The Waiting Room

Faith Through Theater

2011-09-04T17:26:00.003-06:00

I have been thinking about Genesius of Rome lately. He was a comedic actor who was killed because he believed in Christ. But it wasn’t as though he started his acting career as a Christian. Actually, he researched and lived in a Christian community in order to perform a role mocking Christianity accurately. Little did he know that during that process the Holy Spirit would work in him to bring him to a faith and belief in Jesus Christ. It was because of his faith that he was killed.

I am much like Genesius in that I did not have a faith in Christ when I joined a local mainline church. I didn’t profess a belief in Christ, but I did believe in God. As I got more involved with the church, I met people with a profound belief in Christ working in their lives. Since I had joined worship team (because I had a passion for theater), I decided that it would be great to partner with Christ to become a better performer for the church. Like Genesius, I didn’t expect that this ‘partnership’ would spur me onto becoming a devoted follower of Christ.

Here is the part of this post that I am supposed to tie it all together... but that story is still being written. All I know is that...my passion for theater still burns brightly... along with a deep faith in Christ. Just like Genesius I was transformed by Christ through theater... and for today that brings me peace.

For more on Genesius...

http://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=185
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genesius_of_Rome

Ministry like that Theater Stuff

2011-08-22T00:26:00.005-06:00

It was just past Y2K, when I attended service at my church. It was the 'contemporary' service which had music that wasn't in the hymnal and was lead by a woman who was an ordained Deacon in the church. She did the preaching that morning as well as lead the music during the worship time and I had an overwhelming feeling that I could be doing what she was doing that morning. Shortly after that, she was moving on from that position and they were looking for people to lead the contemporary worship service on a team. My parents encouraged me to join worship team because 'it's like that theater stuff you did in high school.' So my journey into ministry began.

Here I am 11 years later and I still don't feel that I am doing what I saw that Deacon doing back in that church. I am trying to find a ministry where I can integrate my love of theater with learning about God. I think that is my calling... portraying Christianity in a way that truly touches people.

A friend of mine recently said that 'Good theater makes people think'... Good ministry also should make people think. Somehow couldn't the two work hand in hand?

Living in the Moment

2011-08-04T11:59:00.002-06:00

On May 17th just before 5:00 PM... my life stood still. I was in involved in a rollover car accident where my car was hit by a runaway trailer. A complete accident but by all accounts we were extremely lucky to be alive.

So, for the past couple of months I have been in recovery... and slowly I am physically returning to a pre-accident state. But I have noticed a distinct difference in my spiritual journey since the accident.

At the moment of the accident... I prayed... I prayed wondering if this was the end of my days... I prayed to make some sense of it all... and from this prayer I had a sudden peace that none of the 'debates' that occur in the church matter. They are created by humans to keep people in an us vs. them mentality. Our differences in the Christian church really don't matter... in the end God loves all of us and we are asked to love God in return. It's simple really... Love God and Love Each Other...

I have a better sense of clarity of where my passion lies. In seminary they said over and over again that God will call you into your passion. For me, that passion is theater... and know that that is what I am called to be doing. For the first time in a long time I feel that I am EXACTLY where I have been called to be... now if I could only discover how to make a living at it.

I also have a sense that I need to be living in the moment... the past is a memory and the future hasn't been written. But there is life to be lived right now... and you need to be living in your passion.

So these are the lessons from my accident... and I hope that they may help you as well:

Church differences really don't matter to God... mostly created by people
God want us to Love God and Each Other
Live for your passion
Live in the moment

Journey to a New Ministry

2011-05-14T19:35:00.003-06:00

^{Matthew 28:18-20 (English Standard Version)}And Jesus came and said to them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.

So, I have been in ministry transition for awhile. I am still seeking where God is calling me to serve... and I wonder where I am going to be going next. In other words, I wonder where God is sending me.

Could it be to a new church where I would serve on pastoral staff?

Could it be to a different sort of ministry that I have yet to discover?

