Perhaps the reason many people don't get excited about Easter is that they do not know the full meaning of Jesus' resurrection and are not viewing the holy day in "3D," said Saddleback Church Pastor Rick Warren during one of the first of his weekend service messages Friday.

Warren related the fact that 3D movies have grown in number and popularity recently because some people believe they offer a "fuller experience," using the analogy as an illustration that shows that there is more to the Easter story than what many may perceive as one-dimensional.

He will be giving his Easter sermon at the megachurch located in Lake Forest, Calif., several times in order to accommodate 35 church services held on the main campus and satellite campuses throughout Orange County and neighboring Riverside County through Sunday. All Saddleback's Easter services are broadcast on the church's website as well. more >>

Are American churchgoers becoming too fat and unhealthy to practice their faith? One prominent doctor thinks so.

Dr. Daniel G. Amen, M.D., co-author of The Daniel Plan at Saddleback Church and author of the new book Use Your Brain to Change Your Age, told The Christian Post that our brains use 25 percent of the calories we consume.

"If you want your brain to be healthy, your food had to be. It's your brain that connects with God," he said. more >>

It's not always easy to be joyful, and for many people joy doesn't even seem like an option when times are tough. In her latest book, Kay Warren shares what she has learned about finding true joy in the middle of all of life's circumstances.

James 1:2-4 tells Christians that they should "consider it pure joy" when problems come their way, because trials can produce perseverance and maturity in them, but for many people finding joy in times of sorrow seems like an impossible task. Warren explains in Choose Joy: Because Happiness Isn't Enough how external success does not equal lasting joy, which she says can only come through Jesus Christ.

The Christian Post interviewed Warren about her book on Monday. Here are some excerpts from the interview: more >>

Each year the Tony Blair Faith Foundation runs a blog series, "My Female Faith Hero," to highlight inspirational women of faith around UN International Women's Day. Kay Warren's reflection is part of this series. Read more faith hero stories including Tony Blair's at www.tonyblairfaithfoundation.org

 In 2008 Elizabeth Styffe was an extraordinary woman by any standard: she was a pediatric nurse, had a masters' degree in nursing, had been published in several peer-reviewed journals, was a professional harpist, co-founded the HIV/AIDS Initiative at Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, California, and somehow managed to be a wife and mom to four terrific children. A very impressive resume. But Elizabeth allowed her faith to take her on an unexpected journey into the pain and suffering of orphaned children in a way that radically altered her relationship to God, her view of Christians' responsibility to care for orphans, and ultimately altered the fabric of her family.

After traveling to Thailand, Cambodia, Malawi, South Africa, Kenya, Uganda, and Rwanda in her work as an AIDS advocate, Elizabeth's natural compassion for hurting children, combined with the Biblical command to "care for widows and orphans in their distress "(James 1:27) began to gnaw at her. What could she do for the 163 million orphaned boys and girls in the world? She and her husband, Glenn, began to seriously pray about opening their hearts and their home to at least one of the precious little ones she had encountered in Rwanda. Within a few months, not one, but three orphaned children made the journey from an impoverished orphanage in Kigali, Rwanda, to the Styffes' warm, nurturing home in Southern California where they joined their new siblings. more >>

LAKE FOREST, Calif. – Influential evangelist Pastor Rick Warren has labeled as "flat out wrong" a local newspaper's assertion that he believes Muslims and Christians worship the same God, has partnered with Southern California mosques and has agreed not to evangelize Muslims.

The debate over Warren's alleged beliefs as reported in the Orange County Register has created a firestorm of online discussion, including more than 300 comments underneath the article, and Christians, both leaders and lay people, asking Saddleback Church members and associates a steady stream of questions about the validity of the statements made.

In response to questions raised by The Christian Post, Warren has issued a three-page white paper titled "Muslims, Evangelism and Mission," which asserts that Saddleback Church is preaching Jesus Christ as Savior and a Triune God to the Muslim community. This is not how Muslims view God. The Register, a daily newspaper publication in the area with more than a half-million readers, published an article last week (online and print) stating that Warren agreed not "to try to evangelize" Muslims in a document "outlining points of agreement between Islam and Christianity." more >>

Saddleback Church lead pastor Rick Warren and his congregation said goodbye to their worship music leader for the last 24 years during church services this past weekend at the megachurch's main campus in Lake Forest, Calif.

Worship Pastor Rick Muchow's departure comes at a time when Saddleback is transitioning to a less centralized form of leadership and making room for the next generation of leaders, Warren explained. Although having no plans to retire from worship music ministry work, Muchow is leaving after declining a more administrative-type lead position under the church's newly formed worship team structure.

While addressing his congregation during a tribute to Muchow before services, Warren said it took nearly three years to find and recruit a person having the professional flexibility needed to "keep up" with him. Muchow was able to "go with the flow" on countless occasions when changes to the worship plans were made shortly before and even during church services and functions, he said. more >>