SPOILIN’ THE BROTH
Neighbor Grover sez he doesn’t like political jokes because he’s seen too many of them get elected.
Here for your collection of religious humor is a true story, courtesy of good friend Greg Nichols whose father’s column is carried each week on this Faith page.
Dr. James Moudy was the second Chancellor of Texas Christian University, serving from 1965 to 1979. When Greg graduated in 1976, it was Chancellor Moudy who placed the parchment in his hand.
Greg said: “I never knew just how acquainted my father was with Dr. Moudy until he related a few years ago to a room of ministers at TCU, that he and Jim Mowdy were roommates at TCU upon enrolling in 1939. Later, Dad shared with me the following story.”
As a young man, James Moudy had arrived as the first pastor of newly established A&M Christian Church in College Station, and was in the funeral home’s lead car going to the cemetery for his first funeral. I suppose his wife, Lucille, was in the back seat.
He asked her to mark his King James Bible at Second Corinthians 5:1 so he could read those comforting words: For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.
She was trying to be her husband’s faithful hand, but inadvertently placed the marker ribbon at First Corinthians 5:1.
At the grave site, James opened his Bible and began the service with those not-so-comforting words:
It is reported commonly that there is fornication among you, and such fornication as is not so much as named among the Gentiles, that one should have his father’s wife.
—bc—Wow. How does a minister follow up on that? With some very quick thinking, I would imagine.
Which reminds of a story I heard told a long time ago about a quick-thinking minister who was conducting a revival at a Methodist church in Thorndale. Also a true story.
He was speaking on the sin of gluttony when a young boy, sitting on the front pew with his parents, let out a bountiful belch, heard throughout the sanctuary.
And the minister said immediately, “Well done, good and faithful servant!”
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