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Author: Richard P. Olson
Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers
ISBN: 1610978668
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 197
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Book Description
Here's a different angle on humor--it can be a spiritual practice, an expression of a theology of joy, hope, and grace. Humor is so valuable, for it offers self-care, healing, and renewal, precious gifts in times of pressure and tension. Olson begins by telling of three unforgettable friends who lived their lives with joy and zest--a practice that opened doors and aided their own sense of well-being. Playfully, he continues by exploring the known benefits of humor. Next considered is the amazing variety of humor in the Bible, a basic theology of a laughing God, and the caring ethic of humor that emerges from this theology. Finally, there is a discussion of how this practice of humor enriches worship, caregiving, and administration. Laughter in a Time of Turmoil draws to a close considering spiritual disciplines/practices and why humor belongs among these practices. Suggestions are then offered on how to grow in this spiritual practice. Discussion questions are provided for each chapter to help groups enjoy their conversations about the book. This book will help you think and laugh, or laugh and think (take your pick) and then be on your way rejoicing.
Author: Richard P. Olson
Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers
ISBN: 1621892026
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 196
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Book Description
Here's a different angle on humor--it can be a spiritual practice, an expression of a theology of joy, hope, and grace. Humor is so valuable, for it offers self-care, healing, and renewal, precious gifts in times of pressure and tension. Olson begins by telling of three unforgettable friends who lived their lives with joy and zest--a practice that opened doors and aided their own sense of well-being. Playfully, he continues by exploring the known benefits of humor. Next considered is the amazing variety of humor in the Bible, a basic theology of a laughing God, and the caring ethic of humor that emerges from this theology. Finally, there is a discussion of how this practice of humor enriches worship, caregiving, and administration. Laughter in a Time of Turmoil draws to a close considering spiritual disciplines/practices and why humor belongs among these practices. Suggestions are then offered on how to grow in this spiritual practice. Discussion questions are provided for each chapter to help groups enjoy their conversations about the book. This book will help you think and laugh, or laugh and think (take your pick) and then be on your way rejoicing.
Author: Donald Capps
Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers
ISBN: 149829037X
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 195
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Book Description
This book addresses the fact that Americans tend to live under a considerable amount of stress, tension, and anxiety, and suggests that humor can be helpful in alleviating their distress. It posits that humor is a useful placebo in this regard; cites studies that show that humor moderates life stress; considers the relationship of religion and humor, especially as means to alleviate anxiety; proposes that Jesus had a sense of humor; suggests that his parable of the Laborers in the Vineyard has humorous implications for the relief of occupational stress; explores the relationship of gossip and humor; and suggests that Jesus and his disciples were a joking community. It concludes that Jesus viewed the kingdom of God as a worry-free existence.
Author: Marcus Tullius Cicero
Publisher: Princeton University Press
ISBN: 0691211078
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 326
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Book Description
Timeless advice about how to use humor to win over any audience Can jokes win a hostile room, a hopeless argument, or even an election? You bet they can, according to Cicero, and he knew what he was talking about. One of Rome’s greatest politicians, speakers, and lawyers, Cicero was also reputedly one of antiquity’s funniest people. After he was elected commander-in-chief and head of state, his enemies even started calling him “the stand-up Consul.” How to Tell a Joke provides a lively new translation of Cicero’s essential writing on humor alongside that of the later Roman orator and educator Quintilian. The result is a timeless practical guide to how a well-timed joke can win over any audience. As powerful as jokes can be, they are also hugely risky. The line between a witty joke and an offensive one isn’t always clear. Cross it and you’ll look like a clown, or worse. Here, Cicero and Quintilian explore every aspect of telling jokes—while avoiding costly mistakes. Presenting the sections on humor in Cicero’s On the Ideal Orator and Quintilian’s The Education of the Orator, complete with an enlightening introduction and the original Latin on facing pages, How to Tell a Joke examines the risks and rewards of humor and analyzes basic types that readers can use to write their own jokes. Filled with insight, wit, and examples, including more than a few lawyer jokes, How to Tell a Joke will appeal to anyone interested in humor or the art of public speaking.
