Pastor's Blog

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

“Coming back later yesterday never did happen” as it relates to this blog.  Sorry about that – the best laid plans of rats and people!

Bobby Joe Felps will have surgery this morning to remove a mass that has already been determined to be malignant.  Pray that the surgery will go well and that the surgeon can do what he wants to do.  Pray for Bobby Joe’s family as they wait beside him.  Bobby Joe is the son of Bobby Jack & Sandy Felps.

Jennifer and Charity Brown were discharged from the hospital yesterday.  All is well.  Keep praying for Luke, Jennifer, Ava and Charity.

My niece in Decatur, Alabama is back in ICU and on a vent.  That is about all I know at this point in time.  Pray for her.

My dad will meet with his oncologist today to get the results of his latest PET scan.

Thanks to John Milton Ladnier & Kendall Falana for getting the heater in the adult building up and running last night.  Those guys know some stuff!

I need the members of the Friendship family to respond to my request to write remembrances of Sara Nell Moulds before December 16.  Please give these to Julie McGath.  If you want them to be “in confidence” then just seal up the envelope and write “private” on the outside and Julie will pass them on to Carl Ray that way.

The party at the Grand Bay Convalescent Home takes place tomorrow night, 12/12, beginning at 6:00PM.  If you have not turned in your gift already, please take it by the church office either today or tomorrow by noon.  The sooner the better.

I do not get excited about the college bowl games.  As a matter of fact, I will not watch many, if any, except for the semifinals and the final game of the playoffs.  In my opinion, the bowls are becoming less relevant with each passing year.

Speaking of the weather earlier, the ten day forecast calls for us to have our typical, brutal Winter with lows in the forties and highs in the sixties each day.

I pray that you will have a great Tuesday 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 adoption day to Dana & Gina.  Twenty years ago today the judge granted Lisa and me the right to be Dana & Gina’s parents through adoption.  We love Dana & Gina and are thrilled (most days) to have them in our family.

Also, today marks the sixty second birthday of my dear friend, Evangelist Bruce Gill.  It seems impossible that Bruce has now been gone for over twelve years.  Bruce was a great friend to me and I miss him tremendously.

I am headed to the hospital to visit with Jennifer & Charity Brown.  I will come back a bit later today and update this post.

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

I am now back in the States and received a text from proud grandmother, Edna Morgan, regarding the details on the newest member of the Morgan family.  Bryan Luke Morgan was born Wednesday, 12/5, weighing eight pounds and eleven ounces.  He is twenty one and one quarter inches long.  Mother and son are doing well and I am certain they are home now.  Congratulations to Brad & Brandi!

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

Luke & Jennifer Brown welcomed their second daughter into the world this afternoon as Jennifer gave birth to Charity Elizabeth Brown.  She checked in at eight pounds and thirteen ounces.  As far as I know, all is well.  Congratulations to Luke, Jennifer and big sister, Ava!

JoNell Barnes’ daughter, Carol, has back to back surgeries on Thursday (I think).  It was supposed to be outpatient surgery but she remains in the hospital.  JoNell is there with her.  Pray for Carol.

Zach & Charlotte Brown were able to bring Benji home from the hospital on Thursday.  We praise the Lord for his improvement!  Keep praying!

Eddie & Marcus hosted our first day of basketball today.  I trust all went well.  Thanks to all who are involved in this ministry.

Tomorrow is a big day for the Friendship family and we will conclude it with a Christmas fellowship with the men from the Mission of Hope.  We will meet in the CAB at 6:00PM for a meal consisting of lasagna, salad, bread, dessert and drink.  We are asking each member of the Friendship family to bring a lasagna (party size purchased will be perfect) and a dessert.  We will gather around the tables with these men, love on them, show them Jesus and encourage them.  Each man from the Mission will receive a gift.  So, Friendship family, please step up.  I have full confidence that you will.  Pray and attend.

There will be a meeting in the auditorium beginning at 5:30PM tomorrow, 12/9, to highlight the changes to our budget which will be in effect from January 1 – December 31, 2019.  This is an informational meeting being hosted by our Finance Committee.  Heidi Butler, FC chairperson, will lead this meeting.

