The kingdom of God is not just a future destination. It is a present reality breaking into the world through the lives of surrendered followers of Jesus. When Jesus taught us to pray 'Your kingdom come, Your will be done,' He was inviting us into something active and transforming. Wherever Jesus reigns, things change. The sick are healed, the forgotten are seen, and the broken find grace. We live in the tension of a kingdom that has already begun but is not yet complete, which means our lives are meant to be signposts pointing the world toward something greater. The question is not whether the kingdom is coming. The question is whether your life is making it visible right where you already are.

Resources:

Discussion Guide: https://chapinccc.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/ALTARS_-Week-6_-In-Chapin-As-Is-In-Heaven-Discussion-Guide.pdf 

5-Day Devotional: https://chapinccc.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/ALTARS_-Week-6_-In-Chapin-As-Is-In-Heaven-5-day-devotional.pdf 

Mission is not reserved for overseas workers or unusually devoted Christians. It begins with God Himself, who has always been moving toward a broken world with love and purpose. From His call to Abraham in Genesis 12 to the sending of His Son in John 3, God's heart has always been missionary. We are not launching something new when we engage in mission. We are joining something God already has underway. Your neighborhood, workplace, school, and daily routines are all places where Jesus is already working. The invitation is simple: pay attention, make yourself available, and take one small step toward the people already in your life.

Resources: 

Discussion Guide: https://chapinccc.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/ALTARS_-Week-5_-Region-Discussion-Guide.pdf  

5-Day Devotional: https://chapinccc.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/ALTARS_-Week-5_-Region-5-Day-Devotional.pdf  

Leading by Following: Obedience, Presence & the Ministry of Caring

What does it look like to truly follow God, even when He asks you to change direction?

In this episode of Leading by Following, we sit down with Pastor Bob Brooks, Chapin Christian Community Church’s Care Pastor, to hear the story of how God led him from a 36-year career in the corporate world and 14 years in ministry in Southern California to Chapin, South Carolina.

Pastor Bob shares how one unexpected word from the Holy Spirit: “obedient”, challenged his plans and ultimately led him to say yes to something he never expected. He also opens up about the ministry of caring for others, from early-morning hospital visits and unexpected opportunities to pray, to walking alongside people experiencing loneliness, grief, sickness, and loss.

The conversation explores what it means to be fully present with God so we can be fully present with others, how God can turn our mistakes into divine appointments, and why living from a place of joy matters when ministry involves carrying the pain of others.

You'll also hear about the heart behind C4's care ministries, including 50FWD, visitation, and Stephen Ministry, and the importance of building a church that isn't just focused on itself but is present and active in the wider community.

Ultimately, this is a conversation about following Jesus wherever He leads—and learning to recognize the moments when He simply asks us to stop, look up, and be present.

Listen in for a meaningful conversation about obedience, spiritual presence, caring for others, and finding joy in following Jesus.

Whether you lead a ministry, a business, your family, or simply influence the people around you, this episode will encourage you to lead by first following Christ. To learn more, visit: https://jodyflowers843.org/ 

A church can be busy and still be spiritually dead. Jesus warned the church at Sardis that their reputation for life did not match the reality He saw. When faith gets reduced to learning the right information and behaving the right way, something essential is lost. Wonder fades, dependence disappears, and intimacy with God gives way to familiarity without transformation. Waking up means coming back to a place of surrender, where we respond to what the Holy Spirit is actually saying. It also means refusing to follow Jesus in isolation. Belonging to the people of God is not optional, and belonging requires being truly known by at least one other person. The invitation is to remember, to repent, and to pursue the presence of God together.

Every home has a center, and whatever sits at that center shapes everyone who lives inside it. Joshua 24:15 was not simply a family motto. It was a covenant declaration that a home had a priority, a direction, and a Lord. God designed the home to be the first place where faith is formed, even before the church. Children learn faith not primarily through instruction but through observation, watching how the people around them live, pray, and trust God through difficulty. Family discipleship does not require perfection. It requires faithfulness. The altar of the home is not built in one grand moment. It is built one faithful day at a time.

