Knock Knock

I was talking to a friend recently who lives in Seattle. And he said something so funny that I laughed out loud—for minutes—longer and harder than I had laughed in months.

Comedian Jerry Seinfeld was recently interviewed on CNN. He recounted the day when he was eight-years old and told a joke that made his friend spit up his milk and cookies. “I felt the milk, and I saw it all coming at me, and I said, ‘I would like to do this professionally.’”

Laughter. It reminds me of Solomon’s words recorded in Proverbs 17:22 – “A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.”

Now there is a lot more to a cheerful heart than just laughter. But PART of a cheerful heart is laughter.

And science has shown us that laughter is good medicine. I read this week about researchers at the University of Maryland who found that when twenty healthy volunteers smiled and laughed out loud while watching a comedic movie, their blood flow increased by twenty-two percent, about the same increase caused by aerobic exercise. But when volunteers watched tension-filled scenes from a drama, their blood flow decreased thirty-five percent.

The researchers went on to say that “a healthy lifestyle would include thirty minutes of exercise three times a week, and fifteen minutes of hearty laughter each day."

Joel Osteen, pastor of Lakewood Church in Houston, Texas, has written about this. He writes:

I know this one lady, she hadn't slept well in years and years. She was constantly taking tranquilizers. She had taken them so long it hardly even affected her anymore. She had tried everything, different diets, different doctors, different medicines. Nothing seemed to work. But this one doctor gave her a very unusual prescription. He said, "Every night before you go to bed, you need to watch something funny – a funny movie, a funny video, a funny drama – something that makes you laugh." She started doing that night after night. Month after month she got better and better. Today she is totally off her medications. She can sleep like a baby.

Much of the sickness in our world exists simply because we don't live with the joy that God created us to experience. When we live anxious and uptight lives, it leads to headaches, digestive problems, an inability to focus, short tempers, lack of energy, lack of good sleep and, I believe, fewer close friends (After all, who wants to hang out and get close to a short-tempered, frequently distracted, stressed out person?!).

Now, I’m not a medical doctor, but I believe many of these symptoms would go away if we would simply learn how to enjoy the God-given gift of laughter. So I am going to give you the following spiritual prescription this week: Every day find something funny that makes you laugh. Not an inside laugh. Not a muted chuckle. A take-your-time, life-is-good, laugh-out-loud, hooting, snorting, cackling laugh!

And when you find it, share it!

Knock, knock….

Broccoli, The Beatles and Other Superior Things

Some things are superior to others.

For the last three weeks, on my way to and from work, I have been listening and re-listening and listening again to Rachmaninoff’s second piano concerto in C# minor, performed by my favorite classical pianist, Vladimir Ashkenazy (at the expense of my usual sports talk radio). This concerto has been among my very favorites since I was first introduced to it in college. And, without much argument, it is considered among the best piano concertos ever written, if not the best. Listen to it and you’ll understand why. It is simply superior to others, and listening to it elevates both mind and soul.

Here is a very short list of other “superior” things:

The music of the Beatles is superior to the music of Milli Vanilli and 95% of other pop artists.

Pop music of the 80s is superior to pop music of the 2000s (IMHO).

Broccoli is superior to Waffle House hash browns (scattered, smothered, covered and deadly) for your physical health.

Exercise is superior to lethargy.

Drinking clean water is superior to drinking dirty water.

Authentically complimenting your spouse or a friend is superior to a sarcastic dig.

Doing whatever you do with excellence, with all your heart, mind and strength, is superior to doing your job half-way.

Sitting on a porch or park bench and viewing the tress, flowers, birds and sky is superior to viewing hours and hours of TV or internet junk.

Generosity is superior to selfishness.

You get the idea. And it’s not being harsh or judgmental to make these observations about many things in life.

So today (and this week, this month, this life) are you engaging in, thinking about, and embracing the superior things?

Paul reminds us of this in his New Testament letter to the Philippians. And I want remind you of his words today:

“Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things” (Phil 4:8).

Ruthless Trust

I believe these two short paragraphs in Brennan Manning's book, Ruthless Trust, are worth thinking about and dwelling on and wrestling with and being comforted by and committing to memory and being deeply felt for a long time.

