Between Heaven and Mirth

Why Joy, Humor, and Laughter Are at the Heart of the Spiritual Life

By: James Martin

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Paperback | 11 September 2012

At a Glance

Paperback
272 Pages

Dimensions(cm)
20.3 x 13.4 x 1.8

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Joy is an essential element of a healthy spirituality. Yet many people believe that being religious means being deadly serious. This is all the more surprising when we look at the great biblical heroes and heroines, and the lives of the saints and world's spiritual masters, and see how the theme of joy, humor, and laughter runs like a bright thread through the spiritual life.

Readers will learn how to discover joy in their spiritual lives, how to live as joyful believers, how to laugh at themselves, and even how to relate to God with a smile.

The book will make use of relevant (and overlooked) stories and characters from Scripture (Abraham and Sarah, Zacchaeus, Nathaniel, Eutychus), insights and teachings from the lives of the saints (St. Philip Neri, the "joyful saint," St. Teresa of Avila, Blessed John XXIII), the writings of spiritual masters from a variety of traditions, and the author's own personal experience.

Practical, how-to advice on incorporating joy, humor, and laughter into your daily life will be included throughout the book. All this will be done in an upbeat, user-friendly, and humorous way with many stories, examples, quotes, asides, boxes, and (funny) footnotes.

Industry Reviews

"Winsome and comical but also provocative and thoughtful, Martin's book is a breath of fresh air for those who would take religion--and themselves--too seriously." -- Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"Martin's book suggests numerous ways to foster the strength of gracious good humor and makes a wonderful case for replacing suffering and sadness with an abundance of levity and joy." -- Booklist

"Between Heaven and Mirth couldn't come at a better time since both individuals and religious institutions are feeling the pressure of hard times. Joy and a playful sense of humor are great antidotes to hopelessness and helplessness." -- Spirituality & Practice

"Between Heaven and Mirth is delicious, well-crafted and well-paced. Martin draws on his own experience as a priest and demonstrates both a light touch and an impressive command of his subject." -- Harvey Cox, the Washington Post Book World

"Between Heaven and Mirth uses biblical passages, personal anecdotes and saints' stories to show the importance of humor to the spiritual life." -- Catholic News Service

"Holy people are joyful people, Martin says. The author suggests ways that humor and laughter can be incorporated into prayer. This is a book that will make you laugh. Sprinkled throughout are many funny stories and jokes." -- Christian Century

"If you ever got in trouble as a child for laughing in church, prepare to be vindicated." -- Scott Alessi, U.S. Catholic

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You Can Find This Book In

Non-Fiction Religion & Beliefs Aspects of Religion for Non-Christians Spirituality & Religious Experience Christianity Christian Life & Practice Christian Spirituality & Religious Experience Religion Christian Churches, Denominations, Groups Roman Catholicism

Introduction Excessive Levity	p. 1
The Most Infallible Sign Joy and the Spiritual Life	p. 12
Why So Gloomy? A Brief but 100 Percent Accurate Historical Examination of Religious Seriousness	p. 31
A Study in Joy: Psalm 65	p. 62
Joy Is a Gift from God Humor and the Saints	p. 68
Happiness Attracts II 1/2 Serious Reasons for Good Humor	p. 86
I Awoke How Vocation, Service, and Love Can Lead to Joy	p. 120
A Study in Joy: The Visitation	p. 135
Laughing in Church Recovering Levity in the Community of Believers	p. 142
I'm Not Funny and My Life Stinks Answers to the Most Difficult Challenges of Living a Joyful Life	p. 171
God Has Brought Laughter for Me Discovering Delight in Your Personal Spiritual Life	p. 193
A Study in Joy: I Thessalonians	p. 212
Rejoice Always! Introducing Joy, Humor, and Laughter into Your Prayer	p. 218
Conclusion Get Ready for Heaven	p. 235
For Further Exploration	p. 237
Acknowledgments	p. 241
About the Author	p. 243
Notes	p. 244
Index	p. 249
Table of Contents provided by Ingram. All Rights Reserved.

Between Heaven and Mirth

Why Joy, Humor, and Laughter Are at the Heart of the Spiritual Life

At a Glance

Paperback

Industry Reviews

Shipping

How to return your order

Defective items

You Can Find This Book In

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