David Roseberry writes in a recent blog on LeaderWorks:

I went to see a doctor for a pain in my shoulder. My shoulder was just hurting all the time, whenever I moved it. The doctor examined me and he diagnosed the problem as “frozen shoulder.” It comes from just being my age, and from use.

The doctor said, “There are a couple of things we need to do. The first is physical therapy,” and he wrote me a prescription for that. “And I can give you a steroid shot, a cortisone shot, right into the joint of that shoulder.”

I said, “Go for it.”

As the doctor’s getting ready to do the injection, he says, “What do you do for a living?”

I say, “I’m a minister. I preach for a living. Do you have a church?”

He said, “No, I gave that up long ago. ... Now listen, just relax a little bit here, and we’ll get that joint all loosened up so you can continue to point your finger at people.”

Possible Preaching Angle:

Wait a minute! Is that really the world’s perception of the God we represent? Shouldn’t people see the grace of God in our lives? “The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. He will not always chide, nor will he keep his anger forever.” (Ps. 103:8-9)