Soon after watching me celebrate my seven-year blogging anniversary, Mr. Handsome decided he wanted to get in on the blogging fun. He enjoys telling jokes and is always able to break the ice in tense situations through humor, so he found a way to use his talents to bring joy to others.
His new blog is called Funny Christian Memes (www.funnychristianmemes.com). I might be a little biased, but I am pretty amazed by his knack for creating memes that are both clean and funny. I have no idea how he comes up with a new meme every day or two, but he does, and they always make me laugh. He asks my opinions as he is creating them, but the ideas are all his. Hope you enjoy them as much as I do!
Anonymous
The link takes me to a blank page. "Clean," yes, but also blank!
nashvillewife@gmail.com
That's strange. It works for me. Here's the link again: http://www.funnychristianmemes.com
Hope this helps!
Ellie
Anonymous
The first link doesn't have the www in it.
Anonymous
You need to add www. to the link in the article for it to work.
Anonymous
I couldn't get it either.๐
Anonymous
Most of them, I don't find funny. For instance, Lady Gaga is an extremely talented singer, songwriter, piano player, dancer, and all-around performer. As we watched the halftime show, we marveled at how she could be so "aerobic" yet not once lose her breath for singing. That takes an amazing amount of stamina and conditioning. I don't think it's funny to say that jets would be better to listen to.
How does your husband's fellow church members feel about his poking fun at the church or the services? I would be afraid, if I went to your church, that something I did or said would show up on that blog.
Be careful. What you think is funny, someone else can see as insensitive. Comedy can be a dangerous field.
Anonymous
I agree with you, especially about the Lady Gaga part. She is extremely talented and she also exemplifies what Christians should be. She believes in loving and accepting everybody.
Anonymous
She was awesome at the halftime show. And yes on the loving and accepting part…"Born This Way." Look at how versatile she is, too. Singing old standards with Tony Bennett and also appealing to younger listeners with another genre of music. She's hard-working, incredibly talented, and has a huge heart. It really wasn't fair to make that meme about her, even if you can't appreciate her music.
Anonymous
I had the same thoughts when reading the meme about Lady Gaga. I immediately left the blog and will not be reading anymore. If her music or ideas are not to your liking that's okay but that meme was tasteless and honestly mean spirited.
nashvillewife@gmail.com
We apologize if you were offended. Many of the memes are about my husband and others who give permission and are thrilled about being on the blog, so he isn't just poking fun at others. Lady Gaga is certainly a very talented performer. In fact, the joke just implies that her performance was loud (as it certainly was at such a big stadium–most professional performers wear earplugs to prevent hearing loss), not that the music itself was poor quality.
My husband plays banjo, and people are constantly making jokes about banjo music being loud and obnoxious, but he thinks they are amusing. (If you want a good laugh, look up "banjo jokes"…they are quite funny.)
Most modern comedy is crude and inappropriate, so my husband's goal is to make people laugh without using curse words and adult content. Most celebrities don't mind when people poke fun at them. In fact, I have heard of plenty of celebrities throwing parties and hiring comedians to crack jokes at their expense, just to lighten the mood.
Ellie
Anonymous
That's not how the "joke" came across. It implied that it would be better to listen to jet engines than Gaga. I doubt she hired your husband to crack a joke at her expense this time.
Anonymous
It is the comments that give a perspective the poster may not have considered and therefore those could be especially valuable in the development of one's craft.
Anonymous
I don't think any of the memes were tasteless or mean spirited. They were all clearly meant to be humorous. We all have different senses of humor, but it seems like most people have lost theirs. We need more lightheartedness. Please tell your husband to keep up the good work.
Anonymous
Most people have lost their sense of humor? I don't think that being more discerning about what's funny and what's potentially hurtful means that someone has lost their sense of humor. Maybe some have lost their jr. high sense of humor, and others have held onto it for some reason?
Anonymous
I love Gaga and I did not take the meme that way…if anything it was poking fun at the ridiculousness of potentially deafening people instead of having a music show!
