Master, I knew that you were a harsh man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you did not scatter seed, so I was afraid and I went and hid your talent in the ground. — Matthew 25:24

A number of years ago my wife and I and several of our friends went on a sailing vacation in the Caribbean. One day we went ashore on the island of Dominica, hired a taxi, and took a tour of that tropical paradise. While making small talk with the taxi driver, one of my friends casually mentioned that I was a minister. The cabbie looked me over in the rear view mirror and then in his island-flavored English he said to me, “You say you’re a minister, mon. Well then, tell me: What kind of God do you believe in? What kind of gospel do you preach?”

The question caught me completely off guard! I wa…