My Father taught me to walk on water, By Eddie Windsor

I remember as a child lying in the tall grass soaking in the warm sun besides our family lake. I could hear my mom and sisters splashing each other and the screams as they played "Queen of the inner tube." As I laid in the warm sun I heard someone walking towards me in the grass, I opened one eye and sure enough it was my dad.

My dad was and will always be my hero! As a young boy growing up I was convinced nothing was impossible for my dad. And talk about smart, my dad was smart. My dad sat down in the grass beside me and said, Son what are you doing over here all by yourself! I said dad is it possible to walk on water? My dad said, Son walking on water can be very difficult, but not impossible. Jesus, he walked on water! I said, Dad I want to walk on water. My dad just smiled and rubbed me on the head. Dad have you ever walked on water? I was shocked when my dad said yes. I said no way! He said son I have walked on water many many times. I said Dad can you teach me how to walk on water? He said son you don't teach a person how to walk on water, if the conditions are just right anyone can walk on water. He then said son you just be patient and I promises someday I will help you walk on water. I said dad I want to walk on water right now. He said you go down to the lake and practice. So that is exactly what I did. I remember walking up to the waters edge and taking that first step. I remember how disappointed I was as my foot went down into the water. I thought to myself my dad said walking on water was not impossible! So I tried several more times before giving up.



I loved growing up on a cattle ranch; it was a world full of adventure. I remember one night my dad came into my room and said son in the morning we will hook up the sled on the tractor and pull you through the snow. I said dad there is no snow out there. He said there will be by morning, the weatherman said we are going to get a pile tonight! And sure enough when I woke up in the morning it was snowing like I had never seen before. So after my mom made us a big breakfast we headed out into a winter wonderland.

What a great time we were having then my dad stopped the tractor and said son come here for a minute. We were walking down towards the family lake. I said dad what are we doing? He said son I'm going to teach you a lesson. My dad took me by the hand and we walked from the shore onto the frozen lake. We walked all the way across the lake and then back. I said to my dad what lesson are you going to teach me? He said how to walk on water son. I can still remember that moment like it happened yesterday.

Image by Eddie Windsor via Flickr

It is hard to explain my thoughts at that moment. My mind was racing. There i was walking on water. What was impossible a few months before was now possible.

My dad then said, Son remember I told you walking on water can be very difficult, but not impossible. He then said many of the dreams in your heart will look impossible for you to obtain. Obstacles that look unmovable, challenges that look unsolvable. He said when this happens son I want you to remember the ice! My dad was right. I have faced many impossible obstacles and challenges in life and when this happens I hear my father's voice say look for the ice.

I am my fathers son,

Eddie Windsor

To see more video’s by Eddie Windsor Visit:

www.youtube.com/user/ChampionLifeTV

.

My father looked at me and said, Son you have a gift!

One morning when I was about 6 or 7 years old my father came into my bedroom and said, “Son lets go for a walk.” As most of you know I was raised on a cattle ranch with hundreds of acres of land. It was a warm summers morning as we walked across the fields together. My father began to talk to me about Gods call on my life. I really didn’t understand what it meant that day but I listened to every word. He said, son you have many great gifts that God has placed in you. But son you must understand you don’t own the gifts in you God does. He owns the gifts in you but He has made you a steward of those gifts. It is your responsibility to develop the gifts and apply proper stewardship to them. He said, son if you will develop the gifts in you they will create opportunities and positions for you. Son, always remember to hold your opportunities and positions with an open hand and God will do significant things through your life. My dad told me this what felt like hundreds of times in my life. Keep an open hand!

When I was about sixteen years old I went to my pastor and asked if there was something I could do to help in the ministry or around the church property.

He asked me to help out on the construction crew of the new building. We were building a new church sanctuary at the time so my first job in the ministry was being a helper on the construction crew of the church building. After about two years the building was done so I went back to my pastor and asked for something more to do. This time he asked me to work with junior high kids in the ministry. Let me illustrate it like this, each time my pastor asked me to do something in the church it was like putting a cup of water into my open hand. Then each time when I finished the job or he was ready to have me do something else it was like taking the cup back and placing a different cup into my open hand!

After a year or so my pastor asked me if I would teach in Sunday school. Then he asked me to take care of the facilities. Who better than me, I knew that building inside and out! Then I became a youth worker and janitor together. Then I became the youth pastor, then after a while I became an associate pastor. It was like going back and forth to the pastor and with each new position he would take the previous cup and place a new cup into my open hand. I had a wonderful relationship with my pastor because my father taught me at a very young age that I did not own the gifts in me God did! God has just made me a steward of His property.

Over a fifteen year time period I held numerous positions in that church. Most people find it easy to hold their position with an open hand if they really don't like the job they have been given. When pastor called me into his office and said that he was going to have someone else do the janitorial work I found it very easy to hold my hand out so he could take that position and give it to someone else. The problem arises when we like what we are doing.

