Pastor's Blog

Miss Vivian Ladnier has had a couple of good days although she had a few problems yesterday.  She has been off the ventilator during the day and back on it at night. 

Cecil Guidry has an eye that has nearly swollen shut.  The doctor has ordered her homebound until at least tomorrow thinking it could possibly be a staph infection or shingles.  She will see the doctor again tomorrow.  Pray for Miss Vivian & Cecil. 

The mother of Diane Cordell’s daughter-in-law, Natasha, passed away unexpectedly.  Her name is Angie Levins.  Pray for Natalie and the Levins family. 

Jerry & Gloria Whitmore did a great job of sharing during the morning session yesterday.  Gloria shared a tremendous word of testimony and Jerry took us to the promised land and it wasn’t heaven. 

Bro. Johnny & Miss Judy Tucker did a great job during last night’s service.  Miss Judy encouraged the folks to keep their eyes on Jesus.  Bro. Johnny shared that what happens today will affect the generations which follow.  Again, it was an awesome thing to see the men & women on their knees during the invitation time.  Great day!

Today is the final day of the conference and it promises to be a full day.  Mark & Tina Mast will share during the morning sesssion, Eddie Burdette during the afternoon session, and Bro. Robbie Howard will bring it to a close tonight.  Pray that this will be an awesome end to this year’s conference. 

As the members of the Friendship family know, tomorrow night is the annual women’s conference.  Pray as folks are busily preparing for it.  Pray that it will be a great evening.

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

Miss Betty Taylor will have surgery today.  Please pray as Dr. Spencer does the procedure that everything will go well and the report will be favorable.  Again, Miss Betty has such a sweet spirit and is a vital part of the Friendship family. 

I did not get any other updates yesterday so I am assuming that everyone in the hospital, battling cancer, et cetera is basically the same.  If there are any significant changes, Bro. Jerry is always faithful to keep me informed.  Keep praying!

I heard from the KY group and all is well there too.  They will begin the journey home tomorrow and actually arrive home on Sunday. 

Lisa arrived in Guatemala safely yesterday around noon.  I was so glad to see her and I am very happy she is here with me.  She and I attended the banquet for the seminary’s graduation last night.  It was very nicely done with great music, food, and fellowship.  John & Laurie King did an excellent job in helping host that event.  Thanks to Dr. Tico and his wife, Lisa, for the invitation. 

The DBC team went to the city dump, to Casa Aleluya, on a tour of the farm with Paul Leytham, and they then hosted the girls from Jack & Carolyn’s dorm for haircuts, manicures, laughter, pizza, and an overall great time.  Jack & Carolyn are good friends of GRACE Ministries and we are certainly going to miss them when they return to the States.  No, wait they are going to Arkansas not the States! 

Today, we will dedicate the fifteen houses that have been built by this team.  I think that are then going back to CPNA and then into Antigua as they haven’t seen that city yet. 

I pray that the members of the Friendship family will be faithful to attend the Bible studies and worship services this Sunday.  Bro. Robbie will be preaching in both morning services and the evening service. 

Unless something happens, I will most likely not post again until Monday or Tuesday.  Pray as our pastors begin arrving tomorrow in preparation for the pastors’ conference.  By the way, we have 232 officially registered and Dr. Tico feels for sure that we will reach capacity (250) plus by next Tuesday.

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

I heard that both the 10:00AM & the 7:00PM services went very well yesterday.  Again, I appreciate Bro. Robbie preaching in my absence. 

Miss Vivian Ladnier condition seems to be improving some but she still has a way to go.  She was to receive a unit of blood yesterday.  They did take her off of the ventilator for about thirty minutes.  So, just keep praying for her and the family as they wait faithfully beside her. 

Jay Black should have come home from the hospital yesterday.  I don’t have any updated information on his condition so I live by the “no news is good news” theory here. 

Miss Betty Taylor will have surgery tomorrow.  Pray for her.  She is such a faithful member of the Friendship family. 

The team here is doing great.  They are going to the city dump this morning.  All 15 of the houses were completed yesterday and will be dedicated tomorrow.  They will be hosting one of the dorms from Casa Aleluya tonight. 

I will be going to the airport this morning to pick up my wife as she is scheduled to arrive at 11:30AM.  We will then be involved in a seminary graduation banquet tonight. 

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

Better news regarding Miss Vivian Ladnier as she was much more alert yesterday and more responsive to folks around her.  Obviously, she still needs our prayer support.

Carla Kyser is seeing her doctor today to be checked for a new treatment.  Actually, the medicine is the same as used on her seven years ago.  It can be a bad medicine concerning the same effects and it can be hard on the heart.  So, they will check her heart before proceeding.  Please keep Carla in your prayers. 

