He has put his brand upon us—his mark of ownership—and given
us his Holy Spirit in our hearts as guarantee that we belong to him, and as the
first installment of all that he is going to give us.
I was planting a begonia in the container at the end of
my lane when my cousin, Shorty, stopped his truck in front of me. Leaning out
the window, he tried to persuade me to do some yard work at his house, just up
the hill from mine, next to the barnyard.
“This is about all I can handle. Too hot out here for me!”
I returned.
“Well, we got
started early this morning to beat the heat—marked 38 calves—and then fixed the
boys.”
