I thought I'd chime in here to give perspective from someone who is sorta new to the board, sorta new to MN and doesn't really post much here.
1. I took Joel's class. It answered the majority of my questions about the law in MN.
2. I read Joe's book (hey, it came with the class!) that answered the questions I had that weren't covered in the class.

That'll learn ya

It's hard for me to express how happy that makes me, but it's a whole lot. While I am always happy -- not just willing, but happy -- to answer questions from my students, I'm even happier if the combination of the class, handout and book saves them the time and trouble of asking.

I worry, just a little, every now and then, that my complaining about being the unwilling aftermarket support for Mango Joe's penazians might possibly dissuade my students from calling me, but then I remember that they're far more than smart enough to figure out the clear difference.

You, too, I see.

Once a week, Father Russell would come in for "Heavy Mystery" time. And you'd save all your weird questions for Father Russell. In fact, you'd make up strange questions. You'd take a whole week thinking up trick questions for Father Russell. "Hey, hey, hey Father! Hey, uh, if God is all-powerful, can he make a rock so big that he himself can't lift it? HA, HA, HEEEEEY! WE GOT HIM NOW! AH, HA, HA!" Or else you'd take a very simple sin and surround it with the most bizarre circumstances you could imagine...to try to, y'know, relieve the guilt in the sin. We'd usually end up with the, uh, statement, "Would that then be a sin then, Father?"

Like, here, this is an example. There was one sin- not receiving communion during Easter time. You had to perform your "Easter duty". You had to receive once between Ash Wednesday and Pentecost Sunday and if you didn't do it, it was a mortal sin. Provided, of course, you had said to yourself, "Hey, I'm not gonna do it this year!" And, uh, there weren't many mortal sins on that, but a lot of guys went to Venial(?) City on Easter duty and so you would ask the priest y'know, you'd..."Hey, Father, hey, uh.." Remember guys would leave their hand up after they got called on, right? And the priest would say, "What are you, the Statue of Liberty, Dunn?" "Oh, sorry Father. Anyways, Father. Suppose that you didn't make your Easter duty...and it's Pentecost Sunday...the last day...and you're on a ship at sea...and the chaplain goes into a coma...but you wanted to receive. And then it's Monday, too late...but then you cross the International Date Line!" "Yes, I'm sure God will take that into account. Sit down, Woozie."