To encourage faithful church attendance, some pastors will preach the story of the man who doesn’t attend worship service, but chooses to play golf instead, rationalizing his actions by saying that he can worship God among the golf greens and trees better than in any church building.

But of course this is just an excuse, and the golfer knows it.

God has ordained that we come together each week (and more) to worship Him, learn from Him, and to enjoy the fellowship of others.

But while you shouldn’t use the golfer’s excuse to skip church, neither should you make the opposite mistake — spending all your time in man-made buildings and never among the greens and trees of God’s creation.

Whether it’s gardening, walking in the park, hiking in the mountains, swimming in the ocean, biking, camping, there’s nothing like witnessing the glory of God firsthand through the things He has created. God’s divine attributes are clearly seen through nature, but we have to separate from the manufactured world of man to truly appreciate this.

So, don’t miss church those Sabbath mornings. But also, don’t neglect the “Church Without Walls,” that illustrates the nature of God.