Pastor's Blog

“Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.” (Ephesians 4:32)

Carol Lucky so very kindly sent me an updated on Terry’s surgery.  The surgery did not last as long as anticipated and Carol said Terry looked to be doing good when she saw him for a few minutes following the procedure.  Keep praying for Terry and ask the Lord to give him a quick and complete recovery.

Wedding for Justin & Morgan today at 2:00PM in the church auditorium.  Members of the Friendship family are invited.  Pray that all goes well.

Regular schedule tomorrow morning and evening.  Lord willing, I will be preaching in all three services.  We will observe the Lord’s Supper as a part of our evening service.

Finance Committee meets at 4:30PM.

Discussion meeting on GRACE Ministries from 4:30 – 5:00PM in the auditorium.

Informational meeting for students and their parents interested in the GRACE Ministries trip next Summer.

The thought process was that the ice machine at the church would be out of commission for some time.  Enter Bob Evans!  Problem seen.  Problem solved.  The man is not an electrician – he is a machine!  He should have his own television show!

The Lord blessed me with a really nice Friday.  Had some quality time with my parents.  Dad is not feeling well at all.  Mama is chomping at the bits to get past this little episode in her life.  Dad & I visited a couple who support GRACE Ministries financially.  They attend church with dad.  Their son-in-law walked in during our visit and I have known him for around forty five years.  Did not know he was their son-in-law and have not seen him in forty years or so.  Think Small, Small World song – cannot get it out of your head now.  LOL!  Nice visit.

I was able to visit with an Uncle of mine who is ninety three years old.  His mind is as sharp as a tack.  I then went and visited with another Uncle who is eighty eight years old.  Both of them were sitting on their front porch.  Man, that brought back memories as to when family members, friends and neighbors sat on the front porches basically every evening during the warm weather.  Not today!  I miss those times.  Really great visits for me.  Glad I had that time with each of them.

The “main” reason I went to Hartselle was to take part in a surprise birthday party for my sister-in-law, Sue.  She will soon have a milestone birthday (think 50)!  This has been planned for six weeks or so.  It was small by design and the fellowship was great!  Thanks to Eddie & Jamie for involving my family and me.  Happy birthday Sue!  Sue is a sweetheart and she is the real deal!

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

“Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.” (Ephesians 4:32)

Good morning from Decatur, Alabama.  More on that later.

I had the privilege of visiting with Terry Lucky yesterday morning in order to pray with him before his surgery today.  He is facing a serious surgery and certainly needs our prayer support.  He will be in ICU immediately following his surgery and is projected to be in the hospital for several days.  Terry is actively involved in our bus ministry.  Our bus director, Bro. Benny McGath, will be at the hospital to pray with Terry before the surgery and then be with the family during the procedure.  Pray for Terry, pray for the surgeon and those assisting him and pray for Carol as she waits beside Terry during this time.

I visited with Randy Tillman yesterday.  Randy had quadruple heart by-pass surgery about two years ago.  He was outside push mowing his yard in the heat of the day.  I scolded him a bit but that is a lot like “pot meet kettle!”  However, I have never had heart surgery or issues.  Randy is still actively grieving Pam’s passing from this life.  Pray for Randy.

Soy, Deidra and the girls are leaving Guatemala today to travel to Costa Rica.  This is mandated by the Guatemalan government.  They have to be out of the country for at least three days as that is the law.  Pray for them to have safety in their travels and for them to get some rest while they are away. Gina will hold down the fort in their absence.

Again, the Friendship family is invited to attend the wedding of Morgan & Justin tomorrow at 2:00PM in our auditorium.

Regular schedule this Sunday morning and evening.  We will observe the ordinance of the Lord’s Supper in our evening service.  Deacons, please come prepared to assist in this service.

Why am I in Decatur?  Real simple answer – to visit my parents to bring Titus back home as he has been here since Tuesday, July 3.  Talk about an awful day of traveling yesterday – it took me right at seven hours to drive from Mobile to my parent’s house in Rocky Ford.  Why?  Lots of stops?  Yes, but not planned.  I was stopped on I-65 not once, not twice, not thee times, not four times but five different times due to accidents.  I drove through four rain showers and each of them produced at least one accident.  The first one just North of Greenville involved six vehicles.  So, I was very thankful to not be involved in any of those accidents but I was also frustrated by the time I finally got to my parent’s house.  I was “flying solo” so at least no one had to listen to me complain!

