That Time at a Funeral

by Jason Arnold

I have some really funny stories from funerals. Seriously! Just ask my community group to tell you. Most are just outright hilarious. Others are funny only because you are not supposed to laugh at funerals, so it makes it even funnier because you can’t laugh.

I have some funny wedding stories, too. Some are from the actual ceremony, but some real doozies came during the rehearsal or reception. The two days of combined rehearsals and the wedding can bring about some silliness that can lead to great, funny, bend-over-laughing moments.

I have some funny stories from staff meetings. I have four standing meetings each week. We try our best to be as reverent as you expect your staff to be, but sometimes we really get going laughing at something that happened or something somebody said. I tell Pastor Rick all the time he needs to write an anonymous book titled, “Things I Heard During Staff Meeting,” and it would be a best seller.

I have lots of funny stories from growing up, stories from high school and college. I even have some really funny stories from seminary!

What do all of these stories have in common? I was with other people. As we conclude Groups Month emphasis, I am reminded that most, if not all, of the happy moments occur when I am with other people. How boring my life would be without other people to be with and make memories.

So much of our time can be spent in isolation. How often do you see a group of people eating a meal, and all of them are on their phones? They are there, but they are certainly not present. One after another, each day passes, and we had a small part to play. I encourage all of us to do life with others. Make those moments of each day count in the lives of those you choose to be around. If we are present in the highs and lows, we are doing what God has asked. We are designed to be in community with others. Make time and follow through. Who knows? Maybe you’ll have some really funny stories to tell some day!

Author Bio
Jason is husband to Kim and father to Nolan and their yellow lab, Mabel. He gets his kicks watching baseball, talking about and working on cars, fishing and reading business articles and books. He was called to ministry out of the "real world" of finance in 2007. Since then, he's completed a master and doctorate degrees and hopes to never write another paper again. He has served as Executive Pastor of Inside-the-Walls Ministry since 2013.