The junior high boys' Sunday school class had just finished decorating their bulletin board. Unlike most bulletin boards, this one intrigued me.

THE PERSON I ADMIRE MOST was the title. Each student had decorated a colorful piece of construction paper with the names of his top-three most admired people. This ought to be interesting, I thought. Junior high boys are generally not known for their cogent observations or keen sense of values. I paused for a moment of amusement, wondering who would be honored. Hmmm.

No infamous criminals—so far, so good.

No cartoon characters—so far, so good.

No current presidents—so far, so good.

Hey, there is hope for this great country of ours. A surprising and encouraging trend turned up: more than half the boys listed "Pastor Jay Riley" as their most admired.

Huh? Weren't these the same guys who fiddled with their portable computer games or stared blankly at the ceiling during Jay's sermons? Weren't these the guys who had ...