Palm Sunday

We've been married for almost seven years, and in that time we've gone to three churches. In Waco (Hewitt) we went to a small church that had a very active newly/nearly married class where we fit right in. In Tuscaloosa we went to a church where we were the only young married couple without kids (one of two young married couples in our 20s), where all the married couples hung out and bonded over kid activities. We felt like it was where we were supposed to be, though we still felt disjointed/disconnected.

And then we came to Opelika, where we visited a couple of churches, but we visited them each once, because the first visit was enough to know. Honestly, I was hesitant about visiting First Presbyterian Opelika for a couple of reasons -- 1) I've never been Presbyterian, and 2) Eli's boss invited us to go, and I wasn't sure if that would make for weird working relationships.

Glad to say, almost a year and a half later that it was the best decision we could have made. The church is small, but it is growing, and it's growing with young and old alike, and we are excited to be a part of it. The Lord is working here.

Today was our first Holy Week come-and-go communion. We finished watching Baylor lose to Duke in the Elite Eight and then went to church for reflection and meditation. And here's why I'm writing this post at all: I have found a body of my intellectual peers in this church. Our topic for meditation this Holy Week is "The Ironies of the Cross" and we will be considering the ironies of Jesus' journey to the cross, starting with how the soldiers mocked Him as if He were a king, humoring themselves, when in fact, He was THE KING (not Elvis). The prayer for the week is [a poem-prayer] called "Paradoxes," from The Valley of Vision. I read that prayer tonight and I felt so small, so imperfect, so wretched. And then I smelled a poopy diaper. It was quite fitting.

Irony. Paradox. Word meanings. I feel challenged and fed. And challenged.

Cheers.