Month: January 2020

Silly Joke Friday

Silly Joke #1

I called the RSPCA today and said, “I’ve just found a suitcase in the woods containing a fox and four cubs.” “That’s terrible,” she replied. “Are they moving?” “I’m not sure, to be honest,” I said, “But that would explain the suitcase.”

Silly Joke #2

There was a nun whose old body began to surrender to time. Her doctor prescribed for her a shot of whiskey three times a day to relax her. Not to be lured into “worldly pleasures”, she huffily declined. But the Mother Superior knew the elderly sister loved milk. So she instructed the kitchen to spike the milk three times a day. After a few more years, even that spiked milk couldn’t help and the aged sister approached her final hour. As several nuns gathered around her at her bedside, the Mother Superior asked if she wanted to leave them with any words of wisdom. “Oh, yes,” she replied. “Never sell that cow!”

Silly Joke #3

There was a little boy in kindergarten. At the end of one cold winter day, when all the other children were leaving, the teacher found him crying, so she asked him what was wrong. He sobbed, “I can’t find my boots.” The teacher looked around the classroom and saw a pair of boots. “Are these yours?” “No, they’re not mine,” said the little boy, shaking his head. The teacher and the boy searched all over the classroom for his boots. Finally, the teacher gave up, “Are you SURE those boots are not yours?” “I’m sure,” the boy sobbed, “mine had snow on them.”

Bonus Silly Joke

John, woke up after the annual office Christmas party with a pounding headache, cotton-mouthed and utterly unable to recall the events of the preceding evening. After a trip to the bathroom, he made his way downstairs, where his wife put some coffee in front of him. “Louise,” he moaned, “tell me what happened last night. Was it as bad as I think?” “Even worse,” she said, her voice oozing scorn. “You made a complete ass of yourself. You succeeded in antagonizing the entire board of directors and you insulted the president of the company, right to his face.” “He’s an asshole,” John said. “Piss on him.” “You did,” came the reply. “And he fired you.” “Well, screw him!” said John. “I did. You’re back at work on Monday!”

Peace, love, light, and joy,
Andrew Arthur Dawson

Question Of The Day

Today’s question is…

Which of the following best describes you when it comes to “worship”:

  1. You regularly attend some type of traditional church service of an organized religion.
  2. You regularly attend some type of evangelical church service of an organized religion.
  3. You regularly attend some type of other worship service of an organized religion.
  4. You regularly attend some type of other worship service, but not of an organized religion.
  5. You periodically attend some type of traditional church service of an organized religion.
  6. You periodically attend some type of evangelical church service of an organized religion.
  7. You periodically attend some type of other worship service of an organized religion.
  8. You periodically attend some type of other worship service, but not of an organized religion.
  9. You rarely or never attend any type of worship service, but do worship in your own way.
  10. You don’t ever attend any type of worship service and don’t ever do any type of worship in other ways either.

Peace, love, light, and joy,
Andrew Arthur Dawson

Daily Reflection

“And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen.” (Matthew 6:5-6 NIV)

I recently attended a Sunday service at my best friend’s evangelical church while visiting him in Massachusetts. While I’m not one for organized religion, especially of the evangelical kind, I went mostly because I had agreed that if he attended the spiritual center I regularly attend in Toledo that I would attend his place of worship as well. And, during his last visit, he indeed kept his word, thus, when I visited him over Martin Luther King weekend, it was my turn to keep mine.

That morning, as I stood during each worship song the live band played in front of me, I watched as many in attendance raised either one hand or two into the air and boldly exclaim their love for Jesus more often than not. It was tough for me and I honestly felt rather uncomfortable, as I have in every single evangelical church I’ve ever been in attendance to in the past.

Why did I feel so uncomfortable? Because I’ve always felt that what Christ meant in Matthew 6, versus 5-6, is that prayer and praise isn’t ever meant to be showy. Rather, it’s meant to be humbler and done in private. And that’s the very thing I’ve done throughout all the moments of my life where I’ve done my best to pursue a deeper relationship with God.

Ironically, there have been many times in my own home, when I’m by myself, listening to music that moves my soul, in places like my shower, or kneeling at the foot of my bed, where I too have raised my hands and said “Praise Jesus”, where tears have flown from my eyes, where I’ve felt much closer to God because of it all. But, I’ve never really felt comfortable doing any of that whatsoever in any of the churches I’ve ever attended, even when the majority of those around me were doing it. I’ve even attempted at times to do it anyway when those around me were doing it, often simply to conform, hoping it made me feel something. You know, like when in Rome, do as the Romans do kind of thing? But, it’s never really worked for me, just as showy religion really never has worked for me either. Dancing in aisles, raising hands with others, shouting various praises for Christ at certain moments of worship, none of it has ever felt comfortable to me and on some level, has always felt rather contrived. What HAS felt natural to me though has typically come when I’ve been feeling totally frustrated and at my weakest, enduring all my hurt and pain by myself in various places of solitude. As it’s consistently been in each of those places, where I’ve always felt the closest to the Lord and never held back from showing that.

Look, I know it’s not my place to knock what may work for someone else who enjoys those evangelical praise and worship types of services. Because frankly, I believe there are many ways to interpret scripture from any book of faith, as I am in this case, where I personally believe that Christ always felt the closest to God through prayer and praise in only those deep moments of solitude, where He was at His most vulnerable and exposed, as I too have experienced in my own journey of faith.

Dear God, help me to always remember that prayer and praise is different for every individual and that all that ultimately matters is developing a closer relationship with You.

Peace, love, light, and joy,
Andrew Arthur Dawson