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15th Annual Jim Dent Dinner
Celebrating Health and Humor This year featuring entertainer Jeff Allen
This
Year's Entertainer: Jeff Allen is the best at what he does–making people laugh as hard as humanly possible. His Happy Wife, Happy Life message of a marriage gone wrong and redeemed has given laughter and encouragement to millions of people. Jeff’s comedy drives home the humor in everyday family life and the joy derived from a healthy marriage.
Monthly columnist for Living
with Teenagers Magazine
http://www.jeffallencomedy.com/
Corporate Sponsorships are available several levels
Please contact us if you are interested in becoming a sponsor, 346-0689
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Stories, Poems,
Reflections and Resources
“ The intimate relation between humor and faith is derived from the fact that both deal with the incongruities of our existence. Humour is concerned with the immediate incongruities of life and faith with the ultimate ones. Both humour and faith are expressions of the freedom of the human spirit, of its capacity to stand outside of life, and itself, and view the whole scene.” R. Niebuhr in “Humour and Faith,” Discerning the Signs of the Times: Sermons for Today and Tomorrow (1949) p.112 “Humour is, in fact, a prelude to faith; and laughter is the beginning of prayer…Laughter is swallowed up in prayer and humour is fulfilled by faith” R. Niebuhr in “Humour and Faith,” Discerning the Signs of the Times: Sermons for Today and Tomorrow (1949) pp.111-122 “Above all things, and at all times, practice yourself in good humor”. (Thomas Jefferson) “A kind heart is a fountain of gladness, making everything in its vicinity freshen into smiles.” (Washington Irving) “Laughter is the shortest distance between two people.” (anonymous) “We can never really love anybody with whom we never laugh.” (Agnes Repplier) “Humor is the instinct for taking pain playfully.” (Max Eastman) “You grow up the first day you have your first real laugh at yourself.” (Ethel Barrymore) “Laughter is inner jogging.” (Norman Cousins) “What was significant about laughter…was not just the fact that it provides internal exercise for a person… a form of jogging for the innards, but that it creates a mood in which the other positive emotions can be put to work, too.” (Norman Cousins) “Laughter is the sun that drives winter from the human face.” (Victor Hugo) “Laughter is a tranquilizer with no side effects.” (Arnold Glasgow) “He who laughs, lasts” (Mary Pettibone Poole) “..a sense of humor is the only divine quality of man.” (C.G. Jung) “There is, in fact, no real spirituality without the laughter which the sense of humor brings. It is not to be confused with frivolity and it cannot exist in anyone who is not a serious person able to explore the darkness and suffering in life.” ( Helen M Luke in “The Laughter at the Heart of Things”, Parabola, vol. Xll, No. 4, pp. 11-12 “So I will suggest that humor implies the ability to establish a certain remoteness, a certain distance towards oneself and the world. That distance enables one to appear not to be taking quite seriously that which one’s inner self takes, cannot but take, terribly serious, yet without betraying the secret….if the necessary distance is maintained, all the tension in features and gestures, the defensive and aggressive attitudes, may give way to a smile.” ( Henry Corbin in “The Safeguard of the Mystic”, Parabola, vol. Xll, no. 4, p. 30) “We grow from our laughter as much as we grow from our seriousness – and the child, discovering the magic of humor, finds a new plateau from which to view its experience differently.” (Richard Lewis in “Infant Joy”, Parabola, Vol. Xll, No. 4, p. 47) “I’ve yet to hear of anyone doing a humor meditation, but humor and meditation accomplish some of the same aims. Both help to let everything float away – they show you that you’re not the center of the universe.” (Moshe Waldok in “Meditations on a Joyful Year”, Parabola, Vol. XLL, No. 4. p. 67) “ If you wish to glance inside a human soul and get to know a man…just watch him laugh. If he laughs well he is a good