Could it be in the public schools where I am already serving as a substitute teacher?

Could it be in the Community Theatre setting where my love for the stage has recently been re-discovered?

Could it be a combination of some of these areas... or is there something completely different in store for me?

I don't know where I am heading from here, but I do know that God is with me... no matter where I go or what I do... 'until the end of the age.'

Judging Others

2011-05-05T11:58:00.002-06:00

Luke 37-38 (English Standard Version)

"Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven; give, and it will be given to you.

Have you ever felt that when it comes to church and religion that you just don't fit in anywhere? I have felt that for a long time... almost since I first became a Christian... and all because people have judged my religious beliefs without really getting to know me any my true thoughts on the subject.

My first church experience was in a mainline church. I was welcomed and invited to participate, but I felt like an outsider... on the fringe so to speak. I had an experience while I was there where I began to have an 'indwelling of the Holy Spirit' in my life. This spiritual awakening was looked at with suspicion in the mainline church and students at the Mainline Seminary I attended. I was told by other students that I was naive and backwards and didn't understand the teachings of Christ. I went home night after night crying that they were being so hurtful. After speaking with my professor, I moved onto an Evangelical Seminary.

Now at the new Evangelical Seminary, I still encountered judgment, but for different reasons. Here there were students who spoke out against me going into ministry because I was a woman. Since my graduation from that seminary, I have been seeking a position in Evangelical denominations that have not formed much fruit.

The icing on the cake came this week. I had applied for a position at an evangelical church this week. I got an email back inferring that I 'might not agree with all their positions' including immersion baptism. The ironic thing is that I have been baptized by immersion in a church in the same denomination that they are a part of. Again, they were judging me without knowing anything about me. Needless to say, that position was not a fit.

I have been judged by both mainline and evangelical church systems. All I want to do is follow Christ. I know that we are not supposed to be judging each other on our walks. The only one who can truly judge a person's walk is Christ. I am working on forgiving those along my path who have judged me unfairly and I am also working on not judging those in my path. Even in the New Testament, we see how the Jewish followers of Christ struggled to get along with the new gentile converts to the religion. I pray that we come to a point in time where we no longer judge and can accept our differences.

In the Name of Love

2011-04-04T10:50:00.002-06:00

Early evening, April 4
Shot rings out in the Memphis sky
Free at last, they took your life
They could not take your pride

...In the name of love
What more in the name of love
-U2

I remember when this song came out in the 1980's. I remember singing it and thinking how good it was to be living in this time where we had come so far. In my life, I had been raised truly believing that all people were truly equal. No matter your religion, gender or social status we were all equal. I could be whatever I wanted to be! What a wonderful world!

Galatians 3:28 (New International Version, ©2011)

²⁸ There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

43 years ago today, Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated for his participation in the Civil Rights movement. He was a pastor who used non-violent confrontation to change the social status of race relations in the southern United States.

Today, I wonder how far we actually have come... and is there more to come?

As we pause for a moment to remember MLK and his life, I urge you to look at our lives today. Are we living a life that truly allows our brothers and sisters the freedom in Christ that is talked about? Or are our actions and words still oppressive to certain groups?

In the name of Love...

what more can we do?

Rob Bell... Where is Satan?

2011-03-30T11:27:00.002-06:00

Because there had been such a debate upon Rob Bell's new book 'Love Wins', I really didn't want to comment or add my two cents to the conversation until I had read the book. (Which, I might add, did not take me more than a couple of hours to read the entire thing). So, please, before you offer your critique of it, I urge you to take the time to read the book.

Now, I actually agree with MOST of what Rob Bell says in the book. I can buy talking about the evil in the world as 'hell' (at least one definition of it)... I firmly believe that we participate in God's Kingdom (Heaven) NOW when we become Christians... I also agree that God can work through other religions to bring you to Christ (it happened to me!)

