Fall 2026 Grapevine The camp is no more beautiful than it is in the autumn. Yes, it’s quiet and still, but there is something majestic and awe-inspiring about seeing the leaves change from green to amazing shades of red, yellow, orange, and beige. I don’t know why God designed for leaves to change their hues like this—I can’t see how it’s essential for creation to sustain such beauty, but it does reveal the depth of His attention to detail, beauty, and hidden revelations of

I would like to talk about the sovereignty of God, and I must confess it is something I do not fully understand—similar to the Trinity and the timelessness of God, there are things the mind of men can’t fully grasp. Sovereignty refers to God's absolute authority and control over all creation, events, and circumstances. It emphasizes that He rules without limitation, answers to no one, and accomplishes His purposes without interference. But the Sovereignty of God and the fre

Summer Camp Jobs for 2027, a Very Large Puppy, and Plans for France, Colombia & Beyond Hello all! Long time no see! Summer 2026 is officially in the books. The cabins are quiet, the lake is wondering where everybody went, and our staff have finally caught up on sleep (mostly). Which means one thing: the blog is back! Now Hiring: Summer Camp Jobs in North Carolina for 2027 We're already building next summer's team, and we need you. Open positions at The Vineyard Camp include:

Jesus Washes His Disciples’ Feet “It was just before the Passover Festival. Jesus knew that the hour had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end. The evening meal was in progress, and the devil had already prompted Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, to betray Jesus. Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; so he got u

The Word of God and the work of the Holy Spirit give me optimism—not pessimism. I tell you this because pessimism is a much easier disposition to assume, and I see it a lot. Pessimists are just tired of trying. But “pessimism is not about being tired of evil but about being tired of good. Despair does not lie in being weary of suffering, but in being weary of joy. It is when, for some reason or other, good things in your life begin to decline; when food does not feed, when i

A few weeks ago we talked about John the Baptist and how he chided the religious leaders of his day, those seeking baptism, to offer proof that they had turned away from sin. It was a bold demand that perhaps is not being spoken from pulpits loudly enough. But after we truly turn away from sin and place our trust in Jesus, do we automatically stop sinning? Do we become, overnight, a new creature that is the very mirror of Jesus? Well, if you look around and in the mirror, ob

“But I, brothers, could not address you as spiritual people, but as people of the flesh, as infants in Christ. I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for it. And even now you are not yet ready, for you are still of the flesh. For while there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not of the flesh and behaving only in a human way? For when one says, “I follow Paul,” and another, “I follow Apollos,” are you not being merely human?’ I Corinthians 3:1-4

“Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.” (Matthew 7:13-14, NIV) The road less traveled is the road to the Kingdom of God. It’s not that it is impossible to walk through that little gate or walk that narrow road, but because it is so small and so narrow, most folks choose the bigger gate and broader road.

John the Baptist One of the Bible characters we don’t talk about much is John the Baptist. Perhaps it’s because John the Baptist represents a holy man in whom we can’t easily identify. Unlike David or Paul, he appears to have lived an almost flawless life. And of course it was cut short by King Herod when he was merely 30 years old. But I am inspired by this man’s life and hope that you think about what his life represents. “In those days John the Baptist came, preaching i

"This is the word of the LORD that came to Hosea, son of Beeri, in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, and of Jeroboam son of Jehoash, king of Israel. When the LORD first spoke through Hosea, He told him, “Go, take a prostitute as your wife and have children of adultery, because this land is flagrantly prostituting itself by departing from the LORD.” So Hosea went and married Gomer, daughter of Diblaim, and she conceived and bore him a son.” Hosea

"Then Jesus entered the temple courts and drove out all who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those selling doves. And He declared to them, “It is written: ‘My house will be called a house of prayer.’ But you are making it ‘a den of robbers.’ ” Matthew 21:12-13 This is an interesting story because once again it turns upside down these caricatures we have of Jesus as being a meek, soft-spoken, effeminate young man w

. . they found Him in the temple . . . . And He said to them, '. . . Did you not know that I must be about My Father's business?' -Luke 2:46, 49 Jesus’childhood was not one of immaturity waiting to grow into manhood- His childhood is an eternal fact. He is forever and ever the Son of God—no passing of time will change that. But am I a holy, innocent child of God as a result of my identification with my Lord and Savior? Do I look at my life as being in my Father's house—-or a

Matthew 28: 19-20, "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” These are the last recorded words of Jesus, but perhaps the most misquoted and misrepresented of anything He ever said. In His name, well-intended Christians have destroyed civilizations and annihilated entire n

“Now He was also saying to the disciples, “There was a rich man who had a manager, and this manager was reported to him as squandering his possessions. And he summoned him and said to him, ‘What is this I hear about you? Give an accounting of your management, for you can no longer be manager.’ And the manager said to himself, ‘What am I to do, since my master is taking the management away from me? I am not strong enough to dig; I am ashamed to beg. I know what I will do, s

“Then Jesus’ mother and brothers arrived. Standing outside, they sent someone in to call him. A crowd was sitting around him, and they told him, “Your mother and brothers are outside looking for you.” “Who are my mother and my brothers?” he asked. Then he looked at those seated in a circle around him and said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! Whoever does God’s will is my brother and sister and mother.”Mark 3:34-35 So, “what” is God’s will? I want to be a part of the fa

If you could go back in time and witness any event in history, what would it be? The sinking of the Titanic? The parting of the Red Sea? David throwing a stone at Goliath? Perhaps the birth of Jesus? Or what about the winning goal of the World Cup this year? But in truth, no other event in all history could be more important or climactic than the moment the stone was rolled away, and Jesus walked out of that tomb. Seeing that would settle the matter, once and for all, abou

“For it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted to them his property. To one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away. He who had received the five talents went at once and traded with them, and he made five talents more. So also he who had the two talents made two talents more. But he who had received the one talent went and dug in the ground and hid his master's money. Now,

The more I search for truth in the Bible, the more I am struck by things that I’ve read 100 times that meant little to me years ago, but now help me better understand who God is and what He desires. The problem with preaching today, at least in my experience, is that we preachers tend to repeat the same sermons we preached years and years ago, but some of us have ceased to be looking for new truth. I am still a student still—-an apprentice—a learner. Sitting at the feet o

“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than other

Abel The first sin was——-pride—-Lucifer—he wanted to be equal to God! The second sin was—-disobedience—-Adam and Eve—God said “don’t,” and they said, “why not?” The third sin was—jealousy and hate. “Adam made love to his wife Eve, and she became pregnant and gave birth to Cain. She said, “With the help of the Lord, I have brought forth a man.” Later, she gave birth to his brother Abel. Now Abel kept flocks, and Cain worked the soil. In the course of time, Cain brought some