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Most of us pray the same five-sentence prayer we learned as kids. Or we stopped praying because it felt like talking to the ceiling. We’re not sure if it works. We’re not sure anyone’s listening. In this third message of our series, Sacred Rhythms: Practices for a Life That Works, Lead Pastor Clay Monkus shows that prayer isn’t a religious duty. It’s the primary way we stay connected to Jesus. You’ll leave with a fresh vision of prayer as conversation and a simple framework for making it the anchor of your day rather than a last resort. This is Week 3 of Sacred Rhythms, a six-week series on the practices that make a life with God actually work.

Most of us have read the Bible as a duty or a search engine. We go looking for answers, skip the hard parts, and put it down unchanged. We know we should read it. We just don’t know how to let it actually get inside us. In this second message of our series, Sacred Rhythms: Practices for a Life That Works, Pastor of Spiritual Formation Christian Nichles turns to Psalm 119:105 and Hebrews 4:12 to show that Scripture isn’t primarily information. It’s formation. It’s not a book to get through but a living word that reshapes who we are from the inside out. Text: Psalm 119:105; Hebrews 4:12 This is Week 2 of Sacred Rhythms, a six-week series on the practices that make a life with God actually work.

We are the most distracted generation in human history. We fill every silence. We scroll before we pray. And then we wonder why God feels far. The noise isn’t just out there. It’s inside us. In this opening message of our new series, Sacred Rhythms: Practices for a Life That Works, Lead Pastor Clay Monkus turns to Mark 1:35, the morning after the most productive day of Jesus’ ministry, to show that solitude isn’t about getting away from life. It’s about getting back to the Source of it. Silence isn’t empty. It’s where Jesus actually shows up. Text: Mark 1:35 This is Week 1 of Sacred Rhythms, a six-week series on the practices that make a life with God actually work.

It's exhausting to fight chaos when it feels like it always wins eventually—another relapse, another blow-up, another year that didn't go the way you hoped. In this final message of our series, Conquering Chaos, Lead Pastor Clay Monkus turns to Revelation 12 and Revelation 21:1–5, where chaos is completely gone—dragon included. That certain ending changes how we fight chaos today. Text: Revelation 12; Revelation 21:1–5 The win this week: pick one specific area of chaos—a habit or a relationship pattern—and commit to fighting it for the next thirty days, anchored in the confidence that the outcome is already secure. This is Week 4, the final message of Conquering Chaos, a series tracing God's fight against chaos through some of Scripture's most surprising stories.

We keep waiting to feel calm before we believe God is near. But the storm doesn't have to end before order shows up. Order can climb into the boat with us before the waves ever stop—while the wind is still howling and the boat is still taking on water. In this third message of our series, Conquering Chaos, Lead Pastor Clay Monkus turns to Mark 4:35–41, where Jesus walks straight into a storm and the wind and waves obey him. He's the one all of creation has been waiting on the whole time. Text: Mark 4:35–41 The win this week: name one unresolved situation and choose to rest inside it, the way Jesus slept through the storm, instead of white-knuckling it until it's over. This is Week 3 of Conquering Chaos, a four-week series tracing God's fight against chaos through some of Scripture's most surprising stories.

We know what obedience would cost us, so we run quietly instead of dramatically—just enough to slip out of alignment. Then when the chaos hits, we call it bad luck rather than what it actually is: the natural result of stepping outside the line God drew. In this second message of our series, Conquering Chaos, Teaching Pastor Christian Nichles turns to the book of Jonah to show that running from God's authority is one of the fastest ways to walk straight into chaos. Jonah does exactly this, and God chases him into a storm to bring him back. Text: Jonah The win this week: admit one place you've opted out of a structure meant to protect you—a marriage, a job, a recovery process, a church commitment—and take one honest step back into it. This is Week 2 of Conquering Chaos, a four-week series tracing God's fight against chaos through some of Scripture's most surprising stories.

Your life probably doesn't feel like it's falling apart. It just feels like too much at once—a schedule with no breathing room, a relationship that keeps circling the same fight, a habit you can't seem to shake no matter how many times you've tried. That's chaos, and most of us have just learned to live inside it. In this opening message of our new series, Conquering Chaos, Lead Pastor Clay Monkus turns to Genesis 1:1–2:3 to show that God's first move was turning mess into order. That's still exactly how he works today—order comes first, and peace shows up after, as the result. Text: Genesis 1:1–2:3 The win this week: pick one area of disorder—a schedule or a habit—and put a real sequence back into it, before assuming you just need to relax more. This is Week 1 of Conquering Chaos, a four-week series tracing God's fight against chaos through some of Scripture's most surprising stories.

Because of your faithful response to our family meeting this past July, we're excited to welcome Christian Nichles to our staff full-time as Pastor of Spiritual Formation. In this special episode, Lead Pastor Clay Monkus interviews Christian to introduce him in his new role and celebrate what your generosity made possible.

