Ho-ho-ho Family!

In this Christmas season of Advent, we get to reflect on the amazing miracle of God coming down to Earth. A God who would not be satisfied just giving us rules and instruction, but would join us in our struggle in order to draw us to himself. The real gift of Christmas is Christ, who we get to see in His most vulnerable state... and recognize that he will stop at nothing to regain relationship with those he loves.

Join us this Sunday as we take a break from our series on James and focus on Christmas for the next three weeks!

--Edwin

Hey Family,

We have a lot to be thankful for; gratitude should be the motivating factor for everything we say, do, think, and respond to. It's how we should run our families, interact with people at work, and connect with people on a daily basis. As we continue our series in the book of James, we're going to focus on being grateful, grateful to God for all that he's done and grateful for all that he's going to accomplish in our lives. This is so important because many of us can run into a funk, which can run into a depression, or anxiety, or worry, when we need to allow our circumstances to lead us to gratitude. I look forward to seeing you this Sunday at 10 am. Invite your friends and family.

Hoping you enjoy Thanksgiving with friends and family, or by simply serving others!

Hey Family,

Ever had somebody judge you for something that you didn’t do? Or judge you for something that you DID do? How did it make you feel?

In our series This Is Us, we’ve been learning how to live together as a healthy church community so that we can reach out to others and show them God’s love. That’s not going to happen if we’re judging each other. Come this Sunday as we continue in the Book of James and see what the scripture has to say on this subject. I look forward to seeing you at 10 a.m.

--Edwin

Next Step Community Church

Hey Family,

In our series This Is Us, we've been talking about how we as a church must get along with each other if we are to make an impact on the world around us. Last week we talked about how quarreling and fighting get us nowhere. This Sunday, we'll talk about how we either commit to God or we don't--and how that commitment affects how we deal with our family, our friends, our dating and marriages, and every other relationship we have. I hope to see you Sunday at 10 a.m. to learn more.

--Edwin

Hey Family,

We've all gotten into situations where we needed wisdom to figure out what to do. And depending on who you ask, you can get fifteen different pieces of advice for how to move forward... which leaves us no better off than we were before. This week we'll talk about where to get the only real wisdom that can help us, and how our lives will change if we do.

I hope you're being blessed by the series "This Is Us," based on the Book of James. Are you still keeping up with the Word Challenge from last Sunday's message?

--Edwin

Hey Family,

Why did I say that? It just slipped out! I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it. They’re all phrases that we use after having said something that we wish we could take back. All of us have had moments where we cut someone down, hurt someone deeply, or say an inappropriate remark. This week going to learn about where these outbursts come from and how to deal with the words that are in our hearts before we deal with the words that come out of our mouths. Come as we continue our series in the Book of James called "This Is Us."

--Edwin

Hey Family,

We've been in a series called "This Is Us," which talks about what it's like to be a Christian in today's tough world. This Sunday we're going to learn how each of us can show God's love to others in everyday ways, in our daily lives. God has given each of us some special abilities to carry out his work. Do you use those abilities just for yourself, or do you reach out to others as well? The scripture tells us that faith without works is pretty much meaningless.

Come this week and hear more about it! I look forward to seeing you Sunday at 10 a.m.

--Edwin

Hey Family,

We are all affected by the injustices that we see on the news, whether it be poor communities being forced out of a neighborhood that they've lived in for many years, insufficient health care for those who do not have the resources, immigrants being taken advantage of in their very difficult situation, and on and on it goes. The church can be the hope for the world and for those who have been oppressed and unjustly treated.

Please come and hear what scripture has to say on this matter as we continue the series This Is Us. See you on Sunday at 10 a.m.

--Edwin

Hey Family,

We've been in a series called "This Is Us," and last week we talked about how we can't be of service to others unless we take out the trash in our own lives. In the picture above I have an old banana peel on my head and a half-eaten sandwich in my pocket. I felt pretty embarrassed--but that's the way we should feel, when we humble ourselves before God. When we confess our sins to him, he grants us forgiveness--and then we need to start making some changes in our lives so that we can serve others in God's name.

This week we'll continue with the series. Every once in a while we get into a situation where we wished we had a handbook for how to proceed. Whether it's marriage, raising children, getting through cancer, or even just telling somebody "no," all these things require a level of instruction that sometimes we feel we don't have. This week we're going to spend time looking at where we can get that instruction and what condition our heart needs to be in to receive that instruction. I look forward to seeing you and hope to help us grow in ways that benefit one another and bless the world. Bring a friend!

--Edwin