Pastor's Blog

“Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength, and my redeemer.” (Psalm 19:14 KJV)

Today’s Bible reading –  2 Samuel 16-18

The forces of evil are very alive and very well!  I was involved in three different situations yesterday that underscored that fact big time! All I can do is to ask that we pray for one another.  I do know this – God is bigger!

Hilda Gunter had a heart cath yesterday afternoon.  It revealed some blockage but not enough for any corrective surgical measures.  They will be treating her with medication.

Rev told me Sunday that their daughter, Holly, is actually doing pretty good as she continues to take her treatments.

Carla Kyser is in contact with the Anderson Hospital in Texas.  It is possible they could suggest a different treatment option.  She is in a holding pattern right now.

Courtney Hubbard goes to Houston tomorrow for consultation, et cetera and then gets her first treatment on Monday, 5/23.

I was able to see everyone that I planned on seeing in the convalescent home yesterday morning with one exception.  Miss Carmen Reyer was fast asleep but all of the others seemed to be doing good.

Our prayer time was pretty well attended last night.  I thought about suspending it for the months of June & July but felt a definite prompting from the Lord last night to not do that.  So, we will continue each Monday night with an exception here and there i.e. Memorial Day, July 4, et cetera.  I firmly believe that God called me to this time of prayer so I will continue to do as He has said.  I am very appreciative to those who take part in this ministry.

There will be a meeting in the auditorium tonight at 6:30PM for anyone involved/interested in our student ministry.  This will be a time of discussion and sharing of ideas.  We will not be making any decisions.  How long will it will last?  IDK but I plan on it not taking longer than one hour.

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

Today, 5/16, marks the first wedding anniversary of Alan & Henni Aldridge!  Congratulations!  I hope their day is special!  All Lisa and I can say is “thank God for Alan!”  LOL!

“Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength, and my redeemer.” (Psalm 19:14 KJV)

Today’s Bible reading – Psalms 3-4; 12-13; 28; 55
Tuesday, May 17 – 2 Samuel 16-18
Wednesday, May 18 – Psalms 26; 40; 58; 61-62; 64
Thursday, May 19 – 2 Samuel 19-21
Friday, May 20 – Psalms 5; 38; 41-42
Saturday, May 21 – 2 Samuel 22-23; Psalm 57
Sunday, May 22 – Psalms 95; 97-99

Yesterday was a blessed day!  Bro. Chris did a nice job of sharing his heart in the early service and then preaching to the high school graduates in the second service.  The reception last night was very nicely done.  Thank you to Marisa for coordinating that and to each person who had any part in making it a success.  In my opinion, the Friendship family did a nice job of saying “farewell” to Bro. Chris and his family.  Keep them in your prayers.

Hilda Gunter was admitted to the hospital last night as she was having some chest pains.  Her daughter says she is doing ok now.  I will be heading that way first thing this morning.

Prayer time tonight from 5:00 – 7:00PM in the auditorium.  Enter and exit through the West side door.

Griefshare tonight from 6:00 – 8:00PM in the choir room.

GROW visitation tonight beginning at 6:30PM.

Dr. Rex, waiting on you!

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

“Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength, and my redeemer.” (Psalm 19:14 KJV)

Today’s Bible reading –  2 Samuel 13-15

Received an iMessage from Dave Sellers last night telling me that Becky will get the results from her latest tests on Wednesday morning, 5/18.  Will you join Becky, Dave and me in praying big?

Talked to Carla Kyser via iMessage last night as well.  She is “considering” getting a second opinion regarding her present situation.  (I have offered to give her a second opinion but she has not warmed up to that concept yet!)

Heard from Claire Belle via iMessage as well.  Her mom received her second dose of chemo this past week and had some fluid drained which made her feel better physically.  She is set for scans in July.

Do not have an update on Jimmy Moates or Holly Lybarger but do ask that you pray for all of these folks plus Lisa Thompson (last word on her condition was good).

Curly, Larry & Moe tell me that soccer went well yesterday and that this coming Saturday, 5/21, will be the final day of this season.  Two of them got pretty emotional expressing their appreciation to me for my support of this inaugural league especially for using this blog as a means of promotion.  Also, thanked me for the time I showed up at the soccer field.  Basically, they feel that I catapulted this league into the force it has become.  I am humbled by their gratefulness and I do not deserve such credit.

Regular schedule this morning with services at 8:00AM & 10:30AM.  Sunday School at 9:15AM.  Bro. Chris will be preaching in the two morning services as we will recognize the high school Class of 2016 in our 10:30AM service.

