Civil rights leader Vernon Jordan tells the story of how, after a 99-day stay in the hospital in 1980, after he had been shot and gravely wounded, he called the Rev. Dr. Howard Thurman to thank him for his support and to say that the doctors had finally released him from the hospital.

"Well," said Dr. Thurman, "God's going to be mighty relieved."

"Why is God going to be mighty relieved?" asked Jordan.

"Because he's tired of hearing me talk about you three times a day."

February 18, 2009