In his book with the catchy title, It Was on Fire when I Laid Down on It, author and ordained minister Robert Fulghum relates a story from his early years in ministry. Fulghum writes that on the Sunday prior to Mother’s Day one year, a member of his congregation approached him and said, "Now preacher, far be it from me (those words almost always spell trouble!) far be it from me to tell you what to preach about. But next Sunday is Mother’s Day, and my MOTHER will be here next Sunday, since it is MOTHER’S DAY. It sure would be nice if you were to say something about MOTHERS, since it will, after all, be MOTHER’S DAY, and my MOTHER will be here with me." Fulghum says, "I got the point."

I think most, if not all, preachers feel that same kind of pressure, whether members of congregation appr…