By Scott Brown
Pastor, First Baptist Church, Waverly
“A joyful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit dries the bones” (Proverbs 17:22).
I recently had my picture done for our church directory and a church member noticed something about my picture that shocked her so badly we had to do a retake immediately. No, it wasn’t something stuck in my teeth, nor was it my quickly budding second chin. “That is the first time,” she said “I’ve ever seen the pastor not smiling!”
I like laughing. Laughing can boost your mood, increase your health, and even help burn fat (glory to God). People who laugh live longer and pastors who laugh last longer. Laughter, a cheerful spirit, and a good mood can do a lot for our bodies but much more for our souls.
I once heard that laughter is to the soul as soap is to the body because it loosens all the dirt and grime that seems to stain each of us so deeply. As a pastor, I want my people to know without any doubt that I love being their pastor and that I am having the time of my life serving God in our community together with them.
Scott Brown
Laughter has begun to change our church’s culture and it is hilarious to watch! That is not to say we don’t have serious moments but that we don’t take all those moments more seriously than they demand. Solomon asks in Ecclesiastes, “Who can eat and who can have enjoyment more than I?” First off, we are Baptists. No one can eat more than a Baptist after a business meeting. More importantly, we who know the Lord and have tasted the wonder of His presence and power in our lives should set the standard of love, life, and laughter.
Let us enjoy our calling, love our ministry, and laugh together with our faith family every chance we get. If I ever need help laughing I just think on how utterly ridiculous it is that our great God would save me and that He could ever use me to see others saved. There is nothing more hilarious than the gospel of Jesus Christ so let’s laugh together and then let’s go tell somebody the story of God’s great love.
My friends, I pray you will laugh hard, love much, and live well that you may last long in your ministry! B&R — Brown is pastor of First Baptist Church, Waverly.
