The Boys Are Back in Town

One of my favorite social faux pas of a post-holiday season still stands as the consistency of regular questioning. Take this season, as example. Even before I left the States I managed to exchange a courteous dialogue with most of our youth group consisting of questions at least very similar to the following:

Person 1: Hey, how are you?
Person 2: Good. good.
P1: Yeah? How was your break?
P2: Good. We sat around and watched TV (or read or watched football)
P1: Awesome. Sounds like you had a great time.
P2: I did. How was your break?
P1: Good. We sat around and watched TV (or read or watched football)
P2: Awesome. Sounds like you had a great time.
P1: I did.
P2: Well, its good to see you again.
P1: You too.

With some, that is the end of the conversation. With a closer few, there would be a list of received gifts containing one if not all of these things: money, music, clothes, and on occasion some type of video game console.

This conversation happened in excess of 20 times since I've returned to Cairo, 15 of which occurred this morning between church services.

Let's pray. Not really. It wouldn't be a very good transition for me to begin a prayer at this point in our interaction. But that was about how awful the transition cringed at our Thursday night service when after watching a hilarious video advertising our upcoming dodgeball tournament, I stabbed the hilarity with a solemn "Pray with me," followed by a sobering ritual of pastoral prayer. Nobody slept through that one.

Our youth team slapped together what is no doubt the funniest video I've ever been apart of, this past Wednesday. With some late night editing and final filming done within hours of the release date, this film had "The Office" fans and naïve audience members giggling, chuckling, and falling out of chairs even into the sermon. But those members took a humor hiatus when as the video ended with me yoga stretching dressed in Polo shirt, tie, and slacks with dodgeball in hand, I strode upon stage and began praying. (See back to EgyptKyle.blogspot.com in following days for footage from the video.)

After every present pastor approached me to address the transition from video to pray on Thursday night, post-worship service, complimenting and commenting on the video and pray, I decided to seek a new, less awkward transition. Here is what Kevin and I came up with:

(finale music of video fades, I walk to the pulpit and mic. Glance up to the screen to make sure my character had finished stretching only to proceed with transition)
"Whoever decided the order of worship this week decided it would be embarrassingly funny if now I lead the pastoral prayer." (a few chuckles rekindle) "Now if you wouldn't mind, please pray with me..." (continue with prayer and scripture)

That is my embarrassing story of the day. Check back frequently to listen to more of Kyle Stallard reminiscing his Embarrassing Story of the Day.