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"Before
the Rain" Easter, Saddleback Church 1994 "In 1994, then a member of Saddleback Community Church, our church was preparing for Easter services. Saddleback only had one building, which could not accommodate 13,000 plus expected for Easter Sunday services. The only solution they had was to put up a huge tent. One day as I drove past the church, I saw the tent in the distances. Then I saw the crosses decorated with an array of flowers. The day was bright and beautiful although the weatherman’s forecast was rain, but not this day. No rain was in sight. I drove closer to the church, and I saw the Crown of Thorns they had placed upon the top of the center cross. What a beautiful scene for a painting, I thought. I pulled into the parking lot, took out my pencil and paper and began to sketch. A few photographs were taken. Then I hurried back to my studio to capture in a painting that which had so inspired me. What a beautiful picture of Christ, in the humbleness of the tent and the beauty of the cross. "Easter it did rain, but it was an unforgettable experience. The tent leaked and the people worshiped like never before with their umbrellas opened. The tent is long gone, but the memory of that Easter is forever burned into our minds and we still recall how the cross stood through it all." |
