A 2002 Oxford study showed counting sheep actually delays the onset of sleep. It's just too dull to stop us from worrying about jobs and spouses.

I don't believe that prayers actually change God's mind - if there is a God - but I liked praying for people in need. It was like moral weightlifting. I tend to be self-obsessed, and it was nice to get out of my brain once in a while.

I know that you should always say yes to adventures or you'll lead a very dull life.

I thought religion would make me live with my head in the clouds, but as often as not, it grounds me in this world.

A loud noise will get your fight-or-flight response going. This, over the years, can cause real cardiovascular damage.

The Bible improved my ethical IQ. I started to act like a good person. I tried not to gossip, and lie, and covet, and just by pretending I was a good person, I think I actually became a little bit better of a person. I'm not Gandhi or Angelina Jolie, but it was a baby step.

I've never before been so aware of the thousands of little good things, the thousands of things that go right every day.