Pastor's Blog

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

This entry is being written a little after 11:00PM on Friday night, 8/9, and is coming from the ICU of the Decatur Morgan Hospital in Decatur, Alabama.  Let me explain.

I was having a typical Friday as I spent some time in the garden, washed a vehicle and had begun mowing the yard.  My brother, Eddie, called to tell me that dad was having some pain in his left side and the doctor suspected a kidney stone that had gotten lodged.  When Eddie got to dad’s house to put him in the car that was not possible so he had to call for an ambulance.  Dad was not coherent and this temperature was one hundred and six degrees.

Once at the hospital they packed dad in ice and began running tests.  It was determined that he had C. Diff, sepsis and a blockage in one of his kidneys due to the lodged stone.  They prepped him for surgery in order to remove the blockage.  The doctor in the ER and the surgeon both described dad’s condition as critical and said that will be true for twenty four hours.

The ICU nurses are graciously allowing me to sit with dad through the night as they allow one person per patient.  I am of the opinion that dad is much improved with his major problem being low blood pressure following the surgery.  They are giving him “pressers” to keep the blood flowing to his brain and vital organs.  They cannot give him pain medicines due to the low blood pressure.  Dad is awake and alert but remembers nothing from today.

Lisa, Daphne and I left Grand Bay at 3:30PM and arrived at the hospital at 8:30PM.  Daphne has the medical knowledge to be a great help during times like this.  My plan is to stay until some point tomorrow afternoon/evening and then head South in order to be in the pulpit Sunday morning.  However, I am playing it by ear and will adjust as needed.

Our Sunday schedule will remain the same regardless of whether or not I am there meaning that the ordination of Grant Tillman will take place in our evening service.  The ordination council will meet at 4:00PM in the auditorium.

Our Finance Committee will meet at 5:00PM.

Special thanks to Steve Morris as he is mowing my grass in the morning.  Likewise, I am grateful to Bob Evans as he is taking care of my chickens.

Pray for my dad.  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)

Today is a tough day for me.  First, it was thirteen years ago today that my good friend, Evangelist Bruce Gill, passed from this life.  Still seems so unreal.  The last message Bruce preached was preached at Friendship in June of 2006.  It was an evening service and he preached on “Working The Night Shift!”  I miss Bruce!

Second, it was five years ago today that Cristy Leytham passed from this life.  I had just flown home from Guatemala the day before and was fortunate to be able to catch a United flight late that afternoon in order to be present for Cristy’s celebration of life service the next day.  Only time in my ministry that I have missed three consecutive Sundays – Paris (vacation), Guatemala (mission trip) and Guatemala (COLS).  Things have never been the same in Guatemala since 8/9/14.

A couple of other things happened on 8/9 that greatly impacted me.  I will leave those in the closet.

Donnie Felps had a heart cath yesterday and all was good.  That is good but something is going on in Donnie’s body.  Pray that they can find the source of his problem.

Larry McConnell and his son, Chance, have graciously volunteered their equipment and time to do some clearing work on the back forty as we move closer to having our soccer leagues on our campus.  That work should take place tomorrow and Monday.  Larry Whitehurst gave us a huge assist yesterday in mapping out a plan.

Tess Scholz & David McClain are getting married in Michigan tomorrow.  Tess is the daughter of Dave & Terri Scholz.  She has been a very active part of GRACE Ministries and a huge encourager of getting the school built on the mountain.  Congratulations to the soon to be newlyweds!

Bobby and the boys are in The Big Apple for a really important series this weekend.  The Mets have won nine of their past ten games.  The Nationals are five and one half games behind the Braves in the NL East while holding a two games lead in the wildcard chase.  The Mets are one and a half game behind the Nats in that race.

Lord willing, I will travel to DC to watch Bobby and the boys host the O’s on August 27 & 28.  I have had plans to go visit Bobby for years and finally took action to make it happen.  I am looking forward to seeing Bobby in his ministry environment.

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)

Zach Huhn leaves this morning heading back to Kansas City and another semester of seminary.  I am thankful for the time Zach has given to us this Summer through our student ministry.

Donnie Felps will be having a procedure done this morning in a local hospital.  Pray that all goes well.

Matt Everett was in our service last night.  Man, looking at those burned areas made me hurt!  He and his family are very committed to the Lord through the church.

Eddie Albritton will see a surgeon today.  It appears he will need to have hip replacement surgery.  Pray for the doctor to have wisdom in handling Eddie’s case.  (Meanwhile, I am trying to think of who can live with Eddie during his recovery time!)

Keep praying for Carol Lucky and her dialysis treatments.