I spent about thirty minutes visiting with my parents before telling them I would see them today as I just wanted to get to a hotel and unwind from a pretty tense day of traveling.  So, I “unwound” by stopping by Big Bob’s bbq and getting a sandwich to take to the room.  Nice way to unwind and expand at the same time!  I will make a visit with my dad today, hope to visit an Uncle who is ninety three (I think), check on the construction of Eddie & Sue’s new house, and eat at Big Bob’s!

The Dodgers now lead the NL West for the first time this season – hooray!

I need for no one to tell me the score of the World Cup finals this Sunday so I can go home and watch the recording as though it s live.  (Is he serious?  What do you think?)  I need for those watching it while I preach in the second service to not applaud or shout.  I will go ahead and predict the score to be 1 – 0 or 2-1.  Riveting stuff!

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

“Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.” (Ephesians 4:32)

Terry Lucky is scheduled to have surgery in the morning.  Pray that all will go well.

Tammy Womack had a doctor’s appointment yesterday to make some decisions about possible treatments.  Keep praying for Tammy & Pastor John.

Miss Lillian Brinkman has a swallowing test today.  Pray that she will pass it and can begin the process of eating normal foods again.

Robert Baria passed his swallowing test yesterday.  Folks, Robert is a walking miracle! Praise the Lord!

What a huge blessing to see Steve Morris in our morning service yesterday – amazing!  The proverbial “cherry on the top” was to have Sharon Jardee join us as well – also amazing!  Talk about inspirations!

Rita Boutwell shared yesterday morning that one of Greg’s doctors is going to make an effort to do something to help Greg.  Pray that he can find something that can make a positive difference in Greg’s life.

Jim & Glenda Chinners’ youngest son is getting married this Saturday, July 14, at 2:00PM.  The ceremony will take place in our church auditorium.  The Friendship family is invited to attend.

I am in a bind!  The World Cup final is this Sunday, 7/15, at 10:00AM our time.  Should I cancel our services?  Should we have a giant screen on campus and have a “World Cup watch party?”  So many decisions!

Bobby & the boys took it on the chin yesterday while Leslie Hacker’s Braves won.  So, the Nationals are now five and a half games behind the Braves and the Phillies in the NL East.  The Dodgers won while the Diamondbacks got drilled which means LA is only one half game out in the NL West.

The University of Wyoming’s new advertising slogan is set to be “the world needs more cowboys!”  Some folks are crying foul!  They say it is a sexist remark and makes anyone who is not a white male feel unwelcome.  I am just going to bite my tongue and not make comment!

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

On April 29 Tess Scholz arrived in Guatemala to work with GRACE Ministries for a little over two months.  Her assignment was to assist Deidra and helping the one hundred ten children in our feeding center in the area of reading.  Mission accomplished!

Today, Tess boards a plane and heads back to Michigan.  However, she has definitely laid a foundation on which the reading skills of our children can be built upon.  She has organized a library by raising funds to purchase something like five hundred books.  She leveled the books (I think that is what you call it) and then helped teach the Guatemalan workers an effective way to teach reading skills to the children.

She became a great friend and encourager to Deidra.  As Deidra’s father, I am thankful.

The Friendship family had a “bless Tess” Sunday back in May where you gave financially to help make her stay there possible.  Others from outside the Friendship family also gave to support Tess.  Was it a good investment?  Absolutely, without a doubt.

The truth is that Tess blessed all those who crossed her path over these past two months plus.  Pray for Tess as she seeks the Lord’s will for her life from this point forward.

To her parents, Dave & Terri, nice job of raising a fine daughter.  We were definitely “blessed by Tess!”

“Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.” (Ephesians 4:32)

Regular schedule this morning and evening for the Friendship family.

There is going to be an informational meeting for our students, ninth grade & up, regarding our GRACE Ministries trips next Summer.  This meeting takes place this Sunday afternoon, July 15, at 5:00PM.  Students and their parents are invited to attend.

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

“Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.” (Ephesians 4:32)

The funeral service for Miss Bessie Fernandez’s sister takes place this morning at 11:00AM.  It will take place in Gulfcrest.  Pray for Miss Bessie and the family.

Lisa and I have a friend, Lin, who lives in Tuscaloosa.  He is having surgery on his back today.   Pray for all to go well.

My dad’s platelet counts remain too low for him to receive his chemotherapy treatments.  They will do more blood work next Monday and go from there.

My mama is basically in isolation due to an infection.  The medical folks are monitoring her situation daily.  Personally, I think they have overreacted but they did not call to get my opinion.

Pray for Tammy Womack!

Regular schedule for the Friendship family tomorrow morning and evening.

Someone sent me a message yesterday after reading the blog entry and said I needed a Snickers.  What does that even mean?

