The Ministry of Mirth

While in Guatemala as a missionry, I learned to laugh and to know the joy of the Lord at a level that others had hoped I would over the years. My face usually showed the depts of my ponerous thoughts and my it (my face) did not know that I was happy in my thoughts. So people didn't either. I used to hear comments frequently fromm people who saw me at a traffic light and waved and honked their horn and shouted and I just did not notice them. I would explain each time that I was deep in thought, especially at a traffic light where it was safer to engage my thoughts freely.

Life for a missionary in Guatemala, however, can stretch you pretty good and it is good to learn to laugh - at life - at traffic - at diesel smoke - at humanity - at everything.

I so came to appreciate a merry heart and the joy that comes from the KNOWING the Lord's presence that, as a way to enhance my personal worship, I made a request of the Lord. This was the second time I had asked the Lord for something just for the purpose of enhancing my personal worship. The first time I asked the Lord for the skill to play a guitar. I wanted to make music with a part of my body that left my mouth free to sing at the same time. In 1981 he used a special agant of His named Janice Underwood to supply me with a guitar. He then used another special agent of His named Holy Spirit to teach my fingers to make war on the guitar. Then he started giving me songs.

This time, however, I did not know if I wanted to ask of the Lord did or should exist. I asked the Lord that if there is such a thing as the ministry of mirth, may I have it.

Well, I am a trasformed man and I can enter a room and God uses me to bring light and lightness into it. The joy of the Lord, to my very great and grateful surprise just spills out. God engages me at the level of humor so much in my own privacy and then He lets it flow even when I am around others. Few people know%2