Back Home

Well, I made it back home from Colorado, sleeping on the floor of a charter bus, no less, but I'm home. There's nothing like curling up in a sleeping bag in between the seats of a 57 passenger bus for a nice cozy nap...the roar of the engine, the bumps on the road, the footrest in your back, and the other adult sponsors snoring one row up make it an unforgettable experience. I came back to a whirlwind of activity at the office and also Valentine's day which I didn't forget but was still terribly unprepared for. We're going out tonight instead.

We enjoyed having guests at our home last night, a friend from Memphis Harding Academy, as well as Harding University, Marcus Neely, his wife Stacey, and their son Sam. They are in town for a TMA conference and stayed with us last night. Meredith loved their little baby, much smaller than she is now. We shared a fabulous meal from EZ's.

If you're looking for a memoir about a young preacher and his family experiencing his first full time church work (I'm sure most people are!), check out Open Secrets. I read most of it last weekend on the bus. Richard Lischer poignantly describes his experiences in a small farming community in southern Illinois with humor and humility. His stories both confirm the call of ministry and question the expectations of ministers. A great read for current ministers; maybe not so enjoyable for Freshmen Bible majors.

The Spurs lost last night, but they were 6 & 2 on their 8 game road trip. Not too bad. Maybe they'll come ready to play after the all star break.

The rodeo was fabulous on Monday night. We saw Xtreme Bull Riding, and in the middle, our favorite part: Muttin' Bustin'. This event is where young kids, like ages 4, 5, & 6, get strapped on to the back of a sheep and try to stay on while the sheep runs across the arena. It's awesome! I wish I could do it! The kids wear helmets and grab onto big chunks of fur, just hoping they can hang on long enough to win. This is by far our favorite event. We're waiting for the year they come out with Xtream Muttin' Bustin'! Two straight hours of the wildest, craziest sheep in the country, trying not to be mastered by a 5 year old. I think it would sell out.