All right, honey, I got a question for you. Okay. What do you think is the thing I love the most about you?
We're not talking physical here. We're just talking. That I laugh a lot. Welcome to Family Life Today, where we want to help you pursue the relationships that matter most. I'm Ann Wilson.
And I'm Dave Wilson. And you can find us at familylifetoday.com or on our Family Life app. This is Family Life Today. I love your laughter. It just brings joy to the house. You have the greatest laugh. Well, it's kind of irritating.
So I'm glad that you like it. Why is that important to you? Because we're going to talk to a guy that brings the funny, that brings laughter. Yeah. I mean, he's one of my, he is my favorite.
Yes. Comedian in all the world, Michael Jr. And it is a joy to have you on the show. Many people know you're not only a comedian, but you have purpose behind your comedy. I mean, you've been on the Tonight Show, the Late Late Show, Jimmy Kimmel. You've been everywhere. You're in Selfie Dad, the movie.
More than Funny, the movie. War Room. You were the star of War Room.
Yeah, you were the star of War Room. Welcome to Family Life Today. I love Family Life Today and tomorrow and yesterday. Family Life is awesome.
You guys are great. Were you having a private moment right before you introduced me? You know what I like most about you, honey? I was like, wait, what's going on right now?
Should I be in on this? I didn't know if she was going to answer the right thing. I didn't know you were going to say funny. Oh, you say that a lot. Well, I do.
And you know, it's interesting, Michael, you probably don't even know this. The first time we heard you was in Dallas. We were going to speak at the PAO NFL Conference. And it was our first time to be like a keynote speaker to a couple hundred NFL players and their wives and singles and spouses. And they started the night off and they were they were like, this is the biggest conference we've ever done.
This needs to be really done well. And they introduce you to start the whole conference on. And I remember I'm not kidding. I turned to and I'm like, they're going to start this thing with a comedian.
Are they crazy? This is like high end. You got to be good. And let me tell you, dude, do you remember it? You killed it. I do remember that it was a genius move because when you were done, we said, oh, it just opened the room.
All the fear, all the defenses, all of the arms. It became a room of peace and joy. And you created that atmosphere to allow speakers to come up and really say what God wanted them to say. So thanks for doing. Oh, man, you guys are awesome.
Your words are so kind. Yeah. Comedy just has a way of opening up people hearts in such a way that a deposit can be made. That's why I always tell people it's very important that they watch what you're laughing at, because when you're laughing, your heart is open. So you need to be careful at what information is around that as well. Well, that's deep right there.
Yeah. Well, let's talk about that. Cause you, you are an expert at funny and you wrote a book called a funny, how life works. You've done standup. You've done movies. You've got a podcast. Why why a book? What were you, what were you hoping to accomplish?
I was thinking the same thing. I didn't want to write no book. I don't even read books, but I actually do.
I read probably about 14 books a year, but I felt like there's a lot of people who like this medium who want to be able to sit back and curl up and enjoy some really great stories that are funny and heartfelt. And then also there's some call to actions with each one. We don't just laugh.
We don't just learn, but there's some, I feel like there's some pretty strong takeaways in this book too, man. So the main reason I wanted to do it was really out of obedience. And then the second reason is so I can get paid. It's comedy before I'm not getting paid.
Well, we'll see. You know what? I was reading your book because it really is. It's all stories that have occurred, have happened in your life. It's like watching and listening to you on stage. It really is. Okay. But I thought, you know what this is? It's like the parables because there's great truth. Wait, wait, wait. Did you just compare Michael Jr. to Jesus? Well, the parables. Yes. Wow.
Because she's never done that with me ever. There's a deep truth in there, but it's really good. That's why it's super entertaining. But the spiritual depth and the truth have been really inspiring to us.
I got to be honest. You know, we read a lot of books at Family Life Today because we interview a lot of authors and I'm going to be honest. I don't read every word of every book of every chapter. Listen, I was just about, I was going to say Ann read the book. You probably listen to her read it because there's no way you jump. That'd be a lot of reading for a man.
For a man? What's that mean? That's a lot of reading for anybody. It's hard to stay focused, but I appreciate any, did you read a story, Dave?
What'd you read? Let me tell you something. This is what I was going to tell you before you cut me off.
Here's the thing. I read almost the whole book. I couldn't put it down. I was going to just skim it and learn a little bit here and learn a little bit here so I could do this interview with you.
