The north side of the Wilmington Seventh-Day Adventist Church and School sign stated, "Put Jesus first, others second, yourself third and you'll have joy!" Hmmm, I'm not so sure that I agree wholeheartedly with that. Relationships in life require a delicate balance between nourishing your own soul and that of others. Too much of "putting others first" and you'll face burnout. Parenting for instance extremely demanding, and some parents for instance put their children first in the family relationship to the detriment of themselves and their spousal relationship.
The south side of that sign quoted Exodus 20:8, "Remember the sabbath day to keep it holy." Today being Saturday was the last, "7th" day of the week and people were still pulling into the parking lot of the church as I stood photographing the sign.
Yesterday my friend Mary called and we talked about the blog that I was keeping on this trip. She thought that it would be beneficial to readers if I put the whole 'church sign' photos in a better perspective for readers. She was right. When I think about all of the church signs that I've photographed to date, readers might assume that I'm going out of my way, off my route, to photograph every church sign on route. In reality, every church sign that I stop to photograph is on route. I would estimate that for every 1 church sign that I stop to photograph, I pass about 12 churches! Yes, there are that many churches on route!
My 5 mile ride to downtown Wilmington is a perfect example. Besides the Seventh - Day Adventist Church, I passed these churches on that short stretch, all on or at a cross street with Market Street:
Wilmington Prayer Furnace
Apostolic Church of God
Morning Star Christian Fellowship Church
Pearsall Memorial Presbyterian Church
St. Jude Metropolitan Community Church
Temple Baptist Church
St. Paul's Episcopal Church
St. Andrew's Covenant Presbyterian Church
Trinity United Methodist Church
St. Paul's Evangel Lutheran Church
First Baptist Church
Wilmington Community Church
Including the church whose sign I stopped to take photos of, that's 14 churches within a 5 mile stretch! Despite rhetoric within the media and by some politicians, America on whole is a Christian nation. From what I've observed, church life remains an integral part of community life spiritually, socially, and economically. At home, I call Emmanuel Baptist Church my "church home" and I am grateful to be a part of the thriving church community. My spiritual relationship however is not dependent on any church, but rather is embodied by my personal relationship with God.
No, I didn't find a diamond along Market Street... A sharp piece of glass found its way into my tire resulting in a flat. Given the amount of glass that I've seen on route, I'm surprised that I haven't had more flats from glass.
I spent the afternoon walking around the historic district. I enjoyed a Sushi and Bento Box lunch at Nikki's Gourmet Food and Sushi Bar on Front Street during a 20 minute downpour that saw some of the street flood. During another downpour, I hopped on a free trolley sightseeing bus and visited with a guy named Bob who was with his wife and visiting the downtown for the day from their small town in the country. After the trolley ride I was again on Front Street during a light rain shower when I heard the pure sounds of a tenor sax being played...
This is Glen McRea who busks, plays at clubs, events, and teaches. During another downpour and under the shelter of a building's overhang, I stood listening to Glen belt out what he said was his own composition. We began to visit and he shared how 6 years ago, in the wake of his Mom's passing and with the help of the Lord, he beat his addiction to alcohol. I asked if he had gone through the AA 12 step program. He replied, "No just the Lord."
"Amen to that." We shook hands.
Glen is one of the gentlest and friendliest individuals that I've met during this tour.
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