaking and his daughter, Addison, will be sharing the message in song.  (Thank God Grant will not be singing!)

I pray that you will have a great Thursday with Jesus.

Regular schedule on our campus this morning and evening.  Please note that the CAB will not be open to any recreational activities, hanging out, et cetera due to a missions opportunity.

I pray that you will have a great Wednesday with Jesus.

Happy birthday to our granddaughter, Audrey Clark Taylor, as she celebrates her eleventh birthday today.  Lisa is in Guatemala to celebrate with Audrey as are her paternal grandparents, Curtis & Myrna Taylor.  I pray that she will have a great day!  As long as Audrey lives, Soy will never die!  Carbon copy in so many ways.  For the almost next six weeks Deidra’s girls will be ages, 13, 12 & 11.  Wow!  We love Audrey.  Happy birthday, Audrey!

A huge shout out to our deacons, their wives and the others who came alongside them and helped host the fellowship at Presley’s yesterday.  From the grilling to the setting up, serving, taking down, et cetera they did awesome.  Thank you, thank you, thank you!  We do not have an exact attendance figure but it was in the two hundred figure based on our resident CPA – the esteemed TJ!  (If you ever have a medical emergency then TJ is the man to call!  Speaking from personal experience!)

Here is the best news from yesterday’s fellowship – we baptized ten folks.  Hallelujah!  Obviously, that is the proverbial icing on the cake!  Thank you, Jesus!

Our morning service saw Gene Davis come home after being in Texas and Georgia for many years.  So good to have Gene back as an official part of the Friendship family although I have never thought of him as anything but a member regardless of his physical location.

Grant Tillman’s surgery went well on Friday.  He is definitely milking it for the next ten weeks!

Bro. Abel arrived safe and sound on GRACE Mountain yesterday afternoon.  Pray for three good days of ministry for him.

TPUSA estimates two hundred thousand folks were present for the service of remembrance yesterday.  What a huge crowd.  I did not agree with everything spoken but that matters not to the overall picture.  God used Charlie Kirk in a huge way during his thirty-one years on earth.  May God continue to receive the glory!

I pray that you will have a great Monday with Jesus.

Grant Tillman will undergo surgery on his hand this morning.  Pray that all goes well.  His recovery time is expected to take ten weeks.  Grant is a really good guy.  His mother-in-law. . .

As far as I know, Mary Anne and the baby will be discharged from the hospital today.

Bro. Johnny Tucker and a team of others are presently ministering in the Philippines.  I think they left here on 9/10.  Pray for them to finish strong!

Soccer for the minis begins tonight – 5:30PM until 6:30PM.  Flag football begins tomorrow – 8:00AM until 11:15AM.  Concessions available.  Drive thru open for those who placed advance orders.  Thank you for your support.

Bro. Abel leaves early Sunday morning heading to Guatemala in order to host soccer camps and flag football camps.  Pray for this to be a good week of ministry.

Tickets for our church wide fellowship at Presley’s Outing will be available this Sunday morning.  Three dollars each with those ages five and under getting in free.  Friendship family – bring one side and one dessert to go along with burgers and hot dogs.  We will begin at 4:00PM, baptism at 4:30PM and the meal immediately following.  Come join us!  (Bring a chair!)

I pray that you will have a great Friday with Jesus.

Maybe I should just start calling this “the late blog” as that seems to be my lot in recent days.  My apology.  (I could offer excuses but I will just own it and go from there)

Good day in our services yesterday.  I appreciate Bro. Abel very much.  He is always there for me and does such a good job!  I am blessed!

Zach Brown is the man!  Yellow jackets be gone!

Grant Tillman is, once again, allowing us to use his trailer for the concession stand.  Thank you, Grant!  By the way, he will be having surgery tomorrow.  Katie should be ashamed of herself!  Poor Grant!

Mary Anne & baby should be discharged tomorrow.  Keep praying!

I pray that you will have a great rest of your Thursday with Jesus.

First, I apologize for this way late entry.  We have been experiencing internet issues (no internet) for the past couple of days.  I have great internet when on GRACE Mountain in Guatemala and poor (at best) from my house.  Imagine that!

Second first, today is my older brother’s (Eddie) and his wife’s (Sue) forty-ninth wedding anniversary.  I pray that are having a great day.

Third first, I was wrong!  You are thinking, “is he serious!”  Yes, the newest addition to the Dueitt family is not named EHD III but Emory Michael Dueitt.  This is done in remembrance of Charles & Ann’s son, Michael.

Speaking of Harold & Mary Anne, visited them this morning and all is well.  They should be home by this Friday.  Pray for Mary Anne, Emory Michael and Harold.  Older sister, Isabella, is thrilled!

