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.

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 hope in seasons of waiting and longing. They reflect on what hope looks like in everyday life, how the story of Jesus steadies us, practical ways to wait well, and even share a few Christmas playlist favorites.

Reflection Practice

Take a minute to sit in silence, slow your mind, and breathe deeply. Then reflect:

• How are you feeling today?
• Is anything making you worried or anxious?
• Where in your life do you desire more control?
• What feels especially difficult to wait for right now?
• What would it look like to surrender that to God?
• How can you cling to hope as you experience waiting and longing?

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

Resources

• The Hub | Blackhawk Church
• Heaven and Nature Sing series | Blackhawk Church

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 first episode, we're asking the most basic question: What is Advent? Hosts Christian Eggers and Tiffany Malloy talk through the meaning and history of Advent, the themes behind the candles and wreath, and why this season of waiting matters for our spiritual growth. You'll also hear simple ways to celebrate Advent at home, along with a few helpful tools and resources to get started.

Resources

Books

• Waiting for Jesus: An Advent Invitation to Prayer and Renewal: An Advent Christmas Devotional | Rich Villodas
• Watch for the Light: Readings for Advent and Christmas | Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Annie Dillard, Thomas Merton, C. S. Lewis, Henri J. M. Nouwen
• Fullness of Time | Esau McCaulley, Emilio Alvarez, Tish Harrison Warren, Emily Hunter McGowin, Fleming Rutledge, Wesley Hill, Amy Peeler

Advent Reading Plans

• Practices of Advent | Blackhawk Church (PDF | YouVersion)
• Christmas Countdown: Reading Plan & Advent Ornaments | Blackhawk Kids

Other

• The Advent Project | Biola University
• Advent Conspiracy | Blackhawk Church

This season on the Next Steps Podcast, hosts Chris Kopp and Tiffany Malloy go deeper into Greater Things, our series on Colossians. Together, they’ll explore what true spiritual growth looks like and how God invites us into greater things through Christ.

In this bonus episode, Tiffany and Pastor Charles Yu take a closer look at the household codes in Colossians, a passage that’s often misunderstood without the right historical background. Charles unpacks how first-century households functioned and why Paul addressed them the way he did, and together they explore how this section fits into the message of Colossians and what it means for us today. If you’ve ever wrestled with this passage or wondered how to interpret it faithfully, this conversation is for you.

Resources:

• The Rise of Christianity: How the Obscure, Marginal Jesus Movement Became the Dominant Religious Force in the Western World in a Few Centuries | Rodney Stark
• Greater Things Resource Page
• The Hub | Blackhawk Church
• Podcast Transcript - ESPAÑOL | 中文

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, hosts Chris Kopp and Tiffany Malloy go deeper into Greater Things, our series on Colossians. Together, they’ll explore what true spiritual growth looks like and how God invites us into greater things through Christ.

In this final episode of this series, Tiffany and Chris share their own rules of life and talk about how intentional rhythms help us grow with God. They walk through the practices, habits, and heart-postures that shape their daily lives and offer practical encouragement for creating a rule of life of your own.

Resources

• Rule of Life Guide | Practicing the Way
• Rule of Life builder | Practicing the Way
• Rule of Life - Website | Book
• Greater Things Resource Page
• The Hub | Blackhawk Church

Wesley Band Questions:

1. How is it with your soul?
2. What are your struggles and successes?
3. How might the word and spirit be speaking in your life?
4. Do you have any sin that you want to confess?
5. Are there any secrets or hidden things you would like to share?

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, hosts Chris Kopp and Tiffany Malloy go deeper into Greater Things, our series on Colossians. Together, they’ll explore what true spiritual growth looks like and how God invites us into greater things through Christ.

In these final Greater Things episodes, Tiffany and Chris introduce a simple “rule of life,” a helpful way to build intentional rhythms that create space for God to shape us. It’s a practical, grace-filled look at how spiritual practices help us grow with Jesus in everyday life.

Questions to think about this week:

1. What kind of person do I sense God inviting me to become? What does looking more like Jesus mean for me personally?
2. What practices, relationships, and environments help me stay rooted in God’s love?
3. Does my time, attention, and commitments align with both the vision of who God’s inviting me to become as well as the things that help to stay connected to Jesus and His love?
4. If not, is the Rule of Life something you want to try for this next season? Prayerfully ask God to help you discern!

Resources

• Rule of Life - Website | Book
• Greater Things Resource Page
• The Hub | Blackhawk Church

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, hosts Chris Kopp and Tiffany Malloy go deeper into Greater Things, our series on Colossians. Together, they’ll explore what true spiritual growth looks like and how God invites us into greater things through Christ.

In this episode, Tiffany and Chris sit down with Phoebe Turner, Blackhawk Bible Study leader and staff with Athletes in Action, to talk about how studying Scripture in community shapes our faith. Phoebe shares her story, what happens inside Blackhawk Bible Study, and why spaces like these help us grow in maturity and stay centered on Christ. Together, they unpack Colossians 2:8–15, exploring what it means that we’re “made alive in Christ” and how baptism, curiosity, and community all point us back to Jesus.

Resources:

• Blackhawk Bible Study
• Greater Things Resource Page
• The Hub | Blackhawk Church

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.