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Step Six: Becoming Entirely Ready

This week on Made for Mondays, Heather is joined by Jamey, Tyler, and RaChelle for a conversation about one of the most honest—and quietly confronting—steps in the STEPS journey: Step 6, becoming entirely ready for God to remove our defects of character.

After catching up on all things Night to Shine and Valentine’s Day, the group reflects on what stood out from this week’s Bible Reading Challenge (hello, Leviticus… and wrapping up Matthew 👀), before leaning into Sunday’s message.

Step 6 sounds hopeful at first. Who doesn’t want change?
But it also sounds slightly terrifying.

Because it’s one thing to want freedom.
It’s another thing to be entirely ready for God to actually change us.

This episode lives in that tension—the space between desire and readiness.

Here’s where the conversation goes:

• The gap between almost and entirely
Jamey names the deeply human space between being almost ready and entirely ready. The group reflects on why that gap is normal in spiritual life—and why growth so often unfolds in that in-between place.

• It’s not laziness—it’s division
Drawing from James 1’s image of being double-minded, the conversation explores what it looks like to pray sincere prayers while still rowing toward something else. The problem isn’t usually effort. It’s divided trust. We don’t often tell God “no”—we just quietly say “not yet.”

• Our modern “not yet” prayers
Referencing Augustine’s famous, “Lord, make me chaste… but not yet,” the group laughs—and then gets honest. Where do we postpone change today? Comfort, habits, relationships, control? Resistance rarely sounds rebellious. It usually sounds like “tomorrow.”

• Identity is the deeper issue
The heart of Step 6 isn’t behavior modification—it’s identity transformation. Jamey revisits three common identity lies:

• I am what I have.
• I am what people think of me.
• I am what I do.

If we believe those, then letting God change us can feel like losing ourselves. But if we are already God’s beloved, then change isn’t loss—it’s freedom.

• What didn’t make it into Sunday’s message
The group creates space for what couldn’t be said in the sermon—clarifying that readiness isn’t about emotional hype or dramatic surrender. It’s quieter than that. More honest. More patient.

• What becoming ready actually looks like
For the listener who feels resistance, the group makes it practical:
Becoming ready might look like noticing where you say “tomorrow.”
Naming your excuses honestly in prayer.
Sitting with God before trying to fix yourself.
Letting willingness be smaller—and slower—than you expected.

• Encouragement for the not-yet-ready heart
If you’re thinking, “I want to be entirely ready… but I’m not there,” the encouragement is simple: stay. Stay honest. Stay with God in that space. Readiness isn’t forced. It’s formed.

Step 6 reminds us that transformation doesn’t begin with trying harder.
It begins with becoming honest enough to admit where we’re not ready—and trusting God enough to stay there with Him.

That’s not failure.
That’s preparation.

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Made for Mondays | STEPS

Step Five: The Confession: Into The Light

This week on Made for Mondays, Jamey is joined by Tyler, RaChelle, and Doug for a conversation that leans into one of the most uncomfortable—and most life-giving—steps in the STEPS journey: Step 5, The Confession.

After some easy weekend chitchat (Olympics, Lunch with Jamey, Super Bowl energy, and all the usual real-life moments), the group shifts toward what God has been stirring through the Bible Reading Challenge, setting the stage for a deeper conversation.

Then they dig into Sunday’s message.

Confession often carries a lot of baggage. For many of us, it sounds intense, dramatic, or reserved for people with really messy lives. But what we heard on Sunday—and what this episode keeps circling back to—is a simpler, more disruptive truth: healing happens in the light.

Rather than re-preaching the message, this episode slows things down. The group sits with Step 5, turns it over, and asks what it actually looks like to practice confession in everyday life, especially as part of what we’re calling The Year of Practice.

Here’s where the conversation goes:

• Confession as a rhythm, not a moment
The group reflects on the idea that confession isn’t a one-time spiritual event, but an ongoing rhythm in following Jesus. That shift surfaces both curiosity and resistance—especially for those who grew up seeing confession as something reserved for emergencies or major failures.