The community prayer service last night was good.  I appreciate Pastor Terry Ragsdale having the vision to have such a service.  Thanks to Pastor Alton Stokes, Pastor Ronnie Jarman and Evangelist Jonny Gaston for being involved too.  I appreciate each person who had a part in the service.  Thank you to the members of the Friendship family who attended.  I am grateful.

Bobby and the boys are still rolling.  They lead the wildcard chase but there are literally eight teams in position to claim one of those two spots.  I am going to go ahead and pick the Dodgers to win the NL West.  Just have a feeling!

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)

The Friendship family had a very large representation at the McKemie Place service last night and three women prayed to receive Jesus as their personal Savior.  Amen!

Visited with Carol Lucky late yesterday afternoon.  She is slowly but surely improving.  She does dialysis three times a week in Grand Bay.  Once her body recovers from the surgery she will be able to do dialysis at home.  That will most likely be three or four weeks from now.  One thing about Carol – she has an outstanding attitude and an absolute trust in Jesus.  Her daughter is here right now and Terry is doing an excellent job as a caregiver.  Keep praying for Carol.  (By the way, Carol’s diet is very strict so she cannot have many of the foods folks were typically bring in a time like this.  She is most appreciative but Terry is the chief cook and bottle washer for the time being.)

No morning worship service on our campus today.  Please pass the word!

Tonight beginning at 6:30PM we will host a community prayer service in our auditorium.  I know this service will involve the Friendship family, the Grand Bay Church of God and the Grand Bay Community Church.  Hopefully, other churches will join us.  Our children and youth will be in their regular classes tonight.

Our children’s choir begins another semester tonight at 5:30PM.

I spoke to Pastor Abel yesterday and his first Sunday with us will be August 18th.  His first Wednesday will obviously be August 21st.  Pray for Bro. Abel as he brings things to a close in North Alabama and looks to begin at Friendship.

The men from the Mission of Hope sent word that they plan on attending our 10:30AM service on August 18th.  Always good to have those guys worship with us.

Bobby and the boys won again last night keeping pace with the Braves to remain six games out but now lead the wild card race in the NL.  They play in SF again tonight.  Let’s go Nats!

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)

Happy birthday to my mother-in-law, Ann Clark.  She is, without a doubt, the finest mother-in-law ever.  I hope her day is great!

McKemie Place service tonight beginning at 6:00PM.  Randall & Rita will lead this service.  Everyone invited.

Matt Everett suffered some burns a couple of days ago.  I “think” he was discharged from the hospital yesterday.  Pray for Matt to heal quickly.

Keep praying for Carol Lucky and also for Miss Cora Martin.

Special community prayer service tomorrow night, 8/7, in our auditorium beginning at 6:30PM.  All of our classes, youth Bible study, et cetera will go on as normal.  No morning service tomorrow as we are asking those folks to join us at 6:30PM.

Bobby and the boys won last night while the Braves lost which brings the Nationals back within six games of the NL East lead.  They remain tied with the Phillies for second place in the NL East and for the second wild card spot.  The Mets are on fire right now and, if they keep going, could make the NL East interesting.  Let’s go Nats!

Received our Alabama season tickets while I was in Guatemala last week.  Fall practice has begun.  We are getting close to the start of another football season.  The high school teams began practice yesterday.  Are you ready?  I am.

The MCPSS classes begin today.  Believe it or not, it makes visiting hospitals and such more time consuming just because of the increase in traffic caused by school traffic.

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)

Bro. Abel Garcia received a very strong ninety five percent vote last night to become our next minister to students.  He accepted and will be moving to Grand Bay within the next several weeks.  His messages yesterday morning were spot on.  It was a good day and we give God the glory.

We had five folks attend the AWANA training this past Saturday.  Thank you to those five for taking time out of their schedule to invest in this ministry.  Looking forward to moving ahead with this ministry opportunity.

We will ordain Grant Tillman as a deacon this Sunday, 8/11, during our evening service.

Carol Lucky remains at home but needs our prayer support.

Jennifer Brinkman and the boys are in Maryland for her maternal grandfather’s service which will take place tomorrow at 2:00PM.  Pray for them as they will then travel home on Wednesday.

McKemie Place tomorrow night beginning at 6:00PM.  Everyone invited.

Community wide prayer service this Wednesday, 8/7, beginning at 6:30PM and hosted by the Friendship family in our auditorium.  No morning service for the Friendship family this Wednesday.

Happy 50th birthday to my first cousin, Tony Gettig.  I normally do not do birthdays on here but when you are family and get really old then I make an exception!  Half of a hundred – that is getting really old!  Also, Tony is our only Yankee reader of the blog.

