Pastor's Blog

Jeff Holifield will be sharing in the service at the Mission of Hope tonight.  Service begins at 7:00PM.  All members of the Friendship family are invited to attend.

“Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.” (Ephesians 4:32)

Infant Micah Woods had another slight “issue” with his heart yesterday so he will remain in the hospital for at least several more days.  Keep praying.

Kirk & Michelle Lightfield’s grandson, Brayden, got really good reports from the doctors yesterday.  They are happy campers.  It appears that the doctors will soon be able to remove the tumor.  Just keep praying!

I was wrong again!  (I know that stuns some of you!)  I did correct not having listed Amy Huhn’s father in this blog.  However, as I was almost to the hospital yesterday I received a call saying he had been discharged.  I was happy for him.  (I had delayed my going  to the hospital waiting on word from my mama’s biopsy)  It was not a wasted trip though as it allowed me to go by Jersey Mike’s to grab lunch for Lisa and me!  We are Jersey Mike fans – #7 in a tub!

Let me once again express my deepest appreciation for each prayer sent up for my Mama.  Yes, we are thankful for her news of yesterday but also still concerned over dad’s situation.  Continued prayers appreciated.

In my opinion, Deidra’s blog entries this week are worthwhile reading/watching – shininglightabroad.com.

I really did not care (ok, still really do not care) about the Rockets/Warriors series but became a supporter of the Rockets yesterday after hearing Steve Kerr’s comments about the NFL’s policy on players standing for the national anthem.  Hated to see Paul get hurt in the final minute last night and that could change everything in this series.

Regular schedule for the Friendship family this Sunday.

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

Just heard from the doctor regarding my mama’s situation – she does NOT have cancer.  We are most grateful to God for this blessing.  The doctor is not sure what she has but is very confident it is both treatable and curable.

Folks, I do not understand why some folks get “good” news in these situations while others get “bad” news.  Cannot explain it but do know that my mama is relieved as are we the members of her family.

Thank you for your many prayers and much concern.  I have been humbled by your many kindnesses to my family.

Blessings!

“Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.” (Ephesians 4:32)

You cannot fix stupid!  (I often say this in reference to myself but never in reference to anyone else)  Amy Huhn’s father, Bobby Morrison, has been in the hospital since last weekend.  Not only have I not kept up with it on this blog, I have also not visited him.  Correcting both of those errors today!  Pray for Mr. Bobby!

Nanette sent me a couple of updates yesterday regarding Micah Woods.  He is now eating sufficiently so they removed his feeding tube yesterday afternoon.  It appears he is on the way to being discharged from the hospital pretty soon.  Keep praying!

My mama meets with the doctor at 8:45AM today to get the results of the biopsy done this past Monday.  I will be hanging around the house until I get word from my brother about this.  (He sends me an audio recording of the doctor’s conference)   Still praying and believing for either nothing or an infection.

John Whalen’s Aunt Donna Belcher passed from this life a couple of days ago.  She lived in Michigan.  Pray for John and the family as they walk through this valley.

We were blessed with a good day in our services yesterday/last night.  Praise the Lord!

I have never been a fan of the Celtics – never!  Always been a Lakers fan with Jerry West being the best NBA player ever!  However, I find myself pulling for the Celtics against the Cavs.  I like Brad Stevens as a coach and I have been impressed with what the Celtics have done after losing their two superstars to injury.  From officiating a soccer game to pulling for the Celtics – I probably need to see a doctor!

Bobby & the boys are only three behind the Braves in the East.  The Dodgers have pulled to three and half back of the Rockies in the West.  The Dodgers have like ninety seven of their pitchers on the DL right now.  Come on Nationals and Dodgers!

Well, I have heard from a good number of folks regarding the Meat Boss.  All of the reports have been good.  Betty Creech was kind enough to bring me two bottles of their sauce – one red and one white.  (the best white sauce in the world is at Big Bob’s in Decatur just so you know)  I need to lose a few pounds and then I am going to visit the Meat Boss restaurant.

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

Jim Bryant called me today to let me know that WPMI 15 will be running a piece on his and Carol’s son, Tommy, this Friday night, May 25, during their 10:00PM news.  They will then do the same for their grandson, Bryant Bailey, on Monday night, May 28, for their grandson, Zach Bailey, on Tuesday night, May 29, and Wednesday night for Zach’s wife, Sophia.  All four of these folks have previously served in our military or are presently serving.  Jim & Carol are proud and rightfully so!

