Editorial: New year, still me
But with a few tweaks
While the start of the new year is now a couple of weeks in the rearview mirror, statistics say that most people will have already “failed” at their New Year’s resolutions. That’s why, this year, I decided to focus on small changes that I’m more likely to stick with.
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One change I wanted to make was writing consistently in my one-sentence daily journal. While I’ve been keeping such a journal for about seven years, I’ve struggled to keep up with it. This year, to set myself up for success, I put it (together with a pen) on my pillow when I make the bed. Then, as part of my nightly routine, I take two minutes to write. So far, I’ve skipped one day, but just caught up the following evening. With (nearly) daily consistency, the task keeps from becoming overwhelming—as it does when I skip several days—or weeks.
Another item I’ve had on my wish list for a couple of years is to memorize Romans 8. Last year, I made it a goal. However, I spent about three-quarters of the year paralyzed on the “how” and only made it through the first five verses or so. This year, rather than focusing on memorization as the goal, I decided to make reading those verses (preferably aloud), a daily practice. This aligns more closely with my real goal—not rote memorization, but internalization of the truths laid out in those verses.
The desire to change, to “better” oneself, isn’t foreign to Christians. After all, what else is the process of sanctification? However, while our culture focuses on self-betterment, our reliance is on the One “who began a good work in you [and] will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus” (Philippians 1:6). Or, as Jen Pollock Michel says in her feature in this issue, “Fruit is produced not by [our] heroic, individualist efforts … but by abiding … in the one whose Spirit generates the fruit of his abundant life.”
This process of sanctification is often achingly, agonizingly slow—a series of small tweaks, rather than overnight transformation: “A long obedience in the same direction,” as Eugene Peterson puts it in his book by that title. A small tweak for me, lately, looks like noticing when I’ve said something unnecessary or unhelpful, particularly to my husband or children. While I wish I hadn’t said it in the first place, the act of noticing is a small tweak in the right direction—and a necessary first step in the process of sanctification.
In the spirit of small tweaks, you may notice a few as you read this issue. First, in 2025 we have chosen to highlight the work of EMC artists. Dani Caldeira kicks us off with several photos and a description of her role in using music and theatre to build God’s kingdom. Second, we’ve changed the titles of two of our departments. Rather than “With Our Missionaries” and “With Our Churches,” we have shifted to “Global Focus” and “Local Focus.” Third, the column title “Inviting Faith” is now “Inspiring Faith,” and will be regularly written by Director of Next Generation Mo Friesen. He preferred “inspiring” over “inviting” because it points to our responsibility to have a continuing and growing relationship with Jesus Christ as we seek to inspire it in others.
