“Laughter IS the best medicine!”
Dr. Randy Deal
THREE BIBLICAL WAYS TO INJECT HUMOR INTO YOUR LIFE:
1. LOOK FOR LAUGHTER!
For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven…A time to cry and a time to LAUGH. A time to grieve and a time to dance.” Ecclesiastes 3:1,4 (NLT)
We were filled with laughter, and we sang for joy. And the other nations said, ‘What amazing things the Lord has done for them.’ Psalms 126:3 (NLT)
For the despondent, every day brings trouble; for the happy heart, life is a continual feast. Proverbs 15:15 (NLT)
Man born of woman is of few days and full of trouble. Job 14:1 (NIV)
Better to spend your time at funerals than at parties. After all, everyone dies—so the living should take this to heart. Sorrow is better than laughter, for sadness has a refining influence on us. Ecclesiastes 7:3 (NLT)
2. TAKE A DAILY DOSE OF LAUGHTER!
A cheerful look brings joy to the heart; good news makes for good health. Proverbs 15:30 (NLT)
A cheerful heart is good medicine. Proverbs 17:22a (NLT)
A relaxed attitude lengthens a man’s life. Proverbs 14:30 (TLB)
3. FOLLOW THE CREATOR OF LAUGHTER!
The One enthroned in heaven laughs. Psalm 2:4 (NIV)
Matthew 11:19, Matthew 9:15, Matthew 12:3-4
www.joyfulnoiseletter.com, www.jesuslaughing.com, www.picturesofjesus4you.com
Luke 7:11-16
Matthew 23:24, Mark 10:25, Luke 11:39, Matthew 12:26-28, Luke 6:39, Matthew 8:22, Luke 6:44, 8:16, Matthew 7:3-5
“Laughter IS the best medicine!”
INTRODUCTION:
Ken Davis DVD “Lighten Up & Laugh!” Video (5” Clip) Start: “I am here to tell you one truth…” End: “Tell Your Face…the GOOD News has not reached your face!”
IT’S GOOD TO LAUGH, ISN’T IT!?!
That’s how I remember Sunday mornings growing up going to church. My Dad gave us time warnings….FIVE MINUTES!
God is the author of Joy! God is okay with your laughter! He CREATED laughter!
DID YOU KNOW YOU CAN EVEN LAUGH IN CHURCH? People should be breaking down the doors of Rock Point Church to find out what all the fun and LAUGHTER and JOY and celebration is all about!
LAUGHTER REALLY IS THE BEST MEDICINE…FOR A HOST OF AILMENTS!
Definition of laughter: “to express certain emotions, especially mirth or delight, by a series of spontaneous, usually unarticulated sounds often accompanied by corresponding facial and bodily movements.” The definition itself makes me want to laugh!
LAUGHTER is a FUNNY thing! NO PUN INTENDED!
When we LAUGH, our body performs "rhythmic, vocalized, expiratory, and involuntary actions." Fifteen facial muscles contract and there is electrical stimulation of the zygomatic major muscle. That’s the muscle that extends from each cheekbone to the corners of the mouth. It raises the corners of the mouth when a person smiles. Currents of varying intensity produce a wide range of facial responses. The respiratory system is upset by the epiglottis half-closing, so that air intake occurs in irregular gasps, rather than calm breaths. Under extreme circumstances, the tear ducts are activated, so that while the mouth is opening and closing and there is a struggle for a sufficient amount of oxygen intake, the face becomes moist and often red. Noises often accompany this odd behavior "ranging from controlled snickers, escaped chortles, and spontaneous giggles, to ridiculous cackles, noisy hoots, and up-roarious guffaws."
LAUGHTER is an amazing thing! It’s a tension dissolver. It’s an antidote to anxiety. It’s just like a tranquilizer, but without any side effects. And it’s free! You don’t even need a prescription.
Laughter is life’s shock absorber! If WE want to have less stress in our lives, we NEED to learn to laugh at our circumstances! We have GOT TO find the fun in the frustrating!
Someone once asked President Lincoln how he handled all the stresses of the Civil War. He said, “If it hadn’t been for laughter, I could not have made it.”
