Sporty Convertables

As an older adult (white) male, I don’t want to be one of those old men you see driving around on the weekend in a sporty convertible with the top down, with sunglasses and a weathered ball cap (usually alone). While I love old VW busses and Carman Gias or other classic cars, to drive one would place me in that old guy group. I’m realizing how old I must look when I rock my throwback Braves jersey and cap – like those old guys in their convertibles.

While wearing baggy gym shorts and colorful sneakers to the gym is fun, as an older guy I’ve got to be careful to not go too far the other way. I’ve been trying to hit a happy medium. With so many sneakers in my closet, I like to try to mix up what I wear to the gym. If I’m wearing an outlandish pair of sneakers I will pair it with a plain tee and shorts, and vice versa. Recently I wore a plain dark grey tee and plain black shorts, so I broke out my matching blue Sonic the Hedgehog socks to wear with my royal blue Hokas.

I like my shoes with the white bottoms, but only wear “sneakers” to church that look halfway dressy, with no logos (except my Vans). Something I won’t be doing for Anna’s wedding. I can’t bring myself to where my plain black leather sneakers with white bottoms with a suit to a wedding or funeral. I also can’t bring myself to wear my Braves, Falcons, or Hawks ties to a wedding or funeral (the only time I wear ties). I would wear a tie to work for fun, but it would make me look like an old guy with a tie. 

I wear sneakers to work almost every day, but just about everyone does – including my boss, my boss’ boss, and my boss’ boss’ boss. I hardly ever wear jeans because I just don’t like them. Sometimes I’ll show up in my black dri-fit running pants.

Restaurants I like: Bad Daddy’s Burger Bar, Dreamland BBQ, El Porton, Fuddruckers, King + Duke, Moxie Burger, Nuevo Laredo Cantina, Pappasitos, Ponko Chicken, Righteous Que, Superica, Waffle House.

Denison: Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Ivan Provorov chose not to wear a rainbow jersey during warmups for the team’s recent Pride Night. He cited his religious beliefs as the reason: “I respect everybody, and I respect everybody’s choices. My choice is to stay true to myself and my religion.” His jerseys sold out online in the days following. One sports pundit called on the NHL to fine the Flyers over Provorov’s “insulting” comments.

 

Their reaction makes my point: our culture is convinced that religion is so private, personal, and subjective that it should have no bearing on our public lives or society. This has become conventional wisdom in Western society. By contrast, the Jerusalem Post notes “in Israel, Judaism is more than a building or a property, more than prayer. In Israel, Judaism is the pervading culture.” I have traveled widely in Muslim and Asian countries and can tell you that the same is true there. From the five pillars of Islam to the Four Noble Truths and Noble Eightfold Path of Buddhism, religion is not separate from the “real world”—it forms and frames it.

In our culture, religion is to be kept separate from public life. It is viewed as a hobby, nothing more, to be given no more weight in public life than any other hobby. I have no right to make you watch or listen to what I prefer or tell you that your personal tastes are wrong. In the same way, our culture thinks, a Christian should not pray in front of an abortion clinic or seek to live by his faith convictions as an attorney, physician, or high school athlete.

JOC PEDERSON  [B-R Bio] once led the Giants in home runs. He played for LA from 2014-2020 and was an all star in 2015. Played for SF in  2022 and hit 23 HR. His cumulative All-Star record show 0-for-four, all swinging strikeouts in 2015 & 2022, with two strikeouts in each game. His father Stu Pederson was briefly on the LAD roster in 1985. His brother Tyger Pederson coaches with the Springfield Cardinals in the STL farm system.