A man had been shipwrecked on a remote island in the Pacific, and was alone for 20 years. When a ship finally arrived, his rescuers were impressed with the three buildings he had built and asked him about them.
"Well," the man replied, "this is my house, and that building over there is my church. It's a wonderful church and I hate to leave it."
"And what is the third building yonder?" a rescuer asked.
"Oh, that is the church I used to go to," the man replied.
Well, I find that humorous because so many people can tell you about the church they used to go to. Sometimes the church they used to go to is the one I was pastoring!
I’m not going to harp on church attendance today. It does not do much good anyway. I wanted to address another topic that I think is relevant today. And everyone wants the ministers and churches today to be relevant of course.
Laughter is a good relevant subject. When I watch the idiots in Washington, D.C. I usually don’t laugh too much. I once counseled a man who shared about his unruly behavior. He bragged, I can even make a preacher cuss. So many things I observe today in our country and hear from liberal politicians and so called activists a lot of times make me feel like spouting some repercussings back at the TV.
I’m also reminded of a Pastor who was counseling a woman concerning her marriage. She went on and on about what a lousy man her husband was, about how bad she had it with his chronic drinking. It seemed the woman would not stop her rant and complained about everything in her life that her husband had ruined.
Finally the preacher could take it no longer and he interrupted her just long enough to tell her, You know lady, I’ve been listening to you for only a few minutes and I’m already wanting to have me a few drinks.
I think we need to turn from all the negative, depressing, and anger inciting news, events, mandates, and investigations and return to happier times. Many are sick because they haven’t laughed in a long time. They haven’t been happy in months. Anxiety and fear have been a lot of people’s diet for too long.
Solomon was right:
A merry heart doeth good like a medicine. Proverbs 17:22.
Paul was moving us toward a different mindset when he instructed us:
Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice.. Philippians 4:4.
Jesus promised his followers happier days:.
Blessed are ye that weep now: for ye shall laugh. Luke 6:21.
Sarah enjoyed divinely inspired contagious laughter:
And Sarah said, God hath made me to laugh, so that all that hear will laugh with me. Genesis 21:6.
Again, Solomon encourages us to dry the tears and enter a new time zone:
A time to weep, and a time to laugh. Ecclesiastes 3:4.
May that time be now for you.
For the joy of the Lord is your strength. Nehemiah 8:10.
We sing that chorus still and I love that part where we go,
Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha
Sing that line three times and close it with,
The joy of the Lord is my strength.
Get started. Go ahead, Act till it’s a fact, fake it till you make it.
Take your medicine. Laugh. -PJF-
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