Ha ha

Hermeneutics (the science of the interpretation of texts, esp. Biblical texts) applied to a STOP sign.

And, a classic: The Cat Sat On The Mat as the C of E might respond to it.

HT: Jim & the Father in Law, respectively.

Do Not Clap!

Apparently John Chysostom once preached a sermon against interupting the preacher with applause which was itself interrupted by applause!

Erik Satie

Seems to have been a bit of a character. If you can believe what you hear on Classic FM when driving home from Morning Prayers and what you can find out on the interweb in 5 mins., he was a troubled soul who drank too much and died of cerosis of the liver. No one had been into his room for years, but after his death they found there 100 umbrellas, most of them unused. He also had 6 identical grey velvet suits. He had bought 10 at the same time and was wearing them untill they wore out. He is reputed to have had 2 pianos, one on top of the other with the pedals interconnected. A little eccentric.

Is Health & Safety Giving British Farmers AIDS?

For Daily Mail type headlines: http://www.qwghlm.co.uk/toys/dailymail/

Thank goodness for Mrs Lloyd!

I said: Right, I better go [to church, for morning prayers]

She said: You better get dressed first.

Good advice, as ever!

What do Christians celebrate at Christmas?

An alleged exam howler:

When Joseph and Mary had a baby called Jesus. They travelled to Bethlehem by plane and Pontius was their pilot.

Richard Benson, F in Exams: The Best Test Paper Blunders (Marks and Spencer, 2008) p113

Ho, ho, ho

What is Good King Wensuslas' favourite type of pizza?

Deep pan, crisp and even!

Ha, ha, ha!

Most persecuted man ever

According to Channel 4 news, Italian Prime Minister Silvio Belusconi has claimed to be the most persecuted man in the history of the world! He also complained that with legal challenges, he has already "had to spend millions of Euros on judges", before correcting himself, "I mean, lawyers".

What does "this" mean?

Today we drove past a pub that proclaims itself to be:

UNDER "NEW" MANAGEMENT

I'm not sure what I was meant to gather from "that", except perhaps that the latest proprietors of the hostelry may well be "idiots".

Holy Laughter

John Frame comments:

Sin in Scripture is tragic, but it is also comic. The seriousness of it should not detract from our ability to laugh at it. This laughter is edifying. It shows us how pitiful are man’s efforts to oppose almighty God. That Satan himself should imagine that he can overturn God’s throne is the height of absurdity. That mere human beings join his rebellion is even more ridiculous. The point of comedy is often disproportion, and if we don’t see the disproportion here enough to laugh at it, we have not quite caught the point. And the disproportion between the Creator and his creatures can lead to a holy laughter, in which reverence and amusement coincide. (p506)

Scripture speaks well of a cheerful, merry or glad heart (Prov 15:13; 2 Cor 9:7). That should not surprise us. Laughter is close to cheer, and cheer is close to joy. Christianity is about serious matters, but it does not make us glum. (p507)

Some relevant texts: Ps 2:4; 1 Cor 1:20; Prov 10:23. We may see humour in Prov 19:24; 26:15; 23:5; 27:15; 26:27; 28:10; Ps 7:15; 9:15; 57:6; Ecc 10:8; Num 22:22-41; Mt 19:24; 23:24; Acts 12:12-17.

See further: D. Elton Trueblood, The Humor of Christ (New York, Harper, 1964)

The Doctrine of the Christian Life