Rev. Lowell D. Streiker Ph.d.

Rev. Lowell's Laughter in the House of God: Humorous Anecdotes About Churches, Clergy, and the World of Religion Rev. Lowell D. Streiker Ph.d. First edition

Here are nearly four hundred of Rev. Lowell?s all-time favorite anecdotes, jokes, and witty comments about religion, the Bible, clergy, churches, Sunday school, and related topics. There is a full index of subjects/keywords at the end of this book. This collection will be of value to you as you meet and communicate with others?whatever your vocation may be. Laughter is a powerful force, and it is yours to use whether you are a minister, a public speaker, a teacher, a salesman, an office worker, a psychologist, or a plumber! Samuel Butler once noted that human beings are the only animals that laugh and have a state legislature. We laugh because we sense the contradictions between the way things are and the way they ought to be. The same impulse that makes us religious also makes us humorous. As every skilled communicator knows, listeners remember the humorous illustrations in a talk, a lecture, or a sermon long after they forget the other content of the address. As Isaac Asimov, author of hundreds of books and lifetime collector of humorous anecdotes, once related, ?Jokes of the proper kind, properly told, can do more to enlighten questions of politics, philosophy, and literature than any number of dull arguments.? Joel Goodman remarks, ?Mirth can be a major tool for insight, changing HA-HA to AHA!? The laughter encouraged by this collection is supportive of human dignity. It is life-affirming and life-giving. And it is, to borrow a word from religion, prophetic. It comforts the afflicted and afflicts the comfortable. It ennobles our spirits and extends our love to others. And, above all, it is fun! So remember four simple words: Live Love Laugh