Cheeseburger in Paradise Phil, Terri, Donna, Steve and I were living these words of the famous Jimmy Buffet song Friday atop the campus of Pepperdine overlooking the waves of the Pacific ocean. We had just sat down to a table on the patio at the rear of the bookstore with 5 thick, freshly grilled burgers and an appetite to boot. We had already been feasting at the feet of spiritual giants such as Jeff Walling, Mike Cope, Randy Harris, and Monte Cox and this was icing on the cake to witness such a majestic view during lunch. It was all we could do to keep the ocean breezes from swiping our paper plates or blowing Terri's trademark sunglasses off the top of her head, but it didn't matter; the view was gorgeous and it was another defining memory of a spirit filled week praising God and fellowshipping with friends. This was my second pilgrimage out west and proved to be every bit the blessing it was to me last year. Don McGlaughlin was my favorite with his 3 days of lessons on "Getting the Passion Back in our Churches." Order the CD's on-line; it will be a great investment for you individually and for your church leaders. Go to the Pepperdine website for info. I'm not as savy as my blogger friends in linking from this post. Just Google it or something. If you get the opportunity next year, plan on attending. I believe the theme will focus around The Beatitudes. It will be rich. I promise, you will be encouraged, uplifted, filled to the brim with resource information, and equipped with a modern strategy for helping claim lost souls in your communities. Wouldn't that be enough of a bribe to get you there...not to mention the cheeseburgers for lunch with a view of paradise?  ¶ 11:40 PM