Many famous comedians grew up in poor neighborhoods with lots of problems. They coped with their troubles by learning to laugh and making others laugh.
We need to LAUGH more! In fact, some of you need to LEARN to LAUGH!
HERE’S WHAT I BELIEVE: “If you can laugh at it, you can live with it!”
And besides, if WE learn to laugh at our problems, we’ll never RUN OUT of anything to laugh at! Life is full of funny situations!
Will Rogers – “I don’t know any jokes. I just watch the government and report the facts.”
THERESA OF AVILA, A SPANISH NUN said “SHE WHO LAUGHS, LASTS!” She used to look for novices who knew how to LAUGH, EAT AND SLEEP. She believed that if they ate heartily they were healthy, if they slept well they were more likely free of serious sin, and if they LAUGHED, they had the necessary disposition to survive a difficult life.
JEWISH PROVERB - “What soap is to the body, laughter is to the soul.”
MARK TWAIN - “LAUGHTER is the greatest weapon that we humans possess and it’s the one we use the least!”
ABRAHAM LINCOLN - “If I do not LAUGH, I should die!”
Henry Ward Beecher – “Mirth is God’s medicine. Everybody ought to bathe in it.”
Milton Berle – “Laughter is an instant vacation.”
Alan Alda – “When people are laughing, they’re generally not killing each other.”
Victor Borge – “Laughter is the shortest distance between two people.”
Quincy Jones – “I’ve always thought that a big laugh is a really loud noise from the soul saying, "Ain’t that the truth."
UNKOWN AUTHOR - “Love may make the world go ‘round, but laughter keeps us from getting dizzy.”
Sometimes, all WE can do is laugh!
Take my advice: acquire a sense of humor. Learn to laugh. It’s relaxing and healing and a buffer to all the stress the world throws our way!
Humor is ESSENTIAL for life! It can even SAVE YOUR LIFE!
WE need LAUGHTER in all of our relationships TOO! In our marriages, if WE don’t laugh together WE’re missing out on a TON OF FUN! Laughing with others is an integral part of healthy friendships. It’s one of the keys to successful relationships on the job. Members of the same church family need to laugh together. Sometimes it gets stressful trying to accomplish God’s purposes!
How do WE learn to laugh? How do WE develop our sense of humor? How do WE inject humor into our lives? Let’s go the CREATER OF LAUGHTER and see what His Word says!
THREE BIBLICAL WAYS TO INJECT HUMOR INTO YOUR LIFE:
1. LOOK FOR LAUGHTER!
It’s MORE than just “Looking at the bright side!”
Solomon said, “For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven…A time to cry and a time to LAUGH. A time to grieve and a time to dance.” Ecclesiastes 3:1,4 (NLT)
No matter what you may have heard, or how you were raised, it’s okay for Christians to have a good time. Jesus was criticized by His enemies for partying with sinners. He believed it was okay to celebrate at weddings, to enjoy the hospitality of His friends, etc.
There will be those who will criticize you for really ENJOYING life as a follower of Christ – but I believe, there will be MORE who will find your laughter contagious.
When the Jews came back from captivity in Babylon here’s what they said: “We were filled with LAUGHTER, and we sang for joy. And the other nations said, ‘What amazing things the Lord has done for them.’” Psalms 126:3 (NLT)
When’s last time someone looked at how you respond to life and said, “What amazing things the Lord has done for them?”
LAUGHTER and JOYFULNES and SINGING and SHOUTING are such a GREAT WITNESS to those who have yet to find a personal relationship with God.
Being critical and grumpy aren’t qualities that make people want what you have.
STUDIES SHOW: people won’t come back to a church where everybody was unfriendly and long-faced. Who can blame them?
It’s okay to LAUGH! Laughing is good for us. And It’s even okay to laugh right here in church!
Solomon’s words of wisdom are simply reminding us to have proper timing.
Even when you can’t see the funny in your everyday life, on the basis of Scripture, we need to learn to look for the right times to laugh. God has given us this capacity for enjoying good humor so we need to intentionally incorporate LAUGHTER into your daily routine!
