Pastor's Blog

First, the funeral arrangements for Jonathan Seaman are as follows:  visitation in the church auditorium tonight, 9/24, from 5:00 until 9:00PM and tomorrow from 1:00PM until 2:00PM.  The service will take place tomorrow, 9/25, from the church auditorium beginning at 2:00PM.  Interment will take place in the Grand Bay Cemetery. 

Second, Vance May, passed away Saturday, 9/22, at the UAB Hospital.  His funeral service will take place tomorrow at noon.  The obit in the paper says the service will take place from the chapel of the Serenity Funeral Home but I have been told it is going to be a graveside service.  Interment will be in Serenity Memorial Gardens.  Vance is the brother of Linda May and Nancy Lingle and they both are a part of the Friendship family. 

I visited with Martha Patrick this morning and she was thinking that she would be moved from the hospital to the convalescent home today.  Marie Howard, Jennifer Jackson’s mom, is in the hospital again.  Carla Kyser, Melanie Byrne, and Crystal Davis all continue to battle their respective cancer.  All of these folks need to be included in our prayers.

The Lord blessed and we had good services yesterday.  Honestly, I thought the rainy weather would cause our attendance to be down but it was very good in all three services – praise the Lord!  We had decisions in each service and Edna did a nice job of sharing what the Lord had laid on her heart during the 10:30AM invitation.  God is good and we give Him the glory for all He is doing within the Friendship family. 

We are on day twenty-one of our forty days of prayer.  We must pray!  Please take the time to come to the auditorium to join us for this season of prayer and fasting. 

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

Jonathan Seaman, 21, the grandson of our church secretary, Edna Holifield, was tragically killed in a motorcycle/vehicle accident late yesterday afternoon.  The accident occurred on GB/Wilmer Road just south of the truck stop.  Obviously, Stacey (mother), Savannah (sister) and the entire family is devastated so please pray for them as they go about making funeral arrangements, et cetera today.   

Ben & Diane Vickers are the proud grandparents of a girl who checked in yesterday weighing 8 lbs and 14 ozs and was 20 1/2 inches long.  As of this writing, Nathan & Jennifer have not settled on a name.  Noah is now a big brother.  Congratulations to the Gill and Vickers families! 

Kim French e-mailed me yesterday to say that Melanie Byrne had a rough day Saturday but got up Sunday morning determined to go to church.  She also went shopping on Tuesday.  (The church I can understand but not the shopping!)  Kim says Melanie has all the signs of liver failure and probably should be confined to a bed but God is graciously allowing her to keep going basically pain free.  Please continue to pray for Melanie and her family. 

Melinda Eckert e-mailed me yesterday to say that her mother, Bettye Ory, has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease.  Mrs. Ory is only 60 years old, is a dedicated Christian, and a faithful member of the Arlington Heights Baptist Church in Pascagoula, MS.  Mrs. Ory’s father passed away at the age of 63 in 1990 from complications associated with Alzheimer’s.  The doctors have put her on Aricept.  Please pray for Bettye Ory and her family. 

Since this entry is being posted in the early hours of the morning, I don’t have an update on Martha Patrick.  She is still hospitalized.  Keep praying!

Cameron Watson & I did attend the Faith versus Cottage Hill volleyball match yesterday afternoon and then enjoyed a meal at Whataburger as we bonded!  Jessica, Jamie, & Erica all did very well and I was proud of each of them for their play and attitude! 

Danish scientists have conducted a study that determined men who play soccer work off more fat and build more muscle than men who jog or simply sit on the couch.  I am going to stick with either the jogging or the couch as soccer is. . .

I don’t have plans to post again until Monday.  However, I have to wish a “happy birthday” to Rachel Mast who is presently a student at the Moody Bible Institute in Chicago.  Her birthday is this Saturday, 9/22.  I haven’t been around Rachel a whole lot but she is definitely one of the most godly, sweetest young ladies I have ever been associated with.  Her parents, Mark & Tina Mast, are missionaries in Canada and have become dear friends.  (Jon is wondering why I didn’t mention his birthday on 9/10)  Happy birthday Rachel!  May you have a blessed day Saturday! 

I sure hope the members of the Friendship family will join us in Bible study and worship this Sunday morning and evening.  Don’t forget our forty days of prayer emphasis! 

Hope you have a great day with Jesus! 

As I walked into the house for our college/young professionals Bible study last night, I was met with the news that my uncle, Franklin “Punk” Turrentine, had passed away yesterday afternoon of an apparent heart attack.  Uncle Punk lived in Collinsville, Oklahoma.  Please pray for his wife, Faye, their three girls and their families, and my dad and the other two surviving brothers.  We are thinking the funeral service will take place on Saturday. 

We learned during our morning service yesterday that Dennis Smith had passed away.  Dennis is Edwin William’s uncle-in-law.  So please pray for Miss Margaret and this family during this time too.  That service is set for tomorrow at 2:00PM. 