All of the team that was in Guatemala has now left the mountain.  One went home on Wednesday night, five on Thursday afternoon, five more early this morning and the rest this afternoon.  Our team secretary, Dominique Garcia, has listed all that this team did during the week but I do not have the time/space here to list all of those things.  I will try to do so in a later post.

Ok, the captain just said we are about to land this plane so I have to bring this entry to a close.  I pray that you will have a great rest of the afternoon with Jesus.

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

Congratulations to Brad & Brandi Morgan on the birth of their first child, Luke.  I do not know the details i.e. time of birth, weight, et cetera but do know all is well.  Congratulations to Brad, Brandi and their families.

Todd McManus, nephew of Jim & Morris Bryant, passed from this life Wednesday.  There will be a visitation and a celebration of life today in Meridian, MS.  Pray for the family as they walk through this valley.

I need the members of the Friendship family to “lasagna up” for our fellowship this Sunday evening beginning at 6:00PM in the CAB.  As you know, we are hosting the men from the Mission of Hope for a special Christmas fellowship.  We are asking each family from the Friendship family to bring at least one lasagna and a dessert.  We will present each man from the Mission a gift.  Pray, attend, and be a blessing to these men and each other.

Regular schedule this Sunday morning.  Lord willing, I will be in the pulpit for both services.  Our Finance Committee will hold an informational meeting at 5:30PM to share the adjustments to the budget as we move from a 8/1 to 7/31 fiscal year to a 1/1 – 12/31 one. This meeting will be held in the auditorium.

Five of the team members in Guatemala went home yesterday as originally planned.  Lisa was in that number and I already miss her being here.  I know that our grandchildren will be happy to have her home.

The team has done well and has done a lot of ministry.  Everyone is well.  Attitudes have been amazing!  Really great group.  Pray for them as they finish strong today.

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

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

I need to begin by apologizing to Zach & Charlotte Brown as their infant son, Benji, remains hospitalized and I have not kept our thirteen readers up to date on his situation.  Benji is still having problems with the rate of his heartbeat.  Please pray for Benji, his parents and the medical folks giving care to him.

Bill Goff did spend some time in the hospital but is now at home.

Regular schedule for the Friendship family this morning and evening.  I pray that the members of the Friendship family will be faithful to attend.

The team in Guatemala had a wonderful Tuesday.  The children from the center presented a very good program, all in English, early yesterday morning.  Then the team and all of the children headed to Chuck E Cheese for some fun, food and fellowship.  The children loved it.  Perhaps the thing that brought the most smiles to the adults was watching the children ride an escalator for the first time – fun stuff!  The staff at Chuck E Cheese was wonderful!  Really good experience for all involved.

The team left the city and headed to Antigua for shopping followed by a meal at Las Antorchas.  As always, the food was good and the fellowship was sweet.

One of the team members had to leave last night because of work commitments.  Five more will leave tomorrow.  The rest will leave on Saturday.  Soy, Deidra and the girls come home one week from today – hooray four times!

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)

Good morning from Guatemala.  I pray that you have a great day yesterday and the today will be great as well.

I learned yesterday that Bill Goff has pneumonia.  (I do not know if he is hospitalized)  Pray for Bill.

The Friendship family will host the men from the Mission of Hope this Sunday evening for a time of food and fellowship.  We will meet in the CAB beginning at 6:00PM.  The menu will consist of lasagna, salad, bread, desert and drink.  This is going to be a joint fellowship so here is what we are asking the members of the Friendship family to do regarding this ministry – pray.  Attend.  Bring a cooked lasagna (these can be bought for around eleven dollars and the store brands are fine) and a dessert.  The church will provide extra lasagnas, French bread and the drinks.  The church will also provide a gift for each man attending from the Mission.

We will have a service that evening as we sit around the tables.  There will be music and a message (brief).  We need folks to help set up tables and chairs immediately following the second morning worship service.

