SPIRITUAL SUNDAY: FOOD FOR THOUGHT

                                           TENNESSEE

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

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 & 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!

 'The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of God

 stands forever.  ~~Isaiah

 YOU'RE ONE OF GODS CHILDREN 

I was pondering what to post for Spiritual Sunday today and than a friend sent this e mail to me. I had to share it.

I am not condoning having children out of wedlock but I was a single parent many years ago. I know lots of wonderful women that were single mother's too. It hurts when someone makes a rude comment about us. I hate to hear trash talk anyway and when someone makes a rude remark about "that one had a baby before marriage" it really upsets me. I recently heard some people in the work place talking about a patient who "was" a single parent". I was shocked. Talk about meddling in someones privacy! I think sometime you have to really "live and let God". 

I do get angry when I see people take advantage of the welfare entitlements but many of us raised our children without a mate   Some still do. But I am talking about good hard working people making the best of a situation no one ever wants to see their own child in. I remember having my daughter many years ago and my boss caring for me and treating me with dignity and respect. I remember she said I owned her an explanation in regard to the situation I was in simply because she signed my paycheck. Otherwise she said, you have to talk with the Lord about it! I did and later a good phamily friend and Catholic priest told me the same thing, trust God and do not worry about what others think. I still chuckle because ultimately the Mother of Our Lord was a single teenage girl when she was called to become His mother. It is just a little food for thought and now please visit Charlotte and Ginger and thank these beautiful ladies for hosting our weekly soul nourishing Spiritual Sunday. The encourage I have here is amazing and knowing each one of you is absolutely priceless.