HERE’S WHAT I DO:
1. HANG OUT WITH PEOPLE WHO MAKE YOU LAUGH! DENA!!!!
Story: Dena – The Godather Movies – dressed up – Corleone Family
Laughter lifts our spirits and it helps our marriage! We’ve been married over 18 years and almost 10 of those have been in full-time ministry. One of the things that’s helped us survive the stress of a ministry marriage is laughter. We’ve had plenty to cry about. And sure we’ve cried together. But our laughing together has lightened a lot of heavy loads.
We’ve learned that we have to set aside time to laugh. Humor is good for our relationship. We laughed with our kids while they were growing up, AND WE STILL LAUGH A LOT TOGETHER. I think that’s why all five our children LOVE TO LAUGH too! WE LAUGH LOUD AND PROUD! It wasn’t uncommon when our family was dining out that our table would be the table with the loudest laughter. We enjoy having a good time. Perhaps we shouldn’t have made such a spectacle of ourselves but we couldn’t help it.
PASTOR BILL cracks me up! THE STAFF cracks me up! A LOT OF YOU crack me up! In fact….I CRACK MYSELF UP!
2. READ FUNNY BOOKS OR GREETING CARDS OR NEWSLETTERS!
I.E. THE JOYFUL NOISELETTER – www.joyfulnoiseletter.com
3. READ COMICS and CARTOONS!
SHOW CARTOONS ON SCREENS…
4. WATCH COMEDY TV SHOWS AND MOVIES!
MY FAVS: PATCH ADAMS, SISTER ACT & SISTER ACT 2, RUSH HOUR 1, 2 & 3, BRUCE ALMIGHTY, EVAN ALMIGHTY, HAPPY FEET AND ANYTHING TYLER PERRY!
When Dena & I go out on a date and go to the movies, we ALWAYS choose comedy. Or even when we just stay home and watch a TV movie, we choose comedy….i.e. favorite lately is The George Lopez Show. The last movie we went to was Tyler Perry’s “Why Did I Get Married?” It was hysterical! And when it comes out on DVD, you better believe we’ll be having family and friends over to watch it with us at home.
5. WATCH STAND UP COMEDIANS….CLEAN ONES!
MY FAVS: Ken Davis (who you saw earlier), Chonda Pierce, Brian Regan, Nick Arnett, Jeff Allen, Gilbert Esquivel, Taylor Mason, Michael Jr., Thor Ramsey. Check them out at www.outreachcomedy.com. Buy the DVD’s! SHOW COMEDIAN CLIP: BRIAN REGAN (FIG NEWTONS & ICE CREAM) & CHONDA PIERCE (HOT FLASHES & HAIR)
6. USE PROPS!
i.e. Red Nose, Rubber Chicken, Laughing Dog, Jester Hat, Fart Machine, Brain Floss…or TICKLE ME ELMO!
7. SHARE JOKES!
PROGNOSIS NOT GOOD
A woman accompanied her husband to the doctor’s office. After the checkup, the doctor took the wife aside and said, "if you don’t do the following, your husband will surely die."
1. "Each morning fix him a healthy breakfast and send him off to work in a good mood."
2."At lunch time make him a warm, nutritious meal and put him in a good frame of mind before he goes back to work.
3."For dinner, fix an especially nice meal and don’t burden him with household chores."
4."Satisfy his every whim."
On the way home, the husband asked his wife what the doctor had said, she replied "you’re going to die."
MAN PRAYING AT WIFE’S 1ST HUSBAND’S GRAVE
A man placed some flowers on the grave of his dearly departed mother and started back toward his car when his attention was diverted to another man kneeling at a grave.
The man seemed to be praying with profound intensity and kept repeating, "Why did you have to die? Why did you have to die?" The first man approached him and said, "Sir, I don’t wish to interfere with your private grief, but this demonstration of pain is more than I’ve ever seen before.
For whom do you mourn so deeply? A child? A parent?" The mourner took a moment to collect himself, then replied,
"My wife’s first husband."
