New Year, Change and Growth

Teachable Woman Podcast

Reverends Michele Owes and Diana Cherry

New Year, Change, and Growth

Reverend Michele Owes: [00:00:00] Welcome, welcome, welcome back to the Teachable Woman Podcast. We are so excited to be with you tonight. I am Reverend Michele Owes. I am with Mrs. Deanna P. Cherry, and together we are Teachers of Good Things. Mrs. Cherry say hello.

Reverend Dianna Cherry: Hello, and Happy New Year to our wonderful podcast family. And I'm going to say something that one of my dear friends say all the time. I am grateful and God is faithful, and this is a new year, a new opportunity to glorify him, to fix that, which we didn't fix before, and to step on out and glorify God.

Reverend Michele Owes: Amen. I love all of that in the greeting, right. And you are helping us set the direction for where we're going today. It is so true that when a new year rolls around, we begin to [00:01:00] think about resolutions. Some people make resolutions, some set goals, whatever you want to call it, new directions for their lives.

Reverend Michele Owes: And all of that is good to the honor and glory of God when we decide on those things that are not just going to make us look good, but make him look good in the process. So to the honor and glory of our Lord, we say yay and amen to all of the new resolutions that you may be working on writing. Thinking about, and if you have not set any goals and you have not made any plans, it's also a really good time to think about God, what can I do differently that would glorify you?

Reverend Michele Owes: What? What would you have me to do to change this life that you so blessed me with? And what is it that you want from me?

Reverend Dianna Cherry: Yeah.

Reverend Michele Owes: what changes do I need to make to get there? So these are some wonderful questions and I tell you what, God is not shy. He.

Reverend Dianna Cherry: He most definitely will. [00:02:00] I'm excited because our pastor, my son, gave us an opportunity to have a joint. Kind of a resolution or a resolve for the year. then a Tuesday Bible study, he declared that all of us should start almost a journal of the Tuesday Bible study and start following it as a daily guide.

Reverend Dianna Cherry: You know, you get the. January the first. You read this. Well, he want, he's encouraging us if you're part of From the Heart, please listen to the teaching From Tuesday Bible study. He's encouraging us, all of us, to develop our personal study time out of our own Bible study that we're being taught and we're being taught.

Reverend Dianna Cherry: Why? And the first why that we learned about in this new year was why Jesus, and it's just a takeoff from what we learned last year, and I am so super excited about it. In my [00:03:00] opinion, my Sunday Dick church message was the best message I had heard. I'm serious.

Reverend Michele Owes: Outstanding.

Reverend Dianna Cherry: not because it was my son,

Reverend Michele Owes: Yes.

Reverend Dianna Cherry: but because of how he challenged

Reverend Michele Owes: Mm-hmm.

Reverend Dianna Cherry: continue and then to have Bible study to come along and they're going to be teaching us why Jesus, why everything that we do, why our doctrine,

Reverend Michele Owes: Yeah.

Reverend Dianna Cherry: our theology.

Reverend Dianna Cherry: And find that exciting and I think that, I think that all of us would grow if we had a focus where all of us, we do the 37

Reverend Michele Owes: Mm-hmm.

Reverend Dianna Cherry: If all of us who listened to the podcast would maybe tune into that Bible study and all of us would begin to follow that as our daily devotion, think that it would make a magnanimous statement spiritually.

Reverend Michele Owes: Yes.

Reverend Dianna Cherry: Country and in the body of Christ and it's good stuff. So it's not going to hurt you, it's not foolishness. And it would put us on one [00:04:00] accord and keep us in the, atmosphere of the 37 second prayer that I know all of us are continuing to do. And I find that prayer so Sometimes I'm walking out the door, maybe taking the garbage out, and I say, oh, let me pray it. And then later on that day I might say, well, lemme pray it again. It's a constant thing in my life. And in my living. And I just think it would be wonderful. So I challenge all of us, come on, join in with, um, from the Heart Church Ministries worldwide, and let's pray together, study together, and know why we do what we do and who it is that we serve.

Reverend Dianna Cherry: When we serve Jesus Christ, the righteous son of God. So that's a challenge.

Reverend Michele Owes: That's a remarkable statement, and I'll tell you why. Because there's a, major issue happening, uh, within the Christian community at this moment, and the key point that's missing in all of the discussions is [00:05:00] why we represent Jesus.

Reverend Dianna Cherry: Yeah.

Reverend Michele Owes: As Christians we're his representatives. We don't represent ourselves.