Anonymous
It doesn't work for me either, it just goes to a page that says "The domain funnychristianmemes.com is no longer parked by GoDaddy."
nashvillewife@gmail.com
Sorry about that. Try adding www. ๐
Ellie
Anonymous
I'm checking his blog out, tell him it's great! I'm a huge pats fan and I love the Tom Brady one!
nashvillewife@gmail.com
Thank you! I'll tell him!
Ellie
Anonymous
I just got a blank green page.
nashvillewife@gmail.com
Sorry about that. Try typing in http://www.funnychristianmemes.com
Does that work?
Ellie
Anonymous
I looked at the bolg page and I enjoyed reading the memes. Thanks for the link and congratulations to Mr Handsome on his blogspot.
nashvillewife@gmail.com
Glad you enjoyed the memes! He just posted a new one yesterday afternoon. ๐
Ellie
Anonymous
It didn't work for me either.
nashvillewife@gmail.com
Sorry for the confusion. Try typing in http://www.funnychristianmemes.com
Let me know if it works. ๐
Ellie
Anonymous
Really enjoyed his memes.
A lot of truth in them.
nashvillewife@gmail.com
Thank you! I'll pass that on to him.
Have a blessed day.
Ellie
Anonymous
My tablet automatically generated an icon for me, it is on the google search page now, it works. Also mean to say I enjoyed those memes. What's so meme about saying that?!
nashvillewife@gmail.com
Glad you enjoyed them! ๐
Ellie
Robyn
Lol, his memes are great! I think we all need to look at the light hearted side if things and not take ourselves so seriously ๐
Anonymous
We also don't need to poke fun at innocent people or situations that make someone uncomfortable. A little sensitivity, please.
nashvillewife@gmail.com
Thanks, Robyn. Glad you enjoyed them.
I really love how my husband is able to use good-natured humor to lighten the mood, spread joy, and break the ice in tense situations. It is a talent he got from his dad. They both also enjoy when people poke fun at their expense, as well. My family didn't do much of that growing up, but I have really come to appreciate it. There is so much pain and heartache in our world, and it really does us all good to have a reason to laugh. Laughing at ourselves also prevents us from becoming too haughty and full of ourselves. I know it has been helpful for me to learn not to take myself so seriously that I can't even see the humor in my own actions/idiosyncrasies.
Hope this makes sense. ๐ I want to stress that humor must always be good-natured. Making fun of people's disabilities and shortcomings is never okay.
Ellie
Anonymous
Laughing or poking fun at one's self is one thing… Pointing out others' foibles or peculiarities, and posting it online, is quite another.
Anonymous
I really agree about the positive role of humor in one's life. At the end of the day, we all often do/say silly things, or have idiosyncrasies, like Ellie says, and if you're able to laugh about it not only it means that you enjoy life more, but also that you can put things into perspective.
Anonymous
Do you and Mr. Handsome listen to any "pop" music? Or just Christian stuff?
nashvillewife@gmail.com
We mostly listen to Christian music, but there are many genres within Christian music. We recently went to a concert called Winter Jam, and we enjoyed the variety of songs/artists (rock, pop, country, folk, rap, etc). What kind of music do you like?
Ellie
Ellie
Anonymous
Anyone would be missing out on a lot of great music if they only listened to Christian music. There's plenty of other wonderful music that's not offensive to anyone's morals.
nashvillewife@gmail.com
Agreed. We are always open to music that is not offensive/inappropriate, even if it's not found on Christian radio. It's often difficult, but we have been able to find some bluegrass and country tunes that fit that bill. ๐
Ellie
Anonymous
There's nothing "difficult" about music from the 40's or 50's, old standards, most Broadway show songs, classical, etc. Before the British Invasion and that era in the 60's, most pop songs were squeaky clean. Mick Jagger getting his (Rolling Stones) lyrics censored on the Ed Sullivan Show was the first incidence of song censoring that I can remember.
