7 Jan, 2011
God Anwers Prayer!
Ted Williams' Mom: "God Has Answered My Prayer"
(CBS) Ted Williams, the homeless man with the pitch-perfect voice found panhandling on the side of an Interstate highway ramp in Columbus, Ohio, apparently won't be homeless - or jobless for long.
He was spotted by a reporter, who made a video of Williams that went viral on YouTube, attracting three million hits.
Then, he appeared in an exclusive interview on "The Early Show" Wednesday. And he's been inundated with job offers ever since.
But his biggest wish is - to reunite with his 90-year-old mother, Julia Williams, who's back in Brooklyn, where he grew up.
And Ted flew to New York to finally see his mom again.
"Early Show" co-anchor Chris Wragge accompanied Julia on her way to LaGuardia Airport for the anticipated reunion. "I'm very proud of him. I hope that he can do good," she told Wragge.
She hadn't seen Ted in more than ten years, and was overjoyed at the thought of laying eyes on him again.
But the reunion was scuttled when another media outlet whisked Ted away.
Still, in an exclusive interview on "The Early Show" Thursday, Julia told Wragge, "It was alright" that she didn't get to see Ted at the airport. "I wanted to be there when he got off the plane," she said, "but I wasn't. But it's alright."
Williams also told Wragge, "God has answered my prayer. I prayed that I would live to see this time when he would do well."
In the Wednesday "Early Show" interview, an emotional Ted Williams said, "My mom is just really.. I.. I… I'm going to be going to New York, hopefully this afternoon, and please… I apologize if I am getting a little emotional. I haven't seen my mom in, in great deal of time. … But she doesn't believe (my good fortune now). … One of my, one of my, my biggest prayers that I … sent out was that she would live long enough for me to, you know, rebound or whatever. And I guess God kept her around, and he kept my pipes around, you know, to, to maybe just have one more shot..."
Afterwards, the Cleveland Cavaliers of the National Basketball Association called to offer Ted a job - and a house. The NBA"s New Jersey Nets called "The Early Show" seeking to get in touch with him. Even Hollywood came a-calling.
YouTube hits zoomed past the nine million mark, and this website's visits soared as people sought to see the Ted Williams interview.
To see the Wragge interview with Julia Williams, click here:
http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=7218739n
Story and Photo from cbsnews.com.
The Prayer of Faith
13Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise. 14Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. 15And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. 16Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. 17Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth. 18 Then he prayed again, and heaven gave rain, and the earth bore its fruit.
19My brothers, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone brings him back, 20let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.
It's amazing to think about how this story has unfolded in the last few days. In the interview with Juia Williams, she clearly wanted to get the point across that "God Answers Prayer." She pointed out the harsh reality that her son had "shut her out of his life." She said the "only thing she could do was to just pray for the best." Even in the midst of the hurt she felt, she prayed. Even Ted's children were praying. When Julia would try to talk to Ted about God, he would cut her off, but she kept praying. There are people in our lives who need our prayers, because they need Jesus.
How can I connect today's God's Story scripture to My Life?
- Have you been tempted to give up on a friend you have been praying for? Ted Williams' mom didn't stop praying and neither should you. Keep talking to God about whomever it is you desire to see meet Jesus.
- Have you been badly hurt by a friend or family member. Keep talking to God about that situation. He answers prayer.
Most of the country has now heard Ted Williams' story. You may even have quite a few friends talking about him today. Use those conversations as a starting point to talk about God's Story. Ask your friends how they would have felt if they were Ted's mother. Ted Williams' story is a great story of redemption and persistent prayer.
- May 2012 [14]
- April 2012 [19]
- March 2012 [21]
- February 2012 [19]
- January 2012 [18]
- December 2011 [20]
- November 2011 [15]
- October 2011 [15]
- September 2011 [14]
- August 2011 [22]
- July 2011 [19]
- June 2011 [21]
- May 2011 [20]
- April 2011 [20]
- March 2011 [21]
- February 2011 [20]
- January 2011 [21]
- December 2010 [21]
- November 2010 [21]
- October 2010 [21]
- September 2010 [22]
- August 2010 [21]
- July 2010 [22]
- June 2010 [20]
- May 2010 [18]
- April 2010 [20]
- March 2010 [23]
- February 2010 [19]
- January 2010 [22]
- December 2009 [22]
- November 2009 [21]
- October 2009 [22]
- September 2009 [21]
- August 2009 [20]
- July 2009 [21]
- June 2009 [22]
- May 2009 [18]
- April 2009 [15]
- March 2009 [7]
- February 2009 [17]
- January 2009 [20]
- December 2008 [23]
- November 2008 [19]
- October 2008 [22]
- September 2008 [22]
- August 2008 [19]
- July 2008 [22]
- June 2008 [11]
- May 2008 [19]
- April 2008 [22]
- March 2008 [21]
- February 2008 [18]
- January 2008 [20]
- December 2007 [18]
- November 2007 [15]
- October 2007 [19]
- September 2007 [18]
- August 2007 [12]
- July 2007 [12]
- June 2007 [9]
- May 2007 [11]
- April 2007 [10]
- March 2007 [11]
- February 2007 [14]
- January 2007 [7]
- December 2006 [4]
- November 2006 [13]
- October 2006 [17]
- September 2006 [11]
- August 2006 [16]
- July 2006 [10]
- June 2006 [3]
