Pastor's Blog

I just met with Gloria Merritt to discuss James’ arrangements.  The arrangements are still pending but it appears the visitation will take place Monday evening from 6:00 – 8:00PM and the service Tuesday morning at 10:00AM.  The visitation and service will take place in our auditorium.  James will be buried in the Oddfellow’s Cemetery in Bayou La Batre.

The visitation with the Lenore Rivers family will take place tomorrow night, 7/30, from 5:00 – 9:00PM at the Mobile Memorial Funeral Home followed by a 10:00AM service on Friday, 7/31.  Please continue to pray for this family.

Word came to me via e-mail this morning that Mrs. Lenore Rivers passed away during the night.  I do not know any of the arrangements but do ask that you pray for the Rivers family during this time of sorrow.

Chris Taylor is killing me!  He “upgraded” our blog site and if you could see what I am having to navigate just to post this entry then you would be amazed.  I had to call my fighter pilot friend, Gavin Duff, from Faith Baptist in Bartlett, TN just to figure out how to get started!  Why can “simple” not be sufficient?  Why would this post need to know my age, height, & weight?  Why when you “misrepresent the truth” about your weight does it deny you access to post?  Why can’t this server just charge us like Pastor Jack Bailey’s does?  Why do I have to wear 3-D glasses to post?  Wow!

Al Michael’s asked that famous question, “do you believe in miracles?” as the Americans were putting the finishing touches on beating the Russians in ice hockey.  (I love ice hockey – Tim Mast & I!)  I do believe in miracles!  Saw two yesterday! 

First, a member of our GRACE team presently serving in Guatemala entered another post on the GRACE blog – hooray!  Miss Kittie wrote a nice update about the events of their last few days.  Thank you Miss Kittie!  They are having a good time and have built 13 houses and ministered i.e. food & clothes in two villages – awesome!   (By the way, Bro. Jerry gets a failing grade on the blog thing.  I think he went to the Pastor Ryan Johnston school of blogging!) 

Second, and this is a larger miracle, Pastor Jack Bailey’s second son, Pastor Michael Mason, entered two posts on his blog site yesterday!  Incredible!  Of course one of those was “his” preaching schedule which is beside “his” picture but. . .   I will never understand why he doesn’t put a picture of his wife on that site instead of a picture of himself!  Crazy stuff! 

Speaking of Pastor Jack, unlike him, I am thankful to Al Gore for inventing the internet so I can blog!  I may wear a green shirt today!   

Continue to pray for James Cook’s dad, Mrs. Rivers, Carla Kyser, Miss Joyce Bosarge, Daniel Baggett, Gunner Law, Terri Webber, the GRACE team in Guatemala, the Fab Five, et cetera. 

Also, pray for Dale & Karla Bosarge as they will be ministering in 1st Baptist of Wetumpka next Monday night, 7/27.  Clint Landry is the Minister to Students there and they are having Marvelous Mondays during August. 

We are on a regular schedule today/tonight at 10:00AM, 6:00, 7:00, & 8:00PM (Soy & Deidra’s).  The students are meeting at 5:00PM to watch DVD’s of their camp experiences. 

Thank God for the teachers from the Friendship family who received notice yesterday that they have been hired for the upcoming year.  Some of them will become tenured with this new contract.  Praise the Lord! 

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

Just received an e-mail from Mary Cook sharing that James’ father, Lonnie Cook, has been diagnosed with cancer.  They discovered this from a bone marrow test but I don’t have any further details as to the type, prognosis, et cetera.  Mary will update me and I will pass it along through this blog.

Miss Lenore Rivers is at home in her battle with cancer but her physical condition continues to decline.  Please pray for her and for her family.  Hospice is involved in this situation but the primary care is being given by her family members. 

Monday was a good day!  I try to attend the Mobile Baptist Association’s pastors’ conference each Monday and I was able to do so yesterday.  I do it just for the fellowship and to be encouraged with a brief message from the Word. 

Great news – Amy Huhn’s mother, Gloria Morrison, was declared “cancer free” by the doctor yesterday!  Isn’t that awesome!  She will go back in three months for another examination but, needless to say, they are rejoicing! 

There have been no significant changes regarding the folks I listed in yesterday’s post.  I would ask you to pray for T. Garrett as he is in the final days of study before taking his state bar (I think that is what he is taking) to become a NYC lawyer.  His sister got the looks and sweetness so hopefully TG got some brains.  Honestly, I think he got his mama’s brains because she doesn’t have any! 

I think we still have a GRACE team in Guatemala but I am not sure.  They have all abandoned me for the past couple of days in regards to electronic communication – even Deidra.  I did get a brief e-mail from John King and one from Louise Mason but neither mentioned our team.  Do I have the correct week?  Again, no news is good news!  (I guess)  Pray for that team!

Pastor Robbie Howard resigned from his church this past Sunday, 7/19.  He has decided to retire from the active pastorate.  I am not really sure why as he celebrated his 81st birthday yesterday, 7/20!  A belated happy birthday to Bro. Robbie and congratulations on his retirement.  He will be moving to Grand Bay and his plans are to be involved in Friendship whenever he isn’t preaching.  He is a preaching machine! 

Have I mentioned “An Evening of GRACE” on 8/2?  Don’t miss it! 

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

We had a good weekend!  God is good!  I am grateful for the moving of the Holy Spirit in our worship services.  Thanks to Kerry Woods, Brad Hutto, and the student ministry band helping lead our musical worship along with our regular instrumentalists.  We are blessed with good folks willing to serve however and whenever.  I don’t take that lightly! 

