Church Signs

I saw a cute one yesterday, heading up to Crex on the way to vote for the best pictures in their annual photography contest (mostly mine, of course). It was in Grantsburg, in front of their Methodist Church.  "Too hot to change sign, stop inside for message."

I tried to think back over the years of the memorable ones of those I've seen, and managed to come up with one. I'm sure I saw lots more I liked, but just this one stuck with me. Probably it's because it hit a note of anger in me, at least partly due to my own church's - at the time - change towards being run as a business. Used to be the offering plate got passed just for those: offerings. Now the church was demanding pledges, and they'd remind you if you fell behind. You owed them a specific contribution, just like the electric bill or any other obligation. You were sent envelopes with your name on them so they could keep track of what you gave. I highly resented it, to the point where it became the final straw prompting me to leave the church. Seeing this sign years ago, so long I can't place where or when, just rubbed it in for me. "Visitors Welcome. Members expected."

As for the photo contest, I think I stand a chance in a couple of categories. A third might stand a better chance if they hadn't pinned the photo on the board upside down!  C'mon, really, the light source on the puffball, growing on the ground, is from below? Did you look at the picture?