"I'd never make it on one of those Survivor shows. Every time I even think about eating something like caterpillars, I get butterflies in my stomach." ~ copied

Welcome once again to what I suppose is to many an important day of recognition: April Fool's Day, Friday, April 1, 2016. I will admit that I am not into pulling pranks on people. Not today or any other day as far as that goes. Consequently, people are not into pulling pranks on me. Here at work, there's quite a bit of that kind of behavior that does go on but I am not a participant. Some think that must mean I am a curmudgeonly fellow who doesn't know how to have fun. That would not be the truth but I'm okay with them not including me in their shenanigans. I can't even remember how far back that people began to say that I am just too serious. I've learned that we all are byproducts of the sum total of everything that has happened to us, therefore, my personality demonstrates my own personal journey. This doesn't mean I don't know how to laugh. I like funny stories. I enjoy forth and back banter. I suppose I could be like the fellow who, against his nature, tried to pull an April Fool's funny but no one understood since no one believed he had a sense of humor. They say today is April Fool's Day where you should not believe or trust anyone, oh I see, just like every other day. (Joking only.) I did read about one radio station that made an April Fool's announcement but it created quite a stir. It was supposed to be a joke. This was many years ago when Cabbage Patch Dolls were wildly popular and next to impossible to get. On April 1st, the station broadcasted a message that told people they had to go to the football field of the local university and wait. An airplane would fly overhead and the dolls would be dropped onto the field. People were supposed to hold their credit cards up so that a photographer with a telephoto lens in the airplane could get the credit card numbers and charge the price of the dolls to the recipients' accounts. The result: A sizable number of folks actually showed up and stood out on the field dutifully waving their plastic cards in the breeze.

They actually have lists of pranks for those who can't come up with one on their own. ~ Scrape the cream out of oreo cookies and fill them with white toothpaste! ~ Advertise your boss's job in the local newspaper. ~ Switch the signs for Men's and Ladies toilets ... watch the fun! ~ Superglue some coins to the sidewalk or any spot that has a lot of people walking around. Make sure it's an appropriate place, then watch people break fingernails to get the coins. ~ Take some Cooking Oil Spray and spray it on the toilet seat, and the next person who goes to the bathroom might have a little problem! ~ Switch all the bags in the cereal boxes to other boxes and watch the fun ensue! ~ The list I read went on and on. Guess what? I didn't think any of them were very funny. I would hope the person who advertises their boss's job in the newspaper has something in mind when they lose theirs. Watching people break their fingernails doesn't sound very entertaining to me. But that would be my way of seeing it. You may be one of those who get a big kick out of this day devoted to trickery. Great. Knock yourself out!

The Apostle Paul, speaking about living the Christian life said this, "We are fools for Christ's sake..." (1 Corinthians 4:10) The Greek word translated fools is moros that we derive moronic from. He was saying that faithfulness to God as demonstrated in daily living gives the appearance to the world that one operates in a foolish manner. Why would a person doing their best to live as God would have them to live be considered to be a fool? Obviously, the behaviors of righteousness are foreign to the sinful world. One example. Paul told the folks who were members of the local congregation meeting in Corinth they would be much better off absorbing wrongs in order to maintain their testimony. (1st Corinthians Chapter 6) Wow! Absorb wrongs? In that culture then and our culture now, the overwhelming majority would be bent on getting everything coming to you, no matter what, well, that type of Christian response would be thought to be foolish. Given that short exposition, it may not be a bad way to end our thoughts on a day set aside to honor fools. I do know that I have work to do on my testimony for the Lord. We all do! It comes with the territory. That's why we will be a work in progress until our promotion day comes. Amen. Have a great Saturday and Lord's Day Sunday and I'll see what I can scramble up for our next visit. ....More later.