Hello friends. I’d like to introduce you to a “word of the year” exercise that would be helpful for your faith and life journey. My new year follows the academic year and so, for me it begins in September. I’ve been doing this exercise since 2016. Here’s my journal entry about it in August 2016 when I did it for the first time.
“I just finished a book that had a very interesting concept. It’s basically a New Years resolution but it’s only in one word. Therefore it makes you search deep within to come up with your one word for the year. In the process, your word will be something you ‘need’ in yourself rather than what you ‘want’. The book is called, “One word that will change your life.” by Jon Gordon, Dan Britton and Jimmy Page. It’s a very short concise book – love that!
It’s a book that my husband read, and I picked it up after but perhaps the book was meant more for me since I’m running with it. I searched deep within and with great clarity the word that came up for me is “courageous.” I spend much time praying about this word and yes I got many confirmations too.
It’ll be an interesting year! In this academic year I’m leading a new women’s prayer group at my church; and it’s my year to run the PTO at school and God has many ideas for me to do. I also sense a new boldness to speak my mind rather than staying quiet.
I also realize that being more ‘courageous’ mean I’ll make more mistakes since I’ll be doing more. Amazingly, I’m okay with that. Wow, God has done a good work within me. I used to be so fearful of mistakes and rejections that I rather not try at all. Jesus, you made me confident. I’m so grateful. Thank you.
Nearly six years ago, a new friend from church wrote on an index card this bible verse for me. This verse has more impact and relevance for me today. This year whenever I retreat back from being “courageous”, I’ll meditate on this verse and play this song “Courageous” by Casting Crowns to inspire me.
https://youtu.be/pkM-gDcmJeM?is=Gsjl9EhXOYkSQ0eR
Joshua 1:9 (NLT)
“This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”
(I remember 2016-2017 was a very challenging year because I launched the women’s prayer group at my church. I encountered some intense spiritual challenges that opened my eyes to see how powerful corporate prayers are in the spiritual realm, and what a threat it must be to the enemy that I got so much attention from them. This is why one’s fear of the Lord has to be greater so you don’t run away from the battle. I also made plenty of “newbie” mistakes in leading but I also won many battles while keeping a “poker face” to the outsiders of faith. I learned so much in that first year! I also learned that retreating is not an option because there’s no protection on my backside. I also learned that sometimes, it’s okay to just let go and cry out “daddy” to our Almighty Father like a little kid. He will always come and rescue me. I also learned that God really desires to be my “daddy hero”. I was raised to be self-sufficient and rarely asked for help. Now I ask God for help all the time. I have to start my day off with Him in prayer and Bible study, or else I feel naked and unprepared.)
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For the academic year of 2026-2027, my new word is “courage”. And the Bible verse that’s anchored to my word is:
Psalm 31:24 (ESV)
Be strong, and let your heart take courage,
all you who wait for the Lord!
Since September is right around the corner, perhaps you could do this but start in January 2027. That’ll give you time to read the short book by Jon Gordon; pray and seek God about your word of the year.
With the fall semester comes so many excellent small groups in the church communities. I strongly recommend you to join a group. It’s an awesome way to meet new people and to develop relationships in the church community. Being in a church community group protects you from deception by the enemy’s lies, getting stuck in discouragement, or caught in sins that can destroy your life, reputation and relationships.
As “iron sharpens iron”, these friendships in the church will also sharpen you in character and tolerance for each other’s differences in thoughts and behaviors. Holy Spirit will use the friendships to develop your EQ (emotional intelligence). Now-a-days with the rise of AI, I keep reading in secular business articles how important EQ is to stand out in the job market. Therefore, allow the Holy Spirit to use these relationships in the church and in your family to develop your EQ skills. It’s for your own good and promotion. There are many resources available to understand and develop EQ. Here’s a short article about EQ.
As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another. – Proverbs 27:17 (NIV)
https://www.gotquestions.org/iron-sharpens-iron.html
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A friend of mine is leading this community Bible study class at her church. Please read below for details.
Community Bible Study Mercer County – Begins Wednesday Sept 16! The book of James (6 weeks) then Genesis (24 weeks)
Community Bible Study is a nondenominational, community based, Bible study meeting at Central Church in Ewing, NJ on Wednesday mornings 9:30 – 11:15am from Sept to May. There are also limited online options on Wednesday mornings and evenings! CBS includes small group discussion, large group teaching, worship and a fabulous children’s program! You’ll meet women from many churches in the surrounding community! You can register and get more info through the CBS website https://mercercounty.cbsclass.org/.
Info about James & Genesis
The epistle James is one of the most practical books in the Bible. This course’s lessons encourage each class member to lead a more consistent, caring Christian life and to explore the practical application of faith in family and society.
Although Genesis is an ancient book, it speaks to some of the biggest questions we have today: Is there a God? If so, what is He like? Why is there evil in the world? Why are we here, and where can we find purpose and hope? In this course, which covers the first 22 chapters of Genesis, participants will see that God created a beautiful world and gave people a noble calling in His creation. It explains how our world was fractured by human rebellion and presents the beginnings of God’s plan to put everything back together.
A few years ago, I led a Bible study on the book of Romans and I thought this article did an excellent job of setting the stage on the background and key historical events that occurred when the letters were written to the church community in Rome. Please read this article for your church history knowledge.
https://www.crossway.org/articles/setting-the-stage-for-the-book-of-romans/
God bless you abundantly, 🙏
Journal of Faith 