myopic pilgrim

Will commented (on my post about being called a babysitter for my son) that another pet peeve of his is the portrayal of dads on TV as “bumbling idiots.” Remember the dad from Good Times? That was a father. (John Amos, the actor who played the dad is on Men In Trees now). But growing up in the 80s I remember the “dad as a fool” stereotype. I’m having trouble thinking of examples now (the dad on According to Jim?), so maybe the trend is reversing.

Dad Is the Butt of Jokes because He’s the Boss

Is it funny because it’s true? Dad needs help finding his socks and can be fooled by wacky schemes. Maybe the finding his socks part. But I think it was funny (at first) because of a classic comedic device: make fun of the the person in power. Read the rest of this entry »

My Baby Son: goo goo ga ga
She said: Oh my, I can hear your son.
I said: I’m holding him while I talk to you.
She said: Oh, are you babysitting (your son)?
I said: Um, no. This is my own son.
She said: Yeah, but is your wife out then?
I said: Nope. She’s in the house doing things.

I should’ve said: Nope. I’m just, you know, being a father.

Preach the gospel at all times and if necessary use words.

The reason why many people love that quote is how it surprises us by showing the way we’ve limited how to proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ. I found a post where someone extends what Francis of Assisi said about preaching the gospel, applying it to other aspects of the Christian life. Here’s an example:

Worship always, and when necessary, use music. (Matt Stone)

I acknowledge that it seems a little cheap to substitute a few words on great quote. But I can’t object to examining our preconceptions if it’ll yield a broader perspective.

Many churches will throw a Harvest Party instead of a Halloween Party. What this means in practical terms is instead of having costumes and candy like the world Christians have—well, costumes and candy. Really, the difference you might see is in the costumes good Christians will choose. No wizards, ghouls, or vampires here. But don’t think you’d be safe dressing up as any biblical figure you might fancy. There are limits.

1. Dancing King David - Grab your underwear and dance around in celebration. This might go over better with the Elders if you have an Ark of the Covenant handy. (2 Sam. 6:16-22)
2. Salome - Daughter of King Herod. You need some scarves, a silver platter with a decapitated head. Watch a few hours worth of Shakira and you’re set. (Mark 6:21-29)
3. Balaam’s Ass - Join Christians everywhere who enjoy getting the chance to use ass as a pun. This may need two people to pull off. Cast lots for who gets to be the head. (Num. 22:21-31)
4. Adam or Eve - Two words. Fig leaf. (Gen. 3:6-7)
5. Jesus - I just can’t see it happening.

What are the other worst Christian costumes?

edit - No else seems to want to play. So I just added my top 5 to the original post.

Rob and Heather Woods worked at a camp sponsored by The Solace Tree. The non-profit provides support to grieving youths. The Woods mainly did photography and video. You can see a photo that Heather took next to an article Robby wrote at the Reno-Gazette website.