Rev. Steve Durkac

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Rev. Steve Durkac 1st Officiating Availability Form 2nd Officiating Booking Form At Gulf Shores, Alabama In Mobile, Alabama  On Dauphin Island, Alabama F.A.Q. - license, fees, etc. Choosing Wedding Vows Traditional Ceremony Love Story Ceremony Humorous Ceremony Wedding Coordinating Rehearsal Helps The Sand Ceremony Simple Photography Vow Renewal Bridal Testimonials & Photos Group & Promo Events Premarital Counseling Donations/Honorariums  Marriage Coaching Relationship Rehab   What audiences are saying... "Thank you. Your presentation made our annual officers installation banquet a great success!"   - Widowed Person Services, Radney Funeral Homes, Mobile, Alabama "Thanks Steve! We needed to laugh and you sure got us going!"   - Christian Life Church, Orange Beach, Alabama "Thanks for your presentation at the Volunteer Chaplain's Appreciation Luncheon... We enjoyed the entertainment and the learning about laughter!"   - Department of Pastoral Care, Infirmary Health System, Mobile, Alabama "Thank you for pushing the laughter button so hard... I think we all have side aches from laughing so much!"   - Mobile Lions Club, Trade Center, Mobile, Alabama "Now I'm ready to face the stress! Thanks to your easy and fun laughing exercises!"   - CEU Therapeutic Laughter Class, Infirmary Health Systems "Your are awesome! Thank you!"   - C-Sports, Christ United Methodist Church "Thank you for the laughs and for giving us such a fun way to cope with stress!"   - Missions Meeting, Providence Hospital "Your funny as could be! I'll be laughing about this all week."   - Administrators Meeting, Infirmary Health Systems "Great! You were great. I wish all my people could be here to laugh as hard as you had me laughing!"   - Mississippi Credit Union Society Conference "Thank you for helping us laugh and learn! That was awesome!"   - Monthly Luncheon, Bay Area Advertsing Federation "I can't thank you enough for the laughs, and laughing, and the laughter! You still have me laughing! You made this Valentine Party a party!"  - Pastor, Church Valentine Banquet, Christian Outreach Center "I have never laughed so hard or for so long! Man, you were great!"   - Valentine Party, Remnant International Ministries "Funny, funny, funny. You changed my way of thinking about ministry and helped me to lighten the load! Thanks brother!" - Minister's and Mates Banquet, Chilton County Baptist Association "Thanks for the laughs! Funny stories!"    -  Southern Region Motor Fuel Tax Conference   More Audience Comments   Speaking Scheduling Availability Form   MERRY MEDICINE www.merrymedicine.com   Lead Your Team!   Youth Ministries & Christian Schools Want to inspire your students to get on the stairway to heaven?  Want to equip them to rise above temptations, bad associations, and harmful lifestyles? Ask me about speaking to their hearts through my personal testimony that transformed my life from a jailed juvenile delinquent, functionally illiterate, lead singer in club rock band to an ordained minister, published author, who knows first-hand the value of making the right choices in your youth!

Banquet Speaking Services        If your group event, banquet, conference, civic luncheon, workforce meeting, or ministry retreat is looking for an entertaining presentation that will also leave them inspired, my presentations on the topics of humor as therapy for life, work, healing, parenting, love, leadership, relationships, and marriage may be just what you're looking for!     Insight and Humor One day while working with Hurricane Katrina victims, as a hospital chaplain, I was struck by the quick turn-around one patient took, when he suddenly found something to laugh about. On a follow-up visit, he began to tell me about how he was thinking about something a comedian once talked about. As I was listening to him tell the story, I wanted to jump in and finish for him - because he was reciting an old George Carlin comedy bit, called "Stuff." The bit was one of my favorites! He shared how he realized that all he lost, was just stuff. He said he got to thinking that he really is thankful that none of loved-ones were lost. I was simple nodding my head, trying not to interrupt. Then he started to recite the comedy bit again, and this time he stopped and said, "Rev, you're smiling...You don't know who George Carlin is do you?" I said, "George Carlin? Of course I do. Before I was 'Rev' is was 'Irev' - I grew-up in the 70's near Toledo, Ohio - I know George Carlin." He then said, "Well, then you would remember the bit he did on 'Stuff.' We both rushed to recount that comedy bit and laughed in his hospital room as we took turns reciting the lines to that comedy bit! I was amazed by the emotional and physical healing that took place for him after that unscheduled session of comedy, humor, and laughter. That encounter set me off on a serious two year study of the dynamics of humor and laughter and its place in our emotional, physical, and spiritual well being. In that process, I became a Certified Laughter Leader and discovered medical research and therapeutic practices of laughter that goes beyond entertainment. I  learned that laughter helps us break down communication barriers, it fosters teamwork, it builds employee morale, empowers leadership effectiveness, it increases mental attentiveness, promotes open interaction, it decreases stress hormones, improves the immune system, it boosts good endorphins, it aids in better breathing and it just plain old makes us feel good! "Laughter gives us distance. It allows us to step back from an event, deal with it and then move on."  -Bob Newhart   Medical Benefits of Laughter and Stress  Medical research has been on the increase regarding the physical benefits of laughter upon the body and attitude. One of my favorite findings is by Dr. Lee Berk of Loma Linda University, who released the results of a twenty year study that found first time heart attack victims who were prescribed a similar diet and drug regiment, with the exception that half of the group added a daily 20 to 30 minute period of laughter. Half was told to watch a funny sitcom on television, a comedy, or to spend the time reading a humorous joke book, as long as the 30 minute period was focused on humor and being able to laugh. Of the group who were prescribed laughter, only 8% suffered a second heart attack. While the group who were not prescribed daily laughter had a 42% recurrence rate of a second heart attack! On the CNN television news show, Dr. Lee Berk said it best when he commented that had he invented a pill that got these remarkable results, he would be on his way to Stockholm, Sweden for the Noble Peace Prize in Medicine.   “Laughter has a positive effect on the cardiovascular system. Blood pressure is lowered overall and resting heart rate decreases. Additionally, the immune system appears to get tuned up. We should become more serious about laughter."-Dr. Lee Berk, Loma Linda University   While laughter offers no guarantees as the ultimate cure-all, we do know that the medical and psychological benefits of laughter have been cited in the top medical research journals. Here is my top 10 list of such benefits that have been mentioned in these journals: 1. Reducing cortisol, a stress hormone that locks up metabolism and hordes fat. (American Journal of the Medical Sciences) 2. Increases endorphins, the body’s opiate feel-good hormone. (American Journal of the Medical Sciences) 3. Eases muscle tension, good for rheumatism. (Southern Medical Journal) 4. Increases the body’s T-Cell count, immune system cells that kill bacteria. (Journal of Clinical Research) 5. Increases the body’s Lymphocyte Blastogenesis, helps the immune system work faster. (Journal of the American Medical Association) 6. Improves respiratory conditions, aids in ventilation and helps clear mucus plugs. (Journal of the American Medical Association) 7. Increases blood circulation and rise in oxygen and nutrient levels. (Journal of Biological Psychology) 8. Improves blood vessel functions and circulation. (University of Maryland) 9. Increases catecholamines, which boost mental alertness and responsiveness. (Journal of the American Medical Association) 10. Reduces the rate of cellular decay. (Journal of the American Medical Association)   "Through humor, you can soften some of the worst blows that life delivers. And once you find laughter, no matter how painful your situation might be, you can survive it."  -Bill Cosby       Presentations Life can be a stressful experience after marriage, and especially after children are brought into the family. Young couples, re-married couples, long-time married couples, all face times in the relationship when marriage seems to have fallen off track. Jobs, finances, children, family, illness, in-laws, ex-spouses, or whatever issues are bringing stress into the walls of your home, are things that must be dealt with if a marriage is going to survive, thrive, or have restoration. Speaking on the topics of Love and Marriage is not only fun and funny, it is one of the most universal subjects to speak to any group on. It is such an important, powerful, and yet needy topic that all of us deal with daily. Here are some of the topics to ask me about, when it comes to speaking to your group:     Laugh More, Love Deeper! Sexual intimacy is God's idea and the depth of its satisfaction has more to do with laughter than the other thing you were thinking that I was going to say. Jesus said that when a couple get married they are to become one, and it is in doing that - that joy in marriage is found. Not in the little three letter word that starts with "S", but in becoming one...learn more here   Surviving Divorce Divorce is painful for both parties and the children involved. Learn the survivor's secrets for making the best of a no-win divorce or a needed one! I've been there, and survived an wanted divorce to wake in a better world, thanks to the advice that I'll share with you!   Understanding Your Lover's Love Language Every one, man and women, have different encoding and decoding mental systems, but the code can be cracked and you can intercept your mate's love switch! I'll show you the five routes to a happy life behind closed doors (or wherever you kids or grandchild can't be scared)! Adoption is for Lovers I grew-up in a home of five adopted children, with a father who was an adopted child, and now I have an adopted child. After 3 generations of adoption, I will share some real life experience and insight to help you enjoy a successful journey as in adoptee or an adopted parent! Laugh More, Stress Less! Hear the medical findings of why laughter may be the best medicine for for our stressfull lives! I will share from research and training as a Certified Laughter Leader! ...learn more here   Laugh More, Weigh Less!  