My Book Report (Chapter 20): Every Day A Friday

The Healing Power of Laughter

Here’s my first actual joke I’ve written

A squirrel and a chipmunk were standing on the same branch and someone past by and said, “look at the two squirrels, how cute!” The squirrel and chipmunk both looked at each other and said, “I don’t look like you.” The chipmunk then said, “I thank God for that! Squirrels are not meant to be movie stars.”

Right of the back Joel shares this fundamental truth in chapter twenty of his book, “Every Day A Friday.” Joel shares, that his father believed that the world would be a healthier place if we stressed less and laughed more.

As I read this chapter I was intrigued by laughter as medication, and I was also reminded of a man whom stood up and laughed at the stresses of this world, and made it his mission to show that laughter packs quite a punch in the fight over sickness and health. His name is (Hunter Adams), but he’s commonly referred to as “Patch” and he is the founder of the Gesundheit Institute. You may know him through the Hollywood inspired movie “Patch Adams.”


Joel goes onto say, “One of the greatest stress relievers God has given us is laughter. It’s like medicine. Laughing makes us feel better and releases healing throughout our systems. When we laugh, the pressures of life fade and we feel restored and rejuvenated.”

Beloved, I can certainly attest to that. The more I laugh the better I feel. The heartier the laugh, the greater the breakthrough.


As I read those above quoted words from Joel Osteen I was reminded of these verses in scripture: (Philippians 4:6-7). It’s FUNNY how God can encourage, inspire and bring to light His Word of Truth and Freedom to us in a whole new way, simply by us going through what we go through in life and desiring to seek out God in the midst of it.

The verses in Scripture goes as follows, “Don’t be anxious about anything but in everything with prayer and THANKSGIVING present your request to God, and the peace of God that transcends all understanding with protect your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.


Here’s the FUNNY part, as I was referring to, moments ago— Laughing despite the stresses of life is a form of THANKFULNESS towards God. Truly, a revelation! A revelation I very much want to show throughout my life.

Laughter (defined by Dictionary.com): the action or sound of laughing, an inner quality, mood, disposition, mirthfulness; an expression or appearance of merriment or amusement.

Isn’t it funny, that although life can be very stressful, we can laugh at it, not to mock and be careless, but to rejoice, to thank and to show faith in God and His Word to us. Amen.


This Word; this Promise is this:


“For I know the plans I have for you, declares The Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plams to give you HOPE AND A FUTURE.” (Jeremiah 29:11)


Here’s a self-examining question for all of us to ask ourselves: When was the last time I laughed? Was it a week, a month, or sadly a year ago? Or was it even longer?


Joel shares some exciting news with us that should have us laughing and smiling it up! Every time we laugh, we reduce the stress hormone and increase production of the human growth hormone, also known as the “youth hormone,” by as much as 87 percent, according to some resources. That’s the hormone that slows down the aging process and keeps you looking younger and fresher.


Just allow that statistic to sink into you... With all these anti-aging cremes, procedures and ads, one would ask this question: Are all these people fighting the aging process laughing a lot, or just spending more?

People have told me many times that I look very young, so much so, I’ve had someone think I was 18 when I was actually 30 years old... True Story. It’s no wonder! My favorite movies are comedies, and I laugh and act silly a lot!

Silly Oh Me

You’d be surprised to hear that many people think and know me as a serious person, but I’ll let you in on a little secret. Shhh... Don’t tell anyone, but they only see the serious side because they couldn’t handle the silly side. -->




Have you heard the saying, “All work and no play leads to a dull existence.” Well it isn’t a saying for nothing. Who wants a dull existence?! I certainly don’t.

Joel speaks these words of truth to us in Chapter twenty of Every Day A Friday. He says, “Many people are too stressed to have fun. They need to restore balance.”


Isn’t that the truth!

Certainly we can all agree on this— All work and no play is not healthy.

As I read in this chapter I take in these words. “Developing a sense of humor and looking for opportunities to laugh can make a big difference in the quality of your life. You may not be a jovial person by nature. God made us all unique. But I recommend training yourself to laugh as often as possible.


On an even more personal note, I myself fail to laugh at every opportunity, and at times I tend to take things to serious, because I try so hard to be a perfectionist. I am a work in progress, and God is faithful, so I trust where God has for me to go He will get me there triumphantly. Amen.


Proverbs 17:22 (Amplified) supports that laughter is indeed good medicine in that it points out, “A happy heart is good medicine and a cheerful mind works healing, but a broken spirit dries up the bones.”

Okay, there’s 3 points in the verse above. Two are obviously clear, but one sticks out to me in a whole different way now. To have a broken spirit is to be depressed; without hope and feeling worthless.

Amazing how laughter brings about the opposite. Happiness heals you, restores you, fills you with hope and gives you worth.


There’s something to laughter, if you constantly hear from people at a gathering, party, fiesta, etc... Say ‘we had a great time. All we did was laugh and laugh as we shared stories.’

There’s a lot more I could share on this chapter, but then I would spoil all the FUN from you getting a copy for yourself. Want one?! Simply go here.


What I will share with you now, is a personal story of mine of something that happened to me a few years back. Picture it! Sunrise, FL. The year, 2009. The month, April. The date, the third. The day, who knows? (LOL).


I had just separated from my then wife, and I found myself returning to my families house with “my tail tucked behind me,” sort of speak, and for the next three months I was battling depression, sadness, fatigue, hopelessness, and I was absolutely fortunate beyond measure to have a friend in my life, that I looked to in my time of need.

His name is Wesam Ziadeh, and he was an absolute blessing from God. Wee, as I called him, was someone who made me laugh a lot! A laughed so much with him in those three months that the medicine of laughter was a healing aid in my recovery.

Little did I know God was already at work in my life, and I will forever be thankful to God for His compassion and mercy in that time of struggle and pain for bringing Wee, my brother from another mother into my life.




My Takeaway:

Laughter is medicine not only for our bodies, but truly food for the soul. We need to laugh more and stress less. Sometimes laughing will take being more intentional about it and other times it will come easily out of us. All in all, if we laugh more in our day, we will certainly look forward to the next.

God is love,
Flavio Lugo (I copied that closing from Rev Run). Thanx bro!



Beloved, I pray you enjoyed this post and had some laughs along the way.

As always... YOU ARE LOVED.