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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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Got a question? Let us know!

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/

Believers Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/believerschurch.va/
Believers Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/believers_church/

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Made for Mondays | The Christmas Playlist

Light That Can’t Be Manufactured

This week on Made for Mondays, Heather is joined by Jamey, Tyler, and Doug as they lean into the heart of Christmas week and unpack Sunday’s message about real joy and real light—the kind that doesn’t come from a playlist, a purchase, or pretending everything is fine.

After some weekend catch-up and reflections from Revelation 10–15, Psalms 145–157, and Proverbs 30, the conversation turns toward a timely and honest question:

✨ What’s the difference between manufactured cheer and received joy?

As Christmas approaches, the group reflects on the ways we often try to produce joy—through nostalgia, noise, shopping, control, or even religious performance—when what we actually need is to receive joy as the fruit of abiding in Jesus. Jamey shares how Christmas music can sometimes feel like it’s trying to convince our souls everything is wonderful, even when life feels dark.

The discussion explores:

• Chasing a mood vs. staying close to Jesus
How do we tell when we’re chasing a feeling instead of abiding in Christ? The group shares honest “litmus tests” that reveal when joy has become something we’re forcing rather than receiving.

• Darkness and light
Jamey unpacks the idea that darkness isn’t a thing—it’s the absence of light. Spiritually, that shifts the battle. Instead of staring at darkness, we’re invited to step toward the Light.
What does that look like practically? The team offers simple, doable steps—like intentional prayer, confession, community, or a single act of obedience—that help move us closer to Jesus when gloom starts creeping back in.

• Shining brighter in real life
Rooted in Matthew 5, the BIG IDEA comes into focus:
In a world getting darker, we need to shine brighter.
Not performative faith—but quiet faithfulness. Reconciliation. Costly generosity. Staying at the table with people we disagree with. The group shares real-life examples of what that kind of light looks like when it shows up in everyday moments.

• Light beyond our walls
The conversation connects to The Gift and Believers’ partners in Cuba, highlighting how faithful believers there are shining the Light of Jesus in powerful, practical ways—and why it’s such a gift to be part of what God is doing through them.

• Community in the dark seasons
Jamey revisits a story from one of his darkest seasons, where isolation played a central role. Doug and Tyler reflect on how deeply they relate—and why community isn’t optional for spiritual health.
The group also points ahead to Steps and the importance of getting connected to a small group in the New Year.

Join Us This Week

🎄 Christmas Eve Services
Two identical, family-friendly gatherings at 4:00 & 5:30 PM

💻 Online-Only Sunday Experience
No on-campus gatherings this Sunday. Join us online for a devotional time with Pastor Jamey on Sunday, December 28.

Until the New Year—Merry Christmas, friends.
Go shine the LIGHT and BE LOVE!

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

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

Believers Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/believerschurch.va/
Believers Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/believers_church/

Subscribe to The Outlet: https://believerschurch.us13.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=66f00f86238de86688d2480e6&id=729c3f381f