For My Friends Vocation Soup 12 Sep 202312 Sep 2023 By Justin Rossow “Vocation” (not “vacation”) is kind of a fancy word for “calling.” It comes from the same root as “vocal” or “voice.” You have been called by God…
Discipling Leaders… Followers First 22 Jun 202321 Jun 2023 By Justin Rossow A friend recently sent me a link to a sermon he found online—from me! I preached at the Day of Homiletical Reflection in 2011, over a decade…
Uncategorized Secure Humility 18 Apr 202318 Apr 2023 By Sam Fink Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he…
Uncategorized Continue 11 Apr 202311 Apr 2023 By Alli Bauck It is finished. Lent/Holy Week/Easter 2023 ended with an exclamation mark of joyous singing and enthusiastic high-fiving (by my 2.5 year old). But it’s not over. (Alleluia, it’s not…
Faith Experiment… Adding Color 6 Apr 20236 Apr 2023 By Kristeen A. Bruun I have fallen victim to the adult coloring craze. I have heard that it was discovered to be a soothing activity for Alzheimer’s and dementia patients,…
Faith Experiment… #Lenten Walk, Week 5 30 Mar 202311 Apr 2023 By Alli Bauck “Hi, friends!” A familiar voice enthusiastically welcomes me. It belongs to Annie F. Downs, a woman I have never met; but she and I have been on…
Lent Either FROM or THROUGH 29 Mar 202329 Mar 2023 By Jamie Wiechman I begrudgingly made my way to the front of the church that Wednesday evening. It was Ash Wednesday. My church family joins many believers in marking this…
Faith Experiment… #Lenten Walk, Week 4 22 Mar 202322 Mar 2023 By Alli Bauck If anyone is keeping track, we are over halfway through the Lenten season. (Resurrection Sunday is getting closer!!!) For me, personally, the last eleven days have been…
For My Friends You Go; and I’ll Walk with You 17 Mar 202317 Mar 2023 By Justin Rossow Our mailbox is 0.7 miles from our front door. It used to be 7 feet. Since our last move, getting the mail has become more than a…
Faith Experiment… #Lenten Walk, Week … What? 16 Mar 202317 Apr 2023 By Alli Bauck This week felt like one step forward, two steps back. As Spring makes its anticipated arrival to the Kansas City area, the forecast last week was a…
Faith Experiment… #Lenten Walk, Week 2 8 Mar 2023 By Alli Bauck Wow. Podcasts are e-v-e-r-y-where! I started out my #Lentenwalk with a varied list of podcasts (see my first Lenten Walk blog); however, my Spotify library has doubled…
For My Friends Living With the Laughing God 3 Mar 20231 Mar 2023 By Kristeen Bruun On my wall hangs a plaque that a friend engraved for me. It says, “Want to make God laugh? Tell God your plans!” I certainly must believe…
Faith Experiment… #Lenten Walk, Week 1 1 Mar 20231 Mar 2023 By Alli Bauck While visiting with a friend on the phone last night, she asked me how my Lenten walk practice was going. I laughed and reported that on the…
Faith Experiment… Lenten Walk 23 Feb 202323 Feb 2023 By Alli Bauck I placed the rectangular box on the table and ceremoniously lifted the lid. A brand new pair of tennis shoes was waiting inside. Peeling back the packing…
For My Friends Top Blogs from 2022 30 Dec 202230 Dec 2022 2022 was another engaging year for the Next Step Community blog! Close to 12,000 visitors viewed our discipling content almost 19,000 times over the last 12 months. Here are some…
Uncategorized Christmas Lights in the Dark 15 Dec 202215 Dec 2022 By Kim Longden I have always loved Christmas lights. Some of my most treasured childhood memories are driving around as a family oohing and aahing at houses all decked out…
Discipling Leaders… Let Zacchaeus Have His Day 15 Nov 202219 Sep 2023 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…
Reflections on God, Faith, and Promises 10 Nov 2022 By Jamie Wiechman Exactly five years and three months ago, I believed God for something impossible. It wasn’t a promise directly out of Scripture (though it was surrounded by Scripture…
