Plant City to Jacksonville, Florida

The plan was to be in Saint Augustine, Florida on Martin Luther King, Jr. Monday. The first Christian worship service in the "New World" took place in St. Augustine in 1565. That is reason enough for a Christian pastor on spiritual pilgrimage to visit. But I wanted to be on King street near the site of the 1963 sit-in at the Woolworth's Diner. In 1964 it was assumed the Civil Rights Act under congressional consideration would be filibustered, so Dr. King came down to Saint Augustine, ate at the Ponce de Leon Restaurant and made a spectacle of himself at the Monson Motor Lodge--the place where the owner had poured acid into the swimming pool where blacks were swimming in protest. I didn't know if I could find any of these historic places, but it seemed fitting to be in the town on Martin Luther King Jr. Day. But the devil got in my way...

I passed a huge sign advertising gigantic Strawberry Short Cake and could not resist. I stopped at Pakersdale Groves in Plant City. The checkout line to receive my famous shortcake and famous strawberry shake took thirty minutes, but the sugar fix was worth the wait. Did I need both? Absolutely not. So why get them both? Because I could. Did I need to stop at Plant City. Absolutely not. Why stop? Because I could. Actually the answer may be more complicated.

Parkersdale Groves sells not only delicious strawberry products but also plants. Figures--"Plant City." One of the plants I observed is called "Devil's Backbone", a hardy looking plant with a crooked stem. I suppose it fits. We might call the Devil crooked. Really, though, the Biblical Satan was an instrument that Jehovah used in order to test God's faithful. Not crooked--just doing his job, thank you very much.

Maybe the Devil does a job on us. I didn't have time to visit one of the Civil Rights movement's hallowed grounds because the sweet sign--and yes, perhaps the Devil--called more loudly. Maybe the Devil was at work back in 1964 when Black women tried to attend a White church in Saint Augustine and were prohibited from doing so. Devils Backbone grows in Florida...and it thrives all over the country.

At the end of the day I enjoyed the hospitality of Lakewood United Methodist Church in Jacksonville, FL. They let me sleep in the church's youth room adjacent the full-sized gymnasium. Odd as it was trying to fall asleep while a men's group dribbled basketball well into the night, I rested peacefully remembering the sign in front of my host church: "Lakewood United Methodist Church--Let's Keep Doctor King's Dream Alive!" Indeed! This was redemption for the denomination whose Fort Myer's Church was choked by Devil's Backbone.

Mile Zero: Worship on Cypress Lake

Worship on Cypress Lake Drive, actually. No lake (or cypress trees) in this affluent neighborhood of Fort Myers, Florida. Three modern churches, lined-up on the same block like big offensive line football players , invite me to worship Sunday, so I do. 8:30, 9:30 and 11AM, I try all three.

I needed to be in worship, so I was glad for familiar rituals and time for prayer and praise. But I didn't need three services to get that! I also wanted to know how different churches and different preachers would address the historic inauguration of President Obama. Would they quote Martin Luther King, Jr. whose birthday would be commemorated the next day? Would they offer prayers for Obama?

In the United Methodist Church I was greeted by no less than eight designated greeters (brass name tags tacked onto white blazers--all eight of them, white blazers with matching white shoes!). The sermon on Revelation 2 was part two of a series about "Church: 1) Jesus knows the church; 2) Jesus believes in the church; 3) Jesus holds the church accountable". No mention of Obama, the Inauguration or Martin Luther King, Jr.

In the Presbyterian Church, a "Contemporary Service", the pastor himself greeted me and, when I explained I was curious about how preachers would deal with the historic week, shared that there really wasn't much to say about it. What the pastor did preach about was Mark 6 and how 1) Christ calls us, wherever we are; 2) Christ says "Follow Me"; and Christ calls us to use our gifts.

Finally, after being greeted by nothing but the strong smell of aftershave at the Baptist Church I was asked to remain seated while all the members serenaded the visitors, all two of us, with "Nothing But the Blood". Awkward feeling. The pastor offered a broad prayer for our new president, our government, and for the unborn--the sign outside today said this was "Human Life Sunday", so it figures. The Bible topic was Acts 9:36-43 with a focus on Tabatha, but he managed to condemn Muslims ("they are not "pro-life") and mothers ("mothers are the biggest culprits of abortion"). And no, Martin Luther King wasn't mentioned.

Yes, I know worship is about God and not about politics. Yes, I know that worship is where we hear preachers teach the Bible and not a personal agenda. As I say, I was glad for prayer and praise before hopping in the UHaul truck on my trip from Florida to Massachusetts. But I imagined that other preachers in other parts of the city managed to preach the gospel while also perceiving the gravity of our current reality.

1,780 Miles

I chose to attend Stephen Ministry Training in Orlando, Florida two weeks ago. I learned that I could then drive over to Fort Myers to pack-up the belongings of my wife's grandmother who lived in Fort Myers. I could meet movers there on Saturday and then I could fly back home to Massachusetts in time to lead worship services on Sunday. However, the more I thought about it...the more I prayed about it, I began to envision driving all of Grandma's belongings up the East Coast. Taking my time. Allowing God to take my time. It could be a time of spiritual renewal.

I invite you to check back in with me here on the Front Porch the next few weeks so we can share memories along the highway from Fort Myers, Florida, up through Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, New York, Connecticut and Massachusetts. We can swap stories about restaurants and history. We can share memories of sunrise and sunset. Join me for conversations about Spiritual Renewal Leave.