Who's Your Daddy?

I take no credit for what follows, but it was just too good to allow it to be read and not passed along:

A seminary professor was vacationing with his wife in Gatlinburg , Tennessee .

One morning, they were eating breakfast at a little restaurant, hoping to
enjoy a quiet, family meal. While they were waiting for their food, they
noticed a distinguished looking, white-haired man moving from table to
table, visiting with the guests. The professor leaned over and whispered to
his wife, 'I hope he doesn't come over here.' But sure enough, the man did
come over to their table.

'Where are you folks from?' he asked in a friendly voice.

' Oklahoma ,' they answered.

'Great to have you here in Tennessee ,' the stranger said... 'What do you do
for a living?'

'I teach at a seminary,' he replied.

'Oh, so you teach preachers how to preach, do you? Well, I've got a really
great story for you.' And with that, the gentleman pulled up a chair and sat
down at the table with the couple.

The professor groaned and thought to himself, 'Great.. Just what I
need.... another preacher story!'


The man started, 'See that mountain over there? (Pointing out the restaurant
window). Not far from the base of that mountain, there was a boy born to an
unwed mother. He had a hard time growing up, because every place he went, he
was always asked the same question, 'Hey boy, who's your daddy?' Whether he
was at school, in the grocery store or drug store, people would ask the same
question, 'Who's your daddy?'

He would hide at recess and lunch time from other students.. He would avoid
going in to stores because that question hurt him so bad. 'When he was about
12 years old, a new preacher came to his church. He would always go in late
and slip out early to avoid hearing the question, 'Who's your daddy?'

But one day, the new preacher said the benediction so fast that he got
caught and had to walk out with the crowd.

Just about the time he got to the back door, the new preacher, not knowing
anything about him, put his hand on his shoulder and asked him, 'Son, who's
your daddy?'

The whole church got deathly quiet. He could feel every eye in the church
looking at him. Now everyone would finally know the answer to the question,
'Who's your daddy?'

This new preacher, though, sensed the situation around him and using
discernment that only the Holy Spirit could give, said the following to that
scared little boy.. 'Wait a minute! I know who you are! I see the family
resemblance now, You are a child of God.'

With that he patted the boy on his shoulder and said, 'Boy, you've got a
great inheritance.. Go and claim it.'

'With that, the boy smiled for the first time in a long time and walked out
the door a changed person. He was never the same again. Whenever anybody
asked him, 'Who's your Daddy?' he'd just tell them, 'I'm a Child of God..''


The distinguished gentleman got up from the table and said, 'Isn't that a
great story?'

The professor responded that it really was a great story!

As the man turned to leave, he said, 'You know, if that new preacher hadn't
told me that I was one of God's children, I probably never would have
amounted to anything!' And he walked away..

The seminary professor and his wife were stunned. He called the waitress
over and asked her, 'Do you know who that man was -- the one who just left
that was sitting at our table?'

The waitress grinned and said, 'Of course. Everybody here knows him.

That's Ben Hooper. He's governor of Tennessee!'

Someone in your life today needs a reminder that they're one of God's
children!


And all of God's people said, Amen!

The Greatest Fringe Benefit – R. T. Kendell

From this mornings (8/24/11) devotional.

The Lord watches over you – the Lord is your shade at your right hand; the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night. The Lord will keep you from all harm – he will watch over your life; the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forever. Psalm 121:5 – 8

Have you ever been in a situation where you have thought, I wish somebody could see what is happening to me right now? Or maybe something good has happened to you, but there is no one to share it with.

The great fringe benefit of being a Christian is found in psalm 121:5: “The Lord watches over you – the Lord is your shade at your right hand.” Do you know what that tells me? It assures me of God’s very presence. It is the most wonderful thing to realize that our heavenly Father is there. And there will come a time, if you develop the relationship with Him that is available to you, when His attention will mean more to you than anything.

The psalmist said in Psalm 16:8, “because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.” This means that God promises us Himself. Not only are we assured of going to heaven, but the greatest thing of all is that Jesus says to us, “You’ve got Me! I am with you always, even to the end. I will never leave you or forsake you.” There is nothing more wonderful than knowing that we have Him.

True, you know that you will go to heaven when you die. But when you become a Christian God didn’t just shake your hand and say, “Well done; see you in heaven!” No, He says, “I will be with you. I will see everything that is going on, your coming in and your going, both now and forever more.” 

Something I need to remember with regard to MISTAKES

M essages that give us feedback about life.

I nterruptions that should cause us to reflect and think.

S ignposts that direct us to the right path.

T ests that push us toward greater maturity.

