Pastor's Blog

“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.”  (Psalm 46:1)

Word from Dana F is that her mother, Mary Jackson, remains in the hospital but has shown some improvement.  Keep praying.

Nanette sent a message last night saying that Kristin is doing well and will be discharged from the hospital today.  Baby Noah will have another blood test today.  If the numbers are good then he will be discharged today as well.  Pray for Baby Noah Woods.

I do not have an update on Larry Crawley’s situation but do ask that you keep praying for him.

The visitation with the Stella Brinkman family takes place this morning from 11:00AM until the noon service time. Visitation and service will take place in our auditorium.  Pray for the Brinkman family.

The arrangements for Debbie Kendrick’s mother, Lula Amonett, are as follows:  visitation on Tuesday, June 16, from 10:00AM until the 11:00AM service time.  Visitation and service will take place at the Heritage Funeral Home in Escatawpa, Mississippi.  Pray for Debbie and the other members of her family.

Ethan Nelson’s sister, Carissa, passed from this life this past Tuesday night.  Arrangements are still pending.  Pray for Ethan and his family during this time.

Marvin drives the luggage truck for our mission teams in Guatemala.  His father, Salomon, used to drive the truck.  Kirk Lightfield sent me word that Marvin wanted me to know that his dad passed away – I think on Wednesday.  He had renal failure and was only fifty seven years old.  Pray for Marvin and his family.

Regular schedule on our campus tomorrow morning and evening.  Baptism and the Lord’s Supper in the evening service.

Deacons, please meet with me tomorrow afternoon at 5:00PM.

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

“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.”  (Psalm 46:1)

The Lord gives and the the Lord takes away.  Blessed be the name of the Lord.

Yesterday afternoon at 3:33PM Scott & Nanette became grandparents to their fifth grandson as Noah James Woods entered this world weighing six pounds and fifteen ounces.  He is twenty inches long.  They kept Noah in the nursery overnight as some of his blood work is off so they are monitoring him closely.  Congratulations to Josh & Kristin, Scott & Nanette, Kerry & Sherry and all of the family.  Big brothers Isaiah & Micah are excited to have a baby brother join them.

Around 10:30PM last night, Debbie Kendrick’s mother, Lula Amonett, passed from this life.  Pray for the family.  Arrangements pending.

The visitation with the Stella Brinkman family takes place tomorrow beginning at 11:00AM in our auditorium.  The celebration of life service will begin at noon.  Pray for the family.

Keep praying for Mary Jackson, Case Brewer and Larry Crawley.

Regular schedule on our campus Sunday morning and evening.  We will observe the ordinance of baptism and the Lord’s Supper as a part of our evening service.

The wedding shower for Zach & Mary Anne will take place Sunday afternoon from 2:00 – 4:00PM in our Preschool Building.  All ladies from the Friendship family are invited to attend.

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

“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.”  (Psalm 46:1)

I was told right before our service last night that Larry Crawley had been diagnosed with bone cancer.  So, I called Larry once I got home and he confirmed that he does have cancer in his hip bones.  They are waiting on the results of a biopsy of his prostate to determine if that is the origination point.  Pray for Larry!  By the way, he is in Key West, FL fishing!  That would be Larry!

Debbie Kendrick does a nice job of keeping me updated on her mother’s condition.  She has declined even more physically and it appears the end of her earthly life is very near.  Keep praying!

Andy Hamil will begin his radiation treatments in July.

Miss Mary Jackson remains in the hospital so keep praying.

Young Case Brewer could be discharged from the hospital today.  Keep praying.

Regular schedule this Sunday morning and evening.  We will observe the ordinance of baptism and the Lord’s Supper in our 6:00PM service.

I am asking folks to bring their offering to the services this Sunday but wait before placing them in the offering receptacles.  I will explain as the service progresses.

It appears the rain is gone for the next nine or ten days.  Going to be hot.  It is called June in South Alabama!

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

Continue to pray for Debbie Kendrick’s mother and the entire family.

Andy Hamil will begin a series of twenty eight radiation treatments at some point in July.

Thank you notes have been sent to the Friendship family from the Kent Blaylock family and the Joe Hill family.  These two families are grateful for the support they received during the passing of their respective loved ones.

A thank you note has also been received from Sharon Jardee expressing appreciation for the men and women who helped her move on Saturday, May 30.

Wedding shower for Zach & Mary Anne this Sunday, 6/14, from 2:00 – 4:00PM in the Preschool Building.  Ladies, take note, please.

“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.”  (Psalm 46:1)

This entry is late.  I apologize.

Miss Vinnie Brewer’s great grandson, Case, had surgery in New Orleans last night.  The surgery was successful.  Pray for Case and his family.

Mary Jackson received two units of blood and dialysis yesterday.  They will do scope today and then a treatment tomorrow.  Keep praying for Miss Mary.

