Daily Blessing Compilation #5

Pastoral author and Bible teacher Alan writing without blessing.

We will have no deep security and feel no real release from past failures on blessed will never be as fruitful as God's plan won't fully in the favor of God so there's a lot at stake.

Excited to be in the studio for today's special Friday blessing broadcast with Pastor Alan and this is the book the power to bless and I'm holding it in my hands. Now it is finally out the highly anticipated and I'm excited as we talk about excerpts from the book if you enjoyed release week in the days that followed out well. I thought the cutest thing was our artist sent out posted some. That said, you never believe what the groundhog saw and was released on Groundhog Day and we had a cute picture about looks like a groundhog holding the book. Forget the groundhogs in his shadow. He saw the power to blast out in the marketplace. Now, and Daniel course, the reason were so excited is that this is one of the most important biblical messages for our time and for all time and interesting. Many, including many many Christians have not had much exposure teaching on the subject of blessing so much more than we make it to be in this hashtag blessed age of ours or will we just say hey God bless your we quote say the blessing before the meal to really come into a deep sense of the biblical picture of Hebrew patriarchs blessing their sons and grandsons and granddaughters and and the power of blessing that just is transformational running like a beautiful golden thread all the way through God's word that transformational power is what this book is all about, and especially the hidden beautiful story of the blessing of Ephraim and Manasseh, so, so excited because I just think this message needs to be out nephew not able to stay with her throughout the entire program I want to make sure you know how to get our special resource. Right now it is a flip style devotional for your Dess kitchen counter. It's it's a calendar devotional that you can take with you and and reflect upon as you go throughout your day, and it's yours with your gift. Your donation right now to Alan Wright Ministries is our thank you as you listen to our discussion today go deeper as we send you today's special offer.

Contact us at pastoralan.org that's Pastor Alan.org or call 877-544-4860 877-544-4860. More on this later in the program but right now let's begin our Friday broadcast with Pastor Alan again. We are so enjoying sitting with you. Maybe Upon paragraph of this new book Pastor Alan, thanks for your time in the studio today. What a privilege Daniel is to join you in the studio today and I have time to talk about some of the inspiration and some of the meat and potatoes of this book that I'm so thrilled that God's given me the chance to put out into plan and that is now finally available stores and online everywhere, and we talked a bit about the blessing of Ephraim and Manasseh, and for a lot of us. Those are names that roll off the tongue quite easily… But this is a if if you work in the Hebrew household if you grew up in a Hebrew household you would know it because every Sabbath for 3700 years Hebrew dads Jewish dads have been blessing their kid saying that God make you as Ephraim and Manasseh, God make use Ephraim and Manasseh, while who are Ephraim and Manasseh, if you want to God to make your children like somebody in the Bible when you want to say God make you like Elijah and Elisha are Moses and Joshua, David and Solomon but Ephraim and Manasseh. These obscure boys and so the book explores what the mysterious meaning is behind their names and that strange act of Jacob crossing his hands and placing his right hand on the younger son on purpose. All that's explained in the book.

It's absolutely fascinating picture of the gospel, but I just think Daniel and me. I I Ephraim and Manasseh, they need to be famous to all of us and we ought to go be going around telling each other God make use Ephraim and Manasseh, and understand why, but is a wonderful lens through which this most important Hebrew family blessing can explain the nature of blessing itself a positive vision spoken over your life and faith in accord with God's word that has an enduring transformational power. So we need to learn to live blast when he learned bless others because it may be this is the thing that someone you love is missing in their life. This go make all the difference. The book the power to bless is filled also with stories. I think there's plenty of five stories from your own life or from those that you have pastored or been in contact with throughout the as we talked about many many years. This book is not just a wonder to your project for you this is a lifelong journey and those stories I think make the teaching something that we can take in. I put the cookies on the on the lower shelf. Well, I think that Jesus taught by story because that's how we learn and that's how we grow so it really is a book that is full of some of the best stories that I've experienced personally or watch others experience some of which really put on display the miraculous power blessing and many of which also will make you chuckle or bring a tear to your eye because of the tender ways of God. So it in that sense, people tell me it's a very delightful thing to read along and in some sense the book itself. Daniel is one big story that reaches its own crescendo because I think that you know nonfiction books they need to have our own story flow to it to so it's my story Jacob story and it's all our story as is eyes have worded it on the opening pages. Maybe we'll start there.

