“Between Heaven and Mirth will make any reader smile. . . . Father Martin reminds us that happiness is the good God’s own goal for us.” —Timothy M. Dolan, Archbishop of New York From The Colbert Report’s “official chaplain” James Martin, SJ, author of the New York Times bestselling The Jesuit Guide to (Almost) Everything, comes a revolutionary look at how joy, humor, and laughter can change our lives and save our spirits. A Jesuit priest with a busy media ministry, Martin understands the intersections between spirituality and daily life. In Between Heaven and Mirth, he uses scriptural passages, the lives of the saints, the spiritual teachings of other traditions, and his own personal reflections to show us why joy is the inevitable result of faith, because a healthy spirituality and a healthy sense of humor go hand-in-hand with God's great plan for humankind.

Don has lots of opinions: On being a buffoon: I hate being a buffoon, but it seems like I'm always messing up. Not long ago I got in the car with my wife to run some errands. I took the TV remote with me just in case I had to make a cell phone call. Nancy made fun of me, and I tried to use the mute button on her, but it didn't work. On his 37th Anniversary: "We returned home and wandered off to bed at 10:00. Nancy donned her "Born to Sleep" PJs and I was asleep before my head hit the pillow. When we were newly married this is not the way we would have anticipated our 37th anniversary ending, but in 2004 it was just fine. So much for romance. It's still there; it's just different. On fasting: Fasting is a fundamental Christian practice, and it is mentioned 33 times in the Bible. Now, let me ask a question. When was the last time you heard a sermon on the subject of fasting? You'll hear a hundred sermons on eschatology, a thousand on tithing or how many angels you can stack on the head of a pin before a preacher will suggest a Christian forego his or her staple of donuts, fried chicken or baked beans. Actually, I don't mind fasting; it's just the hunger I object to. On remodeling the house: "What on earth do we need a new toilet for?" I protested. Nancy's response was: "The old toilet was the wrong shade of white." The wrong shade of white?! You got to be kidding me! Our 401K is in the toilet due to the economy, and now I'm spending my kid's inheritance replacing a toilet that is the improper shade of white!!

In this refreshing new take on spirituality, bestselling author Deepak Chopra uses a fictional tale of a comedian and his unlikely mentor to show us a path back to hope, joy, and even enlightenment—with a lot of laughter along the way. Meet Mickey Fellows. A successful L.A. comedian, he’s just a regular guy, with his fair share of fears, egocentricities, and addictions. After his father’s death, Mickey meets a mysterious stranger named Francisco, who changes his life forever. The two begin an ongoing discussion about the true nature of being. Reluctantly at first, Mickey accepts the stranger’s help and starts to explore his own life in an effort to answer the riddles Francisco poses. Mickey starts to look at those aspects of himself that he has hidden behind a wall of wisecracks all his life. Eventually Mickey realizes that authentic humor opens him up to the power of spirit—allowing him to finally make real connections with people. After taking the reader on a journey with Mickey, Chopra then spells out the lessons that Mickey’s story imparts to us: ten reasons to be optimistic, even in our challenging world. Chopra believes that the healthiest response to life is laughter from the heart, and even in the face of global turmoil, we can cultivate an internal sense of optimism. Rich with humor and practical advice, Why Is God Laughing? shows us without a doubt that there is always a reason to be grateful, that every possibility holds the promise of abundance, and that obstacles are simply opportunities in disguise. In the end, we really don’t need a reason to be happy. The power of happiness lies within each of us, just waiting to be unleashed. And Mickey Fellows’s journey shows us the way.

