Cultural Studies… Messy Christmas 24 Dec 202215 Nov 2023 By Justin Rossow It’s Christmas Eve, and my daughter was supposed to be home three days ago. She made it to the Minneapolis airport. She made it onto the plane.…
For My Friends The Christmas Cardinal 13 Dec 202211 Dec 2022 By Raelyn Pracht Growing up, we always decorated the Christmas tree the day after Thanksgiving. My father would string the lights on the tree and wrap it in shiny, silver…
Cultural Studies… Why I Owe My Faith to the Jews 2 Dec 20223 Dec 2022 By Kristeen Bruun When I was in my twenties and very definitely searching in my faith life, I spent several years working in New York City. I loved my time…
Exegetical Study… The Winds of Change 30 Nov 202230 Nov 2022 By Justin Rossow ‘Tis the season for package arrivals, so when our Alexa lit up last night, we kind of expected more of the same. “Alexa, what are my notifications?”…
Exegetical Study… Walk in Newness of Life 17 Nov 202217 Nov 2022 By Justin Rossow We use Romans 6:5 at funerals all the time, but to paraphrase Inigo Montoya, “You keep using that verse; I don’t think it means what you think…
Discipling Leaders… Let Zacchaeus Have His Day 15 Nov 20228 Jul 2024 By Justin Rossow You probably know the story. Or at least the song: “Zacchaeus was a wee little man, and a wee little man was he.” You likely know the…
Cultural Studies… Holiday Prep with Lüthla and Güthla 2 Nov 2022 By Katie Helmreich Don't panic, but it's November. Blink and it will be Thanksgiving. Blink twice and it will be Christmas! THERE IS SO MUCH TO DO!! When Elise, my…
For My Friends Today is Where the Gift is. 19 Oct 2022 By Jamie Wiechman A few years ago, it was brought to my attention that I had a lot of discontentment. I’ll be honest: that feedback stung a bit. I was in…
For My Friends A Beautiful Day for Needing Jesus 8 Oct 20226 Oct 2022 By Katie Helmreich A few weeks back I shared about a particularly challenging season we've been going though. I'm happy to say that, for the most part, our skies have cleared…
Disciple LIke You Mean It… Non-Judgmental Noticing 7 Oct 202215 Nov 2023 The Next Step PodcastSeason 6: My Next Step, Vol 1: Getting StartedEpisode 2.3: Non-Judgmental NoticingDate: 06 October 2022Guest: Jamie Wiechman, Cofounder of Breathe Life Ministries Also available on: Apple Podcasts,…
For My Friends The LORD is Not Slow. Say What? 3 Oct 20228 Jul 2024 By Jamie Wiechman Does anyone remember the famous line from the 1980’s sitcom Different Strokes? Something doesn’t compute with Arnold Jackson. This little boy tilts his head, scrunches up his…
Disciple LIke You Mean It… Noticing Your Emotions, with Jesus 30 Sep 202215 Nov 2023 By Justin Rossow Emotions are simply part of who we are as human beings; which means our emotions are "beautifully and wonderfully made," and part of a fallen creation, both…
For My Friends God at Work, in My Kids 23 Sep 20226 Oct 2022 By Katie Helmreich The past month has been an intense struggle for us. My youngest started kindergarten this year, and turns out she wasn't quite ready for it emotionally. Every…
Cultural Studies… Mary and Martha, GPA or GPS? 28 Jul 202215 Nov 2023 By Justin Rossow (with Valerie Matyas) A couple of weeks ago, I got to lead a Next Step workshop at a congregation outside Buffalo, New York. As part of the…
Discipleship Tools… Your Cloud of Witnesses 25 Jul 2022 By Katie Helmreich Basketball, an afternoon at the beach, and a Rubber Band Boat Race Tournament bracket with a group of third cousins makes for a stand out great day.…
For My Friends Peace in the Process 14 Jul 20222 Nov 2022 By Kim Longden A few days ago, I was sitting in the optometrist’s office with nine-year-old Jonah listening to the hushed tones of the eye exam in progress: “What is…
Faith Experiment… RAIN-ing with Jesus 1 Jul 20222 Nov 2022 By Naomi Rossow I have been seeing my current therapist for about six months now. She is amazing, and we have been able to work through a lot together as…
For My Friends ADVENTURE! 22 Jun 20222 Nov 2022 By Katie Helmreich My daughter, Elise, just turned 13. It’s a big deal. So we decided to celebrate with a big adventure! Elise and I headed North for a two-day canoe…