Hey, friends!
Happy New Year! Let's lean into it! No matter how last year ended or how this year has begun, the Lord is with us and for us and He has great plans for your 2026!
The year is fresh with new mercies, so let's walk boldly forward with everything that's in us — faith, questions, doubt, and hope. I recently read a French proverb attributed to author Jules Renard (who, just as an aside, was anticlerical and at the very least agnostic so the "truth" he wrote about was often opposed to biblical truth) — La vérité vaut bien qu'on passe quelques années sans la trouver. That translates "Truth is more valuable if it takes you a few years to find it." Has that born out in your life? I find that lessons I've learned by questioning, wrestling, and contemplating, and the truths God taught me are more precious to me than something I just automatically accept to be true. Wrestling with problems, confusion, or with something seemingly inscrutable, especially with God, is in many ways better than easy truth, and certainly the conclusions are more treasured, remembered and implemented. I often think of Mary (Luke 2:19) who
treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.
Let's lean into 2026 ready to ponder with Jesus.
Speaking of spending time with Jesus, have you heard about our upcoming Online Bible Study? In The Great Morning Revolution OBS by Tara Beth Leach, we're going to learn to roll out of bed a littler earlier and follow Jesus' example (Mark 1:35) to pray before the demands of the day crash in to ground ourselves in our relationships with Him. Tara says, "The day is yet untouched by the noise of chaos and clamor, and the heart can commune with God in ways that the rest of the day cannot offer." We're going to learn practical steps to launch our days with gratitude to the Lord, to meditate and reflect with Him, to worship God with all our hearts, to bring Him all our needs, and then to seal it with trust in His goodness. Sign up today and join us January 19th!
In the stillness of the early morning, when the world is still quiet, there is a sacred moment that beckons your soul to awaken. ~ Tara Beth Leach
I invite you to read our New Year, New You blog and check out the New Year, New You titles at the FaithGateway store. This next year, along from getting up a little earlier with Jesus, I've resolved to put a little more effort into the languages I'm learning (French and Italian), re-read a list of classic lit (such as Emma, Jane Eyre, and The Secret Garden), spend more time outside especially walking the beach, call old pals more often, and read the Bible again cover-to-cover. How about you? If your goal is doing Bible study better, I recommend No More Boring Bible Study by Faith Womack. If it's leaning in closer to God, I recommend Ann Spangler's Praying the Names of God for 52 Weeks. If it's understanding the Bible better, I'd pick up Journal through the Bible. If you want to have a happier, healthier, and holier body, my pick would be The Body Teaches the Soul by Justin Whitmel Earley.
My kids still laugh about the time I was so irritated with bickering that I said, "Go outside, look at the trees, and be at peace!" But, seriously, that's still my prescription. Disconnect from the phone and computer and go outside, get fresh air in your lungs, climb a hill or stroll a park path and enjoy God's magnificent creation! You can't help but worship the Lord and relax deep in your soul. Let's drink more water, go to bed early, eat whole foods, listen to wise and godly mentors, find ways to serve, laugh loudly every day, and whatever we do, get up and dance regularly!
Grace and peace,
Laurie McClure, Editor
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