Author: Doris Kearns Goodwin
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
ISBN: 1476795932
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 496
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Book Description
Now an epic documentary event on the HISTORY Channel! The illuminating, bestselling exploration on leadership from Pulitzer Prize–winning author and presidential historian Doris Kearns Goodwin, and also the inspiration for the HISTORY Channel multipart series Abraham Lincoln and Theodore Roosevelt. “After five decades of magisterial output, Doris Kearns Goodwin leads the league of presidential historians” (USA TODAY). In her “inspiring” (The Christian Science Monitor) Leadership, Doris Kearns Goodwin draws upon the four presidents she has studied most closely—Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and Lyndon B. Johnson (in civil rights)—to show how they recognized leadership qualities within themselves and were recognized as leaders by others. By looking back to their first entries into public life, we encounter them at a time when their paths were filled with confusion, fear, and hope. Leadership tells the story of how they all collided with dramatic reversals that disrupted their lives and threatened to shatter forever their ambitions. Nonetheless, they all emerged fitted to confront the contours and dilemmas of their times. At their best, all four were guided by a sense of moral purpose. At moments of great challenge, they were able to summon their talents to enlarge the opportunities and lives of others. Does the leader make the times or do the times make the leader? “If ever our nation needed a short course on presidential leadership, it is now” (The Seattle Times). This seminal work provides an accessible and essential road map for aspiring and established leaders in every field. In today’s polarized world, these stories of authentic leadership in times of apprehension and fracture take on a singular urgency. “Goodwin’s volume deserves much praise—it is insightful, readable, compelling: Her book arrives just in time” (The Boston Globe).
Author: Dan Keller
Publisher: Xlibris Corporation
ISBN: 1469112906
Category : Psychology
Languages : en
Pages : 178
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Book Description
I WAS DELIGHTED TO RECEIVE THIS NEW SUBMISSION BY Dr. Daniel Keller. The Laughter Factor presents laughter and humor as a form of therapy. The author claims laughter is essential to the emotions, the body and soul, and the survival of civilization. We all know that 'laughter is the best medicine' and Dr. Keller succeeds in proving this theory in his book. Humor is at the core of a whole and healthy personality. Kellar adroitly describes the healing power of laughter -- based on case studies from individual and group therapy sessions. He notes that we, as humans, neglect the power of laughter in our lives by taking humor for granted. We ignore the healthy impact of a "good" hearty laugh on the body: What happens, when our cheeks blush and our belly shakes the spasm of a guffaw, is more than a good feeling. Our vocal cords are sounding an elixir as old as Solomon's praise of a 'merry heart.' And modern medicine tells us that we are measurably cleansing our somatic pores. We now know that laughter catalyzes the endocrine system. Our pituitary gland releases pain-reducing chemicals. Endorphins and enkephalins trigger the sensation of pleasure. With a clear and lucid style, Keller offers the reader a wealth of information that applies humor to therapy, laughter, and life as a preventative medicine of salvific proportions. This makes for insightful and entertaining reading. Dan Kellers book touches what I felt when I wrote One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest. Both I and Randall Patrick McMurphy suggest you read it. -- Ken Kesey Kellers book reminds us that laughter is the best medicine, far better than a dose of medicine. I recommend The Laughter Factor without a single reservation. -- Virginia Durr Dr. Keller writes about humor with humor. He proves his point in story after story that humor really does make a difference. -- Conrad Hyers I am delighted to see a book of the caliber Dan Keller has written on the role of humor in psychotherapy. I believe its value will be in the stories it tells. -- Gerald Piaget Kellers work is masterful. It probes the light side of life, and the philanthropic justice of laughter. -- Tonea Stewart Keller reminds us that when we go off the rails, laughter picks us up and puts us back on track. The Laughter Factor is a terrific book. -- David Bouchier One may judge the importance of a book partly in terms of content and partly in terms of need. On both counts Dr. Kellers The Laughter Factor is important. There is a dearth of literature available to the psychotherapist that applies humor theory to humor therapy. Anyone who has done counseling surely senses that humor on the part of both therapist and client can be a significant ingredient in the healing process, yet few have given the matter systematic reflection and application. Freud made a preliminary effort in this direction in his Wit and the Unconscious, and Keller draws upon his study; but many aspects of the subject remained to be developed, especially the uses of humor by the counselor and client. The Laughter Factor corrects this lacuna in our knowledge. Before Freud, none other than the great American therapist Mark Twain credited healing powers to humor (and to his profession) when he wrote in Tom Sawyer of the old man who laughed joyously and loud, shook up the details of his anatomy from head to foot, saying that such a laugh was money in a mans pocket because it cut down the doctors bills like everything! That, in essence, is what Kellers book is about, including a chapter on recent research indicating the various positive effects of shaking up the details of ones anatomy from head to foot in hearty laughter. A book that might profitably be read in conjunction with Kellers book is Ken Keseys One Flew Over the Cu
Author: Martina Kessel
Publisher: University of Toronto Press
ISBN: 1442642920
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 241
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Book Description
The period between the First World War and the fall of the Berlin Wall is often characterized as the age of extremes--while this era witnessed unprecedented violence and loss of human life, it also saw a surge in humorous entertainment in both democratic and authoritarian societies. The Politics of Humour examines how works such as satirical magazines and comedy films were used both to reaffirm group identity and to exclude those who did not belong. The essays in this collection analyse the political and social context of comedy in Europe and the United States, exploring topics ranging from the shifting targets of ethnic jokes to the incorporation of humour into wartime broadcasting and the uses of satire as a means of resistance. Comedy continues to define the nature of group membership today, and The Politics of Humour offers an intriguing look at how entertainment helped everyday people make sense of the turmoil of the twentieth century.
