September 4 - Laughing Along The Way

Laughing Along The Way

“Then their eyes were opened and they recognized Him…” (Luke 24:16)

Humor comes in many forms.  While we don’t always recognize the methods, we can generally understand the madness.  Lauren Wires, an author, shares several types of humor we see in life and how we can dissect which ones we use or prefer in our favorite movies or television shows:

1. Laugh-at-life humor

Pulitzer Prize Winning Humorist Dave Barry would be among your favorites. This humor is very easy to laugh about something annoying. People like to be around these people because of their  sunny outlook. When something bad happens to them, they are likely to take a deep breath and look for the absurd in the situation — and then laugh about it.

2. Slapstick comedy

You think "Airplane" was the best movie ever made. Charlie Chaplin and the Three Stooges are classics in your book. Slapstick comedy relies on physical humor, pranks and absurd situations for laughs.

3. Sarcasm

The Daily Show is on the list of their favorite programs. While great fun and appropriate, it has to be tempered, as sarcasm can come off as unnecessarily harsh.  However, it has its place in the humor world.

4. Self-deprecating humor

This is used when people make fun of themselves.  They like to play the clown and feel some kinship with famously self-deprecating comedians, like Chris Farley and John Belushi. They feel most comfortable laughing when they’re making fun of themselves.

5. Jokes at others’ expense

Think Don Rickels. They don’t have a problem making fun of other people. In fact, it’s the way they are most likely to make a joke. Ridicule, teasing, and sarcasm can occur to rib a “well known” friendship, but requires discernment.

All of these, and many more, are used to tickle our funny bone.  However, one of the oldest devices in comedy is that of mistaken identity. You’ve see it played out in some of your favorite shows and movies and we can even find it in the Bible.  And it is often the source of both laughter, and confusion.

A woman named Lidia DeGormez and her husband were in the hospital waiting room shortly before the birth of their second child. They met a young couple also waiting for the wife to deliver. Lidia’s husband commented that the two mothers-to-be looked so much alike they could be twins. Before long, both soon-to-be-moms went into the delivery room. Lidia’s baby, a girl, was born first. Lidia was covered up almost completely as they took her down the hall to await a room. Still a bit groggy, she barely noticed when the husband of the other lady greeted her and said, “Congratulations, dear, for having a daughter!” A friend with him also congratulated her. After a minute he came over to her bed again. “That labor took it out of you; you look different.” “Must have been the air conditioning in the delivery room,” Lidia mumbled sleepily. “Oh, I am just so happy you had a baby girl!” He happily repeated as he bent down to kiss Lidia on the lips. All at once, in her foggy state, it dawned on Lidia. “Sir, I believe you have me confused with your wife. She is still in the delivery room!” He, of course, was horribly embarrassed, especially when the attending nurses told his wife about it!

You remember the story that is a serious passage with a whole lot of humor in it. It was on that first Easter Sunday. Christ had been resurrected, but He had not shown Himself to all of His disciples. Two of them were headed out of Jerusalem toward a village called Emmaus, about a seven mile journey. They were talking with each other about everything that had happened. As they talked and discussed these things with each other, Jesus Himself, came up and walked along with them, but they didn’t recognize Him.

The Living Bible says, “But God kept them from recognizing Him.” Now that is interesting. Was this some kind of test? Christ asked them, “What are you discussing together as you walk along?” The two disciples stood still, their faces downcast. One of them, named Cleopas, asked, “Are you only a visitor to Jerusalem and do not know the things that have happened there in these days?”

“What things?” the stranger asked.

“About Jesus of Nazareth,” they replied. “He was a prophet, powerful in word and deed before God and all the people…”

Who says Jesus didn’t have a sense of humor.  “What things?” said our Savior in order to evoke their reply.  Shortly after, when He was at the table with them, He took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them. Then their eyes were opened and they recognized Him, and He disappeared from their sight. They asked each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while H+e talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?”

They returned at once to Jerusalem. There they met the other disciples who told them, “It is true! The Lord has risen and has appeared to Simon.”

Christ is with us and in every part of what we are doing today.  The question, “Do you see Him?”  Ask Him to reveal Himself to you by saying, “Open the eyes of my heart, Lord.”   Chances are, you’ll find a whole lot of laughter along the way.

Terry Risser

Reflections:

1)   What humor can you find in the post-resurrection appearance to the

       two men?

2)   What limits your eyes from seeing Him in your daily walk?

Consider reading the Word today:

Copyright 2014- Terry Risser

September 3 - A Time For Thankfulness

A Time For Thankfulness

“This service that you performed is not only supplying the needs of God’s people, but also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God.” 2 Corinthians 9:12

If we want to reveal a grateful heart, we need to begin to put it into action.  It’s important that we have a right attitude and perspective, but true thankfulness is revealed when we begin to act.  Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 9:12, “This service that you performed is not only supplying the needs of God’s people, but also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God.” People with grateful hearts are always finding ways to bless others.  Thanksgiving is never neutral.  Not just a matter of the heart or mind.  It always reveals itself through action.

