Another installment from my dad’s humor cards.
The backstory: My dad was a Presbyterian pastor for 40 years. He kept a well curated stack of humor cards – little stories or observations that he typed onto 5×7 cards. Then he wrote in the margins when he used that particular item. His humor was often an easy way to settle in to something deeper – by laughing and thinking about the buried truth in these little nuggets, it paved the way to an open heart.
When we cleaned out his desk after he died 7 years ago, I was lucky enough to stumble on this stack. I pull it out regularly to have a little laugh with my dear Dad. Now when I post one of them, I write my note next to his and it feels like a continuation.
Parables
- Man came in after being bitten by a mad dog. The doctor confirmed he had rabies and it was too late to do anything, he should die within the week. He sat right down and began writing…filled one paper and its back, went to a second. The doctor said, “Wow, that is a pretty long will.” The man replied, “Will, nothing. I’m making a list of people I plan to bite.”
- There was a pastor who said wrong things and often didn’t know it. One Sunday his wife told him he said Jesus took 5,000 fish and 5,000 loaves and fed 5 people. So the next week to make up for it, he off-handedly said, “We all know Jesus fed 5,000 with 5 fish and 5 loaves – who could imagine how he did it?” And a boy spoke up that he knew how — he did it with all that was left over from last week.
- A pastor announced that 20 years ago Jesus called him to this parish but now Jesus has called him to another ministry and he had to respond to that call and leave. The congregation stood and sang a special hymn… What a Friend We Have in Jesus.