Saw this over on Kris Kandiah's blog and found it funny. You need a humor break right?
Blogging across Barriers in a Borderless World for Kingdom Transformation
Showing posts with label fun. Show all posts
Showing posts with label fun. Show all posts
Saturday
On the Issue of a Southern Baptist Name Change (pause for a breather)
I have just submitted an article that, Lord willing, shall soon appear in our Illinois State Baptist paper on the issue of whether or not the Southern Baptist Convention -- the denomination of which I have been a part for many years now -- should change its name. And while I shall not at this time disclose where exactly I have come down on the issue (have to read the paper folks), I do want to pause for some comedy relief. As I was engaging in a bit of research for this article, I came across a genuinely funny article on an intriguing blog called The Wardrobe Door. There I discovered the "proceedings" of a debate between Rev. "Jimbo" Jones and Luther "Presbyter" Calvin on what the SBC should change its name to. Definitely worth a few minutes of your time, if for no other reason than to find out what BASCAR stands for.
The Jimbo v. Presbyter Debate
http://wardrobedoor.blogspot.com/2011/09/humor-top-5-new-names-for-sbc.html
And for those of you that love a good conspiracy theory, Peter Lumpkins is usually a sure bet. Check out his intriguing (and slightly crazy) post on this issue here.
Monday
Funny things I Saw Today on Facebook
I'm off today folks. Monday. Every week. Of course people keep calling me. Well, my official communication with the outside world today will be to share the following funny images with you all.
And now for something even funnier . . .
 |
| Now that's funny stuff! |
And now for something even funnier . . .
Wednesday
A Mad, Missiological Tea Party
Of late, I've been trying to consume more classic literature. I'm working through several pieces now and hope that as I complete them, I will be able to offer at least a little reflection -- hopefully a missiological one, to share with you. I feel I need to make myself do that for the sake of my own self-discipline. Plus, it makes me look smart. Right?
Well, my first test comes as I have just reached the end of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll. The Disney film version had done a pretty good job of keeping me away from the Carroll's original work for most of my life. It was learning how easily I could read it on my phone (thanks Google Books) that motivated me to dig in. Overall, I found the book to be silly, funny, and very clever. But no one needs me to vouch for Carroll's classic in that regard. The key question of this blog for Wonderland is whether or not we might draw up from the rabbit hole any missiological insights.
In my experience in reading through the book, it was somewhere towards the end of chapter seven, "A Mad Tea Party", that I actually did begin to think about Carroll's work missiologically. At the end of Alice's rather ridiculous encounter with the Mad Hatter and the March Hare, she marches off in disgust at what she has interpreted as unbearable rudeness. Looking back over her shoulder, hoping they would call her to come back and rejoin the tea party, she catches a final glimpse of them, now trying to cram their friend, the Dormouse into a teapot. The picture provided in Carroll's original work is quite hilarious. At this, Alice promises herself:
"At any rate I'll never go there again! It's the stupidest tea-party I ever was at in all my life."
Now, I don't think for a minute that Carroll was trying to say anything much about cultural anthropology, but that scene of Alice storming away from a frustrating and confusing tea party with people she deemed to be crazy, stupid and uncivilized is just about one of the best illustrations I've seen of what happens when we cross cultures. More often than not, we go in with a certain set of unexamined expectations, definitions, presumptions and rarely ever consider that those to whom we go have their own ideas which may be very different. We may think that we are communicating one thing, but it is received as something entirely different. Let's take a quick look at Alice's introduction to the Hatter, March Hare, and Dormouse:
There was a table set out under a tree in front of the house, and the March Hare and the Hatter were having tea at it; a Dormouse was sitting between them, fast asleep, and the other two were using it as a cushion, resting their elbows on it, and talking over its head. "Very uncomfortable for the Dormouse," thought Alice; "only as it's asleep, I suppose it doesn't mind."
Immediately upon entering the cross-cultural environment, Alice begins sizing up the scene and interpreting what she sees according to her own worldview. For example, she sees the Dormouse being used as a cushion and assumes that this is an act of unkindness on the part of the Hatter and Hare. This process of interpretation, of course, can hardly be avoided. However, the reflective cross-cultural practioner must be aware that it is happening. Alice shows signs of this, checking her judgement a bit and granting that since the Dormouse is asleep, he may indeed be plenty comfortable.
