Laughs and Lattes Comedy Night

Scripture: Proverbs 17:22

Introduction

Host a Laughs and Lattes Night featuring a coffee bar and Christian comedy video. Here are a few tips:

Refreshments

• Invite the women to bring their favorite dessert to share.
• Use a chalkboard to list the different coffee available.
• A Keurig machine will make it easy to offer a variety of specialty coffees.
• Provide the following:
  • Variety of creamers and milk
  • Different coffee syrups
  • Whipped cream
  • Caramel and chocolate drizzle
  • Provide iced and hot coffee options.
• Have different coffee mugs available for women to take home at the end of the night.

Depending on the length of your program time, you may want to preview one of the following 3comedy DVD and edit it if necessary. There are also shorter excerpts available on YouTube. Some suggestions are Chonda Pierce, Girl Talk, Anita Renfroe, “I’m Not High Maintenance, Just Low Tolerance;” Jeannie Robertson, “I Can Hear Myself Wrinkling.” Christian comedy may be a new experience for many women. Keep some Kleenex handy for those that will laugh so hard they cry.

Name that Tune Game

Name that Tune is a fun game that individuals of all ages enjoy. With music from the ’50s to today’s, create a game that fits your women. You can use YouTube or Spotify to play instrumentals music so that there are no lyrics.

Head’s Up Game

Attach word cards to a headband with the words facing out. The game’s object is to guess the word based on clues provided by a teammate. This game is available on Amazon.

Medicine for the Soul

When was the last time you had a gut-busting belly laugh that made you cry? Scripture says, “A cheerful heart is good medicine” (Pro. 17:22), which makes belly laughs good for the body, mind, and spirit.

Too often, we hear about the struggles and difficulties we face as Christians. However, God created joy and humor. Think of the most joyful person that you know. A person whose smile and sense of humor cause happiness to fill the room. Their lives release the aroma of Christ and refresh you from just being around them. What makes them smile or laugh? How does their attitude affect their days and your own?

According to the Mayo Clinic, more giggles and guffaws are just what the doctor ordered when relieving stress. Here’s why. Whether you’re laughing at a sitcom on TV or quietly giggling at a newspaper cartoon, laughing does you good. Laughter is an excellent form of stress relief. A good sense of humor can’t cure all ailments, but data is mounting about the positive things laughter can do.

A good laugh has significant short-term effects. When you start to laugh, it doesn’t just lighten your load mentally; it induces physical changes in your body. Laughter can:

• Stimulate many organs.Laughter enhances your intake of oxygen-rich air, stimulates your heart, lungs, and muscles, and increases the endorphins released by your brain.
• Activate and relieve your stress response.A rollicking laugh fires up and then cools down your stress response, increasing and decreasing your heart rate and blood pressure. The result? A good, relaxed feeling.
• Soothe tension.Laughter can also stimulate circulation and aid muscle relaxation, which can help reduce some of the physical symptoms of stress.

Although we will have troubles in this life, we can guarantee that we will laugh again one day. Sometimes when all we see are looming clouds, we forget that the sunshine is right behind, waiting to be seen again. Similarly, when we are down, we know that God is right there, and His joy is accessible through the Holy Spirit. Even though hardships last in the night, joy comes in the morning (Psalm 30:5).

Laughter is the best medicine. Go ahead and give it a try. Turn the corners of your mouth into a smile and then laugh, even if it feels a little forced. Once you’ve had your chuckle, take stock of your feelings. Are your muscles a little less tense? Do you feel more relaxed or buoyant? That’s the natural wonder of laughing at work.

Many believe that if you are a Christian, you should be sober and that everything should be very serious. However, this is not true. God gave us the ability to laugh. He has a sense of humor. You only have to look at some of His creations to realize that is the case. From the lumbering hippopotamus to the antics of the monkeys, we can see many things that make us laugh. So, when you are feeling down, ask the Lord to let you see the funny side of life. Remember, “The joy of the Lord is your strength” (Neh. 8:10).

Resources:

https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/stress-management/in-depth/stress-relief/art-20044456