Flomaton is a sleepy little town on the Alabama-Florida border, about 50 miles from the Gulf Coast. Travelers headed down I-65 for the Northwest Florida beaches usually exit at Flomaton. I have passed by the Flomaton Church of Christ building numerous times, but don't think I ever met with the church there for worship.
Something out of the ordinary happened there during evening services this past Sunday. A man, unknown to the church members, came in just before the service got underway and sat near the back. During the opening prayer, while eyes were closed and heads bowed, the visitor grabbed the purse of one of the women worshipers and ran for the door. Church members chased him to the parking lot, but he threatened them by claiming to have a gun. He jumped into his Toyota Corolla and sped away.
One advantage of being a small town law enforcement officer is that policemen know their criminal element. Police Chief Geoff McGraw suspected that he knew who the culprit might be. He went to the suspect's house and obtained permission to search the man's car, where he found a bank statement that had fallen from the victim's purse. The robber is now in jail facing felony charges. When he confessed to police, he said he had been smoking crack and ran out of money to buy any more.
Perhaps the message for us is that in this ole sinful world, no place is truly safe. While this does not rise to the level of gunmen opening fire in church assemblies (as has happened a few times in recent years), it is disconcerting to think that a church visitor might really be there to steal our property while our attention is focused on praying to the Lord. There is no sanctuary, even in the church auditorium.
The only place we are truly safe is with the Lord.
The name of the LORD is a strong tower; the righteous man runs into it and is safe. -- Proverbs 18:10
...John Gaines