BAPTIST DOG
A Baptist preacher and his wife decided to get a new dog. Ever mindful of the congregation, they knew the dog must also be a Baptist. They visited kennel after kennel and explained their needs. Finally, they found a kennel whose owner assured them he had just the dog they wanted. The owner brought the dog to meet the pastor and his wife. "Fetch the Bible," he commanded. The dog bounded to the bookshelf, scrutinized the books, located the Bible, and brought it to the owner. "Now find Psalm 23," he commanded. The dog dropped the Bible to the floor, and showing marvelous dexterity with his paws, leafed through and finding the correct passage, pointed to it with his paw. The pastor and his wife were very impressed and purchased the dog. That evening, a group of church members came to visit. The pastor and his wife began to show off the dog, having him locate several Bible verses. The visitors were very impressed. One man asked, "Can he do regular dog tricks, too?" "I haven’t tried yet," the pastor replied. He pointed his finger at the dog. "HEEL!" the pastor commanded. The dog immediately jumped on a chair, placed one paw on the pastor’s forehead and began to howl. The pastor looked at his wife in shock and said, "Good Lord! He’s Pentecostal"
A CHRISTIAN BEAR
A country preacher decided to skip services one Sunday and head to the hills to do some bear hunting. As he rounded the corner on a perilous twist in the trail, he and a bear collided, sending him and his rifle tumbling down the mountainside. Before he knew it, his rifle went one way and he went the other, landing on a rock and breaking both legs. That was the good news. The bad news was the ferocious bear charging at him from a distance, and he couldn’t move. "Oh, Lord," the preacher prayed, "I’m so sorry for skipping services today to come out here and hunt. Please forgive me and grant me just one wish . . . please make a Christian out of that bear that’s coming at me. Please, Lord!" That very instant, the bear skidded to a halt, fell to its knees, clasped its paws together and began to pray aloud right at the preacher’s feet. "Dear God, please bless this food that I am about to receive!"
Funny stuff is happening all over the place! You have to learn to look for it. You need to develop a humorous outlook – a humorous attitude.
8. YOU CAN EVEN LAUGH IN TRAJEDY!
JOKE: STABBING – REESE – WITHERSPOON, NO WITH HER KNIFE!
STORY: DAD COMA HOSPITAL EXTUBATED WHAT HE SAY?
Our OUTLOOK on life will often determines the OUTCOME of our lives!
“For the despondent, every day brings trouble; for the HAPPY HEART, life is a continual feast.” Proverbs 15:15 (NLT)
If we look at life from a POSITIVE PERSPECTIVE, we’ll look for the lighter side of life…we can find things to cheer ourselves up. But if we allow our emotions to dwell on the negative, we’ll see life as full of trouble!
Job 14:1 Man born of woman is of few days and full of trouble.
MADEA: “If we already promised days full of trouble, why we gonna add more trouble to the trouble we already promised?”
I know what some of you are saying to yourself right now. “But I know someone who needs to be more serious, not more lighthearted.” Sure, that is the problem some people have. And if you or someone you know is too lighthearted about life sometimes, if you need to become more serious, there’s also Scripture for you.
“Better to spend your time at funerals than at parties. After all, everyone dies—so the living should take this to heart. Sorrow is better than laughter, for sadness has a refining influence on us.” Ecclesiastes 7:3 (NLT)
Is the Bible contradicting itself? Of course not. Different situations call for different remedies. That’s what Solomon was talking about in Ecclesiastes, there’s a time for everything.
1. LOOK FOR LAUGHTER!
2. TAKE A DAILY DOSE OF LAUGHTER! (FOR GOOD HEALTH)
A HEALTHY DOSE OF LAUGHTER
A child laughs 400 times a day on the average, while an adult laughs only 15 times each day. (I said I was never gonna grow up!) Which is puzzling since laughter feels so good and is so good for us!
NORMAN COUSINS used to say that laughter is so beneficial for your body that it is like "inner jogging." He healed himself of a major chronic disease with LAUGHTER THERAPY.
Mayo Clinic reported that laughter aids breathing by disrupting your normal respiration pattern and increasing your breathing rate. It can even help clear mucus from your lungs.
Hearty laughter is also cardio-protective! It’s good for your heart. It increases circulation and improves the delivery of oxygen and nutrients to tissues throughout your body.
Although, sometimes, I LAUGH SO HARD, I get dizzy and see stars!
PSYCHO-NEURO-IMMUNOLOGY, the study of the interaction between psychological processes and the nervous and immune systems of the human body, prove that...
