Mike's Winter Worship album opens with the reality of the long, dark winter. In the English-speaking world "The Long Dark Winter" carries deep sound tradition, from Scandinavian mysticism to North American country tradition.
Spiritually, winter in New Covenant thinking is often not negative; it is the phase of inner gathering, outer stillness, preparation for the new. What sprouts in spring was invisibly prepared in winter.
Solomon writes in Song of Songs 2:11-12: "For behold, the winter is past; the rain is over and gone. The flowers appear on the earth." Only after winter comes the blossoming. Both belong to the life cycle.
Mike's instrumental track carries this winter reality as album opening. Whoever is in a long, dark spiritual phase shall feel understood. It is not failure. It is winter. And after winter comes spring. Mike's sound carries this patience key.