Reverend Michele Owes: We don't represent our degrees, we don't represent fashion. We represent a risen savior.

Reverend Dianna Cherry: Yes.

Reverend Michele Owes: Each one of our lives have have a purpose and a plan that God intended. And so it is so important that we always remember who we represent, when we walk out the door, who we represent while we're in the door. And so whatever it is we choose, it's, it's not just our choosing because of what quote we want.

Reverend Michele Owes: But it is what he would have for us, and it's being led by his spirit and not by our own desires. And that is, it's a different kind of life because when we just feed our flesh and just what we want to do all the time, [00:06:00] it's a, it's a very selfish and lonely life, and it causes a great deal of conflict. But when we focus on the fact that God has a plan, uh, I had a discussion with someone the other day and, and someone was sharing with me, well, you should, you should speak up about these things and you should do this and you should do that.

Reverend Michele Owes: And I said, from an earthly perspective, that sounds so true. I said, but I operate on another level. I said, I, I have to do what my heavenly father would have me do. There are some things in the natural realm that seems so simple when we evaluated or reason with it in our limited thinking, but I, I told them, I said, I cannot.

Reverend Michele Owes: Step in, interfere and hinder the plan of God with what I think I have just come up too wrong on too many occasions when I was so sure I was right that I, I, I dare [00:07:00] not. Interfere with what God is trying to do, and I have to trust that when I give him something, that he's working on it and the work he's going to do is far greater than anything I can do.

Reverend Michele Owes: And, and, and I've learned that I don't have to defend myself and I don't have to tell anybody off, and I don't have to set somebody. So I, I don't, I have to do those things because I have a God. Who is rich in mercy, A God who is always looking out for me. And if I defend myself, I don't leave him anything to do.

Reverend Michele Owes: And so I want him to be, I want him to do the job 'cause he is going to do it well. And he is, he does all things well. Right. And so, uh, it's just, it's another perspective on how we live and think we would have far fewer hurt Christians. If we leave those things that belong in the hands of God to God [00:08:00] and stop trying to be everybody's Holy Ghost, because God is able to speak to his people, and if we pray more and chat less, then we'll see that God is fulfilling his will in the Earth and it's not ours.

Reverend Dianna Cherry: Yes.

Reverend Michele Owes: everybody to respond the right way and say this, and do how we think and think. Mm. That's just us.

Reverend Dianna Cherry: Yeah. Right. You know, I think, that's one of the refreshing things about this podcast is that we're not programmed,

Reverend Michele Owes: We're not,

Reverend Dianna Cherry: not, don't practice what we're going to say. We just come on and we let the spirit of God lead, we pray

Reverend Michele Owes: we do.

Reverend Dianna Cherry: we ask him to lead God

Reverend Michele Owes: Yes.

Reverend Dianna Cherry: us. And he does. And I get refreshing comments like, oh, Ms.

Reverend Dianna Cherry: Cherry, the podcast is such a blessing. You all are so real, you all, you don't even realize how many issues you're touching on. And I think it's because [00:09:00] are back to. of just letting God be God. We're not trying to get any fame or glory or anything. We just really want to be led by God and say what we think God would have us to say.

Reverend Dianna Cherry: That will be a blessing to the people who listen, both male and female, and that that probably sets our podcast. Apart from so many others because we're notifying we're not coming up with world opinions and world ideas. We rarely address world, uh, situations that are going on. And we are probably aware of most of the things that's going on, but when we do this podcast, we are razor focused on trying to get a message. the people who listen to the podcast and to say something that will make a difference in their, And I know that you had, uh, you sent me a couple of three words that you wanted us to touch on and I [00:10:00] think that this is a good lead in that, uh, you can, we can start talking about those. You remember, change, a New Year and growth.

Reverend Michele Owes: Well, you know, you know what's so, so funny about this is that it is an absolute surrender. To the spirit of God. It is, and as you said, it is not scripted. It is not prompted, you know, we, we may say what we're some ideas that we have to talk about, but it is an opportunity for God to speak through us and for him to get the glory, but it's also, it's a retraining in our lives because I don't know about you, but as a pastor's wife, my greeting was scripted.

Reverend Michele Owes: I, I'd learned that thing. It was in my heart. I rarely changed some of the words in it, right? All of every. When I go to pray, I wrote that prayer out. I was not going to trust my [00:11:00] brain to remember everything I wanted to say. Uh, if I have to teach a lesson, it I know every word. And when to breathe and when to say, turn the Bible to.