Our evening service will begin at 5:00PM and I will be preaching as we bring to a close Bro. Chris’ seven year ministry at Friendship.  Bro. Chris wanted it to be a regular service so it will be.  We will move to the CAB immediately following the service for a reception honoring Bro. Chris and his family.  Members of the Friendship family are asked to bring casseroles and desserts.  We need a really strong participation from everyone for this service and the reception.  There will be a card/gift basket in the CAB.

All staff members and active deacons are asked to help set up for the reception immediately following the 10:30AM service.  So, brothers, please go to the CAB as soon as the last Amen is spoken in the service.

Speaking of deacons, I am going to share something that will most likely shock everyone (all ten) reading this entry.  If you stand for always doing the right thing regardless, stop reading now as I do not want you to be upset.  Yesterday, I attended the UM graduation ceremony, went to Titus’ final t-ball game of the season, made a visit and then had plans to hit the garden.  Not so fast my friend!  Lisa informed me that I would be going to Walmart to buy groceries and that was not up for debate.  I. . . went to Walmart!

While in Walmart, I saw the wife of one of our deacons whom I shall let remain anonymous.  She actually got behind me in one of the two open (ninety seven closed) checkout lines.  That is when it happened!  She suddenly said, “I am going to the twenty items or less line” to which I replied, “but you have more than twenty items!”  Her reply, “watch me!”  (Loose interpretation!)  I walked over and told the cashier that she had more than twenty items and if looks could kill!  Yes, she got out much, much sooner than me (my cashier is explaining to me the difference between sea salt and regular table salt – really?) but I did not cheat!  I was just glad that she did not have on a “wife of Friendship family deacon” t-shirt (like the “mother of 99” shirts you see at the ball park).  Yes, I will speak to her husband as we teach Sunday School together today – he needs to know!

I pray that you will have a great Sunday with Jesus.  Go to church!

“Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength, and my redeemer.” (Psalm 19:14 KJV)

Today’s Bible reading – Psalms 32; 51; 86; 122

Good morning from Sweet Home Alabama!  Lisa, Dana, Gina and I arrived in New Orleans late yesterday afternoon and then had a nice drive home.  We had a great five days away but, as they say, “there is no place like home!”

Bus visitation today beginning with a meeting at 8:30AM.

Friendship soccer today beginning at 9:00AM.

Today is a big day for us as Alan & Henni will graduate from the University of Mobile this morning – hooray!  Great accomplishment for both of them.  We are proud of Alan and we are absolutely amazed at where Henni has come from to get to this point!  Congratulations to Alan & Henni!

Tomorrow is a big day for the Friendship family as it will be Bro. Chris’ last day as our Minister to Students.  He will be preaching in the two morning services and I will be preaching in the evening service which will begin at 5:00PM.   Casseroles and desserts are needed for the reception which will take place in the CAB immediately following the evening service.  I do hope the members of the Friendship family will support these services in a big way tomorrow as we honor God by recognizing Bro. Chris and the ministry God gave him here.

All staff members and deacons are asked to go to the CAB immediately following the 10:30AM service tomorrow in order to set up for the reception.

Miss Shirley Hill took a fall and broke a leg.  It is my understanding that surgery will be required.  What a sweetheart of a lady!

They are doing some tests on Becky Sellers as a result of her latest scan.

Probably the most amazing thing to happen while I was away is two fold – Soy managed to not kill the garden but did a nice job of keeping it watered (most of it) and he mowed my yard yesterday.  The mowing thing helps me out big time today.

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

“Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength, and my redeemer.” (Psalm 19:14 KJV)

Today’s Bible reading –  2 Samuel 10; 1 Chronicles 19; Psalm 20

Carla Kyser’s scan results showed stability in every area except her liver.  She will start on two different drugs next Tuesday, 5/17, with one of them being something she has taken previously.  Neither drug is supposed to have harsh side effects.  Keep praying for Carla.

Becky Sellers gets her scan results today.  Pray big!

Eddie Albritton will learn the results of his MRI next Tuesday, 5/17.

Gloria Whitmore is scheduled for surgery this morning.  Pray that all goes well.

Regular schedule this morning and tonight.  All of our students will meet together in the CAB with this being Bro. Chris Taylor’s last night as our Minister to Students.

