Killen Church of Christ 
1560 Highway 72, Killen, AL 35645-0139 256.757.2918 Content is being added to our site regularly. Please bookmark us and check back often. We are located in the northwest corner of Alabama in the small town of Killen, Alabama. Our Elders, Deacons, and many other dedicated Church members have spent a great deal of time and effort to make this site as informative and user friendly as possible.
We wish to get everyone involved with the mission of "reaching the lost and keeping the saved". We would like to thank anyone that prays for this mission and our efforts to please God. |
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Written by Stan Dean, Pulpit Minister
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Nobody enjoys their little “embarrassing moments” in life, but I always try to learn from mine. For example, when we were living in North Carolina our bank was the first one in town to install an automated teller machine. In case you have never used one, you simply insert a plastic card (which the bank provides) into a slot, punch in a security code and make your transaction. Simple, right?
Well one day I was in a hurry and did not want to wait on the cars lined up at the drive-through window, so I figured it was time to try that newfangled machine. I rushed up, inserted my card, punched in my code only to have the machine promptly spit it back out and print “TRANSACTION VOID” on the screen. Of course, I assumed I had entered the wrong numbers so I tried again- - and again I was rejected. With rising frustration I tried two more times and achieved the same result.
Finally, I jerked my card out and rushed inside the bank to see if I could find the idiot who came up with the bright idea of making a teller out of a machine! Naturally I had to wait about ten minutes to see the person in charge. I overlooked that I was in a hurry because now I had a point to prove. Thus, I sat and fumed for 600 long seconds!
When I got a hearing I told the lady in charge that something was wrong either with their machine or my card because I could not make a transaction. She looked at my card, smiled sheepishly, and politely responded, “Mr. Dean, our machine will not accept your Visa card.” Apologetically, I left the bank- - not through the door, but under it!
Did I act foolishly? Oh, yeah. Was I embarrassed? Totally. But, I learned something. I learned to look closer at my own actions before I start finding fault in someone else.
As I left that day, I remembered the words of Jesus that judgment is to always begin with self (Matt. 7:5). If I had only applied the Lord’s teaching that day, I could have spared myself a humiliating experience. But you see, “I thought…” But then, isn’t that the source of most of our problems? (cf. II Kngs. 5:9f; Prov. 14:12). |
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