Dude, I mean, I went to Ann. I'm like, honey, you got to read this. I love how you write.
I mean, again, it's like listening to you on stage. The humor's there, the funny's there, but you just tell a story and then like you said, like Ann said, it's like a parable. There's a story, but there's this truth that you got to look for in your story and then you land the story at the end of each chapter and I'm telling you, I'm like, everybody needs to read this book.
I hope it's just a really, really bestseller because when people pick this up and read it, it really is life changing. You did such a good job of telling the story and then driving home a point all the way from, I mean, opening chapter, 60 cents and an orange. Let's talk about that.
Yeah, go ahead. Tell us that one. Fascinating story.
Take us through that. What happened and how old were you? So I grew up in this place called Michigan and my dad is one of those dads. He's not just going to give you some money. I remember going over to a friend's house once and his wife, she gave him $5 and he gave me $5 and I was blown away by this. I must have sat there for probably 55 seconds just looking at that money in my hand because I didn't understand what was supposed to happen next.
Nobody had ever just given me money before. So I grew up in Grand Rapids and I had this, you know, everybody had bikes. Everybody had a bike. Well, my bike was like this, this schwuffy. It was half twin, half huffy.
It was just some stuff I put together. It was raggedy and my cousin had a predator. I don't know if you guys remember the BMX predator.
It's the greatest bike ever. So my cousin shows up with a predator and his mom just bought it. So anyway, the story is really about my dad saying to me, I said to him, will you buy me a predator? And my dad as always was like, buy you a predator? What?
Huh? Even today, if I said to my dad, Hey, could I have a hundred dollars? He would say, yes, have a hundred for me too. Where are we going to get it from?
He just does not, he just hand out money. So I wanted this bike and I finally got the courage to ask my dad for this bike and he said, instead of saying no, he actually said, if you earn half the money, I'll earn the other half of the money, which blew me away. This was a, this was an opportunity to keep in mind. I'm nine years old at this point. So I go out and I start shoveling snow. The first place I go to is my neighbor and she was old.
And I mentioned in the book how she used to tell us stories, Bible stories, and it would include phrases like, and then I said to Jesus, like she was, she was crazy old. So, so I shovel her snow and I'm working on her and I'm all proud and I walk up to her door and she pays me 60 cents and an orange. Like I was dumbfounded, 60 cents and an orange.
Let me just say this. Michigan winters are rough. We're not talking probably like a little half inch of snow. Not even a little bit.
It was probably like nine inches of fresh snow with some of that old snow and the ice under that snow. And I'm nine years old. I'm sweating. I got on my snow suit. I shoveled this thing out and she patted me on, I remember her patting me on my head too. Like, like, there you go young man.
I'm like, what? And I didn't know what to do. In fact, what I did mention in the book is, uh, when I left her, I kicked all that snow back on her. I got kicked all the snow back cause she only gave me 60 cents. And then later that day, after I raised $91 in one day, I'm nine years old. I learned so much through this story. And then I go back and tell your dad what had happened. Cause you were so discouraged after the 60 cents. What your dad told you was a great lesson.
Yeah. He told me, first of all, learn how to negotiate Dory prices. And then he inspired me to go out and get the rest of the money. Like he, he told me not to stop there. Like there's so many lessons. It didn't make any sense, but I went back out and I actually kept shoveling snow even more.
What I didn't mention in the book, just the thing I wanted to catch. I ended up raising $91. As you guys know, my dad offer, he said, okay, you got $91. That's close enough. And he says, we're going to go get the bike.
And I was blown away. I get a BMX part. That's what he said to me. And then, uh, as soon as he said that to me, I was like, nah, I ain't spending all my money on no bike. That's the first thing I said, why would I spend all this money on a bike? Cause before money was just whatever, but when I had to go out and work for it, the way I did, I learned so much from it.
So I literally, I literally never got that bike. Instead I fixed up my old schwuffy and then I was cool. And then the next day I went back to my neighbor's house again and it snowed again and I reshuffled her snow, but I didn't even knock on her door.
I don't know. I just learned something in that moment, even at nine years old, man. So it was pretty cool. Did that influence you as a dad now? Like do you just give your kids money, just throw it at them or do you make them earn it? No, my kids have always had to earn their money. But the one thing I did learn and even tweak is I used to teach my kids any money you get, you have to earn it.
