Don't know if you've noticed it, but it sure is getting dry in places.

As I was going to a funeral last Saturday, I saw one of our old prayer meeting buddies. I told him that we had missed him, and we were down to an average of six prayer warriors and a sinner or two like me coming each Friday morning. We pray for people, our city, county, nation and world, and anything that we think might be needed.

This Friday prayer group was started 10 or more years ago when we were in a drought. We started meeting at Spring Creek Park. Many church groups and even some ministers attended the weekly pray vigils begging and praying for rain. It was dry, but the rains came, and the attendance dropped, thank Goodness for rain.

The prayer meetings got smaller, and the cold weather prompted us to go inside for the winter. We started, at first meeting in the dining hall at Colquitt United Methodist Church, with every intention of going back to the park in the spring.

The attendance dropped to a dozen or so. There were more Baptists than other denominations coming. Some of our more faithful members were called to their eternal home, and our crew now numbers from four to eight each Friday morning.

Last Friday, there were two Methodists and four or five Baptists, so this prayer group is very non-denominational. We haven't had a preacher attend in years.

Don't know about the rest of our group, when I miss, from being out of town or recuperating or nursing some of my family or friends, I feel like I have missed something that I'll never recover.

Over the years, I have found that some of our best prayer warriors don't seem to have any special protection against what happens to us or ours in this world. I think it says something about that in The Word.

Last week, one of our more faithful prayer partners was telling me about what the doctors had said about his condition. It wasn't good, and a time had been given him.

I told you that there are some folks that I would have no hesitation of getting on the train with them when my time comes. He is one of them. He was telling how we took him into our prayer group almost 10 years ago. When he misses, he is sick, or with his family at a gathering with his children, grandchildren and loved ones.

I know that some say the best heard prayers are in your closet with no one but you and God. I agree, but it seems when two or three, or a hundred or so get together the prayers of some seem to get heard better than those of a few. I've seen it happen in our family several times this past year or so. It's still happening.

Ever so often, someone comes in the office that remembers me when I was much younger. Most of us do things that we wouldn't think of doing as we "mature." I could have been at the head of the line in that category. I ask forgiveness every day for not doing like I should have done.

This is a long way of saying, we could all do better. If you can't come to our prayer group at 7:00 a.m. every Friday morning, start one of your own. There is coming a time that the only safe place to pray will be your closet.

I've lived for 74 years, and we are in one of the worst times that this nation has ever lived in. We have let "others" tell us that we cannot pray, or do many of the things that this nation was started for that we call freedom.

This next week we will be celebrating our nation's independence. As we enjoy picnics, celebrations, fireworks, playing and being with family and friends, think what it would be like not to do these things.

Most of the people of the world have lost, or never enjoyed these freedoms like we have had in these United States of America.

In God We Trust is being changed to, In government we trust. Your choice! It’s election time!

Government cannot give to some unless they take it from others.

God bless you all, and God bless America.