Category: Humor

Barbara B. Mann Performing Arts Hall

Post author By Chris M. Day
Post date March 23, 2023
No Comments on Barbara B. Mann Performing Arts Hall

Welcome back to #TravelThursday. Last week I wrote about the main campus of South Florida State College (#SFSC) near Avon Park – home of the 1,460-seat Alan Jay Wildstein Center For The Performing Arts. I got to see my first 2 concerts there last month. It’s just 2 miles away from my new home.

This week I’m about 100 miles away at a longtime favorite – the 1,874-seat Barbara B. Mann Performing Arts Hall at Florida SouthWestern State College (#FSW) in Fort Myers. I’ve seen 8 shows / concerts there since 2011 including Chicago (the legendary band), Jay Leno, Brian Regan, and Frank Caliendo. I would’ve seen more shows there if I lived nearby, as it’s 3 hours away from my Homestead home – and 2 hours away from my now Sebring home. It’s my favorite small performing arts venue to see shows. A show at the #BBMANNPAH means a stay at a local hotel for the night – because – frankly – I don’t like driving long distances late at night. Scary things happen on the road in the dark.

Last Thursday night – after final closing of my new home 100 miles away – I saw Michael Carbonaro: Lies On Stage there. It was a great show. I’m glad I attended and experienced it. (I had thought about skipping the show and staying in my new home, but I decided to continue with my plans.)

Michael put on a fun comedy and magic show with lots of audience interaction. I was a big fan of his 2014-2020 truTV show The Carbonaro Effect. I saw every episode of it over the course of its 5 seasons. He essentially brought that show to our LIVE audience, and it was fun to see.

The show was actually postponed from an earlier date in mid-October – 2½ weeks after the devastation caused by Hurricane Ian. (The venue suffered some roof damage, but shows resumed about a month after the storm.)

Next #TravelThursday I’ll write about some delicious fried chicken I found close to my new home. Let’s keep traveling together.

Tags Carbonaro, Concert

1970s Blogging History Humor Music Television

Match Game ’74

Post author By Chris M. Day
Post date December 15, 2021

Earlier this year I stumbled across Match Game reruns on Game Show Network. I wondered why I wasn’t recording them. (GSN airs 2 episodes back-to-back at 1:00 and 1:30 ET weekday afternoons.) It’s perhaps my favorite game show of all-time – hosted by my favorite game show host of all-time – Gene Rayburn !

I remember my Dad watching it in the afternoon after I got home from school. He’d be laughing hysterically at times. Of course I was 7 and 8 and 9, so I didn’t understand the fast-paced and sometimes risqué humor. I think I was mostly interested in hearing the quirky yet repetitive theme music that played all throughout each show.

I picked-up on the reruns of Match Game several years later as a teenager in the early-1980s. “The Match Game / Hollywood Squares Hour” in 1983 and 1984 on NBC was a favorite to watch at home after school.

I’ve watched most of the reincarnations of Match Game over the years. I even like the current ABC prime-time version with Alec Baldwin as host. But nothing comes close to the original star-studded big-money Match Game on CBS in the 1970s. (Although that run was actually a remake of a much lamer and tamer 1960s version.)

Over the past several months I’ve watched a majority of the episodes that aired sequentially during the latter-half of 1976 as “Match Game ’76”. I say a majority of them because GSN actually skipped-over a bunch of them – probably because they included content that is considered too politically incorrect or insensitive for 2021 television viewers. (What was OK 45 years ago is no longer OK today.) I was actually disappointed when GSN recently “started over” and went back to episodes from the Summer of 1974 as “Match Game ’74” instead of continuing forward into 1977. But as it turns out those earlier episodes seem a bit fresher and funnier than those of 2 years later. (The show was still fairly new in 1974, whereas by late-1976 it was starting to become a bit stale.)

I’ll keep watching these old Match Game reruns. They make me laugh more than pretty much everything else on TV today. It’s fun to look-in at America at a simpler more innocent time in our history. I would even say that it was a friendlier time in our history – back when we could actually joke and laugh with each other without fear of offending or retaliating.

