Last week I wrote about how I was pulled down from a 3-foot high mobile traffic sign at the third game of the Lakers Finals by a man I affectionately called “Mr. Big.” (Read it here!)
You may be asking why? Why did he pull me down as “Righteous Richard” and myself preached at the traffic light across from Staples Center?

My answer: Not sure.

We thought we were on public property, and that we were standing on a city-owned sign. Mr. Big came by and tried to stop us from preaching, shouting at me to come down. The reason I ignored him was a lot of people try to stop us; he was no exception, except that he was a lot more forceful. He didn’t identify himself; he had no badge; he looked like one of the multitude of white business people attending the game after getting off work from their downtown office.

As Richard and I discussed the issue with him—post-pulldown—he said that he owned the sign. Did he own the sign? Probably not. But for the sake of preserving our Christian witness, we didn’t get back up on it.

That and the fact that he was a lot bigger than us.

George Whitefield (1749-1769) wrote:

“…I preached twice at Exeter, and, in the evening, I believe I had ten thousand hearers. The bishop and several of his clergy stood near me, as I am informed. A good season it was. All was quiet. and there was a great solemnity in the congregation; but a drunken man threw at me three great stones. One of them cut my head deeply, and was likely to knock me off the table; but blessed be God! I was not at all discomposed.”