Dentist

Posted on July 8, 2011 by Mike Benson

“OPEN WIDER,” requested the dentist, as he began his examination of the patient…
“Oh, no!” he said. “You’ve got the biggest cavity I’ve ever seen — the biggest cavity I’ve ever seen.”
“OK Doc!” replied the patient. “I’m scared enough without you saying something like that twice.”
“I didn’t!” said the dentist. “That was the echo…”
I did something this past week that I never look forward to doing – I went to the dentist. Fortunately, it wasn’t anything traumatic, just a routine cleaning of the teeth. But it reminded me of something I have long believed – that going to the dentist relates to what we’re doing as a church (and specifically, what I’m doing as a preacher). Allow me to explain.
Like many people, I don’t enjoy going to the dentist and I tend to put it off a lot longer than I ought to. It’s not primarily because of the cost (although that’s certainly a factor). And while some people are afraid to go to the dentist, fearing possible pain, that’s never been a problem for me. I don’t mind the sound of the drill, or the poking and the prodding in my mouth. No, the reason I dread going to the dentist has to do with guilt.
You see, I don’t floss as often as I ought to. I know it’s important, but I have always found flossing to be a difficult habit for me to keep up. And whenever I go to the dentist, I know what he’s going to say – “You’re not flossing. Don’t you know how important flossing is? You need to floss!” And I want to say (but don’t), “Yes, I know. I’m guilty! I knew I was guilty before I walked in here. I don’t need you telling what a terrible person I am!”
I understand the position the dentist is in. He wants what is best for my health. If I’m doing something that is not beneficial to my teeth, he has a responsibility to tell me. I don’t want him to stop caring about me. But because of my guilt, I don’t want to hear it, so my response is to simply avoid going to see him.
I wonder how many people there are who approach the church in the same way. They know they’re not living right and when they go to worship, they know what they’re going to hear from the preacher — “You’re not living right. You need to change your life! This is the way you ought to live!” Their response is to say (or to think), “Yes, I know. I’m guilty! I knew I was guilty before I walked in here. I don’t need you telling what a terrible person I am!”
I’m in a situation similar to that of my dentist. I have a responsibility to talk about sin because I care about the spiritual well-being of others. We can’t ignore sin just because talking about it makes people uncomfortable. But if people already feel a burden of guilt and they don’t want to hear about it, they simply stop coming to worship.
As I was considering the awkward position my dentist was in (“Do I say something and make my patient feel more guilty or not say something and show that I don’t care?”), his dental assistant found the perfect words. She said to me, “As you know, you need to floss more. I understand, I have a hard time with it myself.”
Suddenly, I felt at ease. Here was someone who cared enough to tell me what I needed to hear, but who wasn’t looking down at me, criticizing me, and “beating me up”. Instead, we were on the same level, facing the same problem together. All it took was her saying, “I understand what you’re going through. I struggle with that, too.”
What a difference it would make if we could all simply acknowledge to one another, “You’re not doing what’s right, but I understand because I struggle, too.” What a difference it would make if the world could see us, not as a bunch of people looking down on them, criticizing them and “beating them up”, but as a group of people who share in their struggles and who truly desire to help one another to live holier lives.
KneEmail: “Brethren, if a man is overtaken in a trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness…” (Galatians 6:1)
(And in case you’re wondering, yes, I did floss this morning!) Alan Smith
Bible reading for 07.08.11: Acts 15.22-41; Job 36-37
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Degrees