So, you might ask me if there is heaven and hell after death... I would answer 'yes' in both cases intensified experiences from what we can experience in this lifetime. There are too many accounts of people who have come 'back from the dead' to deny this (and accounts of BOTH places).

But back to Rob Bell... what I find strange in a book that has the subject matter of 'Heaven' and 'Hell' that Bell doesn't talk about Satan. Maybe I missed something, but I don't remember anywhere in the book Bell talking about Satan. Sure Bell brings up demons, but I don't really remember him responding one way or another to Satan. Did I miss something? Maybe I did... after all, I did read the book very quickly. So, 'Love Wins'... but doesn't Love (God) triumph over Evil (Satan)... strange that part is missing... maybe in his next book.

Serving while in the Waiting Room

2011-02-28T11:29:00.004-06:00

Romans 15:17 (New International Version, ©2010)

17 Therefore I glory in Christ Jesus in my service to God.

Last week I literally got a 'call' to lead the Sunday service at church. I would was asked to do all the announcements and the basic 'elements' of the service.

As I was asked... I suddenly was overwhelmed with a peace that I haven't had for a long time... I have been in the 'waiting room'... wondering when God would call me for a specific purpose to serve Him.

And so,last Sunday I was able to serve...interestingly enough, we were talking about Spiritual Gifts... and I felt so, so, blessed to be able to use the Spiritual Gift I have been given in order to serve Him.

After the service, many people came up and thanked me for sharing the gift with them this morning... and I am praying that I will receive another 'call' to serve Him in the near future.

And it is interesting to note... this was in a traditional church setting... not an alternative church that I thought I was being led to... maybe God has something else in store for me...

Call to Start a Church

2011-02-15T12:50:00.003-06:00

Awhile back, I meet with a church planting representative (person in charge of starting new churches) from the denomination that I have been involved with. He asked me a question that I have been mulling around for months... it was more of a statement actually than a question and it went something like this...

Pastors who are successful with starting a new church feel that God has called them to this ministry and there is no other ministry that they could be involved in... they feel that if they did not start a church that they would be disobeying God.

Ever since that meeting I have been thinking about the call that God has put in my heart. I feel that I am called to be a pastor of a different model of church... I have often mentioned a coffeehouse that would function as a church. The church would be a place where people who were Christian as well as those who were seeking could meet and talk about God with mutual respect for others opinions. We would be a church who cared about the community around us that took care of our neighbors both physically and spiritually.

That is my call.

What is the Fruit of Your Spirit?

2011-02-13T21:49:00.003-06:00

Galatians 5:22-23 (New International Version, ©2010)

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

Lately, I have noticed an increase in 'hot button' issues in my life... you know, the pet peeves... the items that raise your blood pressure with a simple syllable. After a day of fighting back these annoyances, I went to a membership orientation meeting at church this afternoon... and in the midst of it as we were talking about the church and it's beliefs, I felt a peace that I haven't had in awhile. The Spirit was present in that room today.

Later, we were discussing an issue that is dear to my heart (the same issue that was taunting me before the meeting) and we talked about the two opposite viewpoints. The woman sitting next to me (who also holds the opposite view as me) put her arm around me and I leaned into her with love as I said we were on the opposite side of this topic.

This is what church should be about... where you can still LOVE each other even if you don't agree. This is the Spirit bringing unity to the Church.

The Greatest of These Is Love

2011-02-11T00:26:00.002-06:00

1 Corinthians 13 (New International Version, ©2010)

1 If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. 3 If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.

4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

8 Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10 but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears. 11 When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me. 12 For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

13 And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

When I was a child, I was extremely compassionate to those who were hurting. My heart went out to any cause and social justice issue... and in college I took on the nickname of Peaceful (as in Give Peace a Chance... John Lennon was my favorite Beatle).

And suddenly I changed

I no longer felt my heart ache for those who were mourning... I became more pessimistic with life in general... and more specifically with religion. You see, I had become a Christian. Yes, this was the way to peace... deep meaningful inner peace and all I continue to experience the pessimism.

