Pastor's Blog

There was a lot of activity taking place on the church property yesterday as we continue to move toward the Easter weekend.  Carl Bradley & crew continued to place vinyl on the exterior of the auditorium & office building while Bro. Jerry was leading a group inside the auditorium decorating for the Easter musical/drama which will be presented Friday, Saturday, & Sunday nights.  Thanks to all who are helping in any way! 

Today is going to be a busy day too.  We will meet at 10:00AM in the auditorium for our morning service.  The adult choir & drama team will meet at 6:00PM for a dress rehearsal.  All of our regular classes/Bible studies will meet at their normal times and in their normal places with the exception of our 7:00PM prayer meeting/Bible study for adults.  We will meet in the choir room. 

There are no significant changes in any of the folks hospitalized, battling cancer, et cetera.  Scott Fontenot’s uncle did awaken yesterday so that is improvement.  The funeral service for Martha Patrick’s brother-in-law will take place this morning. 

Korie Fontenot will sign a softball scholarship with the University of Mobile this afternoon at 1:00PM.  The signing ceremony will take place in the auditorium at Bryant High School.  Why do I mention this?  First, to congratulate her.  Second, because her mother and I used to date and almost got married?  (Personally, I think Nanette still has a crush on me but I could be wrong!)  Congratulations Korie!

The UConn women’s basketball team won it all last night capping a perfect season win 39 wins!  That shaking you felt to the South was not an earthquake in Guatemala.  It was Jack Ciak jumping for joy!  Anonymous won our bracket contest among the 8:00PM Bible study group.  If I can’t find “anonymous” then Soy Taylor is the winner!  (I helped Soy with his bracket but am content with letting him bask in the glory!)

Harry Stonebraker was elected yesterday to serve a third term as the mayor of Winfield, MO.  As a matter of fact, he got 90% of the vote winning 206 – 23.  Congratulations to Mr. Stonebraker!  One minor problem – Mr. Stonebraker passed away on March 11.  Of course, this is nothing new for MO as in 2000 Mel Carnahan was elected as their US Senator even though his life had been taken a few weeks earlier in a plane crash.  You ever meet Pastor Bob Harvey of West Auburn Baptist?  He is from MO.  It would help you understand! 

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

Tena Hovel’s dad, Mr. Alford, was improving yesterday afternoon when I stopped by to see him in the hospital.  Also, Melissa Brown’s sister, Gwen, is in an ICU in a local hospital with breathing difficulties. 

Mrs. Bryant went into surgery late yesterday afternoon but I haven’t heard the results.  The doctor was going to try to clean out the infection around her artifical knee instead of having to replace it. 

As of last night, there was no significant change in Scott Fonenot’s uncle’s condition.  He is in Baton Rouge.

Martha Patrick’s brother-in-law, Mr. Tolbert Bennett, passed away Sunday.  The visitation with the family will take place tonight from 6:00 – 9:00PM at Heritage Funeral Home in Escaptawpa.  The service will take place tomorrow morning at 10:00AM from 1st Baptist of Moss Point. 

The doctor told Brooke to just wait as her due date is the 15th.  Gloria Morrison gets a treatment tomorrow.  Carla Kyser, Shea Childress, Joyce Bosarge & Max Peacock all continue to battle their respective cancer.  Pray for all of these needs.

Incredible!  Kayla Brown correctly picked UNC to win it all and they did!  Six or seven other young adults made the same pick but Kayla had three of the four final teams correct (missing only Villanova) which made her the winner.  The irony is that she doesn’t even know how many teams are in the Final Four! 

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

Scott Fontentot’s uncle, Ordie Ortego, had an aneurism ruptured behind his heart last night.  As of about noon today, he had been in surgery for twelve hours.  He lives in Louisiana and the situation is critical.  Pray for him, his wife, Jean, and the entire family. 

We had a wonderful day in the Lord’s house yesterday!  God gave the increase as we saw one public rededication, one join by letter, two join by statement, and several decisions at the altar.  However, for me the greatest joy came after the evening service when I led a young boy to accept Jesus as his personal Savior and then walked outside the auditorium and led a man to make the same decision!  Glory to God!  I look for those decisions to be made public this Sunday! 

