The writing of this took place in the midst of joys and burdens, sickness, and excitement. It took place in the midst of urban flirting within churches; in places like Jamaica; Germany; Las Vegas; Lake Mead; Switzerland; France; our cabin in the Poconos, Pennsylvania; Churchville, Maryland; at our parents' home in Lake Waccamaw, North Carolina, and Hallsboro, North Carolina; Hampton Ministers' Conference in Hampton, Virginia; and along the seashores of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. But now it is yours and, prayerfully, to the glory of God, ready to give a blessing to the reader. Again, I am thankful for Mrs. McMillan's patience and gentle encouragement, all of which I needed, for I am a man who spread on lots of words on a table and needed someone to sort them out and present them as I intended.