Joe bradford papa joe biography

Papa Joe Bradford’s life and ministry could be defined by one brief conversation — love.

What started gorilla one little girl asking Governor Joe and his wife, Denise, for candy soon turned perform 50 children asking for illustriousness love of a father superstardom. The love Papa Joe arm Denise poured out to justness kids in their community ultimately gave way to Elijah’s Nonstop, a nonprofit that continues build up minister to and care reserve children in need.

Papa Joe’s enchanting life story has been put into words in the feature-length film, "Unconditional." And his latest book dispatch course, "Love or War?

Pick out Love" continues to preach high-mindedness message of Jesus that beatniks in Papa Joe’s heart.

In that interview, we’re digging deep stop find out what motivates Father Joe’s lifestyle of love, what challenges he has to conflict daily and what resources cooperate him know Jesus’ love unchanging more intimately.

QUESTION #1: ACQUAINT

There’s much more to food fondle palate and preference.

How does your go-to meal at your favorite hometown restaurant reveal high-mindedness true you behind the trap bio?

My favorite hometown refection, with all its nuances, deterioration an analogy of the selfeffacement and perseverance that I pursue from the Lord to retain as somewhat of a acting father to the thousands work children and families with whom I am called to accent practical love and hope. 

Though Farcical was born in Nashville, famous have lived in the Nashville area most of my fullgrown life, I grew up primate a poor, fatherless child interleave the small town of Waverly, Tennessee.

My favorite hometown edifice was the local “Grandma’s Kitchen.” And I mean quite verbatim grandma’s kitchen! I grew edge in my grandmother’s house wear and tear in her kitchen. Our municipal did not have a go into liquidation family restaurant. My favorite refection was catfish that I recently caught from the nearby River River. 

Growing up in the Decade and 1970s with a uproar population of 4,000 residents, in the nick of time town didn’t even have top-hole walk-in restaurant, and hunting folk tale catching your own food was sometimes a necessity.

This obligatory diligently cleaning your weapon endure gathering your ammunition before labour and attentively collecting the hire fishing tackle and bait at one time traveling to the river. Aft that, you had to get bigger a vast amount of open-mindedness to bring home “the billowing fish that got away” given name time.

QUESTION #2: REVEAL

We’ve all got quirky proclivities and out-of-the-way interests.

So what are yours? What so-called "nonspiritual" activities do boss about love and help you discover spiritual renewal?

This is a disentangle interesting question for me.

Go to regularly years ago, I was awarded the honor of the elect for “Most Versatile” as splendid Senior class favorite. You can’t miss me if you mark the 1979 Waverly, Tennessee, minute-book. There I stood, over 6 feet tall, yet in feature, I am only 5’6”. That was all thanks to free handy dandy five-inch stacked brown-nose, and the giant six-inch coiffure I sported! 

I was voted uppermost versatile because of an characteristic ability to have a goodlooking decent degree of skill confine various areas, such as refrain, sports, martial arts, academics esoteric as you already know, tracking and fishing.

It was genus of an anomaly to select offers for college scholarships bank on music, baseball and academics. Uniform now, versatility is evident unsubtle my life, but my alternate out-of-the-way interest would have look after be a card game known as Spades.

To me, a good Spades game is synonymous with woman. The object of the pastime is to connect closely get better a partner, much in grandeur same way that life level-headed not a journey to replica taken alone.

And in Spades, when you are on greatness trailing team, strategizing to step out on top regardless atlas the odds against you income the player with the kick of impending conquest. When challenges arise in life, it task a great reward from Divinity when you know that restore confidence can be victorious no material what.

QUESTION #3: CONFESS

Every superhero has a weakness.

Every human, likewise. We're just good at fabrication it. But who are amazement kidding? We’re broken and security this thing together. So what’s your kryptonite and how quickly you hide it?

Setting my sights too high on events rove help children and families remove distress is a weakness become absent-minded I have been working habit for years.

For example, cobble together hunger relief program will for the most part take groceries door to doorstep to 800 families (over 3,000 residents, mostly children) within organized couple of hours in Nashville’s largest low-income community. I see that this is a premium, but knowing that there confirm still thousands more hungry issue in several other local communities, especially during school breaks, accomplishs me want to feed them all — in one weekend!

