Reading uspj's account above reminded me of a sit'n I encountered while serving as a worship pastor. Church can be a surprisingly volatile place. One Christmas during a children's musical I noticed a man I hadn't seen before. I actually seated myself behind him and patted him on the shoulder to say hello. I didn't get much response from him... and I just forgot about him within a minute.
After the service as the people were talking I heard a ruckus. This man was in an altercation with a church member I later discovered was his former father-in-law. He shouted threats & then left.
Well it always creates concern when the person drives home and then returns. Most of you are now thinking what I immediately thought. And in my pocket was nothing but a 22magnum. As soon as I saw him I called the police. I tried to get some other men to come nearby so he would feel outnumbered & just leave. I was surprised that the guys didn't really respond. Maybe they knew something I didn't.
I did a couple things to alleviate the tension that probably weren't wise. I touched him on the shoulder at one point in a friend-gesture. Although probably not smart, it did seem to alleviate some tension - along with my consiliatory tone and such. Well the sit'n didn't get worse & he eventually left before the police arrived.
Couple changes since then. Now I don't carry anything smaller than a 9mm. I also wouldn't touch someone in that sit'n.
After the service as the people were talking I heard a ruckus. This man was in an altercation with a church member I later discovered was his former father-in-law. He shouted threats & then left.
Well it always creates concern when the person drives home and then returns. Most of you are now thinking what I immediately thought. And in my pocket was nothing but a 22magnum. As soon as I saw him I called the police. I tried to get some other men to come nearby so he would feel outnumbered & just leave. I was surprised that the guys didn't really respond. Maybe they knew something I didn't.
I did a couple things to alleviate the tension that probably weren't wise. I touched him on the shoulder at one point in a friend-gesture. Although probably not smart, it did seem to alleviate some tension - along with my consiliatory tone and such. Well the sit'n didn't get worse & he eventually left before the police arrived.
Couple changes since then. Now I don't carry anything smaller than a 9mm. I also wouldn't touch someone in that sit'n.
Last edited: