Pastors' Blog

We’ve had a few teasing days of sunshine here in Berrien Springs. The snow melted just enough for us to spot grass and the brave little plants underneath. It felt like winter had finally loosened its grip.

And then… more snow.

The cold that seemed to be packing its bags decided to stay a little longer. It makes you wonder: Will winter ever step aside and let spring take over? Were those sunny days just a preview of something better — or a false alarm?

We know how this works. Spring follows winter. Summer comes next. Then fall. Then winter again. The cycle is predictable.

And yet, when we’re in the middle of a season, it’s amazing how quickly we start wishing for the next one.

In the heat of summer, we say, “When will those cool autumn evenings come? I can’t wait to see the trees change color.”
Or maybe it’s more desperate: “I’m so done with these bugs! Please, let the cold come and take them away!”
Then in the fall, we’re tired of raking leaves every other day and start dreaming of a quiet snowfall covering everything like a clean white blanket.

Before long, we can slip into a pattern of living in one season while constantly wishing it away — always waiting for the next thing.

Let me ask you: Is that a healthy way to live?

Don’t answer too quickly. Sit with it for a moment.

I think there are reasons we might say both yes and no.

Think about the Israelites during the Exodus. Under the leadership of Moses, they left Egypt — a place of slavery and bondage, yes, but also the only life they had known. They had some security and routine. But now, they had seen God’s power. They had witnessed miracles. They were free!

And yet… they were in the wilderness.

Day after day, walking through the desert. Not in bondage anymore, but not yet in the Promised Land. It’s not hard to imagine how discouraging that must have felt. Some even said, “Was it because there were no graves in Egypt that you brought us to the desert to die?” (Ex. 14:12). A few wanted to go back. Many were simply weary.

Here’s what I find beautiful: in that in-between season, God gave them manna.

Not a year’s supply.
Not a month’s supply.
Just enough for that day.

If they tried to store it, it spoiled. They had to wake up each morning and trust Him again.

What a lesson for us.

God didn’t rush them straight from Egypt to “a land flowing with milk and honey.” He sustained them daily in the wilderness. The manna kept their focus on what God was doing that day — while still trusting what He would do in the future.

Jesus echoes this in the book of Matthew: “Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself.”

Do we see signs of the times for us now? We know hard seasons will come. We also know they don’t last forever, and a better season is also coming. The same God who holds the future is holding today.

Look at the life of Joseph. The God who gave him dreams and a coat of many colors was the same God who was with him when his brothers sold him into slavery. The same God was with him as he worked in the house of Potiphar, in the prison, and later in the palace serving under Pharaoh.

Joseph didn’t waste his prison season waiting for the palace. He served faithfully wherever he was. He understood who he ultimately worked for. He made the best of each season without losing sight of God’s promises.

He even told his family near the end of his life, “God will surely visit you.” He trusted that the story wasn’t over — but he also lived fully in the chapter he was given.

Maybe that’s the balance.

Yes, it’s okay to long for spring when it’s cold.
Yes, it’s natural to hope for better days.

But we don’t have to put life on hold while we wait.

Winter has its beauty. So does the wilderness. So does the prison before the palace.

May we live with quiet confidence in whatever season we find ourselves. May we trust that God is not only preparing our future, but actively working in our present. And as we move forward, may we keep “waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ” — not passively, but faithfully, right here and right now.

I was looking through the window, marveling at the snowflakes and the beautiful winter scenery, and I found myself thinking, "how much longer will this cold winter last?" We are in the middle of January; therefore, we probably still have a few cold months ahead of us. It will be tremendously important to stay warm during this time. Have we made provisions for that?

Then I remembered a Japanese proverb: “One kind word can warm three winter months.” What a precious thought! Let’s put it into practice and keep warm! Yet, we don’t need to look only to Japanese wisdom; we know biblical proverbs that speak powerfully about the importance of words. I would like to share a few of them here.

Proverbs 15:23 “To make an apt answer is a joy to a man, and a word in season, how good it is!”
Whatever season of life we are in, whatever winter we may be going through, let us use kind words with one another.

Proverbs 16:24 “Gracious words are like a honeycomb, sweetness to the soul and health to the body.”
If we want to remain healthy this winter, let us choose gracious words. And there is even more about our health:

Proverbs 15:4 “A gentle tongue is a tree of life, but perverseness in it breaks the spirit.”
We may need a “windbreaker” when we go outside but let us not break one another’s spirit.

Proverbs 15:1 “A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.”
Let us be peacemakers and use words that do not provoke anger.

Proverbs 18:21 “Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits.”
What a tremendous power we have been given. Let us use it to encourage, to build up, and to help one another stay warm during the winter.

May all of us keep warm this winter. May we use kind words.

Psalm 19:14 “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O LORD, my rock and my redeemer.”

If you have ever had the privilege of reading the parable of the Good Samaritan, found in Luke 10:25–37, you likely know the beauty and wonder behind an incredible individual giving their absolute all to the cause of another. If you have not read it, I encourage you to do so and allow the brilliance of this passage to illuminate your life. For in this story, we see Jesus depicting the character we ought to have if we desire to live eternally with Him.

Without reserve, the protagonist in the story draws near to the critically injured man on the road, and Scripture says that when all others neglected him, this Samaritan “came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn, and took care of him” (Luke 10:33–34).

You can already see quite easily that Jesus is referring to an individual with a self-sacrificing character as the standard to live in accordance with the melody of heaven, for anything else would be a discordant note. The Samaritan, however, does not stop here, but the story continues: “The next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have’” (Luke 10:35).

