Summer Is Like Pretty Much Over and Stuff and Other Random Things

All my kids are back in school now. I was at Harding Grad School in Memphis all last week for American Restoration Movement. It was a great class, but I also love history, and the professor (Dr. Edward Robinson who teaches at ACU) brought up some really interesting stuff. He shed a lot of light on the issue of segregation in the church and the role the restoration played in the Civil War and its look at slavery. It started out ant-slavery, but unfortunately was converted to the culture in the Progressive Era. I am doing my paper on the events that led up to Dr. Carl Spain's (no relation, but I don't think I would mind if there was) ACU Lecture denouncing the sin of segregation in 1960, when all the Southern Church of Christ schools were still segregated. We still are terribly segregated in our churches. I will have more to comment on as I do more research. I will also have a comment on how I see race relations in our country now.

Camp was excellent as always. Plus with this being the second year at this camp, I came in knowing a lot more of the kids. I could go to camp almost every week, and I wish it was longer. It is so encouraging and invigorating for me. I think because it is one week out of the year where I have no worries and I am much less focused on myself. I really am terribly selfish, but I don't know that I am any more selfish than most.

In the meantime, the post summer blues I typically have has set in. But it is usually a time of Spiritual search, so despite the blues (which are mild, I'm not depressive at all) I have learned to welcome it as a time of search and growth. I can't really explain it, but it has been there the last few years. Summer is the mountain top, fall is the valley. That means its time to start climbing again.

Here are some pictures from the Houston mission trip. I wrote an article on the trip which I will edit for blogging purposes.

Here is the blown tire we had on the way between Nacogdoches and Lufkin, TX:


This is David snoozing in the chair, and what happens to people snoozing when Jake is around. Gotta love his wig:



Here is the birthday guacomole I made for Deena. She loves it and wanted it instead of a cake. I believe I have perfected my guac recipe, because this batch was incredible:


Here is the Sharpie tattoo that my friend Ezequiel drew me, along with his:


And here is one of the funniest signs I have ever seen. Unfortunately, it is from my phone and I haven't been able to make it bigger and readable, so look closely or get your magnifying glass. It was at the NASA Space Center in Webster, TX. I think they need to redesign it:

If you can't read it, the writing at the top says "NASA Tram Tour" and the writing on the black arrow says "Enter Here."


Over the next few weeks, I will have lots of new movie and music reviews, in case you care to have my opinion.