February 2006 (click here for more messages from Pastor Kevin Barner)

We are presently two months into the 2006 calendar year. Much has happened since I have last communicated with you...especially in terms of the weather. The temperatures have dropped drastically below zero. At my last recollection, last week with the "wind chill factor," it plummeted to 40 below zero, Celsius.

Now, to say that is cold, is, certainly an understatement. And with the cold, comes the chaos. All of us have experienced the different seasons of life. Winter is one of those seasons that is a little more difficult than the others. Here are some words I think of that I associate with Winter; death, ice, hypothermia, wind chill, snow, shoveling snow, shoveling more snow, slipping & falling. Salt trucks, dead batteries, frozen windshields, frostbite, thermal underwear, shivering from head to toe. (I am not a winter person)

In our spiritual lives, we sometimes also experience a type of "winter of the soul" or spiritual winter. This is a season of time that describes when the warmth & joy of our life is taken away from us, & the sunshine of our lives seems to be absent.

Winter may come when someone loses their job or experiences vocational failure. They feel a deep sense of sadness & sometimes even shame. Winter may arrive the day the word comes back from the doctor's lab that your test was positive. All the dreams you took for granted-that you will watch your kids grow up & get married; that you will grow old with your spouse & die when you're good & ready-suddenly you are tortured with the thought that you won't be there to see them fulfilled.

Winter may come when you feel as if you have failed as a parent. Or winter comes the day when someone you loved with your whole heart has died. You prayed so hard, you hoped so much, you don't understand.

In Christian circles, we generally associate well-being with the presence of God & assume that suffering means someone has done something wrong. Of course, it is true that pain was not part of God's original plan, & the day is coming when He will wipe all tears from our eyes. Yet, while God hates pain, He can also redeem it. It does not mean He is absent!

Over the many years we have ministered to people, we have seen one thing more than any other that has contributed most to their spiritual growth - PAIN. We must remember that God is more interested in our holiness than He is in our happiness.

The biggest difference between God & you is that God doesn't think He is you! In WINTER (pain) we become very clear about not being God! This is one of the most valuable lessons we can learn.

So keep trusting Him & keep casting your cares upon Him, & the Son will soon shine again in your life. He is with you every step of the way. Until next time...

God richly Bless you,
Pastor Kevin Barner (click here for more messages from Pastor Kevin Barner)