Member-only story
My church
Spiritual and religious?
Recently I heard this song on Apple Music:
I’ve cussed on a Sunday
I’ve cheated and I’ve lied
I’ve fallen down from grace
A few too many times
But I find holy redemption
When I put this car in drive
Roll the windows down and turn up the dial[chorus]
Can I get a hallelujah
Can I get an amen
Feels like the Holy Ghost running through ya
When I play the highway FM
I find my soul revival
Singing every single verse
Yeah I guess that’s my church.
— Maren Morris, “My church” (© 2015 Warner Chappell Music, Inc.)
I know, I know, the song is almost ten years old. Country music is not my cup of tea, although in my book on ecumenical theology, Choose the Narrow Path, I did in fact quote a Willie Nelson song, “Energy follows thought”.
But listening to Maren, I had a memory from long ago.
“Saucered and blown”
In the summer of 1963, my friend Raymond and I had the habit of going to the Newport Diner on Spring Street in Newport, Rhode Island, our hometown. First, we scrounged for bottles to return: 1¢ for a small one, 5¢ for a quart Coke bottle (not a liter…). Thus enriched, we would go to the diner, sit at the counter, and order coffees for 10¢ each. The waitress would always ask if…