I am assuming (which is always dangerous for me) that Jay Black came home yesterday.  He is not having the skin grafts at this point in time. 

As you know, I am in Guatemala and things are going well.  I appreciate Bro. Jerry and Lisa keeping me updated.  Bro. Robbie Howard will be preaching in the 10:00AM & 7:00PM services today and Ralph Rimmer will do the 8:00PM young adult Bible study.  I pray that the Friendship family will be faithful! 

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

Miss Vivian Ladnier continues to be on the ventilator and her oxygen level will not remain consistent.  She is not as responsive as she has been.    This has been a long road already with lots of ups and downs but she is blessed with a very loving & supportive family.  Please keep praying for her and her family.

Jay Black may need a couple of skin grafts on his arm but otherwise is going to be okay.  Pray for him too.

Marisa told me Sunday that Carla was having some pain in the area where they have been doing the radiation.  However, the thought was that the pain would lessen as a result of the raditation.  Pray that is true.

Liz told me that her mother, Miss Joyce Bosarge, continues to have some “tougher” days.  Pray for her.

Bro. Kerry and the senior adults should arrive in Kentucky today.  Pray that they will have a blessed trip. 

This is for Gena Davis – the Dallas Cowboys helped make my stay in the airport Sunday afternoon a more pleasant one as there was a television in the gate area.   

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

Good Monday morning from Guatemala.  The Lord blessed and I arrived safely at the mission at 10:30PM.  I thank God for His watchcare as I traveled yesterday afternoon/last night.

I spoke to Lisa via the phone and she told me that Bro. Robbie did a good job of preaching the Word.  I appreciate Bro. Robbie being there to supply in my absence and Bro. Jerry being there to take care of the other pastoral things.  I am grateful to those who attended last night’s service too.

Bro. Kerry & some of the senior adults depart for Kentucky this morning and will return home next Sunday, 10/11.  Pray that they will have safe travels and a blessed time of fellowship. 

Word came to me yesterday afternoon that Jay Black was burned.  I don’t know the exact extent of his burns but do know they admitted him to USA.  Pray for him.

Obviously, I don’t have an update on Miss Vivian but do ask that you keep praying for her and the others who are battling sicknesses. 

By the way, you can follow this team each day at www.dbcguatemala.blogspot.com. 

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

It is very unusual for me to post on the weekend but this makes two in two days.  It is 6:00PM and I as sitting in the Houston airport waiting to board a plane bound for Guatemala.  It is so strange for me to not be in a church service at this time and I have been silently praying for tonight’s service at Friendship. 

Bro. Alex did a wonderful job of sharing about the work of the Pocket Testament League during our two morning services.  He and Alice seem to be such wonderful people.  I appreciate Bro. Jerry & Miss Gloria for introducing us to them and their ministry.  Thank you for giving financially to support them. 

Miss Vivian Ladnier was put back on the ventilator this morning.  Lisa & I visited her on the way to the airport this afternoon.  I am praying this “setback” will be temporary and that she will soon be back on the road to recovery.  Join me in that prayer. 

Lord willing, I will arrive in Guatemala City around 9:00PM which should put me at the mission house around 10:30PM if everything is on schedule. 

Tomorrow morning, I will lead the devotional time for the group from Danville Baptist Church and then lead them in their first day of ministry.  Folks, these are Jack Bailey disciples so it is going to challenging to say the least! 

My thoughts this afternoon have been with the James family as they had the funeral service for Ken’s dad, Charles Lee James.  I wish I could have been there to offer my support.  I am praying for this family as they walk through this valley. 

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

P.S. – My plans are to post as I receive updates from home.  If you have news, e-mail me at pastor@friendshipfamily.net.  Thanks!

P.S.S. – It wasn’t a totally “successful” weekend as ND managed to pull out a win but at least UT went down – again!  LOL!

Pastor Jack Bailey “whines” about not having time to blog!  That is why you post at 1:30AM.  No wonder his readership hovers around 10 while we are now approaching 20!  If only we could catch DBC in the LMCO! 

Big weekend coming up!  First and foremost, Dana & Gina become teenagers tomorrow, 10/3!  Wow!  I don’t know what I was doing on 10/3/96 but getting twins wasn’t on the agenda.  However, Lisa & I have been blessed beyond measure to have those two as our daughters.  I thank God for Dana & Gina!

I am not real happy about the party Lisa has planned for them as she is having a skating party.  First, Soy is charging us a ridiculously high price to use the skating rink and, more importantly, it takes place during the Bama game.  Has Lisa lost her mind?  I just hope Dana & Gina don’t miss me! 

We are hosting P.C. Alexander from India this Sunday morning.  I look forward to that.  We have Alex in our buget this year so it will be neat to put a face with a name.  Thanks to Jerry & Gloria Whitmore for bringing Alex here. 