The Samaritan did not do this out of obligation to his own kin; in fact, it was understood that the men did not share a common background. There was no expected benefit in giving all his time, energy, and financial resources to this man. The Samaritan did this out of a glad and cheerful heart, out of an overflow from something beyond him, a spring of water welling up into eternal life.

Matthew 25:40 says, “‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’”

Harbor of Hope has only been able to live this out because of the strength and leadership of Pastor Jharony Gibbs and several other leaders. Because of this, Harbor of Hope has become a beacon of hope in the community and has raised awareness of life-giving messages and lifestyles.

This season, the Harbor of Hope Church, the Benton Harbor community, and I, Pastor Jonathan Garcia, thank her for all the self-sacrificing time, energy, and more that she has poured out in furthering the kingdom of God. When there was someone hungry, when there were those who thirsted, when a stranger was in need, Pastor Jharony was there and present.

So for this, we say thank you. As we press on into a new year, let us hold a zeal in our hearts to have the spirit of heaven and to minister to those around us.

It seems to be a trend these days. If you've been following the blog over the past few weeks, you've probably noticed that the inspiration comes from the wonderful changes in nature. Walking the streets of Berrien Springs and the surrounding roads around Andrews has been a recent reminder of the immense beauty that still exists—even in a fallen and polluted world.

Jesus' direct interactions with nature are numerous in the biblical record. To begin with, He often used everyday events or situations in nature to teach spiritual truths (like the "mustard seed" in Matthew 13:31–32, the "birds" in Matthew 6:26, or the "signs of the times" in Matthew 16:2–3). Sometimes His illustrations were simply invitations to reflect, as in the case of the "lilies" in Matthew 6:28–30.

But there were also those moments when Jesus altered nature in extraordinary ways. One example is when He "rebukes the storm" and the winds and waves "obey" Him (Matthew 8:23–27). In a similar situation on the lake, Jesus "walks on the water" (Matthew 14:22–33) and even enables Peter to walk on the water for a brief moment as well. I wonder about the mechanics of such a miracle—did He make the water denser, did a school of fish support them from below, or did He grant the human body a momentary ability to levitate? We don't know. But we are certain that they walked on water, and that something happened to cause Peter to sink—leading Jesus, after rescuing him, to say: "O you of little faith, why did you doubt?"

Another moment, also involving a fish and also involving Peter, is when God sends a fish to Peter carrying the coin needed to pay their taxes (Matthew 17:24–27).

These interactions become increasingly fascinating—sometimes unexpected, and in some cases difficult to fully understand.

One such example is what I want to share with you today. Looking at the streets and trees during this season here in Michigan reminded me of the event recorded in Matthew 21:18–22. It's true that in that Bible episode it was spring, not autumn like it is here now. But even then, some trees were just beginning to blossom, while one stood already in full bloom. Just as we see today—some trees yellow, others orange, some already bare, and a few still clinging to their evergreen foliage—there's a clear difference among them.

And what Jesus does in that moment really captures my attention. He goes to the fig tree looking for fruit, and finding none, He curses it, and the fig tree withers. Doesn't this action of Jesus seem strange to you? Ellen White writes, "Christ's act in cursing the fig tree had astonished the disciples. It seemed to them unlike His ways and works. Often they had heard Him declare that He came not to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. They remembered His words, 'The Son of man is not come to destroy men's lives, but to save them.' Luke 9:56. His wonderful works had been done to restore, never to destroy. The disciples had known Him only as the Restorer, the Healer. This act stood alone. What was its purpose? they questioned." (DA, 582.2)

This action surely startled the disciples, leaving them perplexed by such an unusual reaction. Clearly, there were things they did not yet understand about Jesus' ministry and about the events they were soon to face. Jesus was preparing them—teaching them something essential.

The disciples asked how the fig tree could have withered so quickly, and Jesus answered, "If you have faith…" (Matthew 21:21), opening a new and important topic about "faith" and what "we ask of God in prayer" (Matthew 21:21–22). But returning to the withered fig tree—and the other fig trees blossoming around it—was there another lesson, another warning, that Jesus wanted His disciples to grasp? What does it mean that this fig tree would never bear fruit again—not just for that season or that year, but permanently?

The answer lies in the earliest verses of the story: Jesus went to the tree looking for fruit, the very reason it had been created—"to bear fruit"—and this tree had none. It appeared promising: its blossoms, foliage, and vibrant leaves suggested that fruit should be there. But in reality, it produced nothing.

Ellen White recognizes that this warning is for us as well: "The warning is for all time. Christ's act in cursing the tree which His own power had created stands as a warning to all churches and to all Christians. No one can live the law of God without ministering to others. But there are many who do not live out Christ's merciful, unselfish life. Some who think themselves excellent Christians do not understand what constitutes service for God. They plan and study to please themselves. They act only in reference to self. Time is of value to them only as they can gather for themselves. In all the affairs of life this is their object. Not for others but for themselves do they minister. God created them to live in a world where unselfish service must be performed. He designed them to help their fellow men in every possible way. But self is so large that they cannot see anything else. They are not in touch with humanity. Those who thus live for self are like the fig tree, which made every pretension but was fruitless. They observe the forms of worship, but without repentance or faith. In their profession, they honor the law of God, but obedience is lacking. They say, but do not. In the sentence pronounced on the fig tree Christ demonstrates how hateful in His eyes is this vain pretense. He declares that the open sinner is less guilty than is he who professes to serve God, but who bears no fruit to His glory." (DA 584.1)

May our lives fulfill God's purpose for each of us—serving, loving, giving, providing, helping, and extending ourselves to those who need us by their side.