"The rich and the poor shake hands as equals - God made them both!" Proverbs 22:2 MSG

Back in the days of the 1950s and 60s, a man's word was still his bond and many an agreement was finalized with a handshake.

Unlike the usual and lengthy hand pumping of a politician's handshake or the secret handshake of the Masons, the old Baptist handshake had it roots in Appalachia and consisted of a single hand pump up and down with an immediate release.

It served within the Baptist community as an immediate source of recognition of a fellow Baptist, and it was special in its "right to the point" nature.

Baptists seem to have held themselves perhaps more accountable to the Gospel than other denominations and their word was truly their bond, supplimented with their unique "Southern" handshake.

It is a handshake that I still use today and it never fails to be a rare occasion for some.

Rik Charbonneaux is a retired NE Iowan who loves all of God's Word and all of His creatures.