MEN ALIVE: Jim Cunningham & Paul Estabrooks' Podcast
Programs to help men become transformed to the image (character) of Jesus Christ.
MEN ALIVE: Jim Cunningham & Paul Estabrooks' Podcast
MEN ALIVE 225 - Appropriate Laughter: Golf, Giggles and the Gospel
As Dr. Jim and Paul share stories and chuckles, they also delve into the rejuvenating power that laughter has on our souls. With insights from Proverbs, they muse over the ancient understanding that a joyful heart is indeed the best medicine. Adults take note: it's time to rediscover the unbridled laughter of our younger days. By inviting levity into our every day, we inch closer to the joyous spirit of Jesus Christ—yes, even through our humour. Tune in to this episode for an enlightening blend of wit, wisdom, and warmth, and don't forget to explore our Men Alive Archives for even more uplifting content courtesy of Go Teach Global.com (written by AI including the subtitle :)).
Welcome to Men Alive, a biblical journey to help us conform to the image of Jesus Christ. I'm your host, paul Estabrooks. Our teacher is my longtime friend, dr Jim Cunningham, consultant in adult education, director of Go Teach Global and author of the book Men Alive. Jim, you and I have shared life experiences for many years. We've had good times and challenging times and many times of laughter. Today we pay comedians to try and make us laugh. Everyone agrees that laughter is good for the spirit, so when is the right time to laugh?
Speaker 2:Some people will laugh when they are in a state of shock. Let me tell you a story that happened when I was in my 50s during the time of the infamous OJ Simpson murder trial. Some estimate that over 90 million people were following that trial on television. Rita and I were vacationing at a friend's condo in Idaho at the time. The resort had a golf course. So one warm afternoon, while everybody appeared to be in watching the murder case on TV, we decided to go golfing. The course was virtually empty. We putted along like the amateur golfers we are, until we got to the second hole. I had previously golfed more than Rita, so I rather magnanimously offered to give her some suggestions. Wrong decision I golfed left-handed, rita golfed right-handed. So try to visualize what's about to happen.
Speaker 2:I thought it would be kind of romantic to stand behind Rita gently, wrap my arms around her waist, hold her hands on the number three wood handle, show her how to raise a club backward over her right shoulder, knees, bent, eyes on the ball. Yada, yada, yada. I gave too many instructions all at once. With my arms still around her, I said are you ready? Silence. She was totally focused on hitting that little white ball. Okay, I said, and I proceeded to step back from behind her, not quick enough.
Speaker 2:As soon as I let go of her arms, the club went up, came down, whack, a perfect tee shot, full follow-through swing. Then bam, her club hit me full force on the left side of my head, on the frame of my glasses, one inch above my ear and one inch from my left eye. As I dropped to the ground on my knees, I grabbed hold of the side of my head and a hard lump was forming. I heard Rita's nervous giggle of laughter. I hit you, she said. I could have killed you. Can you imagine the fun I had explaining to the doctor at the clinic? My wife hit me with a golf club. Unfortunately, the titanium metal frame on my glasses absorbed the impact without a second murder trial needed.
Speaker 1:We know Rita has a good sense of appropriate humor. Sometimes laughter helps reduce the tension in an event.
Speaker 2:Agreed. Rita's laughter that day was a spontaneous, nervous response to an unimaginable event. Fast forward 20 years. We were driving to celebrate my 70th birthday and we drove past a golf course. I said to Rita hey, there's something we haven't done for a while played golf together Silence. We both had a flashback to Idaho and Rita said maybe that's why you made it to your 70th birthday. We both laughed.
Speaker 1:We're glad you're still here. Jim Laughter is good for us. My father had a good sense of humor. Even though he tended to be strict as a disciplinarian, he appreciated humorous events in life and he would try and make a pun from everything you said, and then he'd laugh and laugh. At least he thought it was funny.
Speaker 2:Pablo. Some men take life far too seriously no humor at all, and others just ride along, always carefree, and laugh off everything. The Bible says in Ecclesiastes 3-4, there is a time to cry and a time to laugh, a time to grieve and a time to dance. God gave man the capacity to laugh. Our goal as men is to know when laughter is appropriate. Consider Abraham, the father of faith. Genesis 17 says when Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to him and said I am El Shaddai, god Almighty, serve me faithfully and live a blameless life. I will make a covenant with you by which I will guarantee to give you countless descendants. At this, abram fell down on the ground, faced first. The Lord said to him this is my covenant with you. I will make you the father of a multitude of nations. What's more, I am changing your name. You will no longer be Abram. Instead, it will be called Abraham, for you will be the father of many nations. I will make you extremely fruitful. Your descendants will be many nations and kings will be among them. I will confirm my covenant with you and your descendants after you, from generation to generation. This is the everlasting covenant. I will always be your God and the God of your descendants after you, and I will give you the entire land of Canaan where you now live, as a foreigner to you and your descendants. It will be their possession forever and I will be their God. When God said to Abraham, your responsibility is to obey the terms of the covenant. You and all your descendants have this continual responsibility. Later God said to Abraham and regarding Sarai, your wife, her name will no longer be Sarai. From now on, her name will be Sarai, and I will bless her and give you a son from her. Yes, I will bless her richly and she will become the mother of many nations. Kings of nations will be among her descendants. Then listen to this. Abraham bowed down to the ground, but he laughed to himself in disbelief. He said how could I become a father at the age of 100? And how can Sarai have a baby when she is 90 years old? So Abraham said to God May Ishmael live under your special blessing. But God replied no, sarai, your wife will give birth to a son. You will name him Isaac and I will confirm my covenant with him and his descendants as an everlasting covenant. As for Ishmael, I will bless him just as you have asked, I will make him extremely fruitful and multiply his descendants. He will become the father of 12 princes and I will make him a great nation. But my covenant will be confirmed with Isaac, who will be born to you and Sarah about this time next year. When God had finished speaking, he left Abraham.
