Finally! A Handbook That Makes Sense Out of the Bible: Finding the Five Wierdest Laws in the Old Testament is a Snap As a teenager who never missed a Sunday on the back pew of Central Baptist Church in Waycross, Georgia, I often wondered why sermons - and for that matter, the Bible - had to be so serious. For as long as I can remember, I've loved funny stories, jokes, sarcasm and especially wry humor and as far as I was concerned, the church service could have been improved tremendously if only it were funnier. Frankly, my motivation for going to church was simple: if I didn't, I wasn't allowed to socialize with friends on Sunday afternoon. Getting teens interested in church today is even harder than it was in my day. My own 16-year-old grew up believing the alphabet could dance and the greatest poet ever to live was Shel Silverstein. And forget the staid "Old Rugged Cross." She and her peers want their church music to have drums, guitars and an electric piano, not an old pipe organ. I was delighted, then, to read about "The Lutheran Handbook," a hip, funny supplement to the Bible that has already built a huge fan base. And why wouldn't it? It includes stick drawings of Bible scenes (a spoof on the same kind of art that appears in "The Worst Case Survival Kit."). The handbook is divided into three parts: church stuff, Bible stuff, and everyday stuff. Readers can quickly find the really important "stuff" like:

"The Five Grossest Bible Stories"

"The Five Weirdest Laws in the Old Testament"

"How to Avoid Getting Burned at the Stake"

"How to Reform the Church When It Strays From the Gospel"

"The Three Most Rebellious Things Jesus Did"

"How to Survive for One Hour in an Un-Air-Conditioned Church"

The handbook's wry humor and quirky approach is winning a huge readership. The beauty of it is, the stories are merely cleverly told versions of the Bible verses we've all grown up on. The humor, categories and snappy titles have suddenly made the Bible relevant to a whole new generation. Better still, adults with a sense of humor enjoy the handbook as well and are enjoying sharing it with their children.

What a brilliant execution of the entire SPUD concept. This new handbook is Strategic, Proactive, Universal and Dynamic.

Think about your business. Would your written material (web site, instruction manuals, information sheets, etc.) benefit from a humor makeover? Often, we concentrate so much on the accuracy of the information and ensuring we cover our legal ground, we overlook opportunities to have fun. People enjoy doing business with people they believe are approachable. Showing a sense of humor helps to achieve that.