When Failure Brews Success

Grab your coffee and lean in because today we’re talking about something no one really wants to talk about, but everyone needs to hear: failure.

Yep, that messy, frustrating, sometimes soul-crushing feeling when things don’t go as planned. Whether it’s a failed relationship, a business that didn’t take off, or that time you stepped out in faith and landed flat on your face - it stings. But here’s the twist: failure isn’t the opposite of success. It’s part of the process.

“Though the righteous fall seven times, they rise again…”

Proverbs 24:16 (NIV)

Did you catch that? Righteous people fall. Not once. Not twice. Seven times. And what do they do? They get back up. Again and again.

See, in God’s economy, failure isn’t fatal. It’s formation.

Think about Peter. One of Jesus’ closest friends. Passionate, bold, and… well, let’s just say impulsive. This guy swore up and down that he’d never deny Jesus. But when pressure hit, Peter folded like a lawn chair three times.

Total failure, right? And yet, after the resurrection, Jesus didn’t cancel Peter. He called him. Restored him. Gave him a job to do.

Peter’s failure became the launchpad for his greatest mission.

“And on this rock I will build my church…”

Matthew 16:18 (NIV)

Your failure isn’t where your story ends. It’s where your faith deepens. It’s where God refines your purpose.

Success isn’t built on perfection. It’s built on persistence.

It’s built in the moments you get up off the ground, wipe off the dust, and say, “God, I still trust You. Use even this.”

So if you’re in a season where it feels like everything’s falling apart, take heart. God doesn’t waste pain. He repurposes it. Your failure might just be the very thing He uses to shape your future.

So pour another cup, take a deep breath, and remember: the next time you fall, you’re in good company. The heroes of faith didn’t make it by never messing up. They made it by never giving up.

Stay grounded. Stay growing. And never be afraid to start again.

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year and welcome to 2026! At the beginning of a new year we all tend to make some promises. Some folks will call them New Years resolutions. They are promises to ourselves to change something about ourselves and our lives. Promises to the Lord to be more “spiritual” and to try and be more like Him. Promises to our friends and our family to eat healthier and take care of ourselves. It’s the best time to turn over a new leaf because we are starting with a clean slate. We attempt to have new thoughts and support them with new actions. What we are saying is that we "resolve" to be different.

This year I want to encourage you to develop your own personal GPS. I have one of these in my car that helps me find locations that I do not know. It speaks to me and guides me to the destinations that I am going towards. When you activate our personal GPS, it will help you stay on track so that you can follow through on your resolutions and fulfill your promises. What is this GPS formula? Goals, plans, and systems.

G: Goals 
Set some reasonable goals that you can accomplish if you put your mind and heart into it. Start small and set bigger goals as you mature in this process. 
P: Plans
Once goals are set, develop a plan that can be followed to help guide you where you are going. The plan is the outline or strategy for how you are going to achieve the goal.
S: Systems
The system contains the action steps that allow you to follow the plan and bring the goals to fulfillment. Your system is the actual energy you use to carry out the plan and reach the goal.

A man once said “a sailor without a destination cannot hope for a favorable wind.” We need to write down our goals, creating our plan and then develop the system to execute. Failing to plan is planning to fail. How can you get to the goals that you have set? You need your own GPS!
This is YOUR year. Set your GPS and go for it!

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.

Joy is On It’s Way to You!

Every day, no matter where I am, I love to lace up my shoes and take a walk. It clears my head, opens my heart, and gives God a little extra room to speak. Usually at this time of year, I am in beautiful South Florida, and let me tell you, the Christmas Eve weather is perfect for a good power-walk. Somewhere along the way, I decided to get a little adventurous. Let’s add a few more blocks, I thought. But after those extra steps, I looked around and realized—well—I was a bit lost. The only way to get back was to retrace the path that got me there in the first place. It made the walk longer, but honestly, I enjoyed every moment.

As I finally approached the condo, something unexpected happened. A woman in an SUV pulled right in front of me, rolled down her window, and said, “Somebody told me to give this to somebody, and you are it!” She handed me a card with CHRISTMAS JOY on the front… and inside was a fifty-dollar bill.

Talk about JOY showing up unannounced.

And right there on the sidewalk, the Lord whispered a few lessons that I think you might need today:

1. Even when you feel lost, your detour may be divine.
If I hadn’t added those extra blocks, I may never have crossed paths with that blessing. Your “off course” moment might be the very route God uses to reach you.

2. You can always find your way home by remembering what got you to where you are.
Sometimes the path back is simply retracing God’s faithfulness in your life.

3. When you feel out of touch or unsure, just keep walking.
You never know—this might be the very day you run into your blessing.

So lift your head, fill your heart with hope, and keep putting one foot in front of the other.

JOY is on its way to YOU!