BREAKFAST WITH THE PRESIDENT
I was talking recently with my good friend, Dr. James O. Davis, the co-founder of Global Church Network, who has been the principal coordinator for training pastors worldwide through the Global Church Divinity School and the Global Hubs of Christianity. He received the baton of leadership from Dr. Bill Bright. He is a leader of huge vision and great influence.
He told me about an incident that occurred in his life in 2002. He was standing in his kitchen talking to his wife on February 5th. His cellphone rang, and the person on the line said it was a call concerning security at the White House. James immediately said, “I did not do it. I have an identical twin brother; maybe he did it.”
The lady on the line thanked him, but said she was calling because James Davis was invited to be at the White House for breakfast with the President of the United States of America on February 6th. He would be joined by 25 other Christian leaders. James immediately thanked her for the invitation but said that he would not be able to attend.
The lady calling was floored. This man was saying no to having breakfast with the president. She then said, “Sir, what shall I tell the president is your excuse for not having breakfast with him at the White House tomorrow morning?”
James replied, “Since you framed the question that way, I’ll be glad to share with you.”
James said that he was honored by the invitation and would love to be there except that he had promised his wife that he would go shopping with her for some baby clothes and different baby items. He said, “We both wanted to be a part of this experience because we are leaving in a few days to go to China and adopt our baby girl. She was born 01-01-01, so we know that she is ‘the one!’”
James said that his wife and his future daughter were his priority at this time, but asked the lady to thank the president for him.
They went to China and adopted their baby and named her Olivia. When they returned home, he had a letter waiting for him written on White House stationery. He immediately opened it, and it was from the President of the United States of America. The letter was thanking him for attending the breakfast (which he did not attend) and went on with several other comments about their meeting.
Dr. Davis had that letter framed. It hangs in his office today. In order to teach Olivia that she was the priority for him and his wife, he carried her into the office, took down the framed letter, and handed it to her, saying, “I want you to see where my priorities are. I chose to buy some baby things to prepare for your coming rather than have breakfast with the President of the United States, and I know that I made the right choice. You are that important to me.”
Olivia is 21 years old today. She can always look at that letter if she ever has any doubt about how important she is to her parents and to God. That letter is living evidence!
How would you respond to a presidential invitation to the White House? What is your priority for today? How do you communicate to your children how important they are?
The best breakfast is not at the White House or Tiffany’s, but with the people you value most!