A wakenings that keep us in the game mentally.

K eys that we can use to unlock the next door of opportunity.

E xplorations that let us journey where we’ve never been before.

S tatements about our development and progress.

Dr. John C. Maxwell

Praying together . . .

Father I thank you for helping to aware of the needs, and concerns of others. I thank you that we are all in this fight together, regardless of the area we are called to defend, we are not fighting alone. 

In the heat of battle help me to remember I'm fight with others, so often I can't see them because of the distance, yet I thank you for your reassurance, You are with me and us. Lord, I'm tried and the battle is long, the enemy is fearsome, and there is no sign of an end being near. Help me, its just me Jesus; remind me of my brothers and sisters in St. Louis, Paris, & Pert Canada, Newark, who fight with me, but are unseen. 

At the moment we are engaged in one of the great battles of all time, a battle based in faith, against an enemy who some believe (sadly) can't be or won't be defeated. WRONG!!! Jesus, You're here, right now in the fire, you are the fourth man in this fiery furnace, my reassurance while I hold on to a piece of the broken ship, while singing in a jail cell at midnight, You are here! Help me reach out and trust you fully, Jesus that is you walking on the water! 

I thank you for the sword of the Spirit, the shield of faith, every piece of the armor you've given for this and next battle. I thank you for victory, yes, victory which can only be had if I get up again and fight! I can only by your Spirit; I can only by your grace; I can do all things through You who has, and is strengthening me. Thank you for being the 'Captain of the Lord's

host," in this present moment. In the Strong name of Jesus, Amen.

Love ya, 
T.A.B.

The Importance of Unity

We all have our opinions, and we are sure that we are right. And right beside our opinion is our pride.

If I hold to a particular point of view and you don’t go along with me, then my pride is at stake. It is natural for me to want to be proved right, to have my opinion validated. So I want you to agree with me. If you do agree with me, I like it. But the fact that I weant you to agree with my opinion doesn’t make it right.

That’s why the unity of the Spirit us a remarkable achievement. The unity of the Spirit is not natural, but it is supernatural; therefore, it cannot be explained naturally. What do I mean by that?

When we come across a person who is ambitious to achieve, we can understand this too, because this is natural. But unity of the Spirit is supernatural. It means that our natural ways, where we want to be heard and make our opinion felt, are not important, and we are willing to step down.

There are three observations that I suggest are important.

First, blessing us given where there is unity: “for there the Lord bestows his blessing” (Ps. 133:3)

Second, unity is what Satan fears most. He will come alongside like and angel of light to make you think something is of the Lord when it is not. The Devil will remind you of every wrong in others people.

Third, unity of the Spirit is not an optional matter. Some of us have lost credibility with others because we have to have our way all the time, and people feel they are walking on eggshells because we are so difficult and so abrasive. What we need to so is to come to the place where the Holy Spirit us ungrieved, and we are willing to feel messy and not look so good; then the anointing will flow.

Excerpted from Higher Ground (Christian Focus Publications Ltd. 1995)

My response:

Lord, I thank you for speaking to me about unity. Often of late have I become aware of Satan's desire to that we should be, even more divided than already are, forgive us. Everyone has an opinion and has a right to it; I want everyone to agree with me. Forgive my pride and the desire to be validated. I know, I am not always right on about everything, ("really? Smile.)

I thank you for those places where you have blessed us achieve unity, may it be continued and encouraged. Help me to be your instrument of peace and unity. No, it isn't natural, but it can be accomplished by your Spirit.

I confess my ambition and my desire to achieve. Forgive me my envy. Help me to rejoice and honor my brothers and sisters, as if their success were my own. Allow me the grace to step down or aside for your purpose and glory; and yes rejoice in it.

I thank you, for your blessing in and upon unity. I praise you, that in unity is Satan's greatest fear that one day his defeat. Finally, yes, you give me no option. If they don't or won't agree that I am right, etc., your demand of me is “. . . that I live peaceably with all men . . .” I have very little right to withhold my love or gifts.

Lord, I can't make or force them love or operate with me; help me to love deeply those who won't return a phone call or an e-mail; those who enjoy (or so I think) avoiding me. I have no idea what is going on there. May I not pretend to be loving but to be as loving as you are. Everyone is busy; it doesn't mean that they are uncaring.

Holy Spirit, how grieved are you by lack of unity? I can be responsible only for myself. Lord, help me to be willing to be loving, not only in public, but deeply in my personal and private world the as well. Unity begins with me, not with them. No matter their lack of failure, I am called to be you to them. Jesus, show me, help me, what I must become for your glory, inside and outside of your body. Amen.