Reverend Michele Owes: I've written it out. I've bolded it, I've highlighted it. I got colors. Um, and, and that's not to say that the spirit of God didn't meet me when we studied to get these thing together, to get these things together, but. You and I, it's, it's a different kind of trusting in the Lord and it is instantaneous, and we pray that he brings back to our remembrance, the things that He wants us to share.

Reverend Michele Owes: And we have to trust him in that. And we pray that his will is done and that his kingdom comes and that he answers the questions in your heart. Right. Look, we have questions too. We don't ask him to answer our questions. We ask him to answer your questions, and inevitably all of us get our [00:12:00] answers right, but it is a total reliance on the spirit of God to do what he wants to do in this podcast.

Reverend Michele Owes: I would be too afraid to try to teach a whole lesson. 45 minutes of teaching or 30 minutes of teaching and go up in a pulpit area and not have a note. You know, I couldn't do that. But on the podcast, I am able to let go of that fear of making a mistake or that fear of saying something wrong because I am trusting that he is going to speak through me.

Reverend Dianna Cherry: Right. Isn't that refreshing?

Reverend Michele Owes: Yeah. But it all has to do with the deposit that we received from our husbands, uh, that, that tremendous deposit of the word of God. And one of the things that we're going to be talking about, or what we're talking about, or segueing our way into, I should say, is [00:13:00] change. It's a new year and we often talk about the changes that we want to make in our lives in this new year.

Reverend Michele Owes: And ultimately what we are looking for is growth. And God revealed something to me some time ago, and I may have shared it before, but it's worth sharing again, that, you know, when we give birth to infants or we've been around infants, we find that, you know, at birthday we're zero to three and then they wear three to six months or, or they wear six to nine.

Reverend Michele Owes: Depends on what size baby you had. 'cause they can hop right into six to nine. It just depends right. But if you sat by their cribs or bassinet every night and you just held a flashlight and you waited to see that growth, you would not be able to see the growth because our responsibility was to set up a loving and nurturing environment such that growth could take place.[00:14:00]

Reverend Michele Owes: The same thing happens with our toddlers and our elementary school students and even our high school students. You know, the way we know that they've grown is that we see that the pants are too short, the sleeves have gotten too short, or something is too tight. But again, even if we sat by them at night, we wouldn't be able to see the bones elongate.

Reverend Michele Owes: we wouldn't, we wouldn't be able to see growth takes place. Take place. And so I was praying to God about growth and he and he shared something with me that some of us plant and some of us water, but God gives the increase.

Reverend Dianna Cherry: Mm-hmm.

Reverend Michele Owes: this nurturing, loving environment that we set up in our homes allows God to give the increase to growth in their lives.

Reverend Dianna Cherry: Mm-hmm.

Reverend Michele Owes: we're looking for spiritual growth. Now we're looking for maturity. We're looking for different kind of growth because most of us, we don't even buy their clothes anymore. They choose what they want to choose, right? But we're looking for [00:15:00] a level of maturity and, and we're looking for, a level of.

Reverend Michele Owes: Independence, if you will. Um, we're looking for growth

Reverend Dianna Cherry: Mm-hmm.

Reverend Michele Owes: and, but if we have not planted and we have not watered, then God has nothing to give increase to.

Reverend Dianna Cherry: Wow. Wow.

Reverend Michele Owes: So, and, and as parents we can often feel as though, well, you know, I raised them, I took them to church. I made sure they went to the Christian school. I, I've done my job, but, but we planted way back then if you'll,

Reverend Dianna Cherry: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.

Reverend Michele Owes: but, but we are to encourage one another while it is yet called today.

Reverend Dianna Cherry: A day.

Reverend Michele Owes: Which means that that planting and watering is a daily thing, not only with people that we know, but also with our children, with our families, in the body of Christ in the world. We're still supposed to be planting [00:16:00] and watering, but yet Mrs. Chair, we have a tendency to expect growth, but we have not given God anything to give increase to.

Reverend Dianna Cherry: That's so true. My goodness. That is profound. I didn't expect, uh, I didn't expect you to come from that perspective, but it's true. Um, we don't, we, we cut them loose sometimes so soon at the time that they really need us. We sometimes I think, become intimidated. We don't want to be overbearing, you know, we have to give them chance to, spread their wings. But I'm not, I'm, I think we miss God when we do that. And I, I know that when, uh, my son used to go to school, before I went back to the government to work almost every day, I would, uh. As he walked out the door, his dad's taking him to school. I would give him a scripture. And, love Proverbs chapter four.

