The Gospels are filled with ordinary people who come to Jesus carrying deep needs. Like many of us, they felt exhausted by their burdens and stuck in their worn out habits. In each encounter, Jesus meets them right where they are and offers what they could never find on their own: healing, freedom, and new life. He invites them away from the broken wells that come up dry and to drink deeply from the Living Water that only He can provide.
The truth is, we’re all one of “those people” who have searched for meaning, purpose, and satisfaction in places it can never be found. Each of us has some kind of hurt, hang-up, or habit that has led us to the wrong wells, leaving us thirsty for something more.
In our series, Hope and Healing, we’ll see how one encounter with Jesus changes everything. Again and again, the Gospels show us that lasting freedom doesn’t come from trying harder or doing better, but from coming to Jesus and receiving His transforming grace.
You'll find a couple of things on this page.
Each week, we'll post various resources designed around helping you take your next step toward the living water that only Jesus can provide. Additionally, each week, we'll post the sermons from both our Bloomington and Bedford campuses as resources as well. Finally, below, you'll find local (to Bloomington and Bedford) resources and agencies where you might be able to find additional or professional help.
If you have an immediate need, please contact us.
12 Step Overview
The Twelve Steps are not just for people with obvious addictions—they are a Christ-centered discipleship pathway for anyone seeking hope, healing, and spiritual transformation. Rooted in Scripture and historically shaped through Alcoholics Anonymous, Celebrate Recovery, and now Re:generation, the Twelve Steps address the universal reality of sin, brokenness, and the need for God’s grace. Re:generation reclaims the biblical foundation of the Steps, guiding participants beyond an identity of “recovery” into a renewed identity in Christ. Through confession, repentance, community, and dependence on Jesus, the Steps lead believers toward true freedom, deeper intimacy with God, and a life transformed by the gospel.
Step 1 - Stretch Out Your Hand
Step 1 invites us to stop hiding our brokenness and honestly admit our powerlessness. Using the story of Jesus healing the man with the withered hand, this teaching reminds us that what we are most tempted to conceal is often the very place where Jesus wants to bring healing. When we “stretch out our hand” to Christ—bringing our shame, addictions, and unmanageable patterns into the light—disgrace is exchanged for grace. Step 1 is not about condemnation, but about truth, humility, and the beginning of freedom through dependence on Jesus rather than self-reliance.
Step 2 - Who Touched My Robe
Step 2 calls us to move from admitting our inability to believing in Jesus’ power to restore us to wholeness. Through the story of the woman who reached out in faith to touch Jesus’ robe, we see that real healing begins when hope is placed not in our efforts, but in Christ Himself. This step is about trusting a strong Savior rather than mustering strong faith, and believing that Jesus offers more than relief—He offers true restoration, peace, and a new way of living. Step 2 invites us to reach out, even quietly and imperfectly, and trust that Jesus can make us whole.
Step 3 - Do you Want to Get Well?
Step 3 calls us to move from belief into action by surrendering control and choosing obedience. Through Jesus’ encounter with the man who had been disabled for thirty-eight years, we see that healing grace is freely given, but transformation requires a response. Jesus’ question—“Do you want to get well?”—reveals how comfort, excuses, and self-management can quietly replace faith. Step 3 is where we stop managing outcomes and begin trusting God with our lives and wills, even when the future feels uncertain. It is a step of simple, daily obedience—getting up, leaving behind what has defined us, and following Jesus into a new way of living rooted in trust rather than control.
Step 4 - Facing the Truth
Step 4 invites us into honest self-examination by bringing our full story into the light of Jesus’ presence. Through Jesus’ encounter with the Samaritan woman at the well, we see that truth-telling is not about shame, but about freedom. Inventory is the courageous step of looking beneath behaviors to the hurts, patterns, and idols that shape our lives. Jesus already knows what we are afraid to face, and His knowing is never separated from His loving. Step 4 is an invitation to stop hiding, trust His grace, and discover that honesty before God is the pathway to healing and lasting transformation.