I think current "country" music has gone too rock/pop, and you could definitely find songs in that genre that you'd find inappropriate. For that matter, you could find themes in classical operas that you'd probably think weren't appropriate, either. Art has always reflected society.
nashvillewife@gmail.com
I'm sure there is plenty of older music that is very appropriate. ๐ I'm not a huge fan of musics from the 40s and 50s, although I do enjoy hearing a song or two while watching old movies. I was referring to modern music when I said it is difficult to find good songs that aren't inappropriate.
I agree that country has gone downhill quickly. Clean, modern country songs are few and far between.
Ellie
Anonymous
I love old music! And I am under 20. Lol
Regina
My youngest daughter who is 16 has discovered 70's music and she likes a lot of the songs from that era. She laughs at the hairstyles we had back then.๐
Anonymous
Ellie do you like listen to Florida Georgia Line their country music and they don't play bad songsm their songs are good.
I just went to their concert 13 days ago.
Anonymous
Thank you, but I won't be reading your husband's blog again.
Anonymous
What is your intention when posting this to Ellie? Are you expecting her to be hurt you are not going to his blog again? Why not just don't go without posting that you aren't going?
Anonymous
It wasn't meant to be rude or hurtful, and I'm sorry if it came across that way. I simply wanted to thank her for sharing it, but I wasn't interested in it when I read it. There wasn't anything wrong with the blog, I'm just more into blogs about families and everyday life.
Anonymous
Please pass on to your husband that I think his memes are in good taste and funny!! We all have to be able to laugh sometimes. ๏ฟฝ๏ฟฝ I especially liked the one about Chris Tomlin on repeat on Christian radio… It is so true!! (And I adore Chris Tomlin!)
Also, my hubby plays the banjo too… And There is no shortage of jokes about that!!
Thanks for sharing!! I will be returning to his blog soon!
Anonymous
Can I just ask (with no polemic intent) why does everything need to be "Christian"? It's almost as if you feel the need to justify doing absolutely normal things (enjoying memes, or concerts) by saying that they are Christian.
I mean, there's a lot of situations in life or in art (for examples movies or books) in which people do questionable things that I wouldn't do, but nevertheless these stories can be very interesting and educational. If I watch a movie with violence or promiscuity it doesn't mean that I would do those things in real life, but they can add meaning to the story. Plus, life is much more complicated than the perfect, clean "christian" version of it. I have the impression that by closing out realities that are more "wordly" you (a generic you) can have a very restrictive and judgmental view of the world.
I would really like to have you guys's opinion on that. ๐
Anonymous
I've wondered that, too. Can't you just be Christian without telling everyone all the time? Without adding that adjective to everything in your life? Yes, you're proud of how religious you are (wait, isn't that a contradiction, being religious and being prideful?) but there's no need to constantly say it. How about just quietly showing it instead, without saying it? That would impress people more.
I know some will get defensive of their right to speak out about their religion, but really…what else about ourselves do we feel the need to go around declaring in public? "I'm not really a blonde!" No, and why do you think that is? Because there's no need to! Plus you're not going to convince anyone else to become blonde (or Christian) by saying it. In fact, I don't think I'd want to be "blonde" if it means you can't enjoy a lot of everyday things.
Anonymous
Also, how does something classify as "Christian"? is it enough if it's clear of swear words or sex scenes? Or should it also forward a certain message? There are so many different views on Christianity nowadays, that giving things the "christian badge" doesn't really help.
Anonymous
Ellie, what do you think about that? I do have my perplexities, but I'm really interested in polite and serious exchanges of opinions. ๐
nashvillewife@gmail.com
Hi there,
Great question. ๐ In the Bible, Jesus commands Christians to offer their bodies as a living sacrifice (Romans 12:1), meaning that we are called to live for Him every hour of every day. As a Christian, I seek to bring glory to God in everything I do, including things as seemingly small as the movies I watch and the books I read. Pleasing and obeying God has become a lifestyle.