I used to when they first, when they were young, but then I changed it to, Hey, make sure when you get some money, you figure out a way to make the money work for you. That little add on was pretty significant shift that I had to make in a, in a really big way. So, um, one story that you guys won't remember from the book because it's not even in the book.
Ooh, a little bonus. I don't know why I should share this story. I used to have really low self-esteem as a kid. Well, first of all, let me just say my dad is amazing. Awesome dad. Like I love, love, love my dad. I think I got the greatest dad in the world. Now, let me tell you a story.
My dad used to cut my hair when I was a kid. And I feel like I should say this because I think some of your listeners might be struggling with relationship with their dad. Maybe they're struggling with it.
They don't understand whatever. And I want to tell the listeners it's going to be hard to hear at first, but you got to hear me out. Your dad actually did an amazing job.
I know, I know some of y'all about to tune off right now. So let me tell you the story. So, um, my dad used to cut my hair and when he cut my hair, he would yell at me. I'm talking about not just kind of yell. He would yell really, really, really, really loud, very aggressively, and it would mess my self-esteem.
So my dad is cutting my hair and especially this little knot behind the ear, that stuff would hurt a lot. And I would flinch and he would flinch. He would yell at me even louder. And I remember crying because he was yelling at me so much. So I grew up with low self-esteem because my dad would always yell every time he cut my hair. And then even as an adult or even as I got older, a teenager, I wouldn't like to get my hair cut just in general because I had so much fear wrapped around it. And then I spoke to my uncle one day and my dad's dad used to also cut his hair, but my dad's dad, he used to drink a lot. He was very, very mean. And my uncle tells me a story about how he walked in the house one day and my dad, probably 11 years old, was sitting there getting his hair cut while his drunk father would cut his hair.
And if he moved, he would take the clippers and hit them upside the head with the clippers. So he said he walked in and my dad was sitting there with tears and blood running down his face, having to sit still while his drunk dad cut his hair. So the reason I say I have an amazing dad, that is just one of many stories where my dad had taken some things that had happened in the past and said, nope, I'm not going to allow this to happen to my son.
And all he did was raise his voice. Like he could allow all of that to travel down generationally, but instead my dad is so strong that all he did was raise his voice. Now the load for me with my son, I don't raise my voice at all when I cut his hair.
It's a hundred percent fine. Like we laugh and giggle when I cut my son's hair. So now what is it going to look like when he cuts his son's hair? So I suppose to me just focusing on the fact that he raised his voice, I just did a little bit of math on what he had gone through, found the answer to it. That got so much love and respect for the man that my dad is as a result. So maybe some people listening right now, you probably only focusing on what happened to you, but did you ever do the math on what may have taken place to them? That's really good because there's always a story behind the story.
Yeah. You know, like your dad was yelling, but there's something behind that. I think to find out our parents' history and what they've been through and why they respond the way that they have is really big. And a lot of times we just never do that because we're angry or resentful.
That's big and it's important. You know, I wasn't a kid that really read the Bible growing up. I was dragged to church by my mom, single mom, divorced dad, didn't know my dad really that well and come to Christ in going into my junior year in college. And it's one of the first times I started reading the Bible and I had no idea cause I always said, I'm never going to be like my dad.
He was drank too much, had women, you know, divorced my mom. I'm never going to become my dad. I'm reading the Bible brand new Christian reading the 10 commandments in Exodus chapter 20. And I never knew this was in the Bible. It said, you know, the sins of the father will visit down through your generation through third and fourth generation. And I remember reading that one day in my dorm room and thinking I am becoming just like my father. You know, I, you know, I'm reading a verse like this is happening to me. I've made a vow. I'm not going to be like my dad and yet I'm going to parties. I'm drinking, I'm picking up women and I'm now giving my life to Christ. I don't want to stop that.
And it hit me right then and there. And I, you know, I wasn't going to be married for years yet, but I remember thinking if I don't intentionally stop this pattern, the sins of my dad are going to become my sins. Even though I don't want to do it, I'm going to do it unless I intentionally say I'm not going to do it. Just like your dad said, I am not going to do what my dad did. And he started a legacy that now you're continuing in a beautiful way. I remember reading that, that verse to my nine year old son, my nine year old son, who's now 34 and married.
I remember reading it to CJ and said, CJ, what do you think of this verse? You know, he's nine years old, the sins of your father. And he just looks at me and all he said was, dad, don't sin. And I remember just going, okay.
