I read through a lot of motorcycle and biker related news stories, but every once in awhile, I come across a story that reminds me what blogging is for.

Pastor Ron Baptiste, a biker and ex-con, stands behind his pulpit fashioned out of a motorcycle front-end, and reaches out to those people who need reachin' out to.

The parishioners are ex-cons and former prostitutes, recovering drug addicts and alcoholics - some devoted bikers and some not. They gather here for an alternative to the traditional churches where they don't feel wanted, says Pastor Ron Baptiste, himself a biker and ex-con whose scarred and twisted chin is but one remnant of his own violent past.

His church is done up to look like a Vegas gambling casino, and there's pool tables in the back for the teens. He begins his sermons by revving up a Harley, while a band plays Southern Rock songs. But Baptiste is serious about his congregation. He says that other churches mostly serve those who have already been saved, while his church serves those who need saving.

I don't consider myself "religious" in the sense of attending church and following one of the established religions. But that's not to say that I don't have my beliefs.

I believe that the gifts we possess, mainly our ability to think, design, express, and our ability to put our thoughts into motion, were given to us so that we can do something useful. We have the choice of what to do, and whether to do something good or bad.

It doesn't matter how many times you've done bad things. What matters is that you've paid your debts and left behind something good for the next generation. I think that's what this story is describing.

Labels: Motorcycle Ministries, Religion, Ron Baptiste