I arrived home safe & sound on Saturday night with no delays in my flights home.  I was greeted with the news that the hospitals had been emptied of members of the Friendship family – praise the Lord!  I also learned that Susan Quinn had been discharged from the hospital in SC and that is great news too!

Tena Hovel’s father, Mr. Alford, suffered a stroke yesterday morning and is in a unit in a local hospital.  The next fifty-two hours or so are critical in relation to the possibility of another stroke.  Brooke Ladnier Lofton went to the hospital to give birth yesterday but it was a false alarm.  Gloria Morrison, Amy Huhn’s mother, will have another treatment this week.  Miss Joyce Bosarge, Max Peacock, Carla Kyser, & Shea Childress all continue their respective battles against cancer so pray for them. 

Morris Bryant’s mother will have surgery at some point today.  It is related to an infection in her knee.  Pray that the doctor can get this infection out of her body.

Bob Moore, a retired pastor/DOM, and a friend of Jerry & Gloria Whitmore was in our services yesterday.  He now works with the NAMB and spoke briefly to us last night about the AAEO and our home missionaries.  That was a blessing!

Yes, that highlight on Sports Center was correct – our team lost this past Saturday night.  I am not going to get into the fact that certain players were missing.  I really don’t think the absence of Ralph and me was as big of a factor as was Rusty being there – he is terrible!  No, I’m serious! 

If (probably more like when) UNC wins tonight, Kayla Brown will win the contest amongst our young adults in picking the brackets.  Sad!  Kayla is a true blonde, can’t spell basketball, and doesn’t even remember who she picked in her bracket yet she has UNC winning it all and has three of the Final Four participants correct.  Amazing!  For the record, I will be pulling for MSU.  I like UNC but I have too many friends/GRACE Ministry supporters in MI to pull against the Spartans! 

Jack Ciak, the UConn men lost but the women will steamroll UL tomorrow night.  Of course, who cares?  Does anyone have any lacrosse scores?

It was nice to see the Bama baseball team sweep UT this weekend!  Anytime UT gets beat! 

Will & Amy – don’t worry about it as I will get over it! 

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

Yesterday was a long day of traveling for me.  My schedule called for me to leave MOB at 9:15AM and arrive in Grand Rapids at 2:00PM – four hours of flying including the layover in Atlanta.  Not so fast my friend!  The flight in Mobile was delayed due to the stormy weather but I did make it to my gate in ATL with fifteen minutes to spare.  Turns out that I had four hours & fifteen minutes to spare as they kept delaying our flight.  I was okay with that but they pretty much made us stay at the gate with the “we could leave at any moment” announcement.  So, I got to GRR at 6:20PM or so. 

However, my situation improved greatly from that point forward as I drove to the home of Ross & Kathy “Queen” Genzink where they had supper waiting.  Ryan & Rochelle, Kaily, & Jenna were all there too but the star of the show was “Ellie Mae” (Ellyot) who is the first born daughter of Jeremy & Jenna and the first grandchild for Ross & Kathy.  Jeremy came by after work and we had a good time in fellowship.  Kaily & I discussed her upcoming wedding to Nick Whistlebritches.  I was then shown the basement and they locked the door behind me.  It’s cold and dark down here! 

I will drive an hour or so south today to Kalamazoo in order to perform the wedding ceremony for Bill & Jean.  I hope to see a few friends & family members along the way.

I don’t have an update on any of the folks who are hospitalized so I am assuming that no news is good news.  I will not post tomorrow unless something happens to necessitate it.  I hope to see many members of the Friendship family in our services this Sunday.  By the way, we need plastic eggs & candy for the activities next Saturday, 4/11.  Contact Bro. Benny for more details. 

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

Our Wednesday began good as we had a really strong attendance in our morning service.  It ended even better as our young adults gathered in small groups and began praying for God to move in our midst – especially on Easter weekend.  Praise the Lord! 

It was a real joy to see Max Peacock in our service last night.  Obviously, he did not receive his treatment yesterday.  The actual place where the surgery took place needs to heal properly before they can begin his radiation.  Max has such a positive attitude!

Warren & Cecil Guidry have invested a good bit of time in relocating our crisis closet.  It is now located in a room with ample space and will allow us to be better stocked to meet the food needs in the lives of those who call on us for help.  I know Miss Vivian Ladnier has helped with this project too and there may be others.  Thank you to all who are involved in this ministry.