Author: David Steinberg
Publisher: University Press of Kentucky
ISBN: 0813197570
Category : Performing Arts
Languages : en
Pages : 380
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Book Description
David Steinberg's name has been synonymous with comedy for decades. The Canadian-born comedian, producer, writer, director, and author has been called "a comic institution himself" by the New York Times. He appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson 140 times (second only to Bob Hope), and directed episodes of popular television sitcoms, including Curb Your Enthusiasm, Seinfeld, Friends, Mad About You, The Golden Girls, and Designing Women. From 2012–2015, Steinberg hosted the comedy documentary series Inside Comedy, which featured such comedy greats as Billy Crystal, Chris Rock, and Gary Shandling. In this entertaining history of comedy, Steinberg shares insightful memories of his journey through his career and takes the reader behind the curtain of the comedy scene of the last half-century. Steinberg shares amusing and often hilarious stories and anecdotes from some of the most legendary comedians in the industry—from Groucho Marx, Carol Burnett, Mel Brooks, and Richard Pryor to Lily Tomlin, Robin Williams, Jerry Seinfeld, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, and Tina Fey. Inside Comedy presents in-depth portraits of some of the most talented and revered comedians in the world of comedy today.
Author: Diana Mosley
Publisher: Gibson Square Books
ISBN:
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 596
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Book Description
Diana Mitford is one of the surprise discoveries of the phenomenally successful collection of Mitford letters published for Christmas 2007. This paperback edition is expanded with articles on Oswald Mosley and Lord Berners.
Author: Richard P. Olson
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
ISBN: 1538107996
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 244
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Book Description
Ministry has never been an easy path, and the challenges of today’s changing church landscape only heighten the stress and burn-out of congregational leaders. A Guide to Ministry Self-Care offers a comprehensive and up-to-date overview of both the causes of stress and strategies for effective self-care. Written for both new and long-time ministers, the book draws on current research and offers practical and spiritual insights into building and maintaining personal health and sustaining ministry long term. The book addresses a wide range of life situations and explores many forms of self-care, from physical and financial to relational and spiritual.
Author: Albrecht Classen
Publisher: Walter de Gruyter
ISBN: 3110245485
Category : Literary Criticism
Languages : en
Pages : 864
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Book Description
Despite popular opinions of the ‘dark Middle Ages’ and a ‘gloomy early modern age,’ many people laughed, smiled, giggled, chuckled, entertained and ridiculed each other. This volume demonstrates how important laughter had been at times and how diverse the situations proved to be in which people laughed, and this from late antiquity to the eighteenth century. The contributions examine a wide gamut of significant cases of laughter in literary texts, historical documents, and art works where laughter determined the relationship among people. In fact, laughter emerges as a kaleidoscopic phenomenon reflecting divine joy, bitter hatred and contempt, satirical perspectives and parodic intentions. In some examples protagonists laughed out of sheer happiness and delight, in others because they felt anxiety and insecurity. It is much more difficult to detect premodern sculptures of laughing figures, but they also existed. Laughter reflected a variety of concerns, interests, and intentions, and the collective approach in this volume to laughter in the past opens many new windows to the history of mentality, social and religious conditions, gender relationships, and power structures.