Some people try hard to succeed so they will feel blessed and other people try hard to succeed because they already feel blessed is the difference between striving and thriving is the difference between death and life for most of my life I was a former laboring for the blessing that I never knew those opening words of the book the words that in many ways, lay out the whole reason for the book there is a big difference. Daniel between the kind of flourishing that takes place of a blessed life and the sort of striving that takes place when you feel unblessed and as I pick up reading on two pages later. Here's a question I asked early in the book. Has anyone ever looked you in the affirmed your infinite value identified your unique gifts and pointed you towards a God-given destiny. What would it mean to you. For someone to speak that sort of positive vision faith over your life. Think about the people you love you long to help them grow and flourish. How might you impact their lives. If you became skilled in the practice of blessing without blessing. I write we will have no deep security and feel no real release from past failures, unblessed will never be as fruitful as God's plan and we won't walk fully in the favor of God so there's a lot at stake. Do you think that most of us might can remember a time where even if it weren't a full blessing as you would to find it.

Maybe it skated close to being a blessing.

It was a compliment but it was a compliment that was dripping with some life-giving words to it and boy we we remember those moments and maybe they only lasted six seconds, exactly. And I think sometimes maybe when you're receiving them. You may not even know what is taking place. I tell a story in the book about a professor who meant a lot to me in college.

Daniel is much as I talk.

Now I know that you might not be all to believe this but there was a time that I came across quite shy, especially in a public setting like in a classroom. I just didn't tend to speak up.

I was afraid to say the wrong thing. You know, I was afraid maybe looking foolish and when I was a freshman in college I took a course that lots of Christians wanted take my secular university is under a man named Grant Wacker. He was an expert in the history of Christianity in America that he taught a course called religion.

29 at the University North Carolina job so I took that my freshman year and I signed up for the honor section will being in honor section meant that we are in this big class of 300 students. But on Friday I would meet with a small section of about 20 and for my section is that it being a teaching assistant that was leaving at Prof. Wacker himself would lead and I was quite taken by him.

I thought it was a wonderful teacher and I went on in years to come. A man who helped me in many ways, and under whom I served and worked as I wrote my honors thesis well, this story is moving to me because I I didn't even know all the ways I needed it, but I sat there quietly, not saying anything. I class and after we wrote the second midterm exam which was an essay that we would write in real fast turn in my chicken scratch and he gave it back to me in red ink that said that any gave me a very nearly perfect score on it and he said Alan he said that this anyone who could write a paper an exam like this really ought to speak up in class. This is nearly flawless work and we need to hear from you as I put Daniel out what it didn't you know I didn't mean that the next week I came in I was just a chatter box in class but I never forgot that I probably saved that exam somewhere because you see what that was, was a blessing he was affirming something to me, and identifying with it, how that could impact my own destiny.

He was, not just saying hey you are your good student wasn't just saying hey, this is a good exam.

He was saying. You are your words make a difference in this world.

You don't need to feel like you're somehow second class sitting therein, and in this classroom. You need to it and and and so that empowered me, and it began a process that eventually began get me to open up well I think probably all of us have some moments like that in our lives.

It would be wonderful to maybe identify them and to drink them him more deeply. I think 01 of the things of course we need to learn to do is to when someone does bless us to really receive it deeply because in order to bless others. We need to know ourselves blessed and so but I think you know as our listeners ponder over their own lives are your saying you'll find times like that in your own life is sometimes like you said it might be 66 sentences. So my right shoe or six seconds of something that they say and that'll make a lot of difference.

I remember one time going to visit in the hospital on those a man admin facing a cancer ended. Been a long road is doing fine now, but it'd been a long road and his wife. She was she was becoming weary with all of the ups and downs of a roller coaster and I visited a call to check in with her the next day and just as you answer the phone. I said well hello woman of faith and power and she told me later that that was a turning point for her.

She said I just need to be reminded who I am as you know, I was just feeling so down in the dumps and some defeated and such have some I call you who actually are only takes one Senate something so yeah makes a big difference.

