From the Pastor's Desk

Fresno Weather and the Grace of God

I lived in the mid-west for a good while. In the summer, one of the highlights was the occasional thunderstorm. When it got very hot, cold air moving westward from the Rockies created the perfect environment for some impressive thunder and lightning. There is nothing like being present when the barometric pressure changes drastically. I miss that.

Living in southeast Alaska was a little like living in the Central Valley. The weather was, for the most part, predictable. Rarely did you hear a thunder clasp, because the hot was never really that hot and the cold was rarely really cold. The relatively predictable weather was about the only similarity. With the humidity typically high, it was like living in a refrigerator most of the time. And when a front comes barreling in off the Pacific Ocean, the impact can be violent. I miss that too.

When I arrived in the Central Valley, Bakersfield in particular, I experienced something I did not think possible. The wind blew at a steady five to ten miles an hour but the temperature remained over 100 degrees! That was a new experience for me.

I have concluded something about the weather as it relates to life. Let me share this: It is better to be in a miserable place, whether it be cold or hot, with God, friends and family than to be in paradise while you are miserable inside. Enjoy the hot summer months, my friends. We have so much to be grateful for.

Pastor Pat