“喜乐的心，乃是良药。忧伤的灵，使骨枯干。” – 箴 17:22
没有谁的笑声比得上Rick牧师了。他在附近一间教担任牧师已有35年，他担当RCM董事局主席的职务也超过十年了。虽然Rick牧师有很多恩赐和才能，但我最欣赏的还是他的笑声。
笑声有很多种：沙哑的、低沉的、间断的、阴险的。有多少种人就有多少种笑声。
Rick牧师的笑完全是出于喜乐。我曾在房间对面远远听到他因见到婴孩的脸孔而发出的笑声，他的笑声流露出单纯的喜乐。Rick牧师的笑声含有一种喜悦的慈爱，能改变任何埸所的氛围。
就如箴言说 “喜乐的心，乃是良药。”我也相信笑能带来治愈的能力。笑是神所恩赐的礼物。在我一生中有很多时刻，我需要的只是自己能笑出来，或是听到别人的笑声，就足够了。
可能你也听过这句话：“我不得不笑、才能忍住不哭。”可能我们需要的无非是多一些笑或者多一点哭的体验。
但今天我仍要笑。欢笑是神所恩赐的礼物。我们能否在一些有趣的、可笑的、滑稽的、甚至荒谬的事情中找到值得欢笑的乐趣呢？或许久在今天，我们便能找到一点时间去开怀大笑一场。
祷告
主啊，感谢你赐下笑声。当我们奉你的名去分享欢笑和幽默时，感谢你叫我们自己也从中获得喜乐。阿们。
箴言 17
1设筵满屋大家相争，不如有块干饼大家相安。
2仆人办事聪明，必管辖贻羞之子，又在众子中同分产业。
3鼎为炼银，炉为炼金，唯有耶和华熬炼人心。
4行恶的留心听奸诈之言，说谎的侧耳听邪恶之语。
5戏笑穷人的是辱没造他的主，幸灾乐祸的必不免受罚。
6子孙为老人的冠冕，父亲是儿女的荣耀。
7愚顽人说美言本不相宜，何况君王说谎话呢？
8贿赂在馈送的人眼中看为宝玉，随处运动都得顺利。
9遮掩人过的寻求人爱，屡次挑错的离间密友。
10一句责备话深入聪明人的心，强如责打愚昧人一百下。
11恶人只寻背叛，所以必有严厉的使者奉差攻击他。
12宁可遇见丢崽子的母熊，不可遇见正行愚妄的愚昧人。
13以恶报善的，祸患必不离他的家。
14纷争的起头如水放开，所以在争闹之先必当止息争竞。
15定恶人为义的，定义人为恶的，这都为耶和华所憎恶。
16愚昧人既无聪明，为何手拿价银买智慧呢？
17朋友乃时常亲爱，弟兄为患难而生。
18在邻舍面前击掌作保，乃是无知的人。
19喜爱争竞的是喜爱过犯，高立家门的乃自取败坏。
20心存邪僻的寻不着好处，舌弄是非的陷在祸患中。
21生愚昧子的必自愁苦，愚顽人的父毫无喜乐。
22喜乐的心乃是良药，忧伤的灵使骨枯干。
23恶人暗中受贿赂，为要颠倒判断。
24明哲人眼前有智慧，愚昧人眼望地极。
25愚昧子使父亲愁烦，使母亲忧苦。
26刑罚义人为不善，责打君子为不义。
27寡少言语的有知识，性情温良的有聪明。
28愚昧人若静默不言，也可算为智慧；闭口不说，也可算为聪明。
Rev. Rick’s Laugh
“A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.” – Proverbs 17:22
Nobody has a better laugh than Rev. Rick. In addition to serving as the pastor of a nearby church for 35 years, he also served as the president of the board of Roseland Christian Ministries for more than a decade. While he has multiple talents and abilities, what I love most about Rev. Rick is his laugh.
There are all kinds of laughs: guttural, throaty, staccato, sinister. There are as many laughs as there are people.
Rev. Rick’s laugh is pure joy. I’ve heard him laugh across a room at the face a baby made. Sheer unadulterated joy. There is a joyful kindness to Rev. Rick’s laugh that changes the atmosphere in the room.
As Proverbs says, “a cheerful heart is good medicine,” and I’m inclined to believe that there is something healing that comes from laughter. Laughter is a gift from God.
There have been many times in my life when I have just needed to laugh. Or just to hear laughter.
Maybe you’ve heard the phrase “I had to laugh to keep from crying.” We could all probably do a little bit more of both.
But today I want to laugh. As a gift from God, can we find pleasure in the fun, funny, silly, and even ridiculous? Maybe today we can find a moment to let out a cheerful laugh.
Prayer
Lord, thank you for the gift of laughter. Thank you for the joy and gladness that come with shared laughter and humor in your name. Amen.
诵读: 骆云秀
片头: 张妙阳
