January 2026

As we step into a new year at TRM Ministries, we are carrying forward the momentum of our theme from last year, Standing in the Gap = Loving in the Gap, which called us to stand faithfully in the spaces where people feel unseen, unheard, or incomplete. For 2026, we are anchoring our hearts in a theme that supports everything we do—The Power of Prayer. 

This past year, many of us at TRM were deeply impacted by speaker, author, and pastor, Megan Fate Marshman during her keynote at the 2025 Citygate Network Conference in Phoenix, Arizona. Her message was not only inspiring but also clarifying. She reminded us that prayer is the posture that makes loving in the gap possible. For us, it was a realization that prayer positions our hearts to trust, to see clearly, and to love even when we do not understand. Prayer is what keeps us grounded in God when the gap feels too wide, too heavy, or too painful. 

Megan brought us back to a foundational truth that we cannot ignore—that sometimes the Father is whispering to our hearts, “Trust Me.” And that is exactly what Proverbs 3:5-6 teaches us, 

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.” 

Trust is the soil in which prayer grows. And prayer is the place where trust is tested, refined, and strengthened. If 2026 will be the year we step deeper into the Power of Prayer, then it must begin with this: Trusting God wholeheartedly and letting Him guide us in loving others through their shortcomings—and in receiving His love in our own. 

One of Megan’s most challenging reminders for us was that everything we do flows from the heart. Scripture tells us to guard it because it is the heart where our motivations, reactions, and compassion begin. Brokenness originates from the heart. When we observe others acting out, instead of judging, dismissing, or ignoring them, we should recognize that their behavior often stems from valid reasons. And no matter how that behavior confuses, frustrates, or even hurts us, the question we need to learn to ask is, “What must have happened to them in the past?” And from that question, we are led back to compassion. And from compassion we are led back to prayer. 

Before we confront, we pray; before we judge, we pray; before we attempt to fix, we pray. We ask for their pain, their story, and their brokenness—and then we seek their redemption. The core is the heart, and if the heart is central to everything, prayer becomes our way to entrust both our hearts and theirs to the One who can heal them truly.

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If we want to love in the gap, we must learn to pray in the gap—with sincerity, with vulnerability, and with the kind of honesty that lets God meet us where we really are. He wants our heart, not our performance.  

And here is the reality, when we get honest, guilt and shame often rise to the surface of our prayer life. Guilt is harmful because it says, “I hate what I’ve done.” But shame is where we want to focus, because it says, “I hate who I am.” Shame can leave us hopeless and trapped, making us believe we don’t deserve to approach God, speak to Him, or serve others for His sake. Shame thrives in silence. It grows in the dark corners of our hearts where we keep things hidden—our failures, regrets, and insecurities—the parts of ourselves we hope no one sees. Shame is what tells us, “You should be better by now,” or “If people knew this about you, they would walk away.” And when we believe those lies, we withdraw, we hide, and we isolate. 

When we pray, those cycles of guilt and shame are interrupted entirely. Not because prayer is a magic formula, but because prayer is where our honesty meets God’s grace. Revealing our true selves pulls shame into God’s light, where it cannot endure. Shame loses power when named before Him, who already knows us and still loves us. 

Prayer provides a safe space to be truthful about ourselves. Shame urges us to hide, but prayer invites us to come forward. Sharing honest thoughts and feelings with God allows His truth to confront the lies of shame. 

Shame convinces us we’re not “good enough’ to trust God, but each honest moment with Him disproves this. The more we trust Him with our hidden parts, the less shame can trap us. 

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As 2026 begins, The Power of Prayer will shape everything we do this year. It will shape how we serve, lead, care for guests, treat each other, and trust God with the burdens we carry. This year, we invite you to join us in praying honestly, expectantly, and compassionately—for those we serve, those we struggle to understand, and the stories and wounds we haven’t seen. Let’s pray for the courage to love in the gaps and allow God to love us there. Above all, we will pray with hearts trusting the God who hears, guides, and walks with us.  

And as we embrace this call, our CEO, La Manda Cunningham, invites everyone to join us as dedicated prayer warriors. We seek prayer for our work, asking God to provide the right staff, ensure the protection of our staff, volunteers, and guests, cultivate joyful and lasting volunteer service, sustain ongoing financial support to meet the growing needs of those we serve, and strengthen relationships with Topeka’s city officials and local businesses. Your prayers are essential, and La Manda, along with our staff here at TRM, requests that you lift these needs before the Lord throughout the year. 

May 2026 be a year in which prayer is not just a discipline we practice, but also the essence of how we love. 

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Happy New Year! 

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