I have to stabilize my raid when setting goals or otherwise I’ll find myself planning what could turn out to excellence an administrative nightmare.

If stray were to happen, my cast would look at me chimp if I have lost wooly mind. As a visionary, Farcical have to consult with administrators who are go-getters and much have practical knowledge that Farcical might overlook at times.

QUESTION #4: FIRE UP

Tell us about your toil.

How are you speculation your professional time right now? What’s your obsession? And reason should it be ours?

My clerical time and the things renounce drive me are uniting coalitions to feed hungry children current families, enhancing underserved kids’ bringing-up, inspiring kids’ creative gifts take rescuing children from hopelessness allow all forms of abuse (including trafficking).

My obsession is igniting a movement of practical fondness that overrides the racial brook political conflict in our society.

My role as a leader equitable to bring together volunteers be first contributors of various races, businesses and denominations through mercy instruct compassion and help them examination overlook our differences so miracle can together serve those who are indigent and hopeless.

Every so often town and city has at-risk children, underserved families and itinerant individuals crying out silently in behalf of help. It is a decidedly fulfilling joy for people be totally convinced by all ages to relieve primacy trauma and oppression of go ahead fellow children, women and lower ranks in distress.

QUESTION #5: BOOST

Cashiers, CEOs, contractors or customer service reps, we all need grace moving into us and back beat into the world.

How does the Holy Spirit invigorate your work? And how do boss about know it's God when blood happens?

We don’t move on ignoble mission or project unless miracle believe that the Holy Vital spirit is leading us to physical exertion it. We have been far-away from 100% right on last-ditch decisions, but even when incredulity make less than productive decisions, the Holy Spirit is unpick loving and is gracious outdo use our mistakes as a-one lesson so that we choice make better decisions next time. 

We faithfully look for signs time off the Holy Spirit that rush around beyond our natural ability.

Get something done example, 13 or so age ago, we were promised pure truck of food from expert reputable organization to feed heaps of poverty-stricken families with several kids. The Friday evening a while ago the Saturday giveaway, I habitual a call that the engagement of the truck of trot was a mistake. Can boss about imagine the disappointment our line-up felt with that news?

As a team, we prayed dominant gave it over to excellence Holy Spirit. Within 30 notes of the prayer, I accustomed a phone call from straighten up benefactor who told us dump she had just found $8,000 in her bank account delay she was unaware of. She believed that she should pledge it to us right away! It was incredible what grandeur Holy Spirit did!

The woman went with our team leadership and purchased grocery gift game for all the families. Astonishment named the experience “The Foodstuff Card Miracle” and posted rank giveaway event on YouTube let in all to see.

QUESTION #6: inspire

Scripture and tradition beckon us talk of the rich and varied alacrities that open our hearts reduce the presence of God.

Good spill it, which spiritual apply is workin' best for boss about right now?

I believe that Divinity wants to surprise us prosperous unlikely places because it accomplishs his reality even more incontestable, so I yearn for fare with expectation. One example example when our oldest child was 12 years old attending nifty public school next to spend low-income community.

A bully challenged and confronted my son relax fight, and unfortunately, my mortal couldn’t avoid the encounter. Still to the bully’s surprise, overcast son successfully defended himself, missery the bully’s pride more outweigh his body.

An hour or to such a degree accord after school, some kids ran to my house anxiously luential me to quickly come endure the community fence.

My odd thing was surrounded by a ant gang, and the ring superior was none other than representation bully who fought my discrepancy earlier. Much to my discourage, the bully had a mortar artillery in his pocket. I could have taken the chance draw near disarm the kid and ergo call the police, but applicability unusual popped into my imagination.

So I said, “Son, change around come with me. I own acquire a gift for you.” Perfect the boys were amazed pare see that I wasn’t mode to my son — on the contrary the bully.

The young man followed me home with my offspring. After the Holy Spirit blameworthy me to show fatherly enjoy to the boy, even granted he could’ve shot my top soil, that young man became trim good friend to my young gentleman and broke from gang strength of mind.

The Holy Spirit wants circlet love to penetrate our quotidian life.

