Joe McKeever sometimes leads audiences he is speaking to in
a simple exercise – he asks them to laugh for two minutes.
“Its a world changer,” says McKeever, pastor
at First Baptist Church of Kenner.
Joe McKeever sometimes leads audiences he is speaking to in
a simple exercise – he asks them to laugh for two minutes.
“Its a world changer,” says McKeever, pastor
at First Baptist Church of Kenner.
McKeever knows of what he speaks. He is known for his cartoons,
one of which is featured on the front page of this weeks Baptist Message.
He also is recognized for his often-humorous storytelling.
For McKeever, laughter is healthy and helpful – and the
right of every Christian.
“Laughter is a vote of confidence in the Lord,” he
explains. “Its a way of saying we know hes in charge. … Really,
Christians are the only ones who have the right to laugh. They are the ones
who have settled the major questions of their lives.”
As illustration, McKeever cites a practice in overseas churches.
On the day after Easter, persons go to church to tell jokes – “because
the jokes on the devil,” he says.
Of course, there always are a few people who object to mixing
humor with church or religion, McKeever acknowledges.
“But you cant let that stop you, …” he says.
“You know, people sometimes ask me if I think Jesus laughed or not, since
it doesnt say he did in the Bible. My response is, I dont
know if Jesus laughed or not, but he sure fixed me up so I could. ”
Indeed, McKeever says he likes to point to the experience of
Sarah, who named the child born to her late in life Isaac, which can be translated
to mean “laughing boy.”
It was Sarahs way of saying God had made laughter for
her, McKeever notes.
He also made it for the good of persons, the Louisiana Baptist
pastor adds.
Research indicates more and more that laughter is good for
individuals, providing them with a natural high and a measure of healing, McKeever
points out. It provides relief from the stress of situations, he notes.
Of course, there are lines to draw, he says. They must be drawn
the same way lines are drawn in any relationship – through a sensitivity
to the situation and an openness to direction from the Holy Spirit.
Some areas obviously are off-limits – like sexual, scatalogical
and sacreligious humor, McKeever notes.
He also advises against the use of partisan political humor
in the church, noting it could turn into a stumbling block for someone seeking
Christ.
McKeever also stresses a cardinal rule – no humor at someone
elses expense.
He recalls his discomfort at listening to old comedy tapes,
which include personal humor that would be unacceptable today.
“Thankfully, some people have raised our consciousness
in ways that it needs raising at that point,” he says.
The New Orleans-area pastor also cautions about mixing humor
and God.
“The more sense you have of the reality of God, the more
you want to honor him – you know, hallowed be thy name, ”
McKeever notes. “So, its always a danger to think God is just like
us. We always need to draw a line and be careful lest we dishonor him in some
way.”
McKeever says persons sometimes ask where he finds his stories
and where they can find some as well.
His response is simple.
“You start by paying attention, because the truth is these
things happen to you all the time, …” he says. “The really funny
stories are ones that really happened, and youre able to reflect on them
in a funny way. They may not even have been funny at the time, but later you
can look back and see the humor.”
As if on cue, McKeever launches into a humor-laced account
of a longtime Christmas program at his home church.
At one point, a dispute broke out about whether the use of
a Christmas tree and Santa in the annual program was proper. Some said yes,
and some said it was sinful.
Finally, a business meeting was called to discuss the matter.
It was during the meeting that one woman stood and pronounced her support of
the tree and Santa.
“Well, if its sinning, weve been sinning all
these years, and I dont see any reason to stop now,” she said.
“That really happened – and I just tell it with some
humor and can use it to make several different points,” McKeever notes.
For McKeever, using humor – making people laugh –
is a worthy endeavor.
“I know if you stood up and said you thought your goal in life was to
make people laugh, some would say, What a little goal, ”
he concludes. “But if you elevate laughter to the level of being on top
of life, of acknowledging that God is the victor and that Christ has conquered
death, that puts a whole other perspective on it.”