Answering machine message

Here's the new answering machine message for Union Congregational Church, United Church of Christ in Somonauk. Church can be fun, right? (No - the photo montage doesn't appear on the phone.)

Pastoral handshake

Like many other pastors -- I greet worship attenders at the end of the worship service with a handshake. (I also often greet folks with high fives or knuckle bumps.)

Yesterday I experienced a "laugh out loud" moment during the handshaking.

A 10 year old boy was near -- holding his right had up in what looked to be readiness for a handshake.
When I reached to shake his hand, he shook his head, "no."
I asked, "No handshake today?"
He replied, (while holding his hand palm up.) "I just sneezed."

I shook his left hand instead.

Farts are funny

I just laughed out loud.


ht to the short-haired Marko (via Mikey)

Prince Philip the Evangelist?

This picture has been making the blogrounds for quite some time now.

I agree with the assessment most have made of it, but it makes me think things at a very different level, too.

• First I think of this post from 2005
• Then I think of the book that's been on the back burner for a bit
• Then I invite anyone brave enough to try out the lesson with a youth group to test it.

One in ten

For several years, I've been known in my family as the guy who tells one funny joke for every ten I attempt. (In all fairness, Cassie, my wife, says that it's really up to 3 or 4 now)

Apparently I hit one of the one (or 3 or 4) with my entry in Marko's "Photo in need of a caption" contest.

Here's the photo:


Here's my caption:

This is the dawning of the office aquarium, the office aquarium . . . .aquarium!


I got a free book from YS. Here's what I requested.



Imaginative Prayer for Youth Ministry


(Incidentally, I feel like I've been spending way too much of my time mentioning Marko. It's starting to feel like I go from one mention of Marko to the next. I'm going to take a one-year sabbatical from mentioning Marko -- unless I've already agreed to mention Marko or if mentioning Marko is directly related to my job. And while I'm at it, I should apologize that in this post I never thanked Marko -- or Chris -- who helped judge the photo caption contest.)

Elf Yourself

I've found very few "Christmas-ey Fun" sites that are as much fun as this one. Officemax is sponsoring "Elf Yourself". After uploading a photo of yourself and even recording some words, you create an hilarious and so much fun dancing elf! Why not give it a try?
(ht to Marko)

Update 2006: Hello to all my friends in France! In France you like cheese, right? I have a song available on iTunes, Rhapsody and a few other digital music download stores. I think you might like "I Like Cheese."


UPDATE 2007 -- it's back!

LenObama

I caught the tail end of Barack Obama's appearance on Leno last night. I found myself further convinced that Senator Obama's leadership is what country needs. I hope he runs for president in '08. Better than that, I hope he wins the election. We need his hope, his perspective and his ability to unite us on common causes.

Oh deer

I saw a news report about a deer that had gotten a plastic trick-or-treating jack-o-lantern caught on it's mouth and nose. It had had it on for at least 5 days -- preventing it from eating or drinking. Rescuers had planned to attempt to tranquilize the deer and remove the pumpkin, but instead, today the deer broke free! I love happy endings.
Please don't litter -- it does more than make things look bad.

229

That's how many Kirk Moore's there are in the US -- according to this place. I don't know where they get their statistics. It's fun to look at, tho!

HowManyOfMe.com

There are: 229 people with my name in the U.S.A. How many have your name?