I Walk the Line

Yesterday, when Glen and I stopped at Planned Parenthood to pray and encourage, the realtor who owns the property and the property next door, and also has his office in a building to the rear of the property next door approached our group. That early, there are only CGS people there, but there were five of us there. It was somewhere around 7:30 or 7:40 am.

Last week, apparently someone in that building complained to the protesters that they should keep quiet.

He came up and told us that the property next door is private (It holds the Bloomington Hospital Community Health Education extension office) and that while we are here, we would need to stay off this property. When we asked him where that property ended and the alley began, he began to show us, but had to refer to the driveway at the end, really to make an imaginary line that we could not cross.

Do you remember the Star Wars episode where they are in the garbage compartment and the walls begin to move toward them? Well, the walls are beginning to move. He told us that the alley is a twelve foot alley.

Glen, dear Glen, asked him if, if a car is heading toward us, could we step onto the property then to prevent impact. He said that this is a one way alley and there should be plenty of room for us to stand and not get hit. When asked which way the one way is, because there are no arrows at either end or on the pavement, he pointed vaguely toward Walnut, which would make each of the College Avenue access drives to Planned Parenthood entrances; but there are no arrows.

So I asked him what the answer to Glen's question was. He vaguely implied that the answer is no, not really ... sort of ... after all ... the alley is twelve feet wide ...

So, have a good time, he said. I introduced myself and got his name...Tim Ellis. He said that his brother comes to join us from time to time, JD, you surely know him. Of course this was name dropping, and politicking; an easing of his discomfort.

After he left I participated as our conversation turned to grumbling and projecting and worrying, and fretting. God called to mind those things He has taught me here, in preparation for this day: Jesus said we will have trouble in this world. Jesus has overcome the world. God will make our feet firm and not allow the foot of the proud to come against us, or the hand of the wicked to drive us away. We are standing on the firm ground and solid foundation of Jesus Christ, and do not depend on the worn blacktop of the area between Walnut and College to stand. Although there were butterflies in my stomach, I tried to encourage my brothers and sisters with these promises.

I still think that they will need to paint lines and put up signs. I still mull over words that did not come to mind at the moment. But I must stand on the true Word of God. I must know that this happened at His command.