There's an old Peanuts comic, Charlie Brown is busy with a woodworking project one day when Lucy comes by and asks: "How's the birdhouse coming along, Charlie Brown?"

He replies, "Well, I'm a lousy carpenter. I can't nail straight. I can't saw straight and I always split the wood. I'm nervous, I lack confidence, I'm stupid, I have poor taste and absolutely no sense of design."

And then in the last frame he concludes, "So, all things considered, it's coming along OKAY!" (1)

Nobody would ever claim that Charlie Brown was perfect. But the one thing we notice about Charlie Brown, besides the room for improvement, is that he never gives up. He always tries his best.

Today is All Saints Sunday in the life of many churches. A day to celebrate those people whose life and faith have touched us.…