It’s the start of a fresh new weekend here on my blog. Be sure to check-out #TravelThursday tomorrow, as I continue to tell you all about my [blank] !

Tags Match Game

Blogging Christian Church God Holidays Humor Ministry Movies

Church People

Post author By Chris M. Day
Post date April 8, 2021

Last Saturday afternoon (between Good Friday and Easter Sunday) I watched the movie “Church People” online. Here’s the trailer:

The movie is only available for streaming online via their official web site, and it costs a hefty $19.95 to watch it during a specific 4-hour viewing window. If it were not for the pandemic then this would have probably been at the movie theatres nationwide during this past season of Lent. (There always seems to be at least one faith-based movie showing at the multiplex during the weeks leading-up to Easter.)

I believe the original title of this movie was “Youth Group” based on the “behind-the-scenes” segment after the movie and before the closing credits rolled. It could have very well been titled “Megachurch”. I won’t give away much and spoil it, but it’s about a megachurch that has drifted far away from preaching the Gospel, and now they rely heavily on gimmicks and stunts. (I’ve been to a few megachurches like that.)

The crazy “rock star” Senior Pastor has come up with the most outrageous idea of them all for Good Friday. It takes the Youth Pastor to set him straight. You’ll see what happens if you purchase and stream this movie.

YES – There are several quirky characters in this movie that resemble the “Church People” that may or may not populate your church – if it’s big enough and youthful enough. I did laugh throughout the movie; although, some of the jokes fell flat on me. There were definitely some missed opportunities. The storyline was a bit rough at times and hard to follow. Nevertheless it was an entertaining 1-hour and 45-minute experience.

I recommend it. As I stated earlier $19.95 is hefty, but if you had gone to a movie theatre to see it you would have spent far more than that if you went with someone else or with your family or friends. Gather a group with you to see this online !

Tags Christian, Church, Comedy, Movie

Bible Christian Church God Humor Ministry Scripture

Sunday Scripture

Post author By Chris M. Day
Post date November 10, 2019

This weekend it’s something a little bit different. I’m a big fan and regular reader of “The Babylon Bee” – a satirical web site mostly on Christianity and Politics. It’s been around for almost 4 years. They are also on Facebook and Twitter.

A couple of nights ago they reran a classic post from 2 years ago. I loved it the first time. I loved it the next time. I loved it again. Check it out:

https://babylonbee.com/news/pastors-pulpit-says-theology

Recently as part of a major remodeling project of our church sanctuary (new stage, new lighting, new carpet, new chairs, new paint) I was asked to select a brand new pulpit for my use. (Our Lead Pastor doesn’t use the pulpit. He preaches on both sides of it, and in front of it, but never at it.)

I picked-out a really nice plexiglass pulpit, and it was purchased, and I use it every week. I love it. (You can see my reflection in it taking a picture of it.)

Well apparently The Babylon Bee says that (because of my pulpit) I’m transparent (yes), and I’m vulnerable (yes). Oh yeah – and my theology is lightweight. (OK – I’ll take that one too.)

I essentially preach what I know. I don’t try to preach above my knowledge and skills level. I don’t try to preach like anyone else. I just preach on my 13 years of salvation, and I compare it with my 39 years of life before Christ. I preach a lot on repentance and salvation. I preach on the God that I’ve known since 2006. So yeah you can see right through my sermons. I testify and preach. (That was actually the title of an early sermon of mine from 2017 – “Testify & Preach”.)

All of my sermon titles are two words separated by an ampersand. I’m currently working on two sermons for the next couple of months – “Ways & Memes”, and “Habakkuk & Forth”.

As for the NLT – um – well – guilty as charged ! #BushLeague

Preach the Word of God. Be prepared – whether the time is favorable or not. Patiently correct, rebuke, and encourage your people with good teaching. (2 Timothy 4:2 NLT)