LAKE FOREST, Calif. (AP) _ Pastor Rick Warren is recovering at his California home after being briefly hospitalized due to an eye injury he suffered while gardening.

Warren spokeswoman Kristin Cole says the sap of a firestick plant got into Warren’s eyes when he wiped his brow while gardening at home on Monday. The sap can cause temporary blindness, but Cole says Warren can see and is expected to make a full recovery.

The 56-year-old pastor was treated overnight and released Tuesday from a hospital in Mission Viejo.

On Thursday, he sent a message to his Twitter followers asking for their prayers. Warren wrote that his “eyes were severely burned” and he was suffering “excruciating pain.” He later wrote, “May God use this pain for His glory.”

Warren is the author of “The Purpose Driven Life” and the founder of California’s Saddleback Church.