But I know better, as a Christian we are supposed to be known for our love... our compassion. I believe that since I once was able to love deeply the world around me and now I am struggling with it there must be some sort of spiritual stronghold preventing the deeper love to manifest itself in my life.

There is a song by Brandon Heath entitled "Give Me Your Eyes" that talks about having the compassion that Jesus has for the rest of humanity.
Brandon Heath - Give Me Your Eyes lyrics | LyricsMode.com

I am praying that the compassion that once flowed so freely would return to me anew and that the pessimism would leave.

Is God Calling You?

2011-02-02T00:11:00.002-06:00

Recently both my husband, Eric and I have had a pull toward ministry. We are looking at going to school again... or applying for positions... or....

We are wanting to serve God, but life is getting in the way. I am pretty sure that other pastors have the same issues... would love to pursue full-time ministry, but we need to pay the mortgage, get the kids through school... just live.

So... we wait... for the call to let us know the direction that God will have us going into ministry.

Days of Small Things

2010-04-21T10:31:00.000-06:00

"Who despises the day of small things? Men will rejoice when they see the plumb line in the hand of Zerubbabel. "(These seven are the eyes of the LORD, which range throughout the earth.)"

- Zechariah 4:10 New International Version

I was watching a talk show this morning on television and the actress that was interviewed said that she always thinks about this verse when she begins a project. She says she rejoices each step of the way because she knows that it is building on something that will eventually become bigger.

This passage is about building of the temple… and people were scoffing at the beginnings. But God reminded them that one day even those who laughed would rejoice when they saw the temple completed.

Jacob’s Well has also had small beginnings. We are still in process and taking one step at a time. Our biggest challenge is that Jacob’s Well is a vision for ministry that is not following the current models. We need to take baby steps… and have many days of small things. One day, if God is willing, I anticipate that Jacob’s Well will become something bigger. Until then, I am learning to rejoice in these small days.

Heart of Worship

2010-01-09T09:06:00.004-06:00

1 Corinthians 14:15 (New International Version)

¹⁵So what shall I do? I will pray with my spirit, but I will also pray with my mind; I will sing with my spirit, but I will also sing with my mind.

I have been thinking and praying a lot about worship lately. This passage from scripture gets to the heart of New Testament worship. We need to be worshiping Jesus with our spirit as well as our mind. Living in Minnesota, I have seen many, many, many worship services where people are only worshiping with their minds. Worshiping with your mind is the more 'technical' part of worship. Are you singing the correct notes? playing in tune? saying the right words? are the words Biblically based?

But there is another side to worship that is often missing in worship services. That is the worship in the spirit. Kevin J. Navarro states in his book 'The Complete Worship Leader'...

"Unregenerate people are incapable of worshiping the living God for they are too busy worshiping themselves or something else." pg. 51

"If we are to lead worship, we must be born again. And, if our congregations are to worship, they must be born again. This is so basic, yet greatly neglected in churches across America. If we are wondering why worship is cold in some of our churches, it is a possibility that our people are not born again." p. 52

In other words, are we worshiping in the Spirit?

I have been to powerful worship services where I have felt the Spirit and the experience has been very worshipful. Two stick out in my mind, because they we unique and in the extremes. The first was at a Michael W. Smith concert at the Excel Energy Center in Saint Paul Minnesota. The song was "Let It Rain." This was a simple song with simple lyrics... 'Let It Rain, Let It Rain... Open the Floodgates of heaven.' The Spirit was so powerful in there that evening that we were vibrating and tears were pouring down our cheeks. The second was at a small country church in Big Lake. It was their Christmas service and some of the members prepared special music to sing. The singer was not trained in singing, but had practiced the song to the best of their ability and as they presented the song, they were singing their heart out to the Lord and I could feel the Spirit move in that place and the tears also came. In both experiences, it was clear that this was worship that was happining in the Spirit.

