Pastor's Blog

We had a blessed day in the Lord’s house yesterday.  What a joy to see Allyssa Rolls make a public profession of faith in our evening service. 

Teresa Hanson called me after the service last night to share that Mr. Sonny Hanson’s son, Steve, had passed away.  Of course, Steve is the brother of Joe & John and he lived in the Niceville, Florida area.  I don’t know any of the details but do know that we need to pray for this family. 

Wes & Jennifer Garrison will welcome their second child, and first daughter, into the world today.  Pray for them as Jennifer gives birth today. 

Raymond Wilkinson tells me his dad is doing well.  Keep praying!

There was a shooting on the University of Central Arkansas campus last night leaving two students dead.  I mention this only because that is where Ryan & Ashley Ciak are students.  Ryan & Ashley are the children of Jack & Carolyn Ciak from Casa Aleluya in Guatemala. 

Our senior adults left this morning bound for Gatlinburg, TN.  Pray for them as they travel and enjoy these next few days away. 

We are in full countdown mode for the Hallelujah Festival this Friday, 10/31, from 5:00 – 8:00PM.  As always, workers needed! 

My wife is away for a meeting with State Farm so I am Mr. Mom again which means I have to go get the girls ready for school.  Fun times! 

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

A couple of quick updates – the family of James Morgan will be using the auditorium this afternoon for a time of visitation and a funeral service.  James unexpectedly passed away on Thursday night.  Pray for this family.

Pastor Jack House, former pastor of 1st Baptist GB, suffered a heart attack this past week and had surgery Thursday.  He is in a Tuscaloosa, AL hospital recovering.  My understanding is that he is doing well but the family requests our prayers. 

It is always a good day when Bama wins and UT loses! 

I hope to see many members of the Friendship family in the services/classes today.  I pray that you will have a great Sunday with Jesus!

The “WALK FOR LIFE” takes place today beginning at 8:00AM.  Pray for those who are walking as all proceeds from this event go to help the Women’s Resource Center which is known as Sav-A-Life.  Thank you to those who are walking and to those who have sponsered them financially. 

Neely Hatcher & Kaylie Nelson will become Mr. & Mrs. Charles Neely Hatcher this afternoon at 3:00PM on the island.  Pray for them and their families. 

Billy Smith is at home and doing well in his recovery from knee surgery.  Curtis Wilkinson remains in a rehab hospital but is doing well.  Continue to pray for Joyce Bosarge, Carla Kyser, and Phyllis Bush.

I want to thank Morris & Diane Bryant, Sammy Bowden, Jim & Carol Bryant, and Melissa Bailey for preparing and serving the meal for the Bryant football team yesterday.  They did a great job! 

Also, congratulations go to the Bryant Hurricanes as they defeated Theodore last night by a score of 24 – 21 in double overtime.  Theodore had 298 total yards of offense while Bryant managed only 98 yards.  However, the only numbers that matter are those on the scoreboard when the game is over!  I personally think it must have been the pep talk delivered after the meal by Morris Bryant!

Well, today is that “third” Saturday in October!  It’s Bama vs UT!  It’s Michigan vs Michigan State!  It’s Penn State vs Ohio State!  It’s Georgia vs LSWho!  I like college football! 

I hope to see the members of the Friendship family in church tomorrow.  I pray that you will have a great Saturday with Jesus.

The Lord blessed as Lisa and I arrived home safely around 10:45AM today.  We left Holland, MI around 10:30AM (Central Time) yesterday morning bound for Madison, WI.  We arrived there around 3:30PM.  Eddie & Sue enjoyed three hours or so of fellowship with Betsy and three other adopted girls from China.  We left Madison at 6:30PM arriving in Hartselle, AL at 5:30AM.  A quick switch to our own vehicle and it was off to Grand Bay.  So, in about 24 hours we traveled 1,350 miles through 7 states.  The best news is that I slept all the way through Tennessee so I never knew we were in that state!  Seriously, we are very, very thankful to God for His traveling mercies upon us.  Thank you for your prayers.

Shea Childress is having a surgical procedure done today.  Shea is the granddaughter of Sammy & Myrtle Bowden.  Otherwise, I think all of the folks remain basically the same. 

Bro. Benny McGath left me a voice mail stating that we still have a need for 4 coaches for Upward.  Please contact him if you are willing to serve in this ministry! 

