Lay It on Me

T HE P ROGRESSION OF THE B LESSING / 35

catch. There were mothers who held to the old saying, "The quickest way to a man's heart is through his stomach." I soon learned that their motive was to hook me up with their single daughter. These mothers would talk about how they wanted their daughters to meet a godly young man. I would eat, smile and leave, thinking, "Good meal but no deal!" In those days, yearly camp meeting was a time and place for young people to meet. Sometimes young girls competed with each other to see who could go out with one of the many young ministers. This was disturbing, because some of the girls were only interested in being able to say, "I went out with so and so," not in the minister as a person. Like Ruth, Pam had different, purer motives. When I told her I loved her, she shared it with only her two sisters and the lady she stayed with. People in her church had to question her about how I was doing and how I felt about her. She was very private and personal about our conversations and our relationship. Like Mary, Pam hid these things in her heart. Pam was not looking for a preacher, but she got one. One reason I was so attracted to her was because she was not chasing every young man who crossed her path. She had no desire to become a "preacher's wife." She had no selfish motive about our relationship. She was in love with Perry Stone, the man; not just Perry Stone, the preacher. To this day, she continues to minister behind the scenes with her gentle spirit. Some women (and men) tell everything