Monday, April 6, 2015

I’m serious, I am only joking.



I would like to get your help with a little project.  If you would, please reply with your average attendance for 2014 and your attendance on this past Easter Sunday.  I am working on a little research project and your data input would help.

Easter is my favorite holiday.   Christmas, July 4th, Thanksgiving, National Submarine Day (Yes, there is such a day- it is April 17th, the day the Submarine force was established in 1900) and all the others combined, pale in comparison to Easter, in my opinion.  I think Easter becomes more meaningful for me every year.  At every level, Easter is a thoroughly inspiring, fulfilling, and rewarding holiday.  Every Lord’s Day is sort of an Easter, but the special day is the culmination of so much excitement and hope.  I hope that your Easter was the high light of your year or even your life so far. 

On this happy and celebrative occasion, I need to address something my wife told me some time ago.  She told me that my blogs are often either serious, grave, morose, or glum.  I told her when you are trying out for the role of “prophet of doom” you had to be serious.  She told me if God told me to become the prophet of doom that would be fine, but until then, I should lighten up a little from time to time.

This seems like a good time to lighten up.  So, I have decided, having celebrated the feast of Easter and the joy of a life that anticipates the resurrection, that today I will dedicate this blog to some of my favorite jokes.  My jokes, like my golf drive, tend to be long, way off center, and always in a hazard.  Some might be useful to use in a sermon or lesson, others, not so much.  If you find them to be in bad taste, please accept my apology in advance.   Oh, and none are originally mine, so, if you don’t like them, blame the original author (who ever that may be). 

Needing a little help (best told in an Australian accent)

Two Australian sailors arrived in London, England, after a long voyage.  They decided they would spend their first night in London drinking.  They made their way to a Pub, and spent the evening, night and early morning consuming copious amounts of alcohol.   By the time they left around sun up, they were exquisitely inebriated.  They came out of the pub walking as if they were on board a ship in the midst of a terrible gale.   Steading themselves on a lamppost, they discovered that a thick fog had rolled into London.  They were not able to see much beyond their hand’s reach.

Completely lost, they looked this way and that, but couldn’t find a clue as to how to get back to their ship.  Finally, they saw a figure approaching them through the fog.  Not realizing that this mysterious man was a highly decorated 4 star admiral, the first sailor called out to him as he came near, “Hey mate, can you tell us where we are?”

The admiral, infuriated by their slovenly appearance, drunken condition, and brazen familiarity, answered back, “Do you men have any idea who I am?”  

The second Aussie then said to the first, “Oh, were in trouble now, we don’t know where we are, and he doesn’t know who he is!”

Strange last Rites (use a Scottish accent if you have one)

Shamus and O’Malley were life long drinking buddies.  To be honest, they never really accomplished much with their lives except that they became highly capable of getting drunk.

As the years wore on, the abuse of their livers took its toll.  Shamus was taken to a hospital with a very advanced case of cirrhosis of the liver; it was only a matter of time till Shamus would pass from this life.  The day Shamus checked into the hospital his drinking buddy O’Malley comes to his room.  He is red eyed from crying and his hair is disheveled from running his fingers through it.  The sleeves of his shirt are caked and crusty from having served as a make shift hanky.   As soon as he walks into the room and lays eyes on his best friend, he begins to wail.

“Awe, Shamus, what will I do without you?  You’re my best friend, my best mate, and my drinking buddy for life.  What will I do when you are gone?”  His pitiful lament trailed off into pathos of sobs as he buried his face in his hands as he faltered over to the bedside.

Shamus, always the more steady of the two, spoke in a strong solid voice. “O’Malley get a hold of yourself lad, I got something I need you to do.  Will you do a great favor for your oldest friend?”

“Shamus, I would do anything for you,” O’Malley said with genuine emotion in his voice.  “You name it lad, I’ll do it what err it is.”

“Good lad, O’Malley.”  Shamus paused to collect himself.  “I want you to perform a memorial for me when I’m buried.  Will you do that for me?”

O’Malley nodded his assent.

“When they put me in the ground, I want you to come to me grave all alone, and do one last favor.  I want you to pour a bottle of fine Scotch out on me grave.  Will you do that for me lad?” 

O’Malley looked his friend in the face and said, “I’ll be glad to, but do you mind if I run it through me kidneys first?”

Not his house  (no accent needed, insert the coach and college of your choice.)

Urban Myer, head coach at Ohio State Uuniversity, dies and goes to heaven (hey it is just a joke).  St. Peter gives coach Myer the grand tour taking in all the sights.  The tour ends at Urban’s mansion.  It is a sight to behold; a two-story, Neo-Greek masterpiece.  It had great Corinthian columns across the front porch.  On each column there was a flag with the OSU logo.  In the front yard were massive spreading Buckeye trees casting deep shade on a manicured lawn, and OSU lawn furniture.  Coach Myer was duly impressed with the attention to detail and all the OSU paraphernalia.

He looked across the yard and noticed higher up the rolling hills a house that would make the palace of Versailles look small and inconsequential.  It was elegant beyond all others with accents of Crimson and White.  Massive and majestic elephants roamed the yard, each draped with a crimson blanket across its back emblazoned with a white scripted “A”.  Flag poles stood in the yard, the top of which were so high they almost disappeared, and from each waved a crimson flag with the same scripted “A” so large it could been seen anywhere.  In the middle of the front yard was a fountain that was a perfect reproduction in miniature of Bryant-Denny Stadium.  The water shot into the air and then would shape into a great moment in Bama football history before falling back into the pool.  The sight of the palace, the fountain, and the grounds left Urban stunned into silence for a moment. 

After a pause Urban turned to St. Peter and said,  “I don’t want to sound like I am complaining, but why is Nick Saban’s place so much bigger than mine?”

Peter, with a patient and understanding smile, said, “Oh that is not Saban’s house.  That ‘s God’s”.    

(Promise next week I will return to the more serious side of life.)

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