God's Humor

This is the Truth Network. The heart of every man craves a great adventure, but life doesn't usually feel that way. Jesus speaks of narrow gates and wide roads, but the masculine journey is filled with many twists and turns.

So, how do we keep from losing heart while trying to find the good way when life feels more like a losing battle than something worth dying for? Grab your gear and come on a quest with your band of brothers who will serve as the guides in what we call the masculine journey. The masculine journey starts here now. Welcome to Masculine Journey. I'm Danny.

I'll be your host this evening. And we are here together with a room full. And we are going to discuss a topic this week that Mr. Art, basically come up with Art you want to tell us about? Yes, well, I I came up with this topic last week.

The way it came about was that the oldest member of the group had put some messages on our message board. That would be Harold. And he said that there's this sparrow's nest in his yard and the The parents are coming and feeding their babies and it it's all a part of God's plan that and it's wonderful and how could you not see God in that? And at the same time, I had a a bird's nest at my farm. It was in the tongue of an old hay baler.

It was low to the ground, and the dogs they knew it was there. You know, they say people don't like people that talk about their dogs all the time, but I'm going to be the exception. And y'all like me okay, I think.

So far.

So far, that could change. But I'm going to talk about my dogs anyway.

So I've got this picture of my dogs. They just entertain themselves for hours per day, looking at, watching, barking at. What they can't see, but they know there is a nest of baby birds inside this tongue. And I said, you know, it's just. what what does this have to do with God?

Is this is this God's humor? Can I can we see God's humor in this? And I thought, well, you know, just what what would be a better topic for this group than the than to talk about you know, that I've I've always heard it said, you know, what does God have a hum sense of humor or God does have a sense of humor and um what would be a better topic for this group? I wanted to hear hear what all the guys had to had to say about that.

So That's where the topic came from. And if this was video instead of radio, you guys would know God has a sense of humor. Because, first of all, you're still here with us. That's right. And we do have a new feature of this show.

It's called The Word of the Week, and I want to be the first one to say it. It's brick-pea. It's Tom's word.

So, yeah. That's pretty weak. I did my best. I did my best. They're picking on me because I knew the word pericope.

And you pay for a Master's of Divinity, you'll learn that word. I think I'll pay. Not much else. I just think I'll pay. You'll learn that word.

Yeah.

So we're talking about God's humor, Art, and. You made the assumption that all of us have a sense of humor, which is a good assumption, I'm assuming. Makes sense. But so. You know, a couple of thoughts I had when we threw this thing out was that, you know, I've got a great niece and a great nephew.

And the great nephew, he's not he's not talking yet, but he has learned to laugh. And he has an infectious laugh. I mean, he just laughs all over. And. You know, interestingly enough, that's one of the first things he learned to do.

is laugh. And so, you know, we talk about it on here all the time. We're created in God's image and his likeness.

So you can make the connection that God has a sense of humor. And laughter has so many benefits and and You know, so and there there is humor. You can find humor in about anything. Just hang out with this crowd for just a little while, and you'll see that. But, you know, that's kind of my thought process behind it: was that you can see it.

You see it in children laughing, you see it, you know. When crowds gather together, when we all get together for any length of time, there will be laughter. either at one of us or because of one of us or something. That's just who we are. And, you know, but it unites us in a way.

Let it run. And so, you know, I love the topic. And, you know, the first clip is mine, because that just makes sense. And uh, but it it's it's a clip from Patch Adams. And he's, you know, he's a doctor and he's he's Working with these patients and he's making them laugh.

I think he's riding a gurney in this thing. There's a lot of things you can't see, but he's doing his comical thing and he kind of gets reprimanded for it. But his explanation of why laughter is kind of my thought process behind it. That's why I love this clip.

So. Yo, right. Yeah.

Oh, I surrender! Tell you what you want to know. Do you want to tell me what it is you think you're doing? Just give me a few bats, huh? And the American Journal of Medicine has found that laughter increases secretion of catechol means an endorphins.

