Friend,
What’s Your One Word Not Just for 2026
But for Life…
I attended the funeral of a dear family friend.
During the eulogy, the preacher recounted
asking the widow what the one word was she
would use in describing her late husband.
She said, “Gentle.”
Giving an example, she mentioned that
never in their 54 years of marriage did
she ever fill her own gas tank.
Interestingly,
Jesus described himself as gentle.
In Matthew 11: 28-30, he said,
“Come to Me, all of you who work and
have heavy loads. I will give you rest.
Follow My teachings and learn from Me.
I am gentle and do not have pride.
You will have rest for your souls.
For My way of carrying a load is easy
and My load is not heavy.” (TLV)
I have lived almost six decades and met
thousands and thousands of grown men.
Never had I heard of one described as
“Gentle.”
If you want to be like Jesus,
one of the qualities you must have is
gentleness.
What a legacy and honoring his life has
challenged me to be a better man.
Having a word for the year has become a
popular leadership exercise.
I get it.
Have a word for the year helps with focus,
intentionality, and the setting of priorities.
It also provides guardrails and helps you
know what to say “No” to.
But I was reminded that when our leadership,
and for that matter, our life is over,
people will not remember us for a
ever-changing word for each year.
They will attach a single word to the
span of our entire life.
I encourage you today to give thought
to your legacy and the impact, you
want your life here on Earth to have.
What one word would you want people
to say when describing you?
Start living that way now.
For the record,
the word I hope people say about me is
“Kind.”
I still have a long way to go.
- Brian Dodd
***
Try A Little Kindness…
If you see your brother standing by the road
With a heavy load from the seeds he sowed
And if you see your sister falling by the way
Just stop and say you're goin' the wrong way
Don't walk around the down and out
lend a helping hand instead of doubt
And the kindness that you show every day
will help someone along their way
You've got to try a little kindness
Yes, show a little kindness
Yes shine your light for everyone to see
And if you'll try a little kindness
And you'll overlook the blindness
Of the narrow-minded people
On the narrow-minded streets
Written by Bobby Austin & Curt Sapaugh
“Try a Little Kindness” produced by Al De Lory
Glen Campbell released
“Try a Little Kindness” in January 1970
Edited by H.C.
***
Friend what is Your Word?
I have thought about it and my word is
“Giver.”
I shared with a teenage Bible class at
Barn Creek telling them…
You don’t have to be a Warren Buffet,
Bill Gates or Elon Musk to be a giver.
The Bible affirms that…
“ Now Jesus sat opposite the treasury and saw
how the people put money into the treasury.
And many who were rich put in much.
Then one poor widow came and threw in two
[o] mites, (which make a [p ]quadrans.
[o] Gr. lepta, very small copper coins
[p] A Roman coin
So He called His disciples to Himself and said to them,
“Assuredly, I say to you that this poor widow has put
in more than all those who have given to the treasury;
for they all put in out of their abundance,
but she out of her poverty put in all that she had,
her whole livelihood.”
Mark 12:41-44 (NKJV)
Remember this…
In the Lord’s eyes,
this poor widow gave more than all
the others put together,
though her gift was by far the smallest.
The value of a gift is not
determined by its amount,
but by the spirit in which it is given.
A gift given grudgingly or for
recognition loses its value.
When you give…
gifts of any size are pleasing to God
when they are given out of gratitude
and a spirit of generosity.
The Lord watches how we give and
examines the motives of
our heart
1 “Watch out! Don’t do your good deeds publicly,
to be admired by others, for you will lose the
reward from your Father in heaven.
2 When you give to someone in need,
don’t do as the hypocrites do—blowing trumpets
in the synagogues and streets to call attention
to their acts of charity! I tell you the truth,
they have received all the reward they will ever get.
3 But when you give to someone in need,
don’t let your left hand know what your right hand
is doing.
4 Give your gifts in private, and your Father,
who sees everything, will reward you.
Matt.6:1-4 (NLV)
He also sees how much we give and
measures the proportion,
not the portion
2 On the first day of each week,
you should each put aside a portion of the money you
have earned. Don’t wait until I get there and then try
to collect it all at once.
1 Cor.16:2 (NLV)
Holocaust survivor
Corrie Ten Boom wrote…
“What I spent, I had.
What I saved, I lost.
What I gave, I have.”
“We are not the sum of our possessions.
We are not the sum of our accomplishments.
We are finally the sum of our gifts.”
– Roger Kunkel
“And whoever gives one of these little ones only
a cup of cold water in the name of a disciple,
assuredly, I say to you,
he shall by no means lose his reward.”
Matt.10:42
“Give, and it will be given to you.
You will have more than enough.
It can be pushed down and shaken
together and it will still run over
as it is given to you.
The way you give to others is the
way you will receive in return.”
Luke 6:38 (NLV)
- Hayden Childs
***
It’s Always Been You – Phil Wickham
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BDURInx_GUk&list=RDBDURInx_GUk&start_radio=1
The Cross – Anne Wilson
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=39UafwUH4Gg
Auld Lang Syne – Guy Lombardo Original 1947 Version
Which is played at the ball drop at Time’s Square New York City
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=adwni-Jt8qQ&list=RDadwni-Jt8qQ&start_radio=1
***
The worship most acceptable
to God
Comes from a thankful and
cheerful heart.
- Plutarch
God has two dwellings.
one in heaven,
And the other in meek
and thankful hearts.
- Izaak Walton
Gratitude is the inward feeling
of kindness received.
Thankfulness is the natural
impulse to express that feeling.
Thanksgiving is the following
of that impulse.
- Henry Van Dyke
***
Man's Greatest Need is for Salvation
Searching the Scriptures
Cliff Goodwin
https://subsplash.com/u/2c93/media/d/3n7vmln-mans-greatest-need-is-for-salvation
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