Chapin Christian Community Church

In this episode of Leading by Following, Pastor Jody sits down with Curt Mitchell for a conversation about leadership, calling, service, and what it means to make ourselves available to God.
Curt serves as our Director of Facilities at Chapin Christian, but as you'll hear in our conversation, his ministry is about so much more than taking care of buildings.
It's about people.
It's about removing barriers so people can encounter Jesus. It's about leading a team that serves faithfully behind the scenes. It's about learning to distinguish between what's urgent and what's important. And it's about recognizing the moments when God may be opening a door for a conversation, a prayer, or an opportunity to love someone well.
One of the things that stood out to me most from our conversation is this:Your greatest gift may not be your ability. It may be your availability.You don't have to stand on a stage to be a leader.You don't have to have all the answers.You don't have to feel perfectly qualified.You can simply follow Jesus, love people well, listen, and make yourself available to whatever God wants to do through you.
In Ephesians 5:1–2, Paul says:“Follow God's example, therefore, as dearly loved children and walk in the way of love.”
That's the kind of leadership I want for myself, and it's the kind of leadership I hope we're all learning to live out.Follow Jesus. Walk in love. Make yourself available.
In this episode:• Leadership beyond a title or platform• Finding God's purpose in ordinary work• The difference between what's urgent and what's important• Learning to say no with grace• Serving as part of a bigger mission• Being available when God opens a door• Loving people well in everyday encounters• Leading by following Jesus
Learn more at: https://jodyflowers843.org/ 

Somewhere along the way, many of us stopped expecting God to actually move. We still believe, we still pray, and we still show up, but familiarity has quietly replaced wonder. The story of Moses and the burning bush reminds us that God did not speak until Moses turned aside to look. Maybe God has not grown silent. Maybe we have simply stopped paying attention. The answer to every fear and every feeling of inadequacy is not found in our own strength or track record. It is found in the promise that God will be with us. Wonder leads to worship, worship leads to surrender, and surrender is where God does His greatest work.
Resources: 
Discussion Guide: https://chapinccc.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Wonder-Awe_-Week-1_-When-Did-My-Faith-Grow-Up-Discussion-Guide.pdf 
5-Day Devotional: https://chapinccc.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Wonder-Awe_-Week-1_-When-Did-My-Faith-Grow-Up-5-day-devo.pdf 

Most of us find it easy to pray for blessings but much harder to pray for God Himself. King Josiah's story in 2 Kings shows what happens when one person makes a wholehearted decision to turn toward God, obey His Word, and remove everything that stands in the way of His presence. Like the father in the parable of the prodigal son, God is not waiting reluctantly. He is already running toward us. The only question worth sitting with is whether we are truly turning toward Him.
Resources:
Discussion Guide: https://chapinccc.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/ALTARS_-Week-7_-God-Comes-Where-Hes-Wanted-Discusion-guide.pdf 
5-Day Devotional: https://chapinccc.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/ALTARS_-Week-7_-God-Comes-Where-Hes-Wanted-5-Day-Devotional.pdf 

The kingdom of God is not just a future destination. It is a present reality breaking into the world through the lives of surrendered followers of Jesus. When Jesus taught us to pray 'Your kingdom come, Your will be done,' He was inviting us into something active and transforming. Wherever Jesus reigns, things change. The sick are healed, the forgotten are seen, and the broken find grace. We live in the tension of a kingdom that has already begun but is not yet complete, which means our lives are meant to be signposts pointing the world toward something greater. The question is not whether the kingdom is coming. The question is whether your life is making it visible right where you already are.
Resources:
Discussion Guide: https://chapinccc.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/ALTARS_-Week-6_-In-Chapin-As-Is-In-Heaven-Discussion-Guide.pdf 
5-Day Devotional: https://chapinccc.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/ALTARS_-Week-6_-In-Chapin-As-Is-In-Heaven-5-day-devotional.pdf 

Mission is not reserved for overseas workers or unusually devoted Christians. It begins with God Himself, who has always been moving toward a broken world with love and purpose. From His call to Abraham in Genesis 12 to the sending of His Son in John 3, God's heart has always been missionary. We are not launching something new when we engage in mission. We are joining something God already has underway. Your neighborhood, workplace, school, and daily routines are all places where Jesus is already working. The invitation is simple: pay attention, make yourself available, and take one small step toward the people already in your life.
Resources: 
Discussion Guide: https://chapinccc.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/ALTARS_-Week-5_-Region-Discussion-Guide.pdf  
5-Day Devotional: https://chapinccc.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/ALTARS_-Week-5_-Region-5-Day-Devotional.pdf  

