We have a big week ahead with Easter looming but today we talk retirement and of course

we're moving from winter to spring and as we make this transition the snowbirds are moving

from the south back to northern cities and towns and Kyle and Somerset Kentucky emails

in Hello Pastor John do you have any thoughts on snow birding?

The practice of retirees who leave for warmer climates during the cold months and return

when the weather gets warmer. As a minister and a local church I've seen segments of

the population disappear in the winter and it seems to have an impact on the life of

the congregation. Do you see this as an acceptable practice for believers and how can church

leaders address this issue with care and without giving unnecessary offense to those who have

worked hard during their careers and feel this is their prerogative? Thanks for any insight

you can give. I just turned 70 all right so I feel increasingly privileged position from which

to make pronouncements about the evils of the American dream of so-called retirement and you

live your round of Minneapolis. I do I do I live in a it's natural to go to Florida in January

from Minneapolis that would be a natural thing to do. Helpful maybe not but natural yes so this

question about snow birds is part of a larger question about how those of us who have stepped away

from our lifelong means of livelihood should be spending the last 20 years of our lives.

That's the big question much bigger than than just snow birding. The Bible is not silent about

because it's not silent about life and the period between 65 and 85 is called life is not

something else. In fact it is a crucial part of life because it is the last period of preparation

before we stand before the Lord face to face and given account for every idle word and moment

according to Matthew 1236 snow birding is just one of many lifestyle issues that come with being

fairly wealthy western people. Most people in the world don't have these choices right? We have

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