We need to train our eyes to see God in the circumstances that we face.  In 2 Chronicles, Jehosophat said, “We don’t know what to do, but our eyes are upon you.”  We can see the circumstances…or we can ask to see God.  God will give us a new perspective.  It’s easy to be thankful for the good things. But, a life of true fulfillment can come to those who are also thankful for the setbacks. As hard as it may be, find a way to be thankful for your troubles, and they can become your blessings. Perspective means that God will give us the ability to see.  

Max Lucado tells about living as an American in Brazil.  One day, as he was walking along the street on his way to the University to teach a class, he felt a tug on his pants leg. Turning around, he saw a little boy about 5 or 6 years old with dark beady eyes and a dirty little face. The little boy looked up at the big American & said, "Peo, Senor. Bread, Sir?" He was a little beggar boy and Lucado said, "There are always little beggar boys in the streets of Brazil. Usually I turn away from them because there are so many, & you can’t feed them all.  But there was something so compelling about this little boy that I couldn’t turn away. So, taking his hand, I said, ‘Come with me’ and I took him into a coffee shop." I told the owner, "I’ll have a cup of coffee & give the boy a piece of pastry, whatever he wants." Since the pastry counter was at the other end of the store, he walked on, and I got a cup of coffee, forgetting about the little boy because beggar boys usually get the bread & then run back out into the street and disappear.

But this one didn’t.  After he received his pastry, he went over to the big American and just stood there until Lucado felt his staring eyes. Lucado said, "I turned and looked at him. Standing up, his eyes just about hit my belt buckle. Then slowly his eyes came up until they met mine." The little boy, holding his pastry in one hand, looked up and said, "Thank you, sir. Thank you very much." Lucado said, "I was so touched by the boy’s thanks that I would have bought him the store. I sat there for another 30 minutes, late for my class, just thinking about a little beggar boy who came back & said, `Thank you.’" I wonder if God feels the same? I wonder if His heart bubbles inside when we, His children, beggars all, come to Him & say, "Thank you, Sir. Thank you very much."

In Luke 17, we read the story of the ten lepers.  They stood out at a distance and cried to Jesus as He was traveling along the border of Samaria and Galilee.  The disease ridden lepers cried out, “Jesus, Master have pity on us.”  Jesus had pity and said, “Go show yourself to the priest.” (v. 14) says, “And as the lepers went they were cleansed.  One of them when he saw he was healed came back, praising God in a loud voice. He threw Himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked Him.” Jesus’ emotional response into the ingratitude of the nine lepers gives us a glimpse into God’s heart. William Barclay says, “No story in all the gospels so poignantly shows man’s ingratitude like the lepers in Luke 17.  They came with a desperate longing; He cured them and nine never came back to give thanks.” True gratitude will reveal itself through action

Someone mentioned a few things that we can have perspective on.  Here are a few suggestions:

                     

Be thankful you don’t already have everything you want.  If you did, what would there be to look forward to?

Be thankful when you don’t know something, this gives you the opportunity to learn.

Be thankful for the difficult times. During those times you grow.
Be thankful for your limitations, because they give you opportunities for improvement.
Be thankful for each new challenge, because it will build strength and character.
Be thankful for your mistakes. They will teach you valuable lessons.
Be thankful when you’re tired and weary, because it means you’ve made a difference.

In good times or challenging times, there is always reason for overflowing expressions of gratitude to God.   Take time to thank Him today.

Terry Risser

Reflections:

1)  Give one of the reasons above why you can give thanks today?

2)  Can you think of a time recently that God turned a difficult situation into a praise report?

Consider reading the Word today:

 

Copyright 2014- Terry Risser

September 2 - Dare to Dream

Dare To Dream

Most high schools have them.  Mine did.  But Downey High School is only one of countless places to produce these overachievers and dreamers.  I guess you could call them, “Hall-of-Famers” of sorts.   Sometimes they come in the form of a world-renowned name or face and other times their accomplishments are quiet, yet profound.

Dreamers are a unique breed.  They take flight by attaching wings of determination to their imaginations.  Add a little passionate elbow grease and you’ve got the makings of a reality.   Hans Salye wrote:  “Realistic people with practical aims are rarely as realistic or practical in the long run of life as the dreamers who pursue their dreams.”

Little Rick and his young sister, Karen, loved to sing together around the house.  As their voices began to break the puberty barrier, people noticed that their blend had a gentle and appealing sound.  They had the goods and people knew it.  Soon this young sibling duo began to craft music that would have the whole world singing.  Songs such as:  “Top of the World,”  “Close To You” and “We’ve Only Just Begun” made them chart toppers in their early twenties.  The Carpenters were dreamers.

