didn’t have time to write a post for today, but there’s always time for a photo in need of a caption. especially when alert readers like kevin winningham send you awesome photos like this one. hey, this one could have brought about a revival of my old “jesus junk of the month” posts!

bring it!

CONTENDERS!

Dave Reiss
He decended into shell.

Stephen
Shell we pray
Jesus’ favorite band was David Chowder
Led like a clam to the slaughter
The one that got away was this big

Tim Gleason
Jesus de Milo

HeidiRenee
Jesus on the half shell

jason
she sells Je-shells by the seashore…

Tony Roos
Jesus the Savior of the sole.

Seth
“Just as I clam, without one plea,”
“behold, the clam of God”
“Do nothing out of Shellfish ambition”

Matt N
Lead us not into crustaceans…

and the winner is…
this one was really tough for me to call! many of these made me literally laugh out loud.

but i think my fav is Tim Gleason’s “Jesus de Milo”. So, tim, i applaud you, toast you, and tip my hat to you (well, i would if i were wearing a hat). your prize: free entrance into the Simply Youth Ministry Conference, starting only moments ago in Louisville, KY!**

**conditions: you must have previously paid for registration, and must already be there. so, basically, while the event will surely be awesome, this prize sucks.

why, yes, this is a statue of lenin, mickey mouse and jesus, walking hand in hand. do you find that odd or something?

c’mon with the captions, baby.

(thanks to rob craig for sending this via email, after he saw it on matthew paul turner’s blog)

and the winner is…

sorry, didn’t get to listing “contenders” this time around. there were a handful that made me chuckle or had a superior level of wit to them. but my two favorites, honestly, were:

Jeff Lilley’s
…each with a kingdom vision.

and
adam mclane’s
This statue is bestowed on megachurch pastors once they hit 10,000 in average weekly attendance. The motto on the bottom reads, “Rule with an iron fist, create a fantasy world, and teach them to walk like Jesus-ish.”

as you should assume, adam is slightly more than 100% ineligible, since, you know, we have a shared bank account and all.

that means: jeff lilly! you are a cham-peen! unfortunately, i didn’t actually offer a prize this time around (oops — forgot about that), so this wild and crazy level of congratulations constitutes the entirety of your prize. enjoy it!

i was there, at the national youth workers convention, when matlock asked everyone to take out their smart phones and record the david crowder band playing this song. then, everyone was instructed how to upload their videos. and those were pieced into this bit of wonderment. love it.

alert whyismarko reader hans shaffer sent me this pic he took in hungary. yup, i’m going global, baby. hans suggested it would make a good photo in need of a caption, and i tend to agree. bring it. the winner gets a copy of my new book for parents when it releases in mid-december, Understanding Your Young Teen.

CONTENDERS

sorry rev mjc, i’ve heard “marko polo” my entire life.

Matthew McNutt
Marko: Hey Adam, check out our new Cartel HQ!
Adam: Um …
Marko: I know, right? Amazing!
Adam: Dude, where’s my name?

e. sutter
Rick Perry’s third government agency…

Coop
Artist’s rendering of Marko’s dream home

(not eligible to win, but funny…)
adam mclane
In an interview with the Associated Press, Mr. Oestreicher expressed his disappointment in the size of the banner in comparative size to the rest of the building. “When I spoke in Budapest, they wrapped the entire Mattias Church, including all of the tiny spires, in a plastic rendition of my book Youth Ministry 3.0. While I appreciate the effort the people of Bulgaria went to with the banner. They could have at least covered all of the columns.”

(made me think of the stonehenge scene in spinal tap…)
pbj
Marko to intern:
I thought “inches” was understood when we were talking about bigger name tags

Andrew Seely
IKEA headquarters announces it’s new product line of push pins. (plastic parts and sharp parts sold seperately)

Dennis
“Occupy Bulgaria led by infamous cartel leader”

Gman
In the midst of scandal – Penn State changes its name.

brian aaby
Bulgarians believe in the sign gifts.

and the winner is…
coming in late but strong, i’m giving it to brian aaby, for Bulgarians believe in the sign gifts. nice, brian. you get a copy of my new book when it releases in a few weeks (if you want it!).

that title, that new word i saw somewhere recently, that’s my whole post. it’s my favorite new word, this mash-up of procrastination and relaxing (or chillaxing, already a mash-up itself!), because it so perfectly captures my primary methodology for waisting time in order to put things off.

yes, i’m procrastilaxing.