But I mean, he got it at nine years old. He's like, whatever you do, I think I'm going to do. And man, you just told this great story and I, and I got to get to, you know, the theme of your book keeps coming up over and over and it starts in this very first story at the end of that story, about 60 cents in an orange, you write these words, you say, if you have a mindset that is open to learn from your experiences, the obstacles of today can become the opportunities of tomorrow. Absolutely. And as I've heard you on stage and in your book, you keep talking about your punchline and your setbacks being your setup.
Go ahead. Tell us what that all means. Cause you begin it in chapter one and it's a theme all throughout. So funny how life works. In fact, that's why we named the book, funny how life works. Cause there's funny and we explain how life works, but it really is funny how life works too. So even in comedy, there's always a setup, not just in standup comedy, but anytime you laugh, there's a formula that takes place. There's a setup and then there's a punchline. The setup is when, when a comedian will cause the audience to think in the same direction, but the punchline occurs when he changes the direction in a way they're not expecting. When the audience catches onto this change, they've received the punchline and then the results are revelation, fulfillment and joy, but it's expressed through laughter. Well, life is the same way. There's a setup and there's a punchline.
Your setup is what you have received. The fact that you got a car, you're married, you got this disability, but your punchline is about what you're called to deliver. And if you know your setup, but you don't know your punchline, you'll feel like something's missing and you'll think what you need to fill that void is more setup. If I could just get this, if I could just get married, if I could just open this business, but what you really need to know is what is your punchline.
And just like me, as I mentioned in the book, I used to struggle with my reading. Even your setbacks in life are part of your setup so you can deliver the punchline that you're called to deliver. What happens more times than not is people really actually believe once they get some more setup, that's when they'll be happy. But it's really about asking the question, what can I deliver? Everyone has a question that's always running in the back of their mind. And that question either has to do with getting or receiving.
So you have to make a decision. What question are you going to ask when you walk into a room? Are you going to be asking what can I give?
Or are you going to be asking what can I get? And that is really the reason I wrote the book. I don't even like writing.
Once I sat down and actually put paper to pen, it only took me four years. But I did it out of a beat. I just felt like I should.
And I'm super happy with the results. Well, a great example of that would be when you did a show and a woman came up to you and said, I get it now. I get it now. Tell that story. That's one of my favorite stories.
You know what Annie, you're right. So I had a comedian friend of mine who read the book early, caught me up and she could not make it through chapter 22 because that's what you're talking about. She said she made four attempts to get through that chapter and she could not do it. And then we talked on the phone and she was like, I'm going to try tomorrow.
She couldn't get through. So here's what happened. I'm doing my vent and I think we're in Peoria, Illinois, hometown of Richard Pryor.
Matter of fact, I don't know why there's some random information anyway. So I'm on stage and I do my comedy and I'm asking a different question. Instead of asking, what can I get? I'm on stage asking what can I get? Not audibly, but in between the jokes while people are laughing.
That's the question I asked some time. I used to only ask, how can I get more laughs? But now I'm saying, what can I give to this audience? So I feel like I'm supposed to say something a little extra and I can't remember. And I explained to him how life is like there's a setup, there's a punch line. I said something a little extra, went on to the next joke. We started having fun.
It was great. And then at the end of the show, we have an autograph line normally. And this lady walks up to me. She's in an autograph line. She says, I get it now. And then she walks off. I was like, you didn't get anything.
I have books and CDs. You didn't get anything. What are you talking about? And then she just walks off. I was like, ah, whatever. And then I'm back in Peoria, Illinois, a year and a half later. She says, do you remember me? And weirdly enough, I kind of did remember her because it was so weird the way she approached me last time. And she said, well, I came to your event last year, a year and a half ago. And I came because she said she's a school teacher and her bank account was like a minus $130.
She was negative in her bank account. And somebody gave her the ticket to my comedy show because they knew she had so much pressure she was under. They just wanted her to laugh. So she comes to the show and she said, I really laugh. I had a great time. But then you start seeing some things that really penetrated me.
And I wasn't expecting that at a comedy show. Well, that's just me listening between the gaps. And listen, all the listeners right now, you have gaps in your life.
