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”

One Body; One Spirit

By Justin Rossow Human beings are unique in all creation: God designed us to be physical and spiritual creatures. God gave us bodies and souls that belong together. That’s one…

Discipleship Tools…

Key Concept Calendar Flip Book

Beginning on page 140 in the back of the Come, Holy Spirit travel log, you will find a daily Key Concept Calendar where you can record the most important thing…

For Me

A Squawk for Help

By Justin Rossow One of my all-time favorite prayers comes in the middle of the Gospel of Mark, Chapter 9. At the end of Chapter 8, you may recall, Jesus…

Discipling Leaders…

Brokenness, Hope, & Baptism

The Next Step PodcastSeason 5: Come, Holy SpiritEpisode 02: Praying "Brokenness, Hope, and Baptism"Date: 9 April 2021Guest: Heidi Goehmann, Deaconess, Licensed Counselor, and Author Also available on: Apple Podcasts, Google…

DOWN to Death and UP to Life

By Justin Rossow Because of the natural patterns of physical life in a physical world, UP for us humans is active and awake and healthy, while DOWN tends to be…

I Can’t Fix Everything

By Kim Longden A few weeks ago my son’s goldfish died. Bubbles the Fish had been struggling for a few days, and at the ripe old age of three had…

Discipling Leaders…

Praying “Come, Holy Spirit!”

4 Apr 20218 Apr 2021

The Next Step PodcastSeason 5: Come, Holy SpiritEpisode 01: Praying "Come, Holy Spirit!"Date: Easter Sunday, 2021Guests: Leopoldo A. Sánchez M., author and professor of Systematic Theology at Concordia Seminary, St.…

On the Road Again

By Justin Rossow Easter evening, as the day was coming to a close, two sorrowful and bewildered followers of Jesus found themselves on the road home. It wasn’t a long…

Discipleship Tools…

Our Resurrection Garden

By Kim Longden One of my family’s favorite Easter traditions centers around the yearly planting of our Resurrection Garden. We started the Resurrection Garden tradition several years ago, and although…

Palm Sunday Visitation

By Justin Rossow Today is Palm Sunday. Of course, the Triumphal Entry looms large. But zoom in a little on that scene of praise and parade, and you will find…

For Me

The Moors of March

26 Mar 202126 Mar 2021

By Katie Helmreich I love winter, spring, summer, and fall! But March always catches me off guard. For my entire life, it's come right after February and before April. And…

Cultural Studies…

Creator Spirit

By Justin Rossow As a nation of shepherds and farmers, the ancient Israelites preferred solid ground beneath their feet. The dark, churning waters of a storm-tossed sea took root in…

Discipleship Tools…

Come, Holy Spirit!

By Leopoldo A. Sánchez M., Concordia Seminary, St. LouisAuthor of Sculptor Spirit: Models of Sanctification from Spirit Christology How often have you prayed to the Holy Spirit? How regularly do…

Discipleship Tools…

Feeling Secure

22 Mar 202122 Mar 2021

By Naomi Rossow Secure: a feeling of calm washes over you and relaxes your body when you feel safe, in a place or with a person. When I experience security,…

Discipleship Tools…

Praying the Emotion Wheel

20 Mar 202120 Mar 2021

By Gabriella Wiechman To give you an idea of how to use the emotion wheel, I am going to walk you through my process. When I am noticing myself getting…

Be Still, and Notice

By Katie Helmreich I slept through my alarm this morning. Luckily, my early bird son woke up and noticed we were running late. Two out of three kids got dressed,…

Cultural Studies…

10 Good Things about Daylight Savings

By Katie Helmreich My Facebook memories lately have been full of my chronic complaints about Daylight Saving Time. Normally, I'm a fairly optimistic person so I challenged myself to find…

Discipleship Tools…

Transitions

By Alli Bauck Dictionary.com defines a transition as “the process or a period of changing from one state or condition to another.” As we acknowledge the anniversary of the COVID-19…