Bobby and the boys have now lost two in a row and sit five and one half games behind the Phillies and Leslie Hacker’s Braves in the NL East.  The Dodgers won last night and are now one half game behind the Diamondbacks.

The World Cup semi-finals begin today.  I cannot wait!  Probably should have closed the church office!

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

“Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.” (Ephesians 4:32)

We were blessed with a good day in our services yesterday.  We welcome Ryan McKenna into the Friendship family by transfer of letter.  The Spirit was good in our services as was the attendance in our morning services.  The attendance was good in our evening service but we have room for improvement.  Thank God for His blessings and thank those who are faithful.

The service for Miss Bessie’s sister takes place tomorrow at 11:00AM at a cemetery in Gulfcrest, AL.  Pray for the family.

Pastor John & Tammy continue to need our prayer support as Tammy battles a very serious malignancy.

We are on a regular schedule this Wednesday morning and evening.

Bobby & the boys lost yesterday but so did everyone else!  The standings remain the same.

On Sunday night, June 10, during our VBS family picnic in the CAB a couple of our guys talked to me about red snapper fishing.  Told me how many they had been catching, how often they were going, et cetera.  They then told me that they had mentioned this to Lisa and she had expressed a real interest in going snapper fishing at least once this season.  I said, “that would be nice!”  Their words to me were, “pastor, we are going to take her fishing real soon!”

Fast forward to this past Friday, July 6.  I am talking to one the men from the Friendship family who tells me that these same two guys had taken him out last Wednesday, July 4, and they caught some of the largest red snapper he has ever seen.  Could not even get down before the fish hit the bait!  Let’s see – Lisa’s office was closed on July 4 which means she was free that day.  Of course her office has also been closed the four Saturdays since these guys told me they were taking her fishing “real soon!”  Has she been invited to join these two guys on a fishing trip?  I think you know that answer.

Who were these two guys?  No way I would ever share their real names.  Let’s just call them “Jay Baby” and “Jay Five” for name’s sake.  All I know is that my wife has basically cried every night since June 10.

I feel Lisa’s pain.  Back in the day there was a guy who was faithful to take me deep sea fishing.  We had some great times.  He sold his boat and that ended that.  However, he has since bought another boat and has gone fishing like one million times.  How many times have I been invited to join him?  If you guessed zero then you guessed correctly.  He has opted to take a couple of French folks instead of me.

Does these snubs bother me?  Absolutely not!  Can you not tell?  One day these folks will need the pastor and will come running to me like the elders of Gilead.  I am not Jephthah!

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

“Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.” (Ephesians 4:32)

The youngest sister of Miss Bessie Fernandez passed from this life on Friday.  Pray for Miss Bessie and her family as they walk through this valley.

Pastor Max Lara lives in Guatemala and works with Bro. Danny Lafferty.  He has been a friend for many years.  Yesterday afternoon his father passed from this life.  I “assume” there will be a service today as that is normally the custom there.  Pray for Pastor Max and his family during their time of grief.

Keep praying for Pastor John & Tammy Womack.

Regular schedule on the Friendship campus this morning and evening.  Finance Committee meets at 5:00PM.

Let me give props to Rick Bradley, Bobby Broome, Coley Johnson, Josh Nelson, Levi Seymour, Phillip Turner and Dylan Westbrook for trimming the hedges around the auditorium and office yesterday morning.  Rick teaches the 20-29 year old Sunday School class and Bobby is a deacon.  The other five guys mentioned are in the 20-29 class and they joined Rick & Bobby in doing a great job and doing it quickly.  This was a direct result of last Sunday’s Sunday School lesson.  Simply making practical application.  Thank you men for a job well done!

Also, the aforementioned crew was joined by Kendall Falana but he did not trim hedges.  He was power washing every thing in sight and he did a great job.  I appreciate the work Kendall did yesterday and all he has been doing up to this point.

No significant changes in the MLB races.  Bobby & the boys, Leslie’s Braves and the Dodgers all won yesterday.  How about Bob’s Yankees?  Who cares about the Yankees!  LOL!

I pray that you will have a great Sunday with Jesus.  Go to church!

“Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.” (Ephesians 4:32)

Mrs. Bonnie Eyler passed from this life on Tuesday.  The visitation with the family takes place today beginning at noon and lasting until the 2:30PM service time.  Everything takes place at Serenity Funeral Home in Theodore, AL.  Miss Bonnie’s sons are Randy, Gary & Kelly.  Kelly is married to Sonni who is the daughter of Edna Holifield Glover.  Pray for the Eyler family.

