My father-in-law pastors a congregation in rural Pennsylvania. One day he found two containers on his desk with a note from a thoughtful church member, wishing that he and Mom would sample her home cooking.

One container held some delicious hearty soup, which they ate the next day. Dad tasted the other food, which appeared to be an odd squash dish. Being suspect, it eventually was discarded. Meanwhile, Mom and Dad thanked the woman for her gracious gift, especially the soup. They avoided mentioning the "squash," which they felt guilty about wasting.

Weeks later, Dad was talking with the church custodian about the damage that craft projects were inflicting on the carpet in the children's classroom. "Didn't you see," the custodian asked, "the great wad of Play-Doh I put in a container on your desk a few weeks ago?"