This season on the Next Steps Podcast, we’re entering into Advent together. We will explore what Advent is, why it matters, and how to celebrate it. We’ll also hear from worship leaders as they guide us through the themes of hope, peace, joy, and love.

In this episode, Christian Eggers talks with worship leaders Hannah Busse and Trevor Kleinmeyer about Advent’s theme of love and the practice of beholding and adoring. They reflect on why slowing down to adore can be difficult, how the story of Jesus’ birth invites us into deeper wonder, and how worship and the arts help shape this practice.

Reflection Practice

Take a minute to sit in silence, slow your mind, and breathe deeply. Invite God into this moment with you.

1. Start by simply thinking about God. Consider who he is. Consider his love for you.
2. Now spend a few minutes beholding God's goodness in your life. Recall some of the things he's created, the people he's put in your life, and the ways you've experienced his love and presence.
3. Take a moment to simply reflect on the fact that God loves you and wants to spend time with you. What would it look like to embrace that truth this week?

Resources

1. The Knowledge of the Holy | A.W. Tozer
2. 31 Days of Praise: Enjoying God Anew | Ruth Myers & Warren Myers
3. Beloved | Francis Chan
4. Spoken For: Embracing Who You Are and Whose You Are | Robin Jones Gunn & Alyssa Joy Bethke
5. Advent Resources
6. Heaven and Nature Sing series | Blackhawk Church
7. Christmas at Blackhawk

Have questions or topics you'd like us to explore in future episodes? We'd love to hear from you! Reach out to us at podcast@blackhawkchurch.org.

This season on the Next Steps Podcast, we’re entering into Advent together. We will explore what Advent is, why it matters, and how to celebrate it. We’ll also hear from worship leaders as they guide us through the themes of hope, peace, joy, and love.

In this episode, Christian Eggers talks with worship leaders Hannah Busse and Trevor Kleinmeyer about Advent’s theme of joy and the practice of rejoicing. They talk honestly about when joy feels easy or hard to access, reflect on how the story of Jesus invites joy in every season, and consider how worship and music help us engage joy in everyday life.

Reflection Practice

Take a minute to sit in silence, slow your mind, and breathe deeply. Invite God into this moment with you.

1. Spend a moment doing an emotional check with yourself. How are you feeling right now? Does joy feel easy or difficult to find right now?
2. If there are things you're grieving over or struggling with that make joy hard to find right now, talk to God about those things. Lay those things before him.
3. Now spend a moment considering all the things that have brough you joy recently. Who are the people, things, and moments that have brought you true joy recently? Spend some time in simple gratitude for these things. Let them strengthen and encourage you.
4. Wherever you're at, spend some time in prayer asking God to help you experience that the joy of the LORD is your strength whether circumstances are easy or difficult.

Resources

1. Advent Resources
2. Heaven and Nature Sing series | Blackhawk Church
3. Christmas at Blackhawk

Have questions or topics you'd like us to explore in future episodes? We'd love to hear from you! Reach out to us at podcast@blackhawkchurch.org.

This season on the Next Steps Podcast, we’re entering into Advent together. We will explore what Advent is, why it matters, and how to celebrate it. We’ll also hear from worship leaders as they guide us through the themes of hope, peace, joy, and love.

In this episode, Christian Eggers talks with worship leaders Matt Wilhelm and Isaiah Wu about Advent’s theme of peace and the call to be peacemakers. They get honest about anxiety, conflict, and family dynamics, explore how Jesus brings true peace in the middle of real life, and share practical ways to pursue peacemaking in our relationships today.

Reflection Practice

Take a minute to sit in silence, slow your mind, and breathe deeply. Invite God into this moment with you. Then reflect:

• How are you feeling?
• Is your heart and mind at peace? Is it troubled by something?
• Are there relationships in your life that lack peace?
• Are there circumstances you're going through that make it hard to experience peace?
• Are there things going on in the world that are disrupting your ability to feel at peace?
• In the areas that are making peace hard to find, ask for God to bring his peace.
• Now consider, is there one small way you can make "shalom" peace in your home, your family, your workplace, or the world?

Spend a few minutes reflecting, praying, or writing about what comes to mind.

Resources

• Advent Resources
• Heaven and Nature Sing series | Blackhawk Church
• Christmas at Blackhawk

Have questions or topics you'd like us to explore in future episodes? We'd love to hear from you! Reach out to us at podcast@blackhawkchurch.org.