The book is the power to bless. It's written by Esther Allen right and were in the studio today.

A special Friday blessing addition are teaching and there were gonna dive back into the book here in just a moment. It's available wherever good books are sold in stores online you get for your E reader. There's an audiobook version and you can get all of the details@pastorand.o are G Pastor Alan.

The other subtitle to this is how to speak life and empower the people you love and so there really is there's a how-to there's there's really kind of a I was a DIY because it really involves the power of the Holy Spirit.

Your but there are some practical things that you can draw from this book and this material and even apply it within a dead day of reading it or what you actually can. I haven't really thought of it that way, Daniel, but it's like what I wanted to be and I think that I think by God's grace we succeeded with this is that this is a book that will at the same time. Bless you and teach you how to bless that you will find yourself inspired and as if you been nourished by being in the presence of God, but you also have some real handy tools that you could put it into practice because I know that in the end, life were were busy and if he can't help me out pretty quick. Then it's not much good to me. So it does it. I think you you will begin to immediately start applying the things you love you. You learn. You'll be able to be I think inspired to help others. And then you'll be equipped to help others. I think that's what happens in the abs in the book Daniel how about a little bit from chapter 2, I was just off the phone on her way into the recording studio talk into this staff person who story I tell at the opening of chapter 2 on the first day in the seventh grade, I discovered I was poor.

Those are the words of one of the smartest man I know, a longtime friend and colleague of mine, Mickey Thigpen, within 60 something eclectic baseball loving former hippie really like serving Jesus's parents had only six years of formal education, age, his dad worked in the dust of the sawmill in Kinston, North Carolina for decades until it closed.

His mother works second shift in the weaving line in the Kinston cotton mill for over 40 years like a lot of us. Mickey said every good thing in my story begins with a praying mother Mickey never thought much about his low income upbringing in East Kinston until he went to junior high Harvey high school junior high school I was on the other side of town. Mickey's people called it the rich side because the new school was farther away Mickey's folks had to drive him each morning but he felt so embarrassed by his parents old car that he asked to be dropped off down the street. Sometimes he took a farther detour walking blocks out of his way, so it wouldn't be seen approaching school from the poor side. Mickey demonstrated Scholastic Aptitude Test Harvey, but even that made them lonely. None of my friends from East Kinston were in the advanced sections. I never saw them. I was manifestly poor and manifestly different but there were bright spots amidst the darkness of the junior high years. One light stands out in particular Mrs. Betsy Harper, she taught a North Carolina history and for some reason made Mickey her assistant in eighth grade and Mickey mood of the Granger high school for his freshman year, so happen that Ms. Harper relocated as well. Room was across from Ms. Caskey's where Mickey took first year Latin early in the fall of ninth grade.

The bell rang and Mickey emerged from his kiosk, his class with a test paper in his hand and got to see all the Latin quits.

Mrs. Harper was standing outside her room as Mickey was walking by and asked to see the papers caring. This is a lassie you'll ever get. Ms. Harper said confidently because you're going to be a Morehead scholar, Mickey did know a Morehead scholar was so he looked it up. Modeled after the Rhodes scholarship Morehead now.

The Morehead King was the first merit scholarship program established in the United States is the most competitive prestigious scholarship in the University system, North Carolina scholars receive not only full tuition, room, board to computer and three enriching summer experiences, but also the enduring prestige of being a Morehead scholar.

When you consider Mickey's background.

Mrs. Harper's prophetic blessing seem preposterous, but it wasn't to the ninth grader, I believed her completely. Mickey said took her words to be my future.

Three years later against all odds Mickey Thigpen was awarded the Morehead scholarship will Daniel have more to say in that chapter about Mickey like a said I got off the phone with them as I was driving into the studio today as I work with them each and every day, and that's a real life story does it mean that every person if you just say hey, you'll be more scholar automatically know but I do think that there is a way that God uses those sorts of visions that get spoken over a line in a mysterious way.

