Next Steps with Tag:
Ted Beasley

The Encounter :: The Risk

Sunday, October 23rd

Sometimes when we make a dramatic spiritual commitment, like doing the 60/60 experiment, we experience a spiritual high. We feel closer to God, more loving towards people and have a renewed passion and purpose. However, the hard part afterward is to risk answering the question, “what now?”

Work through the following questions on your own, and get together with your running partner, Life Group or friends and family around the dinner table to talk through what you’re learning!

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The Encounter :: The Response

Sunday, October 2nd

A joyous, intimate, fulfilling, exciting life with God — many of us want it desperately, but we often feel as if it is unattainable. We crave His guidance for our decisions, comfort in our pain, provision in our need, companionship in our loneliness and inspiration in our search for purpose. As we make an intentional effort to invite Him into our lives through the 60/60 experiment, perhaps we’ve had an encounter with God that requires a response. Are we willing to take a risk by obeying His voice?

Work through the following questions on your own, and get together with your running partner, Life Group or friends and family around the dinner table to talk through what you’re learning!

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Mind Blown :: Evil

Sunday, September 11th

As we commemorate the 15th anniversary of 9/11, our question about whether the tragedy made us stronger as a country raises an even more important question. How does God turn evil that affects our own lives into something good? How do we experience “eucastrophe” (Tolkein’s word for joy breaking forth from tragedy)?

In this week’s Next Steps, you’ll do a review of some of the key Scriptures “Already / Not Yet.” The idea that evil has already been defeated by Jesus, but we live in an in-between time when that reality is not fully manifested in our lives and in the world. Work through the following Scriptures and questions on your own, and get together with your running partner, Life Group or friends and family around the dinner table to talk through what you’re learning!

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Mind Blown :: Apocalypse

Sunday, September 4th

The Apocalypse … It’s a Greek word that combines two roots, apo meaning “away from” and calypsos meaning “veil.” The Apocalypse, therefore, is the revealing of God’s great hope and purpose. All of history is heading toward a fulfillment, a culmination of all God’s promises. Most of our lives are spent thinking about the here-and-now –- paying our mortgage, doing our work, loving our families, enjoying our weekends. When you think about the Great Apocalypse, the return of Christ, does it fill you with hope? Or are you confused by what you see in Scripture.

In this week’s Next Steps, you’ll do a review of some of the key Scriptures about the Second Coming of Jesus, and hopefully these verses will fill you with anticipation and wonder. Work through the following questions on your own, and get together with your running partner, Life Group or friends and family around the dinner table to talk through what you’re learning!

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Relational Landmines :: Conflict Avoidance

Sunday, July 31st

Conflict is hard, whether it’s in our families, with friends, in the work place or even at church. When relationships become battered, it’s challenging to address it and bring healing. It seems like our natural instincts lead us to all sorts of actions that don’t help on the road to reconciliation. Fortunately, God is committed to healing relationships, and Jesus is a constant guide towards forgiveness.

Work through the following questions on your own, and get together with your running partner, Life Group or friends and family around the dinner table to talk through what you’re learning!

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Next Steps

Managing Your Moods :: Confidence in What Matters

Sunday, June 26th – Confidence in What Matters

As we get older, many of us look at our goals that have gone unaccomplished and careers that might have gotten off track and wonder if we’ve truly lived a meaningful life. Should we measure success in terms of accomplishment or something else? These questions and regrets can rob us of joy. But in Philippians 3, Paul describes where real meaning comes from.

Work through the following questions on your own, and get together with your running partner, Life Group or friends and family around the dinner table to talk through what you’re learning!

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Moms Hold It Together

Gateway North, Branson & Online

Moms hold our world together in so many ways, and because of that, it can be a challenge to hold together themselves. For Mother’s day, we’re focusing on some encouragement and guidance that can help moms care well for themselves as they continue to care for those around them.

This week’s Next Steps focus on moms but are applicable to all who find themselves caring for others or who are holding a lot together. Work through the following questions on your own, and get together with your running partner, Life Group, or friends and family around the dinner table to talk through what you’re learning!

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I Heart Sex :: God Loves Single People

Gateway North, Branson & Online

4/17 – GOD LOVES SINGLE PEOPLE

Sexual desire flows out of our identity as eternal beings. It’s a function of our craving to not be alone. We live in a media-saturated society that tells us that sexual arousal will take away that loneliness, but if we’re really honest with ourselves, we know that sex or romance doesn’t ultimately solve anything. Jesus, in our main passage from John 4 today, tells us that He wants us to let Him into this part of our lives, that He wants to hear our heart on this and that He wants us to understand His heart towards our sexuality.

This week’s Next Steps are primarily focused towards Singles, as last week’s were towards married couples. Use these questions to have a conversation with God about sex and consider discussing with a close, trusted friend what you’re learning. For Marrieds, as you reflect on the message, consider the question, “Am I seeking to satisfy my need to not feel alone through my spouse or through God?”

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Why We Do What We Do :: Why We Struggle with Purpose

Gateway North, Online, & Branson

3/6/ WHY WE STRUGGLE with PURPOSE

If you’ve spent any time around Gateway, you know that two key aspects of our Spiritual Growth Path are to “Love God” and to “Love People.” One of the ways that we express both is through acts of service. Service helps us find purpose but serving others requires that we sacrifice something of our own. So fear often holds us back … fear of loss, fear of the unknown, or fear of failure. Work through the following questions, and get together with your Life Group, running partner, &/or friends to discuss what you’ve learned!

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Why We Do What We Do :: Why We Stay Stuck

Gateway North, Online, & Branson

2/28 WHY WE STAY STUCK

We’ve all been stuck at different points in our lives, and often it’s hard to get unstuck. Why is that? Why is it so hard when we’re unhappy with our circumstances, we’re still unable to change? This week we looked at the story of Zacchaeus from Luke 19 and how he gets unstuck.

Work through the following questions on your own, and get together with your Life Group, running partner, &/or friends to discuss what you’ve learned from Zacchaeus!

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