I once heard a pastor make a startling confession: “Whenever I think about heaven, it makes me depressed. I’d rather just cease to exist when I die.” I tried not to show my shock as I asked him, “Why?” “I can’t stand the thought of that endless tedium. To float around in the clouds with nothing to do but strum a harp—it’s all so terribly boring. Heaven doesn’t sound much better than hell. I’d rather be annihilated than spend eternity in a place like that.”

In 1998 I spoke at a Green Bay Packers pre-game chapel. The players and coaches there were just like the rest of us, except more famous and wealthy (and somewhat larger). This is the message I shared with them.