maybe you’ll get a new skateboard for your birthday. you’ll have to grow your hair out a bit and wear baggier clothes though.

I could borrow one of the boys’ skateboards, but I think my wife would say “no” to that, too. With good reason, I would add.

Paul, I’m right there with you.

If a motorcycle is out of the question, have you considered a scooter? When we were still in St. Louis, I got a Kymco scooter that was great. We didn’t really NEED two vehicles, so being a “1½ vehicle” family was plenty. My scooter was affordable (we bought it for $3000 new, but you can find good used ones for less than $2000), was dirt-cheap to insure, and fun to ride. It also got 65 miles to the gallon, which saved us over $1000 in the first four months I drove it.

On top of that: I’ve ridden bikes all my life (the pedal kind), and often in heavy traffic– so I’m very familiar with the dangers of being on two wheels and sharing the road with SUVs. One of the biggest dangers of a standard bike is the absence of speed: you can’t get out of the way fast enough, in some cases. A scooter handles that ably, while also governing how fast you actually can go (which is my biggest fear of me on a motorcycle: I’d love the speed too much). Mine topped out at around 60mph, which was plenty for everywhere but the interstate (which I never tried) but reasonably safe as well.

It’s a great option for those who will give it a go– and in Georgia, the weather would serve it well.

Ed- that’s not a bad idea. A scooter would definitely pay for itself.

But would I lose my status as “Warner Robins’ coolest pastor” if I rode one?

I think you got the “cool” angle locked by default as most of the pastors around are drawing social security…

The tragedy, I think, of the same-sex “marriage” fiasco is not that it occurred, but the failure of the Church at times to affect the overall culture positively. When the Christian community feels that it has to enact laws to control private and semi-private sinful behaviour, it hasn’t done its job, particularly in our freedom-loving culture in America. When we’re being branded as “bigots” because of our position on homosexuality, we REALLY need to determine if we are presenting our position in a way which both shows the love and mercy of God AND confronts the sinner with their sin. Of course, sometimes there’s no way around this when someone doesn’t have their eyes opened to Truth.

I just don’t think the state should be sanctioning a religious ceremony to begin with. Look what they do with it- its a mockery. Take the state out of marriage completely.