Friday, August 1, 2008

Fun Friday Oops! Laugh & Thrive

Thriving Christians laugh often! Today let's take a light hearted
look at some church bulletin goofs. Writing this blog daily has given me an empathetic heart to anyone making a mistake in their typing or writing. I hope you'll laugh with me as I had to chuckle at the following:

1. Don't let worry kill you. Let the Church help.

2. Thursday night-Potluck Supper. Prayer and medication to follow.

3. For those of you who have children and don't know it, we have a nursery downstairs.

4. The rosebud on the altar this morning is to announce the birth of David Alan Belzer, the sin of Rev and Mrs. Julius Belzer.

5. This afternoon there will be a meeting in the south and north ends of the church. Children will be baptized at both ends.

6. This being Easter Sunday, we will ask Mrs. Lewis to come forward and lay an egg on the altar.

7. The service will close with "Little Drops of Water". One of the ladies will start (quietly) and the rest of the congregation will join in.

8. The ladies of the church have cast off clothing of every kind and they may be seen in the church basement Friday.

9. At the evening service tonight, the sermon topic will be "What is Hell?" Come early and listen to our choir practice.

10. The 2008 Spring Council Retreat will be hell May 10 and 11.

11. Pastor is on vacation. Massages can be given to church secretary.

12. 8 new choir robes are currently needed, due to the addition of several new members and to the deterioration of some older ones.


13. The Senior Choir invites any member of the congregation who enjoys sinning to join the choir.

14. Scouts are saving aluminum cans, bottles, and other items to be recycled. Proceeds will be used to cripple children.


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A serious note: Funny storytellers have blessed me throughout my life. When these joyfilled people were present laughter and joy just bubbled up when "stuff" happened. Sometimes I have been able to tell stories that had a room laughing and having fun. To plan to be funny in written language is becoming one of my most sobering pursuits.

So, today I want to share a story about the funniest woman in my growing up years. May I introduce you to Aunt Eunice. I will be sharing many stories on my Fun Friday posts from my remembrances of Aunt Eunice. This beautiful country lady lived a simple life on a working farm in the foothills of Northeast Georgia...the homeplace where she lived her entire life. After she married later in life, she and her husband lived with my deaf grandfather until his death.

Chores on a working farm are laborious and can be monotonous. Aunt Eunice made every moment fun. She could tell the same story over and over and I would laugh because she made it brand new with a fresh twist.

When my mom and aunts would go to church socials or outings Aunt Eunice would share a moment by moment report of the event. Not only did we listen raptly, but the ones accompanying her would hang onto every word. I would look at them and ask, "Weren't you with Aunt Eunice?" And they would nod and say, "Yes, but I didn't hear or see all that she's telling. Hush, I don't want to miss anything." Maybe she did exaggerate, but down here in the Deep South, stories just gotta' have life!

My favorite wild adventure with Aunt Eunice happened at Christmas when I was a shrawny skinny 13 year old city kid new to country living:

We needed a Christmas tree, so Aunt Eunice grabbed the axe and the wheelbarrow. She and I went on a diligent hunt for the best cedar Christmas tree. We walked a long distance. Finally she proclaimed, "This is it!" She viewed it from every angle and this one tree met her requirements. She grabbed the axe and began chopping it down. "Bam! Bam!" a gunshot blast filled the air. I was scared out of my mind. I fell down on the ground and crawled under the wheelbarrow.

Aunt Eunice straightened up and cupped her hands around her mouth and shouted toward the direction of the shotgun blasts, "We don't care about your liquor stills. Leave us alone. It's Christmas. So what if we've walked a little past our property line. Get back to your moonshine and we'll finish cutting down our Christmas tree. Shame on you!"

Obviously the moonshiners agreed. We never heard another peep out of them. When we got our "perfect" Christmas tree in place in the parlor Aunt Eunice would wink at me when I would gaze at it. Never had I had such an adventure choosing a Christmas tree in the city.
So .....Aunt Eunice, I dedicate my Friday posts to you. You blessed everyone that ever knew you with a great gift: the art of laughing and seeing the joy all around you. I hope I will develop some of your storytelling art. Just maybe some of that DNA will trigger my brain to tell a story that brings my readers to laugh.
A merry heart doeth good like a medicine!
PROVERBS 17:22

8 comments:

Tracy said...

Great story! (LOL!) Your Aunt Eunice sounds like someone I would have loved to meet. = ) I so agree with you (and Proverbs) about the importance of laughter! Have a great Friday and a wonderful weekend!

Blessings,
Tracy

Victoria (Vii) said...

These are great! Thanks for putting a smile on my face this morning!

Beth K. Vogt said...

I would have loved to have met your Aunt Eunice! What a Christmas memory you made with her!
Thanks for stopping by The Writing Road . . . may God bless the work of your hands, Kay.
Beth@TheWritingRoad

Anonymous said...

I have an Uncle George -- but he's not nearly as funny as Eunice. In fact, he still scares me.

Thanks for the comment on my blog. The photo isn't mine -- its from freephoto -- so you can use it!
David
www.redletterbelievers.blogspot.com

redletterbelievers at gmail.com

Pinkshoelady said...

Hi Kay,

Was your Aunt Eunice related to my Aunt Halley?

She was a tough old woman who could make me laugh so hard.

I did not get to meet my dad's dad (Paw), but family fokelore has it than when he would say.."I think I'll tell me some stories." That word would get around and neighbors would come from over the mountains to hear him.

Speaking of stories...You are right. Marian Bond West did write the Nevertheless Principle. I read it years ago and gave my copy away to someone who needed it more than I did. But it impacted my life forever. Glad you regognized it!

Pamela R.

Marilyn in Mississippi said...

I hope I can stop laughing....really laughing out loud belly laughs!....long enough to type this! THANKS! I needed that!

God bless you!

Marilyn in Mississippi

Marilyn in Mississippi said...

I hope I can stop laughing....really laughing out loud belly laughs!....long enough to type this! THANKS! I needed that!

God bless you!

Marilyn in Mississippi

Dorothy Champagne said...

Found this website, thought you could add some of it to your Friday posts! Which are great!
http://yahshvah.com/churchjokes.htm

Look forward to the next one!

© 2008 Kay Martin

Thrive In Christ

Who I Am In Christ by Neil Anderson

For several months we will center on this book to pursue Thriving in our Christian journey.

Neil challenges us with: "Do you know who you are in God's eyes? We are no longer products of our past. We are primarily products of Christ's work on the cross. Who we are determines what we do.

You are not who you are in Christ because of the things you have done, you are in Christ because of what He has done. He died and rose again so that you and I could live in the FREEDOM of His love."

That's just the introduction. More to follow.