Blessing or Curse? Winter, Community, and Growing Closer to God.
“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith.” – Hebrews 12:1-2
Living in Michigan, it’s easy to moan about the snowy, dark days of winter. But what if instead of viewing these months as something we simply endure, we embraced them as a gift?
Winter can be a beautiful season to slow down– to go to bed earlier, read good books, and give more intentional attention to our spiritual lives.
Without the summer and fall distractions of beach days, yardwork, and packed schedules, we have time to lean into what truly matters.
This season offers a wonderful opportunity to grow in our relationship with God and one another at our church. One of the groups or studies available might be exactly what your heart has been longing for! You can explore current groups on the “Get Involved” tab of our website at www.cornerbiblechurch.org.
This January, we’re also beginning something new—an invitation into a discipleship practice that you may not have heard of before. I hadn’t encountered it myself until about 10 years ago, even after decades of faithfully following Jesus.
I longed to grow, but I wasn’t sure what next steps God might be inviting me to take. Then, through Scripture, God gently opened my eyes to an area of discipleship I had been walking past all along.
In the book of Hebrews, we read about the “cloud of witnesses”—faithful believers who have gone before us and now cheer us on as we run our race. I had always assumed this referred only to those written about in the Bible. But through an assignment in a discipleship class—to choose a hero of the faith to learn from for a year–God showed me that this cloud of witnesses also includes the countless men and women throughout history who have faithfully followed Christ.
At first, I was hesitant. Like many in our church family, I am deeply committed to worshipping Jesus only. The idea of “saint worship” made me uneasy. But that wasn’t what this practice was about.
Walking with a spiritual giant doesn’t mean praying to them or venerating them. It simply means learning from their life of faithfulness and allowing God to use their example to shape our own.
In my experience and in the lives of the others in that class, this practice led to deeper faith, healing, and freedom. As we walked together, we grew closer to Jesus and to one another.
This January, if your heart is longing for deeper community, intentional discipleship, and a fresh way to grow in your walk with God, I invite you to receive the gift of winter. Explore the opportunities available at our church and prayerfully consider which one the Lord may be calling you to.
And if walking with a spiritual giant, sounds intriguing, join us on Wednesday evenings from 5:00 – 6:00 PM as we journey together through Hebrews 11 and 12 for our Corner Bible Journey with a Giant group.
We would love to have you!
Let’s run this race together, fixing our eyes on Jesus, in 2026!