• Information vs. being known
They explore why it’s often easier to share facts about our lives than the true condition of our hearts. Confession, they note, isn’t about dumping information—it’s about allowing ourselves to be fully known.

• The real risk of being seen
Confession feels risky not because we don’t love Jesus, but because we can hide from people. The group names common fears: judgment, misunderstanding, and the possibility that a relationship might change once the truth is out in the open—and reflects on where those fears come from.

• “In solitude, we can convince ourselves of anything”
Tyler revisits a powerful line shared in a conversation at Believers, and the group unpacks how isolation makes it easier to minimize, rationalize, or delay change. Community, they reflect, interrupts those inner narratives and brings clarity where self-talk distorts reality.

• Who confession is for
James’ instruction—“confess your sins to each other”—opens a thoughtful discussion about discernment. Not everyone. Not no one. Each other. The group talks about what makes someone a safe and faithful witness, and why wisdom matters when choosing where confession lives.

• Confession as a spiritual discipline
Instead of asking why confession matters, the conversation turns practical: What would it look like to practice confession as a regular discipline rather than an emergency response? They explore how increased honesty, intentional relationships, and preventative rhythms could reshape spiritual growth.

• Accountability without shame
Accountability is reframed not as control, but as protection for the healing confession begins. The group reflects on how accountability has

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Made for Mondays | STEPS

Step Four: The Examination: A Fearless Inventory

This week on Made for Mondays, Heather is joined by Jamey, Adrienne, and Kirk for a conversation that might sound intimidating at first—but turns out to be deeply freeing. Together, they unpack Step 4 of the STEPS journey: a searching and fearless moral inventory.

Yes… fearless. Deep breaths.
And no—this is not a shame spiral.

After some weekend chitchat and reminding us all that we’re real people with real lives, the group reflects on this week’s Bible reading, centering especially on Psalm 139—a passage that is both comforting and confronting in the best possible way.

From there, the conversation moves into the heart of the step.

Pastor Jamey reframes moral inventory not as condemnation, but as inspection—bringing what’s real into God’s light so it can finally be healed. Anchored in Psalm 139 and shaped by the truth of Romans 8:1 (“There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus”), Step 4 becomes less about self-punishment and more about Spirit-led honesty.

Here’s where the conversation goes:

• First reactions to “moral inventory”
The group starts light—but honest—naming the gut reactions many of us have when we hear that phrase: avoidance, anxiety, curiosity, or something else entirely. Those reactions often reveal how we’ve been taught to look at ourselves—and what we expect to happen when we do.

• Inspection vs. condemnation
Jamey talks about the subtle but important difference between avoiding self-examination out of fear and inviting God into the process with trust. One leads to hiding; the other leads to healing.

• Shame-based introspection vs. Spirit-led inventory
The group contrasts the inner spiral of shame with the gentle conviction of the Holy Spirit. They reflect on what helps them stay honest without turning inward reflection into self-punishment—and how “no condemnation” reshapes the entire process.

• From vague to specific
Referencing Lew Smedes’ insight that vague confession leads to vague forgiveness, the conversation explores how easy it is to hide behind general phrases like “I’m just struggling.” The group encourages naming the actual thing—carefully, honestly, and safely—so freedom can take root.

• The courage of Psalm 139
Psalm 139:23–24 becomes the centerpiece: “Search me, God… lead me.”
Why does that prayer feel risky? And what picture of God helps us trust Him enough to pray it anyway? The group reflects on inviting Jesus into one specific area of life this week—not harshly, but gently and truthfully.

• Practice, not pressure
As this Year of Practice continues, the group reminds listeners that Step 4 isn’t about rushing or fixing. It’s about cooperating with God. They discuss small, realistic ways to make space this week—through prayer, journaling, or quiet—for God to surface what actually needs attention next.

The episode closes with this reminder:
Step 4 isn’t about fixing yourself. It’s about trusting God.
You don’t have to do it fast.
You don’t have to do it alone.
And nothing you uncover is a surprise to Him.

The group also highlights the value of BeGroups—wh

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