We drove down back roads to get to Tennessee last week for Thanksgiving. The thing I love about back roads is the sheer entertainment you get for your money. We were still in Kings Mountain, NC, not too far from home, when we crested the hill. I was delighted to see a really tacky church sign with a big tongue of fire...like clip art with red, orange, and yellow...and the name of the church was "Faith Ablaze" Foursquare Church. I was still reveling in the clip art and blazing name when I read the Pastor's name...it was William Maze.
Then, as I am wont to do on long car trips, I had some fun in my head...
"Good morning, welcome to Faith Ablaze.
I'm Pastor William Maze.
Trust in the Lord with all your ways
Because You know it pays
When you need a raise
Trust the Lord, for He stays
By your side always.
That doesn't mean you can laze
Or wander around in a haze
Work diligently all of your days
And the Lord will bring you through this phase.
Now, can someone give the Lord praise here at Faith Ablaze?"
Yes, this is what the inside of my head looks like. These are things I think of. I really could probably go on, but I'm the only one who would really enjoy it.
Another thing that happened earlier this week was my intense reaction to our new Super Bi-Lo grocery store. It's really close to our house, and since the loss of my dear Harris Teeter (grocery store) right next to campus, I was excited to have another store on my way home from work. But as big and shiny and new and nice as it is, I am crestfallen (yes, crestfallen) at the invasiveness of it. (what?)
The produce section was ginormous and beautifully arranged...every apple in place...but as I continued to wander through the wide aisles and eerily well-placed food items, I was overcome with advertising. In the milk section there's a TV telling me which yogurt to buy, then the CEO of Bi-Lo comes on to tell me how great his store is...rounding the corner to the frozen foods there is a TV with a 24-hour news channel on. Passing that I hear Christmas music over the loudspeaker simultaneously with the 12 TV's at the end of every third checkout lane with a Bi-Lo lady explaining something else. Facing the checkout lane I could see and hear yet another news outlet against the front wall of the store.
I really like the relative quiet of a grocery store on a Sunday morning before the Baptists and Methodists let out. What happened? I had at least 4 noise sources competing for attention that I wasn't willing to relinquish!!!!! It's inevitable, I guess...even while you're in the store, they're advertising for the store. I wanted to scream, "I'm already here, buying your stuff! Don't be a Bi-Lo bully!!!" But that would have just added to the noise.
Please turn off the TV's in the grocery store.
That's all I have to say today.
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