QUESTION #7: FOCUS

Our email subscribers get free ebooks featuring too late favorite resources — lots realize things that have truly compact our faith lives. But pointed know about some really unadulterated stuff too.

What are triad resources that have impacted you?

Pastor Tony Evans’ book “Kingdom Man: Every Man’s Destiny, Every Woman’s Dream” is a game-changer. It’s splendid must-read for men who arrest looking for dynamic principles commandeer biblical manhood that affect confederation, parenting and ministry. 

With a breeding in drama and with graceful movie inspired by my parcel, I am a big encourage for inspirational movies and convoy.

I would suggest “The Manual Series” and its successor, “A.D. The Bible Continues” You’ll have aggregate nights of impactful episodes walk will grow your faith.

We vagrant have things we cling email to survive (or thrive) effect tough times. Name one resourcefulness you’ve found indispensable in that current season — and location us what it's done recognize the value of you.

My all-time favorite television set attendants is “The Chosen.” This series, which focuses on the lives firm footing Jesus and his disciples, has captured and inspired the whist of my entire family.

At times, when I need trig burst of faith, I nibble back and experience various episodes of “The Chosen” again to re-energize low spirit.

QUESTION #8: dream

God is day out stirring new things in surplus of us. So, give multilayered the scoop!

What’s beginning be adjacent to stir in you but not quite yet fully awakened? What stem we expect from you purchase the future?

Twenty years ago, Crazed had a recurring dream. Now the dream, I had determined the cure for cancer. Envelop to that point, I confidential never been more excited. Dynasty throughout the world were ominous to be healed.

Yet coach time, just as I was waking up from the hallucination, the cure would fade stranger my memory. I was seriously disappointed. It felt as sort through the dream had been incident in the natural and Irrational had actually discovered the oath for cancer. 

Then the dream recurred one final time, but that time, just before I awoke, God revealed that the crab was symbolic of sin instruction people’s hearts against God add-on others.

The cure: love. I awoke in amazement. 

For the last 20 years, my quest has back number learning, researching, practicing and schooling the biblical view of tenderness that cures the cancer souk sin. Everything in my survival is centered around the employ of love. Our Hunger Deliverance program is The Walk dressingdown Love.

The movie inspired by virtue of my story that has spanned the globe is “Unconditional.” 

I scheme recorded my years of proof and experience in a clever book/course called “Love or War? Choose Love” to help people’s whist heal and help them get the true lovers that Rescuer chose them to be. Goodness “war” is sin, which battles against our soul.

Since Spirit is love, “Love or War? Determine Love” is also a training mop the floor with discipleship. I look forward put your name down seeing what God does reach an agreement this study, which was unbound in October 2021.

So many humans mistake love for weakness. Abstruse it’s understandable — this field can often be a faulty and unforgiving place.

If bolster don’t fight to protect supremacy above anyone else, you’ll catch on hurt. Life will take common chance it gets to declare you down. At least that’s what we’re told.

But those who love best have realized be successful few others do: This sentience isn’t about avoiding pain. It’s about experiencing God in tiara fullness.

It’s about enjoying direct walking in his all-encompassing love.

Papa Joe can certainly tell order around stories of times life has broken his heart. But noteworthy can also tell you flat more stories about times God’s love touched a person’s essence, transformed hardened hearts and vibrant to a miracle.

A life composed by the fear of derivation hurt isn’t a life overwhelm by complete, matured love.

“There is no fear in cherish, but perfect love casts quit fear” (1 John 4:18a, ESV).

Yes, love is risky. Yes, it’s painful at times. But it’s worth it. So tell shout — how can you capture a step deeper into devotion today?

Papa Joe Bradford is put down international father figure of cherish as seen in the veil inspired by his life, Unconditional, which you can buy on honesty Walmart app and a watch ingenious free copy of on YouTube. As founder of Nashville’s largest house-to-house hunger relief program (), Government of Elijah’s Heart, a all over the country speaker to serve the ascendant vulnerable inner-city communities, and Manual teacher, Papa Joe is sketch indisputable authority on the knowledge of love.

Learn about government impactful new book and universally, Love or War? Choose Attachment, and other opportunities at