Love in Action - Every Season of Life

Life changes, but God’s purpose does not disappear when circumstances shift. Pastor Chris Teien explores how Ecclesiastes 3 helps us understand the seasons of life and how believers can show love through beginnings, growth, transition, loss, endurance, and rest. Learn how to recognize the season you are in, trust God’s timing, and love others well in theirs.

In This Message

1. Recognize God’s Timing in Every Season
   (Ecclesiastes 3:1–11)
   Solomon reminds us that life is made up of changing seasons, and each one carries opportunities for wisdom, love, and faithfulness. This section encourages listeners to embrace where God has placed them instead of resisting change or assuming their usefulness has passed.
2. Spring: A Season of Preparation and New Beginnings
   (Isaiah 43:19; Proverbs 3:5–6; 1 Thessalonians 5:11)
   Spring represents fresh starts, growth, preparation, and new opportunities. Pastor Chris applies this season to singles, new relationships, newlyweds, young parents, and anyone beginning again, emphasizing the need to seek God’s wisdom and encourage others as they grow.
3. Summer: A Season of Fruitfulness and Activity
   (Galatians 5:13)
   Summer represents energy, responsibility, relationships, work, family, ministry, and active investment in others. This section highlights the importance of serving humbly in love, staying spiritually fueled, and using fruitful seasons to glorify God rather than becoming distracted or burned out.
4. Fall: A Season of Transition and Reflection
   (Titus 2:3–5)
   Fall represents change, harvest, reflection, and preparation for what comes next. Pastor Chris connects this season with empty nesters, career shifts, relationship changes, and later adulthood, encouraging believers to share wisdom, remain fruitful, and help others follow God faithfully.
5. Winter: A Season of Endurance and Rest
   (Romans 5:3–5; Psalm 46:10)
   Winter represents endurance, slowing down, trust, and resting in God’s promises. This section reminds listeners that even in harder or later seasons of life, God’s love remains steady and believers can still encourage others, pray, serve, and finish faithfully.

You can listen to another message on this Ecclesiastes passage at https://www.buzzsprout.com/2285086/episodes/16335523

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Helping you apply God's Word and follow Jesus in everyday life. Learn more at ChrisTeien.com and Rockwell.church  Find episode transcripts at Well.faith 

Transcript

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Chris T 0:16

All right, so I'm doing a four-week love in action message series. And today I wanted to focus on love and action for every season of life and relationship status, which should probably cover all of you. So I'll talk more about that in them in a minute. But whether you're single, married, engaged, divorced, widowed, or somewhere in between, God has a purpose for you in this season of life. So if you are still breathing, God is not finished with you yet. So He won't be finished with you because after this life, then you step into the next one. But when we look at the book of Ecclesiastes, and we look at what Solomon wrote about life and the different seasons and times of life, it is meaningful and helpful. So let's watch a video clip of that right now.

SPEAKER_00 1:13

There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens, a time to be born, and a time to die, a time to plant, and a time to uproot, a time to kill, and a time to heal, a time to tear down, and a time to build, a time to weep, and a time to laugh, a time to mourn, and a time to dance, a time to scatter stones, and a time to gather, a time to upgrade, and a time to refrain from upright. A time to start, a time to give up, a time to time to run away, a time to tear, and a time to land, a time to be silent, and a time to speak, a time to love, and a time to hate, a time for war, and a time for peace, and it's a good idea.

