Now for …..Sami’s Ramblings about Jesus:



So, I’m sitting here talking to my good friend Kelly. She and I both agreed that the best wisdom for the week is to make sure you set aside time to laugh. That’s why Becky and Kelly and I turned Noah’s burp rag into a swami hat and took his picture. It made us laugh even if he didn’t. But I have found that if I dance, he gets plenty tickled. For a minute anyway. And only if he isn’t tired, hungry, or wet. Which is to say, there are times in life when you have to attend to the essentials or everything else doesn’t matter. Kind of like when you are on a road trip, in the middle of nowhere, the last rest area or pit stop was 50 miles ago, and you have to pee really bad. At that point it doesn’t even matter how far away the destination is or what adventures you’ll go on when you get there. The only thing that is on your mind is finding some facilities (clean ones hopefully).



But sometimes laughter is as big a need in our lives as facilities are. When was the last time you had a good, deep, long, belly laugh? One of my favorite pictures of Jesus is one where His head is thrown back and He is laughing heartily. I know Jesus has a great sense of humor. He created me after all. Sometimes I think my calling in the body of Christ is to be the funny bone. You know, keep things lively. The Bible even supports the importance of letting your hair down. Nehemiah 8:10 says, “The joy of the Lord is your strength.” Notice that it says nothing about our strength being found in how good we are, how rich we are, how much we pray, how much we memorize scripture, etc. etc. Our strength comes from God’s joy. Oh Yeah!



The good news for us is that God’s joy permeates our lives when we allow God to be our all in all. That means for every person who claims Jesus as Lord of their hearts, He brings His joy with Him as He takes up residence. And this joy can be accessed anytime day or night, regardless of circumstances, unblemished by situations, and untarnished by events. It is free to all who desire it.



I don’t know about you, but in the midst of hard living, sometimes I need a joy break. So come on down and join us tonight. Grab a brush and paint some joy into your life.



Blessings,



Sami