Pastor's Blog

The visitation with the Dawn Baria family takes place tonight from 6:00 – 7:00PM.  The memorial service begins at 7:00PM.  All of this takes place from Serenity Funeral Home.

Stan Hatcher spent the night in the hospital and will possibly have surgery this morning.  I am going to check on him and will post an update later today/tonight.

Visited with Miss Edith Kelley late yesterday afternoon.  She is in good spirits and remains as determined as ever.  Keep praying for her and Mr. JB.

We had a good day in our services yesterday/last night.  Really good attendance in our morning services.  We give God the glory!

Ever make a mistake?  I am prone to make one “once” in a great while.  LOL!  I am just glad the message was on “kindness!”  I personally think Kim French should wipe that smile off her face!  You talk about a big dummy (me)!  As Joey said, “wow!”  That pretty much sums it up!  You should always attend the services on Wednesdays!

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

Visited with Kevin Woods and his father yesterday morning.  Kevin was in excellent spirits even though he has been experiencing nerve pain.

Visited with Ronnie Glass.  He is having a procedure done daily to try and help the problem with his blood.  I think his final procedure is today and, if all goes well, he will then resume chemotherapy treatments.

Visited with Billy Ladnier.  He was not feeling well.

Talked to Bro. Johnny Tucker about his dad, Bro. Alvin Tucker, and his battle against leukemia.  He taught Sunday School this past Sunday but is not feeling great.

The Van Dam family are good friends and supporters of GRACE Ministries.  Mr Nelson Van Dam passed away on Monday night.  Pray for the Van Dam family.

We are on a regular schedule today/tonight.

If any student has tickets left for the boston butt/ribs sale, please bring those to Bro. Jim Chinners tonight!

Okay, so I left the house at 6:30AM yesterday and was in the office until 11:30PM last night minus two and a half hours (5:30 – 8:00PM).  Soy knows that my schedule has been full of late so he graciously mowed some grass yesterday.  Basically, he wanted to get one up on me for this year.  I will give him his props.  The final score will be something like 34 – 2 and I will not bother to say who will have the 34!  Having Soy around is about like having Joe David Bailey or Jason Bowling around!

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

I appreciate those who helped feed the Lee family yesterday.  You continually do a great job of ministry in this area.

I did not get to make the visits that I had planned yesterday.  Hopefully, those will take place today.  I am learning that it is hard to be in two places at one time!

Did get to visit with Bobby & Logan Baria yesterday afternoon.  Everything is set for the visitation/service on Thursday night.  A meal is being prepared for Thursday noon.  Contact Miss Vinnie Brewer for the details.

Alisha Vice is coordinating a small team to do ministry in Uganda this October.  Her plans are to keep the team to 6 – 8 members.  It will be a two week trip and the cost will be $2,500 +/- with a $500 deposit due by the end of April.  You will also need several shots.  Interested?  Contact her or Rita now.

The work day (8:00AM) and the food festival (5:00PM) take place this Saturday, 3/16.  Mark these things on your calendar.

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

The visitation with the Dawn Baria family will take place this Thursday night, 3/14, from 6:00 – 7:00PM at the Serenity Funeral Home in Theodore, Alabama.  The service will begin at 7:00PM.  Continue to pray for the Baria family.

Good services yesterday.  What a joy to see two young men, Creed & Caleb, accept Jesus in Sunday School and then make their decision public in the 10:30AM service.  Thank God for Sunday School teachers who share the Gospel.

“One More Road” did a nice job in leading the evening service.  Can they play some instruments or what?  Thanks to Liz Whalen for putting them in touch with Bro. Kerry.

I have not seen the figures but the time change did not seem to affect us too badly.  It actually appeared to hurt worst in the second morning service and the evening service (almost always true of that service on the first Sunday).  I will commend the 8:00AM folks for being faithful even on time change Sunday.

The funeral service for Miss Gracie Lee takes place today at 2:00PM from the chapel of Mobile Memorial Funeral Home.  Pray for Karen and the family.  Pray for Bro. Jerry Hovel as well as he will be preaching that service.

I do not know the details of the memorial service for Dawn Baria.  I do ask that you pray for Bobby and the family.

My plans are to check on many of the folks on our prayer list today.  I will update either later today or tomorrow.

Dale and Karla head to Portland, Oregon this week.  Alisha is finished with her speaking engagements and will be home now until her return to Uganda at some point next month.

Thanks to everyone who helped Bro. Jerry with the yard sale/auction last week.  The proceeds were more than sufficient to cover the ministry costs of the July 11 – 18 GRACE trip.

Freddie and I had a good couple of days in Michigan.  For me, it was as good to be able to spend some time with him as it was to see our Yankee family members.

Bama wins at the buzzer while Michigan loses a heartbreaker in the closing seconds.  Actually, Bama had UGA right where they wanted them!  (If you believe that. . .)   I was disappointed for my UM friends after yesterday’s loss.  Levi Seymour and I are cautiously optimistic about the Lakers as they are playing much better right now.

