Next Step Ministries "Every Man Has a Next Step"

12/05/2017

Justin Baldoni wants to start a dialogue with men about redefining masculinity -- to figure out ways to be not just good men but good humans. In a warm, personal talk, he shares his effort to reconcile who he is with who the world tells him a man should be. And he has a challenge for men: "See if yo...

08/04/2014

... If you don’t have your husband in your heart, he gets on your nerves...When your wife says, “I feel depressed” listen to her; it’s legitimate.

Love People From the Heart
by Rick Warren
“It is right for me to feel this way about all of you since I have you in my heart.” Philippians 1:7 (NIV)
I’ve discovered that if people are not on my heart, they’re on my nerves. If you don’t have your kids in your heart, they get on your nerves. If you don’t have your husband in your heart, he gets on your nerves.
The reason so many marriages are crumbling is that mates are reacting to each other from their mind rather than their heart. When your wife says, “I feel depressed” listen to her; it’s legitimate. When your husband says, “I don't feel this is the right thing we ought to do. We ought to do it this other way.” Listen to him.
Heart love begins with understanding why someone feels the way they do. Ask questions and then listen. Hear the hurt, look for the problems, know what makes your mate tick. You need to understand the moods of the people closest to you, why they act the way they do. If you care, you’ll be aware.
How do you love people who, even when you do understand them, you find them unlovable? “God can testify how I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 1:8 NIV) In Greek, the word “affection” is the word for intestines. In Greek society, the Greeks thought that the seat of the emotions was in your stomach, your liver, your internal organs.
Paul was saying, “I’ve got a gut feeling of love for you.” That is not a natural kind of love. It is a supernatural kind of love and that’s why Paul said it’s not from himself, but it’s the affection of Christ Jesus. Human love wears out and dries up and dies on the vine. The only kind of love that lasts in spite of heartache and difficulty in tough circumstances is God’s love -- the affection of Jesus Christ.
So how do you get this kind of gut love? “God has poured out his love into our hearts by means of the Holy Spirit, who is God's gift to us.” (Romans 5:5 NIV) God’s love is not something you work up. It is something that is poured into you by the Holy Spirit as you let Him live in you day-by-day.

07/20/2014

Isaiah
So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

07/08/2014

You Don’t Need a Plan, You Need ‘I AM
by Rick Warren

“When they saw him walking on the lake, they thought he was a ghost. They cried out, because they all saw him and were terrified. Immediately he spoke to them and said, ‘Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.” (Mark 6:49-50 NIV)

You only learn what Jesus is really like in the storms of life. You see that he’s not a mere man. He’s not just a nice teacher. He’s not an ethical leader. He is God, the Creator of the universe.
In Mark 6, Jesus noticed the disciples were in distress in the middle of a lake as the wind and waves pounded their boat and kept them from making any progress. And so Jesus walked out to them on the water. Verses 49 and 50 say, “When they saw him walking on the lake, they thought he was a ghost. They cried out, because they all saw him and were terrified. Immediately he spoke to them and said, ‘Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid” (NIV).

The disciples had doubted and thought that Jesus was maybe just a nice prophet who could do some miracles. By walking on water, Jesus revealed that he’s far more than a man. He was showing that he’s God.

He also gave them a challenge (“Don’t be afraid) and a reassurance. He said, “It is I.”
In the Greek this phrase is actually two words: Ego ima. And ego ima simply means “I Am.” What does that mean?
“I Am” is the name of God — not “I was” or “I will be” or “I hope to be.” When Jesus says, “I Am,” he is saying you don’t need to be afraid. You don’t need to sweat it. He is God. And that is enough.
If you’re going through a storm right now, you don’t need a job — you need Jesus. You don’t need a plan; you need a person. You don’t need a system; you need a Savior. You don’t need a new goal; you need God.

When you’re going through a storm, remember that God is not distant, apathetic, or uninvolved. He is “I Am.” And he will get you through the storm.

07/06/2014

Is Jesus There in Your Job?
by Rick Warren
“Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.” (Matthew 6:33 NLT)
If you want your life to turn from emptiness to overflowing, you have to give Jesus complete access to your life, including your career.
Luke 5:3 says, “Jesus got into one of the boats, the one that belonged to Simon, and asked him to push off a little from the land. Then Jesus sat down and continued to teach the people from the boat” (NCV).
The disciples had worked all night and caught nothing. Then Jesus stepped into their boat and told them to cast their nets again. When they did, they caught so many fish that the nets began to break! It’s the same lake, the same boat, the same nets, the same fishermen, and the same fish. The only thing that was different between nothing and fullness was Jesus is in the boat.
Here’s the starting point: You’ve got to get Jesus in your boat.
First, what’s your boat? It’s how you make a living. Simon’s business was his boat because he was a fisherman. The boat represents your career, your profession, your job, just like it represented Simon Peter’s entire livelihood.
What does it mean to have Jesus in your boat?
It means you dedicate your career to God. We’re not talking about salvation here. You may have Jesus in your life, but have you given him control of your career. You’ve trusted him for salvation and you go to church on the weekends and praise God. But when you go back to work during the week, you put Jesus on the shelf, and he’s nowhere to be found in your job.
When Simon Peter gave his job to Jesus for the Lord’s use, he was blessed with incredible results. But don’t miss the sequence. We sometimes think, “God, make me really successful in business, and then I’ll serve you with the success.” Wrong! It’s the exact opposite. First, Peter let Jesus use his job for his ministry platform. Then Jesus blessed Peter’s job with enormous success. That’s the order.

06/30/2014

Latest - Every Man News Letter from Next Step Ministries
Acts 29 History Still Being Written ...http://www.nextstepministry.net/files/91629336.pdf

06/12/2014

New location for Monday's Young Professionals meeting Well & Good Coffee House http://www.nextstepministry.net/wellandgood.html

Mondays Next Step Ministries Young Professionals at Well and Good Coffee House Location 7357 SW Beveland St Ste 100 Tigard Oregon 97223 Every Man Has a Next Step

06/10/2014

Colossians 3:13
Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.

06/05/2014

“We shall become mature people, reaching to the very
height of Christ's full stature.” (Ephesians 4:13b TEV)
Discipleship is the process of conforming to Christ; your journey will last a lifetime. Every day God wants you to become a little more like him: “You have begun to live the new life, in which you are being made new and are becoming like the One who made you” (Colossians 3:10a NCV).

06/03/2014

http://feeds.feedburner.com/MaxLucado
In Mark 5:23 we meet Jairus—a leader of the synagogue—one of the most important men in the community. But the man in this story is a humble man, saying again and again, “My little daughter is dying. Please come and put your hands on her so that she will be healed and live.” He doesn’t barter with Jesus. He doesn’t negotiate. He doesn’t make excuses. He just pleads!

There are times when everything you have to offer is nothing compared to what you’re asking to receive. What could a man offer in exchange for his child’s life? So there are no games, no haggling. Jairus asks for help. Jesus, who loves the honest heart, goes to give it. And God, who knows what it’s like to lose a child, empowers His Son!

The official site of the author & pastor

06/03/2014

Chris Harper Proposes to his wife ...

Jessica Love works at her families Deli and Chris is going to propose to her by pretending to film a fake commercial for the diner.

05/30/2014

All in! ...This is great Chris.
I can do all things through Christ[a] who strengthens me.