When I was whistling Dixie

Is this sign supposed to be cute? Is it designed to bring sinner to repentance?
It reminds me of the South and it's subtle legalism and game playing.

Gladys W took me around to meet her friends in the little Mississippi town where we began our married and pastoral life. She was so excited, and she said, “I want you to my our meet new little pastor”. I am not kidding all 6ft 210 lbs of me I consider the next period of my life under the title, When I was whistling Dixie.

There was something strange about these small towns and tidy little church buildings with little pastors. Somehow, sometime, compromises had been made, and Christianity had become little, just a small part of small town life. I did not enjoy it, and it caused some problems which were bad and ultimately good. The good part is raising a family and preaching and being a pastor in the expected way, including getting to fish and play golf again.

It was so spiritually barren for me that I tried to escape, and we went through a very dark period of spiritual and financial testing. This led us to small town number two, which was much the same except I made some changes in my own approach and attitude that bore good fruit.

There were so many good things outnumbering the bad that I thank God for my final years in Dixie, yet I wanted out. I was only a transplanted southerner, and so I made an exit in December of 1989.