Laughter stimulates your immune system to fight off disease. Laughter helps fight illness by marking invading bacteria and viruses for destruction by WBC’s.
Laughter decreases the stress hormones levels. It’s also good for allergies. And it helps control pain by raising the levels of our brain’s natural endorphins, which are 50-100 more potent than morphine itself. GOD’S PRESCRIPTION DRUG!
Laughter helps relieve stress by causing the release of these natural painkillers in the body. When we laugh out loud, endorphins and adrenaline are released which result in a natural high, making you feel good about yourself.
It’s a natural STRESS RELIEVER. Have you ever laughed so hard that you doubled over, fell off your chair, spit out your food or wet your pants? You CAN’T maintain muscle tension when you are laughing!
The Norwegian University of Science and Technology reported that a good sense of humor cuts one’s changes of death by about 70% compared with adults with a poor sense of humor.
IT’S BEEN PROVEN…PEOPLE WHO LAUGH LIVE LONGER! There’s a definite link b/t a CHEERFUL OUTLOOK and LONGEVITY!
LAUGHTER has important psychological effects on our marriage partners, co-workers and friends too! Humor also helps in improving our creativity and memory. Our minds more readily remember something if we can connect it with something hilarious.
HERE’S WHAT’S SO AMAZING… all of this modern science just reinforces what the Bible has always said….The more you laugh the greater your chances of good health.
“A cheerful look brings joy to the heart; good news makes for good health.” Proverbs 15:30 (NLT)
“A cheerful heart is good medicine…” Proverbs 17:22a (NLT)
Proverbs 14:30 says, “A relaxed attitude lengthens a man’s life.” (TLB)
Don’t you love that? Almighty God has said all along that a JOYFUL heart is good medicine and helps us live longer!
LAUGHTER IS JUST GOOD MEDICINE! IT’S GOOD FOR YOUR HEALTH!
Good humor brings good health! TAKE A DOSE EVERY DAY!
With all of the stress in our fast-paced world, with all of the stress in our relationships, we need to utilize this vital resource that God has given us!
HERE’S A DOSE FOR YOU RIGHT NOW…WATCH THESE BABIES!
VIDEO MONTAGE: Laughing Babies!
Feel better? Hope that sent lots of endorphins running all thru your body!
Laughter is contagious too! Didn’t even know what the babies were laughing at, but just watching and listening to them laugh, makes US laugh!
Good, all-around, sideshaking, sidesplitting laughter is healthy for everybody!
1. LOOK FOR LAUGHTER! Then, once you’ve found some things to laugh about…
2. TAKE A DAILY DOSE OF LAUGHTER FOR GOOD HEALTH!
And the BEST WAY to inject humor into your life…
3. FOLLOW THE CREATOR OF LAUGHTER!
Psalm 2:4, “The One enthroned in heaven LAUGHS!”
GOD LAUGHS! GOD HAS A SENSE OF HUMOR!
Have you ever seen the face of an orangutan? God thought that one up! That proves he has a sense of humor. AND HE CREATED ME TOO!
Wanna be more Godly? Learn to laugh!
And the NEW TESTAMENT is loaded with passages showing us that while in our midst, JESUS LAUGHTED TOO and had a CHEERFUL disposition and a MERRY HEART…that came DIRECTLY from His father!
Bruce Marchiano, In the Footsteps of Jesus:
Yes, Jesus smiled; yes, JESUS LAUGHED! Jesus smiled wider and laughed heartier than any human being who has ever walked the planet. He was young. He radiated good cheer. Jesus was a man of such merriment, such gladness of heart, such freedom and openness, that He proved irresistible. He became known throughout Galilee for His genuine strength, the sparkle in His eyes, the spring in His gait, the heartiness in His LAUGH, the genuineness of His touch; His passion, playfulness, excitement, and vitality: His JOY! He made a dazzling display of love. He set hearts afire. He was an elated triumphant young man with an incredible quality of life….…so different from the solemn religious types He constantly encountered.
Jesus Christ was witty and He had a keen sense of the absurd. He had the ability to see the comical side of many a predicament. HE LAUGHED!
In Matthew 11:19, when they called Him a “wino,” He laughed it off!
