I have a confession to make up front. I am terrible when it comes to reading instruction

manuals. I really detest reading instruction manuals. If somebody gives me a gizmo, I don't read

instruction manuals, I press every button until one works. That's the absolute truth. By the same token, I genuinely admire people

who are persistently and meticulously can read operating manuals and follow it. I deeply appreciate

people who follow instructions step by step by step, and it works for me the same way with my sense of direction.

Many of you know this. Every time I try to follow my instinct driving somewhere,

I don't end up in another city. I end up in another state.

Even people when they give me direction, I still get lost.

Many years ago, I was asking for direction in New York City.

Just think about that.

And I thought, well, this guy in the newsstand, you know, he would know.

So, and I just wanted to know which way is north.

I said, sir, which way is north?

He yelled at me.

I mean, he said, listen, look here, buddy.

He said, we have uptown, we have downtown, we have cross town, but we have no north.

I must confess to you that now, at this age, I kind of laugh at myself.

I really do.

I laugh at myself or am I not able to read instruction or not being able to follow instruction books or whatever it is.

But I can tell you, when it comes to the spiritual instruction book, it is not a laughing matter.

That operating manual that is given to us by God, if we don't read it regularly, if we don't read

it carefully, if we don't follow it closely, the lostness can be very serious. Very serious indeed.

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