How to Get Your Dentist to Pay Your Bills

For about 30 years, I've been having interesting discussions with my agnostic dentist about the reality of God—sometimes particularly interesting when I'm trying to make a point with his drill in my mouth! He always does that to me - says something he knows I'll take exception to and then starts drilling away! We've had a lot of fun jousting back and forth over the years.

Every time I have a new book published, I take a copy in to him in hopes that something in my writing will ring a bell.

I recently had a Legacy Journal published called, To My Family...My Life. Along with sections for the recording of values, reflections and family history, there are scriptures at the bottom of each page.

I owed my publisher $1220.00 for copies I had purchased and needed to pay the bill before Christmas—just over a month away! In my present circumstances, that was a real challenge.

Last Tuesday, I sold a journal to a fellow in the morning for $20.00. Then I proceeded up to my dentist's office to get my teeth cleaned. When I gave him a copy of my new journal, he flipped though it and said, "This is fantastic. What a marvelous idea!"

"You know," I said, "this would make a fabulous Christmas gift for everyone on your list!"

He stared at me and said, "You're right! I'll take twenty."

"Twenty journals," I exclaimed! "You want twenty??"

"Yes," he said, whereupon I, without a thought, took his face in my hands and gave him a great big kiss (not something I usually do!)

He was so shocked that he said, "Give me sixty!"

"Sixty journals??? Are you serious?"

"Yes. Give me sixty." He smiled.

I wasn't sure that I had that many with me, but when I checked, I had exactly sixty journals in boxes in my car!

As soon as we took them inside, he happily began to pass them out to his patients. My agnostic dentist was passing out scripture and paid me for the pleasure of doing it!

On the way home, I started doing the math. Sixty journals times $20.00 each = $1200.00. $1200.00 plus the $20.00 in the morning = $1220.00. My publisher's bill was paid in full.

I think God had some fun with that one, too!