tic long sent me a link this morning, rightly mentioning it was ripe with potential for fun.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The Southern Baptist Convention is considering changing its name.
SBC President Bryant Wright said Monday that he’s appointing a task force to study the idea. Wright says the name is too regional and creates challenges as the denomination tries to grow.

the article goes on to say that they’re calling for ideas. so, hey, how about we pitch in!

be nice, but not too nice.

maybe you heard, or maybe not, but a public employee in arizona did something yesterday afternoon that caused a series of events to trickle through the electrical grid, resulting in a complete power from the bottom of orange county south to an hour into mexico, and east all the way to yuma arizona. all of san diego county was completely without power (and other counties also). it was crazy. thanks, arizona. power for us came back on in the middle of the night.

but yesterday was also the first day of my new san diego cohort of the youth ministry coaching program.

so, when the power went out and we had no lights or air (and the church we meet in was locking up), we moved to a park:

and, when my kids didn’t feel like sleeping in their hot bedrooms without a fan, they choose to sleep on the front lawn!

crazy stuff.

amazing shot today, calling for your creative captioninging. bring it:

(photo thanks to likecool.com)

CONTENDERS!

Kirk Moore
It smells like ash.

Caroline
Maybe next time, think about having something besides the bean burrito, please.

Eric
“George, turn around. I think I left the iron on…”

Rob
Elijah: 1, prophets of Baal: 0

Matt
A screenshot from every Michael Bay movie ever

jeremy street
Lintzilla!

Jeff Baxter
Another Youth Event Complete. Time to Head Home.

Kurt J
Why “Blue Flames” around the campfire are never a good idea.

Dave Wollan
the Jeep is the 9th horcrux!

and the winner is…

Rob
Elijah: 1, prophets of Baal: 0

some great ones this time, but rob’s brought an audible chuckle when i read it.

i’ve had this photo in need of a caption sitting in the bottom of my drafts since april of 2009. seriously. it was originally sent to me by tyler hagan (i only know that because i’d written that much of the post back in 2009!). now, well fermented and aged in oak barrels, it’s ready for the light of day. bring on the captions. best one gets your choice of prizes:

a. a big attaboy (or attagirl)
b. a complimentary space in the youth ministry coaching program (program fee not included)
c. lunch with me, my treat (transportation, accommodations and all other expenses, save for the actual food, not included)

THE CREAM OF THE CROP…

Eric Carter
Years of rolling barrels and stealing princesses leaves a once famous Donkey Kong immobilized and alone.

Brian Pengelly
Proof that not all youth pastors become senior pastors by 40!

Paul
Planet of the Apes the golden years.

Rob
another Twitter photo of Anthony Weiner surfaces…

Rob
scooter rides with Scopes at the Unitarian VBS.

Eric Smith
Like many child stars before him, curious George bares the damage of years of wild living with little or no parental guidance.

Chris Saulnier
Grandpa?

Matt
The Fast and The Curious

and the weiner is…

this was a tough call. a few made me snort or laugh out loud. rob’s “scooter rides with scopes at the unitarian VBS” was hilarious. but for sheer brilliance, i’m going to give it to matt and his “The Fast and The Curious”. that’s some intelligent wit there, matt. props to you. pick your prize!

on monday mornings, i normally try to have a substantive blog post. but, due to a weekend that was both relaxing and full, that didn’t happen this week. so i will unapologetically go with this most-amazing photo caption.

let me get the obvious caption out of the way:

NINJA PIG!

ok. now, you provide the better captions, and i’ll pick a winner. the honor of winning this baby is beyond words, baby.

CONTENDERS

chris
“Richard was about to find out that selling Mary Kay just wasn’t his thing.”

Dennis
Mmm.. Bacon

Russ
Tic’s new position as executive pastor is a lot different than he expected.
(marko comment: this is FANTASTIC)

Sean Meade
Bibleman’s arch nemesis

Todd L.
“Quick! To the Wienermobile!”
(marko comment: also quite funny!)

pbj
deleted scene from the Jesus film (youth version): Demon Pigs from Matthew 8:32

Josh
If only he had read the sign earlier that said “wolf convention ahead”.

leslie
oh grandmother, what large nostrils you have…
(marko comment: so fantastically random!)

Tim Mauriello
Worst. Harry Potter costume. Ever.

Jeff Moulton
Survivor: Arkansas

and the wiener is…

tough call — and runner-up mentions to
Todd L.
“Quick! To the Wienermobile!”
Jeff Moulton
Survivor: Arkansas

but i’m going to call the winner as…
Russ
Tic’s new position as executive pastor is a lot different than he expected.