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This week was the end of the filing period for Texas’ 2026 elections. This year’s filing period was one of the more chaotic in recent memory, with candidates waiting till the last minute to file and waffling about which office to run for, against a backdrop of incumbent retirements that probably have left some Texans unclear who—if anyone— represents them now, or hopes to represent them in the future. Some candidates, meanwhile, likely will second-guess whether they made the right choices—in part because their choices were responsive to influences like national parties, polling, and gossip.
While we can sometimes control the inputs into a situation, we are not usually in control of the outcomes. Given that reality, it’s wise to consider what it means to be effective civic participants as we head into the rapidly approaching new year.
In this week’s episode of Weekly Witness, Scott, Beaman, and I unpack what the political moment looks like in Texas and the U.S. going into 2026. We identify the frustrations many advocates are experiencing, and offer some thoughts about how Texas Impact members can model faithful leadership next year.
One of the most important activities of 2026 will be listening to our communities. “Seek first to understand” came into popular usage as Habit #5, and echoes the words we often (but apparently erroneously) attribute to St. Francis of Assisi:
Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me bring love.
Where there is offence, let me bring pardon.
Where there is discord, let me bring union.
Where there is error, let me bring truth.
Where there is doubt, let me bring faith.
Where there is despair, let me bring hope.
Where there is darkness, let me bring your light.
Where there is sadness, let me bring joy.
O Lord, grant that I may not so much seek
to be consoled as to console,
to be understood as to understand,
to be loved as to love,
for it is in giving that one receives,
it is in self-forgetting that one finds,
it is in forgiving that one is forgiven,
it is in dying that one awakens to eternal life.
Texas Impact has resources to help you hold formal and informal discussions on various topics, and we’ll be rolling out more—including a new study on climate change and the Global Ethical Stocktake.
The study features videos from the climate negotiations last month in Brazil, and includes content by faith partners from around the country. It’s designed to fit perfectly as a Lenten series, but it’s appropriate for all spiritual and faith traditions and seasons.
In the blog this week, we’ve got a last look at COP30 from Rev. Joan Pell, a United Methodist Caretaker of God’s Creation, and a reflection from Bobby Watson on the connection between climate change and armed conflict around the world. Becca explains Texas’ ongoing climate adaptation programming and points out that mitigation would be a cost-effective approach, and Rebecca offers action steps for election mobilizers (spoiler: one of the steps is listening to your community).
“If I were to summarize in one sentence the single most important principle I have learned in the field of interpersonal relations, it would be this: Seek first to understand, then to be understood.” – Dr. Stephen R. Covey
Texas Impact will be closed from December 22 to January 4. We will be back in the office on January 5. Our last weekly enewsletter of 2025 will be next week’s, which will also be the last Weekly Witness episode for this season.
On behalf of Texas Impact’s whole staff, thank you for your work in the world!
Love, |