In Matthew 9:15, when they reproached His disciples because they did not fast, He said they couldn’t…..they were too busy PARTYING at a wedding!
In Matthew 12:3-4, when they accused the disciples of violating the Sabbath by plucking ears of grain, He took GREAT DELIGHT in pointing out that David once violated the same law by eating the sacred bread which was reserved for priests, and then passing it out to his troops!
Look how He conducted Himself with children in Matthew 19:14. Actually rebuked disciples for being killjoys and interfering when the children climbed on His back (as they probably did) and tugged at His beard and kissed Him! What a FUN time! Don’t you think they sat on His lap? Don’t you think he was SMILING and GIGGLING and LAUGHING with them? They were children!
So…why do MOST RENDERINGS show Him serious and mournful and weeping and grim and resolute. A SMILING OR LAUGHING Jesus seems to even be offensive or sacrilegious to some!
QUESTION: How do YOU SEE Jesus?
HERE’S HOW I SEE HIM: SHOW SMILING/LAUGHING JESUS PICS!
www.joyfulnoiseletter.com
www.jesuslaughing.com
www.picturesofjesus4you.com
QUESTION: Does Jesus make YOU laugh?
The root of Jesus’ LAUGHTER is JOY! And JOY is hardly more prevalent than when we LAUGH!
Jesus is The Joy Giver! HE GIVES US JOY! AND I LOVE SHARING HIS JOY WITH OTHERS! And JOY is contagious, often accompanied by this thing called LAUGHTER! Sometimes joy is reflected in a slight grin. Sometimes it’s a chuckle. And sometimes it’s a gut-busting belly laugh that we can’t even contain. Jesus Himself gives us laughter!
It’s HILARIOUS when Jesus intervenes in an awful situation and turns things around!…Luke 7:11-16. Jesus is headed into town with his disciples and a big bunch of people. At the same time, a funeral procession with another bunch of people is headed out to the graveyard on the edge of town. A mother limps alongside the casket of her beloved son. Her heart is shredded to pieces as she carries the hellish grief of her unimaginable loss. Enter Jesus. He stops the procession and chooses to reverse the irreversible. Young man, get up! What? Get up? You have got to be kidding. No, he’s not. The dead boy gets up. Jesus smiles a smile of love to the woman and gives the boy back to her. At first there was shock. Then there was comfort. Then there was joy—overwhelming joy provided by The Joy Giver. Stopping a funeral procession and raising the deceased. It had to be fun for Jesus to trade the ashes of grief for the oil of gladness. Go Jesus!
AIN’T JESUS IS A TRIP! HE’S THE JOY GIVER! HE LAUGHS! HE BRINGS JOY WHEN THERE’S DESPAIR!
He drove the Pharisees crazy! No wonder they wanted to kill him. No wonder they did. Small wonder, though, b/c God raised him from the dead. The Kill-Joys killed him. The Joy Giver comes back and forgives them!
I WANT TO IMAGINE THAT JESUS GOT UP IN THE TOMB, STRETCHED A LITTLE, THEN WHEN THE STONE WAS ROLLED AWAY, HE CAME OUT AND SAID, “I THINK I NEED TO DO THE DANCE!” AND GOD SAID, “GO AHEAD…DO THE DANCE…….”
LIKE HIS FATHER, JESUS HAS A GREAT SENSE OF HUMOR!
Gospels abound with evidence! (Matthew 23:24, Mark 10:25, Luke 11:39, Matthew 1`2:26-28, Luke 6:39, Matthew 8:22, Luke 6:44, 8:16, Matthew 7:3-5)
It’s HEBREW HUMOR! Don’t get this at first when reading Bible, but in their culture at the time, this stuff was hilarious!
He said the Pharisees were swallowing camels even as they carefully avoided slurping down the mosquitoes. That’s funny! Even a big glass of milk won’t help get a camel down!
He said it was “easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” Can you imagine…
He described the care with which the religious leaders washed the outside of their cups before drinking from them, but left the inside soiled.
He pointed out how ludicrous it was to claim that He was casting out demons by the power of the head demon himself. Hello!
He talked about blind men attempting to lead to blind men, about dead people burying dead people, about picking figs off a thistle, about hiding a lamp under a bed.
