Today’s thoughts by Ray White

“… yet not my will, but yours be done.” — Luke 22:42 NIV

As Deborah and Julie have recently shared, instead of making New Year’s resolutions, we select a word and phrase to focus on throughout the year. My word for 2026 is “surrender.”

I have found that trying to run my life with me at the controls is a recipe for failure and unhappiness. Only by accepting Jesus as my savior and surrendering my life to God’s will have I found peace and joy.

Alice Cooper, yes, that Alice Cooper, the 1970s shock rocker, says most people don’t want to give up their “God-self,” or being in control of their lives. Cooper, who became a follower of Christ decades ago, said “They believe ‘I do more good than bad,’ (then) Satan has you right where he wants you.” 

I was much like that, thinking I was in control of my life. Treating God’s Word like an a-la-carte restaurant menu, following this and that, but rejecting other things because they “didn’t make sense” or I didn’t want to give up something. Only when I completely surrendered my life to God’s will have I found contentment.

My mantra for 2026 is “accept what God allows,” a phrase a woman named Sonya used recently in a prayer I heard. It really resonated with me as a comforting and wide-ranging reminder that if God Almighty is allowing something in my life, I should accept it because of my faith that He is a good Father and will provide the best for me, if I surrender to Him.

What word and phrase has God laid on your heart to focus on in 2026? We would love to hear from you and be in prayer with you for your new year.

Let’s go to our Father in prayer: Heavenly Father, praise Your holy name and thank You for the many blessings You provide daily as I surrender my life to You. Please give me a servant’s heart, and to do Your will and accept what You allow. Amen.

@biblegateway @youversion

Today’s thoughts by Julie Wicker

‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭12‬:‭11‬ ‭ESV‬‬ — For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.

In reflecting on 2025, I recalled the song Simple Kingdom by Bryan and Katie Torwalt that guided my mantra: Live and Breathe His Praise. It was a God wink because it also confirmed my 2026 mantra: Simple Fruit. Some of the lyrics sing, “Your kingdom is simple, simple as love.”

If you know me, you know I love running and how it parallels our faith in God. In reading Hebrews, Tara-Leigh Cobble with The Bible Recap says, “God is training us. Training is where the fruit comes from. God’s fruit is in the muscles of peace and righteousness.”

My goal for 2026 is to uncomplicate my thinking, my doing, my responses. To yield fruit is to produce positive results. I don’t have to embody all nine characteristics in one day: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Rather, I can choose just one and still yield positive results.

What will be your focus for 2026? Do you have a phrase or mantra that you will focus on to help you stay Christ-centered? We would love to hear from you and pray for you.

Join me in prayer. Dear God, I surrender my thinking, my doing, and my responses over to You. Give me the wisdom I need to uncomplicate this day. Help me to produce simple fruit and yield positive results for Your glory. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

@biblegateway @biblerecap @youversion

‭‭Galatians‬ ‭5‬:‭22‬-‭23‬ ‭NIV‬‬ — But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

Happy New Year! If you have been following our blog, you’ve heard and read Deborah and I share a lot about reading the Bible in a year with The Bible Recap. This was my first time reading the Bible in a year and in chronological order. It has been a very humbling experience which helped me stay focused on God through my 2025 word, Humble.

A humbling example is understanding that the word fruit in 5:22 is singular —it’s one fruit with nine characteristics. Tara-Leigh Cobble says, “when these things begin to show up in us, that’s His signature.” This leads to my word for 2026, Fruit of the Spirit.

My thought is that throughout the year, I can focus on the nine characteristics at different times. I realize this word is broad but I like the challenge and plan to seek God for His guidance and to lead me through 2026.

What word is God laying on your heart to focus on in 2026? We would love to hear from you and be in prayer with you for your new year.

Join me in prayer. Dear God, thank You for Your word and guidance. I seek You with an open heart for Your Holy Spirit to lead and guide me as I start a new year. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

@biblegateway @biblerecap @youversion

📸 by Ray White

‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭11‬:‭1‬ ‭NIV‬‬ — A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.

This week we are celebrating the Advent season. Today’s key verse is a prophecy of a new king from the line of Jesus, the father of King David. In meditating on today’s verses, I encourage us to seek to Know God more and lean into the strength of our lineage in Christ Jesus. 

An acronym I created for the word “strength” in which I started for my 2024 word of the year, Seek.

Seek

To

Reveal

Every

New

Gift

Through

Him

The following verses tell us to look to the Lord for strength. If we look to seek God’s face and bring Him glory in all that we do, we will find all the strength we need. Where are you looking for strength? As we walk though this Advent season, let’s seek God for His strength.

1 Chronicles‬ ‭16‬:‭11‬ ‭ESV‬‬ — Seek the Lord and his strength; seek his presence continually!

Psalm 105:4 NIV — Look to the Lord and his strength; seek his face always.

An Advent tradition you may practice is a Jesse tree, which tells of our salvation history. We would love to hear from you if you practice this tradition. 

@biblegateway @youversion