Journal
With Christmas 2025 wrapped and décor back in storage, can we continue to let the wonder and miraculous birth of Jesus resonate and shape how we live and work throughout 2026?
“Wonder” is the word God has given me in 2026.
When the shepherd saw the angels break into a chorus in the skies proclaiming the birth of the Son of God, whom we would come to know as Christ Jesus, they were initially frightened, thinking them ghosts. Why did the angels appear to lowly shepherds who had no significant influence? Why hadn’t they appeared to influential leaders, priests, and kings? I believe it was because the shepherds were paying attention. They needed a solution and an answer to the crazy, uncertain world they lived in. They were shepherds who needed hope.
Are you a shepherd in God’s kingdom on earth today?
As artists, you are caring for His sheep through creativity in media, entertainment, music, art, and leadership opportunities. Using your artistic talents and skills, your artistry provides a type of emotional and spiritual nourishment and clothing for audiences and their minds, which affects hearts and, in turn, shapes what we say, believe, and choose. At the perplexing sight of the host of angels, the shepherds didn’t demand credentials, nor did they need clarification that what they were seeing was real and significant to motivate them to search for the location where the manager held the Savior of their souls. They went ahead in trust and curiosity – in wonder.
Wonder is not weakness.
Wonder creates boldness in leadership. It is an inward knowledge that the unshakeable promises God has given us are true and that He is trustworthy. But the way God delivers them is never how we think. It reflects a creative God who supernaturally delivers His people and word. Knowing His nature allows us to trust in His wonder. It is a type of humility. Trusting in the miraculous is not the absence of leadership, but it is a confident knowledge that God is in control when things don’t make sense. The shepherds didn’t arrive at the manger with strategic business plans, spreadsheets, or three goals formulated by AI. They came in pure, unfiltered awe.
God achieves His most significant accomplishments through curiosity.
The three Wise Men were the next ones to find our Savior by observing a curious, moving star. They bowed before him, laying down their crowns at the feet of a child singled out by the heavenly sign. They came from wealth and influence, offering kingly gifts in a bold counter-cultural declaration of worship and wonder. Endless Bible stories are filled with curious, strange, and miraculous events. The stories of Noah, Moses, Abraham, Esther, David, and the birth of Jesus, along with the miracles He performed while He walked on the earth, should give us pause and prompt us to walk confidently in wonder. God takes the natural and performs the supernatural. He is not a God who lays out all details of His plans, but He asks us to trust Him in the nonsensical. The shepherds and the Wise Men came with open hearts, bold faith, and expectant joy, and they witnessed the miraculous glory of God.
As 2026 begins with a rush, choose to turn off your screens more often this year to ponder and walk in the miraculous wonder of God. Turn down the volume on your need to understand and let curiosity and the wonder of God lead you into bold new places. The shepherds showed up. Will you?
“Everyone was gripped with great wonder and awe, and they praised God, exclaiming, “We have seen amazing things today!” (Luke 5:26 NLT)
Inner Views
What does it really mean to have “influence”? Read this week’s INNER VIEW as Flo Oramasionwu unpacks both the privilege and responsibility of having influence, and how she lives as an “encourager” of others everywhere she goes.
BIO
If you were searching for a soulful pop singer with a huge, heart-stopping voice, the Canadian Prairies is likely not the first place you’d start looking. But that’s exactly where Flo got her start. Flo is a multiple award-winning soul/pop artist who captivates with undeniable stage presence in every type of venue from intimate clubs to arenas. She represents encouragement, personal strength, passion, and positivity. Her enduring message of faith and self-empowerment reflects her resolve: to overcome all obstacles and continue to live out her dreams, “I believe this dream is bigger than I am.” Luckily her voice is bigger than her dreams. She is passion in living form and travels into realms of soul that some artists never tap into, and this is only the beginning.
“And as we let our light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.” – Marianne Williamson
INNER VIEW
Kathleen Cooke: As an award-winning musical artist in Hollywood, what lessons has God recently taught you about who He is?
Flo Oramasionwu: God has taught me that He is personal, present, and REAL! Not just a distant God that our parents, grandparents, and friends teach us about. Not a fictional or past character that was just active in the historical Old/New Testament times. JEHOVAH JIREH has come through for me in so many miraculous ways throughout my journey in LA that my mind is blown! He is not only faithful, but He is also so loving. He does miraculous things through people (even absolute strangers) and circumstances.
He moves and creates the resources to bless, encourage, and keep you going on your journey to ensure that you are on the right path. He’s got your back. He KNOWS you so well. He not only supplies your needs but also provides for your desires and the things that sometimes you think are unnecessary or may feel frivolous. He wants to give you the things that make your heart jump and smile. He truly is our provider. And, when God does it, He does it in beautiful ways.
Kathleen: The music industry is a constant struggle to create more music and get yourself seen. It takes enormous grit and endless determination. What have you learned about setting aside your ambitions and choosing God’s perfect plan for your life and work?
Flo: God has patiently taught me the importance of surrender and not to obsessively strive so much that there’s no room left for Him to drive. In other words, He’s been showing me the beauty of letting Him take hold of the “steering wheel” while I rest in Him and enjoy the beautiful view from the passenger seat.
Ambitious striving to accomplish specific dreams and goals can turn into an idol. It requires trust and faith to let go and leave it in God’s hands. He not only knows best, but His way is so much better than what we could ever try to do on our own. He is so much more efficient than our timing and far more effective than our efforts could ever be.
I personally don’t believe there is anything wrong with aiming for excellence (Daniel and Joseph were men of excellence), or having a vision (David had a vision for building God’s temple and left the blueprints to execute them with his son Solomon) and working towards it. But I do think God wants to eliminate the fear of needing to do everything on our own or else it won’t be completed or get done well. God knows and places the desires we have in our hearts for a reason and a purpose. He created us with gifts and abilities “for such a time as this” (as Mordecai told Esther) in history. He will fulfill the things He has planned for us. There is no need to spin our wheels and strive. God’s got this, and He’s got us!
Kathleen: It takes great faith to set aside yourself and your way for God’s way and choose to trust Him. You make yourself vulnerable and exposed in a world that thrives on self-assurance. What has God taught you about choosing Godly choices? (more…)
