I decided that today was the day to do something about the blackberry vines obscuring our "Episcopal Church Welcomes You" sign that's near the entrance to Bangor Naval Base. Here's the "before" photo:
The blackberries were so tall, you couldn't even see the sign from the road. So I parked my car, took a couple of photos of the sign for my blog, and started hacking away at the blackberries. Before I knew it, two Navy security vehicles were parked next to me and three very serious security personnel were approaching.
"Is this your car?" "Yes, sir."
"Do you have a camera with you?" "Yes."
"Have you taken any pictures of the entrance to the base?" "No, but I took some photos of this sign."
"May I see the camera, please?" "Sure."
After they determined that I hadn't taken any photos of the entrance, I explained that I'm the pastor of the church down the road, and I was just clearing the sign and wanted before and after photos. He said, "We received a report that someone was taking photos of the entrance. That's not allowed. So we came to check it out."
After they decided I was just a pastor, they left and I cleared out the blackberries, as you can see in the "after" photo:
I got to thinking about the security guards. Their job is to keep people out (of the base). But my job is to get people in (to the church, to the kingdom, to heaven). They're serious about their job and they're very good at it.
But I'm serious about my job, too.
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Your photos and touching tale brought to mind Proverbs 24:30-34, especially how it ends with the approach of an armed man! The 'after' photo looks really nice; great contrast of light and darkness bringing out the notice.
ReplyDelete"I passed by the field of a sluggard,
by the vineyard of a man lacking sense,
and behold, it was all overgrown with thorns;
the ground was covered with nettles,
and its stone wall was broken down.
Then I saw and considered it;
I looked and received instruction.
A little sleep, a little slumber,
a little folding of the hands to rest,
and poverty will come upon you like a robber,
and want like an armed man."
Nice reference, Vincent! The passage connects perfectly!
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