Pastor's Blog

“As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.” I Peter 4:10

Back in the day, I used to post birthdays but stopped that practice many years ago unless it is immediate family.  I will not go into the reasons.  However, today I am breaking precedent and wishing a very “happy birthday” to Craig Kirschenman!  Craig is no longer able to join us in our services but what a blessing he has been to so many of us for so many years.  You may wonder how I know it is Craig’s birthday?  Because he has only told me like twenty two million times over the years – LOL!

Edwina Perkins did not have a heart cath done yesterday.  She has an issue they want to address before they will do a cath.  She is in good spirits.  Pray for Edwina.

The arrangements have been finalized for Miss Ica Walley.  The visitation with the family will take place this Saturday, 12/9, from 9:00 – 10:00AM at the Heritage Funeral Home on Highway 63 in Moss Point, Mississippi.  The service will begin at 10:00AM.  The Friendship family will be feeding the family in our fellowship hall following the service.  Tina Wilkinson is in Guatemala so we will need someone to coordinate this ministry if not one has already assumed this opportunity.  Contact the church office for more information or to volunteer to help with the food.

Friendship basketball leagues will play again this Saturday beginning at 8:00AM.

The team in Guatemala is now minus four members.  Daphne & our niece, Jamie, left for home yesterday and arrived home safely.  Stephanie Bryant & Betty Creech left this morning and should be home this afternoon.  Thanks to Willard Garnett for taking them to the airport at 3:00AM – beyond the call of duty!

The team is having an excellent week.  The program put on by the children at the feeding center yesterday was precious – Tina W cried!  The block party for those children was a blast.  Everyone on the team is doing great.  More details later.

I am away and the folks in South Mobile County are enjoying my kind of weather – not fair!  Temperatures in the low forties during the day with rain – perfect!  Oh well, it is what it is!

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

“As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.” I Peter 4:10

Scott & Megan Older welcomed their third child into the world yesterday morning.  She checked in at eight pounds and five ounces and is twenty two and one half inches long.  (I “think” her name is Theodora but I could be wrong!)  Congratulations to Scott & Bo!

Edwina Perkins “may” have a heart cath this morning.  This depends on some other factors.  Pray for Edwina.

It appears that the celebration of life service for Miss Ica Walley will take place on Saturday, 12/9.  This is not in concrete at this time but those are the plans.  Betty will fly back home tomorrow.  Pray for Miss Ica’s family.

Regular schedule today and tonight at Friendship.

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

“As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.” I Peter 4:10

Received news last night that Miss Ica Walley passed from this life earlier in the night.  Of course, one of her daughters, Betty Creech, is in Guatemala with this GRACE Ministries team.  So, pray for Betty and her siblings as they walk through this valley.

Received word yesterday afternoon that Edwina Perkins suffered a heart attack.  She is in ICU.  The plan is to do a heart cath today if they did not have to do an emergency one last night.  Pray for Edwina.

Bo Older is set to have a c-section this morning at 8:30AM.  She and Scott will be welcoming their third child into their family.  Pray that all goes well.

Larry Whitehurst’s doctor is referring him to another doctor as his present doctor no longer does the type procedure Larry could need.  Pray for Larry to have wisdom in which direction to proceed.

Pastor Jordan & Lana Lollar and I arrived on GRACE Mountain safe and sound around 4:00PM yesterday.  The team had built houses, worked at the feeding center, and then fed eighteen families last night.  Dale Bosarge did an excellent job of sharing the Gospel with those families.  Bryan Drake is coming tonight as another eighteen families will attend, be fed, and be blessed.

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

“As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.” I Peter 4:10

Good morning from the ATL.  My intent was to post while waiting on my flight in Mobile.  You know that saying about plans, rats, and people?  Applies to me today.  It is what happens when you have three bags packed only to be told you can only check two.  Major shuffling!  However, all is well that ends well.

The Lord certainly blessed our services yesterday.  We saw two folks join the Friendship family on statement in our second morning service, two professions of faith in our evening service and then those same two followed Jesus in believers’ baptism.  Yes, God gives the increase and we give Him the glory.

Larry Whitehurst is having a MRI this morning.  He will then meet with the doctor to discuss the findings.  I am praying all will be well.

Miss Ica Walley remains in the hospital and will be there for around three weeks.  Keep praying for Miss Ica.

Sonny Hanson’s stepdaughter’s celebration of life service takes place today, 12/4, at 10:00AM from the chapel of Mobile Memorial Funeral Home.  Pray for the family.

