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,…
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…
Uncategorized 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 15 Jan 2022 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…
For My Friends 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…
For My Friends 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…
For My Friends 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…
For My Friends 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 Faithâ„¢ Ministry, for the Next Step Podcast. That episode…
For My Friends Go and Tell a Friend about Jesus 6 Dec 20211 Nov 2022 By Kim LongdenI’ve noticed that lessons for children in Bible curriculums oftentimes end with an exhortation for them to go and tell a friend about Jesus. This puts an image…
For My Friends School Photos 21 Nov 20212 Nov 2022 By Valerie Matyas Remember picture day at school? Finding the perfect outfit of which only 1/8th will be visible. Practicing a natural smile in the mirror, varying the degree of…
Discipling Leaders… Welcome Back 13 Nov 2021 The Next Step PodcastSeason 3: Light in the DarknessEpisode 0.2: Intro, Year TwoDate: 13 November 2021Guests: Valerie Matyas and Alli Bauck Also available on: Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Pandora,…
Cultural Studies… I Long to See You Face to Face 29 Oct 20211 Nov 2022 It’s been a rather confusing year for worship. We’re called to stay focused on relationship. By Justin Rossow As COVID-19 drags on (and on, and on, and on...), our novel…
Faith Experiment A New Walk 21 Oct 20212 Nov 2022 By Raelyn Pracht I recently wanted to start a simple new habit to reach a certain step count every day. I knew two things going into this: (1) I needed…
Discipleship Tools… Small Conversations 7 Oct 20211 Nov 2022 By Justin Rossow Sid is good at her job; and her job right now is to help unfreeze my frozen shoulder, something that has to be painful in order for…
For My Friends Empowered to Hear 3 Oct 20211 Nov 2022 By Justin Rossow Today we celebrated by niece Karolein's confirmation as well as her 15th birthday with a special party, the traditional Quinceañera. As part of the ceremony, family and…
Gifts Wrapped in Darkness 22 Sep 20212 Nov 2022 By Justin Rossow At the end of our congregational information meeting last night (on Zoom no less), one of my pastors was asked to close the gathering in prayer. “A…
Discipleship Tools… What Do You Need to Follow Jesus? 30 Aug 20212 Nov 2022 By Justin Rossow What do you need to follow Jesus? That question came back to me again this week as Pastor Neuendorf and I were preparing to preach together on…