Pastor's Blog

Coach Eric Collier called me just before noon to share that Sanna’s pathology report came back benign!  No cancer!  Hallelujah!  Eric & Sanna give praise to the Lord and thanks to each person who prayed.  Hallelujah!

“Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.” (Psalm 119:11)

I ask you to pray specifically for Sanna Collier today.  She is supposed to hear from her pathology report today.  The waiting has been tough on Sanna, Eric & the entire family.

Keep praying for Miss Lillian, Carol Lucky, Sonny Bates and the others on our prayer lists.

Regular schedule on our campus tomorrow morning and evening.  May we be found faithful.

Work day this Saturday, 9/14, beginning at 8:00AM.  This is a “all hands on deck” work day.  We need to do a major job on the shrubs around the office building, the auditorium and the adult building.  Bring the appropriate tools.  Also, we need to burn two brush piles on the back forty.  If you just happen to have some extra kerosene in the back of your truck this week and are driving by those brush piles, stop and pour some on them as that will help us with the burning on Saturday.

Sammy Bowden & Kendall Falana helped a brother with car problems this past Sunday after our second service.  Long story short – the car had mechanical issues, Kendall knew a guy selling a vehicle and contacted him, the guy gave the car to the man in need.  Is that great or what!  Thanks Sammy & Kendall for helping in this situation.

The Dodgers can clinch the NL West tonight with a win against the O’s.  Let’s go Dodgers!  Bobby and the boys are in Minneapolis to play the Twins.  I “think” Bobby told me this will be his first time in that ballpark.  It is looking more and more like the Cubs versus the Nationals in the wild card game.  The Braves could still finish ahead of the Dodgers with the best record in the NL.

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

“Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.” (Psalm 119:11)

Our friends in Guatemala, Juan Marcus and Lucky, have a daughter, Natalie, who will be undergoing hernia surgery today.  Pray for Natalie, please.

Wow, we were blessed by the Lord with a really good day in our services yesterday.  The proverbial “cherry on the top” was Audrey Everett following the Lord in believers’ baptism to conclude last night’s worship service.  God gives the increase and we give Him the glory!

Our AWANA ministry got off to a great start as we had fifty nine children in attendance.  There was a definite buzz in the air!  Were there some hiccups?  Yes.  Are there some adjustments that need to be made?  Yes.  Did we expect those things?  Yes.  Elizabeth Westbrook, the other leaders and the volunteers took a very positive attitude and are ready for next week.  One of the neat things is that the attendance in our evening service probably was higher than it has been in recent weeks.  Praise the Lord for all of His blessings on our AWANA ministry.

Six year old Jackson Reynolds said to his Uncle Charlie late yesterday afternoon, “best day ever!”  When his uncle asked why, Jackson replied, “because I do not have to go into the auditorium for the service tonight!”  LOL!  Can you say “future deacon?”

Evangelist Johnny Tucker did his usual wonderful job of sharing the Word with us yesterday morning.  While I do not know the amount I do know that you gave a very generous love offering to Bro. Johnny & Miss Judy for their personal use.  Good stuff!

It was very good to see Carol Lucky in our second morning service yesterday.  She and Terry will be in class all week learning about the “at home” dialysis stuff.

Will Reynolds had a maternal aunt to pass from this life last week.  The visitation and service will take place this Thursday morning at First Baptist Bayou La Batre.  Visitation with the family from 9:00AM until the 11:00AM service time.  Pray for the family.

Bobby and the boys were able to salvage one game from the Braves as they won yesterday afternoon.  They can give up on winning the NL East but are in good shape when it comes to the wild card chase.  The Cubs have fallen four and one half games behind in the NL Central but still hold a two game lead for the second wild card spot.  The Dodgers need two wins to claim the NL West title for the seventh consecutive year.

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

“Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.” (Psalm 119:11)

Regular schedule on the Friendship campus this morning and evening.

Evangelist Johnny Tucker will be preaching in our two morning services today.