Most people are carrying some version of this belief: that they're too much of a mess for God to actually be glad about them. That he tolerates them, maybe. That he forgives them, if they're lucky. In this final message of our series, Seen: You Are Not As Invisible As You Feel, a book study through Zephaniah, Digital Pastor Bradley Medford turns to Zephaniah 3:9–20 to show that God's final move isn't judgment—it's celebration over the very people who thought they were too far gone. Text: Zephaniah 3:9–20 The hope this week: Zephaniah 3:17 as a concrete promise, not just a nice sentiment, from a God who has been moving toward you the whole time. The series doesn't end where it started, in numbness and distance—it ends with a God who is not just present, but glad. This is Week 5, the final message of Seen, a book study through Zephaniah for anyone who's wondered whether any of it matters and needs to hear that it does.

A lot of people have been let down by a leader, an institution, or a church. The wound is real, and it's shaped how much they trust—God included. When the people who were supposed to help you are the ones who hurt you, it's hard to know who's safe. In this fourth message of our series, Seen: You Are Not As Invisible As You Feel, a book study through Zephaniah, Teaching Pastor Christian Nichles turns to Zephaniah 3:1–8 to show that God has a particular problem with leaders who use people instead of protecting them. He doesn't look the other way. Text: Zephaniah 3:1–8 The reassurance this week: God's indictment of bad leadership is evidence that he sees what happened to you, and it matters to him. He's not defending the people who failed you—he's stepping in on your behalf. This is Week 4 of Seen, a book study through Zephaniah for anyone who's wondered whether any of it matters and needs to hear that it does.

Most of us have quietly shrunk God down to a size we can manage—someone who cares about us and maybe our church, but probably isn't paying attention to the bigger mess out there. Which leaves us feeling alone in a world that seems out of control. In this third message of our series, Seen: You Are Not As Invisible As You Feel, a book study through Zephaniah, Pastor Bradley Medford turns to Zephaniah 2:4–15 to show that God's reach is bigger than we've made it. Nobody is outside his sight or beyond his concern. Text: Zephaniah 2:4–15 The goal this week: leave with a bigger God than you walked in with. The nations in Zephaniah aren't a geography lesson—they're the reminder that nothing happening in the world right now is outside his awareness or beyond his reach. This is Week 3 of Seen, a book study through Zephaniah for anyone who's wondered whether any of it matters and needs to hear that it does.

We live in a world where nothing seems to stick. Bad decisions don't have consequences, people who cause harm walk away clean, and it starts to feel like none of it matters. Which is its own kind of despair. In this second message of our series, Seen: You Are Not As Invisible As You Feel, a book study through Zephaniah, Lead Pastor Clay Monkus turns to Zephaniah 1:14–2:3 to show that God takes what happens in the world seriously. And instead of that being a threat, it's actually the best news you'll hear all week. Text: Zephaniah 1:14–2:3 The invitation this week: the sense that what we do and how we live actually matters—not because God is keeping score, but because he's too invested in us to let us sleepwalk through our own lives. This is Week 2 of Seen, a book study through Zephaniah for anyone who's wondered whether any of it matters and needs to hear that it does.

The most dangerous place to be isn't far from God—it's close enough to go through the motions and feel nothing. We don't drift from God all at once. We get busy, life gets chaotic, and somewhere along the way faith slips into the background. The people in Zephaniah aren't atheists—they're just living like God isn't watching. Most of us know exactly what that feels like. In this opening message of our new series, Seen: You Are Not As Invisible As You Feel, a book study through Zephaniah, Pastor Bradley Medford turns to Zephaniah 1:1–13 to show that spiritual numbness is something that happens to everyone who stops paying attention. And the fact that God addresses it instead of ignoring it is the first sign he's moving toward you, not away. Text: Zephaniah 1:1–13 This is Week 1 of Seen, a book study through Zephaniah for anyone who's wondered whether any of it matters and needs to hear that it does.

This week is a bit different, but well worth it! Join us as Pastor Clay talks about where Next Level has been as a church, where we're going, and how you can partner in what God is doing. The best is in front of us!

Nobody decides to walk away from God. We just drift. A skipped Sunday, a prayer life that went dormant, a Bible we keep meaning to open. There's no big moment—which is exactly what makes it dangerous. One day we look up, realize we're farther than we were, and can't point to when it happened. In this fourth message of our series, Unshakable: Building a Faith That Stands, Teaching Pastor Christian Nichles turns to Hebrews 2:1–4 and Hebrews 10:23–25 to show that faith drifts without attention, and staying unshakable requires intentional spiritual maintenance. Text: Hebrews 2:1–4; Hebrews 10:23–25 The win this week: one intentional practice put back in place—not as a guilt-driven chore, but as the way we keep from drifting. This is Week 4 of Unshakable, a five-week series building a faith that doesn't move—from the foundation up.