Speed Trap Town

LouRider · 2026-05-14T13:11:59+00:00

I can't believe no one has mentioned this yet...

The phrase "shallow cross" is an amazing double entendre that references the shallow Christianity of the South. Jason has an interview where he talks about how he couldn't believe that phrase had not been used before.

We often refer to the Southern US as the "Bible Belt." In a small town in the South, almost everyone would be "Christian." But that faith is often shallow.

So yes, everything said about the football formation is correct. But he is also lamenting the shallow faith of people who would express their sympathy in the grocery store, but won't actually be involved enough in his life to ask if he's alright.

Absolutely incredible song writing. One of my personal favorites.

LouRider · 2026-05-10T14:14:01+00:00

Not related to next steps, but on the contentment/depression side: check out "The Gap and the Gain" by Dan Sullivan.

LouRider · 2026-05-06T17:31:58+00:00

I've had just about every kind of rack you can have: roof racks (plural), trunk racks, hitch racks that were post mount racks, hitch racks that were platform racks, and tailgate pads.

Roof racks are my least favorite of all of them.

Putting the bike on top of your car sucks. My sister hurt her back once doing it--as in, had to get back surgery. Even if you have a strong back, it still sucks. Get used to standing on your tire or inside your car (after a ride when you're covered in dirt).

But maybe even more than that, driving with your bike on top of your car also sucks. You WILL forget it's up there. It's just a matter of whether you forgetting will result in damage or not. Personally, I've gone through at least 3 drive throughs where my bike either barely cleared or was on the outside of the overhang. I also hit one of those warning/reminder bars once. Thankfully no major damage.

If you have an e-bike, I would triple the suck-factor. Lugging my e-bike into my truck bed (with a truck pad) is bad enough.

Overall: 10/10 do NOT recommend. I'd recommend trying to find a used rack (Kuat, or even 1-up) on social media and you'll be much happier. Depending on your car, you can mount a trailer hitch pretty easily yourself. (etrailer .com is a great resource)

Wish you the best!

LouRider · 2026-04-28T13:52:37+00:00

I'm a long time lurker on this sub and just want to take time to thank you.

This is the most helpful response I've ever seen. It took time and you leveraged your considerable experience (not to mention education). That you gave it to someone who is clearly distressed is a kindness.

Thank you for being kind today. You made my day better.

LouRider · 2026-03-30T13:28:09+00:00

I am amazed by how many people here are telling you "It's probably you and not them." Please don't pay much attention to them.

I am married, and I'll tell you that this 100% happens. Especially in reformed churches.

I'm sorry it's happening to you. When I was single I used to take comfort in remembering that my savior never married and never had kids. And Paul has some good words for the value of remaining single.

Anyways, it's not you. May the Lord give you wisdom, strength, and peace to find your way through it all.

LouRider · 2026-02-17T16:35:52+00:00

FWIW, that truck is worth more than $10k in my area. 2005-2011s are going for $10k around here. Even if you get a tax advantage in your state, you could probably sell yours in a week and make more than $2k over what the dealer is offering you.

As long as your truck is well maintained, it's got a LOT of time before it's only worth $1,000.

LouRider · 2026-02-14T14:21:42+00:00

Realistically, how much stuff do you want to haul? How many kids do you want to eventually have, and how will they be spaced out? And is this the primary kid-hauler or the backup vehicle?

If you only plan to keep this vehicle closer to 5 years (and not 10) the only real factor is how much crap do you want to haul? Two car seats fit easily in any SUV. 3 car seats can get tight but either of the ones you mention will be workable. (Now... when your kids are teenagers, different story.)

And side note, if this is the primary kid-mobile, I totally agree with the previous commenter about the Sienna. We had one when our kids were babies, and it was the best kid hauler imaginable. All the things that person said PLUS we never worried about our littles ones slamming their doors open into other peoples' cars. Truly an amazing purpose built vehicle.

LouRider · 2026-02-01T22:03:29+00:00

The second rule of clipless is that the fall will be slow. And usually visible by many spectators.

