Although most of us are now thinking about summer-time, Easter was not too long ago. And the image of new life that it brings becomes apparent with each flower or plant that springs up out of the ground, not to mention the babies on the way. We had a very interesting Easter Sunday with The Vine and wanted to share a few pictures. There were way more guests than regulars, and even fewer Jesus followers than people of other (or exploring) faiths. A definite highlight was the busting up of a pinata that one of our good friends brought for the celebration! Hope we can keep the celebration going...

Many of you are aware that I’ve (Paul) worked for Starbucks part-time for nearly three years. Wow, that’s crazy to think it’s been that long since we moved to the northwest and began our “cultural adaptation.” Starbucks has been one of the biggest parts of my own adaptation. I now crave coffee every morning; black, freshly ground, and less than thirty minutes old or you can take it back!

Yet my days at Starbucks are no more. We were faced with a situation where I was asked to increase my workload there, which was really an impossibility with church planting. A few weeks ago I had to call it quits. It’s the end of an era, and I’m going to miss many aspects of it. Most of all I’ll miss my co-workers. But I can always drop in to say hi, and possibly have just as long of a conversation as when I worked there.

In place of Starbucks I’ll be looking for volunteer opportunities as a way to be out in the community connecting with people outside The Vine. If another part-time job comes up that fits better with my current schedule then we’ll prayerfully consider it. Once Julie stops working when the baby comes, we may need to reconsider it, but we are trying to adjust our budget right now to see how her maternity leave will affect us. Please pray that I will find a good place to volunteer or, if God wills, a new part-time job.

So for now, we're down to about two bags of Starbucks' coffee in the cupboard. The withdrawal pains are coming soon!