This is a devotional I presented at the 2013 Kansas City Regional FCM (Fellowship of Christian Magicians) Training Conference.

When I was growing up, one of my favorite television shows was the Carol Burnett Show. I loved her sense of humor, her physical comedy and the funny way she interacted with others on the show. Her comedy always made me laugh, and I’d reenact some of the skits I’d seen or imitate her characters to make others laugh as well. I admired her ability to make people laugh, and she always seemed to have so much fun doing it.

Laughter is a gift. It is not only a gift we receive, it is also a gift we give. For many of us – if not all of us – who are involved in some form of creative ministry, one of the main reasons we do what we do – in addition to sharing the gospel – is to bring laughter into the lives of others.

We know that there is all kind of evidence that tells us that laughter is good for us. We are told in Proverbs 17:22 that “a cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.”

One scientific report I came across recently stated the following:

"Laughter is good for your health, and now scientists know why. Researchers at the University of Maryland found that when 20 healthy volunteers smiled and guffawed while watching the comedy “Kingpin,” their blood flow increased by 22 percent, about the same increase caused by aerobic exercise. But when volunteers watched tension-filled scenes from “Saving Private Ryan,” their blood flow decreased 35 percent. The researchers say that laughing apparently causes the endothelium, the tissue that lines blood vessels, to expand, which increases blood flow. Laughter may also improve arterial health by reducing mental stress, which constricts vessels and cuts blood flow. A healthy lifestyle would include 30 minutes of exercise three times a week, and 15 minutes of hearty laughter each day."

Michael Pritchard is quoted as saying: “You don't stop laughing because you grow old. You grow old because you stop laughing.” It would seem to me that losing the gift of laughter in old age would be one of the worst losses of all. Author Randy Alcorn wrote, “Humor is our release, our safety valve. Laughter relieves tension and breaks down barriers. Laughter is therapeutic. It is medicinal. It heals. It gives hope.”

There is a special joy that we, as performers, experience when we are able to bring laughter into the lives of others. I believe that often motivates us to do what we do – whether it is comedy in magic, in clowning, in puppetry and storytelling. We can even bring laughter to others through face painting and other one-on-one creative arts. A famous and greatly talented pianist and humorist, Victor Borge, stated that “Laughter is the shortest distance between two people.” When we can make people laugh, we feel a connection, a sense of unity with them. Those of us who perform on stage can attest to the fact that we often feel more confident and are able to perform better when our audience is responding to what we do. Performing enthusiastically for an audience that is being unresponsive is probably one of the most difficult things to do.

There are many people who think that Jesus was a very stoic person, rarely laughing or even cracking a smile. Yes, we are told that He was “a man of sorrows, acquainted with grief,” but I believe that, as someone who, in addition to being fully God was also fully human, had to have had an incredible sense of humor. Don’t forget, He was involved in creation, and we know that there had to have been quite a bit of humor involved as some of the animals were being created! I can imagine Him as a child, bringing a smile to Mary’s face with His laughter that filled the air, playing with His half-brothers and sisters, teasing and sharing jokes as siblings will do.

Jesus had to have been a joyful person. In John 15:11, He explains to his disciples, "I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete." Jesus wanted His followers to be full of joy, to be happy and to laugh. Even during His “Sermon on the Mount” in Matthew 5 as He presented what we call the Beatitudes… You remember…they start out by saying “Blessed are the…”. Did you know that the word “blessed” is more appropriately translated “happy”? It’s not difficult to find the humor in many of the parables He told. I can just imagine the laughter in His voice as He presented the image of a camel going through the eye of a needle. I’m sure that many evenings were spent by Jesus and the disciples sitting around the campfire telling stories of funny experiences they all had. I can imagine that Jesus laughed as much as the others when Peter recounted that day when his brother Andrew tripped over the fishing net and fell head over heels into the water. Or maybe that time when James spilled the secret of how John accidently broke one of his mother’s favorite pots and tried to blame it on the family pet.

And, of course, the children! Oh, how the children were drawn to Jesus! It had to have been the sparkle in Jesus’ eye, His warm, welcoming smile, and the laughter in His voice that drew them to Him. When was the last time you saw a group of kids run up to an old grouch, desiring to be near him and spend time with him? How quickly or easily are you drawn to be with someone who has a sour disposition? Jesus’ laughter had to have been infectious… and He knew how to draw laughter from the children.

We are called to be like Christ as we walk daily in our faith. Martin Luther said, “You have as much laughter as you have faith.” If we are followers of Christ, then our lives should reflect the joy that He gives. It should be easy to look around us and find those individuals who need that same kind of joy. As Christians, let’s not only make it a priority to share our faith with others, but let’s also make it a priority to share laughter with others. Look for opportunities to receive laughter as a gift, but also look for opportunities to use your God-given talents to gift laughter to others. Whether your talent involves being on a stage and performing for a crowd, or if it involves working with someone one-on-one, look for ways to bring God-honoring laughter into the lives of others.

Carol Burnett once said, “There’s laughter in everything.” And I believe that is how God designed it to be.

Knowledge Verses Wisdom

In Psalm 51, David is confessing his sin before God and asking God to forgive him, to restore him back into fellowship. It is a beautiful Psalm, full of brokenness, praise and restoration. At one point (in verse 6) David prays, "Teach me wisdom in the inmost place." Beth Moore comments, "The inmost place is where experience turns to wisdom!"

We can gather knowledge all we want. Our heads can be filled until they seem to overflow with knowledge. But until we can take that knowledge and apply it in and through our hearts, it does not become wisdom. It has been said, "Wisdom is knowledge applied." Knowledge happens in the head -- wisdom happens in the heart.

But, then again, we are faced with another issue, and that is found in Jeremiah 17:9 where the prophet says, "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it?"

So if the heart is where knowledge is applied, resulting in wisdom, and yet the heart is wicked, how can one be able to live a life that honors God and draws others towards Him?

When we repent and ask forgiveness of our sins, God is able to create in us a clean heart and renew a right spirit within us (Psalm 51:10). Instead of our knowledge running through the filter of a wicked and depraved heart, it can now flow through the filter of God's Spirit, helping us to draw on His Word and guidance for our wisdom.

Psalm 1:1-3 (NIV): "Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night. That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither—whatever they do prospers.