Random image of the week, a “desert-ed vehicle.” You know, because seven days without a pun makes one weak. Don’t groan, that’s just a foretaste!

• For a while, Houdini used a lot of trap doors in his act, but he was just going through a stage.
• I used to be a tap dancer until I fell in the sink.
• I saw a beaver movie last night, it was the best dam movie I’ve ever seen.
• Did you hear about the fire at the circus? The heat was in tents.
• Somebody was running a flea circus, but a dog came and stole the show.
• A former doctor, while auditioning for a play, broke his leg. But luckily, he could still make the cast.
• I keep reading ‘The Lord of the Rings’ over and over. I guess it’s just force of hobbit.
• When a vampire decided to become a poet, everyone said he went from bat to verse.
• If actions speak louder than words then why can’t you hear a mime?
• He auditioned for a part as a trumpet player but he blew it.
• To find the marionette I wanted, I had to pull a couple of strings.
• He didn’t want to volunteer for the rodeo but he got roped into it.
• I stole someone else’s idea for a stage drama. Am I a playgiarist?
• A six foot poet stanza very tall.
• I was going to order a satellite dish wholesale, but then I found out that I had to go through channels.
• The circus had to renew their insurance policy. They were in a hurry, so the insurance company issued a three ring binder.
• A flat-rate poetry tax would be a perverse form of greed.
• The fortune teller was plain spoken because she was a clear voyant.
• When the human cannonball retired they couldn’t find a replacement of the right caliber.
• Two ladies were discussing the planetarium show they had just seen. One said the show was fantastic. The other agreed but added, “Most of it was over my head.”

There you go — hope you enjoyed those. Remember, a pun is its own reword.

Alright, alright… on with the weekly linkage.

1. There’s a growing but alarming trend among churches in the emerging world, like this one in Ecuador. Be aware! (HT: Sarah)

2. We take the Gospel notion of “faith alone,” a belief many Reformers died contending for, and make it about us. We turn perseverance into personal empowerment and sanctification into self-improvement…. We don’t have sin — we have “issues.” …We forgo Christian repentance and gospel proclamation in favor of the culture war against gay marriage, evolution, atheism, liberalism, America forgetting her heritage, what-have-you.

   But The Point is Jesus.

3. A Google Map of Emergent cohorts, faith communities, and people via Julie Clawson
4. A vending machine for gold?
5. A Gecko’s tail is fascinating — and the most interesting TED Talks are the ones you wouldn’t expect to be.
6. Is this feeding some kind of stereotype? asianposes.com
7. Todd Hunter appointed Bishop of Rwanda (for American Dioceses, that is)
8. I remember once telling a pastor he couldn’t herd sheep with a cattle prod… something tells me David Hayward gets it, according to his cartoon: get along little doggies
9. Kathy Escobar on St. Augustine, hope’s two beautiful daughters
10. I’m thinking divine on the left, human on the right… but I could be wrong. Anyone, anyone?
11. David Bosch on Humility… and seeing one’s place in church history
12. So when I get into the car to go anywhere, I’ve always got a book along. And being a good parent wishing to teach good habits to his kids, I’ve been known to send my kids back into the house if they haven’t got one along. These are just good reading habits. (via)
13. Summer reading: The Five Best Spy Novels — how many have you read? I confess I haven’t heard of a couple of them.
14. Understanding the difference between Pixar vs. Dreamworks

And that wraps another busy week. I’ve barely posted much, yet I’ve been posting all week updating Urgent Prayer Request: Rick Meigs, which is thankfully less urgent — but please keep praying with us for Rick’s recovery from his very serious motorcycle accident. And perhaps you might consider:

Donate to Rick Meigs’ Recovery Fund