If Proverbs is right (and it is) then our words carry enormous power. They can build life or break it (see the full sermon from Proverbs 15:1-4 in case you missed it). They can steady a soul or scar it (Proverbs 12:18).  They can shape identity for decades. And one of the most overlooked ways we build life is through encouragement. God has given us the incredible community of His Bride (the local church).  And it’s in and through this community that we have an incredible opportunity to practice the life-giving exhortation to encourage one another (see 1 Thessalonians 5:11).

Wisdom in the book of Proverbs consistently points us toward open hands rather than clenched fists. “One gives freely, yet grows all the richer… one who waters will himself be watered” (Proverbs 11:24–25). As we journey through Proverbs together, we are learning that generosity is not first about money it’s about trust. Trust that God is our provider, trust that his kingdom is worth investing in, and trust that blessing flows through faithful obedience. Setting a generosity goal for 2026 is not about arriving at a perfect number, but about choosing the wise path of giving rather than guarding, worship rather than worry, and actively participating in what God is doing.

As we step into a new year, many of us feel the tension between hope and reality. We want to grow, to change, to live more faithfully but we’re not always sure how to move from good intentions to real transformation.

That’s where our 2026 Vivid Vision resource comes in.

Lately the news seems determined to remind us how marred our world truly is. Reports of violent confrontations involving federal agents and civilians in Minnesota, protests over the use of force, and heart‑wrenching international tragedy in Iran all compete for our attention in a world groaning under sin and suffering.