Seeds are amazing. I’m not a science girl. I’ve never pretended to like science, nor do I have a great deal of knowledge regarding the scientific makeup of seeds. But even with my limited understanding, I do know this: if I properly plant a seed, it will grow into something that looks nothing… Continue reading Lessons from the Garden: Faith Like A Seed
Author: Cultivate Relationships
Lessons from the Garden: Uprooting what Doesn’t Belong
One of the hardest truths about gardening is that there is no magical cure for weeds. The gardening world debates endlessly — landscaping fabric versus chemicals versus cardboard, pesticides versus organic solutions. But at the end of the day, weeds will continue to grow. “A weed is just an undesired plant” is… Continue reading Lessons from the Garden: Uprooting what Doesn’t Belong
Lessons from the Garden: Making Peace with Imperfection
What do you do when the thing you once loved begins to feel impossible to maintain? For me, Lacey, my garden is too big for my current capacity. There are too many weeds, too many unfinished projects, too many ideas waiting to be brought to life. But the Texas heat is relentless, and… Continue reading Lessons from the Garden: Making Peace with Imperfection
Thank You for Praying for Our Family
I wanted to personally say thank you for praying for our family during this incredibly difficult season. Over the past couple of months, we’ve been walking through one of the most painful and unexpected chapters of our lives. In the middle of all of it, the encouragement, prayers, and kindness from people like you… Continue reading Thank You for Praying for Our Family
STB162 | Why “Just Stop” Doesn’t Work for Addiction + Jenni
In this episode, Lacey sits down with life and recovery coach Jenni Hubby to talk about addiction, recovery, and God’s heart for those walking through it. Drawing from her own journey into sobriety and decades of experience helping others, Jenni explores common misconceptions Christians often have about addiction. Together they discuss why simply “stopping” a behavior is not the whole story, how faith and practical steps work together in recovery, and what it looks like to walk toward lasting healing and restored identity.
Announcement & Prayer Request
There is no easy way to start this description. So I will get right into it.
On January 16, 2026, it came to light that I had been engaging in inappropriate conversations with a woman and with chatbots through apps and texting, seeking and soliciting inappropriate images. Our daughters first discovered this, and in that moment, I did not tell them the truth. It was only after several hours of conversation between Lacey and me that the full extent of what had been happening came to light.
This is in addition to something we shared with our board in the fall of 2025 — that I had returned to pornography for about 9 months after experiencing sixteen years of freedom.
There is no excuse for the choices I made. They were sinful, manipulative, deceptive, and deeply hurtful to my wife and girls. Bringing this into the light is incredibly painful and embarrassing to my family, but I know that it is necessary for my repentance and our healing and restoration to begin.
Last week, the board of Cultivate Ministries met and discussed a plan for our family and this process of restoration. Lacey and our girls will be receiving counseling and support, and I am pursuing intensive help for both this addiction and the deeper, unaddressed issues that led to it. Several trusted men and a ministry team from our church are walking closely with me in this process.
Over the next few months, while I focus my time and attention on personal healing and restoration, Lacey will continue to minister and teach while she also works through her own hurt and brokenness because of what I did.
During this time, we first and foremost ask that you pray for Spirit-led wisdom and direction for our ministry and our family. Pray for healing and restoration to take place in our marriage and in our home with our girls. Pray for Cultivate Relationships and how God might lead you to financially partner with us as we take this necessary time to heal and walk through this process.
We still believe that Jesus’ finished work on the cross is the key to freedom, healing, and restoration for any and every sin. And this fact is not shaken nor moved by this sin.
Thank you for your grace, your prayers, and for allowing us the space to pursue the help we need.
Thank you and God bless,
Nathan & Lacey Steel
STB161 | BSE | Hebrews 8.13-10.18 E2
BIBLE SCHOOL EDITION – Nathan and Pastor Scott continue their study through Hebrews by confronting how easily believers drift back into external rules, self-effort, and spiritual performance. This episode presses into the heart of the gospel: Jesus didn’t partially replace the old covenant — he fulfilled and rendered it obsolete. The conversation exposes how law-based thinking (a life built on the 10 Commandments) still shapes worship, discipleship, and judgment today, and re-centers salvation as trusting Jesus’ finished work while living empowered by the Holy Spirit, not managed by religious systems. *Please note, this discussion takes place in two episodes. This is episode two.*
What surfaced when the noise stopped?
If you’re finishing this social media fast, the most important question isn’t “Did I make it 21 days?” It’s “What surfaced when the noise stopped?” For many of us, stepping away didn’t just remove scrolling — it revealed things that were already there. Emotions we’d been numbing. Thoughts we’d been ignoring. Longings we… Continue reading What surfaced when the noise stopped?
Why giving up social media feels harder than it should!
If you’re reading this and you’re in our third week (view previous emails by clicking here) of a January social media fast, I want to say this first: this isn’t about guilt or comparison. This fast isn’t a test — it’s an invitation to awareness, freedom, and rest. Most of us don’t stay on… Continue reading Why giving up social media feels harder than it should!
STB160 | BSE | Hebrews 8.13-10.18 E1
BIBLE SCHOOL EDITION – Nathan and Pastor Scott begin a series exploring Hebrews 9-13 by setting the theological foundation for why Jesus is greater than everything that came before him (think Old Testament Law and the 10 Commandments). Before diving into doctrine, they dive into the purpose, authorship, and structure of Hebrews. This episode reframes the Old Testament as a shadow pointing to Jesus, clarifying why the law could diagnose sin but never heal it — and why intimacy with the Father is now fully accessible through Jesus. *Please note, this discussion takes place in two episodes. This is episode one.*
