“WONDERING AND WANDERING”
by Rick Jones, Husband of the Minister's Wife
I sat down intending to share the story about the state trooper who . . . but then I realized that I still haven't shared the joke I told to open my first sermon as pastor of Goodold Baptist Church. I keep mentioning it, but some other topic will distract me. The title for my column, “Incessant Divagation”, is justified by the way my brain works. “Divagation” means “wandering” and “incessant” means “without ceasing”. That describes my thought process pretty well. It can be a hindrance when I'm working on a project: for example, while preparing a sermon on Peter's miraculous release from prison [Acts 12] I'll start thinking about Paul and Silas in prison [Acts 16]. That reminds me of the joke about the events in Acts 16 shared by Johnny Cash in his novel, Man in White. Now, I'm pretty sure Johnny sang “In the Jailhouse Now”, but wasn't it a duet? Time to hit the internet and find out. Next stop, Wikipedia.
No. “In the Jailhouse Now” was a hit for Johnny, but it's not the song I was thinking of; nor is “I Got Stripes.” I was looking for “There Ain't No Good Chain Gang”, a duet with Waylon Jennings.
Wow, I just realized that I haven't heard any Waylon for a while. Since I did actually get something done, it should be okay to take enough time to listen to one of Waylon's best songs, “Rose in Paradise”. And when's the last time when's the last time I saw the marvelous Muppets cover of “Bohemian Rhapsody”? That reminds me of “Bethlehemian Rhapsody” by ApologetiX. They're a Christian group which puts new lyrics to old and new hits, and have an amazing range of styles, covering anyone from Elvis and the Beach Boys to Eminem, Hoobastank and the Go-Gos.
Makes you wonder how I ever get back on track, doesn't it?
Fortunately, ApologetiX did a parody of “Jailhouse Rock” by Elvis, which tells the story from Acts 16, which nudged me back pretty close to Acts 12. Unfortunately, they also parodied Deep Purple's “Smoke on the Water” with “Walk on the Water”, relating to another event in Peter's life, and now I'm headed down another track . . .
Which reminds me of a story. Unfortunately, that story doesn't concern a state trooper, a sermon joke, or anything else I had been planning to write about. Instead, it's about the time I met Stan Lee, who co-created Spider-Man. You see, he autographed the cover of my copy of Amazing Spider-Man #65, which featured a jailbreak scene . . .
I always thank God for being my GPS, otherwise, I would be so lost!! Love knowing that I'm not the only one who gets off track a bit! :)
ReplyDeleteHe does wander a lot some days! That's what he has me around for, to keep him on track.
DeleteI call it brainstroming when I have those moments. Good things come out of the streams of conscience.
ReplyDeleteI agree! Especially when the wandering is on purpose while working on something.
DeleteYou are a hysterical zig-zagging train of thoughts!
ReplyDeleteYou should hear our conversations around the house. Some days it's hard for me to keep up with!
DeleteHahaha, this sounds like so many thoughts that run through my head lol.
ReplyDeleteIt's good to know he's not alone! LOL!!
DeleteLOL...This thought process of yours seems so familiar! I'm glad to read I'm not the only one. :)
ReplyDeleteYou certainly are not. He's all over the place sometimes!
DeleteOne of the things I fear the most is getting lost. I'd freak out and panic.
ReplyDeleteI have that trouble sometimes in my thought process. I wander so far I can't find my way back. Can be frustrating!
DeleteHaha, this happens to me too, from time to time. It helps to put everything down in writing to help gather your thoughts.
ReplyDeleteProblem is we tend to lose the papers we wrote stuff down on. LOL!
DeleteI am always distracted by some other topics. :) I would love to hear about how you met Stan Lee.
ReplyDeleteIn the '80s I was able to attend a comics sales conference -- not a convention, a conference where publishers and comics schop owners gathered. My local shop owner invited me so he could split the cost of lodging and gas.
DeleteWe learned why Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles would be a hot item [yep] and why Mr T's new comic book would be a megahit [nope]. We also got an advance look at the glow-in-the-dark Ghost Rider cover [really cool].
Stan Lee was at the Marvel Comics booth, and I only got to see him for about two minutes. Everybody else got about 1 minute, but when I pointed out that my name was the same as a character he introduced in The Incredible Hulk #1, and joked that I had the name first but wouldn't sue him, he laughed and I got a little extra time chatting.
And I did get to hear him, live and in person, say "Excelsior!"
I never heard the Waylon Jennings song. My mom loved him though.
ReplyDeleteWe hear him often here and at the in-laws house. Rick's Dad likes Waylon too!
DeleteAwesome you met Stan Lee! Awesome post as usual!
ReplyDeleteIt is pretty neat he got to meet Stan!
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