“Are you a preacher, sir?” the voice at the end of the aisle asked me.

“Uh, no.” was the best response I could give on such short notice. I can see where the mistake could be made. After all, I was in a Christian book store. I was wearing a shirt and tie. I was mumbling to myself – (OK, that last part was an exaggeration).

The man who had caught me off guard had a little humor of his own. “That’s OK, I’m not a deacon, I’m a ‘dickens.'”

The fact that I had been mistaken for a preacher isn’t a bad thing. In fact, I would say that I was rather humbled that someone would think of me that way. Thankfully, he didn’t hear me call the person at the red light an “idiot” just a few minutes earlier.

In retrospect, perhaps the correct answer should have been, “Aren’t we all?”

Whether we like it our not, our actions are louder than any sermon preached on a Sunday morning. How we treat others is a direct reflection on ourselves, our faith and the God we serve.

The encounter made me think of my own actions. While this man saw a preacher, the “idiot” at the red light may have only seen an impatient driver. And that sermon is preached a little too often.

In Act 1:8, Jesus told his disciples “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

That includes red lights on Youree Drive. I hope my next “sermon” is better.