The table was a large one, but the three were all crowded together at one corner of it. "No room! No room!" They cried out when they saw Alice coming. "There's plenty of room!" said Alice indignantly, and she sat down in a large arm-chair at one end of the table.
"Have some wine," the March Hare said in an encouraging tone.
Alice looked all around the table, but there was nothing on it but tea. "I don't see any wine," she remarked.
"There isn't any," said the March Hare.
"Then it wasn't very civil of you to offer it," said Alice angrily.
"It wasn't very civil of you to sit down without being invited," said the March Hare.
I see here a great illustration of cross-cultural conflict. Alice, by disregarding the cries of "no room", commits a cultural blunder that is interpreted by the hosts as rude and, as we would discover later in the chapter, actually creates a hardship for them. Alice, completely unaware of her mistake focuses instead on pointing out what they have done wrong. She gets angry and is the first to openly criticize. When confronted with her mistake, she dismisses it and essentially blames them for causing the problem:
"I didn't know it was your table," said Alice: "it's laid for a great many more than three".
In Alice's mind, whatever mistake she may have made was the result of the actions of the hosts. Her actions were only reasonable. Anyone else would have done the same thing.
Well, it goes on like that for several pages. Some points of the tea party are very rich indeed from a cross-cultural perspective. Again, that final, funny scene of the Hatter and Hare stuffing the Dormouse into a teapot says it all. Alice, the outsider, storming away in a huff. Convinced of her rightness. Frustrated with the hosts' foreignness. Looking at their seemingly inexplicable actions with contempt. "The stupidest tea party!"
I'd encourage any of you that are engaged in training cross-cultural workers to take a look at Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and especially the chapter about the "Mad Tea Party". And, if you do end up using it in any training exercises or if you have any insights from the chapter you'd like to share, please comment below.
Well, my first test comes as I have just reached the end of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll. The Disney film version had done a pretty good job of keeping me away from the Carroll's original work for most of my life. It was learning how easily I could read it on my phone (thanks Google Books) that motivated me to dig in. Overall, I found the book to be silly, funny, and very clever. But no one needs me to vouch for Carroll's classic in that regard. The key question of this blog for Wonderland is whether or not we might draw up from the rabbit hole any missiological insights.
"At any rate I'll never go there again! It's the stupidest tea-party I ever was at in all my life."
Now, I don't think for a minute that Carroll was trying to say anything much about cultural anthropology, but that scene of Alice storming away from a frustrating and confusing tea party with people she deemed to be crazy, stupid and uncivilized is just about one of the best illustrations I've seen of what happens when we cross cultures. More often than not, we go in with a certain set of unexamined expectations, definitions, presumptions and rarely ever consider that those to whom we go have their own ideas which may be very different. We may think that we are communicating one thing, but it is received as something entirely different. Let's take a quick look at Alice's introduction to the Hatter, March Hare, and Dormouse:
There was a table set out under a tree in front of the house, and the March Hare and the Hatter were having tea at it; a Dormouse was sitting between them, fast asleep, and the other two were using it as a cushion, resting their elbows on it, and talking over its head. "Very uncomfortable for the Dormouse," thought Alice; "only as it's asleep, I suppose it doesn't mind."
Immediately upon entering the cross-cultural environment, Alice begins sizing up the scene and interpreting what she sees according to her own worldview. For example, she sees the Dormouse being used as a cushion and assumes that this is an act of unkindness on the part of the Hatter and Hare. This process of interpretation, of course, can hardly be avoided. However, the reflective cross-cultural practioner must be aware that it is happening. Alice shows signs of this, checking her judgement a bit and granting that since the Dormouse is asleep, he may indeed be plenty comfortable.
The table was a large one, but the three were all crowded together at one corner of it. "No room! No room!" They cried out when they saw Alice coming. "There's plenty of room!" said Alice indignantly, and she sat down in a large arm-chair at one end of the table.
"Have some wine," the March Hare said in an encouraging tone.
Alice looked all around the table, but there was nothing on it but tea. "I don't see any wine," she remarked.
"There isn't any," said the March Hare.
"Then it wasn't very civil of you to offer it," said Alice angrily.
"It wasn't very civil of you to sit down without being invited," said the March Hare.
I see here a great illustration of cross-cultural conflict. Alice, by disregarding the cries of "no room", commits a cultural blunder that is interpreted by the hosts as rude and, as we would discover later in the chapter, actually creates a hardship for them. Alice, completely unaware of her mistake focuses instead on pointing out what they have done wrong. She gets angry and is the first to openly criticize. When confronted with her mistake, she dismisses it and essentially blames them for causing the problem:
"I didn't know it was your table," said Alice: "it's laid for a great many more than three".
Well, it goes on like that for several pages. Some points of the tea party are very rich indeed from a cross-cultural perspective. Again, that final, funny scene of the Hatter and Hare stuffing the Dormouse into a teapot says it all. Alice, the outsider, storming away in a huff. Convinced of her rightness. Frustrated with the hosts' foreignness. Looking at their seemingly inexplicable actions with contempt. "The stupidest tea party!"
I'd encourage any of you that are engaged in training cross-cultural workers to take a look at Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and especially the chapter about the "Mad Tea Party". And, if you do end up using it in any training exercises or if you have any insights from the chapter you'd like to share, please comment below.
Saturday
Paolo Sings -- Jesus Died on the Cross
This makes me smile every time I watch it. Enjoy my son's improvised worship song:
If you need the lyrics ...
Jesus died on the cross (repeat with humming)
Touch on the foot and he says, "Yeah"
TRUTH!
If you need the lyrics ...
Jesus died on the cross (repeat with humming)
Touch on the foot and he says, "Yeah"
TRUTH!
Friday
Can You Give me a Push?
Just for fun . . .
A man is in bed with his wife when there is a rat-a-tat-tat on the door. He rolls over and looks at his clock, and it's half past three in the morning. "I'm not getting out of bed at this time," he thinks, and rolls over. Then, a louder knock follows. "Aren't you going to answer that?" says his wife.
So he drags himself out of bed and goes downstairs. He opens the door and there is man standing at the door. It didn't take the homeowner long to realize the man was drunk."Hi there," slurs the stranger. "Can you give me a push??"
"No, get lost. It's half past three. I was in bed," says the man and slams the door. He goes back up to bed and tells his wife what happened and she says, "Dave, that wasn't very nice of you. Remember that night we broke down in the pouring rain on the way to pick the kids up from the baby sitter and you had to knock on that man's house to get us started again? What would have happened if he'd told us to get lost??" "But the guy was drunk," says the husband. "It doesn't matter," says the wife. "He needs our help and it would be the right thing to help him." So the husband gets out of bed again, gets dressed and goes downstairs.
He opens the door, and not being able to see the stranger anywhere he shouts, "Hey, do you still want a push??" And he hears a voice cry out, "Yeah, please." So, still being unable to see the stranger he shouts, "Where are you?"
And the stranger replies, "I'm over here, on your swing."
Monday
This is the Good News: No One Has to Know About the Zit!
Rob Bell has been in the news lately with his latest offering Love Wins -- by most accounts pure drivel. In honor of that, I wanted to share the following video. It is a kind of homage to Bell's goofy Nooma videos. I thought it was funny. Enjoy!
Robbed Hell - C.A.S.T. Pearls Presents from Canon Wired on Vimeo.
Robbed Hell - C.A.S.T. Pearls Presents from Canon Wired on Vimeo.
Friday
Announcing Church Planter: The Video Game | The Resurgence
Note the link and excerpt below. Pretty sure this is an April Fool's Joke. Wish it wasn't, I'd enjoy making fun of it if it were a real game.
Think God might be calling you to plant a church? What if you’re a 19-year-old undergrad, and planting is still years down the road? How do you prepare in the interim?
Introducing Re:Play, our new video game branch. On April 15, the Resurgence will release its first game: Church Planter, based off Pastor Darrin Patrick’s book. It gives the player hands-on training for what the trenches of ministry looks like as they learn to navigate the turbulent waters of religion in contemporary culture.
About the Game
Players will work their way out of their room and into the streets to find out what it's like to plant a church. You’ll have to find your pants, your Bible, a shirt with buttons, while battling temptations (old and new) along the way. Next, you'll need to gain knowledge of the Old and New Testaments while also studying prominent theologians across church history.
Once you’re grounded in your faith and good Bible teaching, you'll need to gather your core group and think about where to plant. Take a missiological survey of the city to see how you can be contextually relevant to your flock. You'll battle through the hardest parts of ministry as you start a church from the ground up while shepherding your wife and family, fighting the difficulties of working two jobs, and always looking to kill sin. Ministry is tough, and that's why you need training.
Wednesday
Happy Birthday, Katherine!!!
Have a great day, everyone.
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