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Made for Mondays | STEPS

Step Three: The Decision — “I Think I Will Let Him”

This week on Made for Mondays, Heather sits down with Jamey, Chelle, and Tyler to unpack Step Three of STEPS: The Decision—the moment where we stop white-knuckling our way forward and begin practicing surrender.

After weekend chitchat and reflecting on this week’s Bible reading from Genesis 49, Exodus 1–10, and Matthew 15–18, the conversation turns toward one of the most deceptively difficult spiritual shifts:
moving from trying harder to trusting deeper.

Pastor Jamey reminds us that we cannot heal our inner world through willpower alone. But when we release control and trust God’s care, He leads us toward shalom—not just peace as calm, but peace as wholeness. Surrender, as the group explores, isn’t giving up on life; it’s giving up our own way so Jesus can form something better on the other side.

Here’s what they dive into:

• The small places control shows up
From thermostats and dishwashers to driving directions and group texts, the group laughs—and then gets honest—about how control sneaks into everyday life. Those same instincts often follow us into our faith, especially when life feels uncertain.

• “God, fix this” vs. “God, lead me”
The conversation names a tension many of us recognize: praying for relief without actually wanting transformation. Whether it’s a relationship, a stressful season, or a recurring emotional pattern, the group reflects on how surrender often feels more threatening than the pain we already know.

• When surrender feels like loss
Looking at Jesus’ words in Matthew 16, the group wrestles with the idea that surrender can feel less like peace and more like losing control. What does surrender actually look like in normal, everyday life—and how do we take a concrete step when resistance shows up?

• The parts we give… and the parts we guard
Quoting C.S. Lewis, the group reflects on the truth that Jesus doesn’t want a portion of us—He wants all of us. They discuss which parts of life feel easiest to offer God, and which parts we carefully protect, along with how that changes when we trust that Jesus is freeing us, not undoing us.

• Praying differently
Where are we most tempted to pray “fix this”—and what would it sound like to pray “lead me” instead? The conversation highlights how community plays a vital role in keeping us honest when we slide back into control mode, reminding us that surrender isn’t meant to be practiced alone.

• Open hands, not clenched fists
Jamey revisits the powerful image from Sunday’s message: clenched fists versus open hands. The group reflects on what it means to physically and spiritually release control—and what it looks like to place something we’re holding tightly back into God’s care.

• A faithful next step
Rather than trying to be the Savior, the episode closes by inviting listeners to take one faithful next step this week—perhaps inviting a trusted person into the decision so surrender becomes a lived practice, not just a good idea.

Join Us This Sunday

We’re continuing STEPS and walking this journey together.

📍 On Campus: 9 & 10:45 AM (weather per

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Made for Mondays | STEPS

Step 1. The Problem: I Can't

This week on Made for Mondays, Heather is joined by Jamey, Adrienne, and Tyler as they continue the STEPS journey by unpacking Step One—the uncomfortable, freeing, and surprisingly hopeful place where real change begins.

After weekend chitchat and reflecting on this week’s Bible reading from Genesis 18 and Matthew 6, the conversation turns toward a truth many of us quietly avoid:
we are really good at managing appearances… and not very good at admitting powerlessness.

This episode explores what it means to stop pretending we have it together and start telling the truth about where we’re stuck—not in a dramatic collapse, but in the ordinary, Monday-morning kind of struggle where we keep thinking, “I should be further along by now.”

Here’s what they talk through:

• Powerlessness vs. image management
Step One invites us to admit we can’t control what’s broken in us—but most of us are far more fluent in curating competence. The group discusses where resistance shows up when the problem isn’t out there but in here, and why naming that honestly is harder than it sounds.

• “Not that bad” as a spiritual stall tactic
The phrase “it’s not that bad” gets exposed for what it often is: a quiet way of settling for less freedom than Jesus offers. The conversation explores why minimizing our struggles feels safer than naming our real withered hand—and how that safety actually keeps us stuck.

• Stretching what can’t stretch
Looking at Jesus healing the man with the withered hand, the group reflects on why Jesus asks him to do the very thing he cannot do. What does that reveal about how transformation actually begins—and how does it confront our instinct to fix, hide, or self-improve before showing up honestly?

