Pastor's Blog

If all goes as planned, Carol Lucky will be discharged from the hospital today following her dialysis treatment.  She will be transported home by ambulance (is Terry really that bad of a driver?).  Keep praying for Carol & Terry.  Thank you Bill Kendrick for the update.

Lord willing, I will get an update on Andy & Betty today.

Keep praying for Edna Pearl Morgan.  And Phil.

Ditto for Jeanette Bates and her recovery.

Regular schedule on our campus this morning and evening.  Come join us!  Listening for thoughts on the starting time for our Wednesday evening services.  Presently, we begin at 6:30PM.  Would a 6:00PM start be too early for those who work?  (This only applies to those who attend our Wednesday evening services)  Let me hear from you if you so desire.

Much attention has been given to Volcano Fuego since Monday morning’s eruption.  The concern is appreciated.  Things are good on GRACE Mountain.  Fuego has been erupting since 2002.  June of 2018 was really bad.  We can see the puffs of smoke and sometimes the fire.  It sets behind Acatenango when looking from the mission house.  Could something “big” happen with Fuego?  Yes, but that is always a possibility.  I would simply ask that you pray for continued safety for Deidra, her daughters and everyone involved with GRACE Ministries.  For folks like Tom Compagner, Ross Genzink, Stacey Dyess, Eddie Albritton, Sammy Anders, John Gissal, Steve Compagner, Don Redder (i.e. big money folks) you can send cash to me (small, unmarked bills) and I will get it to Deidra.  Just saying!  I will post an update if anything significant happens.

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

Happy fourth birthday to our grandson, Cooper Burch.  At this point he is the youngest of our grandchildren which presently numbers ten.  He is deeply loved and both of his grandmothers are good at spoiling him!  I hope Cooper will have a great day today!  We love Cooper!

Visited Carol Lucky in the hospital yesterday.  She was taken to dialysis early in my visit.  Spent a few minutes more visiting with Terry.  Carol wants to be discharged from the hospital but not sure when that will happen.  Keep praying for Carol & Terry.

Stopped by to see Andy & Betty Hamil.  He did have a bad day on Sunday per his own admission but he was doing better yesterday.  Andy & Betty each have a hospital bed in their living room.  I do not see Andy being up and about much, if any, from this point on.  Pray for Andy & Betty.

Stacey Sessions (Saturday) and Laura Fosmore (Sunday) had their respective MRIs and are awaiting the results.  Pray for these ladies.

Thank you to each person who personally gave to the special need in Guatemala this past Sunday, 8/2.  You know who you are but, more importantly, God knows.  Again, thank you.

Regular schedule on our campus tomorrow – morning and evening.

We received an unexpected, but welcomed, rain shower at the house late yesterday afternoon.  Thank you, Jesus.

I am absolutely loving the fiber optic cable internet.  I just did a speed test and it shows a download of 610 with an upload of 462. A bit better than the 14 and o.6 from pre-fiber optic cable days.  Three men buried the cable yesterday.  Really nice men from Oklahoma.  So, hopefully we are now all set internet wise.

By the way, thanks to Rhett Butler we are now set with fiber optic cable on our church campus too.  Folks, Rhett does so much behind the scenes that is never noticed until something goes wrong or does not work.  Here is the deal – Rhett never asks for any recognition.  The same goes for those who help him with various projects.  I am thankful for Rhett!

Speaking of being thankful, my 2026 garden has now run its course.  John Milton Ladnier, Jr and Scott Fontenot did so much work in my garden this year that I cannot even begin to describe it all.  I just sat on the back porch “smoking cigarettes and watching Captain Kangaroo” (just kidding) as they worked in my garden.  The one downer is that Larry Whitehurst never showed up with his hoe – what is up with that!  God blessed the garden and I am thankful to Him and these two men.

One more thank you – my brother, Eddie, got my new laptop set up last Friday when I went to visit Mama.  He has forgotten more about computers then I will ever know.  That may be why he is number one and I am number five on Mama’s list.  If she tells me one more time how smart Eddie is. . .

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

The Lord blessed us with good services yesterday morning and evening.  We praise Him!

Carol Lucky remains in the hospital.  I will be on my way to see her in just a bit.

Visited with Andy & Betty the other day and he was having a good day.  I am now told that he did not have a good day yesterday.  Pray for Andy & Betty.

Keep praying for Edna Pearl Morgan.  Tough road for her but Pearl is a tough lady who trusts God completely.  Pray for Phil too.

Regular schedule this Wednesday, 8/5.

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

I was wrong!  Those of you who know me well are having a difficult time digesting that statement.  I wrote that the SS class that will be taught by Jeff Holifield would begin this Sunday, 8/2.  Incorrect.  It begins in September.  They will meet in the adult SS building but not until September.

Regular schedule on our campus tomorrow – morning and evening.

A gift was given to me this past Wednesday night for Dana’s baby.  I was asked to give it to Dana.  Has anyone seen a really pretty gift bag just setting around on the church campus?  Could it have been stolen?  I hear nice onesies are in big demand!  I am about to get body slammed!  Just saying!

