A Change For Good

I just got back from a trip to my hometown. I have not lived there in many years. The legacy that I left there is nothing to be admired. By chance, I had a conversation with a young man who said that he had heard a lot about me. I grew up with both of his parents and his landlord is also an old friend. My reputation in my hometown goes all the way back to my college days. I was very wild back then and I did not have a conscience. Well, I did have one; I just avoided … Continue reading →

Street People: Our Test Case

I have discussed the start of our family’s efforts to feed homeless people previously. Within a few months, we had a dozen people from our church going with us to minister to people on Sunday afternoons. Even then, I never would have dreamed that we would be having a man off the street as a house guest. For several years, we had hosted a home group one night a week at our house. When we told them about what we had been doing, they all wanted to come and join us. It was particularly exciting for me because I was … Continue reading →

Both Spouses Have to Be Committed

I have written a number of blogs that describe the traits that a couple might want to have in order to adopt a special needs child. It is also necessary that both of you are willing to dedicate your lives to adopting the child. I am specifically focusing on the concept that both partners need to completely “buy in” to the commitment. First of all, I in no way mean to imply that a single person should not adopt. It will take even more dedication and the work will be even harder. There are many single people who have successfully … Continue reading →

Trying to Rescue Disadvantaged Kids

Nancy and I had worked with disadvantaged young people who lived near our church for some time. We were determined to give at least some of them a chance to be successful. At best, it was always a “three steps forward, two steps back” proposition. Most of the kids lived in cramped apartments characterized by poor living conditions. Many of their parents had substance abuse problems and the kids had very little supervision. Crack dealers operated openly where they lived, no one seemed to care. The young people were quick to get angry and were always one smart remark away … Continue reading →

When Foster Families Adopt

There are many advantages for everyone concerned when a foster family makes the decision to adopt a child that has been in their care. It is a win – win situation for everyone involved. The foster family is well suited to provide a permanent home for the child. They already have an awareness of the child’s background before he came to live with them. They also know the bad habits that the child has. If the child has to go to a new home, then all parties will probably have a difficult time for a while. Several of our Gotcha … Continue reading →

How Many Children Should You Adopt?

I recently received a comment to one of my blogs from a family that was considering adopting a group of special needs children. That got me thinking about the process of determining how many children to adopt. This blog will hopefully shed some light to help. We originally adopted four maternal brothers. That number grew to five when we had an unexpected visit from the stork. We have now informed the state that our family is complete. First, I want to discuss the reasons to keep the number small. The most obvious reason is that damaged children will have more … Continue reading →

Caring for the Poor

Twenty years ago, I was shifting my ministry focus from the Texas prisons to the streets of the inner city. My wife wanted to tag along and take our three children. After church one Sunday afternoon, we bought a lot of bread, peanut butter, apples, and bottles of water. We made fifty sack lunches. We set out for the area of the old Star of Hope men’s shelter in downtown Houston. (The Astros baseball stadium now occupies the area.) The plan was to hand out sack lunches and talk to as many people as we could, maybe even pray with … Continue reading →

Being Prepared for the Future

Fifteen years ago, my wife and I took a trip to Brooklyn to work with an inner city ministry to children that was located in an area called Bushwick. It was very dangerous; we could not get a taxi to take us there from the airport. We knew the risk, but we wanted the training that this experience would give us. Several people who knew Bushwick, advised us not to go. We figured that if God was sending us, then He would protect us. On our arrival, we were given a quick tour of the area. There was an armed … Continue reading →

Getting a Baby vs. Parenting a Child

After my first adoption orientation meeting, I overheard a fellow attendee talking to the counselor. He was trying to weigh the pros and cons of large versus small agencies, but what struck me was his statement, “Our goal is to get a baby. So maybe it is more to our advantage that…” I was surprised to hear him put his objective so bluntly, but perhaps the counselor was not so surprised. I never mentioned to her that I had overheard this statement, but in a later interview with me she remarked, “You know, so many people talk about getting a … Continue reading →

Becoming an Adoptive Parent: Adjustments I Had to Make

There were a number of lifestyle changes that I had to make in order to adopt five children. Throughout my working career, I always said that the one thing that I was going to do when I retired was sleep late every day. That thought is now officially a joke. We have five boys and only one of them is a late sleeper. At least I do not have to get up in the night for baby feeding any more. I also thought that perhaps I would get to play a little golf after I quit working. I have given … Continue reading →