Posted on June 13, 2011 by Mike Benson

apolloNORMALLY, WITH NO phone or e-mail interruptions, I look forward to redeeming the time on a plane by writing, reading, or doing correspondence…
But after the battery on my computer ran out, and sitting next to someone for what seemed like forever, I finally struck up a conversation with my next-door neighbor. He was an engineer from the Houston area.
“Petroleum engineer?” I asked.
“No, I work for NASA,” he admitted.
And of course, for the next hour I’m sure that’s something he wished he hadn’t confessed. Like most people my age who grew up watching the build-up of manned space flight to Neil Armstrong leaving his footprints on the moon, I was an astronaut “wannabe” as a kid.
Here at last was my chance to talk to a genuine missle scientist and ask all my questions about space flight! He was patient and shared some incredible behind-the-scenes stories, including his role in the last Apollo space flight. But at one point I hit a nerve when I brought up what I thought was a simple “margin of error” question.
“What are the tolerances you build into the tragectory when you blast off and head to the moon?” I asked him. “For example, after you blast off, could you be just a little off, say like a couple of degrees off on your flight path, without it being such a huge problem?”
Out came his briefcase and his hybrid handheld calculator that would make a Texas Instruments T3000 blush and feel like a slide rule. In wnet the “very approximate” distance of 217,614 miles from earth to the moon (depending on the time of year and apoge of the moon’s orbit around the earth, of course). Fingers flew furiously for a few moments as some Einsteinian calculation continued.
“Be just two degrees off from when you blast off, and roughly talking into account the time and distance traveled,” he said as he turned his calculator toward me, “and you’ll miss not only your point of orbital entry, but you’ll miss the moon by a measly 11,121 miles.”
I wrote down that number on a torn off page of a USA Today that served as an impromptu notepad. “11,121.” I finally left my new NASA friend in peace, but I’ve never forgotten his conclusion or what it can tell us about the most important relationships and areas of our lives.
Add in enough time and distance, and be just two degrees off and you’ll miss your target by miles. I think that thought impacted me so much because it seemed to answer why and how the church of Ephesus had lost her first love. Just be two degrees off from a right heart attitude, add in enough time and distance, and an entire church can end up miles from God’s heart. John Trent, “How a 2 Degree Change Can Ruin or Renew Your Life,” HeartShift, 16-17
KneEmail: “Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love. Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works, or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lampstand from its place–unless you repent.” Revelation 2.4-5
Bible reading for 06.13.11: John 21; Ezra 6-8
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Backbiting

Posted on June 9, 2011 by Mike Benson

bearTHE TERM BACKBITE comes from the popular sport of bearbaiting in Medival Europe…
In the sport of bearbaiting, a bear was chained to a post and a few dogs were released at a time to attack the bear for the entertainment of the crowd. Sometimes, in the contest, one of the dogs would slip behind the bear and attack him from the rear. Althought good sportsmanship outlawed biting from behind, it was common in such contests.
Over time, the expression came to refer to anyone taking an unfair advantage, such as speaking ill of a person behind his back.
As you know, the Bible condemns backbiting. Wade L. Webster, “Backbiting,” Riches From My Reading, The Searcher, May 29, 2011
KneEmail: “Whoever secretly slanders his neighbor, him I will destroy; the one who has a haughty look and a proud heart, him I will not endure.” Psalm 101:5
Bible reading for 06.09.11: John 18.19-40; 2 Chronicles 32, 33
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Sponge

Posted on June 7, 2011 by Mike Benson

IN THE OPERATING room of a large, well-known hospital, it was the nurse’s first day on the medical team…
She was responsible that all instruments and materials were accounted for before completing the final steps of the operation. She said to the surgeon, “You’ve only removed 11 sponges. We used 12 sponges, and we need to find the last one.”
“I removed them all,” the doctor declared emphatically. “We’ll close the incision now.”
“No,” the rookie nurse objected, “we used 12 sponges.”
“I’ll take the responsibility,” the surgeon said grimly. “Suture.”
“You can’t do that, sir,” blazed the nurse. “Think of the patient.”
The surgeon smiled and lifted his foot, showing the nurse the twelfth sponge. “You’ll do just fine in this or any other hospital.”
THOUGHT: When you know you’re right, you can’t back down. Dennis Waitley, “Your Absolute Bottom Line,” Priorities Magazine
KneEmail: “He who walks with integrity walks securely, but he who perverts his ways will become known.” Proverbs 10.9
Bible reading for 06.07.11: John 17; 2 Chronicles 28-29
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Holy

Posted on June 3, 2011 by Mike Benson

sandalDO YOU REMEMBER when God asked Moses to take off his sandals because he was standing on “holy ground…?”
What, exactly, did that mean?
The word holy is found hundreds of times in the Bible. Its synonyms are many, but more times than not, it means “perfectly clean,” “pure,” “different,” and “set apart.”
Unfortunately, all of these synonyms are inadequate in actually defining God’s holiness. God is different from anything or anyone we can imagine. He is unapproachable perfection.
Dr. James MacDonald says it this way: “God is more righteous and pure, more piercing and powerful, more strong and impenetrable than anything we can imagine. We comprehend only fractionally, even infinitesimally, all that He is. He’s so different–so other–so holy. Every time you hear the word holy, think separation; He’s completely apart and entirely different than you and me.” Robert Woldgmuth, “God is God: The Creator–Holy, Sovereign, and Merciful,” 7 Things You Better Have Nailed Down, 33
KneEmail: “But You are holy, enthroned in the praises of Israel.” Psalm 22.3
Bible reading for 06.03.11: John 13.21-38; 2 Chronicles 19-20
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Wait

