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”

Exegetical Study…

Paul’s Letter of Recommendation

24 Feb 20221 Nov 2022

By Conrad Gempf If you want to understand the difficulties Paul had in his relationship with the church he founded in Corinth, 2 Corinthians 3:1-6 tells you almost everything you need…

Walking in the Light

5 Feb 20222 Nov 2022

By Kristeen Bruun I am in love with God again. It won’t last, I know that. It never does. But for now, I am enjoying walking light upon the earth,…

Be Mine

3 Feb 20222 Nov 2022

By Alli Bauck Fear not, for I have redeemed you;I have called you by name, you are Mine. Isaiah 43:1b (ESV) For the past seven months I’ve been carrying around…

Faith Experiment

Where is Jesus Speaking?

31 Jan 20221 Nov 2022

By Justin Rossow Ask even a faithful follower what Jesus has been speaking into their life lately, and you should expect to get a blank stare. What do you mean,…

Dooby Dooby Doo

27 Jan 20222 Nov 2022

By Kim Longden “Look mom!” my three-year-old said proudly, “I’m decorating!” I looked up from my computer to see that I had been so engrossed in typing, I hadn’t noticed…

Discipleship Tools…

Overcoming Momentum

25 Jan 202225 Jan 2022

By Justin Rossow What do you need to follow Jesus? In a very real sense, the answer to that question is, quite simply, nothing. You don’t need anything more than…

Click

20 Jan 20222 Nov 2022

By Katie Helmreich We’re near the finish line! A 1000 piece puzzle, with 360 Lego Minifigure Faces, almost done! Almost. With this particular puzzle, few of our standard puzzle-solving tricks…

My Winter Retreat

19 Jan 20222 Nov 2022

By Rachel Hinz January 15th, 2022. It finally snowed in St. Louis! And the magic of the winter wonderland was only magnified in that it arrived on a Saturday morning.…

Discipling Leaders…

A Ripple Effect of Blessings

18 Jan 20221 Nov 2022

By Amy Meyer from Neighboring Life I was pleasantly surprised by what God did with me during and after my experience being a guest on the Next Step Podcast. I…

Exegetical Study

Speak, O Lord, Your Servant Listens

By Justin Rossow Yesterday I got to sit in as an impromptu guest on a daily devotion video for St. Paul Lutheran Church. The pastor who usually does Tuesday through…

Enough for the Next Step

12 Jan 20222 Nov 2022

By Alli Bauck The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned. Isaiah 9:2 (NIV) It…

Star Day!

11 Jan 20221 Nov 2022

By Katie Helmreich I mailed my sister some star-shaped post-it notes this week. A package with a shiny star garland will arrive at her house tomorrow! My brother-in-law is out…

Little Helpers

7 Jan 20221 Nov 2022

By Kim Longden Last month, I came across a photo taken over ten years ago that made me smile. I had just finished making Christmas cookies with my kids (all…

Discipling Leaders…

Light in the Darkness

The Next Step PodcastSeason 3: Light in the DarknessEpisode 12: Light in the DarknessDate: 06 January 2022Guests: Brooke Orozco and Brendan Knorp Also available on: Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify,…

Check Boxes, To-DO Lists, and Following Jesus

4 Jan 20222 Nov 2022

By Katie Helmreich Happy New Year! Did you make any resolutions? I didn’t. I’m rarely one for long range planning or big goals. But I do love lists! We’ve had…

Top Blogs of 2021

31 Dec 202131 Dec 2021

2021 was quite a year for the Next Step Community! Over 13,000 visitors viewed our next step content over 22,000 times! We're thankful for the engagement and the opportunity to…

Infant Holy, Infant Lowly

23 Dec 202123 Dec 2021

The Next Step PodcastSeason 3: Light in the DarknessEpisode 10: Infant Holy, Infant LowlyDate: 23 December 2021Guest: Pat Maier, Visual Faith™ Ministry and Amy Meyer, Neighboring Life Also available on:…

Fresh Orange Muffins

23 Dec 202123 Dec 2021

By Justin Rossow and Pat Maier I recently had the chance to interview Pat Maier, one of the cofounders of Visual Faith™ Ministry, for the Next Step Podcast. That episode…