Resources:

Discussion Guide: https://chapinccc.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/ALTARS_-Week-3_-Home-Discussion-Guide.pdf 

5-Day Devotional: https://chapinccc.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/ALTARS_-Week-3_-Home-5-Day-Devotional.pdf 

Revival does not begin with changing the world around us. It begins with allowing God to change what is within us. Drawing from Luke 24, the story of two disciples on the road to Emmaus shows what happens when Jesus meets us in our disappointment and begins to realign our hearts with His truth. Like those disciples, we often carry unmet expectations of God that quietly pull us away from faith. Jesus responds not by changing circumstances, but by opening Scripture and replacing false stories with truth. A heart that has been realigned by His Word will naturally change direction. The evidence of a burning heart is not just what we feel in a moment, but the direction we walk when that moment is over.

Resources:

Discussion Guide: https://chapinccc.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/ALTARS_-Week-2_-Heart-Discussion-Guide.pdf 

5 Day Devotional: https://chapinccc.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/ALTARS_-Week-2_-Heart-5-Day-Devotional.pdf 

There is a difference between knowing a lot about God and actually knowing Him. Too often, believers skip straight to doing things for God and wonder why their faith feels empty. The first responsibility of a disciple is simply to be with Jesus, and it is in that place of being with Him that we are transformed into His likeness. Whatever we worship, we become like, which means the object of our deepest attention and affection shapes the entire direction of our lives. Altars throughout Scripture were never about getting God's attention. They were about giving Him ours and refusing to forget what He had done. Revival does not begin with crowds or programs. It begins when God's presence becomes the defining reality for ordinary people. The invitation is not to do more for God, but to surrender more to Him, and to let His presence become more important than our preferences.

It is possible to be doctrinally sound, hardworking, and busy in your faith and still have lost the most important thing: your love for Jesus. In Revelation 2, Jesus commends the church at Ephesus for their endurance and discernment, yet tells them they have abandoned their first love. He warns that without repentance, He will remove His presence from among them entirely. The remedy He gives is not complicated. Remember the heights from which you have fallen, repent with genuine brokenness, and return to the actions that marked your early love for Him. The affections follow the actions. This is not a formula but a grace-filled invitation from a Savior who wants you back.

Resources: 

Discussion Guide: https://chapinccc.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/This-Is-My-Song_-Week-7_-Your-Will-Be-Done-Discussion-Guide.pdf 

5-Day Devotional: https://chapinccc.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/This-Is-My-Song_-Week-7_-Your-Will-Be-Done-5-Day-Devo.pdf 

In Episode 5 of Leading By Following, Pastor Jody talks to Caroline Fogle, Operations Director at Chapin Christian.

What does leadership look like when you're rarely on stage? In this episode of Leading by Following, Pastor Jody sits down with Caroline Fogle, Director of Operations at Chapin Christian Community Church, for an honest conversation about servant leadership, difficult decisions, organizational health, and faithfully following God's calling. From leaving a successful corporate career at Target to invest in her family, to helping guide the church through COVID, denominational transition, and a pastoral leadership change, Caroline shares lessons that every leader—whether at church, at work, or at home—can apply.

In this conversation, you'll discover:

Whether you lead a ministry, a business, your family, or simply influence the people around you, this episode will encourage you to lead by first following Christ. To learn more, visit: https://jodyflowers843.org/ 

Many people live religious lives without ever truly knowing God. But God is not looking for religious performance. He is looking for genuine closeness, the kind built through time, transparency, and surrender. In Revelation 3:20, Jesus is described as standing at the door of the heart and knocking persistently, not to inspect or demand, but to come in and share an unhurried, personal meal. Intimacy with God does not happen automatically. It is built. The sweetest thing in life is not a perfect record of church attendance or moral behavior. It is simply being with Jesus.

Resources:

Discussion Guide: https://chapinccc.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/This-Is-My-Song_-Week-6_-Sweet-Hour-of-Prayer-Discussion-Guide.pdf 

5-Day Devotional: https://chapinccc.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/This-Is-My-Song_-Week-6_-Sweet-Hour-of-Prayer-5-Day-Devotional-.pdf