So how do we get there? How do we worship in both mind and spirit? I have had the opportunity to participate in a few worship teams over the years. There is a point where you technically learn the music and it suddenly turns and the Spirit takes over and I was worshiping in both mind and Spirit. When this has occured to me it has been 1) when I had rehearsed the song so many times that it was memorized and I had worked out all of the technical issues 2) I prayed and surrendered my worship to God. There are many times I have been in worship where I no longer was singing. Something else takes over and it was complete focus on God. In that moment my entire focus is on God and I forget about everything else around me. This is when true worship happens for me.... I am worshiping in mind and spirit.

I know there have been times that I cannot get to that true worship. I have been so focused on the music and lyrics that I forget who I am there to worship in the first place. I am worshiping the technical aspects of the music and not worshiping God. Or the opposite is true, I am alowing my Spirit to turn to God but am not able to work out the technical elements. Either way has not worked out well for me. We need to be doing both in order to worship God.

I encourage you... the next time you are at church to focus on God when you sing, sing songs you know and turn your Spirit to Jesus. Try giving your heart and mind to Him as you worship.

Peace,

Lisa

PS Check out Steven Curtis Chapman's video onYouTube for 'Lord of the Dance'

Emergent Church and the Question of Ordination

2009-05-12T09:02:00.002-06:00

When we established Jacob's Well, we used the values statement from Emergent Village as our values statement: http://www.emergentvillage.com/about-information/values-and-practices .

Emergent has people from many denominations who follow their teachings. Because of this, Emergent has not established any formal type of Ordination for people in positions of leadership within the movement. There is a belief that all Christians are qualified to perform the sacraments and therefore there is no need for formal Ordination recognition because all are 'ordained' in the body of Christ.

While I agree with the idea that everyone in the body of Christ is qualified for ministry, there still needs to be some sort of recognition for the leadership. This isn't to say that non-leaders can't minister but there needs to be a go-to person for organizational types of issues.

I have been in non-profit groups where we had complete team leadership with no one in charge. The problem that I ran into was that there was conflict because there was no clear-cut person in charge. I am now involved with another non-profit group that runs as a team. However there are specific people designated in leadership positions and the group runs more smoothly and we designate leadership for specific tasks as well.

I am wondering if there are other people out there who are not denominationally active, who are starting other Emergent Churches who would like to come together in some sort of formal recognition of being a leader in the Emergent church? Perhaps a licensing of sorts recognizing that you are a leader? Email me at jacobswellprayer@aol.com if you would like to join me in establishing a leadership recognition group.

Peace,
Lisa

Quest for Peace

2009-04-24T10:24:00.001-06:00

I have noticed lately that I have been ‘off.’ I have been discontent and edgy and I just haven’t been able to find a good reason as to why. Except that I am off and I am looking for peace. It’s a cognitive dissonance. In other words, life took a turn that I wasn’t expecting and my preparations were for nothing and it left me feeling disconnected.

I know that I somehow need to get back on track. But what is the track that I need to be on? I have been chasing rabbit trails leading to dead ends. But I know that there is a peace out there that I could be a part of.

This peace that I am longing for is that connection… the connection we experience when we are participating in God’s will in the world. This is when we are in harmony with what God has planned for us.

Have I been following the wrong path? Have I not been in line with God? I don’t know. I didn’t think I was, and yet I have lost the connection. I just pray that the door will open for me to connect with God, Christ and the Holy Spirit.

No good answers today… just plenty of questions.

In Christ’s Name,

Lisa

Sunday Night Prayer

2009-04-15T22:25:00.003-06:00

We are starting to meet on Sunday Nights from 7:00 - 8:00 PM to pray for the direction of this group. Dessert will be shared as a part of our time together.

Saint Patrick's Day 2009

2009-03-17T09:26:00.002-06:00

Each year our family welcome's Saint Patrick's Day... it has become one of our family's favorite holidays. We always have a special meal of Corned Beef and Cabbage and other green items. We take the time to look back at our heritage... the countries that our ancestors originated in and the Christian traditions of the holiday.

