- Paperback: 208 pages
- Publisher: Writers Club Press (Jan 1 2001)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0595152252
- ISBN-13: 978-0595152254
- Product Dimensions: 23.2 x 15 x 1.4 cm
- Shipping Weight: 295 g
- Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #1,385,644 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
|
||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||
Product Details |
Product Description
Book Description
A hilarious look at the practices and people of the Presbyterian Church.
A hilarious, tongue-in-cheek celebration of the foibles of the Frozen Chosen! This Presby 101 handbook uses an advice format to describe Presbyterians by ostensibly addressing new members of the church. But it is a funny primer and survival manual for all members of the denomination! It gently skewers the history, worship habits, and the endless committee meetings. And it covers clothing, potluck dinners, and yes, sex—as well as raising kids—all from the Presbyterian viewpoint. It’s the self-help book with a difference!
You’ll want to regale your friends with the little quips of the 300-year-old Percy T. Presby, who declares:
"Presbyterianism is a series of meetings occasionally interrupted by a worship service."
"The national drink of Presbyterian women is decaf coffee."
"Some Presbyterians believe that a jazz band is the Boston Pops."
About the Author
Bob Reed is a proud native of Marcus, Iowa (pop 1,171). He has spent 25 years building and managing public television stations and as an executive at PBS. He has also served as a publisher and tenured professor and has penned dull, scholarly, research tomes including encyclopedias and dictionaries. This retiree is a Navy veteran and an awfully proud grandfather who plays that happiest of instruments—the banjo. But as his wife often reminds him, the difference between a banjo player and a treasury bond is that eventually the bond matures and makes money. He and his wife Max are members of the First Presbyterian Church of Northport (a harbor village on Long Island, New York) and sing in the Chancel Choir there—without the banjo.
Bob was raised a Methodist, and this little book grew out of his 13 years of continuing attempts to comprehend his new denomination. He is also the author of a collection of humorous short stories titled The Potluck Dinner That Went Astray (Smyth and Helwys Publishing). And his next book is another collection of comic tales titled The Choir That Couldn’t Sing. He thinks his very presence on this earth is proof that God has an unusual sense of humor. And he’s certain that heaven is Iowa!
Tag this product(What's this?)Think of a tag as a keyword or label you consider is strongly related to this product.
Tags will help all customers organize and find favorite items. |
Customer Reviews
|
Share your thoughts with other customers:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Most helpful customer reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
The Joys of Being Presbyterian,
By JAD (The Sunshine State) - See all my reviews
This review is from: How to Survive Being a Presbyterian!: A Merry Manual Celebrating the Foibles of the Frozen Chosen (Paperback)
If you want a lighthearted look at the joys and idiosyncrasies of being a Presbyterian, this book is for you. Bob Reed takes our "Presbyterian Culture" and talks about it in ways that will have most long time Presbyterians giggling and nodding our heads.His subtitle of the book is "A Merry Manual Celebrating the Funny Foibles of the Frozen Chosen." If you "take exception" to that nickname, well, so do I; but moving beyond it you will read and reflect upon all sorts of things that make us Presbyterian that do not appear in, say, the Book of Order or the creeds and confessions of our denomination. The cover has two sidebars that say "Secrets Revealed!" and "Now it can be told!"-All in good fun, Bob Reed tells us the distinctive and sometimes hilarious things that make Presbyterians Presbyterian. From Reed's take on the Presbyterian dress code to "A Presbyterian's Idea of Hell on Earth" there is much that will give you a chance to think about what matters to us, and wonder just why in the world it does! Author Reed has a vivid imagination and he has invented a little imaginary Presbyterian friend, called Percy T. Presby. Dressed in clothing you might expect to see in Colonial Williamsburg, from the three-corner hat down to the buckles on his shoes, Percy takes us all on a journey of discovery of Presbyterianism. Percy is very much like a Presbyterian version of Ben Franklin's "Poor Richard" (as in Poor Richard's Almanac), with all kinds of short memorable, one-liners. These pithy quotations would be great discussion starters round the table or in a meeting... Here is an example: "Percy T. Presby's Thoughts About Meetings: 'When it is apparent that the vote on an issue will me unanimous, there will usually be one negative vote, because many Presbyterians think unanimity on anything is probably against God's will.'" (page 46). Whether you are brand new to the wonderful world of the Presbyterian Church or have been a part of it from the cradle roll on, you will find much to ponder and enjoy. Also included is "the Presbyterian National Anthem"-no I will not have our choir sing it for you-but it is also worth a chuckle.
5.0 out of 5 stars
GREAT PRESBYTERIAN HUMOR!,
By Kay Gordon (Orlando, FL United States) - See all my reviews
This review is from: How to Survive Being a Presbyterian!: A Merry Manual Celebrating the Foibles of the Frozen Chosen (Paperback)
This is one funny book! The author takes on Presbyterians from an "inside the church" angle. It's a warm and gentle spoof of our denomination that imparts some real information about the founders and basic beliefs of our church. I discovered it from an article in the Tampa paper that talked about its "insightful witticisms." It has that. This is not a serious tome but rather a good and humorous look at everything Presbyterian. I have given it to my pastor and some church friends. It makes a good gift. I recommend it to all Presbyterians who want a good laugh. Kay Gordon, Orlando
2.0 out of 5 stars
Committe Jokes OK,
By "hedgehog1234" (Lexington, VA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: How to Survive Being a Presbyterian!: A Merry Manual Celebrating the Foibles of the Frozen Chosen (Paperback)
I got this book expecting humerous explanations of Presbyterian philosophy. It has a lot of cute jokes, but has very little food for thought in terms of Christian or philisophical content. I reccomend this for the Presbyterian committee member with a sense of humor. It's also a mildly good joke gift for a church leader. I wouldn't particularly reccomend buying it for your Sunday school class, though.
Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
Want to see more reviews on this item?
|
Most recent customer reviews |
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