Scott & Megan “Bo” Older will welcome their third child into the world tomorrow morning.  A section is scheduled for 8:30AM.  Pray that all goes well.

The team in Guatemala will be building houses today and will then host around one hundred people (18 families) for a Christmas meal tonight.

Bro. Jerry and the deacons stand ready and willing to minister in my absence.  Lord willing, I will return home on Saturday night and will have the Taylor clan with me.  O happy day!

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

“As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.” I Peter 4:10

Happy birthday to our daughter, Daphne.  She is definitely having a different birthday as she is in Guatemala!  She gets to spend her birthday with Soy – does it get any better?

Our GRACE Ministries team arrived safe and sound on GRACE Mountain yesterday/last night.  All but three of the team arrived between 12:30 – 1:00PM yesterday and it took them until 3:30PM to get out of the airport.  It then took an additional two hours to drive to the L.G. Camp, Jr.  Mission House in El Tejar.  Willard & Haley Rae arrived on GRACE Mountain just before 10:00PM having landed in Guatemala at 8:00PM.  We are thankful for the safety in travel for these twenty six folks.

Our basketball leagues seemed to go well yesterday.  There were two or three really close games and the attendance was strong all day long.  Thanks to Phillip Turner, Coley & Katelyn Johnson, Raymond & Jace Wilkinson, James & Justin Mareno and anyone else who helped make yesterday go smoothly.  It was a good day.

Miss Ica Walley was moved to another room in the hospital for physical rehab.  Pray that she does well.

Regular schedule this morning and evening.  Baptism as a part of this evening’s service.  Baptismal candidates should meet with me at 5:30PM in the 20-29 SS room.

Baby shower for Ethan & Brittney Nelson today from 1:00 – 3:00PM in the fellowship hall.  First of three girls for them.

Deacons meet today at 4:00PM.  Security committee meets at 5:00PM.

I was correct on the college football picks that I made on Friday with one exception.  The only drama left is to see if the committee selects Ohio State or Alabama.  I suspect they will go with OSU.  Time will tell.

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

“As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.” I Peter 4:10

I visited with Ted Ezell yesterday.  Not sure if he knew me or not.  Ted has really declined physically and needs our prayer support.  His boys have been good to him.

Ginny was sitting on the side of the bed wanting to go home when I visited yesterday.  Not sure if that happened or not.  Her oxygen levels were dipping and that was reason enough to keep her.  Today is supposed to be the discharge day so we shall see.

Tommy Watson is making improvement.  He will be discharged at some point this month if all goes as planned.

Bro. Jerry visited Miss Ica yesterday and I have not talked to him to get an update.

Caroline Ford is still struggling emotionally with the loss of her three children.  Pray for Caroline.

John King was told by the doctor that he has been having TIA’s.  They have placed him on medicines and his wife, Laurie, has him under house arrest!

As far as I know, Kirk & Michelle arrived back to GRACE Mountain yesterday afternoon.

Twenty six of our twenty nine GRACE Ministries mission team leave tomorrow heading to Guatemala.  The Pensacola folks will leave Grand Bay at 2:15AM.  Willard & Haley Rae will bring up the rear as they will not arrive in Guatemala City until 8:00PM.  Pray for this team as they travel.  Lord willing, Pastor Jordan & Lana Lollar and I will join them on Monday, 12/4.

An odd request – do any of our five or six readers living in Grand Bay have a large (or fairly large) suitcase that is in good shape that you would part with?  Yesterday, you found yourself  thinking, “why do I not get rid of that suitcase?”  Well, we could use it to pack school supplies and gifts in to send to Guatemala.  It would be a one way trip and you would not get it back.  If you do, will you contact me before noon today?  (Wives, give your suitcase to us and then tell your husband you need a new one!)

Baby shower for Ethan & Brittney Nelson on Sunday, 12/3, from 1:00 – 3:00PM in our fellowship hall.

Baptism Sunday night.

Ok, I am going with USC over Stanford, Oklahoma over TCU, Clemson over Miami, Auburn over Georgia and Ohio State over Wisconsin.  Your final four will be Clemson, Auburn, Oklahoma & Ohio State.  Folks, you heard it here (maybe not first but you heard it here)!

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

“As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.” I Peter 4:10

One of Linda Green’s granddaughters, Victoria Collier, was flown to Birmingham yesterday. Victoria is eighteen years old and received a heart via transplant when she was thirteen.  Something is not right so pray for the doctors in Birmingham to find the problem and to help her.

