Going off-road…the weekly 4×4

1.   going on vacation is always a double-edged sword.   the excitement of planning the trip.   the anticipation of going.   the time away and the (hopefully) refreshment that happens when we get out of our routine.   mind-rest.   travel.   all of it.   but then there’s the ugly reality that i’ve got to pack two weeks of work  into one over the next seven days,  if i’m actually going to experience any of the joy of making it to california next week.   i’m already feeling tired…

2.   over the past thirty years,  or so,   i’ve spent virtually every spring break in mexico with the youth group.   when we were escorted out of juarez last year due to the violence that hit the american consulate,  i think i knew right away that our trips to mexico were going to end for a while.   i’m still incredibly sad over what is going on there and that we have to cut off relations with our friends there.   incredibly sad.

3.   with all the mess of ceiling and wall repair going on in our living room…and the preparations for painting and room decor (yeah,  the farra’s have room decor) …we have transformed our bedroom into our living room for the duration.   the problem?  our “master” bedroom is the size of a basic bedroom.   12×12.   we already had a king-size bed,  with a little room on either side.   we’ve now added our large television (sitting on our dresser),  a recliner,  the dog kennel,  and various storage boxes.   i think the producers of hoarders are thinking of getting us to star in an upcoming episode…

4.   this is deserving of more conversation and processing,  but let’s just say that the shooting death of the young pastor in arlington a couple of days ago is gut-wrenching.   my sadness and questioning have grown exponentially since it happened.   tonight,  my heart goes out to that church family as they walk through the valley of the shadow of death without one of their own.   so hard.

1.   we were totally blessed a week ago to have the thursday night young adult group come and scrape the popcorn insulation off of our damage living room ceiling.   that could be one of the grossest home repair jobs ever.   they were amazing!   thanks to erin, chris, ross, elizabeth, logan, aanna, luke, harmony, conner, kyle, rejoice, lana, amy, brandon, jennifer, cammy, and josh.   hope i didn’t forget anybody.   the new ceiling is now in!

2.   did you catch the story of the BYU star basketball player being kicked off the team for breaking the team (and school) “honor code”?   BYU students sign the code which requires them to be honest;  live a chaste and virtuous life;  use clean language;  abstain from alcoholic beverages,  tobacco,  tea,  coffee and illegal substances;  and attend church regularly.   surprise!   here’s a huge “thumbs up”  to those wacky mormons for raising the bar high for their students…and actually having the hair to enforce it.   i wish we saw more of that these days.   side bar:   i hear the basketball player may actually be transferring to my beloved alma mater,  san diego state.   yes,  i’m a hypocrite.

3.   new favorite restaurant:  the hard 8 barbecue in coppell.   they take barbecue to a whole other level.   the entire experience was amazing.   and we even had billy ray and bubba rockin’ the house with some live,  “b” side country music.   god bless texas.

4.   i have to admit that preaching along side the book “radical”  has been a challenge.   today was especially tough.   but i think the experience has been a good one for our people.   i know the study has been difficult and some of the concepts have been more than just hot buttons…and i really believe that hearts are being stretched into conformity to god’s word and the demands of jesus.   i can’t wait to see how people respond in the months ahead.