Names can be fascinating. Ann and I discovered a new name over the weekend. Let me tell you about it. We were in West, Texas, Saturday evening for a wedding. No, not west Texas...West, Texas! That is the little kolache stop on I 35 between Waco and Dallas/Fort Worth. If you leave the highway and drive east in West you will discover a neat, clean little town with an active First Baptist Church. We were there to attend a wedding Saturday night. Chris Melton was the groom. Several Rockport people were there.
We stayed in a locally owned and operated motel just off of I 35. It was a super neat place, decorated inside with valuable old gasoline pumps. They were perfectly restored classics worth many thousands of dollars. Roger Horan showed me one just after we arrived, with a handle and glass bowl at the top. A person would pump his gasoline into that bowl. It would then be put in a vehicle with a hose. I think about ten gallons was the max. It would cost about fifteen cents a gallon!
The name of this motel is Czech Inn. That is a clever name for the place. West is a long-time Czech community. The European influence is seen there in the neatness of the area. I liked the place.
What's in a name? In Christian circles today many churches have steered away from names such as Baptist. They see it as a handicap, for we have had spotlights shine our way that have not been helpful in reaching people. Names have been besmirched by others in the same way. Family names have felt undeserved anger and even fury over names. Not too many folks name a son John Wilkes or Judas or Benedict. Is it fair? Certainly not! As we all know life is NOT fair all the time.
There have been wars between Catholics and Protestants. That is not a pretty picture. Christians and Muslims fought hundreds of years ago. The South warred against the North in our own country. So what's in a name? Whatever one chooses to put there, real or imagined. I liked the name of that little haven at West, Texas. (No, not west Texas)
