I was an intern at a church in Tulsa back in the summer of 2003. I was asked to give a 10 minute devotional thought to the entire congregation of 400+ people after our Church picnic. This was my first week on the job, and I was excited about making a good first impression. While everyone was gathering outside, I decided to journey into the house to find a restroom. I found a tiny remote restroom, and quickly ducked in. Unfortunately, there was already a very large lady in this restroom, and it smelled awful in there. She yelled at me to get out, and I did my best to leave promptly, but the door handle was old and uncooperative. I got out, but not before we had both been completely embarrassed. Our Youth director found me in a corner trying to refocus my thoughts, trying to get this image out of my head. A couple of minutes later the program started, and when it was my turn to speak, who do i see sitting in the center of the front row but my friend from the awkward encounter. I stuttered through my presentation with more ‘ums’ than I like to admit, and spent the whole time either facing completely left, or completely right, but never looking directly ahead. I spent the rest of the summer trying to prove that I was not an uncomfortable speaker.
D.J. Iverson
Senior High Minister – North County Church of Christ