• What makes honesty possible in church
Jamey shares the conviction that the church should be “the safest place in the world for a sinner.” The group wrestles with what helps create that kind of safety—and what shuts it down—both personally and communally.

• Whose eyes are we most aware of?
When we imagine being fully seen, whose gaze shapes us most: other people, our inner critic, or Jesus? The answer often determines what we’re willing to bring into the light—and what we keep hidden.

• A listener question worth sitting with
A faithful listener writes in asking where Scripture encourages that first small turn toward God—the 0.1-degree shift for someone who feels far away or powerless. The group reflects on biblical moments where God meets people not after the full turnaround, but right at the first honest step toward Him.

• Weakness as the doorway to power
Paul reframes weakness as the very place where God’s power shows up. The episode closes with a practical invitation: one small stretch of faith this week—a prayer you’ve been avoiding, a confession, a text asking for help, or simply showing up to a group.

And finally, the conversation lands on this image:
Jesus with outstretched hands on the cross—not asking us to try harder, but inviting us to trust deeper.

Join Us This Sunday

We’re continuing STEPS as we move into Step Two

Stay Connected
Website: https://believerschurch.org/

Bible Reading Plan: https://believerschurch.org/bible-reading-plan/

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Made for Mondays | Steps

The Problem: I Can’t

This week on Made for Mondays, Heather sits down with Joe and Adrienne to kick off a brand-new year—and a brand-new series—Steps. Together, they unpack Sunday’s message that reframes “new year, new you” away from willpower and toward Jesus as our Deliverer.

After catching up on Christmas break and introducing The Year of Practice Bible Reading Challenge, the conversation turns honest and deeply relatable:
Why do so many of us want to change… and still feel stuck?

The group explores how the patterns we struggle with run deeper than discipline and why real change begins not with trying harder, but with bringing our basement places into the light within safe, honest community.

Here’s what they dig into:

• Resolutions, reality, and starting the year honestly
From half-kept resolutions to abandoned goals, the group talks candidly about how the pressure to “fix ourselves” often sets us up for discouragement—and why this year is about practice, not perfection.

• “I can’t” statements and the power of naming reality
Jamey reflects on the opening pages of Steps and the familiar “I can’t” statements that resonate so deeply. The team shares what emotions surface when we admit our limits—and why that admission is actually the starting point for transformation.

• Romans 7 and the struggle we all recognize
“I do what I do not want to do.”
The conversation unpacks Paul’s letter to the church in Rome, exploring what “the Law” means, how it still enslaves us today, and why awareness without deliverance only deepens frustration.

• Discipline as a response, not a replacement
In a Year of Practice, how do we pursue discipline as a way of responding to Jesus rather than trying to substitute discipline for Jesus? The group talks about rhythms, grace-filled practices, and why effort alone can’t heal what’s broken.

• What the church can learn from recovery spaces
Jamey shares wisdom from time spent at AA meetings with his mom—including the powerful idea that while churches often celebrate miracles upstairs, the real miracles happen in the basement.
This leads to a raw conversation about sanitized faith, hidden struggles, confession, and what it would look like to build communities where honesty is safe and transformation is real.

• A radical Big Idea
“With Jesus, the worse your story, the warmer your welcome.”
The group discusses how churches can embody that truth—not just say it—and what guardrails help keep stories centered on Jesus instead of self-promotion.

• Sitting at a different table
Looking at Jesus calling Levi in Mark 2, the conversation explores what it means to practice grace like Jesus did—intentionally moving toward people others avoid—without confusing grace with enabling.

• Practicing community, not just talking about it
Before wrapping up Sunday’s service, the church practiced being in groups. The team reflects on why that mattered and how getting connected to a Steps group is a vital next step for anyone ready to pursue real change this year.

Join Us This Sunday

We’re continuing Steps by diving into Step One: The Proble

Stay Connected
Website: https://believerschurch.org/

Bible Reading Plan: https://believerschurch.org/bible-reading-plan/

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