Image by Eddie Windsor via Flickr

It becomes harder and harder to hold your position with an open hand if you're self worth and your identity becomes intertwined in the position! I have noticed that a person’s language and terminology changes as well. At one time they would have said, “This particular ministry position is where I “serve” in the church.” Now they are saying things like, my ministry, my calling! Have you seen the level of anointing on me lately?

Our self worth comes from knowing who we are in God, but far too often a person tries to get their self worth, and their identity from their position. Often it seems as if they personally cease to exist. Now it’s all about the gift and the position. Next they become very controlling with their position. So a senior pastor knows he is responsible before God to confront this person that is out of control. So he reaches for the position that you are holding in your hand. But instead of holding the position with an open hand you pull back from the pastor crushing the cup! Water goes everywhere! At this point what normally happens is everything is blamed on the pastor and you leave the church. So you go to another church in town and within a short period of time the pastor there says, “You have a gift!” He notices that you have a few holes and cracks in your cup. You tell him how that pastor across town hurt you and your gift. So he decides that he will personally pour himself into helping you, but as he pours into you, and his efforts the water, runs out onto the floor. So you decide that he can’t help you so you go to another church and another church and another church.

Often when a person first gets involved in the ministry they say, “Pastor just use me.” But after awhile they start saying, “Pastors just using me!”

It does not matter how much or how fast you pour the water into this leaky vessel eventually it runs out. I have seen people go through this cycle over and over again in church after church watching pastor after pastor pour into leaky vessels. You can go to God to get your gift fixed. Get your life fixed. But it will happen again if you don't understand, that you must hold the position you have been placed in with an open hand!

I can still hear my father’s voice say, “God has placed a wonderful gift in you, remember to hold it with an open hand.”

I am my father’s son,

Eddie Windsor

To see more video’s by Eddie Windsor Visit:

www.youtube.com/user/ChampionLifeTV

.

My father made me a promise, By Eddie Windsor

Many people have asked me for the secrets to my success. Really, it’s hard to put your finger on any one thing that creates success, but if I had to pick one area, I would say it was the life application lessons that I learned from my father. My father would say, “Son you must decide. Will you choose the blessing or the curse?”

Over and over again, my father would say, “Son, a person cannot touch a man or woman of God with their mouth and not have it affect the speaker every time.” You will be affected either in a positive or negative way, but know this, the words of your mouth will have an effect.

He would say, “Son, many people think that God turns a deaf ear as people tear down His ministers.” But, they are sadly mistaken. They will be affected every time! People think that they are getting away with something, but they are forfeiting the full blessing of God in their life. We only see what is; God knows what could have been!

My father told me this principle hundreds of times in my life. People ask me how I ended up working with hundreds of pastors around the world and why hundreds of pastors trust me with their intimate thoughts and details of their lives and ministries. The truth is because my mom and dad modeled such love, honor and respect for the ministry office of the pastor. I guess it shouldn’t be such a surprise that I have dedicated my life to the building up and supporting of pastors. If you think about it, far too many people talk freely about what they like and don’t like about their pastor and their church. Often, their children or others are listening. Those seeds will grow up and produce a harvest. When those negative seeds produce their fruit in your children’s lives, you blame the Devil, but God is looking at you!

My father told me, “Son, if you will honor your pastors, your life will be blessed. I promise!” I can still hear his voice, “Use your words to honor, not to tear down.” My father always kept his promises! My life is blessed beyond measure!

I am my father’s son,

Eddie Windsor



To see more video’s by Eddie Windsor Visit:

www.youtube.com/user/ChampionLifeTV

My Father told me, "Son, get some rest and in the morning we’ll plan her funeral." By Eddie Windsor

I remember the very moment my eyes saw Tammy for the first time. It was a Friday afternoon about 4:30 PM October 1977. I had decided to attend a High school football game. I was really into the game until I noticed Tammy. She was a high school cheerleader and to tell you the truth I don't think I ever looked back onto the football field after I noticed her. Can you believe that within a few months we were dating? I'm telling you life was good for this young man the kind of girl I had always dreamed of dating. Then one day I received a phone call that would change my life! It was Tammy, and I could tell she had been crying.

I could not believe the words I heard next. Eddie I have cancer. That morning she had awoken up with a large bulge on the side of her neck. I knew she was going to the doctor that morning for a neck problem but cancer? It was as if In a moment life began to spin out of control. Within a few weeks we were on our way to her first surgery. I can still remember thinking to myself this must be a dream, but it wasn't, we were in a battle for Tammy's life. The first surgery revealed that she had a large tumor under her collarbone. The cancer had found its way into her lymph node system and had continued spreading throughout her body. Within eight weeks, it was decided that the doctors would do a second surgery. This was an exploratory surgery. As I sat in the hospital waiting room I remember thinking why is this surgery taking so long. Finally a doctor came into the waiting room late in the afternoon. It felt so good to hear that the surgery went well and Tammy was now in recovery. It was after midnight when the Doctor came into the waiting room the second time to give an update on Tammy condition. My heart began to race when the Doctor took me aside to speak to me. He looked into my eyes and said, "You’re the boy friend?" I said, "yes Sir, I am." He asked how long we had been dating and he seemed curious as to how serious our relationship was. I told him we had dated about six months and that I really liked her. The doctor then proceeded to tell me just how serious Tammy's condition was. He said, "Son, she is a very sick girl. I personally don't give her much of a chance. If she does make it she will never live a healthy or normal life and I don't believe she will ever be able to have children." He then said, "the words that rocked my world." "I know you think you love her but son, I think you need to go home and rethink this."