Grant Tillman will have surgery on his hand this Friday.  Pray for all to go well.  I figure that the next Katie tells him to do something that he will respond in obedience!  Just saying!

Our grandson, Jayden, did well through is procedure this morning.  He is home now and will go back to the hospital tomorrow.  Thank you for praying.

Lisa arrived safe and sound in Guatemala.  I am home alone!  O happy day!

I appreciate Bro. Abel filling in for me this morning.

I pray that you will have a great rest of your Wednesday with Jesus.

Mary Anne Dueitt gave birth via C-section to Emory Harold Dueitt III this afternoon at 1:03PM.  He weighed seven pounds and thirteen ounces.  Mother and son are doing well!  Thank you for praying!

Mary Anne Dueitt was admitted to the hospital late yesterday afternoon and will be induced this morning.  Then, the wait begins.  Lord willing, I will stick my head in the door and say a quick prayer.  I do not do babies simply because you never know the “when” of the birth.  Pray for Mary Anne and Harold today!  Pray for baby EHD III.

The surgery to replace Jamie Hatcher’s knee did not take place due to infection.  The surgeon removed the hardware from her previous knee replacement and will treat her with antibiotics for three or four weeks before doing another knee replacement.  Keep praying for Jamie and Chuck.

Our grandson, Jayden, will be put to sleep tomorrow morning in order to do some type of test related to possible allergies.  Pray for all to go well, please.  Thank you.

And I thought last Tuesday afternoon was fun!  Tonight, I get a double dose of middle school girls flag football as Nora’s team has a tri-match meaning her team plays at 6:00PM and 7:00PM.  Slow down my racing heart!  I love Nora and am blessed to be able to attend her games.  Did I mention that she was the leading receiver in last week’s game?

Regular schedule on our campus tomorrow morning and evening.

Bro. Abel and others have the soccer/football fields looking good!  Soccer this Friday night and football Saturday morning.  We need folks to support the concession stand as the proceeds benefit our students going to Guatemala in June 2026.  A drive thru will be available.  Good food.  Good cause.

Lisa departs for Guatemala in the morning.  I am excited for her.  Pray for traveling mercies.

I pray that you will have a great Tuesday with Jesus.

Our staff and students in Guatemala are actively celebrating Independence Day today.  Big doings yesterday and today.

Jamie Hatcher, Chuck’s wife, is presently in surgery.  It has to do with her left knee.  Pray for all to go well.

Mary Anne Dueitt, Harold’s wife, will be admitted to the hospital late this afternoon and they will induce labor in the morning.  Pray for a safe delivery of EHD III.

I am going to copy and paste from an article written by Pastor Jack Bailey earlier today.  “When I heard that Charlie Kirk had been murdered, I made the mistake of going to Google and there I saw what incensed me, “Right-Wing Activist Shot.” Immediately, they mentioned his support of our president and they called Trump a right-winger. Charlie Kirk was first and foremost a follower of Jesus Christ: and that is why he died heroically as a Christian martyr. Has the media mentioned his love and devotion to Jesus? I do confess that FOX aired his wife’s speech and they did give him some good press. But most of the very biased left-wing media tried to make it a political assassination. They made it sound like Charlie was into politics which he was not. He was a Christian Apologist with the skills of an Apollo, who could refute the Jews in public debate. He could take the scriptures and prove that Jesus was the Messiah and the Jews hated him. Charlie Kirk could take the scripture and show how sexual perversion is a sin and they hated him for it. His murder had nothing to do with politics.

Let me set the record straight: Charlie Kirk was NOT a “Right-wing Political Activist,” he was a CHRISTIAN APOLOGIST and the best I’ve ever seen or heard. I am not saying that he was more intelligent than C.S. Lewis, but Lewis never engaged in public debate. Charlie was next to Jesus in my opinion at confronting the lost world with the truth of the gospel. He was phenomenal. No one that I know of, since Jesus and Apollos could do what he did.”

The words in italics are Pastor Jack’s and I appreciate his viewpoint.

I pray that you will have a great rest of your Monday with Jesus.

Late entry.  My apologies.

As long as the Lord allows me to live and have my memory, I will never forget the events of this day twenty-four years ago.  My prayer this morning was for the families of those who lost family members on that most tragic day.  May we never forget.

My second prayer this morning was for the family of Charlie Kirk.  Wow!  I am not even going to share my thoughts but instead just focus my prayers on the Kirk family.

Today is Blake Jenkins birthday.  So why are you mentioning this, pastor?  Because Blake has a twin brother who will celebrate his birthday tomorrow, 9/12.  True story!

I pray that you will have a great rest of your Thursday with Jesus.