You don’t have to have everything figured out to take your next step.
I’m Patrick. I’ve spent much of my life helping people take their next step—as a teacher, leader, soldier, pastor and chaplain. Now I’m learning to take mine too.
Grace for the Next Chapter is a place for honest stories about growing through change, choosing what we bring to the circumstances life puts in front of us, investing in the people we love, and intentionally building a life with grace, growth, purpose and connection.
One pebble. A thousand ripples.
Start with a free reflection
Download “One Pebble, One Next Step,” a free printable reflection to encourage you as you begin your next chapter.
Watch a Story
Sometimes the thing controlling us isn’t the situation itself—it’s the way we’ve allowed ourselves to respond to it. In Who Sets the Terms?, I share a lesson I learned during a frustrating season as a drill sergeant at Fort Jackson.
Start With One Small Step
You don’t have to reinvent your whole life today. Sometimes the next chapter begins with one honest question and one small step.
Recalculate
Notice where life may have pulled you off course. Reflection isn’t about beating yourself up. It’s about recognizing where you are, remembering where you want to go, and finding the path forward again.
Reconnect
Invest in the people who matter. Make the call. Ask the question. Listen a little longer. Small acts of attention can create ripples we may never fully see.
Rediscover
Keep learning, trying and becoming. A next chapter doesn’t have to be smaller than the chapters before it. There may still be new experiences, relationships and purpose waiting ahead.
A Question to Carry With You
What’s one area where I may have allowed something outside of me to start determining what I bring to life?
You may not be able to change the situation today. But perhaps you can begin changing what you bring to it.
Keep Walking With Us
If you’re thinking about what belongs in your own next chapter, you may also enjoy Anchor or Sail?—a story about learning what still grounds us and what may be keeping us from moving forward. You can also explore the practical tools on the Resources page.
Grace for the Next Chapter isn’t about having all the answers. It’s about learning together through real stories, practical reflection and small choices that can move a life in a better direction.
You don’t have to figure out your whole next chapter today. Just take the next step.
One pebble. A thousand ripples.