Bobby and the boys have stepped back a bit in their quest to catch the Braves in the NL East.  However, they remain in the hunt for one of the wild card spots.  They need to get Max back quickly.  It was good to see Bobby’s family home and in our service yesterday morning.

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)

Not too long ago, Jennifer Brinkman’s paternal grandfather passed from this life.  This past week her maternal grandfather, Barry Aikin, also passed from this life.  Jennifer and the boys are driving to Maryland today to attend the service on Tuesday.  Pray for traveling mercies and for the family as they walk through this valley.

Keep praying for Carol Lucky and her dialysis.

What a tragedy in El Paso, Texas yesterday.  Join me in praying for those families who lost loved ones and for those folks who were injured.

Bro. Abel preaches this morning in both services.  He then meets with the 6th grade through 12th grade classes in the CAB during the Sunday School hour.  He will be available in the auditorium from 5:00PM until 5:45PM.  The church family will vote early in the evening service and I will then bring a message.

Community prayer service this Wednesday at Friendship beginning at 6:30PM.  Let’s be faithful to attend this special service.

I am glad to be home.  Eddie Albritton and I arrived in Grand Bay at 11:30PM last night.  It was great seeing Lizzi, Sydney & Audrey.  It will now be great to see Titus, Emmy, Nora, Asher & Jayden. Glad to have Gina home too.

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)

Please pray for the Ginny Easterling family this morning as they will gather in our auditorium for a time of visitation with other family members and friends from 9:00AM until the 11:00AM service time.  Thank you to those who will be ministering to the family by serving a meal following the service.  Still hard for me to believe that Ginny is gone.

Our friend, Miss Berenice Dendy, 94, from Mountain Brook will be buried today.  Her service is also at 11:00AM in Homewood.  Pray for Mr. Lavelle, their two daughters and the family.

Carol Lucky is scheduled to receive her dialysis at the Grand Bay location.  Keep praying for Carol & Terry.

We have some folks who are traveling to Spanish Fort today for AWANA training.  Pray for them.  I am very grateful to them for doing this.

Bro. Abel Garcia will be preaching in our two morning services tomorrow.  He will meet with the 6th graders through 12th graders during the Sunday School hour.  There will be a meet and greet time with Bro. Abel in our auditorium from 5:00PM until 5:45PM.   The Friendship family will vote on extending a call to Bro. Abel to serve as our student minister in the early part of our evening service.  Lord willing, I will then preach that service.

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)

Regular schedule on our campus this Sunday morning and evening.  Bro. Abel Garcia will be preaching in both of the morning services.  During the Sunday School hour all classes, 6th grade through 12th grade, will meet in the CAB for a “meet and greet” time with Bro. Abel.  There will be another “meet and greet” time from 5:00PM until 5:45PM in the CAB for any others interested.  The Friendship family will vote early in the evening service on Bro. Abel coming as our student minister.  Please make this a matter of prayer.

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

All of the mission team members left GRACE Mountain yesterday morning and, as far as I know, everyone arrived home safe and sound.  We thank God for traveling mercies.

I was involved in a meeting yesterday morning and then another one last night.  I am now done with meetings for this trip and will spend today and tomorrow focused on Lizzi, Sydney & Audrey.  Lord willing, I will arrive home late tomorrow night.

Bobby and the boys are seven games behind the Braves in the NL East but remain tied for the wild card spot.  I am in hopes they will make the playoffs.

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)

Carol Lucky’s procedure went well yesterday.  She is scheduled to be discharged from the hospital today.  Keep praying.

Keep praying for Miss Cora too.

Bro. Jerry says we had a good day in our services yesterday.  Thank you to those who are faithful to attend.

The mission team had a good day yesterday.  All twenty five houses were dedicated.  Soy & Jonathan did a nice job of finishing the fifteen houses in San Lorenzo.  The best news of the day was that there were two salvation decisions during the dedications – praise the Lord.

As usual, the share time last night was very good.  It is always good to hear what God did in the lives of the team members.  Special thanks to Danville Baptist and First Baptist Tanner for bringing such great numbers and for their financial support.  Danville Baptist has been a great supporter of GRACE Ministries for years and we do not take that lightly.

Six of the team members left GRACE Mountain at 3:30AM today heading to the airport.  Their flight leaves at 8:00AM.  The remaining team members will leave the mountain a bit later to catch their 1:15PM flight home.  Pray for traveling mercies.

Rebekah Rankin will be flying home this afternoon too.  She has been here since May 30 serving as an intern.  She has done a wonderful job.  She will be missed by Deidra, the other workers and the children in the feeding center.

Gina also left this morning after having served here since June 20.  It has been good for her to be here with her sister and nieces as she worked with the teams.

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