January 2026
Dear Parents, Happy New Year! Welcome 2026. A new year seems to always bring with it new hopes and dreams for the future. Regardless of what may have happened in the past, a brand new year unfolds before our eyes with a myraid of possibilities laid out before us. For many, this is a time for second chances, a “do-over” if you will. Every person, gets to begin each new year with a clean slate just waiting for the pages to be written out one by one, with the hope that somehow, this year- we will get it right. This is the year that we will succeed, prosper, grow, or whatever else you want to fill in the blank space with, for this is your life and you are in control to make it happen. But are you really? The reality of life sets in for most, and the hopes and aspirations of January begin to wane by summers end. So, what’s it going to take this year to make things end differently in 2026 that it did in 2025? For the most part, human beings are creatures of habit, and tend to follow past patterns of behaviors, especially when encountering stressful situations in life. We saw this very much to be true during Covid when people were isolated and left to themselves; research found that many reverted back to past routine behaviors, which caused a spike in depression and dysfunctional behaviors that many thought they had overcome. Many in this world want to think of themselves as self-sufficient and capable adults that don’t need anything or anyone to help them through this life. But the reality is that everyone one needs someone. Somone to bounce off ideas, someone to laugh and play with, someone to love them and care for them. Human beings were designed to be interactive and communicative with other human beings. We are, in fact, the only mammal species that keeps their young at home for 18 plus years! And when we don’t have someone to help us work through difficult experiences, we seem to spiral out of control and fail to reach our full potential as human beings. In other words, we get stuck. Some call it for the young, delayed adolescence; for others we label them as depressed or say they are filled with fear and anxiety that keep them from moving forward in their lives. For the severely lonely or dejected ones, they may become socio pathic and lash out at others with irrational types of behaviors that harm other people, because they don’t know how to handle such deep-seated emotional hurt, so they seek to hurt others. The saying is true, even misery needs company
pandemic of mental disorders within our society, and well we may have. However, I would venture to say, that if many of us would simply look to someone outside of ourselves, like Jesus, we would find the one who could guide us through those hurt feelings, someone who could hear our hearts, someone who could forgive our past, someone who could give us true hope that would last more than just a few weeks, days, or hours. A hope that is real- one that will inspires us to live a better life, a healthier life. A hope that encourages us to lead a life that serves other and does not allow us to focus on simply our own needs and desires.Hope is a powerful motivator. It is when one loses all sense of hope, that mental illness occurs. If the loss of hope continues over a long period of time, many will seek to take their life or the lives of others, as they can no longer see the value of continuing on- they are stuck. Someone once said that a grave is simply a rut with both ends kicked out. When people lose hope, they are stuck in the worse sort of rut one can imagine, one that leads to death. The crux of the problem is that people tend to place their hope in things that are going to disappoint them and cause them more pain. They will place their hope in fallible human beings, inanimate objects like money and materialism, or perhaps in fame and power. These are all things that wane and eventually will bring disappointment.
God says that if you place your hope in Jesus, you will never be disappointed. As Scripture says, Anyone who believes in Him will never be put to shame’ (disgraced).” Romans 10:11
In addition to the Holy Trinity of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, there is also the trinity of Faith, Hope, and Love found in I Cor. 13:13
“We find Faith in God the Father, and transformative Love in God the Holy Spirit. But it is in God the Son, Jesus, who offers Hope to all of mankind.
True hope that never disappoints us in this life or he life to come, is found in the life of Christ. If it weren’t for Jesus, we would all be destined to a life of destruction, a life void of hope. If this life is as good as it gets, then we are all in trouble, and there would be no motivation for any of us to continue on in this life. But God…in Jesus Christ, we find a hope that last eternally. The apostle Paul put
it this way.
How do we come upon such hope? The bottom line is that without Christ, we are lost
our destiny this way, and destined to live this life apart from our Father, God, who is holy. Again, Paul explains
“The wages (price or consequences) of our sins is death (eternal separation from a holy God), but the gift of God is eternal life
through Jesus Christ our Lord.”
(Romans 3:23)
This is what we just celebrated in Christmas last month. Jesus left his home in Glory (heaven) to pay the “price” for our sins, by sacrificing His sinless/holy life for all of mankind, that we might me reconciled back
to our Father in heaven. In doing so, Jesus gives all of mankind true hope- hope that lasts a lifetime, hope that never disappoints.
This is the kind of hope that maintains our faith throughout this life. Hope is a very real necessity to live. It is this
kind of lasting hope that fuels our faith, that inspires our lives and motivates us to tell the world that our Father who is in heaven, truly
wants His will to be done on earth as it is in His Kingdom. This year, 2026, is the year to spread His Love, His Faith and His Hope to our
community. Lifted Church and Academy are devoted to Jesus Christ and dedicated to fulfilling the will of our heavenly Father. The
reason why we are seeking to build a new facility, is so that we can spread the Good News of Jesus, and the hope that He alone
can bring to people’s lives. It is Jesus who heals broken families, it is Jesus who heals the broken hearted, it is Jesus who brings life
to dead things, and it is only Jesus who gives us faith that will never lead to disappointment or despair. It is only Jesus
who brings true hope in this life. This is why I know that Jesus will see our building project through to fruition and it is Jesus who will bless our children and our families in this community. It is His love and personal sacrifice that gets us through our personal lives each and every day, regardless of our circumstances.
“For from Him and through Him and for Him are all things. To Him be the glory and honor forever! Amen!” (Romans 11:36)
May 2026 bring continued blessings in your lives and the lives of your children as you seek to place Jesus first in all things; for I am
confident that if you do- you will never be put to shame. May God bless us all in a mighty way this coming year and may His glory be
revealed in all our lives.
In His Service and Yours,
Dr. Estelle C. Myers
School Administrator
