83. A Rising Tide Lifts All Boats: Growing With God This Year

In this first episode of 2026, we explore the image of a rising tide — how God’s work in one part of our life can gently lift the rest. Together we reflect on growth, testimony, and the invitations Jesus is extending to us this year. From choosing a “word for the year” to noticing what’s shaping us, this episode is a gentle reminder that as God grows us, He also grows what surrounds us.

Reflection Questions:

1) What do I sense God inviting me into in this season?

2) What word or phrase seems to rise in my spirit as a guide for the year?

3) Where did I experience God’s growth last year?

4) What feels dry, and what might God be wanting to water?

5) Where do I need to surrender control so God can lift the “whole boat”?

6) Who has God placed around me that I can encourage or uplift?

7) How can I create space for shared spiritual life this year?

About Integration (“all of life”)

8) Which everyday area (rest, boundaries, prayer, creativity, work) is God highlighting?

9) Where might growth in one area positively impact the others?

10) What am I believing God for this year?

Background for quote "A rising tide lifts all boats"

The phrase is most famously associated with President John F. Kennedy, who used it in a 1963 speech. [en.wikipedia.org]

But — and this is important — Kennedy did not originate it. His speechwriter, Ted Sorensen, later explained that he picked up the line from the New England Council, a regional chamber of commerce whose slogan since 1950 had been “The Rising Tide Lifts All the Boats.” [en.wikipedia.org]

Even earlier, the phrase appears in religious publications from the early 1900s, including a 1910 reference in the Boston Evening Transcript used in the context of missionary work. [theidioms.com]

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