Everything I need to know about ministry I will learn . . .
in the coming months, when it’s too late, through trial and error, by success and failure, from friends, colleagues, and strangers, and when I finally go to meet Jesus.

Life is a learning process, and so is ministry. You know the old saying, “I know just enough to be dangerous”? Just when I think I’ve got the right answers, the question changes.

In these shifting times, how are you feeding your need for learning? This Lenten season may be a good time to give up on a particular time waster such as TV (or whatever your biggest distraction may be*) and focus on intentional learning.

That doesn’t necessarily mean reading books, although it could. When’s the last time you had a thought-provoking conversation with a trusted friend? Surfed the net for perspective on an important issue? Found a new blog worth reading? Spent time in quiet in order to hear God’s voice anew? Memorized a poem or verse of scripture?

Jesus was called “Teacher” for a reason. We all have more to learn.

*Jay and I turned off our satellite dish for two months last summer . . . and didn’t miss it, much. It can be done.

Join us next month (March 12-14) for our inaugural Pastors' Conference – a learning retreat for any and all pastors featuring author, speaker, and pastor, Jim Herrington. Jim will be speaking on The Pastor's Journey.

Space is still available for this three day, two night get away at this first time event. Don’t let money stand in your way! We have a limited number of partial scholarships available for this event. Please contact joan@redwoodglen.com if a scholarship would make your attendance possible.

Cost: $209.00

Eugene Peterson, author/translator of The Message, tackles the HOW of reading the Bible in his recent work Eat This Book. While both convicting and compelling, Eat This Book stretches our personal approach to scripture, insisting that it must be eaten, devoured, digested, and lived. Peterson encourages us to put this Book back in its rightful place, far, far beyond a textbook, letting it live through us.

We are well warned: it is not enough to understand the Bible, or admire it. God has spoken; now it’s our move. We pray what we read, working our lives into active participation in what God reveals in the word. God does not expect us to take this new reality lying down. We’d better not take it lying down, for God intends that this word get us on our feet walking, running, singing.

Much of Eat This Book reveals the history of how Christians have approached these sacred texts over the years. Most interesting is a helpful unpacking of the tool of “Lectio Divina” (literally divine reading) and hearing the story of how and why The Message came to be written.

Redwood Glen is located in the Santa Cruz mountains just 10 miles from the Pacific Ocean. We are an hour drive from the San Francisco and San Jose airports. For more information on our 2007 summer programs and facilities, check out our website at www.redwoodglen.com.

If you are interested in having someone from Redwood Glen or Metamorphosis staff provide pulpit supply, please email us at meta@redwoodglen.com.