Signs of the Times...

The Bible is replete with scriptures referring to mankind seeking signs that will prove that God is indeed God. Psalm 19 should suffice to soften the sincere critics. But wait a minute; this essay is not about these types of signs.

The signs I have been seeking are those that you see while hiking, shopping, or driving around. Note the following examples:

Now that the elections are over I am compelled to share with you two campaign signs, one beside the other that were implanted in a neighbor’s front lawn. The first sign was a gentleman running for office whose name is John Boozman. Next to Boozman was a sign campaigning for Frank Baptist. My question was, “Would you lean towards voting for a Baptist? Not just any old Baptist but a Frank Baptist? Or would you sway toward a Boozman?” You do not need to answer these questions publicly.

The other day, I was in Hot Springs, Arkansas seeing the sights. Deana, my journalistic daughter with a penchant for detecting detail pointed out a sign I had completely missed. It was a bench advertisement which announced in part, "Alligator Farm and Petting Zoo." I had been curious as to why so many residents of Hot Springs had just one arm.

This sign, also in Hot Springs, was on the side of an amphibious looking type vehicle. The sign read, "National Park Duck Tours." I fear this business may fail. Reason? Just how many ducks do you think will come from National Park waterways far and wide to tour the Hot Springs downtown area? This sign caused me to ponder the question, "When a duck calls in for a reservation, how does it communicate?"

Another time while hiking in Petit Jean State Park, I became hopelessly lost. Imagine my relief when I happened upon a pictorial map sort of thing. A huge arrow pointed out my location with these words of comfort, “You are here.” Feeling a peace of mind, I wandered on out into the sunset.

The recent elections ended with a lot of Democrats finding themselves out of work. They are a proud group and refuse to stand on the street corner holding signs stating, “Lost my job, please help.” Many of them are joining hands with convenience stores to promote the sale of carbonated beverages. Hopefully, this explains the sign I saw, “FREE DEMOCRAT WITH PURCHASE OF FOUNTAIN DRINK.”

This sign gives a partial warning, “ROAD UNSAFE WHEN UNDERWATER.” Wish I could get a picture of that road but it is several blocks long. What the sign does not tell you is that with the potholes and dips, the road is unsafe whether it is underwater or not.
The sign should read, “THIS ROAD IS UNSAFE, TAKE ANOTHER ROAD.” Or it could just say, “NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR HEART ATTACKS.”

When my wife and I moved to the Little Rock area just over a year ago, one of our priorities was to find a church home. Just a ways down the highway from our home was a sign that read, “WARNING, PREPARE TO MEET GOD.” We thought that would be a convenient place to worship since it was so close to our house. Even though we realized that certainly it is a fair warning to be prepared to meet God, there was something about the sign that kept us from ever entering that house of worship. As I think back, I believe it was the spirit of that sign, or rather a lack of the Spirit. Somehow we were not convinced that God was there. We ended up becoming members of a church 25 miles from our home. One of their signs read, “GOD IS LOVE.” And yes, God is there.


This sign is on the highway advertising a professional psychology clinic. They spell “Psychology” as “Psycholgy.” The question looms, do you want to go or any of your family members go to a professional Psychology Clinic that can’t spell Psychology? Hmmm.
As you travel about town and/or down the highways, remember Psalm 19. Also notice the signs along the way. Some of them will make your day.

Winston Hamby
Winhamby@gmail.com