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  • Circling Up the Mountain

    mountain3-webNovember is definitely my favorite time of the year. The leaves have turned and most of them will be off the trees by the end of the month. The weather is cool. The days are short. Hockey season is in full swing. Most people might not see these as positive as I do, but for as long as I can remember I have enjoyed the brisk November air, the short days which gives permission to stay inside and catch up on a good book or your favorite TV series. The bare trees remind me that everything goes in cycles and new life will come back in a couple months. To tell the truth, I love experiencing all the seasons. Though I dread the summer I know that eventually it will come back around to the fall. This is similar to our spiritual journey as well.

    In October, the ministry team and the deacons took a weekend away to learn about ourselves and each other. One of the best images that I took away from the weekend was when Dr. Ken Orth provided us with a way to explain how our spiritual journey is always moving forward even when we feel like we have been in the same place before. He told us to imagine us climbing up a mountain by slowly going around it. On one side of the mountain it’s nice and sunny and everything seems to be great. Then we get to the other side to find it raining and cold. Eventually we make it back to the nice side and then again to the dreary side. We do this the whole way up the mountain. We may think that we are just going back and forth from side to side but we realize that each time we get to the other side, we are a little bit higher than we were before. I loved this and connected with his imagery so well. Our journey isn’t always bright but we know that each time we get to the other side we are a little bit further along.

    Take this month of thanks and be grateful for everything that we have. Remember that no matter what, God is climbing that mountain with us. He is by our side and we are learning more about him each step we take.

    I leave you with a passage from James 1:2-4:

    My brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of any kind, consider it nothing but joy, because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance; and let endurance have its full effect, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking in nothing.

    —Ben Pulaski
    On behalf of the Ministry Team