Skip to main content

Why Your Family Resemblance Matters

 

               When Bobby Brooks was born, his mother put him into foster care so quickly that she did not even name him.  The state gave him his name and placed him in a home with nine other foster children. Bobby’s health was so poor that he could not do much outside the house, so he lived a very lonely and isolated life.  When he was eighteen, to get out of the poverty cycle and stand on his own, Bobby joined the navy.  After ten years of service, he found himself posted in the Hawaiian Islands and that is when his life began to change. 

               One evening, his friends challenged him to sing at a karaoke night.  Bobby did so well and enjoyed it so much, that he kept going back.  After one of his performances, a man asked him to join his band as a backup singer.  Bobby accepted the offer. 

Within a few months, another man approached Bobby and said, “I run a tribute show at the hotel next door.  We have an Elvis impersonator and a guy who does Chuck Berry songs.  You should become our Jackie Wilson impersonator”.  Bobby had never heard of Jackie Wilson, but he borrowed some tapes, learned the former Motown star’s songs, and joined the show.  For the next few years, Bobby made his living pretending to be Jackie Wilson.

               When the show moved to Las Vegas, the Four Tops, another old Motown group, demanded that Bobby meet with them.  When lead singer, Levi Stubbs, met Bobby he said, “Jackie Wilson was my cousin, and you look and sound just like him!  You must be family!”  Long story short, Bobby got a DNA test done.  Guess who his real dad was… Jackie Wilson.

               I love that story because Bobby sang Jackie’s songs and pretended to be him long before he knew that Jackie was his dad.  The family resemblance was too obvious to ignore.

               Philippians 2:5 says, “Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus”.  The next few verses detail what Jesus did, how he acted, and how he treated people.  With the Spirit’s help, we need to live in a similar way.

               When we look and act like Christ, people will know who we are even before we tell them.  Our family resemblance will be obvious as well.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

New Article: Grace Changes Everything

               A young man broke into a business and did $5000 damage. As part of his Restorative Justice sentence, he was required to meet with my friend Garth.   Garth believes in making apologies and restitution.   It took several months, but Garth finally convinced the young man that these were necessary steps, so he tried to arrange a meeting with the business owner.                The business owner wanted nothing to do with this situation.   He was angry and wanted a more severe form of justice.   Eventually, however, he agreed to meet the young man to hear what he had to say.                  The young man looked the business owner in the eye an...
Post a Comment
Read more

New Article: Navigating the New Year

                 As we begin another new year, I cannot help but think of Joshua.   Moses had been leading God’s people to the promised land.   However, just before they arrived, Moses died, and Joshua was put in charge.   Faced with the uncertainty of what was coming, God gave him the following advice.                “Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. Have I not commanded you? Be stron...
Post a Comment
Read more

New Article: We need a Better Scorecard

                   “Is that a Sun Ice?”                “Excuse me,” I said.                My friend pointed to my new ski jacket and asked again, “Is that a Sun Ice?”                It was 1991 and Sun Ice was the big name in ski wear at the time.   “No” I replied, “I can’t afford one of those”.                “Oh” he said as he lost interest and then just walked away.                I had not seen this friend in more than a year and, sadly, his first ...
Post a Comment
Read more