Sometimes it’s hard work to find humor in everyday situations.  And sometimes the humor just jumps into your lap like Tom Cruise onto Oprah’s couch.

Did anyone happen to read last week that apparently some leaders of the Church of Scientology  have decided that Tom Cruise is going to become the new “Christ” of their religion?  According to news reports, Cruise has been chosen to spread the word of Scientology and, as one leader said, “like Jesus Christ, he’s been criticized for his views.  But future generations will realize he was right.” 

Oh my God, where do I begin???

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Two years ago, who would have predicted that an on-line video sharing website would attract an audience to the tune of 100 million views per day?  Is there any prophet out there who would have suggested that YouTube’s founders would be able to sell their site for the staggering sum of 1.65 billion dollars?  And how is it possible that there are (at last count) 65,000 people adding a video to this site daily?  What in the name of God is driving randomperson1969 to post a video of himself and his best friend dancing to Michael Jackson’s Billie Jean, or boredteenager2007 to add a clip of himself skateboarding off a 20 foot wall and crashing in an unsuspecting family’s backyard?  And would somebody explain to me why princessgurl1990 feels the need to post a video of herself smiling suggestively to the camera in her underwear??? (btw, those three examples are all made up, but sadly representative of what is out there for all to view)

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If you were paying attention to the news over the past few months, you may have been shocked to see Google acquire the rights to YouTube, a popular on-line video-sharing website, for the staggering sum of 1.65 billion dollars.  If you had never heard of or visited YouTube before, let me share a couple more astounding facts about this phenomenon – first of all, it was founded in February 2005.  That’s right – after being in existence for only a year and a half, its three founders sold the rights to YouTube for over one and a half billion dollars, the greatest get rich quick scheme ever.  Secondly, by July 2006, 65,000 new videos were uploaded to the website every day by people around the world, while 100 million clips were being viewed daily.  The most popular video, called The Evolution of Dance, has been viewed over 38 million times since it was added nine months ago.

Is your head spinning yet?

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Jesus loves you.

Is there any other statement in the English language that is at once so profound yet so utterly overused and meaningless to the majority of the people who hear it (including many Christians) than “Jesus loves you”?  I mean, as far as much of the world is concerned, you might as well be telling them “Barney the purple dinosaur loves you.”  What’s the big deal about Jesus loving me?

And while we’re at it, don’t forget the other one - “God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life.”

So… that’s supposed to make me feel what exactly???

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One of the most difficult decisions for anyone giving birth, whether to a new child or new church, is what to name it.  Certainly, many parents or church planters want to avoid giving their child or church a name that everyone else’s child or church has (Jacob, Emily; Grace Church), but they also don’t want to stick their child/church with a name that will invite ridicule (Cletos, Apple (oh wait…); Grassy Butte United Methodist Church of Dickinson, ND).  Let’s consider naming a church for a second.  Certainly, many churches have found that the safest thing to do is to name your church after the town or area in which you are located – like Saddleback Community Church or Willow Creek Community Church.  Safe, of course, unless you happen to live in Devils Lake, ND (home of Devils Lake United Methodist Church) or Bourbon, IN (home of Bourbon United Pentecostal Church). 

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