He Said, She Said: Our Favorite Thing About Louisville

Ladies and gentlemen, it’s time for another edition of He Said, She Said. This occasional Georgia Mae feature allows our resident man blogger and I to discuss different, and sometimes opposing, thoughts on issues both frivolous and grave. Since we’ll soon be leaving Derby City to start a new journey in Birmingham, we decided to share our favorite thing about Louisville.

He Said

Now, I know I’ve been pretty hard on Kentucky, Louisville in particular, over the past eight years. The lack of a 7-11 will do that to you.

Seriously, how can a major metropolitan city NOT have a 7-11? How am I supposed to feed my Slurpee addiction? And don’t tell me to get an Icee instead. That’s blasphemous.

But Birmingham doesn’t have a 7-11 either. What’s wrong with you people? Thousands of children will never know the brain-freezing power of a Slurpee.

However, if I had to point out one thing that will forever be synonymous with Louisville it has to be Indi’s.

For those who don’t know, Indi’s possesses the greatest fried chicken on the planet. Better than even your grandma’s best bird.

What? At least I didn’t select one of those guys who sells watermelons out of the back of their pickups.

It’s funny, because my first Indi’s experience was horrible. My first month in town, a friend and I stopped by Indi’s after catching a late movie. Keep in mind that it was probably 1 a.m. and this place was packed. For some ridiculous reason, I ordered a “fried chicken sandwich” – mainly out of curiosity.

These fools gave me a bony chicken breast with two pieces of white bread. How am I supposed to eat that? Should I just swallow the bones?

I just ignored the bread and ate the chicken, which was pretty impressive. It must have been sprinkled with crack (which wouldn’t surprise me, knowing that shady place…) because I went running back for seconds a few days later. Since then I’ve been hooked. Even though you have to place your order through bulletproof glass and there’s a 70 percent chance your order WILL get messed up, it’s all worth it.

Years later, a few friends from Virginia who were in town for our wedding stumbled across Indi’s and haven’t stopped talking about it.

Of all the things Louisville has to offer, only I would highlight a fried chicken shack. Indi’s, I salute you. Forget that Colonel guy, you are the true chicken king of Ky.

— Edd

She Said

I must say that Indi’s is pretty amazing. Not only is the chicken dope but the sweet potatoes will make you praise Jesus. But speaking of praising God, I would have to say my favorite thing about Louisville is New Vision Ministry Center – and I’m not highlighting a church just to support my good girl persona. NVMC really changed my life.

I was a member of another church for more than three of the four years I spent in Louisville. I loved that congregation dearly, but there was always something tugging on my heart pushing me to search for another church home. I wouldn’t do it. I was comfortable where I was, despite the fact my relationship with Jesus was deteriorating before my eyes.

One of the things I was struggling with most in my spirituality was never feeling good enough to be loved by God. Things got so bad that at one point I was convinced God hated me. Still I wouldn’t try anything new to fix this.

On Oct. 7, 2008 I was hit by a car. The moment my body slammed into cold, wet pavement not only gave me a mild case of whiplash but knocked some sense into me too. I saw how quickly my life as I knew it could be over.

As soon as it no longer hurt to sit for an extended period time (as you may remember, the car collided with my butt) I visited New Vision, which I had known about for years thanks to a huge ad the church had plastered on the wall of a local shopping mall.

From my first visit I knew I was home. The choir sang “Trading My Sorrows,” one of my favorite songs, and when the pastor’s sermon had me jumping to my feet clapping and waving my hands in the air I knew this was a place where I could blossom.

In just the eight or so months I’ve attended New Vision my relationship with God has grown by leaps and bounds. The sermons have taught me so much about God’s grace and mercy. Through the Wings of Worship Flag and Dance Ministry and because of the church’s awesome choir I have experienced true, liberated worship. And after hearing the phrase, “Worship is a lifestyle” for years, I finally know what that really means.

Because of New Vision Ministry Center not only do I love God more, but for the first time in a long time, maybe the first time ever, I am certain God loves me too.

— Javacia