My wonderful and dear roommate from college who has remained a close friend is a huge fan of Miss Manners. She was sharing her book with me last time I was visiting and I was thinking that this would be a great gift for a minister, particularly one starting out. She explains graceful ways to handle difficult situations. Maybe you don’t agree with every single suggestion, but it is a great help for ministers who are expected to deal with most things relatively gracefully. Scott Wells who is the man behind the blog Boy in the Bands has pointed out that Miss Manners has recently taken on what is, in my opinion, most obviously a “joys and concerns” time in a UU church. You can go here for the reader’s problem and the and Miss Manners’ advice.