When Chris and I were in St. Louis, we attended his old church and were THRILLED to find out that the guest speaker for that Sunday was Gary Smalley.
Well, I should rephrase that -- I didn't know who Gary Smalley was prior to that service, but now, having heard him and looked into his ministry and books, I became THRILLED that we got to hear him preach. Mr. Smalley has a great ministry especially focused on marriage and parenting.
Mr. Smalley should be a stand-up comedian. For me, it was kind of an adjustment sitting in church and having everyone ROAR with laughter all around me. Mr. Smalley said that when you laugh, an endorphin is released in your brain and it makes you want to hug someone around you... if that person is your spouse, so much the better. He said that your brain cannot tell the difference between a fake laugh and a real laugh -- the same endorphin is released. So, he encouraged us to laugh, even if its fake.
He said that he and his wife of 48 years are total opposites. I'm always intrigued when couples who have been married for many years say this about each other because the longer I'm married to my wonderful hubby (a whopping 13 months), I am more and more convinced that we are total opposites.
He talked about daily doses of forgiveness and getting rid of anger every day. He said he believes that the leading cause of all the American diseases is anger. On the way home from church I commented to Chris and my in-laws that I think the leading cause of all the American diseases is obesity. Dad Miller said that if people are coping with their anger through food, they could be one-in-the-same. Its an interesting thought... they do, after all, call it "Comfort Food" for a reason.
It was wonderful to hear Mr. Smalley talk and I certainly hope to hear more of what he has to say in the future -- both on marriage and parenting.
Well, I should rephrase that -- I didn't know who Gary Smalley was prior to that service, but now, having heard him and looked into his ministry and books, I became THRILLED that we got to hear him preach. Mr. Smalley has a great ministry especially focused on marriage and parenting.
Mr. Smalley should be a stand-up comedian. For me, it was kind of an adjustment sitting in church and having everyone ROAR with laughter all around me. Mr. Smalley said that when you laugh, an endorphin is released in your brain and it makes you want to hug someone around you... if that person is your spouse, so much the better. He said that your brain cannot tell the difference between a fake laugh and a real laugh -- the same endorphin is released. So, he encouraged us to laugh, even if its fake.
He said that he and his wife of 48 years are total opposites. I'm always intrigued when couples who have been married for many years say this about each other because the longer I'm married to my wonderful hubby (a whopping 13 months), I am more and more convinced that we are total opposites.
He talked about daily doses of forgiveness and getting rid of anger every day. He said he believes that the leading cause of all the American diseases is anger. On the way home from church I commented to Chris and my in-laws that I think the leading cause of all the American diseases is obesity. Dad Miller said that if people are coping with their anger through food, they could be one-in-the-same. Its an interesting thought... they do, after all, call it "Comfort Food" for a reason.
It was wonderful to hear Mr. Smalley talk and I certainly hope to hear more of what he has to say in the future -- both on marriage and parenting.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Thank you for stopping by and joining the conversation.