#293 Easter Relief

Ask pretty much any pastor—pretty much any person involved in planning and leading worship for that matter—and they'll tell you that the time leading up to Easter Sunday is busy. Between Palm Sunday and Easter Sunday I feel like I lock in, spending less time on visiting and more time on worship preparations, focused on helping my congregation retrace Jesus' journey through death to life once again. As much as possible I try to move other business until after Easter Sunday because the extra services and gatherings take over my schedule. The week tends to go by in a blur.

Once Easter Sunday comes I feel like I can relax and breathe a little easier. And I think that's exactly the way I should feel. There is nothing more important or more wonderful or more reassuring than Christ's victory over sin and death and all the powers of evil. Easter is a constant reminder that Jesus has secured eternal salvation for His people. We Christians don't need to be afraid, no matter what may come, because nothing can separate us from God's love for us in Christ Jesus. Now it's true that we celebrate Easter a bit every single Sunday when we gather for worship. I shouldn't unnecessarily stress myself out at any time of year. But somehow the Easter good news seems to click a little more clearly for me each spring. Thank God for the hope and joy and peace He gives!

Grace and peace,

BMH

#292 Pregnancy Progress

Tess and I did some remembering and calculating last week, and as far as we can tell, today Tess is exactly as far along in this pregnancy as she was in her last pregnancy when Mia was born. Tess went to see the doctor this morning, and everything looks good enough. We know that things can change in a hurry, and we won't feel fully settled until Baby Boy is safely at home, but we are very grateful to have made it to this point. God has been answering our prayers thus far.

Every week—in fact, every day—that Baby Boy waits to be born is worthwhile. Our hope is to get him to make it to a planned c-section in about six weeks—that's just a few days before his due date. However, even making it four more weeks to May 8 would be a huge victory. At that point, we would be close enough for the pregnancy to be considered full term. The goal is almost in sight at this point. We're getting more and more excited. But in this instance, we are happy to wait.

Grace and peace,

BMH

#291 A-Puzzle-A-Day

This post is a little overdue. I got distracted with some other things, I guess. Last year my parents bought me one of these puzzles for my birthday. They showed up at my house with it on February 18, 2022, one day after my 31st birthday. I spent the next year rearranging the eight wooden pieces to uncover the proper month and day for every day of the year. The first few days were pretty tough, but eventually I learned some tricks that made me much more efficient. I took this picture after completing the whole challenge on February 17, 2023.

And before you ask, yes, I figured out how to get February 29, even though that date didn't come around in 2022. And yes, I also found solutions for the imaginary dates of February 30 & 31, April 31, June 31, September 31, and November 31. I made 372 different combinations.

Throughout the year Lanie was a constant motivator. Day after day she wanted me to show her the proper date. She forgot about the puzzle for a few days after my birthday, but then she asked me to keep going. I told her I've done it all before. The puzzle can wait until she's ready to take up the challenge herself.

Grace and peace,

BMH