The words of the fifteenth-century theologian Angelus Silesius, "If God stopped thinking of me, he would cease to exist," are thoroughly orthodox. Silesius merely paraphrases the message of Jesus: "Can you not buy five sparrows for two pennies? And yet not one is forgotten in God's sight. Why, every hair on your head has been counted. There is no need to be afraid, you are worth more than hundreds of sparrows" (Luke 12:6-7.)

God, by definition, is thinking of me.

CHOOSING TO SEE

This book was published in September of 2010, and I don't remember that it received much fanfare or recognition compared to other books that get released. But after reading it I have to say it may be the best book I've read in recent memory on surviving and thriving through the challenges of life, marriage and especially tragedy. A+++ book.

A Tennis Match That Came With A Powerful Reminder

There is an old proverb, filled with fresh wisdom and practical application for today. You’ve heard it many times before. It goes like this: “Pride goes before a fall” (Proverbs 16:18).”

I know the truth of that proverb, and so I was not prideful or even overconfident before I met my friend Chris for a tennis match Tuesday. We played in the hot sun from 10:30 a.m. until 12:30 p.m., and when the match was over he had beaten me (yes, beaten me) in all three sets we played (6-2, 7-5, 6-0). It was a frustrating loss.

But it leads me to another truism, my own: “Pride may go before a fall, but so does lack of preparation, inferior skill and the absence of hard work.”

Oh, I worked hard during the match. I fought for every single point. But I had no chance because I had not hit a tennis ball in about a year, and I don’t lift weights and exercise faithfully, and I drink too much Dr. Pepper. Chris, on the other hand, plays in a tennis league each Fall, Winter and Spring. He works out and jogs religiously, and he hates losing as much as I do.

And so I was beaten.

Author Jim Collins, who has studied greatness and written about it, says, in a now famous quote, “Greatness is not a function of circumstance. Greatness is largely a matter of conscious choice and discipline.”

He echoes the counsel of Solomon who observes that “lazy people want much but get little, but those who work hard will prosper.” (Proverbs 13:4).

Why did I lose the tennis match? Largely because I hadn’t made the choices necessary in the days, weeks and months prior to the match that would result in a win on the day of the match.

Read about Tom Brady or Peyton Manning. Why are they among the greatest quarterbacks to ever play football? Mostly it’s not because they are taller, faster, or physically stronger than other quarterbacks. Mostly it’s because they out-work other quarterbacks. They are more careful to guard their lifestyles—diet, sleep patterns, work-outs, words and actions in public—than other QBs. They spend more time on the practice field, arriving earlier and staying later. They devote a ridiculous number of hours to studying game film. And they intentionally nurture strong relationships with key members of their offense.

Read about the greatest musicians and music groups of the last one-hundred years. Read about the most successful business leaders of our day. Talk to great parents. Study the habits of most “A” students. Largely each of these groups live at the upper tier of their craft because they out-work, out-hustle, out-study, and out-practice others.

So what do you want to do well? Win a tennis match against a friend? Gain greater job security or even get a promotion at work? Achieve better grades at school? Develop a stronger relationship with a friend or spouse? Be a wiser parent? Meet a financial savings goal? Get in optimal physical shape? Learn a new skill? Grow your relationship with God?

If so, those things are not likely to happen by sheer luck. You will have to work hard, be disciplined and find someone that will bring you encouragement and accountability along the way.

Too many people make excuses for why they didn’t achieve some goal in life. (Now I'll admit sometimes those “excuses” aren’t just excuses. They are valid reasons. But more often, the reason probably lies in the simple truth articulated by Solomon thousands of years ago: “lazy people want much but get little, but those who work hard will prosper.”) The truth is you can do more than you think you can, with the help of friends, family, and with a great God whose wisdom and power is available to each of us on a daily, hourly, minute-by-minute basis.

Today I remind you what I was reminded of so rudely on a hot, summer morning, tennis racket in hand: “Pride may go before a fall, but so does lack of preparation, inferior skill and the absence of hard work.”