Which in turn increases oxygenation of the blood, relaxes the arteries, speeds up the heart, decreases blood pressure, which has a positive effect on all cardiovascular and respiratory ailments. as well as overall increasing the immune system response. I think that was his shoes squeaking as he walked out.

So, you know, there is humor, but but the the physical and mental and and even spiritual connotations of laughter are beneficial. And that, you know, It has to be by God's design. Yeah, we need to laugh. we have to find time to laugh 'cause life comes at you hard sometimes. And you you gotta laugh and Or cry, or both, at the same time.

Um that's, you know. that's kinda it in a nutshell that I don't remember where it's at, but in either Psalms or Proverbs, laughter is a good medicine, or a merry heart makes a good medicine. And I didn't pull my buddy Robby to to break that down in Hebrew, but I'm sure he could at a drop of a hat. But you know, but a merry heart makes good medicine, and it has been proven.

So Anybody got anything we'll add? Yeah, I think that it's important to realize that there are stories in Scripture. that when you read em in the right way are pretty humorous. Yeah, the one for me that was was always the one that made me laugh was when Peter goes to Jesus and he's concerned about paying the tax that they have to pay. And Peter being a fisherman by trade before Jesus brings him into the fold and he's off doing other things, but he's been a fisherman and he sends him out to go fishing and says, Look, on your first fish, open its mouth and you'll find a coin.

Which I'm sure Peter's going, yeah, that's not going to happen. But he goes out there and he finds a coin, and it's the exact amount they need to pay the tax for both he and Jesus. You know, and there's humor in that whole thing of him being a fisherman that God's above all the concerns we have of this world, you know, if we just trust on him and relax. And know that he's got it, you know, and he'll show us his humorous side, which he's done for me time and time again. Is there any story in the Bible about the disciples fishing that isn't humorous?

I mean, there's something funny in each one of those. You got John counting every fish and the Catch those breaking the nets. You got Jesus on the shore after the resurrection cooking for them. You catch anything, boys? And reminding them of.

First meeting for some of them. No, he was paid to scale and he put his money where his mouth was. Oh, goodness.

Something. And that doesn't hook you. I don't know what else. It must be funny. Yeah, that was hook lines right there.

Dear. You know, and and Jim in those fishing stories, you know, he's he tells 'em two different times, cast your net on the other side of the boat. And they're like, We fished all night, but okay. You know, and and that that to me, that's humorous, is you know, and what do they do? They catch a bunch of fish.

So there there is humor in that.

So You did make a statement. That I'm not really going to challenge because I mostly agree with it, but we have senses of humor because God does. But Robby showed us something. that I've always thought was amusing. How many people do you know that really don't have a sense of humor?

But everybody thinks they have a sense of humor. You know anybody like that? I could be one of them for you guys, I know. I've seen some folks at the jury still out, whether they have one or not.

So, uh. The But generally speaking, everybody does have a sense of humor.

Some of it is buried way, way down, and some people theirs are broken pretty badly, but probably a few of those in this crowd.

So. Um We're gonna go to Do we have time? I don't think you have time for another clip quite yet, so we can just finish out. You can probably talk about the boot camp that's coming up. But one thing I have a challenge is looking at how often humor is used to illustrate a point.

We're going to have a lot of clips today that talk about that, where you have God in the mix in the story. But every one of them has a purpose and a point to it. You know, it's not humor just for humor's sake, it's humor to make a point. And I think there's something about humor that gets around that logical part of you. You know, it it kinda takes you in a different direction that you're not expecting and and kind of hits home a little easier than it would if I had to process it and think it through.

Humor just kind of bypasses some of that and and lets it land where it needs to land. And I think that's at least for me, that's why God's tended to use it, is 'cause he can make a point quicker with humor than just about anything else. You know, the fascinating thing also for me is, you know, if I ask many people to co-host or, you know, Guest host Kingdom Pursuits, and I always tell my riddles and jokes, and next to none of them. That I've ever asked to do it can really do. You can do it, Dandy.

But most people can't. And it's a matter of simply timing. I was going to say taste. What kind of category did I just get putty in? That too.