So, join us is celebrating this holiday. Have a hearty meal and wear the green!

Peace,
Lisa

Facebook and the Abbey

2009-02-09T23:24:00.003-06:00

If you are on Facebook, stop on by and visit us! I am attempting to have conversations going on our page in Facebook. Check Us Out!

Also... I haven't given up on the Abbey. Anyone care to join me?

Peace,
Lisa

House Church Meetings

2009-02-02T14:28:00.002-06:00

We will continue meeting on Wednesday nights for a meal and fellowship at 6:30 PM about twice a month. Please be in prayer for direction for our group.

Blessings,
Lisa

Romans Update

2008-10-23T06:29:00.002-06:00

Hope everyone is enjoying getting into character for this study!

Just wanted to mention that we have changed the time for this study. We are meeting from 6:30 PM - 8:00 PM on Wednesday nights.

Looking ahead, we are going to need to juggle how we do the study. We have 1 1/2 hour alloted for it and the book recommends 2 1/2 hours. We will see how next week goes and we may need to break up the time for each chapter in order to get everything in.

Also, if you know of someone who wants to be a visitor to the study for a week, we can include them as a visitor.

See you Wednesday!

Peace,
Lisa

Friends, let's look at Romans!

2008-09-24T01:05:00.003-06:00

Update on Romans Bible Study...

We are changing the meeting time to Wednesday Evenings from 7:00 - 9:00 PM. We will be going through the book of Romans with the study guide: "Roman House Churches for Today: A Practical Guide for Small Groups" by Reta Halteman Finger. A dessert/snack will also be served.

Peace,
Lisa

It's all about... growing in Christ

2008-09-04T21:32:00.002-06:00

How does one encourage growing closer to Christ with people who have given up on religion?

This is my question for the day.

Is it just about showing people the love of Christ?

I think about the life of Mother Theresa who selflessly helped so many in India. Why did she do this? It was through her love for Christ that she was able to help all of those people for so many years. How can we as devoted followers of Christ do this in our communities? Where are people hurting and in trouble that we can step in?

Just in Montrose...
How can we help our children continue to participate in activities that they have grown to love but their parents can no longer afford it?
How can we help those who are about to lose homes to foreclosure?
How can we help those who can't afford food, gas and other items for daily living?

What would Christ do to help those in Montrose live a better life?

Just asking the questions....
Peace,
Lisa

Dis-Organized Church

2008-08-17T08:14:00.000-06:00

A little over 5 years ago I had and idea… it seemed like it was a simple idea, but I am finding out that it actually is rather complicated.

My idea was to start a church for those who didn’t want to attend church… I knew there were a TON of people out there who believed in God… maybe even Jesus… who did not believe in organized church. So, I began a dis-organized church… and it sure has been dis-organized!

Our small home-based church has attracted lots of interesting people…

- A family who wanted to keep themselves out of the church and isolate themselves from the world around them because it wasn’t Biblically based enough – or at least what they believed to be Biblically based…

- Another family who had a home built in Montrose but could not sell their home in the cities… the home they built was bought by someone else who went into foreclosure…

- people who wanted to form a church that looked like the church they came from and could not understand why we weren’t giving sermons, holding worship services, doing Bible studies, etc…

- People looking for children’s programming to keep their kids occupied while the parents went off and did something else…

- People pressing me for my opinion on Evangelical ‘hot button’ issues – homosexuality, abortion, end times (lots of end times) to name a few…

- people who have watched so much televangelism that they believe that God will send them more money if they give money to the church… and would continue giving money to large television churches…

Maybe we just weren’t clear along the way… maybe we didn’t know how to reach people who I know are out there… who might want to be a part of a completely different kind of church.