Speaking of Bro. Chris, the Friendship family will host a reception for him this Sunday evening, 5/15, immediately following our evening service which will begin at 5:00PM (please note the earlier starting time).  Marisa Felps, church hostess, is asking folks to bring casseroles and desserts for this fellowship.  All of our staff members and active deacons are asked to go to the CAB immediately following the 10:30AM service this Sunday, 5/15, in order to set up for the reception.  There will be a card/gift basket available at the reception.

I am looking for a maximum of three folks to share no longer than three minutes during the evening service about what Bro. Chris and his ministry have meant to them personally.  First come, first served.  E-mail will be the official way to contact me and that address is tcturrentine@gmail.com.  All volunteers must do so no later than Friday afternoon, 5/13, at 5:00PM.

Mother’s Day is always celebrated on May 10 in Guatemala.  Talk about a celebration!  First, the vast majority (if not all) mothers are given the day off work.  The restaurants, malls, parks, et cetera are literally teeming with people.  I have never seen anything like it in my life.  Lisa and I stopped by Burger King at 9:00PM last night to get food for some locals and the place was literally packed with people.  They have even brought in extra tables and chairs and they were filled too.  Absolutely crazy!

Our 30 – 39 year old Sunday School class sent money with us to take a local pastor and his wife grocery shopping.  I wish the members of that class could have seen the look on their faces when we told them and then watched them shop – what a delightful scene!  They were so humble and so very grateful.  Good job by this Sunday School class of being givers!  A need was definitely met!  God is good!

Lisa and I began our day yesterday having breakfast with Lazaro & Glendy Suruy.  It was a wonderful time of food and fellowship.  They are doing a great job of working with the seventy five (presently seventy four) children in the feeding center.

Today, Lisa and the girls, along with Haley Rae, will enjoy Antigua.  Me?  Lord willing, I will enjoy the peace and quiet of the GRACE mountain.  I hope to join them for supper at Las Antorchas tonight.

BTW, the fare for tonight’s 7:30PM Bible study will be pizza from Pizza Hut in the bayou.

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

“Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength, and my redeemer.” (Psalm 19:14 KJV)

Today’s Bible reading –  Psalms 50; 53; 60; 75

Good morning from Guatemala!  Lisa, Dana, Gina & I had an uneventful drive to the New Orleans airport yesterday morning and then two really good flights.  We actually arrived in Guatemala City thirty minutes ahead of schedule and found ourselves through customs, luggage in hand, through security, and in the rental vehicle in under thirty minutes – wow!  We were able to spend the evening with Haley Rae Garnett which was a blessing.

It just dawned on me that while I put the sign up sheet in place and left the cd on the podium yesterday morning, I never asked anyone to coordinate last night’s prayer time!  How dumb is that?  (No answer required!)  So, if you came and it was not “normal” please accept my apology!  I am truly sorry for my incompetence!

Regular schedule tomorrow morning and evening.  Bro. Jerry will teach/preach in the 10:00AM and 6:30PM services.  Pizza will be the fare for the 7:30PM Bible study.  I am praying for faithfulness from the Friendship family!

Carla K should get her scan results today.  Becky S should get her’s tomorrow.  Pray!

Gloria Whitmore is scheduled to have surgery tomorrow morning.  Pray that all goes as planned.

Remember, this Sunday, 5/15, our evening service will begin at 5:00PM.  This will allow us to have ample time to recognize Bro. Chris Taylor for his seven years of ministry here as our Minister to Students.  A reception will follow in the CAB and there will be a basket for cards/gifts.  If you want to help with the reception, please contact Marisa Felps as soon as possible.

Word is that a very popular social media site has been suppressing conservative news stories for years.  Does anyone find this hard to believe?  This old boy does not!

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

“Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength, and my redeemer.” (Psalm 19:14 KJV)

Today’s Bible reading – 2 Samuel 8-9; 1 Chronicles 18 Read Now

Tuesday, May 10 – Psalms 50; 53; 60; 75
Wednesday, May 11 – 2 Samuel 10; 1 Chronicles 19; Psalm 20
Thursday, May 12 – Psalms 65-67; 69-70
Friday, May 13 – 2 Samuel 11-12; 1 Chronicles 20
Saturday, May 14 – Psalms 32; 51; 86; 122
Sunday, May 15 – 2 Samuel 13-15

Doris Perryman’s husband, Charles, passed away yesterday.  I appreciate Gloria Whitmore making me aware of this fact.  I visited Charles in the hospital this past week but he was really not able to communicate with me.  There will not be a service.  Pray for the family.

Speaking of Gloria Whitmore, she is scheduled to have a surgical procedure done this Wednesday morning.  Pray that all goes well.

