Hey Everyone,
We all need encouragement. Without it, our stamina fades and the flame dies. When you walk through a heavy season, a timely word or a faithful presence supplies the oxygen that keeps the fire burning.
Here is this week’s 3…2…1 Impact.
1 Story of Impact
In the midst of recent challenges, God has encouraged me in both big and small ways.
In late July, a friend invited me to join a book study ahead of the author’s visit to town. I attended and drew strength from the conversations. At the event, I spoke directly with the author—a man leading an international organization much larger than Many Hands and further down the road. I asked him tough questions about the weight of the work. Afterward, he bypassed the typical routine of rushing to his next obligation. He followed up with targeted information and sent me personal voice messages. Nothing obligated him to invest that time, yet he stepped in. At a moment when I felt isolated beneath a heavy burden, he stood shoulder to shoulder with me. He reminded me that I never carry this load alone.
Last week, an email arrived from a lifelong friend who lives hours away. After returning from an Impact Trip with her husband in November 2025, she felt a prompting to build relational infrastructure right where her feet were planted. Pushing past her self-described perfectionism and tendency to overthink, she launched a neighborhood Facebook page and hosted informal gatherings to cultivate community.
Recently, she decided to decorate their utility vehicle as a festive “treat cart” and drive it around the neighborhood on a Saturday. Refusing to overthink the impulse, she posted the announcement to the group. A few hours later, lying in bed, doubts crept in. She told her husband it was a foolish idea and resented her quick action. Recognizing the spiritual battle in the quiet of the night, she asked her husband to pray for her.
The next day, she read the 3…2…1 Impact email about silencing the wounded voices in our heads that ask, Who do you think you are to do this? Later, while walking her dog, a younger mom in the neighborhood stopped and asked how she could pray for her. Swallowing her pride and the fear of looking like the “weirdo neighbor lady,” my friend confessed her insecurities about the treat cart.
On Saturday morning, she taped the two quotes from that 3…2…1 email onto the UTV dashboard, turned on worship music, and spent six joy-filled hours driving through her neighborhood. God moved beyond her imagination. She met neighbors for the first time. In her words: “I had formed my own stories of some neighbors. I hadn’t made the effort to get to know their stories, and this morning, I realized my assumptions were not correct. God had some gentle teaching He wanted to share with me.”
She closed her note by sharing that my words served as one of the dominoes that kept her moving in the direction God designed for her. What she might not realize is that her email delivered the exact momentum I needed to keep pressing forward, too.
From a global leader sending voice memos to a lifelong friend driving a treat cart, we are all Transforming Together. You never know how an act of obedience or a word of encouragement will become the fuel someone else needs to keep their flame.
3 Points to Ponder
- Perfection is the enemy of obedience. My friend’s breakthrough happened when she posted the idea before mapping out every detail. Fear screams loudest in the dark right after we step out in faith. Inspect your current hesitation. Where is overthinking stalling your next step on a prompting from the still, small voice?
- Proximity shatters assumptions. We easily invent stories about the people around us when we stay inside our own walls. When we step onto the street to embody Love in Action, real stories and shared humanity replace our false narratives. Confront your blind spots. Whose story do you need to listen to this week instead of assuming you already know it?
- Encouragement is a two-way street. None of us are self-sustaining. Whether you send a three-minute voice message to a peer carrying a heavy load or write a note to a friend affirming their work, your words carry weight. Evaluate your circle. Who is God bringing to your mind right now who needs fuel for their flame?
2 Quotes to Share
“Instruction does much, but encouragement, everything.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
“Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around.” – Leo Buscaglia
You never know what hangs in the balance when you reach out and remind someone that they are seen and supported.
Identify one person you can text, voice memo, or write to today to remind them that their work matters. Reply and share who comes to mind. I read every response.
Live with Impact,
Tim
