I couldn’t make it to a Good Friday service this year. Instead, returning to my liturgical roots, I found a nearby Maundy Thursday service. Weeks of preparation through lent, real palm branches to wave (and hours of entertainment) on Palm Sunday, Ash Wednesday, Maundy Thursday, and Good Friday services were all part of my growing-up years. Those nights were always somber, contemplative and rich in depth, even to my young memory. And that’s where I found myself this year, on

There's something about the trees this spring. Maybe it’s just me. Maybe it’s just early in the season. Or maybe it was our unusually-harsh, Northwest winter. But this year, I can’t help but notice the blossoming trees. They’re different this time around the sun. Usually, the pallets of pink and white flowers, the green blossoms, and the other spring-shades that color the trees draw my attention every year. With winter past, barren branches stand covered in color. But that’s