Carla Kyser is supposed to get the results of her scans tomorrow.  Becky Sellers is supposed to get her scan results on Wednesday.

Wow, what a good day we enjoyed in our services yesterday.  It was Mother’s Day which meant our attendance was strong.  We recognized Miss Ica Walley and Miss Kathleen Henderson as the oldest mothers present in our two morning services.  We were blessed with a public profession of faith in the 8:00AM service and then another one in the 10:30AM service.  Praise the Lord!

The musical group, Deliverance Five, from the University of Mobile did a nice job of leading us in worship last night.  We had a really good attendance and the spirit was excellent.

I have to give props to my wife, Lisa, and our oldest daughter, Deidra, for taking care of the roses this past weekend.  They literally spent hours getting everything situated and, as far as I know, all went well.

Our prayer time takes place tonight from 5:00 – 7:00PM in the auditorium.  Let’s pray for Carla & Becky in a special way as they await their scan results.

GROW visitation tonight at 6:30PM.

Lisa, Dana, Gina and I have taken this week off.  It is shortly before 5:00AM and we are sitting in the New Orleans airport having left the house at 1:00AM.   What does that mean as far as these daily blogs are concerned this week?  Good question.  No promises.  Just going to take it one day at a time.  BTW, we are taking a few more days off in two weeks just so you know.  Our Summer will be slammed so we are taking some time now.

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

“Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength, and my redeemer.” (Psalm 19:14 KJV)

Today’s Bible reading –  Psalms 25; 29; 33; 36; 39

Yesterday was a really good day for the Friendship family.  Our “men’s” breakfast was blessed to have a good number of women join us as we celebrated mothers.  Randall Broome did his usual excellent job of sharing the Word in song and then Jeff Holifield brought us a good word from Word.  Good time!

We then had a group of men make their way to a neighbor’s house to do some ministry.  Five of our deacons were joined by five or six other men in doing a major job of cutting limbs, trimming hedges, raking, weed eating, et cetera.  Basically, they were in and out in just under an hour.  Thanks to Jeff Holifield for coordinating this ministry opportunity.

Regular schedule this morning.  “Parent/child dedication” in the 10:30AM service.

No Discipleship Training today as is our practice on Mother’s Day.  However, we will have a special evening service beginning at 6:00PM.  That service will feature the singing ministry of “Deliverance Five” which is a group from the University of Mobile.  All members of the Friendship family are encouraged to attend this special service.

I pray that you will have a great Sunday with Jesus.  Go to church!

“Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength, and my redeemer.” (Psalm 19:14 KJV)

Today’s Bible reading –  2 Samuel 7; 1 Chronicles 17

Happy 5th birthday to our oldest granddaughter, Emmy!  She was born on Saturday, 5/7/11.  I hope she has a great day!  By the way, Brad & Daphne announced yesterday that our grandchild count will increase to seven within the next one to two years.  They are in the process of adopting a boy from either Kanas, Kentucky, Kenya or Korea.  I am pretty sure it starts with a “k” and is foreign.  I do not think he will have blonde hair and blue eyes.

“Breakfast for mama” takes place this morning from 8:00 – 9:00AM in the fellowship hall.  Everyone invited.  Singing by Randall & Rita and a message from the Word by Jeff Holifield.

Our bus workers will meet at 8:30AM for their meeting (hopefully some will come to the breakfast at 8:00AM).  Pray for this ministry as they go out and invite folks to our tomorrow’s Sunday School and church service.

Our deacons will lead a short work day as soon as the breakfast is over this morning.  Work will be done in a neighbor’s yard and will basically consist of trimming trees, removing bushes, et cetera.  Should be finished within an hour to an hour and a half.

Peggy Knighten’s heart cath revealed minor blockage (10 – 15%) but otherwise all was good.  That was excellent news considering her family history on both sides.

Courtney Cavin’s dad, Calvin, remains in a Birmingham hospital.  Hopefully, this is a “slow but sure” process of diagnosing his problem(s).

This week has seen Dana & Gina complete their freshman year of college.  They have done well as it appears that Faith Academy prepared them well academically for college.

Wow, we have been able to have our windows raised in May – is that great or what!  Feels so good!  This weather has been amazing!  Spent the entire afternoon yesterday working in the yard.  Got a huge assist from Soy and also from Charles.  Rusty?  Not so much as in none at all!

Hopefully, today will see me squeeze in some garden time around the breakfast, work day, and Emmy’s birthday party.  Need to plant some more corn.  We shall see!

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