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I’ll admit, it used to make me feel uncomfortable. I’m sure some of you wonder why others in church lift their hands while singing, and it might bother you how people around you cheer and clap between songs.

A new priest, born and raised in Texas, was nervous about hearing confessions, so he asked an older priest to sit in on his first couple of sessions. After hearing the first few confessions, the old priest asked him to step out of the booth for some advice.

“My mom’s been gone for over ten years, but every time I make a decision I hear her voice in my head, approving or disapproving. It’s like I’m still living to please her."

Every time my family drove by the above rock formation, I vowed that I would climb it someday.

Mike is a friend of mine, though that’s not really his name. He struggled in school and barely made it through. I’ve never heard anyone accuse him of being very smart. But I’ve also never heard anyone call him a fool. He really is not that gifted with natural intelligence. But the guy is a master at making good decisions and inspiring people. He has a good marriage, good kids, and he runs his own successful small business. He often jokes that if it were not for his bookkeeper

Jim Carey said, “I think everyone should get rich and famous and do everything they ever dreamed of so they can see that it’s not the answer.”

As a young Christian, I heard someone say, “God doesn’t want you happy, he wants you holy.” Another way I’ve heard this, “God isn’t interested in your happiness, he’s interested in your holiness.” And it’s often said like it’s a clever play on words.

A couple of years ago, a man with a gun attempted to highjack a school bus in Columbia, South Carolina. The bus was filled with younger elementary students, including a lot of kindergartners. But the commandeer let them all go because the kids would not stop talking to him and asking him questions. “Are you going to hurt us?” “Are you going to hurt our bus driver?” “Why do you want our bus?"

Before taking off in an airplane, all pilots understand the necessity of commitment. There is a point on every runway, depending on the airplane, where I know that if I reach that point, I am committed to taking off. It’s based on the airplane takeoff speed and distance of the runway, and I calculate that when I do preflight planning.

The founder of Mother’s Day, Anna Jarvis, thought so.

I’ll have to admit, my job was easier six years ago. Six years ago we had one campus and one location. I was responsible for a wonderful, though much smaller staff. I was preaching sermons, leading staff meetings, discipling, and doing a little bit of counseling. But there was less pressure, fewer places and staff to worry about. It was easier for me to get away when I needed to.

There were four clergymen discussing the merits of Bible translations. One liked the King James Version best because of its beautiful classical English. Another liked the New American Standard because of its nearness to the original Hebrew and Greek. Still another preferred the New Living Translation because of its up-to-date phraseology. The fourth thoughtfully replied, “I like my mom’s translation best.” The other three were surprised. They didn’t know that his mother had t