A friend in the church where I used to preach nicknamed me “Old Quiver-Chin” because of my tendency to get emotional when I preach. She told her family about the nickname, but she had not told me. However, her adult son thought that it was funny, so he let me in on the joke. I thought it was hilarious, and I started plotting about how I could have the most fun in letting my friend know that I was on to her.

It just so happened that my friend had invited my wife and me over to her house for dinner after church. During the course of the meal, the conversation turned to how I often tell emotional stories in my sermons. Seizing my opportunity, I said, “You know, at my last church they started calling me “Old Quiver-Chin”.

The shocked look on my friend’s face was priceless! I left her hanging for a few seconds before I shouted, “Ha! You’re busted!”

We all enjoyed a good laugh. If there is a moral to this story, I suppose it is that we should be careful what we say, because our words may come back to haunt us.

“…A bird of the air may carry your words, and a bird on the wing may report what you say.”—Ecclesiastes 10:20.