Regular schedule on our campus this morning and tonight.

It appears the rains have more or less passed us now so we can begin the drying out process.

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

“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.”  (Psalm 46:1)

The church office is open today from 8:00AM until 4:00PM.

Mary Jackson remains in the hospital and needs our prayer support.  She is having some issues that have the doctors confused.

Debbie Kendrick’s mother appears to be at the point of her physical death.  Family members are traveling in to be able to be with her and the rest of the family.  Pray for traveling mercies.  It goes without saying that we need to pray for God to be merciful to Mrs. Amonett.  The family is being allowed to visit two at a time while following strict protocol regarding the virus.

The memorial service for Stella Brinkman will take place this Saturday, June 13.  There will be an hour of visitation from 11:00AM until the noon celebration of life service.  Everything will take place in our auditorium.  Keep praying for the Brinkman family.

We need a ton of food to feed the Brinkman family following the service.  Please call the church office today, tomorrow or Thursday if you will help.  The secretary can either take your information or put you in touch with Tina Wilkinson.  All food will need to be at the church no later than noon on Saturday.

How did the dividing of the adult Sunday School classes go this past Sunday?  In my opinion, very well.  Each class had a good number even though we were down due to the stormy weather.  Remember, we now have a class for 30 – 37; one for 38 – 44; and one  for 45 – 49.  All three classes meet in the adult building.  The 50 – 59 class now meets in the youth building.  Sunday School is the place to get into a deeper study of the Word and to develop relationships.  Not involved?  Why not start this Sunday at 9:15AM?

Regular schedule on our campus tomorrow morning and evening.

The Cracker Barrel restaurant is contemplating selling alcohol.  The brass is supposedly listening to their clientele as to whether or not to implement this plan.  If you are against it, contact their customer service.  I will try to provide that contact information in another post.

I ventured out into my garden late yesterday afternoon and almost had a meltdown.  Lots of damage.  The ground is very wet.  It is supposed to rain today and tomorrow but I am going to use a vacation day today to try and salvage some of my plants.  The corn will straighten up once the sun comes out.  It will take some surgery to fix some of the other plants.  I will most likely have to either dodge the rain showers or just grin and bear it!  I have been dealing with stress lately and now this!  I am literally laughing out loud.  It is a garden which means it is not life or death and does not have any eternal significance.

Pecan trees tend to lose many limbs when the wind blows more than one mile per hour.  Such is the case on this hill following Sunday’s winds.  Special thanks to Steve Morris for providing a huge help to me yesterday and today.

Let me give a shout out to Joey Switzer’s lube shop.  Lisa took her vehicle there yesterday for an oil change and all they did was change the oil.  No new engine, transmission, tires or anything!  See, miracles do still happen!

I also want to give a shout out to Joey’s gym – WOW!  If you are not presently a member, why not consider joining and get some physical exercise.  I try to go at least once a day to do cardio.  A lot of you were thinking I have been doing weight training but that is not true.  My guns are natural!  Any way, Joey & Amy are members of the Friendship family, WOW is local, and many of us need to do a better job of taking care of our bodies.  (Please note that I am not a paid endorser!  Not yet anyway!)  WOW is open 24/7.

I loved the state trooper in Georgia who was asked to take a knee in support of the protesters.  His answer was that he only bows to One – God!  (I am assuming he means the same God I serve)

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

There will be a wedding shower this Sunday, June 14, for Zach Huhn and his bride to be, Mary Anne Goolsby.  This shower will take place in our Preschool Building from 2:00PM until 4:00PM.  All ladies of the Friendship family are invited to attend.  Questions?  Contact Rita Broome or Amy Huhn.

“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.”  (Psalm 46:1)

The church office is closed today, Monday, June 8, due to the weather.  We will open tomorrow at 8:00AM.  I am available today in the event of an emergency.

Debbie Kendrick’s mother is not doing well physically.  The medical folks feel she could very well be in the final hours of her life.  They were trying to make arrangements for the family to be with Mrs. Amonett.  Pray for all involved.

Keep praying for Mary Jackson.  As far as I know, she remains in the hospital.

The memorial service for Stella Brinkman will take place this Saturday, June 13.  I will share the specifics regarding the visitation and service once I have spoken to the family in more detail.

What a different Sunday!  First, I want to say a huge “thank you” to each person who braved the wind and rain to attend one of our morning services and Sunday School.  Yes, our numbers were down but that was totally expected with the weather we were experiencing.  I do know that some members of the Friendship family took advantage of the live stream which allowed them to not have to get out in the elements.

I sought advice from our deacons and then made the call to cancel our evening service yesterday.  I never like to cancel a service but felt it was the right move for us at this time.  Turns out it was the correct call as the weather was not good, not good at all, come 6:00PM yesterday.

