Crazy Idea of The Day
I think a class on humor ought to be a requirement at every Seminary in America. That's my crazy idea of the day.
I think I value humor above just about every other personality trait when it comes to friends and staff. You can't work at NCC if you aren't really good at laughing :)
Fun and funny. They are etymologically inseperable.
Not only is laughter biblically mandated. I think the healthiest and holiest people are the people who laugh at themselves the most. I don't think there is near enough humor in the average church.
Anywho.
I just read a fascinating study in Psychology Today on humor. They identified four types of humor: Put-Down Humor, Bonding Humor, Hate-me Humor, and Laughing at Life.
I think put-down humor is unhealthy, but we ought to cultivate the other three types.
Bonding humor is laughing at the challenges all of us face. It is the ability to defuse a situation or reduce tension by finding something funny to laugh at. Seinfeld is the master of bonding humor. The sitcom was a show about nothing. But everybody resonated with the humor because we've all "been there" and "done that."
Hate-me Humor is making yourself the butt of your own jokes. You can take this too far, but this type of humor is also a form of humility. You don't take yourself too seriously. In the words Chris Farley, the quintessential hate-me humorist: "Let me tell you why I suck."
Laughing at life is the ability to cope with life's challenges via laughing at them. I think this is the only way to survive some situations. You just have to laugh.
I think most of us underestimate the spirituality of laughter. I honestly believe it is part of the imago Dei. Sure, hyennas cackle. But true laughter is unique to the human race. It is a God-given gift that ought to be cultivated to its God-given potential.
I enjoy my children's laughter as much as I enjoy anything else they do. I think our Heavenly Father is no different. God loves our laughter.
I think I value humor above just about every other personality trait when it comes to friends and staff. You can't work at NCC if you aren't really good at laughing :)
Fun and funny. They are etymologically inseperable.
Not only is laughter biblically mandated. I think the healthiest and holiest people are the people who laugh at themselves the most. I don't think there is near enough humor in the average church.
Anywho.
I just read a fascinating study in Psychology Today on humor. They identified four types of humor: Put-Down Humor, Bonding Humor, Hate-me Humor, and Laughing at Life.
I think put-down humor is unhealthy, but we ought to cultivate the other three types.
Bonding humor is laughing at the challenges all of us face. It is the ability to defuse a situation or reduce tension by finding something funny to laugh at. Seinfeld is the master of bonding humor. The sitcom was a show about nothing. But everybody resonated with the humor because we've all "been there" and "done that."
Hate-me Humor is making yourself the butt of your own jokes. You can take this too far, but this type of humor is also a form of humility. You don't take yourself too seriously. In the words Chris Farley, the quintessential hate-me humorist: "Let me tell you why I suck."
Laughing at life is the ability to cope with life's challenges via laughing at them. I think this is the only way to survive some situations. You just have to laugh.
I think most of us underestimate the spirituality of laughter. I honestly believe it is part of the imago Dei. Sure, hyennas cackle. But true laughter is unique to the human race. It is a God-given gift that ought to be cultivated to its God-given potential.
I enjoy my children's laughter as much as I enjoy anything else they do. I think our Heavenly Father is no different. God loves our laughter.
6 Comments:
ever hear a Christian comedian? I was so excited to hear my first one...and maybe that was part of my problem. I'd overhyped it. I'm still looking for one that will make me at least chuckle...and not because I'm laughing at how cheesy their act is.
Here's praying for more funny
At SonRise Church we laugh so often and so hard that our Lead Pastor has coined a new term: Whenever you find yourself laughing so hard that you can't stop and every little thing keeps perpetuating it, it's called a "staff laugh."
How can we laugh with the situation in the Middle East?
Anonymous,
You've got to read these blogs in context :)
I think Ecclesiastes is a good rule of thumb here--there is a time to weep, a time to laugh, a time to build, a time to destroy, etc.
I do know this, God wants to turn our mourning into laughing. Unfortunately, that doesn't always happen this side of eternity.
Hope that helps.
Mark
I love humor too. I think that laughing is one of the purest things we do. Just think of a child laughing. Or great friends laughing together.
I had the opportunity to be a pastor in Australia for 9 years, and one of the things I value most about Australian culture and Australian Christianity is their ability to laugh at themselves, and with others, and even find something humorous in the most difficult times of life.
Any hints on using humor in a cross cultural mission? I also highly appreciate humor especially when delivering a message, but I have so far had a hard time finding the Kenyan peoples funny bone. Would be great if someone could email me that article from Psychology Today or snail mail it.
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