The Next Step Community

The Next Step Community is a group of people, like you, who need other people to help them take a next step following Jesus. You won’t find any preconceived notions or quick fixes here; just real people trying to follow Jesus in real life. You are welcome to join in!

About

As The Next Step Community, we are sold out on helping each other delight in taking a next step following Jesus. Not everyone is going to resonate with our values or our basic vibe, and that’s OK; we believe having a variety of options is the best way to sustain…Continue reading “About”

Our Family Covid-versary Meal

23 Feb 202123 Feb 2021

By Heidi Goehmann This last week, I noted to a friend that I could feel the ghosts of grief clawing just at the corners of my psyche. It wasn't that…

Cultural Studies…

Loss of the Familiar

By Jamie Wiechman Do you remember what it was like before life started throwing us so many curveballs? When work, school, sports, restaurants, churches, etc. were a standard part of…

Temptation, The Spirit, Jesus, and Me

18 Feb 202118 Feb 2021

By Justin Rossow The First Sunday in Lent traditionally looks at the Temptation of Jesus. It's the perfect Sunday to pull out a hymn I wrote for a competition at…

For Me

There Won’t Always be Candles in the Fireplace

18 Feb 202116 Feb 2021

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah…

Discipleship Tools…

The Ash Cross of Ash Wednesday

16 Feb 202117 Feb 2021

By Justin Rossow Even as a kid I loved the quiet, dark, and solemn mood of the Ash Wednesday service. And I’ve always loved receiving the sign of the cross…

Discipleship Tools…

Ash Wednesday Keepsakes

By Christi Gerloff I’ve always liked the feel of Ash Wednesday services. There’s just something special about the quiet, somber remembrance of what God did for us through His Son.…

Discipleship Tools…

Stepping Outside My Comfort Zone

7 Feb 202116 Feb 2021

By Alli Bauck “Dear soul, little do [you] know that the abiding in Christ is meant only for the weak and is so beautifully suited to [your] feebleness. It does…

Discipling Leaders…

Always Growing in Friendship: Intimacy VS Isolation

5 Feb 202123 Feb 2021

By Heidi Goehmann There was a time I thought friendship began with slumber parties and secrets shared in sleeping bags. I also thought friendship began on athletic fields and during…

Looking Ahead, with Joy

3 Feb 20215 Feb 2021

By Naomi Rossow I am 19 years old. I will be 20 next month. I am a full-time college student. I am an employee. I have a devotion book coming…

Discipleship Tools…

As I Have Loved You

1 Feb 202119 Jan 2021

By Katie Helmreich A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.John 13:34 (NIV) Kids! Quit needling each other. Why can't you keep your feet to…

Discipling Leaders…

What is Truth?

30 Jan 202130 Jan 2021

Radical Postmodernism might be Killing Us, but a Retreat to Modernity isn’t the Answer. By Justin Rossow I just got off the phone with a pastor I haven’t spoken to…

Cultural Studies…

To See Like Jesus

25 Jan 202125 Jan 2021

The disciples live by one set of metaphors. Jesus sees the world very differently… By Justin Rossow Jesus sits on the edge of a literal well, and is literally tired…

For Me

What Will You Be When You Grow Up?

By Katie Helmreich Some people are born knowing what they're going to do in life. Choosing a career, setting goals, or finding ways to serve seem to come as naturally…

Discipleship Tools…

Our Family Calendar Tradition

15 Jan 202114 Jan 2021

By Kim Longden At the start of each year, we have the tradition of taking down the previous year’s kitchen calendar and going through it month by month as a…

Cultural Studies…

Hope-Filled Speech

14 Jan 202114 Jan 2021

By Sam Fink If you’ve known Jesus for more than about 15 minutes, you probably know, or have at least heard a sermon on 1 Peter 3:15. When I was…

Cultural Studies…

6 Ways to Shine on Social Media

By Amy Larson from Mom Fuel Is it just me, or does it seem like each time social media calms down ... something else happens to stir the pot again?…

Discipleship Tools…

Looking Back on My Sermon Sketch Notes

12 Jan 202113 Jan 2021

By Katie Helmreich I have been blessed by hundreds and hundreds of incredible sermons in my lifetime! But... I could probably only tell you about a few of them. And...…

Cultural Studies…

A Spiritual Body?

By Conrad Gempf So is it with the resurrection of the dead. What is sown is perishable, what is raised is imperishable. It is sown in dishonor, it is raised…