Speaker 2:Sometime later the Lord appeared to Abraham and said I will return to you about this time next year and your wife, sarah, will have a son. Sarah was listening to this conversation from the tent. Abraham and Sarah were both very old by this time, and Sarah was long past the age of having children. So she laughed silently to herself and said how could a worn out woman like me enjoy such pleasure, especially when my master, my husband, is also so old? Then the Lord said to Abraham why did Sarah laugh? Why did she say Can an old woman like me have a baby? Is anything too hard for the Lord? I will return about this time next year and Sarah will have a son. Sarah was afraid, so she denied it again, saying I didn't laugh. But the Lord said no, you did laugh.
Speaker 2:Later, in verse 21, the Lord kept his word and did for Sarah exactly what he had promised she became pregnant and gave birth to a son for Abraham in his old age. This happened at just the time God had said it would, and Abraham named their son Isaac. Eight days after Isaac was born, abraham circumcised him as God had commanded. Abraham was a hundred years old when Isaac was born and Sarah declared God has brought me laughter. All who hear about this will laugh with me. Who would have said to Abraham that Sarah could nurse a baby Yet?
Speaker 2:I have given Abraham a son in his old age.
Speaker 1:And in Hebrew the name Isaac or Isaac means laughter. They all had a good laugh. A woman bearing a child in her 90s that is worth a laugh. You are listening to Men Alive, with Dr Jim Cunningham. Contact him with your comments or questions at menaliveantogodcom. For more Menalive programs and information, go to our website at goteachglobalcom.
Speaker 2:Time for a family story. Michael, our youngest son, was in the third grade in a new school. One day at recess in the yard, the school bully roughly grabbed Michael by the front of his shirt, lifted him up to eye level and loudly said Cunningham, do you know what I'm going to do to you? Mike's quick response was I don't think you're going to kiss me. The nearby kids all started laughing. The bully put him back on the ground and said You're okay, cunningham, and they laughed together. A wise, humorous answer turned away anger. Yet, men, some people will laugh at us for being followers of Jesus Christ. Some will laugh at you for claiming Jesus rose from the dead. Some will even claim you are mentally ill, as they do not believe anyone has ever risen from the dead. But Jesus did no-transcript.
Speaker 1:Be prepared, man, as followers of Jesus Christ, to be laughed at like the Apostle Paul in Acts 1732. When they heard Paul speak about the resurrection of the dead, Scripture says some laughed and contempt. Others said we want to hear more about this later.
Speaker 2:Psalm 2 tells us that God also laughs. The Psalmist wrote why are the nations so angry? Why do they waste their time with futile plans? The kings of this earth prepare for battle. The rulers plot together against the Lord and against his anointed one. Let us break their chains. They cry and free ourselves from the slavery to God, but the one who rules in heaven laughs. The Lord scoffs at them. Many times the Bible talks of God laughing. Psalm 7320 says when you arise, o Lord, you will laugh at the silly ideas, as a person laughs at dreams in the morning.
Speaker 1:Sometimes what the Lord does causes his children to laugh with joy. Psalm 126.1 and 2 says when the Lord brought back his exiles to Jerusalem, it was like a dream. We were filled with laughter and we sang for joy. And the other nations said what amazing things the Lord has done for them.
Speaker 2:Jesus discovered that people laughed when they mocked him or did not believe him. In Matthew 924 he came to heal a girl who had died. He said to the skeptics in the room Get out, the girl isn't dead, she's only asleep. Crowd laughed at him, but he made them all leave and he took the girl's father and mother and the three disciples into the room where the girl was lying Holding her hand. He said to her Talitha Kaum, which means little girl, get up. And the girl, who was 12 years old, immediately stood up and walked around. They were overwhelmed and totally amazed. So here we go, man, bottom line. Let's agree it is healthy and God ordained to laugh. Researchers claim nothing works faster or more dependably to bring your mind and body back into balance than a good laugh. Children tend to laugh many times a day, yet we as adults laugh less. Proverbs 17-22 says A joyful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones. Good laughter is healing to the body. Let's agree to share humor and laughter that positively affects people.
Speaker 1:There you have it, men. Our goal is to be transformed to the image of Jesus Christ in our words, our character and even our laughter. Contact us today at menaliveintogodd at gmailcom. That's menaliveintogodd at gmailcom. Menalive is a production of the ministry Go Teach Global. We invite you to come visit us on our website at goteachglobalcom. There you will find background information about Dr Jim, and the second page gives you an opportunity to listen to any or all of the many Menalive recorded programs. Go to goteachglobalcom today. Until next time. I'm Paul Estabrooks, on behalf of Dr Jim Cunningham, encouraging you to become menalive, transformed into the image of Jesus Christ.
