"Making a difference is fun. As parish pastors we make a difference in the life of a congregation and in the lives of individuals. Very few people can make a difference in the way a parish pastor can. Sometimes the difference we make is less apparent than real, but we do make a difference -- for good or ill. And that is fun."

Practical. Encouraging. Unnerving. Reassuring. Three general themes: "The work of the ministry," "The pastor's foibles," and "sermons and sweat."

The Rev. Dr. Richard B. Gilbert, The World Pastoral Care Center