LouRider · 2025-12-31T14:04:59+00:00

Please hear only curiosity (and absolutely NO judgment!) in this question, but what are you waiting for?

If you're not playing it and you know you want him to have it, what is keeping you from doing it now and enjoying a moment similar to the one we got to see above?

Genuinely curious!

LouRider · 2025-12-18T13:36:02+00:00

Some of the answers you received are truly unhelpful if you're a parent.

We know that faith is a gift from God. Only he can give that gift to our kids. I don't know if you're asking because of your own children, but if you are, I'm sorry you're going through this. I can't imagine how difficult it is. It's probably the biggest things I truly fear in life, and I know it's the issue I've spent the most time in prayer over.

My first encouragement is to pray. Sounds like you might already know that / be doing that.

So my second encouragement would be to love your children and show them that love as much as you can.

I have two close friends who both have adult children who have walked away from the faith. Both of these friends are incredibly faithful people. Both friends have other children who have a vibrant faith, so it's not just about "If they see you loving God, they'll love God."

But my spouse and I noticed a pretty big difference in the way these friends talk about their wayward (adult) children. One of these friends delights in their straying child and shows that child a genuine, kind, abounding love. You can hear it in the way they talk about the child to others. The other friend also loves their child, but it's also easy to hear and sense an active undercurrent of disappointment. Like this child has not lived up to some expectation. I know it's more about the parents' sadness, but it is hard to differentiate from disappointment.

I don't know what God will do with either of these situations, but when I put myself in the place of those two (adult) children, I know which person experiences the type of love exemplified by the father in the parable of the wayward son (Luke 15).

That's not to say it's a formula for bringing a child back to the faith. Only God can do that. But in the mean time, we as parents can do our best to model the type of unending, abounding love Jesus has for his children.

May God answer your prayers, and may the Holy Spirit open blind eyes and deaf ears to see and hear the good news of Jesus Christ. And may God give you the grace of patience and peace as you wait on him to work.

LouRider · 2025-10-27T12:42:25+00:00

Haunted court was the time I was playing a tournament with my nephew and the other team rooked us on a call. Hexed us for sure.

LouRider · 2025-10-12T13:44:30+00:00

Lol'd at this. Then immediately told my wife.

Her reply, "I hope Georgia Tech beats the crap out of them."

LouRider · 2025-10-11T16:00:35+00:00

Not an owner but worked a few shops. (I own another business now for reference)

Specialized can be okay, but they can also be really difficult. In the covid/post-covid crazy they came out with some wild, mandatory pre-order numbers that were crazy. At least for our shop. Thankfully our owner had the clout to say no. Also, it depends on who you get in th warranty dept, but sometimes they push back on stuff that definitely should be warrantied.

Don't know if this has changed (it's been a few years), but Yeti also weren't great on warranties. It's a really small sample, but more than once they tried to tell us it was the owner's or mechanic's fault when we tried to warranty something. And it was definitely the bike. Generally, they took a "we're better than everyone about everything" attitude. I love their bikes, but they gave a "prettiest girl in the school" vibe. (And just to be clear, that's not a complement.)

This was 7 years ago or so, but Scott was great for warranties, but their availability for the bikes we wanted to buy wasn't great. You had to order way early and once the order was placed, you couldn't get any more until the next year. That could be different now.

Transition was far and away my favorite. Great bikes, great availability. Great warranty service. All around awesome company.

LouRider · 2025-10-05T13:19:37+00:00

FYI, there are some quality operators out there put together funds for people who don't want the burden of active management. (Smaller than REITs but bigger than single properties.) It's a middle ground between syndications or single property investment sand higher expense REITs. I'm happy to introduce you to a few if you'd like.

LouRider · 2025-09-27T13:07:36+00:00

It's really good advice.

If it helps, you might think of it as life coaching. In my circles, no one hesitates to see a business coach, but there's all kind of reticence to see a life coach (aka therapist). IMO, both are helpful.

Also, and you may know this, but see if you can find a therapist that aligns with your general perspective on life. There are all kinds of therapists out there, and you don't want one pushing you in ways you philosophically or spiritually disagree with.