Again, these features will be during the 10:00PM news on WPMI 15 each of the aforementioned nights.

“Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.” (Ephesians 4:32)

Surprise!  A blog entry after three days of no blogs.  I will have to say that this is probably the first time in the over eleven years (that is a long time in a blog’s life) of blogging that I have missed consecutive days without hearing from anyone (not counting my wife).  So, either the thirteen readers have lost interest (do not blame them) or they were being respectful of my situation with my parents.  Either way, I am grateful.

The biopsy was done on Mama this past Monday morning.  The doctor was satisfied that he got good pieces to have tested.  Said Mama has several black spots which is not totally uncommon in older people and is usually related to second hand smoke.  The results from the biopsy will be made known tomorrow morning, 5/24.  My older brother, Eddie, will take Mama to meet with the doctor to get those results.  The doctor is still convinced that she is dealing with an infection and that has been my prayer from the initial word of her having a mass in her lung.

Dad is drinking at least one half of a gallon of water each day to have his kidneys at their optimum level for testing before the doctor decides which chemotherapy to use.  He will be tested the week of June 4.

Thank you for praying for my parents and our family.  We are blessed.

Regular schedule on the Friendship campus this morning and evening.  Lord willing, I will be teaching in the auditorium both times.

Levi Seymour is strutting today!  “His” Rockets beat the Warriors on their home floor last night to even the series and give the Rockets home court advantage again.  Levi has been a Spurs fan in recent years but all of a sudden switched to the Rockets this playoff season!  Can you say “everyone loves a winner?”

Meanwhile, Les Hacker’s Braves continue to lead Bobby & the boys by three games in the East.  Bobby & the boys have won two in a row and are coming after those Braves!  The Dodgers are showing “some” signs of life.

I have come to the conclusion that if I lived in the Hartselle/Decatur area then I would weigh like one ton because of the bar-b-que.  Jim & Nick’s on the way up and back and Big Bob’s while in the area have killed me this past week.  I do not need their offerings but man are they ever good and tasty!  I just heard about “Meat Boss” (I think that is the name) on Cottage Hill Road.  Anyone know anything about it?

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

“Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.” (Ephesians 4:32)

Today marks the one hundred and fifth birthday of my maternal grandfather.  He passed from this life on May 13, 1970 and was buried on May 16, 1970.  He was just short of his fifty seventh birthday.  It amazes me to think that I am older now then he was when he passed from this life.  I remember it like it was yesterday.  Strange how those things happen!

Good news – Nanette Fontenot sent me a message last night saying that Micah is doing well all things considered.  Still having some preemie issues but is making improvement day by day.  All of the tests performed have come back normal.  Keep praying for Micah, Josh, Kristin and the family.

Amy Huhn’s father is back in the hospital.  They cannot seem to locate the source of his pain.  Pray for Mr. Bobby!

The visitation with the Sam Baggett family takes place this morning from 10:00AM until the noon service time.  Everything will be from Serenity Funeral Home in Theodore.  Pray for the Baggett family during this time.

Today is the final day or our Spring 2018 soccer leagues.  Praying for good weather as they have lots of activities planned.  Special thanks to Sam’s Super Burger as they are providing a treat for each of the players – nice gesture by the owner, Phillip!  The absolute best way to thank him is to go eat in one of his two restaurants.  Also, special thanks to Coley Johnson & Amy Reynolds for coordinating the leagues.  Same goes for each person who has helped in any way.  Pastor Alton Stokes and the church family at the Grand Bay Church of God allowed us to use their field and we are most appreciative.

My mama will have a biopsy done on Monday morning.  This will require putting her to sleep.  Lord willing, I will be there with her.  She will be an outpatient in a Huntsville, AL hospital.  Thank you for your prayers for my parents.

Regular schedule tomorrow morning and evening.  We will recognize our high school class of 2018 during our 10:30AM service. Miss Tena Hovel and the children’s choir will present their Spring musical beginning at 6:00PM.  Come support our children as they lead the worship service through song.

Bobby and the boys have climbed back into the East division race.  Les Hacker’s Braves continue to do well.  The Dodgers are still struggling.  Keep sending them home Bobby!