You've got to have bad taste. It's like Charlie the Tuna. You just have to laugh at it. But nonetheless, it is true. You've got to have time.

And God's timing is impeccable. And right, he's exactly on time. And a good comedian, not saying I am one, but people that try to fill in and they can't do it. You can hear the problem is that they don't have the timing to pull it off. And therein lies part of Sam's, you know.

geniuses, he knows exactly when to barb you, as does his cohort over here, Darren. And that's where you get. All kinds of things showing up from scripture and other things where it's just. You start reading and there's humor behind a lot of things that go on. You can look at a lot of stuff and you're like, Well, that's just not funny just reading it.

But if you actually think about it and go a little deeper and just go a little slower, a lot of times, it's just hilarious when you start reading through and seeing how much. Humor, it's actually in the Bible. There's it's all over the place. Yeah, and yeah, we've talked about and we'll talk about some more of those. We do have a boot camp coming up in Royston, Georgia, down about, what is it, about 45 minutes outside of Spartanburg or something?

Yeah, if you're in the Winston-Salem area, it's what, three and a half hours from here. About three and a half hours from here. November 20th through the 23rd. That'll be the weekend before Thanksgiving. You can go to masculinejourney.org and register and find out more information and find out a little bit more about what we do.

We'll be back in a break. What we have at our boot camp is something that makes you stronger and gives you the strength to go on your regular walk with God. It's something that will make you be bigger than you were when you got there. I listened to Morgan Snyder's book, Driving to Work last year, and that was a very profound experience.

So this kind of culminated into it. I'd have been invited to it several times and just it never worked out and God really had it set up that I came last time.

So coming into this one, I knew this one went deeper and I really wanted it. It's a break for me to get outside of things I've got going on and I just needed a break from it and needed to reconnect and it's been absolutely bad, this process. The Covenant Asylum, Silent Prayer, those are some of my favorite parts. This is real connection with the Lord. You hear him speak, you can get direction, guidance.

Anything you're missing is there. You always learn something new. It's fun experiencing it with other men. It's fun standing for them and what they're going through. We're all different and unique, but we're all going through the same struggle.

And when you hear somebody else went through it, do it kind of gives you an encouragement that, hey, you can make it through this, and God's got you, and He's going to hold you up through it, and He's going to carry you to the next level. Register today at masculinejourney.org. But the one I'll remember Remember to tell my dying day is how he put that church back on the narrow way with a half-crazed Mississippi squirt. The day the squirrel went to serve in the first upright's church in that sleepy little town of That's the Good Love. It was a fight for survival that had broke out in revival.

They would jump in the pews and shout, hallelujah. That was Ray Stevens and the Mississippi Squirrel Revival. That's an old song I grew up listening to. Not in church particularly, but I guess it could have been. That's cause you weren't in the first self-righteous church.

I think I visited there a time or two. I'm just guessing, but just a humorous song for God's humor and the story of the song is. I mean, Ray Stevens was a genius with some of the stuff he put together and just tells a story of him carrying a squirrel to church and letting it out of the box. And revival happened shortly after that because the squirrel ran up.

Somebody's overalls, and he confessed the sins unknown, and then run up a lady's dress. I mean, it was all kind of. Interesting ordeal, but it's just a very humorous song. And I've just loved it for a long time. And I've found out that some of my brothers here have never heard it.

So that's just kind of, y'all are obviously not from Randolph County. I didn't tell you.

So, anyway, I'm not from Randolph County either.

Well, Harold would probably consider, you know, Ray Stevens a youngster. Yeah, he probably would. Yeah.

He was probably there when he had a squirrel to church. I don't know. Pascagoula wasn't far. But anyway. Robby, we have your clip next.

Ooh, Robby. Yeah, I've got to switch that. Yeah, Robby. I know.