Posted on June 2, 2011 by Mike Benson

NO DOUBT, YOU instantly recognize the name Jell-O…
Likely, you have even tried a flavor or two of it down through the years. However, you may not know the story behind this beloved product.
Jell-O was discovered by a man named Pearl Wait over one hundred years ago. Although Wait was a construction worker by trade, he dabbled in medicines in his spare time and sold his remedies door to door. In the midst of mixing medicines, Wait got the idea of mixing fruit flavoring with granulated gelatin; and, the wiggly, wonderful product that we know and love was born.
For two years, Wait eagerly peddled his product door-to-door. However, sales were surprisingly slow. Discouraged, Wait sold the rights to his product to a neighbor, Orator Woodward, for $450. Within eight short years, Woodward turned a $450 investment into a $1 million dollar business. Today, 1.1 million boxes of Jell-O are sold each day. Although Wait made an amazing discovery, someone else reaped the rewards of it. Ironically, Wait just couldn’t wait.
What about us? Can we wait?
As Christians, we have certainly made an amazing discovery. We have found the truth. However, we must hold it fast (2 Timothy 1.13). We must not sell it for any price (Proverbs 23.23). If we sell the wonderful truth that we have found, we will live to regret it. It will cost us and our descendants greatly. If we sell the truth, we will lose far more than Pearl Wait and his descendants ever did. After all, the value of Jell-O is nothing in comparison with the value of the soul (Matthew 16.26).
Please don’t sell out! Hold on to the truth that you have found! One day, you will be glad that you did. Wade Webster, “Wait Just Couldn’t Wait,” The Searcher, Southaven church of Christ, May 29, 2011
KneEmail: “Wait on the LORD, and keep His way, and He shall exalt you to inherit the land; when the wicked are cut off, you shall it.” Psalm 37.34
Bible reading for 06.02.11: John 13.1-20; 2 Chronicles 17-18
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Restore

Posted on February 14, 2011 by Mike Benson

A MAN FELL into a pit and couldn’t get himself out…
A subjective person came along and said, “I feel for you down there.”
An objective person came along and said, “It’s logical that someone would fall down there.”
A Pharisee said, “Only bad people fall into pits.”
A mathematician calculated how deep the pit was.
A news reporter wanted the exclusive story on the pit.
An IRS agent asked if the man was paying taxes on the pit.
A self-pitying person came along and said, “You haven’t seen anything until you’ve seen my pit.”
A Christian Scientist came along and said, “The pit is just in your mind.”
A psychologist came along and said, “Your mother and father are to blame for your being in the pit.”
A self-esteem therapist came along and said, “Believe in yourself and you can get out of that pit.”
An optimist came along and said, “Things could be worse.”
A pessimist came along and said, “Things couldn’t be worse.”
A spiritual man came along, took the man by the hand, and lifted him out of the pit. Source unknown
KneEmail: “Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted.” Galatians 6.1
Bible reading for 02.14.11: Matthew 27.1-26; Exodus 15-16
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Scribble

Posted on January 26, 2011 by Mike Benson

$R7GGU0H.jpg A YOUNG BOY watched as his father walked into the living room…
The boy noticed that his younger brother, John, began to cower slightly as his father entered. The older boy sensed that John had done something wrong. Then he saw from a distance what his brother had done. The younger boy had opened his father’s brand new hymnal and scribbled all over the first page with a pen.
Staring at their father fearfully, both brothers waited for John’s punishment. Their father picked up his prized hymnal, looked at it carefully and then sat down, without saying a word. Books were precious to him; he was a minister with several academic degrees. For him, books were knowledge.
What he did next was remarkable. Instead of punishing his brother, instead of scolding, or yelling, his father took the pen from the little boy’s hand, and then wrote in the book himself, alongside the scribbles that John had made. Here is what that father wrote: “John’s work, 1959, age 2. How many times have I looked into your beautiful face and into your warm, alert eyes looking up at me and thanked God for the one who has now scribbled in my new hymnal. You have made the book sacred, as have your brother and sister to so much of my life.” “Wow,” thought the older brother, “This is punishment?”
Since that time, the hymnal has become a treasured family possession. It is tangible proof that their parents love them. It taught the lesson that what really matters is people, not objects; patience, not judgment; love, not anger. Author unknown
KneEmail: “Love suffers long and is kind…” 1 Corinthians 13.4a; cf. 13.7
Bible reading for 01.26.11: Matthew 17; Exodus 14-15
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Contrast

