I’m Pastor Risa Paul, interim pastor of First Presbyterian Church of Great Falls, and I want to share a unique practice with you that might reshape your life. That’s a big promise, but this practice has really changed mine.
All the media is full of articles telling us how to be a better person – lose weight, stop procrastinating, get in shape, have more friends, become more this or less that. Funny, I’ll bet if I looked back a year ago, or January 2016, or January 2006, or even January 1996 — I am willing to bet that I would see pretty much the same articles. These are pretty much the same articles that I remember seeing in the January issues of my mother’s magazines when I was growing up!
So, if these are the things that, in fact, we say we want to do/be, why aren’t we doing them? Why, every year, do we end up making the same resolutions, and every year we end up at the end of the year with nothing really having changed? Both in our physical lives and in our spiritual lives. We just have to look in different media to find the same articles; how to pray more, how to have a rich devotional life, how to get your family to church …. the exact same articles that have been published for years. I know for years my spiritual New Year’s resolutions were the very same.
And so, we try to step around it by saying that we do not make resolutions anymore. But really, we do have that desire, and all the articles we consume exacerbate that!
So let me invite you to a unique spiritual practice that has made a distinct difference in my life-My One Word. It is based on the book: ‘My One Word’ by Mike Ashcraft & Rachel Olsen.
Each January, I choose a word that exemplifies the person that I feel God is calling me to be. I’ve done this now for 12 years, and some of ‘My One Words’ were finish, release, rest, desire, and complete. When you have your word, you live with that one word all year. You will be amazed at the results! For the last couple of years, we have had a check-in group both online and here at the church, as our words have twisted and changed through the year.
It is one of the most powerful tools for spiritual growth I have ever used.
I hope you will join me this year, along with those who have used My One Word before. Our first meeting this year will be on January 5 at 6 pm at First Presbyterian Church, Great Falls, 1315 Central Avenue (on the corner of 14th Street and Central Avenue). We’ll watch a short introductory video and be on our way to a year of spiritual growth. There is no charge to participate in this program. But you may want to purchase the book.
We’d love to answer any questions you may have. So call First Presbyterian Church of Great Falls: 406-453-1411.
By Pastor Risa Paul: January 6, 2026 – Great Falls, Mt