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

Curtis Wilkinson was moved to a rehab hospital yesterday so that is a positive on his road to a complete recovery.  Billy Smith continues to do well in his recovery.  Phyllis Bush got a good report and a not so good report so pray for all of these situations.

The pig roast was a wonderful time of fellowship.  Caroline Ford, Betty Creech, Jan Koeman, & Shari Compagner did a great job of preparing the trimmings for the pig and a pot of gumbo to boot.  Tom Compagner and his dad, Mr. Mil, did a great job of roasting the pig.  It was so good to see and visit with about 160 supporters of GRACE Ministries.  It was a special blessing to have Mark, Tina, & Ben Mast from Canada join us.  So, we had folks from the USA, China, and Canada.  Kristen & Ross DeYoung shared a message in song and did an awesome job!  It was a blessed evening! 

Today, we head to Wisconsin to visit with a little girl from China who used to stay with Eddie & Sue.  She was adopted by a family from Madison.  This will be my first venture into Wisconsin. 

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

Yesterday was a full day for Lisa and me.  We drove the hour and twenty minutes or so from Kalamazoo to Holland for Jennie Blauwkamp’s funeral service.  The service was good and we surely enjoyed seeing Ken & Jean Assink.  We then made it back to K’zoo just long enough to change clothes and drive the twenty-five minutes to Paw Paw where we joined one uncle and his wife, two aunts, two first cousins, two second cousins and the wife of one of the first cousins for a meal and time of fellowship.  That was a great time!

Bro. Jerry sent me an update to let me know that Billy Smith did fine through his surgery even though he is in a lot of pain.  He also said that Curtis Wilkinson has been moved from the ICU to a regular room and is battling with some pneumonia.  He may be moved to a rehab facility in a few days.  Pray for these folks.

Today is going to be busy as we prepare for the annual pig roast.  Caroline Ford and Betty Creech arrived by plane late yesterday afternoon and will be leading the cooking aspect of this happening.  I am very thankful to the Lord for our Michigan friends and their involvement in GRACE Ministries.  Pray that this will be a meaningful evening of celebration and worship. 

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

Good Monday morning from Kalamazoo, Michigan.  Yes, there is a place called Kalamazoo!  Tico Vargas, Lisa and I left Grand Bay around 2:00PM yesterday afternoon and we stopped in Prattville to leave Tico with some friends (hope they found him standing on the shoulder of I-65).  Lisa and I then drove on to Hartselle, AL where we loaded into a vehicle and drove (we actually rode as Eddie drove) all night arriving in K’zoo around 6:30AM.  Thanks for Benny & Julie McGath we enjoyed breakfast at Bob Evans (I think he is a friend of their’s) and have now checked into a hotel. 

We will sleep for a couple of hours and then drive an hour or so to Holland where we will attend the funeral service for Jennie Blauwkamp. 

Tonight, we will gather in Paw Paw, MI with my mom’s side of the family for a time of reunion and fellowship.  We are looking forward to seeing aunts, uncles, and cousins. 

Pray for Billy Smith as he is undergoing surgery this morning to replace his knee.  Larsyn Kyser is running a temp of 104 and has a cough to go along with her pneumonia.  Pray for Carla Kyser, Miss Joyce Bosarge, Phyllis Bush, & George Taylor in their respective battles against cancer.  Pray for Mr. Curtis Wilkinson as he remains hospitalized.  Melinda Eckert meets with a specialist in B’ham on December 1 to discuss her situation. 

Thanks for Dale Bosarge for preaching in my absence last night.  Thanks to the Friendship family for being so gracious and generous to Tico Vargas. 

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

It is unusual for me to post on a Saturday but I wanted to share a couple of quick things.  Besides, it is 4:00AM and I just returned from a Wal Mart run.  Amazingly, I didn’t see anyone I know! 

The final Upward evaluations take place today from 9:00AM until 12:00 noon.  Pass the word! 

Allen Glover was discharged from the hospital yesterday afternoon.  They didn’t really find anything “major” so that is good!  Mr. Curtis Wilkinson remains hospitalized.  Billy Smith will have knee replacement surgery this Monday, 10/20.  Miss Carmen Reyer will have knee replacement surgery on Wednesday, 11/19.  Carla continues to receive her treatments and her baby has been sick this week too.  Miss Joyce Bosarge and Phyllis Bush also continue to battle their respective cancer.  Pray for these folks!