Posted on July 27, 2010 by Mike Benson

IF I OFFERED you a method for making a million dollars, and it was s certain process, would you listen…?
What if I offered you the ability to live your life in a wise, godly manner? Would you listen? Sorry, but I do not have the million dollar deal figured out, but I do know where to find the process for living.
That process is found in Psalm 1. It contrasts the difference between the man who wants to live in a godly manner and the one who does not. The contrast is between day and night. One many follows the way of God and is blessed. What is his process? First, he makes his own decisions about what he is going to do. He avoids evil company and refuses to associate with people who are cynical about everything. We often have to work with such people, of course, but we do not need to spend our “off” time with them.
The godly man looks to the true source of wisdom and strength — God Himself. He drinks in godliness as a tree drinks in the water running along its roots. Because of that action and attitude, the man yields fruit. He prospers.
On the other hand, the man who lives as if God were irrelevant is like chaff. He is blown away and has no lasting impact on life. Evil is its own worst enemy and is self-destructive. As the psalmist puts it, “The way of the wicked will perish” (v. 6). Oh, that might not happen right away. In fact, some of the world’s biggest scoundrels seem to have it all. But appearances are deceptive. What they build will not last.
God keeps the way of His people: “For the LORD watches over the way of the righteous” (v. 6). These two ways of living could not be more diverse. One way is day; the other way is night.
Where do you live? Don M. Aycock & Mark Sutton, “The Difference Between Day and Night,” Still God’s Man, 147-148
KneEmail: 1 “Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful; 2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and in His law he meditates day and night. 3 He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also shall not wither; and whatever he does shall prosper. 4 The ungodly are not so, but are like the chaff which the wind drives away.5 Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous. 6 For the LORD knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the ungodly shall perish.” Psalm 1
Bible reading for 07.27.10: Acts 27:27-44; Psalm 43-45
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Intrusion

Posted on July 23, 2010 by Mike Benson

WHEN I THINK of Zacchaeus, I see Danny DeVito–someone short, crooked, and a little flamboyant…
As an employee of the Roman government who made himself rich by skimming the tax money, Zacchaeus was ostracized from Jewish society. He’s scum. And since he manages the local tax collectors, he’s a crook managing other crooks. His mere presence disgusts his fellow Jews because he is a reminder that they are an occupied country. Roman soldiers stand next to his tollbooth, enforcing his collections.
But Jesus boldly intrudes into Zacchaeus’s life. He stops and looks up at him, and then invites Himself over for dinner and to stay the night. This is similar to the President stopping his motorcade to say he’s coming to your house–Jesus is the hottest thing to hit Israel in a few hundred years. If you were Zacchaeus, you’d be honored. Yet I doubt the President would say “I must stay” or “come down immediately” (literally, “hurry up”).
But in the first century “good people” didn’t eat with tax collectors because a meal was not just about eating; it was a sharing of life. Jesus’ willingness to eat with Zacchaeus told everyone that Jesus not only accepted the tax collector, He also forgave him. This disgusted the crowd. Jesus had broken a social taboo.
When we love, we get dirty. Here the dirt comes the opinions of people who look down on Jesus for associating with someone who has stolen from his fellow Jews and divided their money between himself and the Roman government.
Why does Jesus intrude? He’s on a God-directed mission to seek and save what was lost. Jesus sought out Zacchaes. He didn’t just wait for people to come to Him. He is an invading king. But what a strange kingdom: the poor, outcasts, prostitutes, Samaritans, and women! No wonder Jesus told Pilate, “My kingdom is not of this world” (John 18:36). Paul E. Miller, “Saying ‘Yes’ To Gentle Intrusion,” Love Walked Among Us, 149-150
KneEmail: “For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.” Luke 19:10
Bible reading for 07.23.10: Acts 24; Psalm 33, 34
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Category Archives: Sin