The older I get, the more each year feels less like a calendar box and more like another chapter God is writing — one I couldn’t write myself if I tried. And if 2025 taught me anything, it’s that joy and sorrow really can walk side-by-side when the Lord is the One holding both. Now that I’ve got this year in the rear-view mirror, I can see just how much living and how much grace He fit into twelve months.
This was the year we lost Poppy — my father-in-law and one of the steady men in our lives. It’s hard to capture a man like him in words that feel big enough. He was consistent. He was present. He loved quietly and deeply and didn’t make life about himself. He adored his family with a warmth that felt like home. We grieve because he mattered. Yet Scripture reminds us that we “do not grieve as others do who have no hope” (1 Thessalonians 4:13). Christ’s resurrection really does change what a graveside feels like. We said goodbye but one day the ache will give way to reunion. Until then, we thank God for the gift of his life and the mark he left on ours.
And while grief was finding its way into our days, joy found a seat at the same table. I had the privilege of watching Jay become a husband. Emma didn’t just marry into our family — she became part of our hearts. “Every good and perfect gift is from above” (James 1:17), and these gifts felt especially tender this year.
At the same time, God was leading me through one of the hardest decisions of my adult life — stepping down from my staff role and eldership at Harvest DeSoto, and ultimately from a church body I had served for eighteen years. You don’t spend nearly two decades praying, preaching, loving, crying, counseling, worshiping, and carrying burdens with a people without your heart becoming woven into the fabric of that place. Leaving wasn’t about losing belief in the mission. It was obedience to the God who cares more for my soul than He does for my usefulness. I needed restoration more than I needed a role — even when I didn’t know how much.
I’d love to say I handled all of this with peace and composure, but the truth is my body finally rang the alarm. The stress caught up with me and landed me in the ER — and because humility needs humor, I wound up back there again after slipping on a pineapple. Some lessons you learn spiritually. Others come with paperwork, an IV, and my wife’s eyes telling me enough is enough.
This was also the year I hugged my Josie and left her at university. Pride and ache collided in a way only parents really understand. Watching her step into her calling reminded me again that our children belong first to the Lord — and He is faithful.
Louie grew and Sondra is the shortest member of the Hinton clan once again. He is navigating middle school well and is realizing his talents more each day. What a joy he is!
I also walked beside several dear friends as they buried parents, grandparents and loved ones this year. Standing near fresh soil never gets easier, but it does make the resurrection mean more. “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted” (Matthew 5:4). And I watched the Holy Spirit do just that.
And yet, even with so much in motion, God kept certain things beautifully steady. My wife, faithfully loving and serving our family in a way the world rarely sees. My love for my family deepening, not fading. Friends who stayed close. A job of significance and value! Thank you, MW!! And above all, the unwavering, stubborn faithfulness of God. “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning” (Lamentations 3:22-23). That verse wasn’t theory this year. It was oxygen.
Of course, God also slipped joy into the cracks. I gained a daughter-in-law. I learned I’d be a grandfather. I harvested the best deer I’ve ever taken. I went to see Dan Huff with my faithful friend Brian Edwards, a night that somehow combined music, gratitude, and worship. And I caught my first triple tails and found out what fish can really taste like. Thanks, Johnny M!
So when I look back at 2025, I see loss and life, grief and gratitude, letting go and gaining, hospitals and pineapples, tears and laughter, and a God who did not once step away. “Even to your old age and gray hairs I am He, I am He who will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you” (Isaiah 46:4).
I don’t know what 2026 will hold.
But I know the One who will be there when it comes.
And that is enough!!
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