Chris T 2:49

So, yeah. Oh well, it just makes the video look weird when the window's not covered and the sun hits me, but we'll make the best of it. But timing, God's perfect timing for every season of life. You know, sometimes people think that the next stage of life is gonna be where they're gonna realize everything that they had hoped for, everything that they dream for is just over that next hill. And then sometimes people have a birthday or they have a physical problem or they just feel tired and all of a sudden they feel like they're over the hill, and then they're like, there's nothing left for me. Uh, you know, all I can do now is wait it out. And that's not a great way to live. So if you have the breath of life, you can still pray, you can still be an encouragement, you can still ask God for opportunity. But to think about for all of those different times that were just named on the screen, and we'll look at it again in Ecclesiastes chapter 3, verses 1 through 11, to think about how those times work out in our lives and how we can show love in all of those times. Sometimes we get impatient. Sometimes when we're young parents and we're trying to figure it out, we're like, well, I don't care what you think, you know, my kid is crying, and that's that's that, and whatever. Um, but then as you get older and your kids are gone and your grandkids are your kids are grown up and your grandkids are pretty well behaved, you have not you, but some people somewhere have like really like low patience for screaming children, and uh we need to show love. So if there was a mom struggling with their child right now during the worship service, and she was trying to get it under control, I hope that you would not embarrass her. I hope that you would not tell her that she needs to go somewhere else or that she needs to leave, because we can't hear. Said you should pray for her and maybe offer assistance, but to think about all the different ways that you can show love in these situations. So, uh everything, there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven. So I'm gonna look at uh different seasons in a minute, but a time for every activity under heaven. Someone said that God created people because he loves stories. And in these times, and in these seasons are the times when we make stories, when we make memories, when we uh make choices, when we take risks, when we refuse to take risks, when we do good things, when we refuse to do good things, when we uh resist temptation, when we fall into temptation. Um Ecclesiastes, this passage actually shows you a good thing and a bad thing, the opposites. But there is a time for everything and a season for every activity under the heavens to recognize that life has seasons of change and to embrace them instead of resisting them, to accept that God is in control of time and circumstances and to seek wisdom in discerning what season you're in and act accordingly, and to show people love and care in the different seasons of life that they're in. They might not have the skills, the knowledge, the wisdom, the experience that you have, and maybe you could lovingly show them care and maybe help them to learn some of those things. That could be a good thing to pray for that, to go through and uh look around and think about, you know, where are you right now? So I don't have time for it in this message, but I have read, and maybe I'll share it in another one, maybe the one on work, play, and school at the end, that there's a lot of people that became successful in life when they were considered old. So when they hit 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s, life really took off, and their business took off, or they became successful, or their finances changed, or all these things. So it's really hard to know what season of life you're in. Sometimes you think you're in summer, and then all of a sudden you're diagnosed with some sickness, and then all of a sudden you've got a quick winter and your days are numbered. We have no idea uh what comes next. Each day is a gift, and we should use it accordingly. So a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant, and a time to harvest. So to celebrate life, but also acknowledge that death is a reality and cherish the relationships while you can. To invest in spiritual growth, planting, but be willing to let go of things that no longer bear fruit up rooting. It's a good thing to know how to have the wisdom to wisely use your days. So um, and when you are planting things, when you are um investing in things, maybe it's wise if you don't invest in too many things, maybe it's wise if you don't plant too many things, so it becomes unmanageable, so it takes over. Um, it is good to plant a bunch of different things to see which one takes off. But I remember when we had a house in Iowa, there were some trees along the front step, and I ripped them out, and it's like, oh, there's just a big hole there. And we were going to visit my wife's parents or something. We were we were leaving town for a little bit. So I went to the store and I bought some of those wildflower seeds in the bag. It was a pretty big bag, it's two little holes on both sides, and I'm like, I want to grow some wildflowers. Julie would be so happy to get some wildflowers there. So I dumped a bunch of the bag in both holes. And so when I came back, there was a lot of wildflowers. I mean, it was thick with wildflowers. Oh, it was so amazing. And then a storm came and they just all fell over. So this one, because they had no root. There was no room for them to take any root because I had planted way too many seeds. It's important to think about, you know, how many things you're doing at a time. You want to make sure that you have some kind of balance there. And you also want to think about what are you planting? Is this really a good use of your resources and time? Maybe I shared with you before that when we had to have a house built, when we planted the church, we needed a place to live, and the only way to do that was to have a house built that we had to do our own landscaping. So I put in some trees. And so I went to Home Depot, bought a tree, said that looked pretty good, stuck it in the