My dental hygienist gets credit for teaching me how to swallow with my mouth open. Apparently her social outlet is at work because she likes to hold conversations while I’m laying there with her hand in my mouth opened wider than than God ever designed it to go, a sharp instrument producing blood from my gums along with enough saliva to digest a buffalo, and she says, “How is your day going?”

The experience is pretty invigorating because you learn to speak with your throat. So I swallow some spit and gargle back, “Oooth!” (That's means "good")

“Where were you from again?”

“Aili-ooyuh.” (That means "California.")

“What’s that?”

“Aaili-ooyuh!” I say louder, as if that’s going to help.

It’s actually very intellectual because you learn how to speak a whole new language by creating consonants with your throat. And it all happens while getting your teeth cleaned.

When I entered the waiting room today a lady looked at me and said, "Well, hi there!"

"Hi."

"This place is full of nice people!" I was thinking she probably just had her morning coffee and it was at its peak effect when I walked in. Honestly, I felt more like studying than talking to an extroverted fraternizer. But it seemed she was done with her social pleasantries so I happily unbagged my computer to get lost in study. But the moment I opened the beloved Macbook her voice broke the short-lived peace, "Your computer reminds me of something!"

When someone says this to you, there are one of two things you can do. You can ignore the person and look like a jerk, or you can give the expected answer. I gave in and said through a plastered grin, "What does it remind you of?"

"My son-in-law is selling me a one year old Mac laptop for $275!" she replied. You have to understand that I bought my Mac laptop almost six months ago for $1200. So now I felt really good. I could feel the Christian love just gushing out.

But in spite of my recluse attitude, God had a reason for all of this. "See?" she gabbled on. "I needed to remember to get out $300 to pay him. There is a reason for everything."

Like a running back when he sees a hole, I saw the opening and ran for it. "It sounds like you believe in a God."

"Oh definitely!"

"What's your name?"

"Laura."

"Laura, if tonight you died and stood before God and he asked you, 'Laura, for what reason would I let you into heaven?' what would you say?"

"The first thing that comes to mind," said Laura, "is that I'm such a good person."

"I'm sure that measuring off a human scale, you're a great person, Laura. But if you compared your life to God's scale which is seen through the Ten Commandments, how would you do?"

She admitted to breaking some of them and after further conversation, all of them.

"So if we were good enough for God to let us into heaven, why didn't Jesus come down to earth and tell everyone how to be good people?" I asked. "Why did He have to die?"

Laura immediately saw the discrepancy in her theology and from this point on was one big ear. I explained the gospel three times over and it all made sense to her. In ten minutes, Laura's view went from a false gospel to a true one. Now let's pray that she really is trusting Jesus instead of her good deeds.

She shared about struggles with her daughter who had children out of wedlock, was now divorced and until recently without a job, so I asked how I could pray and we prayed for her right there in the waiting room. I walked away refreshed and convicted. God likes to use us sometimes when we least expect it!