My first post in a long time

These've been busy days. The weeks before Easter always are. CTK requires/encourages all staff to track their hours, and those in excess of 48 hours a week become comp hours. It's typical for the program staff to ramp up quite a few comp hours in the weeks preceeding Easter and Christmas Eve. So here I am with several days of comp time saved up.

Throughout Lent we had Wednesday evening services preceded by soup supper. (Back in 2001 when I was unemployed, unsatisfactorily-emplyed and/or underemployed all year, we got hooked on the soup supper because it was one evening of free dinner.) Mark and I alternated leading worship on Wednesday evenings. They were great services - with Vicar Brian preaching on Israel's journey through the wilderness. The kid's got game!

Maundy Thursday, Brian and I again teamed on the service. With our focus on the Passover and the Last Supper, we wanted a more intimate feeling than we usually have in a 700 seat Worship Center - since both Passover and Jesus' final meal occured in homes, not Worship Centers - so we created a "living room" on the thrust of the platform with couch, chairs, coffee table, and populated the living room with 2 guitarist/singers, one vocalist, a percussionist playing a djembe, and myself on keys and vocal. All vocals were handled via Countryman headsets - a lot of production went into making this feel un-produced. It was awesome and very well received. Once we all sat down in the "living room", none of us got up again for the entire service.

Good Friday was a very powerful service with Alicia, EC and myself in the 60 voice choir. The service began with the sound of nails being driven and included the seven last words appearing on screen, very artfully presented - lots of darkness and silence. Lots of opportunities to reflect on the price paid for our salvation. Great series of dramatic messages presented by Pastor Doyle.

Tomorrow, the three of us are again in the choir. I'll be conducting during one of the songs, an arrangement Brian and Mark did of "Crown Him with Many Crowns"; and Dana will be conducting an arrangement by Mark and myself of "Christ the Lord is Risen Today".

The kids have been busy today making Easter Eggs (both real ones, jello ones, and Mexican Cascarones and watching the Narnia movie. Alicia spent hours preparing food for tomorrow, though it will just be the four of us. I spent the better part of the afternoon moving mulch around in the yard - mulch from a chipper that's been working behind the church, clearing brush for the "CTK park".