I visited with Martha Patrick earlier this morning and her condition is seemingly no better.   The bleeding test showed nothing out of the ordinary so the doctors are convinced her blood loss is due to coumadin.  She now has a kidney infection and gout in one of her feet.  She is in good spirits in spite of this being her ninth day in the hospital.  Pray for her. 

I heard through the grapevine that Ben & Diane Vickers’ daughter, Jennifer, is giving birth to their second grandchild today.  Diane has gone to Jackson, MS to be with Jennifer, Nathan, & Noah.  (I am not sure if Ben went or not)  Pray for a safe birth of this baby.

Lord willing, Cameron Watson & I will attend the Faith Academy versus Cottage Hill Academy volleyball match this afternoon.  Jessica & Jamie Hall play for Faith and Erica Stringfellow plays for Cottage Hill.  All three were in our senior high Bible study last night.  So, I will be cheering for Erica, Jamie, & Jessica to do well but will remain neutral otherwise.  (I probably will mainly be praying for patience as I put up with Cameron!) 

I read this morning where firemen in Lansing, MI had to use a forklift to remove a man weighing nine hundred pounds from the second story of his house because he had to go to the hospital.  He is only thirty-three years old and has a genetic condition that causes continual feelings of hunger.  According to his brother, he has not left the house since 2003 and they literally had to cut a hole in the wall to remove him this time.   To me, this is a sad story.  I hope the doctors can help this young man in some way. 

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

First, my wife mildly scolded me for not mentioning Whitney Bryant’s 19th birthday yesterday, 9/18.  So, happy belated birthday wishes to Whitney! 

Speaking of birthdays, today is the 25th birthday of the “digital” smiley face! 🙂  Professor Scott E. Fahlman first used this as a means to express an emotion on this date in 1982. 

Jamie Hall sent me a forwarded message (I normally don’t do forwards) titled “you know you are living in 2007 when” and one of the ways was “you start tilting your head sideways to smile!”  So, happy birthday to the digital smiley face!  Take an extra fifteen to thirty minutes on your lunch break today as a means of celebration – I am sure your boss will understand! 🙂 

I don’t have any updated information on the folks mentioned in this space for the past couple of days.  We don’t have any scheduled surgeries on the horizon and for that we are grateful.  Please continue to pray for those battling these various afflictions. 

Wednesdays are busy days but they are enjoyable days too.  As a matter of fact, Wednesday is perhaps the busiest day of my week.  (Ever notice how folks who are so busy are never too busy to stop and tell you how busy they are?)  It will begin in a few hours with our morning service which has really been maintaing a good attendance.  Then comes our Senior High Bible study at 6:00PM, the evening service, Junior High Bible study, and classes at 7:00PM, and our college/young professionals Bible study at 8:00PM. 

I hope that you will have a blessed day with Jesus.  Go to church! 

Love is in the air!  No wait, love bugs are in the air!  No wait, love bugs are all over my windshield!  You folks who don’t live in this neck of the woods don’t even know how to appreciate your grill and windshield being almost completely covered with these love bugs.  The only folks I know personally who like love bugs are Joey & Tiffany Switzer and that is simply because they own the local car wash! 

I had a chance to visit with Martha Patrick this morning and she was going for a bleeding test.  No word on when she will go home.  Vance May is still at UAB.  Allison Collins came home from the hospital.  No updated news on Melanie Byrne. 

I just received word from Miss Kittie Camp that her friends, Cy & Laura Garnett, son, Billy Garnett, passed away yesterday as a result of the injuries he received in the automobile accident.  So, please pray for the Garnett family. 

Our society is so messed up – thieves shot and killed, execution style, a seven months old baby last Friday in the Sacramento, CA area.  The killers came from the house where the baby’s father had simply gone to the front door leaving the baby in the car in his car seat.  The thieves killed the father and then stopped by the car and shot the baby. 

A state senator in Nebraska has sued God.  Yes, God!  He says his motive is to fight possible laws restricting the filing of frivolous lawsuits.  Crazy stuff!

Hope you have a great Tuesday with Jesus. 

My older brother, Eddie, and his wife, Sue, are celebrating their 30th wedding anniversary today.  They live in China so I guess they may have celebrated yesterday since it is already almost tomorrow there!  Anyway, happy 30th anniversary Eddie & Sue!

We had a good day in our services yesterday and we give God the glory for all that He is doing in our midst.  Our focus has been on “we must pray” and I firmly believe God is honoring our prayers.  Thank you to those who have been praying and please continue to pray without ceasing! 

Our student ensemble did a very nice job of ministering in song during the service last night.  I commend them for being willing to lead us in worship! 

Gene & Gena Davis drove in from Texas and were in our service last night too.  It sure was good to see Gena! 

Martha Patrick remains in a local hospital and will not be coming home today as she is scheduled to receive her fourth unit of blood.  Vance May is not doing so well and remains at UAB.  Amy Huhn’s niece, Allison Collins, who is fourteen years old is in a local hospital.  They are trying to get Melanie Byrne home from the hospital but she is not doing well either.  Crystal Davis, niece of Carl Bradley, is not doing well as her cancer is seemingly progressing.  Billy Garnett, friend of Miss Kittie Camp, was involved in an automobile accident this weekend and is in need of our prayers.  Billy’s parents, Cy & Laura, were on a trip to China with Miss Kittie and they have been good friends ever since.  All of these folks need our prayer support. 