What question are you asking in between the gaps? So I said whatever I said to her. And then she said, when you say what you said, I knew what I had to do. And she explained to me that earlier that day, she's a school teacher. Her favorite student had approached her and said, hey, I just want you to know I'm not going to be coming back to school anymore. See, her mom was going to prison.
She never met her dad before, didn't have any other family. And she did not want to end up in a foster care system. So she said she was just going to work it out.
Well, this teacher after going to my show, realizing she had a set up punch line, something to deliver with part of the message. She said, I went on ahead and I called that student up and I said, listen, I don't know what this looks like, but why don't you come stay with me for a little while and we can just figure this thing out together. So she says she takes the student home and then over the weekend, they start unpacking her clothes because they're just going to figure this thing out together. And she let her move in with her. But while she's unpacking her clothes, she found a suicide note dated for that weekend that she contacted her. And then she says to me, she's looking at me, telling me this, and I'm trying to hold it together.
I got tears welling up. And then she says to me, since then, I've adopted that student. She's my daughter now. Would you like to meet her and her sister? I adopted them both.
And I couldn't even turn my head to look at them without losing it. What a deal. Like, all I did was say whatever I felt like I was supposed to say in that moment after asking the question, what can I give? And as a result of it, that story blesses me so, so much. Like, it just really does. It's so possible that that girl wouldn't be here today, that this woman not ended up at your show. I mean, that just shows, God, if we just open our ears and listen, God, what do you want?
What do you have? What what's the punch line? What's my part? What? And listening in the gaps. I love that.
Yeah. You know, as I look over at Anne right now, she's got a tear in her eye. And I'm thinking everyone listening has a tear in their eye right now because and you know this and you said it better than anybody in your book. Michael Junior is we were made for purpose. That's why God created us. We have a purpose in us. And when we hear a story like that, like, wow, look at how God used you and even comedy, because that's one of the things I love about you is you're not just a funny guy getting up there trying to make money and make people laugh.
You're like, no, there's something bigger. There's a purpose bigger than just the funny. And that story highlights like that saves somebody's life because purpose bigger than just teaching kids.
Yeah, exactly. And so, you know, even for the listener, listen, it's like, what's your purpose? What has God made you to do? And as you say, it probably has something to do with the setbacks in your life, the obstacles, the hard things in your life. The adversity is probably part of what God allowed you to go through so that he can use that to put you on your purpose. Conversations like the one we've heard today with David Ann Wilson and Michael Junior always remind me of Ephesians chapter two, verse 10, which tells us that we are God's workmanship.
We are created in Christ for good works that he prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. So do we understand God has a punch line for us? And do we understand how our setup affects that punch line? As Michael Junior said, he's written a book that deals with this subject. The book is called Funny How Life Works. And it's a book that we've got in our Family Life Today Resource Center. You can go to our website, familylifetoday.com, to find out more about Michael's book. You can order it from us online at familylifetoday.com, or you can call to order 1-800-FL-TODAY is the number. Again, Michael's book is called Funny How Life Works. Order it from us online at familylifetoday.com or call to order 1-800-358-6329.
That's 1-800-F as in family, L as in life, and then the word today. I think many of you already know about the new book that Dave and Anne Wilson have just completed, a book called No Perfect Parents. It's a great guide for all of us who are in the process of raising our children, a great reminder that there are no perfect parents, but there are things we can do to point our kids in the right direction as parents. We are making Dave and Anne's book available this week as a thank you gift to those of you who can help support the ministry of family life, help us reach more people more often through this daily podcast and radio program. Family Life Today is being heard by hundreds of thousands of people every day, people who are getting practical, biblical help and hope for their marriages and for their families.
And you make that possible every time you donate. So if you'd like to help support the ongoing work of this ministry and get a copy of Dave and Anne Wilson's new book, No Perfect Parents, either for yourself or to give to someone you know, go to familylifetoday.com, make a donation to support the ministry and ask for your copy of Dave and Anne's new book. Again, the website is familylifetoday.com. You can also donate by phone. Just call 1-800-FL-TODAY. Now, tomorrow, we're going to hear from Michael Jr. about how he as a comedian deals with hecklers because comedians have to figure out how to do that and how that applies to the obstacles we face in living lives on purpose. Hope you can tune in for that. On behalf of our hosts, Dave and Anne Wilson, I'm Bob Lapine. We will see you back next time for another edition of Family Life Today. Family Life Today is a production of Family Life, a crew ministry, helping you pursue the relationships that matter most.
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