TD Jakes is a famous pastor and author of many books about practical applied Christianity. In the Dallas, Texas paper recently it was reported that one of his adult sons was arrested. Pastor Jakes picture and his son's mug shot were plastered on the front page of the paper complete with a detailed account of the arrest. What was important is that the reporter recorded verbatim what Rev. Jakes wrote. It became a Kingdom moment, a teaching moment for all of us who have ever had a child, if we are a parent, or a friend, who has done something terrible wrong. I thought that you would find it interesting and insightful and a good response. Here it is:
06:17 PM CST on Saturday, February 14, 2009
By SAM HODGES / The Dallas Morning News samhodges@dallasnews.com
Bishop T.D. Jakes of Dallas says he is offering “help, support and restorative grace” to his son, Jermaine.
“It is in moments like these that I am so grateful that we do not preach that we are the solution, but we look to Christ for resolution,” Jakes, pastor of Dallas’ megachurch The Potter’s House, said in a written statement provided to The Dallas Morning News late Friday night.
“So then, as a very human family with real issues, like many other people, we will draw from the same well of grace to which we have led others to drink and be refreshed,” the statement said.
His father's comments were what struck me as being so right on and such a witness for something that gained such public exposure in a newspaper, evidence of God taking something bad and paradoxically turning the boys father's response into a declaration for all to read of the Kingdom of God. If you know and love a wayward adult, you may be asking yourself why do they have to do what they do? I ask the same thing in the situations in my life. Maybe we have been asking the wrong question and like Moses need to be asking instead in the wilderness spaces, " Show me your glory". May God reveal His glory this week, may there be a burning bush, may the goodness of the Lord pass before you and may God proclaim His name to you in the midst of the rebellious people you love and try to lead. May we all feel and extend the grace of God to each other in moments like these.
1 comment:
Pamela, you are refreshingly articulate, thoughful, well read and gifted at prose, so when I moved to this second blog of yours today, I was gratified to read down the list of entries for a while. Thank you. You are inspiring. I can see that you get as much of a kick out of words as I do, and most of all, a life lift from the Saviour.
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