As we continue to move toward Easter, we will remember the sacrifice Jesus paid for our sins.  Therefore, we will observe the ordinance of the Lord’s supper this Sunday evening during our worship service.  I hope you will join us for that special service. 

I am making final preparations to go to the Mobile airport and board a plane bound for Atlanta and the one bound for Grand Rapids, Michigan.  I am honored that Jean Miersma & Bill Decker have asked me to perform their wedding ceremony in Kalamazoo tomorrow night.  Lord willing, I will arrive back in Mobile on Saturday evening.  Pray for me as I travel.

I know what you are thinking – what about the basketball game on Saturday night?  How will the team survive without you?  “Coach” and the other players are upset too.  Can you believe they offered to send a private jet to Michigan at their expense in order to get me back in time for the game?  (They didn’t but it makes for a good story!) 

I hope you have a great Thursday with Jesus. 

I made a mistak but it was an honest one!  Sharon Jardee helped cook the breakfast for the work day this past Saturday but I wasn’t aware of that.  Honestly, Sharon is at the church so often helping in different areas that I tend to take her for granted!  Sharon, please forgive my blunder! 

I am posting this entry shortly after midnight so I don’t have an update on the folks in the hospital.  Bro. Jerry & Tena visited the folks last night and there was basically no change in any of the patients associated with the Friendship family.  Tina Wilkinson got a great report from the doctor – hooray!

I had the opportunity to visit with Carla Felps Kyser, her daughter, and Marisa.  Carla is always so upbeat and positive.  She has another treatment today and these treatments now make her sick as she is taking them – no fun!  Pray specifically for Carla today! 

Max Peacock begins his radiation treatments tomorrow.  Pray for Bro. Max along with Joyce Bosarge, Shea Childress and Gloria Morrison. 

Terry Stephan & Breck Ladd have led another team to Guatemala.  They arrived at the mission house safely yesterday afternoon.  This team consists of mainly folks from Dauphin Way Baptist.  Pray for them as they minister this week. 

T. Garrett, thanks for the encouragement regarding the petition and letters.  (If only you would have been as enthusiastic regarding my basketball career!)  Folks, we need to get the petitions signed and those personal letters written.  Again, I think the legislators representing us (Senators Ben Brooks & Rusty Glover; Representatives Spencer Collier & Jim Barton) are in our corner but we must not take anything for granted.  Contact folks from other districts and ask them to write their legislators.  I do know James Gordon is in favor of the gambling bill as I have read his response to an e-mail. 

If UNC wins the men’s tourney, we will have a girl win the bracket picks among our young adults – amazing!  The winner probably doesn’t even know what UNC stands for and yet she will win!  If UConn wins the women’s tourney we will have a guy win the bracket picks.  Actually, the real winner of the women’s tourney (provided UConn wins) didn’t put their name on the bracket so the second place guy will win by default. 

I am still pretty pumped up about the whole lacrosse seven overtime game.  Did anyone record it?  Man, what I would give for a copy of that game! 

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

I stopped by to see Pattie Suthoff for a very brief visit as she was in obvious discomfort/pain.  Her pain is related to her pancreas.  Mrs. Rivers was fast asleep and Jay Love was gone for a test. 

I am hearing that Susan Quinn is doing much better but remains hospitalized.  Tina Wilkinson is trying to see her doctor today as she still doesn’t have a definitive word on her condition.  Max Peacock begins his radiation treatments this Wednesday.  Amber Joyner and Landon came home from the hospital yesterday. 

Pastor Benny Still preached yesterday morning for the first time since 2/25 but is still in a lot of pain. 

Arlene Meredith’s uncle, Billy Savage, passed away yesterday afternoon.  Teddy Ray Jackson’s first cousin, Jerry Jackson, passed away yesterday morning.  Pastor Jack Bailey’s brother, Hal, passed away last week and his funeral service was this past Friday.

Shea Childress, Carla Kyser, & Miss Joyce Bosarge continue to need our daily prayers.  Pastor Travis Northcutt will have surgery on May 1. 

