I once knew a woman . . . she asked her son to shine her shoes
She put a quarter in each one . . . cause she thought that
was his due
But he returned the money . . . and when she asked him why
that was
He said, “Mom, I’m old enough to know by now . . .
You just do some things . . . for love”
song lyrics “You Give it All Your Heart” by Bill Mallonee
My wife and I waited 15 years for a child that never came by the natural way. However we were approached one day with a lead of a child not yet born. I remember standing in front of the judge on our day of adoption. He pointed his finger and asked of me, “Is anyone coercing you to adopt this little boy?” After we had assured him that we were doing so out of love for our son, he made this statement. “From today on, he is your son. He may disappoint you, even grieve you but he is your son. Everything you own one day will be his and he will bear your name.” Then he looked to the clerk and gave this command. “So order a change in this child’s birth certificate and may it reflect that these are the parents of this child.”
It was then that I realized that my Heavenly Father loved me so much that, without coercion, He loved me and gave His all to me. On that day, He changed my name and I gladly bear His name and His image.
Gerald Penix
“Early in my ministry I discovered the power of the appointment book for setting apart time for our family. If a church committee proposed meeting on a given night, or if someone called asking if they could see me at a certain time, I would say, 'Let me check my appointment book.' After doing so, if I simply said, 'I’m sorry, we can’t meet then; I already have an appointment,' they accepted it without question. It was as if what was in my appointment book was sacrosanct, something they dared not question or intrude upon. Having learned about the power of the appointment book (for you it may be a Palm Pilot), I began to use it to my advantage by writing down regular appointments with my family in it. This simple practice helped me protect my time with the family and make it a priority.”
quotation from p.51 Ministry in the image of God : the trinitarian shape of Christian service / by Seamands, Stephen A., 1949-
