Laughing at Limericks

Not much time to blog these past few weeks, so why not share a summer laugh or two?

One of our family's summer highlights was our church's family conference known as Covfamikoi (the name is a loose acronym from "Covenant Families" with the beginning letters of the states in our presbytery tacked on the end somehow). Along with the great teaching, hearty psalm singing, and rich fellowship, the 400-plus conference participants enjoyed such things as recreational activities, a concert by New Song from Geneva College, and a talent show by the conferees themselves. The conference also sponsored a limerick contest, with the submissions and winners read at the talent show.

The winner was Anna Roberts from Bloomington, with this clever turn-of-phrase poking fun at the RP family tree (she gave me permission to share it here):

The Reformed Presbyterian family tree

Is very close-knit in its ancestry.

Everyone is related,

Our cousins have dated;

So what's your connection to me?

Somewhat out of character (at least for those who do not know her dark side like I do), my wife also got into the act. Her inspiration came from some posters that suddenly appeared all over campus one day. You see, at last year's conference a close-up picture had been taken of Dave Long thoroughly enjoying an ice cream cone. Head cocked to the side, tongue extended, eyes dreamily half-closed - you "get the picture." Some of the college students enlarged this flattering picture of their mentor into posters and pasted them everywhere. So Miriam's following entry took third place:

There was once a pastor named Dave,
Chocolate ice cream cones he did crave.
Yet one day while a-lickin'
The camera was a-clickin,
So now in public, Dave tries to behave.

These laughs reminded me, as a math teacher turned pastor, of one of my all-time favorite limericks:

There was a young fellow from Trinity
Who found the cube root of infinity.
But it gave him such fidgets
To add up the digits,
He chucked math and took up divinity.

Have any limericks you would care to submit?