where I come from

I'm not actually from Townley (where the above picture was taken). My hometown of Cordova, AL is actually several steps above Townley sporting two banks, a small grocery store, two drugstores, a post office, a video store, and several gas stations (Townley only has a part-time post office, and is where my father currently pastors). But like Townley, Cordova suffers from the past. In the early '60s, like many other places across America, the cotton mills closed their gates and went overseas. Unable to find work, many moved away. Others joined the coal mines. In the late '80s the coal mines began drastically cutting back (and it always seemed they did it at Christmas time). I'm not going to rehash the age old debate of whether the mines were only seeking profit or if the miners and the union's constant strikes and demands brought it about, but the reality is - it happened. Again, people moved away in search of means to support their families.

The above picture is of Main St in Cordova taken in 1993, where most of the stores are located. Every Thursday evening the road is shut down, for the most important reason:

the Cordova Blue Devils football team

The band plays and marches down main street, then the players salter down the street, followed by a 10-20 minute pep rally. If you've ever seen the movie Friday Night Lights, then you get an idea of what my hometown is like.

According to the 2000 census, Cordova has a population of 2, 423 people. And for these 2,423 people, there are ten churches within the city limits, and almost as many immediately outside the city limits. Most everyone considers themselves a "Christian" because they like to think of themselves as good, but not because they know Christ, follow his teachings, or attend church.

WHY am I telling you all this? Because my small town upbringing solidifies a lot of who I am today. I work in a job where things are supposed to be perfect, the smallest mistake must immediately be corrected, and cost, while important, is not to be the final factor. It is a major factor, but almost never the ultimate one. Appearance is everything. And that is such a far cry from who I am and how I was raised. (and yes, I was raised, not reared...) I cringe inside at all the waste, ponder the frivolous lifestyle of people who have no concept of limited resources, and often miss the simplicity of how things "were back when".

And while people do throw out their trash in AL just like people do here (thankfully Bryan Rd has FINALLY been cleaned up once again), at least people have a sense of humor about it back home, as is displayed by the above photo.