man.” (Fyodor Dostoyevsky) “I pity people who can’t find laughter or at least some bit of amusement in the little doings of the day. I believe I could find something ridiculous even in the saddest moment, if necessary. It has nothing to do with being superficial. It’s a matter of joy in life.” – (Sophie Scholl) “Nobody needs a smile so much as the one who has none to give. So get used to smiling heart-warming smiles and you will spread sunshine in a sometimes dreary world.” (Lawrence G. Lovasik, Slovak Priest, b. 1913) “Because of your smile, you make life more beautiful.” (Thich Nhat Hanh) “What sunshine is to flowers, smiles are to humanity. These are but trifles, to be sure; but scattered along life’s pathway, the good they do is inconceivable.” (Joseph Addison, English Essayist, Poet, Dramatist and Statesman, 1672-1719) “Sometimes your joy is the source of your smile, but sometimes your smile can be the source of your joy.” (Thich Nhat Hanh) “Joy is not in things; it is in us” (Richard Wagner, German dramatic composer and theorist, 1813-1833) “Let a joy keep you. Reach out your hands and take it when it runs by.” (Carl Sandburg) “Humor is mankind’s greatest blessing.” (Mark Twain) “Good humor is one of the preservatives of our peace and tranquility.” (Thomas Jefferson) “Nothing in man is more serious than his sense of humor; it is the sign that he wants all the truth.” (Mark Van Doren, American Writer and Educator, 1894-1972
Meister Eckhart Do you want to know Meister Eckhart “When God laughs at the soul
and the soul laughs back at God, the persons of the Trinity are begotten. When
the Father laughs at the Son and the Son laughs back at the Father, that
laughter gives pleasure, that pleasure gives joy, that joy gives love, and that
love is the Holy Spirit.” (as quoted by Tony Hendra
in Father Joe) God’s Laughter Hafiz tells us that the
Beloved’s nature is pure Joy. The Closer we come to Him, the more we are able to
hear and feel God’s Laughter. The rhythm of His Laughter is the music of
Laughter What is laughter? What is
laughter?
Comedy as a Healer In March of 2004, at Emory
University, the Jerry Lewis Healing Theatre was dedicated. The new theatre is
meant to improve the waiting room experience for ailing people. It was the
brainchild of Lewis and Dr. Scott Boden, who share a belief in the power of
laughter to heal. Lewis would like to see the theatre become a launching pad for
a more fully realized teaching facility that could examine and instruct others
in the healing powers of comedy. ( Reported in The Atlanta Journal
Constitution, March 18, 2004) St. Philip Neri St. Philip was known for his sense
of humor. He radiated a spirit of joy. Widely revered as a saint in his lifetime
he had his own way of coping with it. He liked to dress in comical outfits,
assume outlandish disguises, go about with only one side of his face shaved, or
indulge in elaborate practical jokes. This reflected his genuine playfulness and
the joy he found in the spiritual life. He said, “Cheerfulness strengthens the
heart and makes us persevere in a good life. Therefor the servant of God ought
always to be in good spirits.” The King’s Jester It was one of the redeeming features of ancient and medieval monarchies to have recognized that every king needs a court jester, a part of whose function it is not only to make the king laugh but to make him laugh at himself… There is also the need of the king for a comic alter ago, another less serious and more human self to step into. For it is in the person of the joker that the king jokes; in the person of the fool he becomes a fool. This not only reveals what he is, and prevents him from pretending to be what he is not, but allows him to be what he really is: a man like everyone else who participate with all his subjects in the frailties and follies of the human condition… Through the court fool the king preserves both his sanity and his humanity. (M. Conrad Hyers)
