Anyone who thinks the Almighty doesn't have a sense of humor...

...never taught Sunday School.

The lesson was easy enough -- the difficulty of obedience, as demonstrated by Jonah.

For any who may have forgotten or never knew, he was the prophet who didn't want to obey, ran away from the Lord, and got swallowed by a giant fish. (Yes, the word in the ancient story is fish, not whale.)

When he finally got spat back up on shore, he acted with disgruntled obedience, and got taught a lesson in mercy.

Anyway, the take home assignment for the kids was that each picked a Bible verse printed on a piece of paper, and the child must try to obey that verse for the whole week. Another paper, with space to write how they did, was sent home, too. That one is to be brought back next week to report how it went.

The verse distribution was hilarious.

I Chronicles 16:9, "Sing to him, sing praise to him; tell of all his wonderful acts," went to the two kids least likely to sing in the whole world. We've never heard a peep out of either of them at song time, and i've been teaching them for two years.

Romans 12:18, "If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone," went to a brother and sister who, from what their mom says, do nothing but bug the tar out of each other at home.

James 1:26, "If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless," was the verse chosen by a child whose tongue is never tired. Walking stream of consciousness, that child, just like my Bigger Girl.

Then there was my favorite. Hebrews 13:17, "Obey your leaders and submit to their authority. They keep watch over you as men who must give an account. Obey them so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no advantage to you."

That one went to our ADHD poster child. Her response on hearing her verse was a loud, wailed, "Noooo!"

If you ever need a laugh, drop by a Sunday School. You will probably get one, or more.


Today is:

Bonza Bottler Day

Independence Day -- Kenya (Jamhuri)

Miracle of the Roses -- Catholic Christian; related celebrations
Fiesta del Virgin de Guadalupe -- Mexico
Las Mananitas -- Puerto Rico

National Ambrosia Day

National Ding-A-Ling Day -- a day on which to honor all the ding-a-lings you know, and even act like one yourself if you want

National Tree Planting Day -- Malawi

Neutrality Day and Student Youth Day -- Turkmenistan

Poinsettia Day

St. Cury's Day (Patron against blindness, deafness, demonic possession)

St. Finnian of Clonard's Day (Father of Irish Monasticism; going to bed without supper tonight means you risk being carried away by the fairies)

St. Lucy's Eve -- Austria (night of the shining that some use to predict the future)

Unmentionable Thoughts Festival -- Fairy Calendar (Imps, Goblins, and naughty Fairies)

Yuletide Lads begin arriving -- Iceland (Jolasveinar trolls, bring gifts and mischief from now until Christmas)


Anniversaries Today:

Pennsylvania becomes the 2nd US State, 1787


Birthdays Today:

Mayim Bialik, 1975
Rey Mysterio, Jr., 1974
Madchen Amick, 1970
Jennifer Connelly, 1970
Tracy Austin, 1962
Sheila E. 1957
Cathy Rigby, 1952
Emerson Fittipaldi, 1946
Dionne Warwick, 1941
Connie Francis, 1938
Bob Barker, 1923
Bob Dorough, 1923
Joe Williams, 1918
Frank Sinatra, 1915
Edward G. Robinson, 1893
Edvard Munch, 1863
Erasmus Darwin, 1731



Today in History:

The Battle at Ninevah: Byzantine emperor Heraclius defeats Perzen, 627
The Order of the Dragon is created by Sigismund, King of Hungary, and his wife Queen Barbara of Celje, following the battle for possession of Bosnia, 1408
Isabella crowns herself Queen of Castile and Aragon, 1474
Jews are expelled from Schlettstadt Alsace by Emperor Frederick III, 1479
In Vienna, Ludwig von Beethoven receives his first lesson in music composition from Franz Joseph Haydn, 1792
Mexico is officially recognized as an independent nation by the US, 1822
The first Canadian coins are circulated (1 cent, 5 cent, 10 cent and 20 cent), 1858
Rudolph Dirks' first Katzenjammer cartoon strip appears in the NY Journal, 1897
Belo Horizonte, the first planned city of Brazil, is founded, 1897
George F Bryant of Boston patents the wooden golf tee, 1899
Guglielmo Marconi receives the first transatlantic radio signal at Signal Hill in St John's, Newfoundland, 1901
Delhi replaces Calcutta as the capital of India, 1911
Oscar Straus becomes US Secretary of Commerce, the first Jew to be a US Cabinet member, 1906
The first all metal aircraft, the Junkers J-1, is test flown in Dessau, Germany, 1915
In Nebraska, Father Edward J. Flanagan founds Boys Town as a farm village for wayward boys, 1917
The first prototype of a hovercraft is patented by British engineer Christopher Cockerell, 1955
Guinea joins the United Nations, 1958
The Russian Federation gains independence from the USSR, 1991