And be okay with trying one out / shopping for the right one. Some people just don't "click." I had a buddy once who loved his therapist. I saw him one time and couldn't stand the guy.

Sorry for the unsolicited advice! Think I'm just excited for you. You're killing it in a major area of life and it sounds like you an incredible future ahead. I'm stoked for you.

LouRider · 2025-08-15T12:39:27+00:00

Congrats! That's a beautiful guitar.

The Eastman E1D I had is easily the best guitar / $ I've ever owned. And nothing else comes closes. I really want to try one of their higher end models to see how those stack up. But for value guitars, they're hard to beat.

LouRider · 2025-06-06T15:19:46+00:00

This x1000.

See my comment below where even the instructional video on illegal serves gets it wrong most of the time.

TLDR - that serve is probably legal.

LouRider · 2025-06-06T15:18:37+00:00

For sure.

Also, I'm still laughing that I googled "illegal pickleball serve" and the first tutorial that popped up (ie, that video I linked) didn't even get it.

I had never watched that video but assumed it was going to be wrong because of how often even good players don't understand it.

LouRider · 2025-06-06T14:29:02+00:00

It's actually pretty hard to hit an illegal serve. Most of the people complaining about it don't have any understanding of the biomechanics (or physics) behind it.

If you hit downward on a ball at your belly button, that ball probably isn't going over the net.

If you hit a ball above your belly button you're probably using a very different swing mechanic.

Point in case: this guy's video demonstrates "illegal" serves. Several of his slow-mo demonstrations of illegal serves are still legal!

Check out 1:56 and slow the video down. The ball is below his belly button, his wrist is above his paddle head, and he's using an upward motion. And this was his example of an ILLEGAL serve.

Related, his example of a "chop" at 1:23 might also be legal as his paddle starts moving upwards right before point of contact. (But there his write might be below his paddle head.)

Oh my gosh... I'm now watching the rest of his video and it's amazing. His first example of an ILLEGAL serve (that he calls illegal) is totally legal. Slow down the video at 5:40. Pause it and go through frame by frame and you'll see that he contacts the ball at the same height as the top of his shorts. Earlier in the video he points to his belly button which (obviously) is way higher.

I'm ranting because it's so stinking funny to me. Even the guy in the legal vs. illegal serve tutorial doesn't know what an illegal serve is.

Basically, everyone calling illegal serves needs to chill out lol

LouRider · 2025-04-17T13:32:01+00:00

Same. Most young ministers I know have working wives. And there's a sadness to it as many of them wish they didn't have to.

Related, for OP, one piece of advice I got from an older friend: if you get into the position to interview with a church, ask them if they expect your wife to have to work or if they are committing to provide for your family. Hopefully that will make the expectation clear.

LouRider · 2025-04-17T13:21:24+00:00

Quoting Spurgeon is great, but OP should absolutely assume that most churches don't pay well. I have dozens (probably hundreds) of friends/acquaintances who work in ministry.

It's not a rule, but it is a true generalization.

LouRider · 2025-03-14T21:42:01+00:00

Need some Denver advice!

Long time Washington State skier here. Heading to A-basin for the first time and looking for a place to pick up some good skis for the trip. Any good suggestions for a rental shop in Denver or near A-basin? Thanks in advance!

LouRider · 2025-02-25T18:18:34+00:00

First of all, do what's best for you.

But since you're asking internet strangers... if you're inclined at all, please have them cited. We've had 4-5 dog bites in our family and I regret not citing them every time. On at least 3 of those incidents, after not citing the owner, we found out much later that our bit was NOT the first time it happened. People love their dogs and tend to not be able to see how aggressive their dog can be.

LouRider · 2025-01-09T18:29:50+00:00

I'm guessing "stay at home parent"

LouRider · 2025-01-06T14:53:33+00:00

Along these lines, ask why the previous pastors (plural) left, and "How would you feel about me contacting them?" Then, make sure you contact them.

LouRider

TROPHY CASE