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Between Heaven and Mirth
Why Joy, Humor, and Laughter Are at the Heart of the Spiritual Life
by James Martin, SJ
"Whether you're Catholic or Pentecostal, Buddhist or Hindu, or a stalwart atheist, Martin's hilarious Between Heaven and Mirth will infuse you with this believer's vivacity for being alive."
—Mary Karr, author of Lit
"Jim is a Jesuit priest and a funny guy. I'm grateful to know both of him."
—Stephen Colbert, in USA Today
About Between Heaven and Mirth
Father Martin invites us to rediscover the importance of humor and laughter in our daily lives and to embrace an essential truth: faith leads to joy. Read more about the new book Between Heaven and Mirth.
Joy and Laughter Support a Serious Faith: A Q&A with Fr. Jim Martin
By Elizabeth Scalia
"Happiness is an emotion about what life gives you; joy is deeper, for it comes from a relationship with God."
Fr. James Martin on The Colbert Report
Check out Stephen Colbert's interview with Fr. Martin on the Colbert Report.
Join the Twitter Book Club on Between Heaven and Mirth
Every day from Dec 1-15, we'll post a brief book excerpt and invite your twitter comments. Visit the Patheos book club blog to join the chat today!
Read An Excerpt
By James Martin, S.J.
"Joy, humor, and laughter are spiritual gifts that we ignore at our peril." Read an excerpt from the new book Between Heaven and Mirth.
When the Holidays are Filled with Turkeys
By James Martin, S.J.
Anticipating a Holiday that looks nothing like the Normal Rockwell ideal? Here are some tips on getting through the festivities with your sense of humor intact.
Book Discussion Questions
A dozen provocative questions to deepen your personal or group study of Between Heaven and Mirth.
Book Club Roundtable
A Call to Play
By Christine Valters Paintner
Perhaps we have it all backwards and what we take most seriously is not of concern for God. Maybe God's call to play and the cosmic dance are truly at the heart of the world. How might I live differently I believed this?
Nekkid between Heaven and Mirth
By Karen Spears Zacharias
Martin isn’t trying to entertain his audience as much as he’s trying to educate them. And the point he makes is a good one. We live in a culture of carping, Martin says.
Deep Joy and Deep Trouble
By Bruce Epperly
Joy and humor enable us to experience life with a sense of graceful acceptance and letting go. These oft-neglected spiritual virtues liberate us from superficial self-concern and remind us that we are not the center of the universe—the events of our lives are important, but not all-important...
Taking Humor Seriously
By Brandon Vogt
Like the angels, Martin floats through life with levity, making jokes, laughing regularly, and never taking himself too seriously. Between Heaven and Mirth shows us all how to live this way and is the perfect guide to spiritual joy.
Can Complainers Gather Between Heaven and Mirth
By Max Lindeman
Joy and laughter serve truth well, but can a little complaining, with a top spin of humor, also serve?
I Shall Say It Again: Rejoice!
By Julie Davis
I can't tell you how many times I've had people ask me, "How can you be a Happy Catholic?" They then go on to cite the problems currently in the Church, how hard life is in general, and so on and so forth. My answer is that happy does not mean cheerful. James Martin has written a book all about that very thing.
Chatting with Father Martin
By Elizabeth Scalia
So, Between Heaven and Mirth is not exactly a pie in the face, but it reminds us—as did Chesterton—that “angels fly because they take themselves lightly.” Does that mean people have to be happy all the time, or they're earthbound?
A Barrel of Laughs and a Pie in the Face
By Sarah Reinhard
I love to laugh, and maybe that's part of the reason I was attracted to what I envisioned James Martin's new book, Between Heaven and Mirth, would be.
Happiness Attracts
By Angelica Nohemi Quinonez
Through page after page of jokes and anecdotes, Fr. Martin shows us how joy, humor, and laughter are some of God’s greatest gifts.
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