Bro. Chris and the student ministry team will host a meal immediately following the morning service this Sunday, 10/4.  Good food and great fellowship! 

An amazing read – a farmer in Bangladesh has won a 14 inch televison and a certificate from the government.  Why?  Great question!  Because he has killed 83,450 rats over the past nine months.  He easily outdistanced the guy in second place as he only killed 37,450.  Where is PETA! 

Anyway, the guy said,  “I had no idea that the government gives prizes for this.  This is an exciting moment. I will continue to kill them,”  The awarding of the television kicked off a month long effort to kill millions of rats!  (Makes me miss the days of using Flash Taylor’s car to smoke the gophers out from under the crib before killing them with a baseball bat)  By the way, the guy doesn’t keep the rats but simply keeps their tails to keep up with his total! 

I would share more but it would be difficult to top that!  Hope you have a great weekend.  Go to church!

We had a good Wednesday.  Props to Coley Johnson for being our top prognosticator from last week!  He and Katelyn are smokin!  Once again, we finished the day with a good young adults Bible study.

Our CAB renovation committee met last night and are calling for a “town hall” type meeting to hear suggestions, ideas, et cetera regarding the renovation of the CAB.  That meeting will take place on Sunday, 10/18, at 4:00PM in the church auditorium.  Everyone is invited!

God is amazing!  Yesterday we received another check to help with the upcoming pastors’ conference scholarships.  This check was for $3,000 and puts us over the amount needed to completely cover the 250 participants.  God is good! 

I had zero responses to my DVR request of yesterday.  I need someone who has the capability to burn a DVR after recording.  Folks, we are talking Alabama football so you know it is serious business! 

Miss Vivian is making progress.  Raymond’s mom did well through her surgery.  Barbara’s dad is still having difficulty breathing.  Tracy is still in the hospital but they have stopped the labor for the time being.  Miss Joyce Bosarge has had a couple of rough days. 

Pastor Bob Harvey’s mother lives in Missouri and is battling cancer.  She is not doing so well physically.  Pray for her, Pastor Bob and the entire family.

I have to give a shout out to Ryan & Rochelle Genzink from Zeeland, Michigan as they found out yesterday that they are expecting triplets!  Oh my!  Paw Paw Ross is getting old! 

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

Are you kidding me – 9/30/09?  Where did September ’09 go?  I have got to get started on my Christmas shopping!  Wow!

Raymond Wilkinson’s mother is having surgery in a local hospital today at 7:00AM as is Susan Hensley in North Alabama at 8:00AM.  Pray for these ladies! 

Miss Vivian’s situation remains virtually unchanged so just keep praying!

Barbara Kelley’s father, Dick Fore, was hospitalized Monday night and remains there this morning.  He has breathing problems.  Pray for Mr. Fore.

Our nephew, Josh, and his wife, Tracy, are expecting twins.  Tracy is around 34 weeks into her pregnancy.  She went into labor yesterday afternoon and was placed in the hospital.  They have given her steriods for the babies’ lungs and one of the babies is in a breach position.  They are trying to stop her labor but may have to do a section within the next day or so.  Pray for Tracy, the babies, and Josh. 

My thoughts and prayers are with the people of Samoa, American Samoa, & Tonga following the deaths and loss because of yesterday’s earthquake & tsunami.  What devastation! 

Our CAB renovation committee is asked to meet in my office tonight at 6:00PM. 

I need someone who has DVR capabilities to contact me as I need a couple of favors.  I am still using Beta tapes which are getting considerably harder to purchase!

My personal “thanks” to Reb Nevin & Liz Cole – they know!

It is bad – real bad!  A member of the Friendship family was actually at the Dallas Cowboys game this past Monday night!  I won’t get into names but suffice it to say that where I have my oil changed will be a decision I reconsider now! 

It is a normal Wednesday for us.  I hope to see many members of the Friendship family involved in one of our Bible studies today/tonight. 

I have cut and pasted an article regarding a recall from Toyota/Lexus.  (I was initially concerned about Soy’s Toyota but he is good by about 10 years and drives a Corolla with no floor mats – whew!) 

The company says it will be the largest recall in its history. Owners could learn about the safety campaign as early as next week.

Toyota and the government warned owners of Toyota and Lexus vehicles about safety problems tied to the removable floor mats. They say the mats could interfere with the vehicle’s accelerator and cause a crash.

The recall will affect 2007-2010 model year Toyota Camry, 2005-2010 Toyota Avalon, 2004-2009 Toyota Prius, 2005-2010 Tacoma, 2007-2010 Toyota Tundra, 2007-2010 Lexus ES350 and 2006-2010 Lexus IS250 and IS350.

Owners should take out the floor mats on the driver’s side and not replace them.”

And some of you doubted whether this blog was of any real benefit! 

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