Our AWANA ministry begins this afternoon at 5:00PM.  Pray for this ministry.

Deacons meet at 4:00PM today.

Finance Committee meets at 5:00PM today.

I arrived home safely around 11:30PM last night.  That four hour trip from Tuscaloosa which is around two hundred miles only seemed like fourteen hours and two thousand miles!  Why?  Can you say Bob Evans?  The dude talked all the way home – literally!  He told me that he was only doing so to make sure I did not fall asleep while driving.  There were probably ninety thousand folks inside BDS for the game.  Bob personally talked to eighty one thousand and twelve of them!

Marcus & Rachel Hatcher were also at the Bama game.  Rachel seemed to be a little miffed at me when she saw Bob with me.  She grew up across the street from Bob and affectionately refers to him as “Uncle Bob.”  She said he could have just ridden to and from the game with them.  I would have been in favor of that.  Told Bob that he had now been to two Alabama games with me in the same trip – his first and last!  Bob had a great time and I enjoyed seeing him have a great time!

The Braves are smoking!  They now have a commanding lead in the NL East.  They may very well pass the Dodgers for the best record in the NL before it is all said and done.  The Dodgers do not have sufficient pitching in the pen.  Jansen is toast!  I think either the Yankees or the Astros will win it all and my tendency is to lean toward the Astros simply based on their pitching.

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

“Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.” (Psalm 119:11)

The visitation and service for Miss Kathryn Butler takes place today.  Visitation begins at 10:00AM and lasts until the noon service time.  Pray for the family.  Those bringing food to help minister to the family need to have it in the fellowship hall no later than 11:00AM today.

Tracy Smith, the cousin of Jason Taylor, for whom we have been praying due to her battle with cancer passed from this life yesterday afternoon.  She was fifty five years of age.  Pray for the family as they walk through this valley.

Paul Brown, brother-in-law of Elaine Brinkman Brown, passed from this life and his visitation/service also takes place today.  Visitation begins at 11:00AM and lasts until the noon service time.  Everything is at the Heritage Funeral Home in Escatawpa, Mississippi.  Pray for the Brown family.

Regular schedule on the Friendship campus tomorrow morning and evening.  One very exciting addition is that we will begin our AWANA ministry at 5:00PM.  They will initially gather in the auditorium before dividing into their respective groups.  Pray for this ministry and pass the word!

Evangelist Johnny Tucker and his wife, Miss Judy, will be our guests tomorrow morning.  Bro. Johnny will preach in our two morning services.  Yes, Lord willing, I will be in attendance but no preaching.

Faith Academy, Mobile Christian, Resurrection and Theodore all won last night.  Bryant was not able to join that group but hopefully they will win a game soon.  By the way, Danville won last night which was their first win in like two years.

We survived Bob!  LOL!  We delivered Bob to his sister early yesterday afternoon.  I then headed North where I was able to spend some good quality time with my parents.  Dad was a very happy camper as he had been to the doctor and the catheter is no more – hallelujah!  Dad looked and sounded better to me than he has in months.  He is not using any aid in his walking.  His blood pressure is a bit low but otherwise I think he is doing good.  He asked that I say “thank you” to those who have prayed for him.  He is grateful.  I am grateful to my brother, Eddie, and his wife, Sue, for all they do for dad and mama.

Are the Braves hot or what?  Leslie Hacker has them dialed in right now!  They beat Bobby & the boys again last night.  Do not look now but the Diamondbacks are making a hard push for one of those wild card spots in the NL.

There will be a few good college football games today/tonight.  Alabama & Auburn will not be involved in those.  USM vs MSU; A&M at Clemson and LSU at Texas should be good ones.  Lisa, the girls, Jayden and I plan on joining Bob at the Bama game – it is going to be hot!

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

“Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.” (Psalm 119:11)

The service for Mr. George Versiga seemed to go well.  Thank you to those who prayed, attended, et cetera.