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

“Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.” (Ephesians 4:32)

Happy birthday to our son-in-law, Brad Hutto.  Brad is a great guy!  We are really proud to call him our son-in-law and hope his day is special in every sense of the word!

Happy 88th birthday to my paternal Uncle Will.  He and dad are the only two siblings of their immediate family still living on this earth.  He now literally lives next door to my parents.  I had the opportunity to visit with him yesterday and to personally wish him a happy birthday.  I pray that his day is blessed.

Music evangelist Leon Westerhouse is in ICU in a Birmingham hospital.  He is bleeding internally.  Pray for Leon, his family and the doctors.

Keep praying for Micah Woods.

Final day of this soccer season tomorrow.  Going to be a great day!

Congratulations to JT Lastorka and the Mobile Christian Leopards for winning the 3A AHSAA state baseball championship in Montgomery yesterday.  They had a great season!

The Lord blessed and I arrived home at 10:00PM last night.  Traffic in Birmingham was awful as I drove twenty two miles in just over an hour.  Why?  You tell me!  I am very thankful for another trip with traveling mercies.

I drove through a good number of rain showers on the way home.  Was a happy camper to get home and find that we too had gotten rain.  My garden is happy!  Lisa has already canned seventy quarts of snap beans and hopefully there will be more to come now with the rain.

Still very thankful for the doctor’s opinion regarding my mama’s situation.  Still concerned over dad’s situation.  God is in control of both situations and we know that so we trust Him completely!

Want to know the best part of driving up to North Alabama?  Two meals at Jim n Nick’s Bar-b-que and two meals at Big Bob Gibson’s bar-b-que.  It just does not get any better meal wise!  If there is bar-b-que in Heaven then . . . .

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

Well today produced some good news for our family.  The doctor with whom mama met this morning is almost certain that the spot in mama’s lung is not cancer!  We were obviously relieved to hear that news.  The doctor was very gracious as he tried to schedule mama for a biopsy tomorrow but it was not possible since she is on a blood thinner.  So, the biopsy has been scheduled for Monday morning at 8:00AM with the results being shared next Thursday, 5/24.

We are not one hundred percent on this diagnosis but feel very good about the doctor’s level of confidence.  Thank you to each person who has prayed.  Please continue to pray especially for my dad.  God is good!

“Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.” (Ephesians 4:32)

Happy 71st birthday to my Uncle Harley Gettig in Paw Paw, Michigan!  He has had a tough year thus far with his wife, Alice, passing away in February and his sister passed from this life last week.  So, I pray that today will be a really good day for him.

I do not have any updates from the home front.  Do ask that you keep praying for infant Micah Woods.

I was able to spend a good amount of time with my parents yesterday.  First at their house and then in the doctor’s office.  The report my dad got from the oncologist was not a surprise to us but it definitely stings.  Dad has cancer in both lungs, his omentum (sure does help to have a Nurse Practitioner daughter) and his liver.  The next two weeks will be a time for him to drink lots of water to get his kidneys in the best possible shape they can be in before they test them.  In the meanwhile, the doctor will be deciding which chemo to use on him.  That is more of a challenge when the patient is eight two years of age.

So, how can you pray?  Pray for peace for my dad.  He has a strong faith in Jesus but the “c” word affects any of us.  Pray that the cancer will all prove to be lymphoma.  The doctor said it is very important for this to be true.  Pray for my mama as she meets with some type of a lung specialist this morning to discuss her upcoming biopsy.  I pray that he will do the biopsy either today or tomorrow.  I think a small miracle may be needed in order for that to happen.  Thank you for praying!

I was offended twice yesterday – bad!  Eddie & Sue are building a house.  I went to the work site and the lead builder thought I was Eddie!  Then the doctor (whom I have never seen previously) said, “yes, I have met you before” thinking I was Eddie.  Talk about embarrassing!  The proverbial “icing on the cake” was that Eddie & Sue’s newest grandchild who was recently adopted by their daughter kept calling me “papa” thinking that I was Eddie!  So, I had a bad day yesterday!

The highlight of my day was having lunch with Dr. Rex Looney & Pastor Joe David Bailey at Big Bob Gibson’s bar-b-que!

I realized the gravity of my dad’s situation when we went to Cracker Barrel to eat after the doctor’s visit.  My dad picked up the tab!  LOL!  Next news you know Charles will pick up the tab the next time we eat out together!  (Do not count on it!)

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