If you’re in need of a good chuckle, you’ve got to check out PeepResearch.com. Hilarious collection of experiments done on the not-so-yummy Easter treat from Just Born.
The best one? Never let your peeps mix alcohol & tobacco; the results are… well it’s funny as all get-out, so go ahead & turn them loose on the booze and smokes!
Ken Davis is a Christian comedian who has a radio spot on KNWC every morning. This morning he was talking about the definition of humor. “Humor,” he said, “is a gentle way to acknowledge human frailty… Humor is a way to say, “I’m not ok, you’re not ok, but that’s ok! That’s all right. None of us are ok.”
That’s so true; when we acknowledge that we don’t have it all together, that we’re messy and that we don’t have all the answers, then we’re free to laugh at things. And that includes ourselves. Ken went on to say,
Laughter comes from people who don’t take themselves too seriously. You show me a person who can’t laugh and I’ll show you a person who takes themselves too seriously. Show me a person who takes themselves too seriously, and I’ll show you a person who doesn’t take God seriously enough.
Caleb pulled a couple of good ones this evening. After dinner he was reading a book when he stopped & asked, “What does ‘e-i-e-i-o’ spell?” I almost fell off my chair.
Then, later on he took a bath, which he does on his own with little trouble. Mostly. This time he filled the tub to the brim and was making waves trying to knock an empty shampoo bottle from the corner of the tub. What was he thinking?!
Yvonne happened to be downstairs while this was going on & heard water dripping; it was raining in the laundry room (directly beneath the bathroom.) She ran upstairs to see what was up, but got caught short by the ringing phone; it was her Mom. So while trying to speak pleasantly with dear old Mum, she opens the door to the bathroom to find the floor covered with a half-inch of water. Then she did her best to keep a happy face on while talking with Mom, while at the same time cleaning up & scolding him for flooding the bathroom. I wish I could’ve been there. Or maybe I’m glad I wasn’t!
The whole incident reminds me way too much of the Calvin & Hobbes cartoon where Calvin has a tub full of water and is making a tidal wave… Maybe we shouldn’t let the boys read those Calvin & Hobbes books!
I’m a Christian. Not just one who happens to be part of a church that happens to ascribe to Christian traditions, but I am a follower of Jesus of Nazareth who is the Christ.
A couple of weeks ago at a Bible study, the discussion turned to the persecution of Christians, and that is something that makes me squirm a bit. I think it’s ok to say that I hope I’m never subjected to any real persecution — because I hope that I am not. What Christians experience here in the US in 2007 can’t really be called persecution, but that doesn’t mean it’ll never happen. But if it does happen, I wonder how I might react to it. My fear is that if real persecution ever comes my way, I might fight back. And I wonder if that would be an acceptable reaction, both to the Christian community and to God.
I recall reading not long ago about islands in the South Pacific where Christians experience a great deal of persecution at the hands of Muslims. Often the Muslims would drive away entire villages of Christians, commandeering their property and even killing some. Searching news articles can almost always yield stories of how Christians are persecuted in many parts of the world today. But is it ever appropriate for those Christians to strike back?
Jesus’ example to us was to go like a lamb to the slaughter, to turn the other cheek, to forgive countless times. But if my family is in danger, can I just stand by and not do anything to protect them? Is it God’s intention that we should just allow the bad things to happen?
Then there’s also the issue of living in a place like the US… Today we enjoy a peace that is currently being subsidized in a way by armed conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. If fighting & killing those who openly attack us — persecute us — is a sin, then is it also a sin to condone and enjoy a peace that is bought with such a price?
I need to think on this a while.
I read last night about a “prank” that was pulled on the parishoners of the Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi in Santa Fe, New Mexico, on Ash Wednesday. Someone set up three CD players to play obscenity-filled pornographic audio in the middle of Ash Wednesday services at the church.
Monsignor Jerome Martinez y Alire said, “The people who did this had a grudge against the church, or they were anti-Catholic, or were just sick. You have to worry about what else they might do.” I’d have to agree with the Monsignor; but wonder if they are just sick or just evil. And where do you draw the line between something that’s considered a prank and something that’s considered terrorism? Another point at which I agree with the Monsignor; what else might they do? Those CD players could have made one very loud bang instead of just a string of profanities.
That brings up another thing; I first read about this incedent on BoingBoing.net, and they thing they highlighted was that two of the players were detonated by the bomb squad, as if it were the most ridiculous thing ever. I think blowing them up was a prudent call in this situation. Just hope the third unit yields some clues as to who did it.
The one question that remains is this; if the same had been done in a Muslim holy place, would that have been treated any differently than this instance? My guess is that such an act in a Muslim mosque would be treated as a hate crime at best, and terrorism at worst. So why isn’t the same true for doing this at a Catholic church? Gotta wonder.
What’s green and smells like red paint?
(more…)