Today is Palm Sunday. It always sneaks up on me — I never seem to know when Easter will be. I wish it would stick to a particular day, or even a particular month! Fortunately, Palm Sunday is sort of like that automated phone call you get from the dentist three days before your appointment, except in a more positive way. When you see the kids waving palm branches, you know Easter is only a week away.

Pastor Reg preached today, and he mentioned that Easter, as compared with Christmas, is actually worthy of a lot more celebration, from a theological perspective. Yet most of the time even Christians spend a lot more time fixated on Christmas than we do on Easter. I suppose he’s right — time to break out the Easter lights and hang our Easter Baskets by the chimney with care.

I love the tradition our church has of bringing the kids up on Palm Sunday to sing for the congregation. It is a lot of fun to see each of them waving the palms (or sometimes colored gauze handkerchiefs) at their parents, while their teachers try desperately to arrange them on the risers without any fatalities.

The kids did a great job singing for us. I was sorry they only stayed for one song.

Our church has begun a building campaign to expand the facilities to deal with recent growth in attendance. Although we’ve grown, I didn’t realize how dramatically until today — there must have been 60 or 70 kids up on the stage this morning. Add the thirty-odd volunteers and toddler and nursery-age kids who stayed in their classrooms, and I begin to understand how our church growth is making itself felt not only in terms of how full the sanctuary is.

Being full to the rafters is a good problem, but I can’t help agree with one of our church members, who wished that we could just clap our hands and a new building would be ready. As we embark on a multi-year fund-raising and building plan, I wonder how we’ll deal with the sheer number of adults and kids that fill our church each Sunday, before the new facility is ready.

I suppose we could seat a bunch of folks up on risers, on the stage, if we give ‘em palm branches. I’m sure the pastor wouldn’t find it too distracting, to have people sitting behind him. It will be sort of like having church ‘in the round’.

Project 365, Day 88
Tim

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This weekend I snuck away with some other homeschooling moms. We are blessed to have a family in our co-op with a beautiful home at the beach.

They share generously with so many people and offered it to us for a mini retreat. We’ve been relaxing, sleeping in, eating delicious meals, and connecting deeper as a leadership team.

It is always difficult to leave Tim and the kids and make time for weekend events. I’m thankful Tim is so supportive of my ministry responsibilities.

Meanwhile I’m sleeping in a bunk bed. Hee hee. Hopefully the sun will be out tomorrow and we can find time for a walk on the beach.

Praying to be used by the Lord in this ministry position. He is so faithful to equip and enable me each time He calls me to serve. I’m not sure why I continually forget that and try to do things in my own strength.

Project 365 – day?
Kathy

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Kathy is off on a leadership retreat for the home school co-op, and so the kids and I are at loose ends. I checked the movie listings and found that Do You Believe was still showing at our local Regal theater.

So we hopped in the car and caught the early evening showing. I always forget that there is no rush to getting to a movie that plays in the theaters — there must’ve been 20 minutes of previews tacked onto the beginning of the film.

Street preacher who appears briefly at the beginning of Do You Believe

It was a very well-spent $46. I always like to support Christian movies when they are in the theater, even though I’ll probably buy the DVD. If Christians don’t go to see these movies, theaters will stop carrying them. After all, why let even one of 15 theaters sit empty? It just doesn’t make good business sense.

There was a decent crowd for a Christian movie — I’d say there were between 40 and 50 people in the theater. Not bad for a movie that has been out a week or so.

The acting was pretty good, and the plot moved along nicely. It wasn’t too preachy, and the movie connected with me — I teared up several times. I was very glad to have a chance to see it, and I’ll definitely buy it when it comes out on DVD. It has a good chance of appearing on the AWANA prize table, one of these days.

One of the grave markers in the Western State Cemetery.

I was out playing my portal game (Ingress) at lunch time, and I happened across a cemetery for people who died in a nearby mental hospital. There are more than 3000 people buried there, in what looks like a poorly-maintained grassy field. It made me sad, to think of so many people dying, most likely abandoned by family. Some of the grave markers were named, but others were merely a brick with a number.

The Western State Cemetery monument

The human mind is very fragile, and I am sometimes frightened by how narrow the gap is between mental health and a variety of mental illnesses. It reminds me of the Biblical story of Nebuchadnezzar, who went from being on top of the world, to being treated as a madman, in a matter of a few weeks.

Number 818 must have had a name, and I know he or she was deeply loved by God.

I am thankful for my mental health, and I don’t want to take it for granted. I am also glad to be reminded to pray for those who suffer from depression, anxiety and other poorly-defined maladies of the mind.

Project 365, Day 86
Tim

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