April 18 – “all the bluster I could muster”

As I briefly mentioned yesterday … Happy Resurrection Day!  Well, Day After, anyway.  We had quite the day yesterday, too.

 

Cailyn and Noa had spent the night with us on Saturday.  I went in with all the bluster I could muster, all prepared to flash on the light and sing “I’m a Nut” to assist them in their waking up process.  Wouldn’t want to disappoint them or anything.  Imagine my surprise when I pushed open the door to reach for the light switch … and there sat the girls, already awake.  In fact, Cailyn was busily braiding Noa’s hair for her.  At 4:15 a.m.  Huh.  Rats.  I must be slipping.

 

Around 700 people gathered on the beach for Kel’s first Easter sunrise service as the new pastor.  It was very cloudy, so we didn’t get to see the actual sunrise.  That was a disappointment.  But we did get a visit from quite a few seagulls, only a few pelicans, and two dolphins who peeked their heads up briefly to see what was going on over on their beach.  We had four baptisms.  Kel asked me to join him in the water, which was not all that cold, by the way.  Always an honor.  There was one child, one teenager, and two adults.  Welcome to the family. guys.

 

Around three hundred came over to the church for breakfast.  It was the most we have ever hosted for that meal.  As a result, there was not a lot left over this year.  Oh, and we also had 60 more at the 10:00 service.  Most of them had not been there at 6:30.  Pretty exciting stuff.

 

Cailyn and Josiah came over after church.  They ran across the street and enlisted Brennan's help to play some kind of wacky football/soccer/kick the ball over the neighbor’s fence kind of game.  They were outside most of the afternoon. 

 

We took our two kiddos home around 3.  That gave us a chance to give the families their souvenirs from our trip, but we did just barely miss Nathan.  He had to leave for work.  Kel and the rest of his crew were all home when we got there, though.  We left there when Ezra and Noa disappeared outside to go off chasing the ice cream truck.  Talk about old school.  Yep.  That’s still a thing, though.  At least it is in their neighborhood. 

 

Romans 3:23-24 says, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Jesus Christ.”

 

Father, thank you for drawing all those folks to the services on Sunday.  Always amazing.  Amen.