The Great Contemporary worship band, Five Man Electrical Band sang a protest anthem back in the early 1970’s. I have previously alluded to this song entitled “Signs.” The lyrics of the first verse are:

And the sign said “Long-haired freaky people need not apply”
So I tucked my hair up under my hat and I went in to ask him why
He said “You look like a fine upstanding young man, I think you’ll do”
So I took off my hat, I said “Imagine that. Huh! Me workin’ for you!”
Whoa-oh-oh
Sign, sign, everywhere a sign
Blockin’ out the scenery, breakin’ my mind
Do this, don’t do that, can’t you read the sign?

The Five Man Electrical Band even had a verse for the church. It is a good reminder to pastors:

And the sign said, “Everybody welcome. Come in, kneel down and pray”
But when they passed around the plate at the end of it all
I didn’t have a penny to pay
So I got me a pen and a paper and I made up my own little sign
I said, “Thank you, Lord, for thinkin’ ’bout me. I’m alive and doin’ fine”
Wooo!

I think about this early 70’s anthem when I’m driving. I confess that I read road signs and bumper stickers while driving. I don’t text and drive. I read the signs outside the car and drive. As general rule, I enjoy longer drives. There are some amusing signs out there.

I spent the last Monday of 2019 driving from our fair city to Clinton, Louisiana. I am the coach for Clinton United Methodist Church. It is funny that in your own church you are a dufus but drive a couple of hundred miles and you magically become an expert with all the answers. I think Jesus said something about not being honored in your own town. I digress. I was down there helping that church keep its doors opened and its lights on.

I took the scenic route down Highway 1 to Clinton. North of Marksville traffic was backed up by an 18-wheeler. The truck must have been heavily loaded because the most speed it could muster was 48 miles an hour. I was behind this truck for at least ten miles. After a while I started giggling uncontrollably. On the back door of the truck, in large letters was the name of the trucking line. SWIFT. If you are driving a truck under the moniker of SWIFT trucking, you need to be!

I did take a picture of the truck so I would remember to write about him, or her.

I didn’t attach that picture to this article. I attached another one.

The other day I was pumping gas into my bottomless gas tank. There is not much to do when pumping gas. I looked down and noticed the gas pump. The pump had two signs on either side of the gas pump that were in contradiction to each other. I still don’t know if I was pumping gas that contained ethanol or ethanol free gasoline. It is not a big deal. I was struck by the contradiction of signs in very close proximity.

It gave me pause. Am I consistent in my Christian walk? Do I tell people to do one thing and I do another? Do I say, “Jesus loves you” with open hands or closed fists when I’m speaking? I didn’t kneel at the gas pump to pray. But I did pray.

“Lord forgive me when I send mixed signals, or I don’t live as a shining witness to your light.” If you have been harmed by my inconsistent signage, I ask your forgiveness as well.