Miss Ica Walley continues to improve in her recovery from surgery.  They are waiting on some insurance clarification regarding the next step in her recovery process.  Keep praying for Miss Ica.

Ginny Easterling Crowder is doing well.  The thought process is that she “might” be discharged from the hospital today instead of tomorrow.  Pray for Ginny.

Spoke to one of Ted Ezell’s sons yesterday.  Ted has been moved to a convalescent home facility in Fairhope.  He is not doing good physically at this time.  Pray for Ted.

We have a team of twenty nine folks leaving early Saturday morning heading to Guatemala for our annual December trip.  Pray for them as they prepare and then as they minister by celebrating Christmas with some of the poorest of the poor in Guatemala.

We are on a regular schedule, morning and evening, this Sunday, 12/3.  That means all three worship services, Sunday School and Discipleship Training.

We are going to observe the ordinance of baptism as a part of our evening service this Sunday, 12/3.  Baptismal candidates should meet with me at 5:30PM in the 20-29 year old SS classroom.

Deacons meet at 4:00PM this Sunday and I am asking the Security Committee to meet at 5:00PM (thirty minutes).

We were blessed with a good day in our services yesterday morning and last night.  We give God the thanks!

I, along with every other Alabama football fan, will be scoreboard watching this weekend.  Personally, I do not give Alabama much of a chance to make into the playoffs.  I do not see TCU beating OU and if Ohio State beats Wisconsin then I think they get in ahead of Alabama.  Just what I think.

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

“As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.” I Peter 4:10

The visitation with the Kimberly Oswalt family takes place today, 11/29, from 10:00AM until noon at which time the celebration of life service will begin.  Everything will take place at the Grace Baptist Church in Grand Bay.  Pray for the Oswalt family.

Ginny Easterling Crowder’s surgery went very well per the surgeon.  She will be hospitalized for several days.  Pray for this surgery to work and for her recovery to go well.

Miss Ica Walley was doing well yesterday afternoon.  The family was waiting to meet with the physical therapist to determine the next plan of action.  Keep praying for Miss Ica.

Edd Gillespie was recently diagnosed with cancer.  He will meet with an oncologist this coming Monday, 12/4, to set a course of action.  Pray for Edd.

Scott & Bo Older are set to welcome their third child into the world soon.  If Bo does not deliver before then, the baby will be born next Tuesday, 12/5.

Ethan & Brittney are excited about the birth of the first of their three girls having three boys already.  The shower for them takes place this Sunday, 12/3, in the fellowship hall from 1:00 – 3:00PM.  Registered at Target and all members of the Friendship family are invited to attend the shower.

Regular schedule today – morning & evening.

Big weekend for college football.  There is a “chance” Alabama and Auburn could both end up in the final four.  There is also a “chance” neither team ends up in the final four.  The huge difference is that Auburn controls their own destiny while Alabama does not.

I think Dan Mullen will do a nice job at Florida.  Do not know anything about the guy from PSU taking over at Mississippi State.  Are the Coach Eric Collier taking over at USA rumors true?  Personally, I do not think South has enough money to lure him away from Theodore.

Bobby & Catina Henley celebrated their nineteenth wedding anniversary yesterday.  Bobby took Catina a a basketball game in order to celebrate – what a great guy!

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

There will be a baby shower for Ethan & Brittney Nelson this Sunday, December 3, from 1:00 – 3:00PM in the church fellowship hall.  The Friendship family is invited to attend.

Ethan and Brittney will soon welcome their fourth child into their family.  However, this will be their first girl!  They are registered at Target.

Pass the word!

“As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.” I Peter 4:10

The celebration of life service for Mrs. Ella Sheffield will take place this morning at 10:00AM from the Forts Lake Assembly of God Church.  This is Chris Byrd’s grandmother.  Pray for the family.

I appreciate Cecil Guidry being there for the Marjorie Sellers family yesterday.  I was in hopes that more members of the Friendship family would be able to attend as Miss Marjorie was a very faithful member of the Friendship family during her time in Grand Bay.  It was a walk down memory lane for me as eight of her ten grandchildren were present and they used to ride the bus to Friendship and were in children’s church.  Precious memories.  It was unique seeing military honors given to a female who served in WWII.  That was a first for me.  I was honored to be a part of that celebration of life service.

Ginny Crowder is having surgery this morning.  Pray that all goes well.

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