The visitation/service for Mark Hubbard’s mother takes place today.  Pray for Mark and his family.

The visitation/service for Miss Kathryn Butler takes place tomorrow, 9/7.  Visitation with the family at 10:00AM until the noon service time.  If you are helping with the food to feed the family following the service please have it in the Preschool Building no later than 11:00AM tomorrow.  Pray for this service.

Keep praying for Sanna Collier as she awaits word from the biopsy.

Had the opportunity to visit with Miss Lillian yesterday afternoon.  What a pleasant lady!  She is having some serious issues with her oxygen level but hopefully she will be getting a portable oxygen tank very soon.  Miss Lillian is very blessed to have sons and daughters who are “Johnny on the spot” to give her the support she needs.  (And a million other family members who are also there for her)  Keep praying.

Also saw Terry & Carol Lucky yesterday.  She is improving.  She and Terry will be in school all next week to learn about the in home dialysis.  Carol will have a surgical procedure done later this month to give better access to a vein in her left arm.  Want to be encouraged?  Visit Terry & Carol!  Keep praying.

Dad was discharged from the rehab center yesterday morning.  Can you say, “happy camper?”

I was wrong!  Bob Evans did not move to the bayou yesterday.  Everything is now on hold until Monday.  Word is that Bob is waiting on his BLB Reeboks before moving?

Bobby and the boys took it on the chin in Atlanta last night.  How can Vera Bosarge & Debbie Hyatt be happy knowing that one of our own was a part of that defeat?  The Nationals are now eight games out but still in good shape for the first wild card spot.

Bryant hosts MGM tonight; Coach Collier and the Bobcats travel to Foley; Mobile Christian hosts Bayside Academy; Faith Academy hosts LeFlore; and Resurrection hosts Northlake Christian.

I promised my dad that, Lord willing, I would visit him today.  So, Lisa, the girls, and I will head that way this morning.  That is the good news.  In other news, Bob Evans is going with us as far as Birmingham.  He will then stay with his sister tonight and meet us at the Alabama game tomorrow.  What was I thinking when I invited Bob?  (Obviously I was not thinking!)

I got a late start but my yesterday ended with me mowing for about two hours until dark thirty.  Once again, a happy camper!

Friendship family, regular schedule this Sunday morning and evening.  Evangelist Johnny Tucker in our two morning services.  Deacons meet at 4:00PM.  AWANA begins at 5:00PM.  Finance Committee meets at 5:00PM.

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

“Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.” (Psalm 119:11)

The Lord blessed us with a really nice Wednesday.  The attendance was good in our morning service and pretty good in the evening.  (Speaking of auditorium only)  Sonny Bates really enjoyed the message (the first part!)  LOL!

Tommy Johnson has been having some “issues” so please pray for him.  They are doing tests to try and determine the cause of his problems.

Miss Lillian Brinkman has been having some physical problems too.  She is at home but needs our prayer support.

The visitation and service for Mr. George Versiga takes place today.  Pray for that service, please.

Today will be a happy day for my dad as he is scheduled to be released from the rehab facility at 8:30AM!  You probably need to shift your prayers to praying for my mama now – just saying!

Bob Evans moves to the bayou today.  I think Joey Bosarge and Dana Taylor should give him a pair of BLB Reeboks as a welcome gift!  Bob is happy but Leslie Hacker may be happier!

Bobby and the boys took a loss yesterday afternoon and are now heading to Atlanta for an important series.  It sure looks like a Cubs versus Nationals wild card game but things can change.  The Dodgers can close out the NL West with four more victories and/or four more losses by the Dbacks.

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

“Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.” (Psalm 119:11)

Regular schedule on our campus today – morning and evening.  Our RA & GA workers, along with those children, have been most flexible this church year and I appreciate their attitudes.  Those workers get it when it comes to the big picture and I am grateful!

The visitation and service for Wendy Johnston’s maternal uncle takes place today at Woodridge Baptist Church in Mobile.  Visitation is from 10:00AM until the noon service time.  Pray for the Hopkins family.