Step 5 - Owning My Story
Step 5 moves us from seeing the truth to speaking it out loud through confession. Drawing from King David’s story, this step shows how hidden sin and secrecy slowly drain life, while honest confession opens the door to restoration. Confession is not about informing God—He already knows—but about breaking isolation, releasing shame, and allowing grace to do its work. By admitting our wrongs to God, to ourselves, and to another trusted person, we step out of concealment and into freedom. Step 5 reminds us that confession is not the end of the story, but the beginning of healing, renewal, and restored joy.
Step 6 - Willing to Change
Step 6 invites us to repentance by reshaping not just our behavior, but our desires. Drawing from John 6, this step reveals how easily we can seek Jesus for comfort, relief, or blessing while resisting the deeper transformation He offers. Repentance begins when we recognize that what we have been feeding on cannot truly satisfy and become willing to let God change what we want. Step 6 is about moving from wanting Jesus on our terms to trusting Him as Lord, allowing Him to reorder our hunger and redirect our lives toward what leads to true life. Willingness—however small—becomes the doorway through which lasting change begins.
Step 7 - Letting God Transform Me
Step 7 invites us to humbly ask God’s Spirit to change our hearts and minds so we can follow Christ fully. Through Jesus’ restoration of Peter in John 21, we see that transformation begins not with condemnation, but with grace. After failure and regret, Peter is not shamed—he is recommissioned. Around a charcoal fire that mirrors his denial, Jesus gently restores him, calls him forward, and redefines his identity and purpose. Step 7 reminds us that we are not defined by our worst moments but by Christ’s invitation to follow Him. True change happens as we surrender our pride, bring our broken places to Him, and allow His Spirit to reshape us from the inside out.
Step 8 - Releasing Others
Step 8 calls us to forgive those who have harmed us and become willing to make amends to those we have harmed. Through Jesus’ parable of the unforgiving servant in Matthew 18, we are reminded of the immeasurable debt God has canceled on our behalf. Forgiveness begins by remembering our own mercy received. It is not pretending the hurt didn’t matter, nor does it eliminate boundaries or consequences. Instead, it is releasing our right to collect the debt and placing justice in God’s hands. Step 8 frees us from the prison of bitterness and invites us into a future shaped by grace, humility, and a softened heart.
Step 9 - Making Things Right
Step 9 calls us to take responsibility for the harm we have caused and make direct amends whenever possible. Through Zacchaeus’ encounter with Jesus in Luke 19, we see that true repentance produces tangible change. After experiencing grace, Zacchaeus responds by restoring what he had taken and pursuing reconciliation. Making amends does not guarantee restored relationships, but it does require humility, ownership, and a willingness to do our part. Step 9 invites us to move beyond regret into action—seeking peace, repairing damage where we can, and trusting God with the outcomes we cannot control.
Step 10 - Living Honestly
Step 10 invites us into a daily rhythm of honest self-examination and quick repentance. Through Jesus’ encounter with the rich young ruler in Mark 10, we see that even sincere and moral lives can hide deeper idols of control, security, or identity. Jesus looks at the man with love before revealing what still holds his heart. Step 10 calls us to that same posture of humble honesty—staying close enough to Jesus that when He reveals something in us, we respond with prompt confession and renewed surrender. This ongoing practice keeps our hearts soft and our lives aligned with Christ as we continue walking in freedom and transformation.
Step 11 - Staying Close to Jesus
Step 11 invites us to deepen our relationship with God through daily dependence on Him. In John 15, Jesus describes this life using the image of a vine and branches, reminding us that real spiritual growth comes not from striving harder but from remaining connected to Him. As we abide in Christ through practices like prayer, Scripture, and reflection, His life begins to shape ours—His strength replacing our weakness and His truth renewing our minds. Step 11 teaches that lasting freedom and transformation grow naturally from a life rooted in intimacy with Jesus, where joy and fruitfulness flow from staying close to the One who gives life.