He said the bullies had big logs sticking out of their eyes while they walked around poking at the dust in the eyes of others. That’s hilarious!
They asked, “Jesus, you don’t think you are greater than Abraham, do you?”
“Yes, I do. Actually, I think I’m God.”
GO JESUS! Thanks for turning our mourning into LAUGHTER!
With his words he drew funny cartoons that told sharp truths. He smashed social strongholds with his humor, much to the joy of the underdogs.
Look at some MORE of the pointed things he said to illustrate a truth:
• Giving snakes to kids instead of bread.
• Giving your underwear away after they take your outerwear.
• Being born a second time.
• Chopping off your hand.
• Plucking out your eye.
Wanna be more Godly? Wanna be more like Jesus? Find the FUNNY in life! LAUGH more! Have FUN! Spread some JOY!
Let The Joy Giver use your smile and your words and your LAUGHTER to pass along his JOY!
• Give a knowing twinkle in the eye when someone wonders if anything is bigger than their problem.
• Give a confident word of faith to the one crushed by despair.
• Give a comforting touch or tickle that finds the spot that brings a smile and LAUGHTER!
See…JESUS IS IN THE JOY BUSINESS!!! And he invites us to be distributors of this very hot commodity. He wants US to feed the five thousand and enjoy the chatter and wonder as the crowd rejoices in the abundance of mysterious food!
In HIS presence there is JOY! He insists on it! He provides it! GOD CREATED IT!
The gospel is about JOY! That’s why called….GOOD News, remember? It’s about shattering chains. It’s about pardoning the condemned. It’s about feasting on the GENEROSITY of God. All to HIS glory and for HIS pleasure—and ours. The gospel is about pointing a finger straight into the chest of death and declaring, "You are going to die!" Now that’s worth LAUGHING about!
CONCLUSION:
1. LOOK FOR LAUGHTER!
2. TAKE A DAILY DOSE OF IT!
3. FOLLOW THE CREATER OF IT!
FOR ME…IT’S MY LEGACY!
PICS: MOM & DAD WITH RED NOSES!
GOD CREATED LAUGHTER! GOD CREATED YOUR FUNNY BONE, BUT YOU NEED TO TICKLE IT!
Someone once said there are THREE kinds of people in the world, those that can count and those that can’t. Just kidding!
There are 2 kinds of people in the world, those who wake up in the morning and say, "Good morning, Lord," and there are those who wake up in the morning and say, "Good Lord, it’s morning." Which one are YOU?
PAT TUTTLE: “YOU MIGHT BE SAD, BUT YOU BETTER GET GLAD!”
As Christians, we should be the HAPPIEST people on earth! AMEN?
Bible says there is a time to LAUGH I SAY THE TIME IS NOW! It’s time to start SMILING MORE and LAUGHING MORE and SINGING LOUDER and SHOUTING and behaving so that the world learns what it really means to know the JOY OF JESUS!!!!!!!!
ONE MORE LAUGH?
SINCE THE SUPER BOWL IS COMING SOON & HERE TO AZ:
A guy named Bob receives a free ticket to the Super Bowl from his company. Unfortunately, when Bob arrives at the stadium he realizes the seat is in the last row in the corner of the stadium - he’s closer to the Goodyear blimp than the field. About halfway through the first quarter, Bob notices an empty seat 10 rows off the field, right on the 50 yard line. He decides to take a chance and makes his way through the stadium and around the security guards to the empty seat. As he sits down, he asks the gentleman sitting next to him, "Excuse me, is anyone sitting here?" The man says no. Now, very excited to be in such a great seat for the game, Bob again inquires of the man next to him, "This is incredible! Who in their right mind would have a seat like this at the SuperBowl and not use it?" The man replies, "Well, actually, the seat belongs to me, I was supposed to come with my wife, but she passed away. This is the first Super Bowl we haven’t been together at since we got married in 1967." ”Well, that’s really sad," says Bob, "but still, couldn’t you find someone to take the seat? A relative or close friend?" ”No," the man replies, "they’re all at the funeral."
LET’S PRAY!!! (SHARE GOSPEL IN PRAYER)