So this is from a movie in Lawfully Yours, and it's to me, it's one of the I've watched that movie I don't know how many times because it's so good, but it has to do with a young girl who's unfortunately her husband cheats on her, and she ends up taking care of her mother-in-law that has lost her husband. But interestingly, her. Her mother in law has a son in law who has lost his wife, who was the pastor of this church. And so she's trying to figure out how to care for her mother in law, who's sad over the loss of her husband. And she's a like Never knew anything about church, doesn't know anything about God.

And she was like, Oh, I know a way to lure this lady out of the house is tell her that she can take me to church and get the heathen out of me or whatever.

So she goes to church. And the pastor, who is her son-in-law, is now giving this sermon on the book of James, chapter one. That for many of us, we've often wondered, what in the what are you talking about, Willis? But this girl. Has the audacity to stand up and ask the question.

But when you've never thought about James chapter 1 as being one of the funniest verses in the Bible, when you think of humor, it usually catches you by surprise. It comes out of left field. And the timing of it is impeccable And at the same time, it's speaking to an unbelievable truth that's hidden. And so if you listen to this, you can think about that, as well as the book of Job. But good job.

Dear brothers and sisters. When troubles of any kind come your way, consider it a gift coming down to us from God our Father. I'm sorry, did he just say your troubles were? Do you know that when your faith is tested? I'm sorry.

For a person with divided loyalty, it is as unsettled as to us from God our Father, who created all the lights in heaven and earth. Excuse me, Ven. Or your holiness. Ben Fine. Been Or faster.

You just said that our troubles are gifts, and if that's true, I've got some gifts coming to me. Um That's not actually what I was um Let me just go back, but uh I think you're right. Uh the verse should read When troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow.

Sorry, jumping in again. It it you just said that our troubles are joy, which It's ridiculous. No, that's right. James 1. What did James win?

It's in the Bible. See, you put too far. You've gone to third Corinthians.

Okay. Oh, hey, I have a job question. Um, so Job's entire family is wiped out, and I'm just confused about why him getting some new kids would make that okay. It's Joe. No.

No, it mind its job.

So you missed the job. Yeah, she turns her Bible around with a great big heading, job, you know. Which it is. You know, the the point of it is, is who wouldn't read the book of Job and have that question? Right?

I mean, it just is in its own way, you know, those kind of things. But one of the greatest. you know, puns in the Bible. And if you know me well, you know I like puns. And, you know, Samson used it.

You know, he had his own version of shenanigans he played right before his wedding. Anyway, and his riddle was, as you may recall, out of the eater something to eat, right? And out of the strong something sweet. Um If you really Think through the humor of that, that what do you mean, the eater something to eat?

Well, obviously, we're talking about honey that was in the carcass of a lane of a lion. Which If you think about it, it's such a picture of Jesus, it's unbelievable because he was from the tribe of Judah. And he was and is, obviously, the consumer of sacrifices, which is the eater. But in communion we Take part in his body, which is something to eat. Which, again, he used the same thing when he was talking to his disciples about having something to eat.

out of the eater something to eat. Is in fact in its own way Jesus. But then, out of the strong, something sweet, obviously. Our forgiveness of sins, etc., is unbelievably sweet. It comes from the strength of his sacrifice.

But in Hebrew, when you look even deeper, which is even, again, a pun that's a double entendre, right? It's giving you a lot of different meanings of the same thing. And That idea of strength is the idea of remembering. That when you remember God in any situation, and all of a sudden it's like an act of repentance. Oh, yeah, my dad, if I go over there, I can eat steak rather than these pig pots.

It's a matter of humongous strength. And so, out of this strength that comes from remembering Him, which is what He told us several times during the communion service, is something sweet. And so the truth that's underneath that tension of the humor. Is that, oh my goodness, if you want something sweet in any given moment of James 1, and you know, we know what James won here is The sweetness of remembering God in any situation is absolutely phenomenal. And again, it's all coming out of this simple.

Riddle that Samson told in the book of Judges that most folks just look at, you know, they zoom right through it, but here's this treasure. you know, that's hidden in this humor.

Well, the scripture: the joy of the Lord is my strength, is what I was thinking about. And, you know, joy and laughter kind of go hand in hand sometimes. They do. And in his presence is fullness of joy. And at his right hand are pleasures forevermore.

