My ear still scorched after Mrs. Daley hung up on me. Few people had her talent for telling off a preacher. I would comply with her wishes or else, because she belonged to a leading family: three deacons, the church treasurer, and a Sunday school teacher.

The conflict arose because the youth leader would not let Mrs. Daley's daughter spend the night at the church camp, ten miles away, with the other teens.

During the day, the youth led our children's program. At night they had their own Bible study. To stay at camp, teens had to have gone through several weeks of training. Mrs. Daley's daughter had not gone through the training and wasn't helping with the children, but she still wanted to spend the night at camp.

The youth leader stood her ground, saying it wouldn't be fair to all the ones who had worked so hard. Nonetheless, she said she would put it to a vote of the youth group, and if the other kids didn't mind, the girl could spend the night. The kids minded, and the girl took it personally. ...