Keyword 2026…

Every year I ask the Lord to give me a word/theme for the coming year. These words help to chart the course of what is ahead in my life in the coming months. Two years ago the word was “rhythm of grace” and the Lord helped me to understand how to move in tandem with what He desired for me. Last year the word was “established” and He began providing some stability in the things He was doing in me and my heart. I usually hear these words in my heart and spirit during the end of December but this year, as I took time away for Thanksgiving, He spoke a word that truly excited me. What was the word? I’m glad you asked! My keyword for 2026 is MOMENTUM. This is an amazing word that carries so much power in it. John Maxwell called it the BIG MO. He said that with momentum you can achieve great things. So here I go into 2026 gaining more and more momentum. As I thought about how this may show up for me in this coming year, here are a few things I wanted to share about what momentum can do.

1. Momentum keeps you future-focused

It reminds you that progress is often built through small, steady steps. You don’t have to do everything at once. Just keep moving.

2. Momentum honors faithfulness

You already pour into people through preaching, writing, and leading. Momentum encourages you to keep showing up, trusting that God multiplies consistent obedience.

3. Momentum pushes back against stagnation

Every leader hits seasons where things feel stuck. This word nudges you to keep leaning forward instead of settling into what’s comfortable.

4. Momentum creates compounding impact

Whether it’s content, relationships, habits, or ministry growth, the results often show up after you’ve built energy over time. Momentum celebrates that unseen buildup.

5. Momentum helps you recover quickly from setbacks

It’s not about perfection. It’s about refusing to lose your forward lean. Even small positive decisions help you regain traction.

6. Momentum fuels creativity

New ideas flow more easily when you’re in motion. This word may help you approach projects with curiosity instead of pressure.

7. Momentum encourages clarity in priorities

You can’t carry everything into the next season. Momentum helps you identify what truly moves your mission forward and what slows it down.

8. Momentum aligns with personal and spiritual growth

It reflects the way God often works — building something within you long before it becomes visible.

So, here we go into the new year, letting faithfulness fuel momentum to create wins, consistency and progress in 2026.

S.O.S. (End of the Year)

Simplify, Organize and Summarize

Before we can begin to create new ideas and launch a new year routine, we need to make certain that we have space for what is about to happen. Most of us probably have made some poor choices, been involved in some bad relationships and perhaps found ourselves overlooked for a new promotion. Whatever the case, we are stronger and much better because of it…no matter what it was! All of the good and all of the bad have a way of mixing together to bring about the absolute best for you. So here are three things you can do to get ready for the new year.

1-Simplify- as you went through this year you picked up some bags: habits, people, clothes, etc. that may not be the best choice for the fresh start you are about to embark upon. Anything more than what is necessary will weigh you down and keep you from soaring as high as you could go. Get rid of things you do not need. And anything you haven’t used this past year can be a gift to someone else! Simplify.

2-Organize-once you have de-cluttered the house, closet, office and personal life, it is a great idea to organize what remains. Get your things in order and your life will follow. Organize.

3-Summarize- write a 1 page summary of the highlights of the past year-good and bad. When you begin to write down the good things that took place you will see how blessed you truly are. When you see all those bad things, just notice how strong you have become. It may have been really tough. Circumstances may not have worked out like you wanted every time. But here you are-alive and still kicking as we end the year. Your stronger, tougher, and smarter. File the summary away and after you have done this for a few years, you can go back and see your progress more clearly. Summarize.

The way you complete this year is your setup for the way you start the next one. I have a feeling that it will be better than you’ve ever imagined. Get yourself ready for it-mentally, physically and spiritually. Hello New Year!

Lessons Learned 2025

As we come to the end of the year, I always like to take time to be reflective and think about all that transpired over the last 12 months. I flip my journal entries, look at photos captured and remember the stories that were part of each moment. It always seems that there are quite a few lessons learned as I trekked through the months. Let me share some of the personal ones with you.

1. God establishes what I place in His hands.

Again and again, I saw that when I surrender my plans, my ministry, my emotions, and even my uncertainties, God steadies me. He really does secure, settle, and provide in ways that go far beyond what I can see.

2. I’m stronger than the seasons I walk through.

There were moments that stretched me : loss, transition, loneliness, and shifting environments. Yet every time I thought I might break, I found resilience rising in me. Not because life felt easy, but because God met me right where I was.

3. Small, faithful steps matter more than big, perfect ones.

Community calls, leader connections, prayer sessions, quiet encouragements- these weren’t spectacular moments, but they added up. Fruit grew in hidden places because I showed up with consistency.

4. Grief and gratitude can coexist.

This year reminded me that it’s ok to feel the ache of what’s changed while still thanking God for what remains. Letting grief move through me, without rushing it, became a form of healing all its own.

5. My calling hasn’t changed : only the scenery has.

Even as teams shifted and roles evolved, the core of who God created me to be stayed steady. Shepherding, encouraging, equipping, caring - these things are woven into me no matter what’s happening around me.

6. Rest is holy, not optional.

From fasting to long walks to quiet devotional times, I rediscovered the power of slowing down. Rest didn’t make me less productive - it made me whole.

7. I am never without purpose, even in uncertain places.

There were days I wondered if I still fit, still mattered, or still had anything valuable to offer. Yet God kept placing people in my path who needed what I carry. Purpose showed up in conversations, prayers, guidance, and unexpected “only God” moments.

8. Change is not proof of loss : sometimes it is preparation.

As people came and went, as departments shifted, and as old chapters closed, I learned not to fear transition. God was pruning, realigning, and preparing me for something deeper and stronger.

9. Love still leads me.

Whether it was compassion for hurting friends, joy in family moments, or simple acts of kindness, love threaded through every month. It reminded me that ministry is not a task. It is a heart posture.

10. Hope is my steady companion.

Even when emotions dipped, hope kept whispering that God wasn’t done. And He wasn’t. He kept opening doors, creating connections, and building something inside me that isn’t easily shaken.