corner of the yard. Never looked at the label, never thought about what size tree that would be. I just tried to make sure it was far enough away from the fence so it didn't cause any trouble. And so we were there for like 20 years, and so that silver maple tree was like about 85 feet high with the roots bulging out of the soil when we sold that house. And I looked at that tree and I'm like, that was not a good idea. That's a great tree for a different yard. And so to think about, you know, what are you planting? And when you do that, what is your motive? So they say that old men plant trees for the next generation. So if I were to plant trees in my yard right now, I probably wouldn't be able to sit there and enjoy them like I did watching those other trees grow over the 20 years. But to do so with love, to do so with care, to do so because you know that God is still working in people's lives and you want to do good at that. A time, a time to kill and a time to heal. So um sometimes toxic habits or harmful relationships must be ended, killing what is destructive. Um sometimes there's time to kill when uh you're being uh when people are being threatened, when people are being threatened by harm, by destructive people. Uh you see a lot of that in the Old Testament. I think the book of Joshua should probably have a parental guidance label on it, because it's very violent, but there was killing there, and a time to heal. So a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build up, a time to cry, and a time to laugh, a time to grieve, a time to dance, a time to scatter stones, and a time to gather stones, a time to embrace, and a time to turn away. So healing and reconciliation should be a priority, and you should do what you can to seek restoration in people's relationships because that shows love. You should do whatever you can to try to make things right. And when people don't respond, you should always still leave the door open if you can. So you should be intentional about building up your faith, character, and relationships. When we weep, we do need to allow people to grieve, and we do need to grieve those things, those people that we've lost. Um, but we should embrace joy and not feel guilty, guilty about celebrating life's good moments. So many times during a memorial service or funeral, when we're having the funeral reception, there's people who are laughing at the funeral reception. It's not because they're being disrespectful to whoever just died. They love that person very much. But there are still things to enjoy, still things to laugh about. It's a weird thought to think that when you die, for most of us, the world's just gonna keep going on. If I were to die today, I'm sure in a short period of time there'd be another pastor here. Uh, you know, people are replaced in jobs, people are replaced in life, the world keeps moving on. And that's not a bad thing. The good thing is to make a mark on life while you're here so that when you've gone to be with Jesus, people remember you, people talk about you, people are inspired by you. People might even ask, you know, if your name was John, we'll say, isn't your name is John? What would John do? What would Jesus do? Well, what would John do too? Um if that was somebody that was influential. So um to balance sadness and happiness with spiritual maturity, trusting that both serve a purpose in God's plan, to show love in that. Um a time to scatter stones and a time to gather stones. That's interesting because one Bible commentary said that um in the days that was written, people would often like scatter stones in the path or the road, you know, fill it up with rocks, so it made it harder for the enemy to get to them. So maybe that's why you're scattering stones. Um maybe sometimes you need to let go of things. That could be scattering stones, but other times you need to build stuff up, uh, gathering. So recognize when it's the right time to connect with people and the right time to give space for reflection, healing, and growth. So um a time to search and a time to quit searching, a time to keep and a time to throw away. So pursuing your dreams, but recognize that when it's time to let go, um, that you should let go of a plan that isn't working, and regularly evaluate what is worth keeping in your life, whether physical possessions, habits, or relationships, and be willing to declutter spiritually and emotionally. And in that show love. Show love while you do that. So show love and care. So you might have an empty nest for your home, and you might be um you know changing stuff up, and you're like, hey, you know, kids, we love you. But dad's always wanted an exercise room, and mom's always wanted a sewing room. And so if you want to stay here, there's a get we'll have a guest room, but we're we're clearing out all your stuff. You can come get it if you want, but we're we're we're moving on now. We're we're changing those rooms up to what works for us. Because we love you, and you're always welcome, but we're changing it up, and so you show love as you do that. Um so a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak. Some situations require breaking away from the past while others require reconciliation and repair. So learn the wisdom of timing and conversations, when to hold your tongue and when to speak the truth and love. So, verse 8: a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace. So, the whole series is on love. Jesus said that we would people would know that we're his disciples if we loved each other and we should love each other, we should care for each other, we should stand against evil and injustice and fight for righteousness and pursue peace whenever possible. So, to be passionate about truth and justice while demonstrating grace and love. So Valentine's Day is coming up when uh the card companies, those poor card companies, ever since that electronic stuff came out, you know, I'm guessing people aren't buying as many cards as they used to. Or there's cheap, cheap people like me, where on more than one occasion I've brought my wife to the card section of the store, and I'm like, hey, if I were to buy you a seven dollar card, this is the one I'd buy you. And she reads