Pastor's Blog

I am told that the service for Miss Joyce went well and that the family did well also.  Keep praying for them as they now face the most difficult days.

Miss Barbara Nevin is still not doing well but did do a couple of small, but encouraging, things yesterday.

I was unaware that Amy Walker’s grandmother passed away.  That service was yesterday at noon and took place from Serenity Funeral Home.

Maxine Dupont is in the hospital battling pneumonia.

Ruby Gulley had a port put in yesterday.  She is battling the effects of the medications.

Edna’s son-in-law, Chris, went home from the hospital yesterday.

Miss Bea Unrue is going to have a pace maker put in very soon.

Bro. Jerry tells me that the attendance in our services yesterday/last night was good.  Thank you for being faithful!

Women’s conference this Friday night from 5:30PM until.  All ladies are invited.  Tickets available.

We began the pastors’ conference at 8:30AM yesterday and ended somewhere around 9:00PM.  Of course there were breaks for lunch and supper.  We are now at the camp and, surprisingly, they have internet in the main room.  That Al really meant it when he said the internet was for everyone!

Pastor Keith Martin, Bro. Chris Taylor and Dr. Tico Vargas were the main speakers yesterday/last night.  Bro. Keith was allotted thirty minutes and was able to squeeze his message into about an hour.  Bro. Chris preached a great message on the family.  He shared some personal stories and got pretty emotional.  I was unaware of all the things he faces in dealing with his wife.  I thought I knew her better than that – wow!

Found out from a young man attending the conference (he is the keyboardist for the conference) that his mother, Melissa, reads the blog daily.  That is great news as our readership is now at eight!

The conference ends late this afternoon and we head back to San Salvador tomorrow night.  Four of us head home Friday while Pastor Terry Nappier remains here and will preach three times this weekend.

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

The visitation (1:00 – 3:00PM) and service (3:00PM) for Miss Joyce Davie takes place today at Serenity.  Pray for Bro. Jack, Brenda, Lisa and the entire family.  Bro. Jerry tells me that they had plenty of food promised in order to feed the family.  Thank to all who are involved in this ministry.

Ruby Gulley is having a difficult time waking up since having surgery.  She tends to struggle with the meds used during surgery.

Miss Barbara Nevin did well through surgery but has not done so well since then.  Pray that today will be a better day.

Edna H. Glover’s son-in-law, Chris, had surgery on his back yesterday.  Hopes to go home today.

Regular schedule this morning and evening at Friendship.  Guess what the meal is for the 7:30PM Bible study?  The most expensive lasagna in the history of mankind!  I pray that the members of the Friendship family will be faithful to attend the services/classes today & tonight.

Bro. Chris, Bro. Johnny and I arrived safely in El Salvador yesterday afternoon.  The conference began at 4:00PM with worship, a break out session, and a message by Bro. Johnny.  Good beginning!  We move to the camp today which means I do not know if we will have internet access.  Pray for the conference.

Soy e-mailed yesterday wanting to know when I was coming home – said he misses me!  Bro. Chris knocks on my hotel room door around 2:00AM wanting to know if he can make a pallet in my room as he is scared.  He looks so cute lying there on the floor clutching his panda bear!

Cannot promise a blog entry tomorrow but Friday should be good as we will be back at the hotel.

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

Rob Nevin’s mother, Miss Barbara, did very well through her surgical procedure yesterday.  As I understand it, the doctor was well pleased.  Praise the Lord!

Ruby Gulley’s surgery also went well.  She tried to keep us from knowing about her procedure but once a woman knows. . .   LOL!  Bro. Jerry covered both of these procedures for me and I appreciate it.

Bill Kendrick’s mother is not doing well.  She received some stitches in her head from the fall on Saturday.  She is now not cooperating in her recovery.  She is in a convalescent facility.  Pray for her, Bill, and the family.

Rex & Kathryn Butler are friends of Miss Kittie.  They have no family in this immediate area.  He was diagnosed with a malignancy yesterday and the prognosis is not good.  Friendship family – prayer and ministry time!

I posted the information about Miss Joyce Davie’s service yesterday.  The obit is on al.com today.  Bro. Jerry Hove’s Sunday School class will be providing the meal for the family following the service.  They could use some help from outside their class.  If interested or need more information, please contact Bro. Jerry @ 445 5414.  It would be so helpful if you would call today.  Thanks!

I have a sports team that I do not want to jinx so I am not going to mention them.  However, my condolences to Leslie Hacker, David & Vera Bosarge, Dale Bosarge, Davy Bosarge and Betty Clair’s mother in their time of loss.  Congratulations are in order to Sammy Bowden & Cecil Guidry!

Bro. Chris Taylor, Bro. Johnny Tucker, and I leave early this morning bound for the pastors’ conference in El Salvador.  Pastor Keith Martin and Pastor Terry Nappier are already there.  Dr. Tico plans to join us for at least some of the conference.  Plans call for us to teach around 100 pastors in a camp setting.  It will be different.  Pray that it will be effective.  Lord willing, we will be home Friday night and I will be in the pulpit this Sunday morning/evening.

The finances for the El Salvador conference have been taken care of but that is not true for the conference in Guatemala next week.  Anyone, within the Friendship family or others, are welcome to contribute.  The cost per participant is $50 but any size donation is accepted.  Contact me via e-mail if you need more information.

