Right before vacation I finished reading The Emerging Church: Vintage Christianity for New Generations. It gets two really big thumbs up from me. The book was well written, covered a variety of interesting topics, and constantly reminded the reader about what really mattered. To juice it up even more, there were discussion questions at the end of each chapter which would make the book fun to read/study as a group. Also, I found the sidebar commentary by several known players in the 'emerging' world an enjoyable bonus. Last but not least, I am not sure my eyes would have been open to the depth of conflict between old school and new school evangelicals had I not read this book. Not because of the book's content but because of the aftermath of discussions spurred by me reading it. So crack it open and give it a read; or don't.
Speaking of books, my lack of reading is a real problem because I have quite the growing list of books I am interested in. I am currently reading:
Then I have my list of books I want to read:
I am sure I have forgotten several. For example I just remembered UnChristian is another one I want to read. Needless to say I need to get busy!
So I returned The Emerging Church book to my friend, finished packing, and before you know it I was on a plane with my family flying to Houston. Vacation came at the perfect time. Work had been a little stressful and I am sure I needed a break. Of course they announced more layoffs while I was on vacation but hey, that is a different topic! So the plane ride to Houston was smooth (family did great,) car rental was good, and traffic cooperated so that we arrived at my sister's house right on time. Really enjoyed hanging with family the entire week (got to see my sister, her husband, her three kids, my mother, stepfather, father, my wife's brother along with his wife and kids.) Even my wife's parents were visiting at the same time (they live five minutes from us.)
While in Houston I got to play golf (for the first time this year.) The course was beautiful and really fired me up. I would love to play more rounds this year. I have only averaged 1-2 rounds a year since having kids. I also got to see a college buddy and his family that I had not seen in quite some time; we hung out for a few hours at his house. I rode a motorcycle for the first time ever, which was pretty damn cool. I also got to chow down on some serious food (I think I gained 14 pounds while in Houston.) I know this is not a good thing, but seriously you have to get your Sweet Mesquite on when in Houston. I also watched almost every Astros' game while in Houston. I missed a few innings while at my brother-in-law's house but still, this was probably more baseball than I had watched in the last two years combined.
After a week in Houston, we dragged our way through the airport again and eventually ended up at home in familiar blankets with familiar pillows. Of course I had to be at work the next day, but life was good. Most of my first day back at work was spent catching up on layoff rumors and real news (no good employee will go unpunished.) I was not feeling very well, but assumed I was just a bit tired from travelling. The day finally ends and I walk to my car only to find the passenger side rear tire is flat. Sweet. After about fifteen minutes I have the spare on. Not a big deal - a small delay, changing a flat is relatively easy. I hop in the car, turn the key and POP! Something in my car snap, crackle, popped and it did not smell very nice afterwards! Car refuses to start now, but I still have power. So I check all the fuses (they are all good.) Go back into work, borrow a flashlight and check things out. Still did not see anything. So my in-laws come to get me, and we give the car another once-over and discover that the car battery exploded (literally.) The battery is behind the engine and a little hard to see, but with a better flashlight we see that the entire side of the battery has blown off.
Time to go to Wal-Mart! We replace the battery and now the car is as good as new (although I feel bad that my in-laws had to drive an hour just to help me with a battery.) I get home, feeling absolutely dreadful now and pass out before 11 PM which simply reeks of unfamiliarity. When I wake up I need to get the flat patched up and dump the exploded battery at the Wal-Mart auto section, but instead I have a lovely 102 degree fever and end up in bed for the next four days. I got up for extended periods of time to work and watch playoff hockey, but I really did almost nothing for six days.
So now I am back at work, healthy (although the wife is sick,) and looking for my routine so that I can bemoan the fact that I am stuck in a routine. It has definitely been a crazy month. Hopefully my next blog will be a bit more structured!
PS - Hurray for Hillary! She won Pennsylvania, now we get to watch her and Obama be nasty for a few more weeks. Joy.
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