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Continued Partnership
Last May, Devin and I had the awesome opportunity to sit down with each of our community partners in one room. The time we were able to spend with these directors was incredible. We…
Reconciliation
When thinking about reconciliation, I’m reminded of the story in the Bible where Jesus calms the storm. His disciples are in full-on panic mode, the waves are rising, the wind is beating heavily against the boat, and there Jesus is, asleep.
And What Does The Lord Require Of You
“…and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” Micah 6:8 ESV If you were to take a drive down…
When Partners Partner
In the weeks leading up to the summer officially kicking off in OKC, we had the unique opportunity for all of our community partnerships to gather together. As we prepare for projects, it is…
Birds Of The Air
The older I get, the more aware I become that I’m a worrier. The last few days in Oklahoma City it has rained. By rained, I mean it has poured cats and dogs. As…
Six Years and Counting!
It is crazy to think that this summer Next Step will have been in Oklahoma for SIX years. So much has taken place in this community in each of those years! Relationships have been…
Provision
You’ve heard it before. Whether it be in a Next Step video series, through our website, or even in a casual conversation with one of our staff. Next Step is a place where short…
This Is Our Story
Pregnancy has been such a ride these last several months. As my husband and I are now entering our last trimester, there has been a lot of last minute preparations and reflecting that has…
Long-Term Community Development Made Simple
As a Partnership Coordinator, it is one thing for me to tell youth groups or even members of the community why I love working with our partner organizations in Oklahoma City, but it is…
Humble Servant
Over the last five summers in Oklahoma, each group of interns has been blessed to encounter several members of the community that have taken it upon themselves to encourage and support the staff to…
The Beauty of Partnership : Restore OKC
This summer Oklahoma has the incredible opportunity to kick of a brand new partnership in the NE OKC area. This past spring we were able to connect with a couple who has put together…
What Time Is It?! (almost)
Summer is just a few short days away which means our summer staff is gearing up for Training Week, and will be heading out to several of our communities!
Everyone, Meet Kelsey!
In 2014, Next Step first set foot in Moore, Oklahoma. It had been one year after the tornado and our summer staff had hit the ground running meeting the community, learning about our partnerships,…
The Silent Struggle
I recently googled the question, “What does it mean to be Christlike?”, curious to see what good ole Google had to say on the subject. I came across a link that defined Christlikeness in…
When Life Gives You Lemons
I think I was in the 5th or 6th grade when my dad was my basketball coach through our church’s league. Anyone familiar with Upward Basketball? Two words…good times. Part of the Upward Basketball…
I Will Worship
“Awake my soul to sing with your breath in me I will worship And you taught my feet to dance upon disappointment And I, I will worship” –Heroes by Amanda Cook-
Choose Kindness
Going into this holiday season, my husband and I are experiencing a variety of firsts. This past week, we celebrated our first Thanksgiving together as a married couple. While many have unique holiday traditions,…
Home Sweet Home
Home. A four letter word that looks vastly different depending on who you ask. According to Pinterest, home is: where your heart is, where the wifi works, where your mom is, where the fridge…
Another Summer in the Books
Too see the amount of partnership that took place with one project and one homeowner makes me realize we are still being effective and our mission is still being fulfilled. I am so thankful God has continued to do all the heavy lifting when it comes to making these summers impactful. It is by His grace and power that we get to do these things and reach others while doing it.
Partnership Embraced
With a summer of trips in progress, it is easy to get caught up in the everyday hustle and bustle of worksites. The construction is going great and awesome progress is being made, but…
Our Home at Southpark
That’s the job of the church right? To come alongside and love on people, and here at Southpark that gets done everyday.
Serve More
It all goes back to loving your neighbor. This simple truth, when practiced, can help unite a city and restore what was lost.
The Spero Project
Spero = Latin word for, “to hope” As we get closer to the summer, we wanted to highlight another organization Next Step partners with: the Spero Project.
Cross & Crown Mission
As spring comes around it can only mean summer will be here before we know it. So in order to prepare for the summer I thought it would be good to share about the…
Our Prudential Father
Todays word of the day is “prudent”. The Webster’s definition is, “to show care and thought for the future”. While this term is usually found in business, it brought new meaning to my quiet…
Responsibility is Community Wide
The problem we have, just as Adam and Eve did, is that we tend to shy away from responsibility when things go south.
The Advantage of Collaboration
The humility I learned gets me off of team Devin and back on to team Jesus where hopefully, I can be a better tool used to bring Jesus to a community that needs Him more and more everyday.
#LoveYourNeighbor - A New Journey for Serve Moore
Love thy neighbor as thy self. It’s a phrase we hear all the time growing up as children; children still learning what it means to respect and care for needs that are not our…
Healing Hands of Restoration
When we get frightened or scared, are we realizing the restoration that is happening? How different would our lives look if we had constant reminders of the restoration that was taking place in our lives?
New Beginnings in Oklahoma
Four years ago at this time, I was just another college student rushing to my next class when I glimpsed a flyer that had the words “construction” and “missions” written in the title. I…