When Sarah overhears God tell Abraham that she will give birth to a son, she laughs. She laughs to herself at the impossibility of her, in her old age, bearing a child (Gen 18:12). But God’s ways are not Sarah’s ways; God is far more wonderful than Sarah imagines. Of course, Sarah does give birth to a son and names him Isaac, whose name means to laugh: God has brought laughter for me; everyone who hears will laugh with me (Gen 21:6). Surely, the ancient audience—aware of the many incongruities in this story—did laugh. But can we in modern times recover the divine humor, the paradox and promise, in this and other biblical accounts? Can we use that sacred laughter as a means to evangelize a world that longs for God every bit as much as the ancients did? In Laughing with God: Humor, Culture, and Transformation, Catholic priest and cultural anthropologist Gerald Arbuckle helps us do just that. With Arbuckle, readers will enter many rich biblical stories and come away laughing, not laughter as in response to a joke or comedy, but a profound laughter of the heart. Readers will laugh at Sarah as she laughs at God, and they will laugh together with Sarah and God. Readers will discover divine humor in the parables of Jesus and even in his suffering and death, the ultimate paradox for Christians. In addition to uncovering and recovering humor in Scripture, Arbuckle’s work is a treasure trove of modern examples of humor—from literature, movies, and television—that surprisingly can be a means of transforming cultures to better reflect the kingdom of God. In the end, readers will want to turn the phrase, He who laughs last, laughs best, into, They who laugh with God, evangelize best. Gerald A. Arbuckle, SM, PhD, is co-director of Refounding and Pastoral Development, a research ministry, in Sydney, Australia. He is internationally known for his expertise in helping church leaders minister effectively in a postmodern world. Arbuckle’s most recent books include: Confronting the Demon: A Gospel Response to Adult Bullying; Violence, Society, and the Church: A Cultural Approach; and Healthcare Ministry: Refounding the Mission in Tumultuous Times (2001 Catholic Press Association Award), all published by Liturgical Press.

It's Okay to Laugh with Jesus is about a God who loves to laugh because he's proud of his perfect world and loves the people he put in it. He laughs at the folly of humankind that rejects him and rewards faithfulness rather than success. He laughs at a mother as she cuddles her newborn, a baby's giggle, a father tucking a blanket under his son's chin and praying him to sleep. God laughs at the folly of humankind that rejects his love and at the devil knowing his doom is sealed. Those who laugh with Jesus enter a world of smiles and surprises. Starting the adventure costs nothing; living it costs everything. It's easy to become a Christian and difficult to live like one. Once the adventure begins, the awareness shifts from ownership to service, from selfishness to sacrifice, from world-thinking to heaven thinking. Goals change, values deepen, and variables that make no earthly sense develop eternal significance. Where did we ever get the idea that sorrow, sadness and skepticism represent the Christian religion? Not from God. He laughs with a world of people who live and die laughing all the way to heaven. When we laugh with God, the sorrows of life blend with joy; anxiety is calmed with forgiveness; and heartache balances against happiness. In a book of fun and surprises, It's Okay to Laugh with Jesus reveals how, and what, sharpens the faith that brings us closer to our God than we ever thought possible. And when we laugh with him, he knows we're getting it. What a delightful way to spend an hour, a day, a lifetime laughing with Jesus.

For Christians, eternity is an exciting promise, but many do not know the details of what life will be like in heaven and throughout eternity. 50 Days of Heaven allows the reader to stop wondering about heaven by teaching the biblical facts regarding what's so wonderful about Heaven. The devotional provides an easy-to-follow, 50-day program that reveals the biblical information on what a Christian's life will be like in heaven. Throughout this journey, the reader will learn and meditate upon the promises, rewards, and expectations that a believer in Christ will enjoy for eternity. This devotional draws on the teachings in Randy Alcorn's best-selling book Heaven.

DOES GOD HAVE A SENSE OF HUMOR? How often that question has come up in discussions from Bible Studies or from people just sharing their faith! Does God have a sense of humor? For years, friends and relatives have told me I should write a book about funny things that have happened throughout my life as a priest. These events have kept my life from being anything but boring. Most of these moments have taken place over the past twenty nine years that I have been a priest. All of us are on a journey. This journey leads us to heaven. Along the way, each of us have encountered funny and interesting things that make our life exciting and full of laughs. In this small book, I hope to capture some of the funny things that have happened to me on my journey to heaven. I have changed the names to protect the "innocent." I truly hope this book helps you to reflect on the funny things that have happened to you during your lifetime. I believe everyone needs to laugh more. Laughter is the key to a healthy life. I have often said that in life we need three bones to have happiness: We need a Wish Bone. We need to have dreams. I really like dreamers. We need a Back Bone, We need to be strong to achieve our dreams and goals but most importantly, we need a Funny Bone. We need to laugh at ourselves more often. Jesus, I am convinced, must have laughed with his friends. I am certain that Peter must have put a smile on his face many times. Finally, I want to dedicate this book to my Mom. She taught me that laughter is truly a gift and a blessing. My Mom died last year. She had Alzheimer's, but we continued to laugh each day that we were together. Her sense of humor and her ability to make us laugh were hergreatest gifts to me and to my family. (All Scriptures passages are taken from The New American Bible)