“Years ago the professional golfer Arnold Palmer played a series of exhibition matches in Saudi Arabia. When he finished, the king was so impressed with Palmer’s expertise that he desired to give Palmer a gift. Palmer, a multimillionaire in his own right, demurred: ‘Is it really necessary. I just enjoyed meeting your people and playing in your country. The king indicated his extreme displeasure at not being able to give the golf pro a gift. Palmer wisely reconsidered and said, ‘Well, how about a golf club? A golf club would be a wonderful momentous of my visit here. The king was pleased. The following day, a messenger delivered to Palmer’s hotel room the title to a golf club, 36 holes, trees, lakes, buildings. The moral of this story? In the presence of the king, don’t ask for small gifts. —–An excerpt from Brennan Manning’s book, “The Furious Longing of God”