Dad's Laughter

Dad was always one for pulling a prank or telling a joke. When he told jokes, instead of laughing at people, he laughed with them. 

Some people tell jokes about others of a different sex, religion, hair color, race or nationality and they are told offensively and with prejudice.  Dad would tell a joke on himself as quickly as the next person.  He could laugh along with them whether about something the poor white boy did as well as the black boy. He would tell a joke about the Pentecostal preacher as well as the Catholic or Baptist. 

Dad's humor or comedy was to make people laugh together, not us laugh at them. To him, as we are taught in the Bible, there is healing in laughter. And laughter was always how he enjoyed helping us all to rise above the heartache, misery, pain or sickness that are so much a part of our lives. 

Many times we have heard the testimony of someone who called for Dad to go pray for them. Frequently they would say, "I was getting a little irritated, I called for Brother George to come pray for me. Instead he started telling me jokes or funny stories. Then after I laughed a while he would say, "Let's pray." And prayer touched God."

Dad always said, "Faith and fear don't mix."  After he could get you to rise out of your fear through laughter your faith could touch God more wholly. 

Dad loved preaching the Word of God...  

And he wholeheartedly practiced what he preached....

Dad loved studying the Word of God... 

And he voraciously devoured it...

Dad loved discussing or debating the word of God....

And he did it with passion... 

Dad incorporated love, laughter and tears into teaching the Word of God....

His love, laughter and tears as well as the love, laughter and tears of the ones he taught.... 

Through our slim years financially we were rich from having a Dad who not only taught us to love God, to have a good work ethic, to love others, to forgive and to give. But he entwined love and laughter in everything we did. Even on his death bed, Dad made us laugh. 

Losing Dad was the toughest thing any of us ever endured. But endure we have through the joy and laughter he gave us, and through the strength he instilled in us. He taught us that these are all possible through Christ.