Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

     It's been a long winter.   Many folks think of all the cold and ice and snow and wind of this winter "make up for" the mild winters of years past.  But it's almost over.  It's almost time to think of spring. 
     Spring!  Yes!  It's almost here!  About a month ago, the groundhog saw his shadow, giving us another six weeks of winter.  And those six weeks are almost over!
     Ahh, think about it.  Isn't spring a wonderful time of year?  It's not quite winter, yet not quite summer.  We don't yet have the hot days of summer, nor do we have the wintry precipitation.  It's a transition.
     Come to think of it, we have many transitions in our lives.  But in busy world, we too often miss them.  We make transitions from childhood to adolescence to adulthood.  We make transitions in academics:  elementary school to middle school to high school to college.  We make transitions in our lifestyle:  from dependent upon our parents to independent (single) to have others depend upon us (having children, or other family in need).  We make transitions in our work, in our avocations, and even in our own sense of culture.
     Yet we often forget that we make transitions in our faith.  We grow.  We develop.  We mature.  And with that growth comes new insight beyond understanding.  We transition into a closer relationship with God.
     No wonder the Lent-Easter season is so closely related to the coming of spring.  It allows us an opportunity to make that transition of faith.  It allows us room to move into a deeper understanding and trust of our Lord.
     So as we approach spring, let's be mindful of the spiritual growth we have ahead of us.  Let's continue to move ahead into new opportunities for ministry.  And let's continue to grow, develop, and mature in our faith - together!

     Wishing you God's blessings,
     Pastor Jon West