ONE PRANK TO WIN THEM ALL

Ok.. so over the past 16 years as a youth pastor, I have made a reputation for myself. In an effort to keep my house from getting toilet papered every 5 seconds, I have made it my motto that "I won't get mad, I won't get even, but I will get one or two up."

So, after having been toilet papered, or my car trashed, or even one time a student broke into my house and pranked the inside... I have retaliated.

• removed tires of cars at school and left their car on them sideways.
• built a crate around a car outside once while youth group was going on inside.
• put a dead 3 pound trout under a student's bed once. that smells later. bad.
• hosed people down in many locations, even once to a college aged secretary who orchestrated a prank.
• dowsed one girl in slop from the kitchen clean up crew.
• and the list goes on.

I make it a point, that if I find out, you will pay. I don't always find out, but I do keep a list and I do pay back, long after the fact :) In fact, I think I still owe Bethany Noble for one such toilet paper job.

Anyway... this last Sunday, I woke up to the most creative prank ever pulled on my family.

I have made it known that I HATE carpet. I have talked about it on this blog, I posted it on facebook and twitter, I have used it as illustrations in messages in church... you name it, I've been out there about it. So much so, that I've almost been typecast as the "carpet hater" guy. When people have it installed in their house, they actually apologize to me. Too funny.

Anyway, this last weekend I woke up to find this sign on my front porch... made out of my OLD CARPET I took to the dump!

And this experience in my yard and driveway.

My first response was, "No freakin' way. My carpet has been gone for almost a month. Who in the world has been saving my carpet?"

My second response was, "Oh my, this is super funny and genius."

My third response was, "This might be the first time in the history of pranking me, that I actually feel no need to pass out a pay back."

It was funny. It was pre-meditated and planned. It was pretty tame. Nothing was broken and it was super easy to clean up, even on a Sunday morning and even if it rained or the sprinklers got it wet or something. I almost felt honored to have been so creatively punked. I must be getting too old for this.

I even posted on facebook that reward for coming out as to who did this would be a free dinner so I could hear the story behind the story. So two students in my high school ministry, Shea Hughes and Adam Steinauer (who helped me remove the carpet and had enough forethought to steal some) came out with photo proof and win dinner.

But to all the rest of you, don't get any bright ideas. The next one just might get you a truck load of pain and regret :) Trust me, history speaks for itself.