The Dad Arriveth

Three days ago. I've been showing him around Oahu--we've had a good time. Especially since we've been here an extra two days. Why does the ship (and why do all the aircraft) decide to break when we're a week away from home? I guess there are worse places to be stuck than Pearl Harbor--like off the coast of Bahrain--but although it is by any standard wonderful, Honolulu is not San Diego.

And I miss home.

For anyone who cares, I voted against the amendment to the Florida Constitution that would ban gay marriage. For a well-reasoned list of--well, reasons--I'll refer you to Molly's recent post on California's Proposition 8, an amendment that would ban gay marriage.

I think it's counterproductive in a world where there's so much else to worry about than whether two people who love each other should get married. Turns out, you don't even get to decide what's right and wrong. There's Somebody who already did. And He, I think, was more worried about feeding the hungry, giving water to the thirsty, clothing the naked, caring for the sick, etcetera.

I asked this question recently--and I don't have a glib answer to give you--but it's something you should think about...

Suppose Jesus is sitting around the dinner table with the disciples. A prostitute comes around and starts trying to seduce Peter. Or John. Or Philip. Take your pick. What does Jesus do?

What if, instead of a prostitute, it's a gay man? What does He do then?

More than anything else, we're called to be the voice of Christ in the world. If you think that means banning gay marriage more than it means reaching out to the disenfranchised--more than it means giving a blanket or a bottle of water to that homeless guy on the corner you just passed today--more than it means volunteering your time to teach a kid to read--more than it means reaching out to that same-sex couple and demonstrating, instead of hostility and intolerance, the love of the Lord who died for them, too--then go ahead and vote in favor of that amendment.

You know, slavery had to be abolished, too.