It is nothing for a man to hold up his head in the calm of his life, so says ancient tradition, but to maintain courage when all others have abandoned you - that is of Divine appointment.

And so it goes with comedian. J.L. Green, who has found, firsthand, that life’s discouragement often teaches success. in other words. If you’ve never stubbed your toe, you’re probably standing still. "I know I’ve gone through a lot in my life,” says the New York native, ‘but it’s up to me not to let it hinder my life, in fact. I draw a lot of my comedy from all the things that were and continue to be stacked up against me. I wish I knew then what I hold onto now.”

Early on, J.L. struggled through the divorce of his parents, the death of his grandmother, and overwhelming abuse at the hands of a state welfare department that sent him to no less than ten different foster homes and two orphanages. Still a boy, he was confused, but admittedly blessed by the circumstances, "It’s impossible for many of us to see the positive side of things when you’re going through the pits of your life - especially when you’re a kid.” he related, "but during that time - I think I was about nine years old - a lady came to one of the places I was staying and told me about Jesus and how He suffered for us. It gave me strength and just the right boost to see at least a teeny bit of light at the end of what I thought was this huge black tunnel”

After being reared by orphanages for most of his life, and forgetting the message of hope in Christ he was taught. J.L. enlisted in the Army, enjoying a solid nine year career as a paratrooper. Ironically, amid the buccaneer lifestyle of his elite unit, he rededicated his life to Christ, "We certainly don’t have much if we don’t have hope for a future,” he emphasizes, "and when I was faced head on by my past, my own future wasn’t anywhere in sight. It was scary to find that out, but now when I face the future, Jesus looks back at me and smiles.”

Once out of the service, J.L. went to New York where he caught lampoon fever from his many trips to the Big Apple’s legendary lmprov. He decided what he missed most about his youth was laughter, and wanted to give others what he really never had. He started studying comedy, comedians, and club owners. "This is what I want to do,” he whispered over and over expectantly, but when he finally climbed up on stage it was another matter. Remembers J.L.: "Facing an audience for the first time as a comic is a lot like reading the book of Revelation. Your upper lip starts sweating, your mouth gets dry, and you wonder if you’ll make it through alive,” I did make it through in one piece.” he laughs. but I also found out that the life of a nightclub comic was depressing and I really was stuck in a dilemma, I knew God was leading me toward doing this - standing up in front of people and making them laugh - but did He really want me to bounce from seedy club to bleak barroom night after night?

J.L. supposed not, but if he was called to stand up in front of people and make them laugh, there was really only one other direction he felt he could go. "I figured I should go to Bible school and become a preacher," muses the long-suffering jokesmith, “but after trying to raise the money and working a ton of odd jobs. It looked like I missed it again.”

More than a little introspective, J.L. shrugs that he had no idea what he was supposed to do with his life until he wandered into a Christian bookstore. "Right on the wall in front of me was a huge poster of Christian comedian, Mark Lowry.” he points out. "The message was rammed home - I could actually be a Christian and a comedian at the same time. It was a phenomenal revelation to me."

From that point on, J.L. hasn't looked back. Enjoying increasing popularity across the country, he's taken his shtick to a long list of churches and Christian events and was named"Best comedian of 2006," by the American Gospel Music Association.

From his hilarious routine on Christian drivers to his outragous segment on evolution, J.L. says he's found his niche...and he ain't leaving it. "Playing all the big houses would be great, but that's not my main concern now," discloses the zany satirist."What I try to strive for is what God wants me to do and that brings the kind of contentment that lasts forever. I've found that humor makes all things tolerable. It's the only medicine without side effects,and one of the tools that mend a broken heart. Martin Luther once said that if we're not allowed to laugh in heaven, he didn't want to go there, so I think I'm in pretty good company.