The team in Guatemala had a good Monday.  The feeding center building no longer looks the same as a fresh coat of paint was applied yesterday.  Bernard Suthoff led this work effort and his team did a great job.  Tim Knighten led a team doing electrical work and they have certainly brought light to the place.  Tyrone Crawley & Nic Gray worked hours on a possible design for the school building.  The ladies hosted a baby shower for Teresita and they say it was really special.  The team served a meal and gave gifts to another twenty families.  Basically no one left the mountain and yet it was a very full day of ministry.  To God be the glory!

I pray that you will have a great Tuesday 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 daughter, Daphne.  (I will not tell you how old she is but I will say that she is one year younger than Deidra who is thirty six!)  I hope Daphne has a great day!

This entry will be short and sweet as I only know what took place in Guatemala yesterday.  The team had a long day but it was a productive day.  They fed around one hundred folks breakfast at a local water park before taking part in worshipping as five folks followed Jesus in believer’s baptism.  They were then involved in a worship service under the pavilion at the water park.

From the water park it was down to the local food court for lunch.  Then back up the mountain to cook and prepare for the first wave of families at 3:00PM.  There were twenty families present and everything went very well.

There was a two hour break and the team ate supper which was the same meal being served to the families.  Then at 6:30PM the second wave of families came for their meal.  There were twenty seven families and again everything went well.

The team fed around four hundred folks yesterday.  Deidra did an excellent job of having all of this organized and then leading the team.  She is just like her Mama!

The children from the center presented a drama before each meal.  It was nicely done!

Each family received a huge tub of food.  Special thanks to John & Laurie King for taking care of purchasing these tubs before they went back to Canada.

The team had a meeting to end the day and most folks headed for bed.  One of the expected team members did not arrive – maybe today!

Pastor Joe & the Danville Baptist family – thank you!  Wow!  May God richly bless you and your ministries!

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

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

Good Sunday morning from GRACE Mountain.  I trust that those of you in South Mobile County will get up, get ready and go to church this morning and evening.  Pastor Randy Johnson will be preaching in all three of our services at Friendship.  Randy is a very good proclaimer of the Word and you will do well to sit under his preaching.  Pray for him and the services today!

Remember, no Discipleship Training at Friendship during the month of December.  However, there will be adult choir rehearsal today at 5:00PM.

The team in Guatemala had a really long day traveling yesterday.  The folks from Alabama landed in Guatemala around 1:30PM but did not get to GRACE Mountain until around 5:00PM.  The traffic in Guatemala is just getting more congested by the day it seems.  The Michigan folks landed shortly after 8:00PM and to to GRACE Mountain around 10:15PM or so.  We have one more person arriving tomorrow afternoon and then the final one tomorrow night.  We will then be all set!

The team will attend the GRACE Community Church’s service off campus this morning in order to take part in a baptismal service.  They will then grab lunch before getting ready to host two sets of families for the Christmas meal in the feeding center.  The first group will come at 3:00PM and the second group will come at 6:30PM.  I think the total is forty seven families tomorrow.

Our “flexibility” has already been tested in a big way.  At 10:30AM yesterday we learned that the vans we had reserved would not be available at all during this trip.  So, we went to Plan B for the afternoon & evening.  We have plan C in place for tomorrow and are working on plan D for Monday.  We just know this – God is in control and He knows.  We are to just follow Him!

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

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

Good morning from GRACE mountain.  Sorry for no entry yesterday.  No excuses.

Terry Lucky had an outpatient surgical procedure done yesterday morning and did well.  I appreciate Bro. Jerry going to be with him during that time.  Pray for Terry to have a quick recovery.

Regular schedule on the Friendship campus tomorrow morning and evening.  Pastor Randy Johnson will be preaching in all three services.  My prayer is that the members of the Friendship family will be faithful to attend the services.

We were able to meet with the assistant minister of education for the state of Chimaltenango on Thursday night.  Her first words were that we could not even apply for a school until a building is completely finished.  Translated – not possible for a school until January 2021.  Well, when Soy & Morris were finally able to pull Deidra off of that sweet lady she had a change of heart.  So, we are now back on track for January 2020.  Pray that will become a reality.

The team is flying today.  Pray for safety in travel.

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