it. I said, She's like, that's nice. I appreciate that. And I put it back on the shelf and we saved $7 or $8. It's good. And she can do the same thing to me. So the cards are nice. You know, I appreciate. You know what I really appreciate in cards more than anything? I appreciate the people that actually take time to write something in the card. So, I mean, some people are like in a hurry and they just highlight, you know, stuff the good stuff on the cards. Like, yeah, that's what I meant to say. And I went to a when I planted a church, and I went to church planters boot camp, and they said, when people give you money for the plant in the church, you want to send them a thank you note. And this guy who is the expert, he said, so one of the secrets if you have to write a thank you note is to use a big sharpie marker so you have no choice but to write really big, so it's less words, and you could still send them a thanks. He said that people like it better than if you kick something off on a computer. So just give it a personal touch. So, but um, a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace. You know what we should hate is we should hate sin. We should hate unrighteousness, we should hate that stuff that pulls us away from God. And then in verse 9, Solomon writes, What do people really get for all their hard work? I have seen the burden God has placed on us all. Do you ever feel that sometimes it's like you work and so you pay your bills and you just keep going through the cycle, and it's like, okay, where are you finding your joy? Where are you finding your happiness? Um, but when we're walking with the Lord, I think that we can find peace. I think that we can find the hope. I think that we can actually find the compassion to show for other people too. And it is a burden. Uh verse 11 then says. Verse 11 then says, yet God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God's work from beginning to end. So to think of that. God knows what's going on, he can see the whole scope from beginning to end. Read an article yesterday, another one, that people are afraid the robots are gonna take over all the jobs, and then what are we gonna do? Part of me is like, you know what, that would be pretty awesome if the robots would do the meaningless jobs if everybody could still make a living and support themselves, because then we'd have more time to do other things. You know, maybe stocking shelves or digging ditches or whatever. Maybe that's not a good use of someone's life. Maybe they could uh have a better life and not have to do those things if you know some machine would do it. So maybe that's not a bad thing. Who knows? Maybe young men won't have to go off to war because our machines will just fight each other. I don't know where it will end up, but God knows. And so work is a good thing. So the not next week, but the week after that, I want to talk about uh work, school, and play and loving others. But work is a great place to develop relationships. Work is a great place to find purpose, to find uh provision. God created work, God created Adam and put him to work in the garden, and that is a good thing. But now I want to talk about seasons. So the seasons of life. And so Chuck Swindah had written a devotional book or a book a while back where he talked about the different seasons of life. I remember reading it many years ago, growing strong in the seasons of life, and it talked about, I think there are even chapter sections that talked about spring, summer, fall, and winter. And so I wanted to kind of highlight that because I think that is really meaningful to our life. And if we could figure out how to love people in those different seasons, I will just uh put you on the spring picture here. But okay, so in his book, uh Chuck highlighted that the natural rhythms of life, of growth, change, and transition often parallel the seasons. So he would say spring is a season of new beginnings that represents youth, fresh opportunities, and growth, a time of planting seeds, developing character, learning and forming relationships. Um we should make the most he would encourage us to make the most of our energy and enthusiasm and to invest wisely in our faith and future. And then summer comes along, represents the prime of life, a period of responsibility and hard work and bearing fruit, a time of cultivating what was planted, family, career, ministry, and deepening faith. So we should stay faithful and guard against burnout and focus on character and integrity. And then fall or autumn comes along, he would say that's a season of harvest and transition, represents later adulthood, gathering the fruits of one's labor and also facing change, a time of reflection, passing wisdom to the next generation and preparing for future transitions. And we should be generous with our wisdom, quick to show love, embracing change and remaining spiritually fruitful. Then comes winter. Then comes winter, which isn't always a bad thing. There's some people that love winter. So there's some probably some there's some, I know there's one person here, I won't look at her. That woman just loves winter. So, yeah. Anyway, it represents the final years of life, often marked by slowing down and looking back, a time of completion, finding peace, finishing well, and leaving a legacy. We're supposed to trust God's faithfulness and focus on eternal hope and encourage the next generation. And that God's love remains consistent in all of those seasons. That God's love is supposed to flow through us to people in all of those different seasons. And if we can see what season we're in, and if we can look around and see what season other people are in, we might know how to encourage them, how to help them, how to show them love. So Wayne Stiles wrote in Insight for Living, uh he said, careful living requires making the most of every opportunity, or literally redeeming the time. So in Paul's day, the term translated redeem was used when a person would completely buy out a product in the market. And the word translated as time refers not to a lifetime. But to a season of life or opportunity. In other words, we should make the most of the season of life that we find ourselves in