Word has it that the GRACE team being led by Bro. Jerry is doing well.  Carlee Whitmore gave us one brief blog entry on Friday night and Deidra (who is clueless) updated briefly yesterday afternoon.  Keep praying for them.  I have always lived by the “no news is good news” theory. 

Vicki’s nephew, Gunner Law, did well during surgery and is home.  Kathy Wadkins cousin also did well but I don’t know if she is at home.  Little Ben Glass received his brace and is doing better per Joyce.  Maxine Ervin Dupont’s grandson, Daniel Baggett, suffered an injury that has cost him the loss of one of his eyes.  It had to do with a see-saw bouncing up and hitting him.  He is 28 years old.  Maxine’s granddaughter, Kimberly, (Anthony’s daughter) is in her late twenties and she suffered a stroke late last week.  She is hospitalized in Texas.  Dee Dee Douglas’ father, George, continues to battle his cancer as does Carla Kyser, Joyce Bosarge, Max Peacock, Gloria Morrison, and Johnny Gulley.  Pray for these folks. 

“An Evening of GRACE” is going to be one of those services that you don’t want to miss!  I promise you that!  If you do miss it, you are going to hear the reports and then wish you had been present.  So, keep 8/2 clear on your calendar and join us from 5:00PM – 7:00PM.  It is going to be great!  Pray for that service with Pastor Mel Hacker, Pastor Bob Harvey, April McNiel, & Jaclyn Weaver. 

Pastor Jack Bailey called me this weekend.  Basically, he wanted some tips on blogging.  I am trying to help him.  Mama used to take Eddie & me to hear Pastor Jack preach when we were just toddlers!  Jack preaching and Rex Looney singing – those were the days! 

Mark Mast asked about Samuel coming to Canada to join them on their annual canoe trip.  I was just about to purchase his plane ticket when I read that Bro. Johnny Tucker was going to be their speaker – that ended that!  They will probably serve “stoked up” eggs for breakfast! 

Thanks to Greg Boutwell for the “all sweet” watermelon.  That is going to be awesome!  Also, thanks to Tim Knighten for merely “blowing his horn” as he passed by Thursday morning while I was push mowing our yard!  His advice yesterday was for me to purchase a riding mower.   

By the way, it was nice to have Kerry Woods future son-in-law, Kevin, in our services yesterday.  Plus, Kayla Brown has gotten another unsuspecting one in her clutches and he was with us too.  I was pretty impressed as he is from Arkansas and had most of his teeth!  LOL! 

It’s 2:30AM and I am headed to Wal Mart as I need to save some money.  Anybody need anything while I am out?  

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

Louise & Deidra e-mailed me last night to say that the team arrived at the mission house at 11:20PM Guatemala time.  We thank God that they are there safe & sound.  Today will mark the “official” beginning of their ministry as they will build houses and do other things as the Lord directs.  Keep praying for these 23 team members, Louise, and the Fab Five. 

John King arrived back in Guatemala this past Monday and he will be a huge help to our team.  The Lord has really blessed us with some wonderful folks to work alongside GRACE Ministries with John & Laurie being two of them.

Sad news out of Indonesia regarding the explosions in the two hotels.  I immediately thought about my brother, Eddie, who travels a good bit in that part of the world and stays in similar hotels.

I am assuming that the GRACE blog will be updated daily now that Bro. Jerry’s team is there.  You can check later today and this weekend.  Unless something happens here, I will not be posting again until Monday.

I pray that all of our readers, including Sommer, will go to church this Sunday.  I look forward to joining the members of the Friendship family in Bible study and worship.  I pray that you will have a great weekend with Jesus.

After a two hour delay in Dallas, the GRACE team arrived at the Guatemala City airport at 9:45PM our time (8:45PM Guatemala time).  They will probably arrive at the mission house around 10:30 – 11:00PM Guatemala time.  Keep praying!

Pray for Gunner Law this morning as he undergoes surgery on his eye.  You can read one of yesterday’s posts to better know his situation.  Gunner is the nephew of Vicki Burnett.

Pray for Pastor Robbie Howard & me as he preaches and I participate in the funeral service for Don Loveless this morning at 10:00AM.  Pray for the Loveless family. 

In hockey they have a “line change” where the entire forward line or defensive line is changed all at once.  (Mark Mast – aren’t you impressed with my hockey knowledge?)  Today is “line change” day for GRACE Ministries.  I am writing this shortly before 4:00AM which means Bro. Johnny’s team is up and about to head for the GC airport to travel home.  Louise & the Fab Five will then hit it hard to get the mission house “turned around” and ready for the next team.  Today will be an easy day for them as the next team arrives tonight.  Bro. Jerry and his team will leave Mobile around noon.  Pray for both of these teams as they travel today.  By the way, Deidra posted two GRACE blogs last night. 

Bro. Johnny’s team helped purchase a new freezer for the mission house.  That is appreciated very much.  Two or three of their guys also worked on the generators and are actually bringing the carburetors home in order for them to be repaired.  I appreciate all this team did for GRACE Ministries this past week.

Samuel has a visa and a plane ticket!  The missions committee approved the purchase of a ticket for him so he will travel to the States on July 30 and return to Guatemala on August 31.  We are working to get him in as many places as possible during those days.  He will definitely be going to Michigan for Leah Compagner’s wedding.  It is going to be great to have Samuel here. 

Pastor Jack Bailey has returned to the blogging world.  He just needs to learn to be more honest in his blogs and to quit trying to sugarcoat everything. 

Gotta go cut grass.  Hope you have a great Thursday with Jesus.