Posted on 08/12/2015 4:48:46 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (WKRN) It was an unscripted moment like few others on the presidential campaign trail Monday in Murfreesboro, Tennessee.
Ted Cruz paused for a moment and looked into the audience at a community center for a man who changed his familys life.
I was told Pastor Gaylon Wiley was here, he told the crowd. I havent seen Brother Wiley since I was a kid.
Then as the room with a thousand people fell silent, Cruz said Brother Wiley led my dad to the Lord.
Out in the audience that day was Gaylon Wiley, who now lives in nearby Lebanon, Tennessee.
At most gatherings, Cruz tells the story of his wayward father Rafael who had left the family in Canada in the late 1970s.
When I was three years old, my father left my mom. We were up in Calgary in the oil business and he came down to Houston and he decided he didnt want to be married anymore or be a father to his three year-old-son, said Cruz
But this time as the Texas Senator told the story, it was very personal.
In a slightly halting tone and brushing his eyes, Senator Cruz said Brother Wiley baptized me at eight years old when I was a Christian, so I am really glad to be here in Tennessee.
The pastor who helped change the Cruz family nearly four decades ago in Houston, Texas, by baptizing not only the youngster, but the parents as well, was later embraced by the Republican candidate outside the Tennessee community center.
I had the privilege of talking to Rafeal Cruz in the 1970s in a home just like Ted told it today, Pastor Wiley later told News 2. And the Holy Spirit touched him so much he fell out of that chair on his knees and prayed the sinners prayer and changed his life and flew back to Canada and got his family back together again.
And for a few minutes on Monday, the man who baptized the Cruz family caught up with that little kid from all those years ago who is now running for president.
Wow.
Great story. It’s nice to hear some good things among all the bad out there.
Top that, Huckerbee!
He’ll tell you how he fried squirrel on a popcorn popper for the 5,000.
Cruz is real.
Beautiful.
Beautiful testimony.
Fantastic story and nice news report. Nice that local Tennessee news lacks the snark that the national news would have put on the story.
Great story and post. Thanks.
GO Ted Cruz!
I’ve been noticing that these towns have been providing some serious security for him. I saw a pic the other day where he had what looked like a SWAT team at the edge of the stage in full armor, helmets and rifles.
And loaves of cornbread.
Well, he IS in SEC country. Just the usual patrol for the Saturday games.
It’s so good to hear truth. I’m tired of all these liars and criminals. Especially since they can blatantly do it and get away with it.
2016 will be about honesty.
I wonder how many times pastor Wiley said “God damn America”? /s
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