right now. But instead, children want to grow up, singles want to marry, couples want kids in the age to miss the good old days. In each season of life, we tend to pine for the blessings of the other seasons, both future and past, and we miss the opportunities of today. And then he writes, Imagine this was your last winter. What would you do? Would you build a snowman just because you could? Would you enjoy a roaring fire in a good book? Would it make a difference if you knew this was your last winter? I bet it would. Take the same attitude toward the season of life. Seasons of life. In what season do you find yourself now? A mother of young children, a single, an empty nester? When time with your children passes and never returns, once the chance lapses to serve God as a single and may not come again. Perhaps you must admit to some wasted years. I know I can, but we can begin to walk wisely this year. God gives us time as a gift, a gift we should use to the fullest. But remember, last year gives no refund, so redeem the time. I thought that was so good. I thought that was so good. So another thing that I thought was really interesting is that I was talking to a dad whose kids are growing up now, and he was really into sports. And he's like, if I had it to do over again, I would not have emphasized sports as much as I did. So I would have emphasized God over sports. So I think that was a mistake. But we move forward. So let's look at these seasons, okay? So spring, a season of preparation and new beginnings. A season of preparation and new beginnings. Isaiah 43, 19. God says, see, I'm doing a new thing. Now it springs up. Do you not perceive it? I'm making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland. Spring and new beginnings. Do you get excited about spring and new beginnings? I do. But uh, you know, when I lived, you know, a little further south in Minnesota, winter would, you know, kind of be problematic. Um, but here, you know, it's like winter is a month longer. Um yeah, it just seems like the summer is is shorter. And you get like the advertisements for the kids in their Easter outfits, and it's like, those kids are wearing shorts. I don't think that's gonna work here. And then my crabgrass preventer says I'm supposed to put it down like in March or April, and I'm like, there's still a bunch of snow on the ground. I don't think that's gonna work. But to go through and think about spring, and I start to think about what am I gonna do as soon as those nice days start to come around again? You know, what do what do I want to do to the yard? How do I want to exercise? What do I want to do? And how will I do it? I get so excited for spring to come that sometimes around this time of the year I like to watch, I was telling the guys at the Bible study at the Sunday school class, that I like to watch golf on TV. I don't golf. Um, I've never had the financial resources or time to golf. But this time of year I like to watch golfing because of the green grass and the little the babbling brooks and the blue skies, and so I was not yesterday, but last Saturday, I was like, all right, it's golf time, and I sat myself down in front of the TV and I'm like, we're gonna watch some golf. And it was raining, and it was dark and dreary and cold, and I'm like, that's not what I was looking for. But to have a plan, to think about that and think about in your life, okay. If you're young and you have the opportunity, or maybe you have the opportunity for a fresh start, what will you do in this new beginning? So, um, new beginnings, growth, and preparation. So spring often refers to singles, those starting a relationship, newlyweds, and young parents. So see what God is doing, see what God will do. What can you do to encourage those people? Maybe they're your kids, maybe they're your grandkids, maybe they're your neighbor kids, maybe they're church kids, maybe they're church kids growing up, having kids. That's always a fun thing when kids stay in the church, get married, have kids, and get multiple generations in a church. But how can you show love to them? How can you show you care? Uh you can pray for wisdom, uh, you can seek God's wisdom. Proverbs 3, 5 and 6 says, Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding, and all your ways submit to him, and he will make your path straight. So to think about that, to be patient for God's timing, to place your hope in him, to encourage others in their growth. First Thessalonians 5 11 says, Therefore, encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing. So when you think about life and you think about seasons, sometimes we just want to stay where we are. Sometimes we just want to just stay where we are. Henry Blackaby wrote, You cannot stay where you are and go with God. Adjustments are necessary. God may require changes in your circumstances, relationships, thinking, commitments, actions, and beliefs. Every time God spoke to people in the scriptures about something he wanted to do through them, major adjustments were necessary. So spring can be a time to prepare for the future. Spring can be a time to get ready for what God is doing next. Spring can be a time for us to do everything in love. It can be a good thing for us. Actually, that's the next verse. Is summer. Summer. Uh get excited about summer. I hope that the summer is not plagued by gnats or Canadian wildfire or other bothersome things that are bad. So when we lived down by the Minnesota River a few years back, we were hit by a plague of gnats. It was the worst summer ever. And they sold this special bug spray that smelled like bad vanilla coke. And so I would spray it all over myself to keep the gnats away. And my wife, she'd be like, huh, they bite you, but they don't bite me. And I said, That's because you're bitter and I'm sweet. And she's like, No, that's not it. So, but it was terrible. You couldn't, you couldn't do anything because of all the gats. It was was the summer that well, part of it was a few weeks that were ruined for sure. But um, think about the things that we do for summer. We know that you do uh think about things that we do for summer because everybody just like runs around and tries to get as much summer in as they