Reverend Dianna Cherry: It says, [00:17:00] you know, don't look to the right to left and look right on. I said, you know, you can make a little spiritual slang out of this and you can look at one of your Christian friends who might be acting ugly. And you can just say Right on. It sounds a little sling, but you guys have talked about it and it, for you, it means get yourself together because you're not.

Reverend Dianna Cherry: Doing right, right now. And I used to, uh, interpret the scripture to him in, in kind of fun kinds of ways like that. and I, I used to say things to him that, the scripture says that the wicked don't sleep unless they eat the bread of wickedness. And, and I would say to him in our bread is the bread of life.

Reverend Michele Owes: Yes.

Reverend Dianna Cherry: Don't, don't hang with the wicked. Don't go that way. Yeah. I would just try to take the scripture and make it really simple to give, you know, to lead him out of the door. I don't know if he remembers any of that or not, but we do. We give up on them too quickly.

Reverend Michele Owes: Yes.

Reverend Dianna Cherry: They're at a point they might act ugly,

Reverend Michele Owes: [00:18:00] Yeah.

Reverend Dianna Cherry: love us and they still want us to be a little stern, them.

Reverend Dianna Cherry: You know, I have grandchildren now who are grown because I have great-grandchildren, sometimes my grandchildren will come in, be a little harsh. Oh yeah, grandma. but I know, I know that in that. Sound of that harshness. It isn't. They really want my input.

Reverend Michele Owes: Yes.

Reverend Dianna Cherry: me to continue to be there for them and to believe in them, and

Reverend Michele Owes: Right.

Reverend Dianna Cherry: trust that word of God is making a difference in their lives, even though like we can't see them grow in the crib. the crib at night. But we have to trust that even if they're 30, 40 years old, that the words of wisdom that we give them will promote and produce growth. Whether we see it or not,

Reverend Michele Owes: go?

Reverend Dianna Cherry: we can't, can't stop giving it to 'em and that that sometimes I think we become so intimidated by our grownup. Children and grandchildren, that we tend not to give them [00:19:00] wisdom and we can never do that.

Reverend Dianna Cherry: We have to, um, your son told you that Sunday, mom, I just left church. I don't need another compelled to do it.

Reverend Michele Owes: Hey. That was, that was a good message I was giving,

Reverend Dianna Cherry: in his heart, he received it in his.

Reverend Michele Owes: but, but I think I, I was so convicted. I was so convicted that God was reminding me that I have to plant water daily. I, I was so convicted because I felt I had done my planting and done my water and should not be able to see a little bit of growth by now. I was so convicted in that, you know, you never once think that you may be responsible for what you don't see.

Reverend Michele Owes: Right? But.

Reverend Michele Owes: Uh, bow, if you will, for what we do see, but not for what we don't see, but, but how much planting and how much watering have I done [00:20:00] for an adult that I think should quote no better. Right? Even. Um, you know, and, and I can see in places that God has placed me, why he's placed me there. Not the totality of it, but just the things that he can trust me to know and, and helping people to understand why they need God.

Reverend Michele Owes: Not just heard of him, but why they need God, uh, and how much I trust him in the day-to-day issues of my life. Uh, the person who was talking to me who was thinking I should, well, you know, you should really say something. You should. Yeah. But my heavenly father hasn't said say anything yet. And what's so beautiful is to have a relationship with God to the point that what other people say to you, it really doesn't bother you because.

Reverend Michele Owes: First of all, they don't have a heaven or a hell to put you in. You have a [00:21:00] relationship with God and you know, he'll take care of it. Vengeance needs to be handled. That's his job. Vengeance shall be mine. Say it the Lord, but, but my job is to do no harm, such that if he needs me to, to plant and to water so that he can give an increase, I've done no harm.

Reverend Michele Owes: So that he can perform his will. And, and that means that I do have to practice the fruit of the spirit. I, I do have to be temperate. I do have to control myself based on what I know of the word of God. And one of the things my husband used to say to me all the time is, you know, Michelle, a fire needs oxygen.

Reverend Michele Owes: And if you don't feed it, it just goes out. He was trying to teach me how much,

Reverend Dianna Cherry: Wow,

Reverend Michele Owes: how much talking I should do to the children.

Reverend Dianna Cherry: wow,

Reverend Michele Owes: In other words, if you stop feeding this discussion, it will go out.