David French will lead several members of the Friendship family to Dauphin Island today where they will participate in the Walk For Bibles.  Pray for them! 

Brad, Daphne, & I will leave later this morning bound for Prattville where we will pick up Tico Vargas and take him to Tuscaloosa to watch his first American college football game.  He will then come back to Grand Bay with us and will preach in tomorrow’s morning services. 

Jennie Blaukamp’s funeral service will take place on Monday afternoon, 10/20, in Holland, Michigan.  Lord willing, Lisa and I are going to attend that service to pay our respects and as a sign of our deep appreciation for all Aunt Jennie has done for GRACE Ministries.  We will then attend the annual GRACE Ministries pig roast on Tuesday night at the Vriesland Reformed Church.  We will be joined by my brother, Eddie, and his wife, Sue.  We will have a Brown family gathering on Monday evening in Paw Paw, MI.  Pray for us as we travel. 

It is off to Tuscaloosa where it seems that about half of the members of the Friendship family will gather for three hours or so this afternoon.  I can only hope we will have a happy ride home! 

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

I am posting late today because I thought that I had already posted.  I was out cutting grass and doing some thinking (I think a lot while I cut grass) and it suddenly dawned on me that I had not posted.  Sorry!

Allen Glover was admitted to a local hospital last night for observation.  I am not sure if he will be discharged today as that depends on what they find out about his condition.  Curtis Wilkinson remains in an intensive care unit.  Pray for these men. 

Ken Assink sent me an e-mail this morning to share that his Aunt Jennie Blaukamp passed away last night.  Lisa and I were introduced to Aunt Jennie several years ago and she was a gracious supporter of GRACE Ministries.  As a matter of fact, she gave the finances to make it possible for the folks in Panimaquin to have water as a well was drilled for that village.  What a blessing that has been already and will be for many years to come.  Aunt Jennie loved the Lord and our conversations always centered around her faith and her family.  Lisa and I always loved to stop by and visit with Aunt Jennie whenever we were in Michigan.  I know that she was ready to meet the Lord and is now enjoying His presence.  I ask that you join me in praying for the Blaukamp family. 

I ask the ladies of the Friendship family to remember the baby showers over the next two days – one for Jennifer Davis tomorrow and one for Amber Sessions on Sunday. 

As I have stated before, I am not a huge baseball fan but I did enjoy the game last night.  What an amazing comeback by the Red Sox.  Wow! 

Lisa just came through and told me to get back to cutting the grass – she cracks the whip pretty hard!  I pray that you will have a great Friday with Jesus! 

I am posting late today because I wanted to see Mr. Curtis Wilkinson to see if there was any new happenings in his situation.  There are none but he did have a better day yesterday.  I think this is day 22 in the unit so please pray for him and his family as they sit and wait. 

Thanks to those who attended the service for Billy Sellers yesterday afternoon and to those who provided food for the Sellers family. 

This Saturday, 10/18, is the Walk For Bibles (it actually goes by another name now) and David French is leading the folks from our church who are going to participate.  Our folks will walk on Dauphin Island.  If you need more information, would like to walk, or would like to make a financial pledge, please call the church office before 5:00PM today and Miss Camp will put you in touch with David. 

I read an update from Pastor Jack Bailey yesterday and they are doing well in Romania.  Please pray for the last couple of days of their mission trip as they are scheduled to arrive home Saturday afternoon. 

I am grateful to see the fuel prices on the decline.  Regular unleaded is selling for $2.88 per gallon at one of the local stations in Grand Bay.  I don’t guess I would have ever seen myself thinking $2.88 per gallon was a good deal but when it was at $3.99 just a few weeks ago then it becomes a real good deal.

Tico Vargas is scheduled to be our guest speaker in the 8:00AM & 10:30AM services this Sunday, 10/19.  He missed his flight out of Guatemala yesterday but he has plans to arrive tomorrow.  All of this could change but, as it presently stands, he will be with us this Sunday.  Tico serves as the president of the seminary in Chimaltenango, Guatemala. 

The Mississippi gopher frog caught a break this year when a pond in Harrison County, MS retained enough water to allow the tadpoles to mature.  I read that this frog is on the endangered species list and this is a major breakthrough for this species of frog.  Aren’t you glad that I shared that info with you?

The Dodgers got beat last night which eliminates them from the playoffs.  I didn’t see any of the game but I am certain the umpires cost them the game!  That’s the American way! 

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