Laughter is the best option

Moments after I realised that it was air freshener and not deodorant I realised also that the best response was simply to laugh!  

The ability to laugh at situations and to find humour amidst the challenges of life is one of the keys to remaining sane and moving towards success.  It has been found that laughter is a ‘wonder drug’ which has been proven to:J       combat stress J       reduce pain by releasing endorphins (the body’s natural painkiller) J       have a positive effect on the cardiovascular & respiratory systems J       relax muscles J       boost the immune system by increasing the level of T cells & lowering serum cortisol helping promote a positive outlook J       help people cope with difficult situations J       help creative decision making J       create bonds between people  

The bible said this a long time ago “A merry heart does good, like medicine” Prov 17:22  

So if laughter really is the best medicine then how often are we ensuring that we receive the correct dosage?  Some of us have forgotten the simple pleasure of finding the joy and fun which is available in this life.  Others are weighed down by challenges and problems which are beyond their capacity to bear.

 I do not make light of your difficulty or the obstacles you face, I am simply suggesting an antidote to the poison which comes through pain.  I encourage you today… 

“Do not sorrow, for the joy of the LORD is your strength.”     Nehemiah 8:10 

VCR’s on the way out

Many of us don’t want to admit it but the VCR is terminally ill and only has a very short time to live.  From 1976 the VCR revolutionised the way people watched television.  It gave them an opportunity to record one program whilst watching another or to go out to dinner with friends and still manage to keep up with what was happening on your favourite show.(It also caused a lot of arguments over who would have the control of the remote!) 

The problem with the VCR was that the copy you made was never as good as the original, and if you made a copy off of a copy then things went from bad to worse.  Another problem was that the tape that you used tended to deteriorate over time.  I know that I looked at our wedding video recently and it had really begun to suffer…white spots and lines that I don’t remember being there on the day (granted it was 20 years ago!). 

Thankfully we have moved into the ‘digital age’ where you can record on a disk or tape and copy it as many times as you like and it will be exactly the same as the original.   

We need to be careful that we don’t settle for a spiritual experience which has just been handed down to us from someone else.  This is a bit like the old VCR.  What is available is a direct link to the original; unchanged and powerful.  Don’t hang onto the old…“…behold, all things have become new.” 2 Corinthians 5:17