can. You know, it's like, oh, I gotta enjoy this while we can. It's summertime. So people that live in warmer climates, like uh good parts of California and Florida, they don't go, oh, we got to get all of the can in the summer. Like every day is summer. So we're good. But to do everything in love, to think about how you can use your summer to glorify God. The summer season, when you think about that, is a time that represents fruitfulness, activity, and relationships. So it applies to marriage, parenting, career building, and those actively investing in others. So God calls us to love actively and intentionally in the season. So sometimes summer can be the time where you prioritize relationships. So if you want to reach people for Christ and they don't come out of their house because many people now have the electric garage door opener, so they drive into their driveway, up goes the garage door, in goes the car, down goes the garage door, and they're gone. But in the summertime, you often see them outside, and you can more likely talk to them and you know, maybe talk to make a make a new friendship, prioritize relationships during the summer season. Stay spiritually fueled. So put God first in your life and to encourage others, to serve and encourage others. Galatians 5 13, my brothers and sisters, we were called to be free, but do not use your freedom to indulge in the flesh. Rather serve one another in another humbly in love. So Billy Graham wrote, Mountaintops are for views and inspiration, but fruit is grown in the valleys. It's in the valleys of our life where we face trials and difficulties. It's also where we grow, mature, and become more like Christ. Embrace the valleys, for they are essential to our spiritual development. Are you in the summer season of your life? Is this the best time? Maybe hopefully the best time of your life? Or maybe it's just the summer season, maybe it's a hot summer season or a buggy summer season, but you look back, it's like it's not springtime, and it's not fall, so it must be the summer season. What can you do to make the best of it? Summer can be a season of energy, passion, and full bloom. So then we then we transition into fall. We transition into fall, a season of transition and reflection. And it's hard to know when you know that actually is. Uh in our own climate, we have uh like previews of fall, like some September day, all of a sudden it'd be like super cold, and then all of a sudden it won't, and you'll be getting all ready for winter, and then all of a sudden people are like, oh no, wait, it's Indian summer, and then it'll be warm again, and um yeah, it gets to be confusing. That's why we actually have to buy so many clothes in this state, is because of the confusing weather. But in fall, not only do we reflect on life, uh, represents change, reflection, and transition. It applies to empty nesters, career shifts, and those facing relationship changes, sometimes divorce, separation, or loss. But God calls us to trust Him through that and to show love for others through that. So uh Titus 2.3 says, uh, teach older women to live in a way that honors God. They must not slander others or be heavy drinkers. Instead, they should teach others what is good. These older women must train the younger women to love their husbands and their children, to live wisely, to be pure, and to work in their homes, to do good, to be submissive to their husbands, then they will not bring shame on the word of God. And so this general idea that the older women have the experience to teach the younger women how to how to live a godly life, how to um honor God in the things that they do. And it's also a time to prepare for winter. It's a time to praise God for what he's done in the past, it's a time to trust God for what he's gonna do in the future, it's a time to be content with God with what is got what God is doing with you right now, and it is a time to prepare for winter. Winter, a season of endurance and rest. So again, we don't know uh you know when winter kicks in, uh, when that is for age, it doesn't, it's there's not a number on it. So, I mean, maybe winter for you kicks in at 90. I don't know. But Romans 3 or 5, Romans 5, 3, we can rejoice too when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us to develop endurance, and endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation, and this hope will not lead to disappointment, for we know how dearly God loves us because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love. And we roll into winter and we find strength in God's faithfulness, and we encourage and support others in Christ, and we rest in God's presence and promises. Psalm 46, 10 says, Be still and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth. So, in all of these seasons, we love God and we love others, and we know that God loves us. In all of these seasons, we know that it's a natural progression in life. In all of these seasons, some things might not turn out the way that we hope. Sometimes things fall apart, sometimes things turn out way better than we hope. But I want to talk more about this next week. Uh, love and action, shaping the next generation, where I want to talk about how to pass on values to kids and grandkids and about marriage and relationships and all of that. So um we will I'll pray and then the worship team will come up and we'll sing beautiful one. Lord Jesus, I thank you so much that you have given us this opportunity to worship you today. Lord, I thank you that just as there are seasons in life, there are um seasons in the weather, there are seasons in our lives, and we pray that you would help us to honor and serve you in all of them, that we would look forward to each season with great anticipation of how you are going to guide and provide and protect. Uh, Lord, we pray that we would um learn from our wisdom and be able to teach that to others. Lord, we pray that you would help us to be well-balanced Christians who are on fire for you. Uh, Lord, help us not to get sidetracked, help us not to get tangled up in sin or bitterness. Lord, help us to keep pushing on, even if our bodies feel tired or anxious. We just thank you for this all in Jesus' name. Amen.