Women’s conference this Friday night, 10/11.  Doors open at 5:30PM with the meal served beginning at 6:00PM.  I initially reported a wrong time in yesterday’s entry.  I stand corrected.  Last time I depend on Larry Whitehurst for information!

The girls vehicle would not start yesterday morning.  Totally dead!  Marisa Felps came to the house and got it started without the aid of anything – amazing!  Absolutely true story!  (And you thought Donnie was the mechanic in the family!)

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

The visitation with the Joyce Davie family will take place on Wednesday, 10/9, from 1:00PM until the 3:00PM service time.  The visitation and service will take place from the Serenity Funeral Home in Theodore, Alabama.  Pray for the Davie family as they go through this difficult time.

The rains came down and the Baptists stayed home!  The rains definitely had an adverse affect on our morning service attendance yesterday.  Much more so in the second service.  The first service was actually not that far away from a “normal” attendance.

However, last night’s attendance was actually up from the previous Sunday evening.  The weather cleared as the rain came to an end around 3:00PM or so.  I appreciate the members of the Friendship family who were faithful to attend the morning and evening services yesterday.  I thank God for His blessings.

The initial training for our Matthews went well yesterday afternoon.  We will repeat the process this Sunday with the time TBA.  Pray for My Hope America.

Jeanette Bates told me last night that the Davie family is waiting to figure out which out of town family members will be attending the service for Miss Joyce before making the final arrangements.  I will post those arrangements here once they are completed.

I am not supposed to know it but Ruby Gulley is having surgery this morning.

Rob Nevin’s mother, Miss Barbara, is having surgery this afternoon.

Talked to Sherry Howell via the phone yesterday.  She and Danley are doing good if you consider the baby staying up all night as part of doing good!

The annual Womens’ Conference takes place this Friday, 10/11.  Doors open at 5:30PM and the meal will be served beginning at 6:00PM.  Tickets are still available.  Pray for the conference.

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

Word came to us this morning that Miss Joyce Davie has passed from this life.  Pray for the Davie family.

Bill Kendrick’s mother took a fall last night.  She spent considerable time in the ER but was eventually sent back to the convalescent facility where she is a resident.

Rob Nevin’s mother, Miss Barbara, will have hip replacement surgery tomorrow afternoon.

The rain really had a negative affect on our second service today.  Not so much in the first service.

Pray that tonight’s service will be well attended and blessed.  Thanks!

Props to the brilliant person who called off the morning activities.  Is that guy smart or what?  Folks, I did not pray the storm away or anything like that but here is how it works.  Call off something and the storm does not arrive.  Take an umbrella and it does not rain.  Why did I not call of services the Sunday before Katrina?

So, Lord willing, we are on a regular schedule tomorrow morning and evening.

Miss Joyce Davie will be left on the ventilator through the weekend and then the doctors will make a decision as to what is next.  Keep praying.

I am going to take Bama over State.  I told Ross H the other night that I think AU is going to beat Ole Miss tonight.  Why?  Do not know but that is my “gut” feeling.  Disclaimer – I could be wrong!  Stanford is going to beat Washington and FSU will take down Maryland.

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

Cancellation – no men’s breakfast tomorrow morning.

Cancellation – no participation by the Friendship family in the Walk for Bibles on Dauphin Island tomorrow morning.

Postponement – workday postponed until Saturday, 11/2/13.

Postponement – wedding of Kayla Brown & Rick Bradley, Jr postponed until Saturday, 11/2/13.

Tropical Storm Karen does not appear to be a major threat but could produce some heavy rains in our area.  If we are going to err, we are doing so on the side of caution.  Sorry for any inconvenience.

Our Sunday schedule is set to be normal.  In the event something happens to change that, we will post the change here.  I do not anticipate anything happening to cause us to make any changes.

They did not take Miss Joyce off the ventilator.  It is possible they could do so today.  Pray for Miss Joyce and family.

Janice & Juanita’s mother, Miss Mazie, was having some problems yesterday morning.  It “appears” that either something was not done properly in surgery or a therapist did not do the correct procedure in dealing with her.

We will begin the training of the “Matthews” this Sunday afternoon, 10/6, at 4:30PM.  Look for us in the building where the adults meet for Sunday School.

Talk about stupid!  Bro. Chris calls me at 2:05PM yesterday afternoon as I am driving home from Pascagoula.  He asks if I plan on bringing the six lasagnas to the church or does he need to pick them up from our house?  (Feeding the middle school football team at 2:45PM)  My reply, “oh, you wanted them cooked!”  Long story short – thanks to my helpful wife, the two Chevron stations, Greer’s, and Blimpie, we got it covered in time.  It actually turned out well.  How could I forget to cook those lasagnas?  I have beat myself up continually since that time.  Those are the most expensive lasagnas I have ever owned!  Honestly, that self beating was simply par for the course this week.  Feel free to jump on me today too!

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

The men’s breakfast scheduled for this Saturday, 10/5, has been cancelled.  The next breakfast will be scheduled to take place on Saturday, 11/2.

The wedding ceremony of Rick Bradley, Jr. and Kayla Brown that was scheduled for this Saturday, 10/5, has been postponed until Saturday, November 2, 2013.  Guess that proves that Rick’s prayers worked?  LOL!