I'm so thankful for Ms. Harper because side I don't know that I would ever been linked with Mickey Thigpen. He might've missed out on a whole lot of destiny in his life in it. When you bless someone you're not really adding value to them you're pointing out value that's already there. The gods put their calling out your Leica treasure hunter that is on the on the lookout for the real gems in someone's life and I think that anyone can learn how to do that anyone can see that anyone can learn how to speak that and it doesn't always have that kind of just amazing prophetic power to it like that but it certainly helps us into the future into the way that God's plan for us.

When someone is begot over us and that's the way it's pictured in the Bible just like that right there over and over we see God calling us who were made to be rather than defining us by what we are at that moment. So Gideon was cowering out of terror of the Midianites and angel came as it hail mighty men of valor, Peter had many failings in front of them.

When Jesus said to your name is Simon but I call you Peter. The rock so God sees who were going to be the calls and we can learn to do that and in the book explained Alan Wright. Today's good news message the power to bless our special Friday in studio broadcast. Pastor Alan is back with us here in just a moment sharing his parting good news thought for the day sick with us such a blessing instead of the curses of the world. This special offer from Alan my ministries will help coincide with the release of Pastor Alan's new look at having a blast. We created a flip style devotional figure – the kitchen counter beautiful spiral-bound devotional offers 28 days of inspiration. Utilizing some of them as moving excerpts from anybody for four weeks. Keep the premises and assurance of God's blessing to Philippians whatever is true, in particular, think on these things make a gift in my ministries today and will send you inspirational flip style devotional as I thank you for your partnership. Spiral-bound devotional come to the convening style stand seeking keep his inspiration Friday and fill your heart with God's blessing when you get today. We will send you special offer, 877-544-4861 come to our website Pastor at Gatwick. The book is the power to Blessed by Pastor Alan writing where in the studio today with pastor and in our special Friday blessing broadcast today and I encourage you wherever good books are sold in your neighborhood, either in stores or online. You can order it, Amazon and Barnes & Noble Pascarella.org has a link there, but there is also audiobooks available.

You get for your e-reader and tablet and I encourage you to take advantage of this. This new book the power to Blessed's combination of a blessing back to you but also a teaching moment will be learning how to bless others, and that's my next question.

I think I know the answer but did ask it anyway. Do we have to have a relationship or one of deep trust with someone before we can impart blessing to me.

Can we just throw blessings out left and right yeah I think that actually you can you can bless someone that you don't even know because there are things that you know the truth about them. So let's start with this every single human being has been made by God in the image of God, and God has beautiful wonderful plan for that person's life and God loves that person infinitely well that tells you a whole lot about a person doesn't and every person, even if you were to meet them just and had a few moments with them.

Every person has something this beautiful about who they are, that you can begin to recognize early on. Every body has qualities and virtues that we can see in them more readily and clearly than they can see themselves and so I don't think Daniel even have to now it is exceptionally powerful when you blessing your own child or your own sibling or your own friend or your teacher blessing a student or coach blessing and athlete Torah grown child blessing and a adult parent. These things are exceedingly powerful because we put so much of the belief of ourselves on the line when we have others around us, speaking to us.

We we tend to believe about ourselves, what the most important people in the world to us say about us. So it's exceedingly important, especially in our own families but I think that you could blessing when you're Jesus and Paul both said bless your enemies so even the people that you don't even feel like being home to you can still learn to bless them and I think I want to save our listeners and outright make this over and over to the readers is that this is God's plan and so this works and if you're one of those practical people and you just want to find out what is it that works. This is what works you can't control people and yet you can't. You can't just go make somebody be different but there is a way that you can contribute to their growth and that's the power blessing you have a role to play somebody's life can be different because of the blessing that you speak into their life and sometimes you you see somebody one time you get speak a blessing to them and other times you have the daily opportunity to speak that blessing into them and I was in the store not long ago and we were just checking out at the counter in the lady that was checking us out there. She just seemed really down and my wife just looked up and saw her name on the on the her name tag and she asked churches how do you pronounce that name. The lady told us of no I said that's a beautiful then you know she began to smile and she said well my mother naming that because of this and that in the next thing you know how to just being able to bless her for her name. Having a beauty and a value to it. All the sudden it was like you sealable like coming to. I think that's way it works. Blessings like today's good news message is a listener supported production Alan White