I was blessed to have my nephew, Josh, his wife, Tracey, their two children and another family of four with us in our second service yesterday.  They are staying in Orange Beach and drove over for the service and lunch.  Josh’s sister, Jamie, and her family were also in OB recently over a weekend but they did not attend our service.  Just saying!

I am typing this entry on Sunday night and it is raining really hard.  I do not know how many inches have fallen since early Sunday morning but it has been a lot.  My garden has taken a huge hit.  All of the corn is down as are other plants.  I staked some plants Saturday but that did not help.  (I may be applying for a farmer’s loan once this thing ends)  The Lord gives and the Lord takes away – blessed be the name of the Lord!

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

Happy birthday to our oldest daughter, Deidra!  Obviously, we are disappointed that at least or me cannot be with her on this special day but we cannot control that.  I hope that Deidra has a really good day in spite of the circumstances.

It was a Sunday morning and I was doing my regular routine having left the house around 7:00AM to get ready to make sure the buses would start and then run my route.  I would then teach Sunday School followed by leading children’s church.  Lisa was pregnant with our first child and we had been told three weeks earlier that the baby (gender unknown before birth) could be born at any moment.  Moments turned to hours, hours turned to days and days turned to weeks.  I was beginning to question if Lisa was really with child?  Then it happened – my office phone rang and Lisa said, “it is time!”  I placed a quick call to Anna Carol Bosarge to get her to cover children’s church and then called Bro. Robbie to tell him of our situation.  Off to Singing River Hospital we went and in less than three hours Deidra Ann Turrentine made her grand appearance into this world.  The world has never been the same since – just saying!  It was one of the greatest days of my life as we welcomed our first child into our family.  Lisa and I are very proud of Deidra as we are proud of all of our daughters.

It appears the memorial service for Stella Brinkman will take place next Saturday, June 13.  That is not set in stone yet but it will most likely happen.  Keep praying for Stella’s family.

Continue to pray for Mary Jackson.

Regular schedule tomorrow morning.  It appears that it is going to be a very wet one!  Remember, we now have a 30 – 37 year old class, a 38 – 44 year old class and a 45 – 49 year old class.  Please work with us and be patient and flexible as we work through these changes.  Thank you!

Teachers, those of us using SBC literature will teach the March 1, 2020 lesson tomorrow.  We are going to use the literature this quarter that is dated March, April & May.  Just does not make financial sense to lose a quarter of literature.

Yes, we are allowing pre-packaged food and individual drinks in Sunday School.  No “buffet style” food and no community drinks.  Coffee is allowed.

Ladies, there will be a bridal shower for Zach Huhn’s bride to be next Sunday, June 14, from 2:00 – 4:00PM in the Preschool Building.  All ladies of the Friendship family are invited to attend.  Zach & Mary Anne are registered at Greer’s.

I have to step up my game when it comes to my garden next year.  I am getting crushed by John Milton, Jason Taylor, Riley Glass and many more!  How embarrassing is that!  January 1, 2021 is my targeted planting date!

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

“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.”  (Psalm 46:1)

Stella Brinkman departed this life around 6:30PM last night and is now in Heaven.  All five of her children and other family members were with her when she passed from this life.  Obviously, the arrangements are pending.  Pray for the Stella Brinkman family.

I do not have an update on Mary Jackson but ask that you pray for her.

We are going to leave our 50-59 Sunday School class intact for the time being.  They will be meeting in the youth building beginning this Sunday, 6/7.

We are going to now have a 30 – 37 year old Sunday School class; a 38 – 44 year old Sunday School class and a 45 – 49 year old Sunday School class.  This is a trial and error scenario and we may have to make some adjustments following this Sunday.  Bro. Sonny Bates will teach the 45 -49 year old class and they will meet in the same room as the 40 – 49 years met.  We will have signs for the other two classes.  These classes will meet this Sunday, June 7.

We are going to allow drinks in Sunday School beginning this Sunday, 6/7.  However, we ask that the drinks be individual i.e. not two liters, et cetera.  Coffee will be allowed as well.  Food can be served if it is pre-packaged.  No buffet, serve yourself food will be allowed at this time.

We will be on a regular schedule this Sunday morning even though it may be wet and windy.  Stay tuned to this blog for updates.

Evangelist Michael Mason will be our guest on Sunday, June 21.  He will be preaching in our 8:00AM and 6:00PM services.  Since it is my first Father’s Day without my dad I will be preaching in the 10:30AM service.

I had to meet my nephew, Josh, at Buc-ees last night.  I needed to get some cargo from him and to also get Titus who has been in Hartselle since last Sunday.  Eddie Albritton took me there and back so I could have use of his truck.  I appreciate Eddie doing this for me.  Very nice of him.

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