Movie theater church

This morning, I went to the church that meets in the Union Station movie theater. Wild, huh? I found it fitting, tho.

A movie theater is accessible to everyone, unlike today's churches. It's open to the homeless, the poor, the punks, the gays. The movie theater rejects no one.

With such diversity and in so mainstream a setting, you'd think the message would be a watered-down version of "Jesus loves me." This was not the case. Instead, Pastor Mark stood before the congregation and spoke out in Truth about the nature of sexuality and God's intentions for it. His message was powerful and made me think in ways I've never thought.

Maybe one day all churches will meet in movie theaters.

After the service, I felt a strong compulsion for solitude. I grabbed a slice of pizza at the place with the ugly woman's head on the logo and walked over to the park behind the Capitol. I rested against the stone stairs and wrote postcards and journaled. It was a nice time, but my mind kept racing. I soon headed back to the apartment, stopping to get a smoothie at the Bagels and Bagettes place (highly recommend).

I know this next week is going to be fraught with hard work. I want desperately to write the Reagan funeral story, but I don't know if I'll get it. This is huge, and I'm not so sure I've proven myself. Jess Wehrman, the Courier and Press Washington correspondent, told me I could write whatever I wanted and that she wouldn't get territorial, but I don't know if she'll let me have this one. I'm here, tho, and I want it. It would be the biggest story of my career thus far. "God, I hope I get it."