So it just is one of the most amazing things that just tells us there's no way in the world. That You know, God isn't sitting up there going Watch him when I do this. You know, watch what happens when this happens. It's hilarious.

Well, yeah, so often we think about that, and that's a beautiful clip, Robby. Illustrates That You know, so often, to be honest, church is a killjoy. You know, you go and you've got a certain set of rules you got to abide by, and you got to, you know, make sure nobody knows what's really going on, and you know don't ask questions even though you're full of them. And, you know, and all of a sudden, you miss the joy of the Lord. Because he pretty much tells us we don't know anything.

And he compares us to sheep, which was not a compliment. And they need tons of guidance. It's bad. It's really bad.

So in essence, that's why we have to laugh. I remember a story just, you know, things that happen in church sometimes, you know, because I grew up in a Southern Baptist church and I don't think you dare laughed in church or anything else for that matter most of the time. And you know, God forbid. But a lady comes walking in and it's one of the older sanctuaries where the the air conditioning heat registers were on the outside ropes. And she's wearing high heels.

And her heel gets stuck in the register. And the register comes out.

So it sounded like a Pentecostal tambourine going up towel. And you know, of course there was laughter erupted and then everybody was realizing they were laughing in church and it just It was almost revival, right? Must have been Presbyterian. We don't laugh in church. Yeah, no.

I for never forget one. One of the first times I ever went to a Southern Baptist church was my uncle went to one in Dallas, Texas. My father took me there. And the preacher got up there talking about tear-stained Bibles. And I don't know what about that.

Just like if your Bible is not tear-stained, you don't have what it takes, is what he was basically saying in this sermon. And as a 13-year-old boy, that just tickled me no end. And I started laughing, and I could not stop. Have you ever had that happen? Like, you just then go.

Right? Well, my dad, he's trying to get me to stop, and then it tickles him. And the next thing you know, he's like, nobody knows what we're laughing about, but we're just trying to hold it in in this Southern Baptist very straight lays church. Pretty soon, my uncle and my nephews, and the whole row is. And, you know, that's the thing about laughter.

It's like the fruit of the Spirit. It just brings more. Yeah, it just brings more. In that same church, there was a little boy who usually got hauled out of church about every Sunday for doing something probably similar to that. And one Sunday, his daddy had him under his arm.

And as he's going out the door, he locks onto the doorcase and says, Y'all pray for me.

So, I mean, you you have to laugh. And I I know God laughs at stuff like that. Anybody else got anything they want to add? I was just thinking about If you ever get around a group of guys for very long, it's going to be humor involved. And so I would have loved to have been a fly on the wall to hear what it was like with Jesus and the disciples at that level.

I know we have shows like The Chosen that try to get to that, but to really have the chance to hear what those conversations were like or how they knew each other's stories really well and had to have things that they kind of said to one another to joyfully push each other's buttons along the way just to help make a point or help God make a point along the way. And I think it'd be neat just to kind of know what that looked like. Because it had to change a little bit when you were in front of Jesus and then you're away. And then you're back in front and how many times they flip their reversal roles. And I oh, I wasn't supposed to say it in front of you, I'm sorry.

You know, it it has to go through their mind. Yeah.

Yeah, there's no doubt in my mind. It's the sixth love language. You know, there's it's to poke fun at people. It just has, you know, there's certain people, you know, they don't love you unless they're poking fun at you. I mean, it's just well, I think that's more of a masculine feature than female.

One of the things to think about as it sounds like we're getting ready to shut down. Boy, I was fast. But Jesus began the church with a pun. And puns can be the lowest form of humor, but it's also the most intelligent one. He said, Upon this rock, Peter, I'm going to build my church.

And that was his name. And now he. became the first folk to some because of that pun. Go to masculinejourney.org. You can register our boot camp November 20th through 23rd, the weekend before Thanksgiving.

And we'll talk to you next week. Mm. This is the Truth Network. Yeah.