Reptiles Oook Me Out

Yes, I used the word "oook" in the title. I remember when I was the chaplain at the Montgomery Bell State Park Birthplace shrine of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church and baby snakes would slither in to the cool stone chapel. When that happened I usually found someone less squeamish than I to kindly sweep the little buggers out.

But we went to another level at church this past Sunday. After asking the men to get the hand-sized frog out of the toilet Sunday morning, I thought I had reached my squeamish limit for the day, but as I stepped out of the educational building to enter the sanctuary, I noticed a few men surrounding yet another creature. It was colorful and quickly I recited the rhyme that I was taught when active in the camping world: "Red on black, friend of Jack. Red on yellow, kill the fellow." Yep, there was the yellow stripe. It was a coral snake . . . no doubt about it. I hastened to the sanctuary and blessed the group that could handle the poisonous creature. As I got all of the ookies out of me waiting for the service to start someone asked if it was OK to kill snakes on the Sabbath. Apparently someone stomped its head pretty well and relocated it to the fire pit (don't ask why we have a fire pit). After the service they went out to the fire pit and the thing was gone. Someone quickly reassured me that a bird of prey probably got it -- we have eagles and ospreys out here who would enjoy such a dinner. But all I could think was "resurrection."

No sign of the thing today, though, as I returned to work. The frog, however, was staring at me from atop the bathroom door. Not cool.