In an almost New Testament manner, an earlier church we attended had a satellite campus at a winery east of Temecula. The pic above shows the view the gathered believers have during worship. This last Sunday, just after the sermon began, a small, yellow-breasted bird flew up to the window, beating his wings trying to get in. Tiring, he flew back to a grapevine branch, rested, then resumed his attempts to enter God's presence. After a few moments he tired…
Read MoreOf Wine and Weeds
Today, the Sunday before this post went up, provided some great encouragement and a lesson. The message at church convicted me to the core of my soul, then I had a great bacon cheeseburger at a local golf course. Then Sheila and I stopped off at our winery (well, we’re members, not owners 😉), and something struck me. Look at the pic above. Just in front of us were…
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What 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.
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by Van Gogh
A Holy Consumption
This shouldn’t happen at 68, but the fresh result of combining existing concepts still amazes me. One word from this week’s sermon and taking the Lord’s Supper combined with my mind’s semi-misuse of a word to amaze me. Here’s what happened. Our pastor used the word “holy,” fairly briefly, that we all should be set apart for God. My mind then transposed that word “holy” into a completely different word, “whole,” which is the meaning of the word “salvation.” Soon after ...
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Awaiting the Seasons
Ever look back on the “good old days?” Were yours as good as you remember, or has time improved them? Or were your good old days something you impatiently awaited, and they came so slowly? Sometimes the best seasons of our lives still lie before us, but how can we tell?
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image by Iowa State
Why 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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