Another Rick dared to dream as well.  His ability to create was less in the music field and more in the structural field.  His penchant for design caused him to build things in his mind before they ever took literal form.  But again, that’s another mark of the dreamer.  Setting the course in his mind’s eye.  Shortly, he would become a world-renowned creator of theme parks including Disney World in Orlando, Florida.  People never thought much of the Battaglia boy until his dreams became a reality.

But the greatest surprise of ol’ D.H.S. was Bobby Ballard.  Most couldn’t understand his insatiable interest in the ocean.  Seems he could never get enough of oceanography and dreamed of the day he would sail the world in search of lost ships.  But not just any ship.  Bobby, now Robert, had his eye on a particular treasure.  A grand old lady legend lost in the Atlantic Ocean in early April 1912.  Chuck Swindoll wrote in, Quest For Character,  “History records she was kidnapped and coldly murdered by a giant iceberg off the coast of Newfoundland.”  No one knew her whereabouts and the possibilities seemed insurmountable.  For thirteen years, he pursued this famous hidden vessel…but Robert was on a quest.

Finally on September 1, 1985, a strobe light penetrated its grave and a dream became a reality.  Later, he would record these words:  “My first direct view of the Titanic lasted less than two minutes, but the stark sight of her immense black hull towering above the ocean floor will remain forever ingrained in my memory.  My lifelong dream was to find this great ship, and during the past thirteen years the quest for her had dominated my life.  Now, finally, the quest was over.”

As good as albums, theme parks and lost ships are, Paul found that the most incredible things happen when you let God direct your dreams.  “Now Glory be to God, who by His mighty power at work within us is able to do far more than we would ever dare to ask or even dream of--infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts or hopes.”  (Ephesians 3:20) (TLB)

 Go ahead.  Dream with God.  I dare you!

Consider reading the Word today:

Terry Risser

Copyright 2014-Terry Risser

September 1 - The Peace Of Jerusalem

The Peace Of Jerusalem

While watching the news reports of the Middle East Crisis between the Israelis and Palestinians,   I remembered standing in the old city of Jerusalem  some time ago.  It was there, God challenged me to follow the words of Psalm 122:6 which says, “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem:  ‘May those who love you be secure.’”  As my eyes scanned the surroundings of the Dome of the Rock, I was reminded of all the preceding events that have set the stage for the final, tension –filled chapter of Christ’s return to that spot in the last days.  When you think back in time, you find some of the most powerful milestone moments of our faith.  It was there:

1)      Approximately 2000 years ago, Christ preached and performed miracles that would  set the stage for His death and resurrection. (John 2:19-22)

2)      Approximately 3000 years ago, Solomon built the great temple that would serve as God’s House Of Glory.   (2 Chronicles 3:1)

3)      And approximately 4000 years ago,  Abraham was kept from sacrificing Isaac and was given the promise of Israel’s biblical inheritance.  (Genesis 22:2)

From Abraham’s day until ours, a bitter historical root has woven itself forward to the current crisis that we have watched unfold in the exact location where I stood.  But the story has a biblical precedent that helps us make the historical tie. 

In Genesis 12, God calls Abraham to begin the great nation of Israel through his aged and barren wife Sarah.  While waiting, Abraham resigns himself to the impossibility of such a work and he fathers Ishmael, through his maidservant Hagar, who begins to despise Sarah (Genesis 16:4).  After Isaac is born (the next in the lineage of Israel), Ishmael (the father of the Arab race) reveals his selfish ambition, insecurity and jealousy (along with Hagar his mother) by desiring his place as heir to the nation.  Ultimately, the bitterness Ishmael and Hagar reveal requires that they be sent away.  This poisonous spirit has afflicted the corporate Arab soul, where to this day, they despise the Jewish people and find themselves lusting after Israel’s tiny inheritance and position with God.  Only through accepting Christ have many been freed from this pervasive spirit.

Several millennia later, with the introduction of Islam into the Arab tribes,  a spiritual and religious fervor was ignited in which they view their mission as a noble and divine cause even in their attempt to replace Israel in the top rank.  So much so, they will cheat, kill and deceive in order to vie for that ever evasive spiritual position.

To intensify matters, the Arabs, who currently occupy the religious site of the Dome, are well aware that this place has been slated as the eventual land mark of the new temple of Israel and final sight where Christ will establish His throne.  When this finally occurs, the true fulfillment of the Psalmist’s prayer regarding Jerusalem’s peace will take place.  In Revelation 21:2, John writes, “I saw the Holy City, the New Jerusalem—‘Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them.  They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God.  He will wipe every rear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.’”

Too bad CNN won’t be there to catch that on film.

Terry Risser

Consider reading the Word today:

 

Copyright 2014-Terry Risser