What pastor has not quietly prayed before stepping to the platform that everything will go smoothly? Sermons are carefully prepared. Illustrations are thoughtfully planned. Yet, every now and then, something completely unexpected happens. In this case, it was something few in attendance will ever forget.
Pastor Scott Thomas, lead pastor of Free Life Chapel in Lakeland, Florida, was speaking alongside his wife Cindy at the Creative Marriage Conference hosted by Pastors Ed and Lisa Young at Fellowship Church in Grapevine, Texas, when a sermon illustration took a shocking turn.
Pastor Scott Thomas accidentally sends as wooden dowel/ skewer through his hand for a sermon illustration, writing:
— Protestia (@Protestia) February 23, 2026
"Cindy and I spoke on “Building A Marriage” and used a wedding cake for our illustration. To close the teaching, we stressed that if we build our marriages outside… pic.twitter.com/LxMo5j8fNP
“Cindy and I were honored to speak at the Creative Marriage Conference for P. @ed_young & @lisayoungfc at @fellowshipchurch last weekend!” Thomas wrote in a Facebook post recounting the event.
The couple’s message centered on “Building A Marriage,” using a wedding cake as a visual representation. As Thomas explained, “To close the teaching, we stressed that if we build our marriages outside of God’s order… the whole cake marriage crashed!”
The illustration was meant to be memorable. It certainly became that.
“All went well… until I slammed the cake upside down and SURPRISINGLY DISCOVERED that the cake company had implanted a dowel inside to hold the cake layers together,” Thomas wrote.
What happened next stunned both Thomas and the audience.
“When I slammed the cake upside-down video… the dowel pierced through the bottom of the cake and traveled completely through my hand!” he said. “When I looked down… the dowel was sticking 5 inches out the back of my hand!”
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Incredibly, Thomas did not leave the platform in panic. “I immediately pulled the stick out of my hand and tried to wrap my head around what just happened!” he wrote.
Cindy quickly stepped in to help. “Cindy immediately slid me a towel… I wrapped my hand, finished the message and prayed to close out the session in the next 5 minutes.”
The fact that the injury was not worse has left many expressing gratitude. Thomas later shared an encouraging update.
“UPDATE: My hand is healing well and doing great!! I have no pain & no issues… just a new fear of cake!”
He also publicly thanked those who assisted him in the immediate aftermath. “THANK YOU to the Fellowship Staff and Team for your immediate and professional care!!”
It was a wild and painful moment that could have ended far differently. Instead, what was meant to illustrate the fragility of marriage under the wrong foundation became an unforgettable reminder of God’s protection in the midst of the unexpected.
James Lasher, a seasoned writer and editor at Charisma Media, combines faith and storytelling with a background in journalism from Otterbein University and ministry experience in Guatemala and the LA Dream Center. A Marine Corps and Air Force veteran, he is the author of The Revelation of Jesus: A Common Man’s Commentary and a contributor to Charisma magazine. For interviews and media inquiries, please contact [email protected].