The visitation and service for George Versiga takes place tomorrow, 9/5, from Holder-Wells Funeral Home in Moss Point.  Visitation is from 10:00AM until the noon service time.  Pray for the Versiga family.

Daphne informed me yesterday that Mark Hubbard’s mother has passed from this life. A visitation will be held from 9:00 AM until 11:00 AM on Friday, September 6, 2019 at the Ocean Springs Chapel of Bradford-O’Keefe Funeral Home with a 11:00 AM service to follow.  Pray for the Hubbard family.

Miss Kathryn Butler passed from this life on Monday afternoon. Funeral service will be held at Serenity Funeral Home on Saturday, September 7, 2019 at 12 noon with visitation from 10 am until service time.  I am not going to call names for fear of missing someone but there have been members of the Friendship family who have done a wonderful job of ministering to Miss Kathryn and those close to her before, during and after her passing.  I say a heartfelt “thank you” to those folks.

Sanna Collier is scheduled to see a specialist this week.  Not sure when that takes place but do ask that you pray for her.  Pray for wisdom for the doctors as they deal with her situation.

The doctors are scheduled to meet this Friday, 9/6, regarding Sonny Bates’ case.  Pray for wisdom there too.

Keep praying for Carol Lucky.

Pray for those who have been affected by Hurricane Dorian and those still in the storm’s path.

There were three ladies who prayed to receive Jesus as their personal Savior at the McKemie Place service last night.  Praise the Lord!

This pastor is pretty pumped about the beginning of our AWANA ministry this Sunday, 9/8, at 5:00PM.  Pray for Elizabeth Westbrook, the other workers and the children.

Evangelist Johnny Tucker and his wife, Miss Judy, will be our guests this Sunday morning.  Bro. Johnny will be preaching in our morning services.  Pass the word!

Bobby and the boys pulled out the wildest win of their season last night.  They entered the ninth inning trailing 5 – 4.  The Mets put up a five spot so the score went to 10 – 4 heading into the bottom of the ninth.  With one out and two on, Kurt Suzuki hit a walk off homer and the Nationals won 11 – 10.  Are you kidding me?  Bobby & the boys are hot!  Do not count them out this year!

Lord willing, I will drive to Hartselle on Friday and visit with my parents.  Dad will be discharged from rehab on Thursday.  I made a promise to him when I left last Saturday that I would be back this Friday and I plan to honor that promise.  The Versiga family was gracious enough to schedule the service for Mr. George on Thursday even though they originally wanted Friday.  I will miss attending the visitation/service for Mark’s mother on Friday.  Bro. Jerry will preach the service for Miss Kathryn on Saturday as my family and I will be attending the Alabama football game.

I spent about two hours mowing late yesterday afternoon – heavenly!  Charles Clark and Steve Morris have carried me this Summer when it comes to mowing due largely in part to my dad’s situation.  It felt good to be back in the proverbial saddle yesterday.

This “short story” has been too long.  I pray that you will have a great Wednesday with Jesus.

“Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.” (Psalm 119:11)

Wendy Johnston had a maternal Uncle, Charles Hopkins, pass from this life this past Saturday.  There will be a time of visitation with the family tomorrow, 9/4, from 10:00AM until the noon service time.  Visitation and service will take place at Woodridge Baptist Church in Mobile.  Pray for the Hopkins family.

The visitation with the George Versiga family will take place on Thursday, 9/5, from 10:00AM until the noon service time.  This will take place at the Holder-Wells Funeral Home in Moss Point, Mississippi.  Pray for the Versiga family.

The Friendship family will host a service at the McKemie Place tonight beginning at 6:00PM.  Randall & Rita Broome lead this ministry and everyone is invited to attend.

