Is it winter? Upstate New York just received more than 2 inches of rain in the month of January! What’s up with that? It’s winter, not spring. Since I am a snow lover, I thought one of the benefits of being a pastor in upstate New York was the snow. Where is it!?! My dreams of snowmobiling, skiing, and snowshoeing are quickly becoming just that, a dream. This is not the winter season I had hoped for. The weather we have had lately has been more of a Washington D.C. winter: rainy, some snow, sometimes mild, or sometimes cold. You never know what you will get. Then, just this week, we received a foot of snow. What a crazy winter!
We all know that we have four seasons of weather, but often we do not realize that we go through spiritual seasons. Unlike winter, spring, summer, and fall, spiritual seasons do not begin and end in a timely fashion. Rather, we experience highs and lows with our relationship with God that correspond to our life situations. During high spiritual seasons, we feel on fire for God, have a sense of excitement, and feel the need to reach out to someone. During “low” spiritual seasons, we wonder why we feel so discounted, out of place, or have feelings of doubt. We long for support, understanding, and love.
Huh? A Baptist who celebrates Ash Wednesday? That’s like an American celebrating 