Cy Eberhart and Humour Cy Eberhart is a retired hospital chaplain who has maintained an active interest in humor and play for 35 years. His 1985 book on humor and spirituality, In the Presence of Humor: A Guide to the Humorous Life was endorsed by the late Norman Cousins, and has recently be republished. A description is on his web page www.cyeberhart.com. Also, a series of his articles on humor and play has recently been posted on http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Cy_Eberhart The Association for Applied and
Therapeutic Humor Workshop Resource Alex Chamberlain, a board certified chaplain with the APC, has presented training events at The APC Annual Conference, the CAPPE annual conference, and numerous hospitals, hospices, and other health care facilities around the nation. Ranging from 90 minute to half day events, Alex not only presents the theory behind the therapeutic use of humor, he provides numerous examples of how humor can be used sensitively and creatively in the practice of health care. He is always ready to adapt the content for attendees and has presented before chaplains, parish ministers, nurses, physicians, and other health care professionals. A member of the Association of Applied and Therapeutic Humor, Alex has presented a workshop for that organization regarding spirituality and humor, and has clowned with Patch Adams M.D. in patient rounds at a hospital where Alex served as chaplain. He is glad to come to a facility that would like to have an informative and relaxed training event that will equip chaplains, local clergy, and/or healthcare professionals to offer humor that promotes well being, avoids inappropriate use of humor, and brings job satisfaction to those who use this tool. Available for a limited number of dates this fall, his presence and workshops would be a wonderful way to complement other ways in which pastoral care week’s theme of "Healing Humor" is being celebrated this fall. More information on Alex can be found on his website www.beyondthecliche.com. He can be reached at 208-921-0563 or by email alexcham@beyondthecliché.com
Links, Books, Magazines Humor and Health by Paul E. McGhee, Ph.D http://www.holistic-online.com/Humor_Therapy/humor_mcghee_article.htm Carolina Health and Humor Association (Carolina Ha Ha) www.cahaha.com Therapeutic Benefits of Laughter Humor and Spirituality Using Humor to Cope: Laughing in the
Midst of Stress by Paul McGhee, Ph.D Articles on Health and Humor from
point of view of Nursing Humor Matters, Bibliography and
References Humor Therapy Roman Catholic Nun conducts humor
workshops as her ministry. Books Offering Humor and Theology Greg Tamblyn, singer and songwriter
offers musical keynotes for groups that want to laugh, lighten up, look at life
differently and live more effectively, He primarily focuses on serving, helping
and caregiving professions Images of the Laughing Jesus http://www.rockhousearts.com/rha_bible/index.html The Humor Project Allen Klein--The Jollytologist Association for Applied and
Therapeutic Humor Beliefnet: Laugh Three Times and
Call Me in the Morning Zen Paths to Laughter. Boston: Journey Editions, www.tuttlepublishing.com “The Sense of Humor”, Parabola, the Magazine of Myth and Tradition. Vol. X11, No. 4, November l987. “Humor and Healing, Does it really help?” Cure, Vol. 2, No. 4, Winter, 2003 Cousins, Norman. The Anatomy of an Illness:As Perceived by the Patient, W.W. Norton & Co., 1979 Klein, Allen. McGhee, Paul E. Ph.D. Health, Healing and the Amuse System: Humor as Survival Training Siegel, Bernie. Humor and Healing (audio cassette) Goodheart, Annette Ph.D. Laughter Therapy DiGiacomo, Fran. I’d Rather Do Chemo Than Clean Out the Garage: Choosing Laugher Over Tears. Hyers, Conrad. And God Created Laughter: The Bible As Divine Comedy Palmer, Earl. The Humor of Jesus: Sources of Laughter in the Bible MacKinlay, Rev. Elizabeth. Spirituality of Later Life: On Humor and Despair. Moody, Raymond A. Jr. Laugh After Laugh: the Healing Power of Humor, 1978 Peter, Laurence J. and Bill Dana. The Laughter Prescription, 1982 Trueblood, Elton. The Humor of Christ Robinson, Vera. Humor and the Health Professional Webb, Joseph. Comedy and Preaching, Chalice Press 1988
Past Dent Performers
2006
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This year's Dent Dinner will be Tuesday Oct
17, 2006, 6:00 - 9:00 pm