When we were children, we knew the best time to ask my father for something was when he was distracted, usually reading the evening paper in his chair after supper or watching a baseball game on TV.

"You are the salt of the earth" (Matt 13:5). 2 Cor 1:18-22; Mt 5:13-16 Salt and light are so basic that we hardly notice them. We take them for granted, even as they ...