Soy & Deidra are heavily involved in providing help to those families in Guatemala adversely affected by the eruption of the volcano on Sunday, June 3.  They are taking food to families in the affected areas.  It takes them about seven hours driving round trip because of having to take the alternate routes due to the main road being closed.  You can read Deidra’s blog at shininglightabroad.com for more details.

By the way, remember “bless Tess?”  That was first mentioned in April which seems like yesterday.  Well, this Wednesday, 7/11, will see Tess leave Guatemala after helping at the feeding center for a little over two months.  Tess has done a great job of teaching  reading skills to the children, building and leveling a library for the feeding center and being a great support for Deidra.  Pray for Tess as she seeks the “next” in her life.  Thank you Tess for a job well done!

We are on a regular schedule tomorrow morning and evening.  Lord willing, I will be preaching in all three services tomorrow.  Is that exciting, or what?  Hey, at least the music will be good!  I am in hopes that the members of the Friendship family will be faithful to attend, bring others, give, et cetera.  Let us not forsake the assembly of ourselves together!

The baby shower for PT & Claire Belle takes place tomorrow afternoon in the fellowship hall.  I only mention this again because Claire Belle was upset at me following yesterday’s entry.  She is not registered at Bay Tire & Lube – I was wrong!  She is registered at Greer’s, Grand Bay Pharmacy and Sessions Fruit Stand!  How could I not know that?

Our Finance Committee meets tomorrow afternoon at 5:00PM.

The guys in our 20-29 year old Sunday School class will meet at 6:30AM today to trim the hedges around the auditorium.  I am not going to call anyone out but let me just say that “they all with one consent began to make excuses!”  One guy had his wife contact me to say “we would be there but we already have plans to do yard work!”  What do they think our guys will be doing?  Another guy says, “I would be there but this overtime is killing me!”  I am good with that – send your wife!  By the way, we will not discriminate against anyone regardless of their age so if you want to lend a hand then come join us!

Speaking of yard work, the “boss” had me going full steam ahead around here yesterday.  I was on the backside of a weed eater basically from 8:00AM until 1:00PM.  (Did take a few breaks to eat some of the watermelon provided by John Milton!).  I was then on a mower until around 5:00PM.  The boss then said, “go buy groceries!”  The tough part is that I still have more yard work to do today.  Our grass is growing faster than we can mow it!

I did encounter my first snake of the Summer while eating weeds yesterday.  It was a young black racer so no harm.  He minded his business and I kept eating weeds.

Bobby and the boys won their second game in a row last night and now find themselves five games behind the Phillies and Leslie Hacker’s Braves.  The Phils have won five straight while the Braves have dropped four in a row.  Meanwhile, the Dodgers blew a lead in the bottom of the ninth to fall one game behind the Diamondbacks.

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

“Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.” (Ephesians 4:32)

Tammy Womack had a scan done this past Tuesday and met with the doctor yesterday.  As of Wednesday, she was still experiencing pain.  Pray for Tammy, Pastor John and the family.

Larry & Judy Whitehurst have a two year old great niece who has an unusual physical malady.  Pray for the doctors and the family to have wisdom as to how to proceed.

I am asking the guys in our Sunday School class to meet me at the church this Saturday morning, 7/7, at 6:30AM.  We are going to trim the hedges so we need trimmers, extension cords, rakes, ladders, et cetera.  We may even ignite the burn pile.  Our class is the 20-29 years old but we will take all comers.  Plans call for us to finish by 8:30AM or so.

There will be a baby shower for Phillip & Claire Belle Turner in the fellowship hall this Sunday, 7/8.  I am not sure of the beginning or ending time.  It is a girl!  I think they are registered at Greer’s, Grand Bay Pharmacy and Bay Tire & Lube – I could be wrong.  Claire Belle is an absolute sweetheart.  She and Phillip are going to make great parents!

We are on a regular schedule this Sunday morning and evening.

So our skeleton crew handled the office ok yesterday.  The phones were basically silent even though there was one prayer request taken and the fellowship hall reserved for a shower in October.

Bobby and the boys scored two touchdowns last night while holding the Marlins to a touchdown, field goal and a safety to pull out a 14 – 12 win.  Leslie Hacker’s Braves took it on the chin for their third consecutive loss so the Nationals are now only six games out of first place in the NL East.

Meanwhile, over in the NL West, the Dodgers had the night off.  However, the Diamondbacks lost their second in a row which means that they now share the top spot with the boys in blue.  Go Dodgers!

I am an Alabama football fan.  I am not a big fan of Eli Gold calling their games.  However, I did like Phil Savage doing the color.  He has stepped down from his position due to being a GM in the new professional football league.  I will miss Phil.  I am submitting Pee Wee Roberts’ name as Phil’s replacement.

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