The Ben Hooper Story - Who's Your Daddy?

I received this story in an email today... I loved it... Many times we will receive inspiring "true" stories only to learn that they were "inspired" by someone's imagination and not by true events... After I read this story - I checked on Snopes.... and it is true... Imagine that!

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 !'

* picture from Picture history
**thank you Aunt Rita for emailing to me today