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How are all my Patterson neighbors out there? I hope this finds you well.

Some of you out there in reader-land are probably facing some tough challenges. Even preachers do, from time to time. Keep reading for some hope.

Fall is upon us (and so is football season — Go PHS Tigers!) with cool nights and perfect days. That also means the first rains of the season will be here, reminding us that winter is just around the corner. Of course, if we could choose, then we would always have perfect days to enjoy year round, right?

The problem is that would mean it would never rain. Never! Given more thought, that is not a very good scenario. Without the rain, we would not be in very good shape. After all, when it is raining in the valley, usually it’s snowing in the mountains. No rain here means no snow in there. That spells trouble in too many ways to list.

Can we be honest for a moment? Yes, I know this might hurt a bit, but once in a while, being honest with ourselves can be very healthy. So here is a dose of honesty for us: How many times do we cause the storms in our lives? In others words, much of what comes our way that is negative might have to do with a decision that we have made.

That idea is not very popular in our culture right now. It is the trend to blame somebody else even when we are the main culprit. In fact, there is a lawyer from a TV commercial waiting for our call.

Here is a Bible passage that makes something clear: “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). That means that all of us, even our grandparents and favorite relatives, have done wrong stuff that has hurt. We all do stuff that has caused pain and rain in this life.

Part of being a follower of Jesus is admitting this. When you do, then you are ready to receive from Jesus a full measure of spiritual sunshine that will never fade, no matter what happens in this life. You see, there is only one true hope in this life (Romans 5:8; John 3:16-17). Everything and everybody else will let you down at some point.

Are you ready for the next spiritual or emotional storm to come at you? If not, why not find out more about the love and power of Jesus Christ from the Christian Bible? And find out about Jesus for yourself. Try him, you will like him!

The Rev. Ken Hasekamp is minister of Patterson Christian Fellowship. Sermon Notes is a column by ministers of the Patterson Ministerial Association. Any religious leader who would like to write for the column may contact the Patterson Irrigator.