Odd title, you say? Well, the book is about writing humor, and it’s by one of the funniest guys I know, James N. (Jim) Watkins, author, conference speaker, editor, humorist, and threat to society (by his own admission). If you have attended a Christian writers’ conference in recent memory, you may have encountered Jim as a faculty member. Just in case you’ve never heard of him, check out his Web site at www.jameswatkins.com.
The subtitle tells you what the book is about: Principles, Practices, and Pratfalls of Writing Humor. It’s a humor course in one volume. Each chapter contains instruction and examples of Jim’s humor to get your funny bone in shape for writing your own humor.
Get the book for your writer’s how-to library. I promise you will be educated as well as amused. Banana is available on Jim’s Web site at http://www.jameswatkins.com/bananas.htm.
Read Romans 7:14-25
Key Verse: What I don’t understand about myself is that I decide one way, but then I act another, doing things I absolutely despise. So if I can’t be trusted to figure out what is best for myself and then do it, it becomes obvious that God’s command is necessary. Romans 7: 15-16 (The Message).
Our town recently installed traffic cameras at certain intersections to catch people running the red lights. At first glance, one might think that we have lazy policemen or town coffers that need additional revenue. When I read the newspaper article about it, I found that accident statistics showed a high incidence of crashes at these locations. And, the mishaps were usually caused by people running the red light. We know the traffic laws, but we break them all the time.
We know God’s laws, too. We have the Ten Commandments on which our American legal system is based. And, Jesus taught the Greatest Commandment, loving God and loving our neighbor. But, we ignore or intentionally break those laws regularly. Imagine what our world would be like without God’s laws, though. Total chaos. Every man for himself. We need guidelines for living because we just can’t seem to do the right thing on our own.
Prayer: Lord, thank you for giving us your law as a guide for living. Forgive us when we fail to follow, and help us to do better in the future. Amen.
Hi Emily -
Thanks for stopping by my blog and commenting.
Jim Watkins will be at the Greater Philadelphia Christian Writers Conference in August. I’m looking forward to hearing him again. He’s a dynamic speaker. I’m sure they’ll have his book there.
I checked out your other blog, and enjoyed the review of The Heart Mender. It sounds like something I’d enjoy.
Blessings,
Susan