Monthly Archives: January 2026

Take Charge

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Sometimes I’m a take-charge kind of person.

If I see something that needs to be done and nobody is doing it, I don’t mind stepping up to the plate and gettin’ ‘er done. However, if there is someone in my midst who has more “take-charge-ness” than me, I am more than happy to step down and let somebody else get ‘er done.

Taking charge can be a good thing when there needs to be some leadership to accomplish a task. Taking charge can be a bad thing when it’s motivated by control and comes off as bossiness.

So, I had to smile when I read this scripture:

“Then Jesus entered a house, and again a crowd gathered so that he and his disciples were not even able to eat.  When his family heard about this, they went to take charge of him, for they said, ‘He is out of his mind.’” Mark 3:20-21

Families are funny that way. We tend to think we have a right to interfere. As a mother, I’ve done my fair share of meddling. And I’m not proud of it. Jesus’ family seemed to think it was time to put an end to the craziness and take Him back to the carpenter’s shop where He belonged. But Jesus didn’t let His mother and brothers derail His mission.

Besides, who can take charge of Jesus?

I need Him to take charge of me.

What the Skibidi?

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What the skibidi is going on?

Skibidi—(adj.) A word with no real meaning; a word that can mean anything you want it to mean.

“Skibidi” was recently added to the Cambridge Dictionary. I admit, it is fun to say. But why are we making up words that have no meaning? Maybe Solomon was on to something:
“Meaningless! Meaningless! Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless!” Ecclesiastes 1:2

Maybe Timothy had a better take:
“The goal is love, which comes from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. Some have wandered away from these and turned to meaningless talk.” I Timothy 1:5-6

Here’s what got me started on all this:

The Cambridge Dictionary Word of the Year for 2025 was:
Parasocial—(adj.) Relating to a connection that someone feels between themselves and a famous person they do not know, such as an online influencer, a character in a film or TV series, or an artificial intelligence. 

The 2025 Oxford Dictionary Word of the Year was:
Rage Bait—(n.) Online content deliberately designed to elicit anger or outrage by being frustrating, provocative, or offensive, typically posted in order to increase traffic to or engagement with a particular web page or social media account.

The Merriam-Webster 2025 Word of the Year was:
Slop—(n.) Digital content of low quality that is produced usually in quantity by means of artificial intelligence.

The Dictionary.com Word of the Year was:
6 7—(n. or adj.) A slang term that is intentionally vague or nonsensical.

If those four words define our times, what does that say about us?
We can’t connect to real people in our midst,
so we wallow in slop
and take the bait that leads to rage?
6 7
Lord, have mercy.

This parasocial, angry, slop-filled world is in desperate need of good news.
Can we deliver?

We are bringing the good news to you,
so that you turn from these meaningless things
to the living God.
Acts 14:15

Lord, help us to shine like stars in the universe
as we hold out the Word of Life.
Philippians 2:15-16

Kindness

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Five years ago I started a nine-year quest to work my way through the fruits of the Spirit, as listed in Galatians 5:22-23. This year, it’s kindness.

“But the fruit of the Spirit is
love, joy, peace,
patience, kindness, goodness,
faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.”

At the beginning of this journey through the nine character traits, I figured if I spent a whole year developing each fruit, I’d be a pretty darn good Christian by 2030.

This is my half-way point and, honestly, I haven’t seen great improvement in my character. I still struggle with unloving thoughts, mopey attitudes, anxiety, and impatience. Alas, I can’t squeeze out those admirable fruits no matter how many Bible verses I read about them.

It took me five years to notice something:
These characteristics are fruit of the SPIRIT, not fruit of the DINAH.
They are not my project to conquer, but the work of the Spirit in me.

I’m slow to learn.

Here’s the best part.

In my study thus far, what has stood out to me is the astounding love of God, the abundant joy of the Lord, His peace that passes understanding, and the long-suffering patience of the Father. Instead of making strides in my own character development, I’m finding myself at the receiving end of God’s perfect character.

I’m not going to put a “Be Kind” sign in my front yard, or get a “Choose Kindness” tattoo. I’m not even going to try really hard to be a kinder, gentler person.

I am going to pay attention to the kindness of God
and hope some of it rubs off
as the Spirit works it in.

Yield

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Back in December,
I started asking God if He had a word for me to carry into the new year.
Nothing came.

I kept asking and tried to listen.
Nothing.

I started to get a little twitchy when January 1st came and went.
Still no word.

Me: Lord, what word do You have for me in 2026?
God: What word do you have for Me?
Me: (long pause) Huh? You are waiting for me to pick a word?
God: I yield the word-picking to you this year.
Me: Yield.
God: Good word.

Yield is a good word. It does double duty as a noun and a verb.
Yield, n. — quantity of harvest or income produced
Yield, v. — to give up or surrender; to give precedence to; to relinquish

Two years ago, I copied down this quote:

“Abiding is a humble, gentle persistency
in attending to Jesus and only to Him,
and a kind of unyielding yieldedness to Him alone.”
(Leighton Ford, The Attentive Life)

Those two words “unyielding yieldedness” stuck with me.
I’m going to spend the coming year figuring out what that means.
And how to do it.

Offer yourselves to God as those alive from the dead,
and your members as instruments of righteousness, yielded to God.
Romans 6:13