Reverend Dianna Cherry: [00:22:00] Yes. Wow.

Reverend Michele Owes: do you know what it needs to do. And he also used to say this to me and he had a whole series on it and it was called The Ministry of the Wall, and he talked about how you know, God will try to teach us and share with us and speak to us and provide for what, for us, and protect us.

Reverend Michele Owes: But some of us, we are just going to go hit the wall because we want what we want. Not trusting that what God said is true, or we think that what's out there on the ministry of the wall is better than what God is offering. And then when we hit that wall. We remember that we have a God 'cause we can't move the wall.

Reverend Michele Owes: Now it's there and the damage has been done. We hit the wall. And so as Christians, we have to be there when our loved ones, our coworkers, our associates, even our church members, when they hit the wall. Our job is still to plant and to water so God can give the increase. [00:23:00] It's not to ostracize, not to talk about, not to point at, not to say, honey, did you hear?

Reverend Michele Owes: No, I didn't hear, and I don't want to hear it. If, you know, if it ain't Jesus and him crucified, I don't need to know because I, when I get in that parking lot to greet the saint, I'm just, I gotta love everybody. I come, I show up with a deficit of hugs during the week. I want my hugs right. Give me my hugs.

Reverend Michele Owes: Let me say wonderful things to you, and then we can all get in our car and go home.

Reverend Dianna Cherry: Right, right. It's so true. Um, but you know, in this new year we have an opportunity to, um, change. Some people make resolutions. Reverend Os and I were saying we don't make resolutions. Uh, I strive to be better every day of my life. And so perhaps that's a resolution. don't make resolutions that I'm going to stop eating ice cream every night at 10 o'clock then start eating it at six or whatever.

Reverend Dianna Cherry: I don't, I don't make resolutions. And she said neither does she, I don't [00:24:00] think that you have to have a written scroll of what you want to do or plan to do, I think that all of us should view a new year as a new opportunities for growth, and a new year is a new opportunity for change, and you know where you need change and I know where I need change.

Reverend Dianna Cherry: So it can be just personal introspection. Of us self-examining and then purposing in our hearts to change where we need change. So New Year should represent new opportunities for growth, new opportunities for maybe, perhaps new choices, maybe even new choices in friendships or relationships. Perhaps.

Reverend Dianna Cherry: We've been in some of those relationships that Reverend Oz is talking about, and we know that they're hindering our growth we can purpose. To, give the word of God, um, and not give too much oxygen to the fire,

Reverend Michele Owes: Yes,

Reverend Dianna Cherry: you know, cut it out a little [00:25:00] bit. But in order to, um, in order to have change, change. We have to grow and growth necessitates change, when we change, the change that we make in us will facilitate more growth. So that's a statement that we've used in the ministry for years. But it's okay to change. you don't have to tell anybody what you are planning to change. It's nobody's business. It's a situation between you and an almighty God, you just make a decision as you self examine. And maybe you need to pray more, maybe you need to be more diligent on the 37th second prayer. Maybe you need to be more diligent in applying, uh, second Chronicles to your life. If my people who are called by my name would repent. Turn from their wicked ways. Maybe we need to do some turning this year. And, um, the new year to me is just an [00:26:00] opportunity to look at where I am and to see what needs to be changed in my life, knowing that when I change it'll cause growth. And then the more I growth, I grow, the more I'm going to have to change. And that's, it's just a process. So growth. Necessitates change and when we change that change will facilitate growth. So I pray that all of us will make a commitment that this year, this new year, we're going to change some things that need to be changed And, and I taught a series and I I love the series when you change. Purpose in your heart that you're going to change to be unchangeable. In other words, don't go back and start doing the same

Reverend Michele Owes: Right,

Reverend Dianna Cherry: used to do.

Reverend Michele Owes: right.

Reverend Dianna Cherry: and make that change. To be unchangeable. You are who you are. By the grace of God, we know what we know. By the wisdom of God, we do what we do. [00:27:00] I pray by the word of God and just grow in in grace, grow in knowledge, grow in wisdom.

Reverend Dianna Cherry: Let this be a year growth in the things of God, and I firmly believe that. If we're really occupied with the things of God, we're not going to have a whole lot of time for the things of foolishness. And, and that when you're occupied with the things of God, you real, you readily recognize foolishness and you know it's no place in your life for it.

