HEALTH & WELLNESS
GOOD ORAL HEALTH PROMOTES GOOD OVERALL
HEALTH By Pastor Marie F. Johnson, Ph.D., Th.M
A
s a child growing up in South Carolina, we were not afforded the opportunity to see a dentist except for extreme emergencies such as toothaches. I can remember going to the dentist and sitting in a waiting room with a dental chair in the middle of the room. I watched as children and adults were called one by one to have a tooth extracted with no anesthesia. My sister was next in line and I thought she was going to faint from fear. At that moment, I felt there had to be a better way to care for dental needs. I decided early in life to go to dental school to educate others on how to care for their teeth. I never wanted to see anyone go through that painful experience or having to lose their teeth as the only option. I made a personal and professional commitment to gain as much knowledge about teeth as possible. I attended dental
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THE CHRISTIAN OUTLOOK OUTLOOK
school at the (Medical College of Georgia), countless dental seminars, continuing education classes, dental conventions and worked with some of the greatest dental minds in the world. I opened my very own dental office (Dental World Inc.) in Atlanta, Georgia. Upon opening my office, I was immediately stricken with cancer that lasted for a twoyear period. I SURVIVED the cancer, was called into the ministry, and now pastor The Cathedral of Grace Apostolic Church in Covington, Georgia, with my husband Pastor Willie Johnson. I never gave up on my dental profession and have worked in dentistry for the past 25 years. I feel a spiritual connection of my calling into ministry and my dental profession as a way of helping God’s people. Ephesians 2:10 says “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” I am now in a position to give hope to others through my dental, counseling and pastoral profession.
“GOD’S “POSITIONED PROMISEFOR TO PERFORM” PROMISE”
JULY/AUGUST MARCH/APRIL 2021 2020