Ellie
MarriedUK
I'm not really sure why there's any negativity about Mr. H's mild memes. I think it's rather sweet that he's getting into blogging, given that Ellie clearly spends a lot of time supporting him and his interests (going fishing/ watching basketball etc..)
Can I ask a question of how you approach books? I gather you avoid music with "inappropriate" themes (I am assuming this means swearing and explicit content, correct me if I'm wrong). Do you also avoid books which contain these themes? What is your approach to culture generally?
nashvillewife@gmail.com
Hi MarriedUK,
We don't have as much time to read as we would like, but we do try to avoid explicit content and swearing. Both of us attended public school for part of our childhoods, and we both went to large, public universities, so we have seen a lot, and we have learned how to keep negative influences from affecting us. That being said, our view is that we are met with enough negative influences in life/culture/media that when it comes to books, movies, TV shoes, and music (which are all things we can control) we try to keep it clean.
I appreciate your comment, and I would love to hear your thoughts on this. ๐
Ellie
MarriedUK
I'm not a Christian, so I don't have a moral reaction to smutty culture (although in life I like to think people should stay classy). In terms of music, I don't worry much if it's just me but I'm pretty clear that I don't want my boys (aged 4 & 1) being exposed to bad language and adult themes. I've made quite a few CDs which are carefully chosen pop songs, which I'm happy for them to sing along to (my 4 year old loves what he calls "I am the tiger" – known to most people as "eye of the tiger"). As for movies, most films are dull dull dull, so I rarely watch them. I don't get "sociable" film evenings- I'd rather talk! But books… Books. I want to read the BEST works of fiction, written by the most skilled writers. And I want to see what they can do with words and what they can conjure up. I don't want to read anything which uses sex/ violence without purpose but l wouldn't want to self-censor literature. That being said, it's rare that a great writer needs to be explicit.
Regina
Ellie I loved the memes. I probably won't read it much because I'm in a place in my life where I enjoy reading blogs about homemaking, recipes etc, like yours ๐
And to those who complain about Ellie or any of the fellow Christians "talking' about it all the time it's because we aren't called to be "closet Christians". Jesus says if we are ashamed of Him, then He will be ashamed of us. That's why we talk about it. Ellie is a very godly woman and I admire her for being a great role model for young women her age. Ellie, you keep sharing your faith!
Anonymous
You aren't called to be closet Christians by whom? Yourselves? Not the people who have to listen to someone else go on and on about their religious beliefs, I gather. Can't the uncloseted Christians understand how tedious it is to hear that? It would be like me always talking about my job, working it into every conversation I ever had, even if the person listening could not relate and had no interest hearing about it. But I can't stop talking about it! I love my job so much! My entire life is centered on my job! You'd probably start avoiding me, and rightly so.
Anonymous
But saying that you watch "christian" movies, or read "christian" books, or come up with "christian" jokes isn't sharing your faith. Just saying you're a Christian isn't sharing your faith.
You should prove through your actions, through how you treat others, especially the poor and marginalized of society…
Anonymous
There is a lot of space between being "closet christians" and keeping on fluttering the christian badge at every given opportunity.
Anonymous
Dear Ellie and Mr Handsome, I love Mr H's sense of humor and some people are not able to find humor in life and those same people will have a rebutal for everything in life too. You both just keep on keeping on and thank God you can laugh at life! Both my parents are silly and taught me how to not take life at all serious (other than obvious things that you have to of course). I thank God for my hilarious parents! HAHA!
Anonymous
Keep on laughing, until someone makes fun of you someday, and you understand how it feels to be the joke…
Anonymous
I have had someone make funny of me and it's not funny at all. It mean rude. I was bullied at school all the time. This was back in the 80's.
MarriedUK
Seriously? These memes are not mean. Why would you say that they are?
Anonymous
I like Mr.Handsome memes they are funny and nice to read.