Leading by Following: Obedience, Presence & the Ministry of Caring
What does it look like to truly follow God, even when He asks you to change direction?
In this episode of Leading by Following, we sit down with Pastor Bob Brooks, Chapin Christian Community Church’s Care Pastor, to hear the story of how God led him from a 36-year career in the corporate world and 14 years in ministry in Southern California to Chapin, South Carolina.
Pastor Bob shares how one unexpected word from the Holy Spirit: “obedient”, challenged his plans and ultimately led him to say yes to something he never expected. He also opens up about the ministry of caring for others, from early-morning hospital visits and unexpected opportunities to pray, to walking alongside people experiencing loneliness, grief, sickness, and loss.
The conversation explores what it means to be fully present with God so we can be fully present with others, how God can turn our mistakes into divine appointments, and why living from a place of joy matters when ministry involves carrying the pain of others.
You'll also hear about the heart behind C4's care ministries, including 50FWD, visitation, and Stephen Ministry, and the importance of building a church that isn't just focused on itself but is present and active in the wider community.
Ultimately, this is a conversation about following Jesus wherever He leads—and learning to recognize the moments when He simply asks us to stop, look up, and be present.
Listen in for a meaningful conversation about obedience, spiritual presence, caring for others, and finding joy in following Jesus.
Whether you lead a ministry, a business, your family, or simply influence the people around you, this episode will encourage you to lead by first following Christ. To learn more, visit: https://jodyflowers843.org/ 

A church can be busy and still be spiritually dead. Jesus warned the church at Sardis that their reputation for life did not match the reality He saw. When faith gets reduced to learning the right information and behaving the right way, something essential is lost. Wonder fades, dependence disappears, and intimacy with God gives way to familiarity without transformation. Waking up means coming back to a place of surrender, where we respond to what the Holy Spirit is actually saying. It also means refusing to follow Jesus in isolation. Belonging to the people of God is not optional, and belonging requires being truly known by at least one other person. The invitation is to remember, to repent, and to pursue the presence of God together.
Resources:
 
Discussion Guide: https://chapinccc.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/ALTARS_-Week-4_-Church-Discussion-Guide.pdf 
 
5-Day Devotional: https://chapinccc.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/ALTARS-Week-4-Church-5-Day-Devotional.pdf 

Every home has a center, and whatever sits at that center shapes everyone who lives inside it. Joshua 24:15 was not simply a family motto. It was a covenant declaration that a home had a priority, a direction, and a Lord. God designed the home to be the first place where faith is formed, even before the church. Children learn faith not primarily through instruction but through observation, watching how the people around them live, pray, and trust God through difficulty. Family discipleship does not require perfection. It requires faithfulness. The altar of the home is not built in one grand moment. It is built one faithful day at a time.
Resources:
Discussion Guide: https://chapinccc.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/ALTARS_-Week-3_-Home-Discussion-Guide.pdf 
5-Day Devotional: https://chapinccc.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/ALTARS_-Week-3_-Home-5-Day-Devotional.pdf 

Revival does not begin with changing the world around us. It begins with allowing God to change what is within us. Drawing from Luke 24, the story of two disciples on the road to Emmaus shows what happens when Jesus meets us in our disappointment and begins to realign our hearts with His truth. Like those disciples, we often carry unmet expectations of God that quietly pull us away from faith. Jesus responds not by changing circumstances, but by opening Scripture and replacing false stories with truth. A heart that has been realigned by His Word will naturally change direction. The evidence of a burning heart is not just what we feel in a moment, but the direction we walk when that moment is over.
Resources:
Discussion Guide: https://chapinccc.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/ALTARS_-Week-2_-Heart-Discussion-Guide.pdf 
5 Day Devotional: https://chapinccc.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/ALTARS_-Week-2_-Heart-5-Day-Devotional.pdf 

There is a difference between knowing a lot about God and actually knowing Him. Too often, believers skip straight to doing things for God and wonder why their faith feels empty. The first responsibility of a disciple is simply to be with Jesus, and it is in that place of being with Him that we are transformed into His likeness. Whatever we worship, we become like, which means the object of our deepest attention and affection shapes the entire direction of our lives. Altars throughout Scripture were never about getting God's attention. They were about giving Him ours and refusing to forget what He had done. Revival does not begin with crowds or programs. It begins when God's presence becomes the defining reality for ordinary people. The invitation is not to do more for God, but to surrender more to Him, and to let His presence become more important than our preferences.
Resources:
Discussion Guide: https://chapinccc.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/ALTARS_-WEEK-1_-What-are-altars-Discussion-Guide.pdf 
 
5-Day Devotional: https://chapinccc.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/ALTARS_-WEEK-1_-What-are-altars-5-day-devotional.pdf