All Times are His Seasons
Thoughts on Winter and the Annual Report for Faith for Living and the D. James Kennedy Institute of Reformed Leadership (and a song)
This post includes my annual report to the board, and I try to make it suitable for general publication. So, welcome to the 2025 Annual Report for Faith for Living, Inc., and the D. James Kennedy Institute of Reformed Leadership.
I would like first to offer a devotion on this first day of the new year. With winter weather settling in across much of the country and some of us experiencing life-like winter days, I thought I would share this drawing and the scripture that inspired it.
“I this day solemnly renewed my dedication of myself to God, and my dependence upon Him, and committed myself and all my affairs to His wise and gracious disposal.”
— Matthew Henry, Diary, New Year’s Day, 1705
Winter Praise (Psalm 96:12)
Then shall all the trees of the forest sing for joy” (Psalm 96:12 ESV).
Winter has a beauty of its own.
I drew this piece inspired by a western North Carolina winter and by the quiet discipline of one of the Dutch Masters. Creation stripped of ornament, yet not of vocation—that, it seems to me, is a divine lesson written into the world itself. Even in snow and silence, the trees fulfill their calling—not with leaves, but with lifted limbs.
There is a particular grace in winter for those who are hurting, for those who feel the loss of autumn or find themselves longing for spring. Scripture and experience alike remind us that we are not only capable of praise in seasons of abundance. Often it is when life strips us—of health, of friendships, yes, even of a beloved presence—that we bring our hearts to God more honestly. They may be broken, but they are also more dependent, more supple, and, perhaps, more sincere.
I was reflecting on these truths when I wrote a line in the song that follows:
There’s a beauty in winter, when the once full trees are bare
You can see a whole lot farther than when springtime once was there
And the fire glows, and your heart knows, there’s life beyond this world.
So think not that the cold seasons of life—however bitter or unrelenting—are devoid of God’s love. As John Donne preached on Christmas Day in 1624, “All occasions invite his mercies, and all times are his seasons.”
And that includes winter. Especially winter.
A Song for Winter Days
“Little Child”
Words and Music © Ⓟ 2007, 2025
Michael Anthony Milton (Bethesda Music Group, BMI)
A flower tucked in the pages
Of a Bible from long ago
Here’s a picture of a young woman
Holding a child so close
But that child is now a grandmother
And the flower has faded away
But the words in that old Bible
Will speak to her and say
Even down to your gray hairs
I am the One who always cares
I am the One who saved your soul
And you can never grow so old
That my love will not hold you
You are still my little child
A young soldier posing proudly
For a snapshot to give his bride
Too quickly the years have gone
And she’s no longer by his side
They say men don’t make this adjustment
And you’re starting to agree
For there was nothing like your lady
But your Lord says, listen to me:
There’s a beauty in winter, when the once full trees are bare
You can see a whole lot farther than when springtime once was there
And the fire glows, and your heart knows, there’s life beyond this world
That my love will not fail you
And my life will enfold you
And my grace will uphold you
You’re still my little child
You’re still my little childFor those interested, I have provided our annual report and an opportunity to donate to our needs. They are modest but genuine.
The Lord bless you with the reality of our risen and reigning Savior at your side.
The Report
Learn more about the ministry of Faith for Living and the D. James Kennedy Institute of Reformed Leadership at our official summary page.
Sources
Giving
If the Lord leads you, you may give to Faith for Living and the D. James Kennedy Institute through PayPal:
For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.
—Ephesians 3:14-21
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