A certain county agent had to go to a farm in his jurisdiction to talk with the farmer about a matter of county business. Walking up the dirt road leading to the farm, he encountered signs that read things like: “Trespassers will be shot,” “Beware of Dog,” “Keep Out . . . This Means You!” Finally arriving at the door, he was greeted by a smiling, congenial farmer.

When the county agent was ready to leave, the farmer said to him, “Come and see me again sometime. I don’t get many visitors up this way.”

Well, no wonder. The entrance to his farm did not indicate that the visitor would be greeted with much in the way of warm hospitality. Only a very determined person would make the effort in the first place.

In his book Leaving Home, Garrison Keillor tells about a church that split into two …