The Pastor’s Piece – August 21, 2022

The Pastor’s Piece

FCFI

August 21, 2021

Did you know that the first french fries were not cooked in France? They were actually cooked in grease.

Fun facts about teeth

I have a dentist appointment tomorrow. I had to find a new dentist because me and my old one just didn’t see eye to eye. I should have seen it coming. The trouble first started when we went to the same social event. We were dinner guests at the home of a mutual acquaintance. Fair enough. It was assigned seating and it just so happened that I was seated directly across the table from my dentist, who up until then was simply my dentist. I knew him as the guy behind the mask operating the drill. He knew me by the periodontal structures of my teeth and gums. 

The night started innocently enough – my wife and I took a small plate of hors d’oeuvres and mingled in the room with people we knew. We found our name labels on the table and when it was time for dinner we sat down with the dentist and his wife directly across from us. We made jokes and laughed a little and basically were getting to know each other on a whole new level. When the salad and bread came, we helped ourselves and continued conversing between bites. We each had a variety of silverware to choose from and an empty glass and a long-stemmed water glass that was full. I’m not sure why we had two glasses and I’m not sure what is proper etiquette for which fork to use and for what. In these formal dinner situations, I usually start with the fork furthest away from my plate and work my way in. 

The first course was done, our salad plates had been taken and we were waiting for the main course. I reached for my water glass to take a sip of water – but missed. Somehow, instead of getting a hold of it, I knocked it over and it landed in my dentist’s lap, ice and all. He jumped to his feet and shouted some words I can’t really repeat in good conscience. Needless to say, I was embarrassed beyond words. I apologized over and over, but the damage was done. No apology could take away his embarrassment. For the rest of the evening it looked like he had wet his pants. He was wearing khakis and couldn’t hide it. My wife and I politely finished our meal and at the earliest convenience got out of there. 

He was a good dentist and I didn’t want to lose him so I kept my next appointment, which in hindsight, proved to be a mistake. Everything started out fine, he numbed up the tooth that needed to be drilled then left me alone for about ten minutes. However, when he came back he “discovered” he had numbed the wrong side of my mouth. Oops and sorry. I went home that day gnawing on my tongue from the double numb up. Everybody makes mistakes. 

The next time I went, everything went swimmingly well until the very end of the appointment. When it was time for me to get out of the dentist chair, he lifted the arm so I could just turn and slide out. With the arm high over my head, I turned and put both feet on the floor but remained seated while we discussed my next appointment. He had his back to me and when he turned to speak, he hit the arm of the chair with his elbow and it came crashing down hitting me squarely on my temple. It was a big blow. Suddenly I was dizzy and saw stars – literally. He apologized profusely. 

I want to believe these two incidents were accidents but it seems too coincidental to be random. Due to unrelated circumstances (he moved), I have since found a new dentist. (We won’t be going out to dinner together anytime soon).

Proverbs 25:19 “Like a bad tooth and an unsteady foot Is confidence in a faithless man in time of trouble.”

(Kevin Cernek is Lead Pastor of Martintown Community Church in Martintown, Wisconsin)