As I drove home in the middle of the night my mind was racing. The words of the doctor echoed through me. I felt like running to escape the pressure! But I knew where to run, straight to my mom and dad. By the time I reach my parents home it was about two o'clock in the morning. I remember waking mom and dad up from their sleep with tears in my eyes. It was hard to speak but somehow I told them everything the doctor had said to me. I remember how good it felt to have my mom hold me close. Then my dad said something I will never forget, "Son, let’s go to bed, get some rest and in the morning we will start planning her funeral arrangements." I just looked at my dad; I could not believe what he had just said! At that moment my mother spoke up and said to my father “Ed your son needs you” My father then said, "Son, it is obvious to me you don't have the faith to keep her alive! "I said, "Dad, please tell me what to do!" He said, "Do you want the girl to live?" I said, "Yes!" He said, "then get your butt back to that hospital and use your faith, be strong for that girl and don't come home again without her!" She must have your strength son; this is not too hard for you! It is time to be strong and show your self a man. So once again I found myself driving through the darkness of the night, but now something was different, I was on a mission. My parents had settled the storm in my mind and set my heart firmly on a course. I remember sleeping in my car at the hospital for several weeks. I had one thought echoing through my mind, “She must have your strength son; this is not too hard for you! It is time to be strong and show yourself a man.” Tammy had not been raised in a Christian home so I begin the process of teaching her what the Bible had to say about healing. I think you can guess the rest of the story. Tammy made a miraculous recovery, and now over 28 years later she is going strong!

A few months ago I went with my father for his routine physical. As we were about to leave the office the doctor looked at me and said, Eddie do you remember the night 27 years ago when Tammy had her major surgery. I said, "Yes sir, that is a day I will never forget." He said, "Neither will I." He began telling me his conversation with the head surgeon as they were scrubbing up for Tammy's surgery. He told me that neither one of them gave Tammy much of a chance to survive. They really didn't know what they could possibly do to help her. But the head surgeon said, "since we don't know what to do lets just go for it lets just get in there and make something happen!" Our doctor remembered saying to him, "ok lets do it!" Tammy's Oncologist once told her, "Tammy you never have done anything by the book!" Tammy’s response was "it depends on what book you're reading!"

I am my father’s son,

Eddie Windsor

To see more video’s by Eddie Windsor Visit:

http://www.youtube.com/user/ChampionLifetv

.

My Father asked, “Son, do you have what it takes to stay married” By Eddie Windsor

I believe promotion is the quickest way for a person to come face to face with their incompetence. The marketplace position you put in long hours for, the advancement you prayed for, the position you went to school for. I told you before, and if you know anything about me, you know you will hear it again. What the business world today does best is promote good people to a place of incompetence. However, this does not just happen in the world of business. Life also promotes people to incompetence.

Remember your first date? I do. There was a lot this boy didn’t know about dating. About the time I got the dating scene figured out, it was on to engagement. Somehow the skills I had acquired during dating were not helping me achieve success during engagement. So, I found myself incompetent but very serious about doing whatever the future demanded of me to make Tammy my wife. The fun loving, experience the world Tammy I dated was very different to the now serious about the future Tammy I was engaged to. I think that season of my life is, still to this day, the season of greatest change I have ever experienced. By the time our wedding rolled around, I had a new car and a house. I had to become serious about our future. There was no doubt in this young man’s mind, I was ready for marriage.

I remember the day of my wedding and the talk that I had with my father. He told me how proud he was of the man I had become. The changes I had made in my life had proven to him that I was ready for this day. But, then he said something that didn’t make sense. He said, “Son, you have learned valuable lessons and made great changes in an effort to get married, but will you have what it takes to stay married?” I thought, “Marriage has got to be a cake walk once you have made it through dating and the engagement zone.” Boy, was I wrong. I, once again, found myself incompetent. It took me several years before I felt like I had this marriage thing even a little under control, and then, we had a baby! It was back to incompetence again. On my 25th wedding Anniversary, my father winked at me and said, “Son, you’re a good husband and father.”

My mother and father were married 63 years and showed us all that a great marriage is possible!

I am my father’s son,

Eddie Windsor



To see more video’s by Eddie Windsor Visit:

http://www.youtube.com/user/ChampionLifetv