Elizabeth Westbrook tells me that we had a good night of sign up for our AWANA ministry.  She realizes that a good number of our church family was gone this past Sunday so the anticipation is that the numbers will increase nicely this Sunday.  Remember, our AWANA ministry begins this Sunday, 9/8, at 5:00PM.  It will end at 7:00PM.  It is planned for this ministry to meet for the next fourteen Sundays (September 8 – December 8).  Encourage those families with children to get them involved in this ministry.

Our deacons will meet this Sunday, 9/8, at 4:00PM.

Our Finance Committee will meet this Sunday, 9/8, at 5:00PM.

Regular schedule for the Friendship family tomorrow morning and evening.

I mentioned some of the high scores from our bowling fellowship this past Sunday night.  I “think” I failed to mention that Bob Evans’ score of 233 was a two game total.  All of the others were single game totals.  Not sure if that makes a difference or not.

Bobby and the boys took a loss yesterday.  They are now six and one half games behind the Braves in the NL East but remain three and one half games ahead in the wild card race.  The Cubs are three games behind the Cards in the NL Central and hold a two and one half game lead for that second wild card spot.  So, if the playoffs were beginning today, the Nationals and Cubs were square off in a one game playoff to see who would play the top seed in the NL.

Rumor has it that Notre Dame won last night to close out the first weekend of college football.  Mama always said “if you cannot say something nice then do not say anything at all” so I will be silent.  Lord willing, Lisa, the girls, Jayden and I will travel to Tuscaloosa for this Saturday’s Bama game.  As a bonus, Bob Evans will be joining us – what was I thinking!

Speaking of college football, Andy & Betty Hamil’s good friend, R.B. “Pat” Patterson celebrated his ninety ninth birthday yesterday.  Andy & Betty met Pat & Dee through Alabama football.  Dee has since gone to be with the Lord.  Guess where Pat will be this Saturday, Lord willing?  If you guessed in Bryant Denny Stadium then you guessed correctly.  Pat is an amazing man.

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

“Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.” (Psalm 119:11)

Death stings!  It was thirty three years ago this morning that Lisa’s brother, Michael, passed from this life.  On one hand it seems like it was yesterday and on the other hand it seems like an eternity ago.  I just know that the sting of death is very real.

Speaking of death, Mr. George Versiga passed from this life yesterday morning.  I think Mr. George was ninety two years of age.  I spoke to his granddaughter, Heather, via the phone last night and the arrangements are pending.  Pray for the family.

We were blessed with a really good day in our services yesterday.  Bro. Alex did, as usual, a wonderful job in our morning service.  It is always a joy to have Alex and Alice with us.  I appreciate Jerry & Gloria Whitmore bringing them into our lives.  Thank you to those who gave to the offering for Alex & Alice.

Bro. Abel did a very nice job of sharing the Gospel in last night’s service.  We had a really good attendance.

The church wide bowling fellowship was a huge success.  I know we had over one hundred and fifteen folks bowling and a good number of folks who just went for the fellowship.  We probably had one hundred and forty to one hundred and fifty folks present.

I do know that Jack Lastorka posted a 234, Bob Evans a 233, Matt Everett a 204, Dale Bosarge a 195 and TJ Vice a 193.  There may have been others who posted similar scores but those are the ones I can verify as I personally saw them.  Rumor has it that Joey Bosarge broke one hundred but I cannot verify that one.  Joey is a living testimony to the fact that the gutter guards work!

Bobby & the boys have won four in a row but so have the Braves.  So, the Nationals remain five and one half games behind the Braves in the NL East but hold a strong four and one half games lead in the wild card chase.  If the season ended today then the Nationals and Cubs would claim the two wild card spots.   Justin Verlander of the Astros pitched an absolute gem yesterday in getting his third no hitter for his career.  Only five other pitchers in the history of the MLB have had three no hitters in their careers – Nolan Ryan, Sandy Koufax, Bob Feller, Larry Corcoran and Cy Young.  That is an elite group.

One of our thirteen readers complained last night about the blog not always being posted prior to 7:00AM.  Are you happy today BJ?

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