Our grand-daughters enjoy a local radio time-slot called The Good, The Bad and The Ugly that examines various happenings of interest around the world. So with that inspiration, let’s take a break today from the topic of punishment (downer!) and look at some interesting recent news events.

Here is my version called The Good, The Bad, The Rest: the ‘Good’ is true, the ‘Bad’ is also true, but the ‘Rest’ part might be true, might not be true, or might be partially true (my choice). For example: The Good is that Saturday Night Live is still on television. The Bad is that it’s often not funny. The Rest is that Alec Baldwin’s impersonation on the show is almost as funny as the real Trump.

Got it? Good.

The Good is that each of the boys from a soccer team and their coach were rescued after being trapped in a cave in Thailand for three weeks. The Bad is that a Thai navy seal, Saman Gunan, died in the attempt. The Rest is that people from around the world joined together to pray for a miracle that happened.

The Good is that President Trump is in Europe meeting with NATO leaders. The Bad is that President Trump is in Europe meeting with NATO leaders. The Rest is that Trump was grumpy and acted up, but things went much better after he had his snack and nap time.

The Good is that our Prime Minister Trudeau is also in Europe. The Bad is that he is coming back. The Rest is that he isn’t even a bit shy about wearing those tight pants.

The Good is a ‘psychic octopus’ that had accurately predicted the outcomes of three consecutive matches by the Japanese World Cup soccer team. The Bad is that it missed on the 3-2 loss to Belgium. The Rest is that the team had the good sense to use a light batter instead of grilling.

The Good is that Dede Phillips, a grandmother from Georgia, installed a bumper sticker on her new truck which read, ‘Women Who Behave Rarely Make History’. The Bad is that she was then attacked by a rabid bobcat and had to choke it to death with her bare hands to survive. The Rest is that her medical expenses will be more than $40,000 and an online fundraiser has already raised most of it.

The Good is Alex Hentges loves Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups. The Bad is that he bought some for a treat and found they didn’t have any peanut butter filling! The Rest is that Reese’s gave him a massive supply of peanut butter cups to repay him. Hentges is now recovering from his first ever 3 day sugar rush.

The Good is that scientists have discovered the primary smell on the planet Uranus. The Bad is that it smells like … well, rotten eggs. The Rest is that this combination means that even people who aren’t funny have easy access to a joke.

The Good is that Zha Zha recently won the title of World’s Ugliest Dog. The Bad is that Zha Zha died two weeks after winning. The Rest is that she has been immortalized with many pictures like this: https://goo.gl/images/LUQhGp

The Good is that the 700 Club’s Pat Robertson has recovered from a stroke earlier this year. The Bad is that he continues to say things like this about sinners and liberals and such. ‘I think, somehow, the Lord’s plan is being put in place for America and these people are not only revolting against Trump, they’re revolting against what God’s plan is for America.’ The Rest is that this kind of craziness is only contagious if you watch his network.

The Good is that the Phillie Phanatic is the most entertaining sports mascot on the planet. The Bad is that he (she?) shot a weiner into the crowd at a ball game with a ‘hot dog cannon’ and hit fan Kathy McCoy in the eye. The Rest is that because of the targeting problems, the Canadian Military has been forced to lower the asking price for their aging fleet of hot dog cannons.

The Good is that Miami police have arrested Cesar Coronodo for stabbing a tourist to death with scissors. The Bad is that Coronodo has no arms. The Rest is that Coronodo seems to have good use of his feet.

The Good is that Trump has spiritual advisors. The Bad is that one of them is Paula White and she is continuing to exercise her special gift of twisting Scripture to fit anything she likes. “I think so many people have taken biblical scriptures out of context on this, to say stuff like, ‘Well, Jesus was a refugee.’ Yes, He did live in Egypt for three-and-a-half years. But it was not illegal. If He had broken the law then He would have been sinful and He would not have been our Messiah.” The Rest is we now know that the Son of God lucked out because of loose immigration laws.

The Good is that Ripley’s Believe It Or Not has a new exhibit. The Bad is that it consists of the carefully clipped fingernails from Shridhar Chillal who had been growing them for the last 66 years. The Rest is that he is now able to sleep with his wife, do that YMCA dance at receptions and begin untangling a life time of really bad knitting.

The Good is that Kim Kardashian loves her dog Rocky who, in her words, ‘… is most like me, his mommy. He’s really cool and calm, and goes with the flow.’ The Bad is that she had him neutered. The Rest is that she paid to get Rocky new, prosthetic testicles (‘neuticles’) and now he’s back to being nothing like her.

The Good is that a couple got engaged and the groom-to-be asked someone to record the moment. The Bad is that their videographer didn’t quite get the technology right. The Rest is that they will always have a really good picture of grandpa: https://montreal.ctvnews.ca/video?clipId=1437620&binId=1.1332485&playlistPageNum=1

I was thinking earlier this week: the Good is that I have an amazingly, unexpectedly blessed life. The Bad is that I have experienced the trauma of sweat, stress and ultimate loss. The Rest is that somehow, inexplicably, there is a deeper than ever conviction inside me that I am whole because of God’s wise love.

And this, ladies and gentlemen, is the world we live in. Thank you Lord, for the entertainment.