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

LEE Norma Grace Holladay Lee an 85 year-old native of Brewton, Alabama and resident of Mobile passed away Thursday, March 7, 2013. She will always be remembered as a fabulous Mother and Grandmother. Mrs. Lee was preceded in death by her husband of 64 years, Wallace Lee, and son-in-law, Doyle Williams. She is survived by her children, Sheila Williams, Ric Lee, and Karen Bellknap Walker (Sidney); Grandchildren, Marti Head (Jeremy), Brianna Wills (Brian), Raina Williams, Sara Lee, Jodi Archer (Phillip), and Toby Brown; and 14 Great-Grandchildren. Funeral services will be held from the chapel of Mobile Memorial Gardens Funeral Home on Monday, March 11, 2013, at 2 p.m. The family will receive friends at the funeral home on Sunday, March 10, from 5-8 p.m. Interment will be in Mobile Memorial Gardens.

Dawn Baria passed away during the early hours this morning.  I think the arrangements will probably be completed at some point today.  I have left a message with Bobby and will no doubt here from him or his parents once the arrangements are finalized.  Pray for Bobby and the entire Baria family.

Phillip and Lisa Osterkamp are our neighbors.  Phillip’s father passed away and the funeral service takes place today, 3/9, at 3:00PM from More Life Church.  Pray for the Osterkamp family.

The auction takes place tonight beginning at 6:00PM in the CAB.  All proceeds help purchase ministry supplies for the GRACE trip being led by Bro. Jerry this July.

Spring forward, spring forward, spring forward!  Please do not forget to set your clock forward one hour tonight before going to bed!

We are on a regular schedule tomorrow.  Lord willing, I will be in the pulpit for both morning services.  Hope to see many of you there.

Freddie and I had a really good day of visiting family members yesterday and we also made a quick trip up to the Holland area.  Perhaps our greatest ministry was to a young girl who was celebrating her birthday yesterday but her parents selfishly decided to go out of town for some “us” time.  The young girl, pretty much through her tears, thanked me for being her “dad” on this most important day in her life.  Plus, they basically had left her with no food so she had gotten a guy to take her to the store to buy some groceries.  Did I mention that she was physically sick the day her parents left and they knew this as well?  Wow!

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

Dawn Baria was taken to the hospital last night as she was experiencing severe pain.  Pray for her, her husband, Bobby, and the entire family as they go through this difficult time.

Heather Baria asks that we pray for her mother, Angie Hill, as she will be having a brain scan although I am not sure as to when.

Greg & Wendy Rockwell’s son, Zach, will be put to sleep today in order to have a procedure done.  Pray for him.

I do not have an update on any of the others folks for whom we have been praying but do ask that you keep praying.

Not sure where Dale & Karla are ministering this weekend but do ask that you pray for them.  Alisha Vice will be in a Big Point, MS church this Sunday morning.  Pray for her as this is her last scheduled time to share on this furlough.

Freddie and I arrived in Detroit in a timely manner and drove the two hours to Kalamazoo.  We met one uncle and his wife and one aunt and her son for a long supper.  We then went to the aunt’s house where we were joined by her husband for another couple of hours of fellowship.  During those two times, I learned family things that I have never known.  Today, we will see our aunt who is battling very serious health issues and, hopefully, our other uncle as well.

Lord willing, I will be home tomorrow evening and in the pulpit for the two morning services.  Remember, we have the musical group on Sunday evening so I will be present but not preaching.

Time changes this Saturday – Spring forward one hour on Saturday night!

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

Sara Ladnier’s tests could not be done yesterday so they are hopefully doing them today.  Kathy commented on yesterday’s entry and you can read that update.

Visited with Mitchel Fox yesterday afternoon.  They had done a test but nothing had been determined at the time of my visit.  Was Tiffany with him?  Are you serious?  You would think Myrtle would go sit with him when Tiff cannot be there!  (That would make Mitchel can well in a hurry!)

Visited with Miss Edith yesterday morning.  She is a trooper.

Church was good yesterday.  The 8:00PM Bible study was a “trip.”  Just ask Caryn, Rusty, Davy, Ashley or Soy!

This entry is late as my younger brother, Freddie, and I are traveling to Michigan.  I am actually 37,000 feet above the earth as I type this.  We are going to Kalamazoo to visit three aunts and two uncles plus other family members.  Hopefully, we get to the Holland area as well but our main purpose is to visit family.  One aunt has serious health issues.

Do not forget to “Spring forward” this Saturday night.

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

Tiffany Fox is doing her best to get out of my dog house.  She has not succeeded yet but is making progress.  She sent a text to Deidra to let me know that Mitchel is back in the hospital.  He is rapidly losing weight among other problems.  Pray for him!