Thank you to each person who took part in the GRACE meal yesterday.  You were a blessing! 

I hope you have a great Monday with Jesus!

Kim French e-mailed me yesterday to say that the doctors have now told Melanie Byrne there is nothing else they can do for her.  As a matter of fact, they told him that in their estimation she only has about two weeks to live.  Please pray for this family and especially Melanie’s two young daughters.  Melanie’s dad is a Pastor in Baldwin County. 

 Our student ministry will host a GRACE meal this Sunday.  This is a means to help our high school students defray the cost of participating in one of the GRACE trips next summer.  Thank you in advance to those who will partake of this meal. 

Also, our students are selling 2008 Scripture wall calendars.  These are selling for $6 and are very nice.  See any student who is going on one of the GRACE trips or to camp next summer. 

 A dog was on a pier at Lake Michigan this past Tuesday when a wave knocked him into the water while knocking his owner down onto the pier.  The dog was struggling against the strong current and high waves when a surfer went into the water and placed him on the surfer’s board.  The dog hung 20 as the surfer brought him to shore.  After all we have heard in recent months about the mistreatment of dogs, this is a good story.   

Today is Brianne Wood’s 17th birthday and she is going to get her driver’s license too.  Personally, I think Kerry should buy her a 2008 car of her choosing!  Happy birthday Bre!  Brianne’s uncle, Morris Bryant, turns 50 tomorrow!  (I sure hope Morris doesn’t get as upset as Diane did when I simply mentioned that she was 50!)  Happy birthday Morris!

Lord willing, Lisa, Dana, Gina, and I will travel to Vance, AL late this afternoon to stay with my nephew, Josh, and his wife, Tracy.  We will then spend some of tomorrow with them before attending the Arkansas versus Bama football game. 

I hope to see the members of the Friendship family in Sunday School, Discipleship Training, and the worship services this Sunday.  I hope you have a great day with Jesus.

The Lord blessed and we had a really good Wednesday.  It didn’t rain nearly as much as the weather folks had predicted (imagine that) and we had a good attendance in all of our services.  We thank God for his blessings.

Jon Cowart from Mt. Vernon has been leading our musical worship in our student Bible studies for the past two Wednesday nights and has done a really nice job.  I miss Coach Nate but am glad that God has supplied our need in this area too. 

Myrtle Bowden did well through her surgery yesterday.  Vance May continues to be hospitalized in Birmingham.  Martha Patrick was admitted to a local hospital yesterday.  Jason Husband continues to recover at home.  The funeral service for Gary Moore will take place today.  Please pray for all of these situations. 

I want to remind the members of the Friendship family of the GRACE meal being served this Sunday, 9/16, by our student ministry.  I hope you will attend the services and participate in the meal. 

A shout out goes to Denise Vice today as it is her birthday!  I don’t get into ages but will simply say you can invert the numbers and it doesn’t matter.  (This is TJ’s mother so you know she needs extra prayers!)  Happy birthday Denise!  Hope you have a great day! 

I read about a man, 81 years old, in Wisconsin who is suing Brut and Wal Mart.  He applied Brut lotion to his face and used Brut deodorant.  He then went to cook breakfast over a campfire and his face, neck, and chest caught on fire.  Tough day! 

I read about another man, 82 years old, in Colorado who was away from home for two months.  His toilet malfunctioned during his absence and he returned home to a water bill of almost $1,200.  The man lives on a government pension.  A anonymous person heard of the situation and went to the water board and paid $790 while the water board dismissed $415.  All the anonymous donor said was to simply say “Joe” had paid the bill.  Good day! 

Hope you have a great day with Jesus! 

Day eight of our forty days of prayer proved to be our best day numerically up to this point as far as folks coming to the auditorium to pray.  Again, I am encouraged by those willing to take the time and effort to come and pray.  So, I thank those who are coming to the auditorium to pray and those who are praying at home, in the office, et cetera.   We must pray! 

I pray that day nine of this forty days prayer emphasis will be productive too.  Remember, our prayer time today will take place in the prayer room from 6:00PM until 7:00PM.

Jason Husband did well through his surgery and came home yesterday afternoon.  I appreciate Bro. Jerry being at the hospital with Jason and then bringing him home.

Myrtle Bowden will be having surgery today so please remember her in your prayers.  Vance May remains hospitalized in Birmingham. 

The world is watching!  Two men got into a fight over college football in a bar on June 17 in Oklahoma City.  One of the men was significantly injured.  The news report stated the name of the person charged with a crime, his age, and then stated that he is a church deacon.  I cannot help but wonder how many folks will simply “assume” that it is a normal thing for all deacons to frequent bars and get into fights.  “O be careful little feet where you go!”

The weather forecast calls for a wet Wednesday.  I hope the members of the Friendship family will join us for one of the services/Bible studies either this morning or tonight. 

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