I have always been interested in those people who make speeches for a living, the professionals, the ones who speak at conventions, banquets and motivation seminars. They call themselves, "hired gums."

I will confess to a certain degree of envy when I read or hear about them. Not because of the exorbitant fees that they charge, but because they give one speech over and over again. Preachers can't get away with that, not very often anyway. We have to write a new sermon every week to preach to the same audience. I am sure there are some liabilities to being a professional speaker. Every profession has its downside, the grunge work it has to do. From a preachers point of view, I can tell you it looks like a pretty soft job.

One of the superstars in that professional speakers circuit is a man na…