No man is regular in his attendance at the House of Commons until he is married.

The number of opera houses around the world and the high attendance rates show that opera an art form that is more popular than ever.

You might tell me that you have been engaging in some deep questioning and theological rethinking.1 You can no longer live with the faith you inherited from your parents or constructed earlier in your life. As you sort through your dogma and doctrine, you’ve found yourself praying less, less thrilled about worship, scripture, or church attendance. You’ve been so focused on sorting and purging your theological theories that you’ve lost track of the spiritual practices that sustain an actual relationship with God. You may even wonder if such a thing is possible for someone like you.

When I give a speech at a corporate event, I often ask those in attendance, ‘Do you know how to tell if you’re doing the job?’ As heads start whispering back and forth, I provide these clue: ‘If you’re up at 3 A.M. every night talking into a tape recorder and writing notes on scraps of paper, have a knot in your stomach and a rash on your skin, are losing sleep and losing touch with your wife and kids, have no appetite or sense of humor, and feel that everything might turn out wrong, then you’re probably doing the job.’

I have zero tolerance for people who don’t come completely prepared. I expect contribution, I expect attendance, and I expect directors to take trips and visit the company’s programs.

There are many things about living the gospel of Jesus Christ that cannot be measured by that which is counted or charted in records of attendance.