Pastor's Blog

I was very pleasantly surprised with the attendance in our morning service yesterday.  We did not fill each chair in the auditorium but we came close.  The amazing thing to me is that the forecast was rain followed by more rain.  That did not deter the baptists from the Friendship family.  I am most thankful!

Sandra Francisco has been diagnosed with a malignancy.  More test results should come early this week.  Pray for Sandra!  By the way, she did get her cast removed so that is good news.

Well, I am now down to two Sundays and one Wednesday as the pastor of the Friendship family.  Unbelievable!  Thank you to Carl Ray Moulds for sharing some encouraging words yesterday in the morning service.  Carl Ray was on the pastor search committee that presented me to the Friendship family for their consideration as the pastor.

Cecil Guidry and an out of town guest will share in the morning service this Sunday, 10/11.

This entry is being written from Elizabethtown, KY while sitting in a hotel lobby.  It is past midnight here and almost midnight in South Mobile County.  A group of us are traveling to Holland, MI for the annual GRACE Gathering which will take place Tuesday night, 10/6.  Looking for a great time of sharing with some of the supporters in southwest Michigan.  Special thanks to Dana Taylor for helping locate the shrimp.  They look amazing!

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

Happy thirtieth birthday to our twins, Dana & Gina!  Thirty years old!  Wow, I can still see them as precious little infants and that seems so like yesterday.  Now they each have a son.  Where has the time gone?  Thank you Friendship family for loving our twins unconditionally.  We love Dana & Gina.  Girls, happy birthday!

Well, the weather forecasters are now predicting that today and tomorrow will see Grand Bay get a lot of rain.  Those of us who live South of the tracks saw very little in the way of rain yesterday.  We have seen very little for the past few months.  I have zero complaints as God knows what He is doing.  As one who enjoys the rain I do hope we will see a few buckets full today and tomorrow.  Again, let it rain!

Regular schedule on our campus tomorrow morning and evening.  Lord willing, I will be preaching in the morning service and Bro. Abel will be doing so in the evening service.  Friendship family, come join us!

The record shows that I have posted six thousand five hundred and forty seven blog entries since 2/14/07.  That equals  an entry per day for just under eighteen years if they were consecutive.  Pretty amazing!  The wonder of it all is that our readership has exploded to thirteen readers per day during that time.  No other pastor in the history of the Friendship family has come close to those numbers!  Will the next pastor rival that?

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

Good morning on this Friday.  The date of October 2 will always be etched into our memories as Soy passed from this life three years ago today.  Deidra, Lisa and I were talking earlier today about how it seems like three hours ago while also feeling like it was thirty years ago.  Strange how that works.  Pray for Deidra, Lizzi, Sydney & Audrey today.  Thank you!

John Wayne Bosarge is supposed to be discharged from the hospital today.  Obviously, he has greatly improved.  Keep praying.

NO soccer games tonight or in the morning due to the forecasted rain.  How much will it rain?  Only the Lord knows but I will be thankful for any rain He sends to South Mobile County.

Regular schedule on our campus this Sunday morning and evening.  I hope you will join us for Bible study and worship.

If my math is correct then there could possibly be only sixteen more blog entries to write after today.  The first entry was written on February 14, 2007.  Wow!  I will have to check and see how many entries have been posted over the past almost twenty years.  Thirteen folks are about to have to make an adjustment to their daily schedule.

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

The soccer games scheduled for tomorrow night and Saturday morning on our campus have been postponed.  Bro. Abel is the source for more information.  Let it rain!

John Wayne Bosarge was much improved yesterday afternoon.  Seems he will be in the hospital for another day or two.  Keep praying!

Dana Snow has to go to the hospital daily for a shot.  This will continue through Monday, 10/5.  The process takes a minimum of four hours.  Her options were to to this or remain in the hospital until Monday.

Good day in our services yesterday.  Our Wednesday morning services are just so special to me.  Yes, I will miss those when I am away.  Really good and sweet spirit in our service last night.  Praise the Lord!

It is good to have Deidra and the girls with us for a few days.  Deidra is glad to spend time with Charles & Ann.

Folks are wanting to know the back story to my retirement.  Here it is:  I am sixty-six years, four months and thirteen days old.  As far as I know I am in good health.  I want to have the freedom to be involved in mission work as the Lord leads.  I love the Friendship family which is why I will continue to serve and worship here when I am in town.  I have stated this publicly for the past several years.  The Lord gave me a peace about retiring from the pastorate.  I did not resign, I retired under zero pressure.    However, Lord willing, I will still be deeply involved in doing ministry.  End of story!  (I have shared this information in strictest confidence so please keep it just between us!  LOL!)

By the way, I will still be available to do celebration of life services.  However, my fee has doubled!  Weddings?  Retired!