Church and State

"Listen ... God's in need and asked me to tell you to fix a parking ticket."

Clearly understanding the Devil's in the details waiting on Bar Church to begin, our musical guest is a poor musician from Texas who is aghast it costs .25/15 minutes to breath without moving on Tybee Island.

Keith Rea's here for God and the Lord wants to make sure he's taken care of so I text Monty Parks, full time Politician and Musician ... an oxymoron ... but I've learned to accept such things on this clump of sand.

"You want $10 from me to feed the meter? Easier on me that way," he writes back.

Just like a politician to take the easy way out!

"Does it seriously cost that much to breath on this island?" Keith asks.

"No, my friend. You can stop anytime you want! That's why there's so many Stop Signs on Tybee. It's an attempt to reduce the number of day visitors by reminding them not to breath as they aimlessly make their way looking for parking."

"Oh," he says tuning his guitar.

"This is what it's come down to," Monty text, "fixing tickets for God?"

The Baptists, Catholics and Methodists all have parking lots on Tybee so parking tickets are not an issue for them.

The Episcopalians park on City right-of-way so it's not an issue.

At Bar Church, there is no parking except by meters and most of our folks ain't got a quarter having spent it sometime the previous night ... or early this morning.

"I'm going running ... or trundling as it may be," Monty writes but I don't read it till later because the service begins.

I don't know if anybody got saved but the food was good, the coffee hot, the music was great and Jimmy Cochran delivered the Gospel "According to Pinocchio".

It was great!

Afterwards, lugging the sound system and guitars to the cars, I spy that Keith wasn't ticketed.

Immediately, I text Monty.

"God doesn't need you after all! Apparently got another City Council member to fix things."

Thanking Keith for coming, we embrace in the street as thousands of cars aimlessly drive around looking for a place to park.

My phone buzzes and it's from Monty ... "??"

I don't respond ... perhaps leaving him hanging in the air ... full of questions.

But Bar Church is over and I've punched out.

I'm off the clock and ready to go skinny dipping with Sarah.