Easter Evening: In Pacis Requietum

5:30 A.M.
Wake up, make coffee, start roast in crockpot with one bag french onion soup and a bottle of Guinness, finish notes for today's sermon.

6:30 A.M.
Alanna is awake. Make a bottle and enjoy a quiet moment with her. Much too short as she begins fussing, crawling about and, of course, falling down and bumping her head.

7:00 A.M.
Beloved takes a shower while I entertain both girls for a while with Sesame Street. Drink my third cup of coffee. Wonder how the day will go, now that I'm somewhat conscious.

7:30 A.M.
I shower while Beloved has playtime with the girls. Beloved leaves just before 8:00, so I shave and dress while watching the girls, then set out the rolls to thaw and rise. Unwrap the ham, place in the baking pan and set the timer on the oven.

8:15 A.M.
Start getting the girls ready for church.

9:00 A.M.
Arrive at church in something less than a happy mood. (Note the time difference between the last two time checks for possible cause) Breakfast puts me right: biscuits & gravy, egg casserole, potatoes and an omelet make for a happy pastor (especially the bacon & sausage after the Lenten fast!)

9:45 A.M.
Leave girls with Beloved and sundry church child care folks and head off to my part of Sunday morning. Purchase donut holes and OJ for students, Starbucks for me and head to University Lutheran Center.

10:20 A.M.
Prepping for worship, including setting up communion, double checking Power Point show and making sure I have full liturgy script and sermon notes, plus a hymnal. I've done good advance work this week, so I'm free to shake hands and greet folks from about 10:35 until worship starts.

11:00 A.M.
Easter Celebration Worship. Songs in the liturgy replaced with Easter hymns in a "Jesus is risen" extravaganza. Consider contacting KTel or Time/LIFE to tell them about our "greatest hits" Easter service. :-) Easter sermon seems to preach well - "Raised for Hope" is the title. After listening to it again tonight, I think I managed to stay out of God's way this morning. Assisting minister carries his load perfectly, brass group hastily assembled Thursday adds a nice touch to the service, all goes well. I think I like this part of my job.

12:15 P.M.
Quickly shed my alb and meet with a woman looking for a handout from the church. Invite her to contact local service agencies for food and agree to buy her a tank of gas at a local filling station. Gas dispensed, I hurry home to finish Easter dinner for the students who've accepted our invitation.

12:30 P.M.
Ham & roast have turned out well. Cheesy potatoes are still baking, baked potatoes (for the lactose intolerant) are a bit behind. In the hurry to finish baked potatoes and everything else, we forget the vegetables until just before serving - too late to do anything about it. In the midst of conversation about the rest of the meal, realize that we've used Cream of Chicken in the cheesy potatoes, much to the chagrin of the vegetarian raving about how good they are as she dishes up seconds. Profuse apologies ensue. Student-baked apple pie and coffee top of a wonderful time together.

3:00 P.M.
Students have left, girls are in their rooms for naps and I'm downstairs, exhausted. But on my DVR, Lefty has made four birdies in the first six holes of his round at the Masters. I settle in for a long afternoon of excitement, capped by disappointment at the end when Phil ties for 5th.

7:00 P.M.
Beloved is giving Ainsley a bath and I'm dealing with fussy Alanna. Teething is no fun for anybody.

8:00 P.M.
After phone calls from my brother and my mom, we put the girls to bed and finally repair downstairs for television and private time. "Amazing Race" is a good one tonight.

9:00 P.M.
I finally get around to reading Foy Davis stories from Gordon at Real Live Preacher. Good stuff.

10:45 P.M.
Full day - and I'm tired, but happy. Christ is risen! He is risen, indeed! Alleluia!

Grace & peace,
Scott