About a month ago, I had the honor of being on the faculty at the 50th Anniversary of the Mount Hermon Christian Writers Conference, near Santa Cruz, CA. I taught two workshops, preached at the Palm Sunday worship, met with conferees and fellow faculty and editors. Yeah, hectic and rushed and crushed. But MH lies in the coastal redwoods with a canyon carved by Bean Creek and with ample trails. Strolling among the redwoods with a friend works well to restore a drained soul, and I took full advantage of it. On a trail on a steep hillside…
Read MoreWhat Kind of Wine Are You?
Recently, Sheila and I joined a local wine club. Avensole offers a tranquil, relaxed setting, some fine wines, and good conversations with the sommeliers and fellow members. One benefit—we each get a free glass of wine on each visit, and I’ve learned a lot. Particularly, I’ve seen some spiritual lessons that wine provides, enough to craft a book proposal! But if you don’t drink wine, no need to stop reading. I’ll share a lesson I learned on how to better connect with the world’s best winemaker—Jesus.
Read MoreWhy Worship Together?
Last week’s post attracted a lot of interest, but the topic has another level. Then, we explored why we worship—it’s the best antidote to self-centeredness. Some of my most glorious worship occurs in the mountains. Immersed in the beauty of the world that God created, away from the overpowering touch of man, my ego shrinks as I get lost in God’s transcendence. Those magnificent Sierra vistas shout out the grandeur of God.
But worship exceeds that half hour of singing at church, the hour plus of the “worship service.” Worship is life. Yet here is where we can easily miss a key aspect of worship
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