The Lord blessed me with safe travels yesterday and a good time of visiting with Mama.  She is doing really well and I continue to hold my place as her fifth favorite child.  Thank you to those who prayed for traveling mercies.

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

Where did July ’26 go?  Wow!

Sorry for the lateness of this entry but I drove to Hartselle, AL this morning and am now sitting in Mama’s room in the Summerford’s Nursing Home.  So, this is the first entry I have ever written from this place.

Friendship family, we have so many folks on our prayer list.  Please be faithful to pray fervently.

Stacey Sessions will have a MRI tomorrow and Laura Fosmore will have one on Sunday.  Pray for good results.

Regular schedule on our campus this Sunday.  It is our first Sunday of our new educational year so we will have new teachers and some new classes.  I encourage any men not already involved in a SS class to check out the class that will be taught by Jeff Holifield.  They will meet in a room on the West side of the adult building.

Yes, Lisa arrived home safe and sound last night around 10:45PM.  I left at 3:30AM heading North.  Makes for a good marriage!  Thanks to Daphne for coming over yesterday and cleaning our house.  Lisa was impressed with how clean I kept the house!

We will soon have a meeting for those interested in being a team member for our June 2027 GRACE Ministries mission trip to Guatemala.  Stay tuned!

Also, we will most likely be choosing the dates and location for next Summer’s student camp.

Fall soccer is basically upon us!  Bro. Abel has the details!

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

P.S. – Eddie just left so I am going to try and talk Mama into moving me “up” in her Will.  Being her fifth favorite child should have some benefit!

to my in-laws, Charles & Ann Clark!  I hope their day has been great!

Today is the day – my wife comes home!  It has been a long two plus weeks for us.  She gets home around 10:45PM and I will leave around 3:30AM heading to Hartselle to see my Mama.  Pray for traveling mercies for both of us.

I did not see Carol Lucky yesterday as she was in dialysis.  Not sure what her situation is at this point.

I did visit with Kathy Johnson.  She is a very sick lady.

Andy & Betty Hamil continue to need our prayer support.

Stacey Sessions is scheduled to have a MRI this Saturday.  Pray all goes well.

Apparently they are running a two for one special as Laura Fosmore is scheduled to have a MRI this Sunday morning.  Pray for Laura too.

Keep praying for Elizabeth Sessions.

Jeanette Bates continues to rehab at home.  Keep praying!

Nanette Fontenot is still recovering at home from her surgery.  Scott is taking good care of her.  She can now eat a little bit.

The Lord blessed us with a good day in our services yesterday.  Praise Him!

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

Elizabeth Sessions got report from her biopsy.  She does have a malignancy.  However, it is a non-aggressive type.  No chemo.  Radiation will be used at some point in the future.  Elizabeth is trusting God and continues to ask for our prayer support.

Carol Lucky “may” be discharged from the hospital tomorrow.  Much of this depends on her PT session today.  Keep praying for Carol and Terry.

Regular schedule on our campus today.

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

Carol Lucky remains in the hospital.  Her hope is to be discharged tomorrow but that is not exactly what the doctor is saying.  Pray for Carol & Terry.

Tommy Johnson’s wife, Kathy, is in the hospital.  She received bad news regarding her malignancy and definitely needs our prayers.  Pray!

Edna Pearl Morgan still has a long way to go in her recovery.  She had the staples removed but the doctor was not satisfied with how the inside of her ankle looks.  Pearl has an excellent attitude and is trusting God.  Keep praying!

Jeanette Bates has caller id and a red truck!  That is all I am saying!

We do have fiber optic cable at the house but no internet at the church.  Per Rhett Butler, that should change this Friday, 7/31.  I pray so!

Regular schedule on our campus tomorrow – morning and evening.  Any senior adults who do not want to get out in this heat have a pass to skip tomorrow’s morning service.

I have basically not seen my wife in over two weeks.  That is long enough!  Lisa, come home!

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

Happy birthday to my sister-in-law, Sue.  Hope her day will be great!

We had a good day in our services yesterday.  Praise the Lord!  Our students and chaperones did a nice job of sharing in the evening service.  Charles Grant and his band did a nice job of sharing the special music.

Carol Lucky remains in the hospital.  I will visit her today and will have an update in tomorrow’s entry.

Stacey Sessions may have a tumor in one of her legs.  Tests to come and possibly a trip to either Jackson, MS or Birmingham, AL.  Pray!

I will get an update on Bobby Jack Felps today.  Likewise on Edna Pearl Morgan.

Thanks for James Clark we now have fiber optic cable from Brightspeed as our internet provider at our house.  Wow, what a difference!  We went from twenty-four on the download and zero point six to six hundred and fifty and five hundred.  Amazing!  Lisa’s brother-in-law, Gary, was a big help in getting everything installed.  I am a happy camper!

The good news is that no one has parked on the roof of our adult SS building since the parking cones have been in place!  Just saying!

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