The problem with diets is not your will-power to stick to a plan, it is the management of your mind! I will share with you the secret ingrediant to add to any weight-loss plan, including my own journey, of losing over 100 lbs in 18 weeks! ...learn more here   Laugh More, Lead Further! Brian Tracy says, "The single most measurement of healthy relationships is the presence of laughter." The leader who understands the value and use of laughter as a human resource tool, is able to break down communication barriers, foster teamwork, builds employee morale, increases mental attentiveness, promote open interaction, and further the mission of the business....learn more here A.B.C.'s of Public Speaking Executives and sales leaders know the quickiest way to the top is through the ability to speak to groups successfully! I will show you 3 simple ways to effectively prepare and deliver a presentation that will accomplish your objective and set apart from your peers! Interpersonal Communication Secrets There is a science to communicating one-on-one and knowing those signals and languages will make the difference between motivating your team or fighting against them! I'll share 5 things you should know before you interview, promote, or assign a task! Teamwork starts with a Team Every football teams establishes its communication rules before the season begins, and so should you before the project begins! I will share with you the 4 elements of every team required to effectively accomplish its objective!     Humorous Storytelling In my presentations, I draw upon the humorous stories and funny experiences from  my life, to help illustrate who we can benefit from laughter and humor within our everyday stress. I share real-life humor from... my days as a child growing up in the 1970's in the small town of Rossford, Ohio serviing as the pastor of a small family church in the deep South. being a father of four children whose ages span 16 years getting a phone call from CMT's Redneck Wedding television producer and having to tell them that they were 1 week too late officiating weddings gone bad altar calls gone bad prayer meetings gone bad and losing over 100 pounds, 14 belt loops, and all my wardrobe in 18 weeks!   Weddings Gone Bad In case you are wondering, because I'm always asked, my stories do include some very funny wedding stories, without any identification of the bride and groom, of course. Some of those stories are: ...my own church formal wedding in 2002 when my bride's 3-year old son suddenly announced that he had to go tee-tee! ...then there was the time Country Music Television's "Big Redneck Weddings" TV Show called me and I had to explain that they were one week too late! ...and of course, the corporate executive's home wedding when his company made a hurried decision to send him and to their other plant across the country and sell his executive residence. He wanted to be married before the move, but he didn't want his wedding to interprupted in the middle of the vows - by a realtor - who wanted me to stop the ceremony so she could show the house! ...and believe it-or-not, there's more funny stories to share, including my parenting adventures, mirth in ministry, and more!   The Yorkfellows Comedy (learn more) The Yorkfellows family was my introduction to being a Yankee pastor in the Southern world of a family-led church, the First Baptist Church of Familyville, Alabama. The Yorkfellows, based on a real family, give me a vehicle to share the hilarious, but sometimes personal stories of church events and parishioners without sharing identity or embarrassment. The Yorkfellows family is led by the matriarch, Ma Yorkfellow and her seven adult children, who are listed from oldest to youngest: LeRoy (Charlene; son Junior) Head deacon of the first First Baptist Church of Familyville, Alabama; Rachel (Walter, LeRoy's businessman brother-in-law), Healy, Danielle, Camile, Merrill, and Tad (short for Tadacious) Some of my Yorkfellows stories include...Ma Yorkfellows and the Harley, LeRoy and the Debate, Junior at the Wedding, Walter and the Car Accident, Officer Healy and Bro. Newell, Rachel Flushed the Visa, Healy and the U.S. Marines, Ma Yorkfellows' Sausage Lasagna and the Vegetarian Potluck, Dr. Merrill and 91 year old Millionaire, Dr. Merrill makes a House Call, Tad Hides the Boonesfarm Wine from Ma, Tad's visit to the Red Beans and Rice Cafe...and more!    Humor with a Purpose I enjoy helping audiences to help people laugh more and stress less, because our world has a way of keeping us living on the edge of worry, fear, and even sadness. And like the good book says, "A merry heart doeth good like a medicine, but a broken spirit drieth the bones" (Proverbs 17:22). Read what audiences have said about my presentations: Audience Comments.   Check my Speaking Availability Please visit my Scheduling page for a no-obligation request to see if I may be available for your upcoming banquet, meeting, or conference.