Fun and Momsense by Stephanie Voiland Anita Renfroe's journey from stay-at-home mom to YouTube phe-mom-enon . . . and the laughs she's had along the way. Comedian and Author Anita Renfroe can't keep track of how many people have asked her secret to becoming a successful entertainer who makes regular appearances on Good Morning America, gives comedy concert tours almost every weekend of the year, and has a YouTube following hovering around a million viewers. But when people pose that question, Anita can't help but give a self-deprecating chuckle. "People ask me how I made it from a stay-at-home mom to a nationally known comic, and all I can say is, 'I have no idea how this happened!' It seems like one day I was behind the piano bench for the children's choir at church, and, suddenly, here I am traveling the country." After a thoughtful pause, she says, "Only God could do something like this. I could never repeat it or tell someone else what to do. I'm just thankful to be on this ride." It all started with a Mother's Day dare. Several years ago, Anita's three children dared her to post on YouTube a video of her performing a song she'd written. She reluctantly agreed, and in no time, "The Mom Song" (a collection of momisms set to the tune of the "William Tell Overture") received over a million hits. Anita says, "We just stood back and went 'Whoa.' We had no doubt that God was really ordering circumstances. We couldn't have done this—we didn't know what we were doing. I feel like I've just been holding on to the seat of God's pants ever since." A Call to Laughter It was never Anita's dream, let alone part of her 10-year plan, to have a midlife career change or pursue comedy full time. But, as she looks back over her life, she sees that God was paving the way for this path all along. "God blessed me with this wonderful and weird way of looking at things, but when I was younger I didn't know if it was acceptable to let out the party that was inside my head. I wasn't sure it was for public consumption, or if it was just for my own entertainment." Having grown up in a strict, legalistic faith culture, she didn't know if comedy was okay for Christians . . . especially once she became a pastor's wife. When Anita and her husband, John, got married, he was going to school to be in full-time ministry. The plan was for Anita to be a pastor's wife, raise their kids, and do church music. But, early on, Anita realized she didn't fit the minister's wife mold, which she perceived as "being quiet, making good coffee, raising nice kids, and playing the piano." After a beat, she says, "Well, I did get the piano thing. But I failed at all the rest—I was loud, I made bad coffee, and I quickly realized that, as wonderful as my children were, I couldn't control everything they did." The closer she got to 40, the more she understood herself and the less she cared what other people thought about her. She started providing musical entertainment at a few local women's conferences, and, gradually, people started telling her, "You're funny! Can you come back again, but next time just for the humor?" Anita quips, "Maybe it was a tactful comment that I wasn't that great of a musician! Or maybe they saw something in me that I hadn't quite recognized or acknowledged yet." She had found a new calling, but success didn't happen overnight. It was a slow evolution—it took 10 years from the time she did a funny song until entertaining became a full-time profession, but the somewhat circuitous route to where she is today doesn't bother Anita. "It has really been a journey toward authenticity for me," she says. "I believe that when we become more true to who God made us to be, it pleases him." She notes that she has company—observing that most biblical accounts of people's journeys follow long, slow arcs. "True, sometimes God works in an instant, like when Paul was struck blind—that was kind of immediate," she admits. "You know, people talk about God being a gentleman, but what about Paul getting thrown off his donkey? That fast-track method seems to be the exception, though. Take Moses, for example. It took forever between different chapters of his life. What I have learned is that God is working while we're percolating where we are." When people ask Anita how to go about following their calling, she advises them to "do whatever is in front of you now, and do it to the best of your ability. See where it leads you." The Divine Side of Comedy Does God have a sense of humor? Anita says, "Well, I would never purport to speak for God—there's no direct quote from him about that, as far as I know. But I do have hope based on some general principles." Joy and laughter, it seems, have intrinsic value in Scripture. Anita quotes Nehemiah 8:10, which says, "Do not grieve, for the joy of the LORD is your strength"—a truth she has seen played out on many occasions. "I hear so many stories after my concerts from people who didn't think they could ever laugh again but were dragged there by a friend. It is such a privilege to hear them tell me, 'I laughed, and I felt strong again. I feel like I might make it.'" Anita also believes God can use humor and laughter to give us fresh perspectives. "There's this sense that in the middle of something difficult, if you can pull back emotionally 10 feet and hover above it all, things will look different. Imagine if you're relating this to a friend in five weeks over coffee—no doubt there's a bunch of funny stuff going on that you don't recognize at the moment." In a way, she says, humor can give us a Romans 8:28 perspective sooner—the bigger view that God is in control of this thing called life even when we aren't. "My hope and prayer is that my humor points people to something bigger than themselves. When we recognize that we're not in control of our hormones, our hair, our kids, or anything else, for that matter, it reminds us that there must be something—someone—else in control." The Sweetest Thing on Two Legs In addition to the big change in her professional life, Anita has taken on a new role in her family life, too. She is proud to bear the title Grandma to one little boy and another baby on the way. "He's the sweetest thing on two legs!" she gushes. "Before I had a grandchild, I couldn't believe everything people told me about grandbabies. I was sure they were exaggerating, or maybe on crack cocaine! But they were right: Grandchildren are the cheese on the cracker of life." Being a grandparent has given Anita a broader view of things, as well as added inspiration to finish this last third of her time on earth well. "I used to get on the treadmill to lose weight, but now I try to make healthy choices so I can see who this kid will grow up to be. Who will he choose for his wife? What will he do for the Kingdom?" She also acknowledges how much this new life stage has sharpened her sense of legacy as she ponders what her grandkids will say about her someday. "I hope they'll say I was a lot of fun, that I always gave them ponies and cotton candy. But I also hope they'll say, 'She knew the Lord, and she made an impact on this world.'" If Nehemiah was right about the joy of the Lord providing strength, then Anita Renfroe may very well be a spiritual bodybuilder. For a complete list of Anita's books and DVDs, as well as hilarious musical clips, visit Anita's Website, www.anitarenfroe.com.