The Lord blessed us with a good day yesterday.  Manolo & Mildred Padilla were a blessing as they ministered in song.  Evangelist Johnny & Miss Judy Tucker joined us for our 10:30AM service – it is always a joy to see them and to spend time in fellowship with them. 

All of my fellow Alabamians reading this blog are asked to join in the effort to let our state legislators know of our oppposition to the proposed gambling bills and any BIR relating to gambling.  You can sign a petition or get more information at www.alcaponline.org.  Time is of the essence in this matter!  A personal letter is the absolute best way to communicate your feelings/opinions to these legislators. 

We had a great work day this past Saturday even though the weather was bad initially.  Thank you to each person who participated.  A special thanks to Bro. Jerry & Tena Hovel for cooking breakfast. 

Yes, I did start on Saturday night.  I think I had a triple double but that may not be correct.  The team will definitely miss me this Saturday as I have a scheduling conflict which will prevent me from being at the game.  Thanks to all of you who sent “coach” an e-mail. 

My NCAA bracket is history!  I have zero teams in the final four!  6’6″ (Friday’s comments) – “IF” Mizzou, UL, OK, & Pitt would have won their games this weekend then I would have all four of the finalists correct.  Please, don’t use the “if” scenario!  By the way, Rex Looney is out too! 

Enough basketball, did you see where UVA beat Maryland 10 – 9 in seven overtimes in men’s lacrosse?  Wow!  Is that exciting or what?  Plus, the USA rallied to tie El Salvador 2 – 2 in men’s soccer!  Slow down my racing heart! 

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

Landon Joyner checked into this world today around 11:15AM weighing 8 pounds 2 ounces and is 20 inches long.  Parents, Justin & Amber, along with big sister, Lauren, are thankful to have this new addition to their family.  Congratulations to grandparents, Kevin & Tina Sprinkle, and the Joyners. 

Susan B. Quinn has taken a turn for the worse and apparently has an infection.  She was to have surgery this afternoon to remove some wires that were placed inside her body during a recent surgery.  Edwin & Eula Mae either are in route or will be very soon.  Pray for Susan and her family. 

Miss Jay Love did not get to come home yesterday due to a low oxygen level.  The doctors are still trying to determine the cause of this problem.  Pray for Miss Jay.

Alice Pigorsch was moved back into her room at the GBCH but is still low physically.  Susan B. Quinn made a marked improvement which led Edwin & Eula Mae to wait before driving to SC.  Keep praying for Miss Alice & Susan.

Gene Davis came home from the hospital yesterday.  Pray for Gene.  I wonder what it is like to have one shoulder in reverse and one in drive? 

Amber Rogers Joyner is in the hospital today giving birth to her second child.  They induced labor this morning so hopefully she will have a child before too much longer.  Pray for Amber as she brings this child into the world.  Of course, pray for Justin & Lauren too.

My younger brother, Freddie, and his wife, Mary Jane, became grandparents for the third time yesterday as Whitney gave birth to a boy.  He had a weight and length but I don’t recall the figures!  Congratulations Whitney & family!

We are having work day tomorrow with breakfast at 7:30AM followed by the work day at 8:00AM.  We may very well end up inside all day but that is okay. 

Our students will host a meal this Sunday immediately following SS & the second morning service.  Please support our student ministry. 

There will be a wedding shower this Sunday for Amanda Cook, bride elect of Adam Blackwell.  This will take place in the fellowship hall from 2:00 – 3:30PM. 

VBS workers needed!  Contact Bro. Jerry or Myrtle to sign up! 

Last night was a bitter/sweet night for me as I watched the NCAA tourney.  I was 3 of 4 in my picks which was the bitter part.  The sweet part was that the Dukies went down even though I had picked them to win.  A Duke fan I am not – never have been.  I have UL, MSU, OK, and the Zags picked tonight so it could be really good or really bad.  (Rex Looney will make his picks after about 11:00PM tonight!) 

I am nervous!  My “coach” tells me that I have only received 21 votes and I need 50!  I don’t blog on Saturdays and most folks don’t check the blog on Saturdays anyway.  I appreciate Todd Stork for watching my back and Tico Vargas sent in a vote for 240 folks from the seminary in Guatemala.  However, “coach” only counts that as one vote!  People, help!   

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