Reverend Dianna Cherry: You know, you just, is that what they did? Well, you know, so much so well, well done for them, you know? But you have no place for it. I have no room in my life for, A lot of stuff and things. An interesting thing happened. I got a new computer and I haven't had a new computer in years, and every time I turned this computer on, it was just loaded with news stories.

Reverend Dianna Cherry: It was driving me crazy. I told my [00:28:00] granddaughter, I said. Deanna, I can't stand this. I don't want to see all this pop up. The weather, the snow, the war, the this. I said I can't handle it. Please can't I get a clean screen? And she said, grandma. I will take care of it. She said that's just the way they do things nowadays.

Reverend Dianna Cherry: And my screen now, I turn it on and I get a nice peaceful little water scene and I love it. I don't know what the temperature is. I don't care what the temperature is. I don't know who struck John, 'cause I don't know John. Anyway, you know, so I'm, I'm happy.

Reverend Michele Owes: Yes.

Reverend Dianna Cherry: I don't have every news story that ever happened today. As soon as I turned my computer, I can't take that. That's too much for me. uh, and I, I'm happy with how I live my life. I'm so isolated and insulated and it's just, uh, it's just good. It's good for me this way.

Reverend Michele Owes: Amen. You know, my husband used to say [00:29:00] that change is not change until you change. He said you can talk about change, you can plan for change, you can research change, but until you make the change, you won't know what change is. And I.

Reverend Dianna Cherry: that.

Reverend Michele Owes: I liken that to, uh, a tree during the barren time of life that it can just look really dead.

Reverend Michele Owes: But what's really happening is it's changing and oftentimes God strips us from the, the. Things and stuff and, and people and, and circumstances and situations, God can just strip us of those things because he is facilitating change in our lives. you know, this year for Christmas, everybody was asking, well, what do you want?

Reverend Michele Owes: What do you want? That's, I'm a person who doesn't really want anything because I have. [00:30:00] I need, and, you know, after so many years of Christmas, what could you need? My goodness gracious, computer as old as Mrs.

Reverend Michele Owes: You may wait, wait. And the other thing is a phone. You know, I, the only reason I got a new phone was because they no longer offered updates from the maker of the phone. Right. And so my phone was doing all kind of crazy things, and I'm complaining to the phone company and they said, it's not us. They said.

Reverend Michele Owes: It's the people who were making your phone. Then she told me, she asked me again, I just want to confirm the model of your phone. And I gave it to her. And then she told me the model that they were on, which was in the twenties, and mines was like a, A six or a seven, right? So she said, they're not even making anymore updates for your phone.

Reverend Michele Owes: I said all that to say this, what we think we need and what we really have to have can be two completely different things.

Reverend Dianna Cherry: Mm-hmm.

Reverend Michele Owes: Right. God [00:31:00] knows what we need and sometimes to get us alone. A point where we will acknowledge him at a point where we will hear him. He has to strip away some things and trees just lose their foliage at a and they're being stripped.

Reverend Michele Owes: But it's all because they're being prepared for the new growth in the spring. And to us, the trees look dead. They look like they should be cut down, but God is doing a mighty work on the inside. And so as it relates to change, there may be some people that we know whose lives appear to be dead. There may be some people that we know who we don't think are making any progress.

Reverend Michele Owes: They're not growing, they're not changing, but they may be in the middle of this barren time with the Lord, where when the change comes, it is unmistakable. So your job and my job [00:32:00] in this year of 2026 is to be that witness. To plant and to water. Give God something to give increase to. Don't ever complain about not seeing a change in someone.

Reverend Michele Owes: If we have not continued to plant and continue to water, give God something to give increase to the job comes back to us. We want to see growth. We want to see change. We want these New Year's resolutions that have been written over and over and over again and, and if we find that we are planning the same New Year's resolution year after year after year, it could very well be that the front we're working on or the front we want to work on is not where God is working.

Reverend Michele Owes: And so we're in there doing it all by ourselves, and he wants us to just ask me what I want you to change and.

Reverend Dianna Cherry: Right. And remember when change [00:33:00] comes, change.

Reverend Michele Owes: Yes, they do. Yes, they do. All right. Well, we are so happy again to have been with you in this new year to tell you we want you to have a wonderful 2026. The year may have changed, but we serve the same God and its faithfulness is for real for real.

Reverend Dianna Cherry: Amen. God bless you. We love you. Change to be unchangeable.

Reverend Michele Owes: Amen. See you on our next podcast.

Reverend Dianna Cherry: Mm-hmm.