Just as the pastor was about to enter the pulpit of a small New England church, a woman in the congregation handed him a note requesting the congregation’s prayers for her husband. The note read: “Bill Adams, having gone to sea, his wife desires the congregation’s prayers for his safety.”

But the pastor was pressed for time and read the note a little too hastily, telling the congregation that, “Bill Adams, having gone to see his wife, desires the prayers of the congregation for his safety.”

Like the old game of telephone, communication breaks down when it passes through several different parties. Its always best to hear it from the horse’s mouth, so to speak. When we hear something third or fourth hand, it usually takes on the understanding of the most recent hearer, rather than the originator. Be careful what stories you pass on, they could get distorted.

Do you have a distortion story?

Tags: communication, humor, prayer