Jacob’s Well is a church for those who

- believe in God, but not religion

- value spending time with their families and don’t need another activity to suck up their time

- would like to talk to others about God

- believe that helping out others is just what they are supposed to be doing

I’ll admit… I don’t know what this kind of group would look like… my attempts at forming this group are in a holding pattern. I would like your help… if you can give me ideas on how to start this kind of group, please let me know. I am open to any suggestions.

Peace,

Lisa

Pastor of a completely dis-organized church

How to be In Ministry without Money

2008-08-09T22:23:00.004-06:00

A pastor friend of mine sent out a plea yesterday for more funding so that he can stay in ministry.

My mother-in-law used to tell me about her old church where the pastor would regularly request money from the congregation for his personal income.

I wanted to be in ministry without asking for money... but how can people do this? Any ideas?

We have been creative on jobs and financing in my family but with the way things are going in today's economy... how can we all live without the income?

Jesus didn't have anything... he relied on people he met to provide the resources for his ministry. Can you see pastors actually being able to do that today? Maybe in some parts of the world, but in the US... probably not.

I still am not convinced money needs to be at the root of a ministry... and I am open to alternatives.

Peace,
Lisa

The Abbey

2008-08-03T00:17:00.001-06:00

Announcing…. The Abbey

I have been trying to come up with some sort of clever play on words (so that I won’t be infringing upon copyright)… I have tried many names out and keep coming up with simply “The Abbey”.

So what is “The Abbey”? It is a group of people who have dedicated themselves to the following:

To growing with each other closer to Christ in such a manner so that we might share Christ’s love with others.

In other words, this is a group of people who are interested in becoming closer to Christ and also sharing that closeness with those around them. People who are following Christ will take part in regular prayers, worship, meals with each other and study of the Bible. They will also take an active role in their community in order that Christ might use them in the community.

As a part of this new endeavor, I would like to begin a more active online community in which I will place weekly teachings/devotionals on this blog. My hope is that this can keep us connected with each other even when we are not actually getting together.

If God is willing… I would like to see The Abbey group start running in September… if you are interested in joining the Abbey or if you have questions, please email me at jacobswellprayer@aol.com.

Peace,

Lisa

What Do You Mean By Church

2008-05-21T07:51:00.001-06:00

People have asked me over time where I go to church. Sometimes I will tell them that I don’t ‘go’ anywhere to church, I am always at church. And they usually look at me with a puzzled look on their face.

I know that they are asking me “which building do I attend on Sunday morning?” But my understanding of the meaning of church runs much deeper than the group people see once a week.

The term used in the New Testament that we translate as church is Ecclesia. To better understand what the New Testament writers meant when they were writing about church, it is helpful to understand what the definition of Ecclesia is.

From Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ecclesia

Ecclesia (lat) is a term derived from the Greek root ekklesia [εκκλησία], which literally means a "gathering" of citizens, in an ancient Greek city-state, or a "called-out assembly"; usually defined as "gathering of the called-out ones"^[1] or “gathering of those summoned”^[2]. Theologically it has been equated from the New Testament passages, originally written in Greek language, as the Church (though the origin of the term "Church" is the Greek root kyriakon [from kyriake, kyriakos; kyrios; kyros])^[3] and also as the Body of Christ, a view which reflects a deeper Spiritual and invisible dimension into the use of the term Ecclesia.

I know… you are reading this and wondering what all of this means… basically in the early years of the church, they did not refer to specific buildings or denominations but rather a gathering of people who were following Christ. And this gathering could happen at any time or any place… they just needed to meet with each other and talk about Christ. As a Christian, we are all members of the Body of Christ. So where ever we go, that is where the Church is.

So to answer the question “Where do I go to church?” The answer would be “Anywhere I go because I am a Christian.”

Peace,

Lisa Ellwoods

Pastor Jacob’s Well

Sunday Night Supper in June - Cancelled

2008-05-18T22:30:00.002-06:00

Due to scheduling conflicts, Sunday Night Supper for June will be cancelled. Please join us in July for the next Sunday Night Supper.

Peace,
Lisa

Response to "The Shack" review

2008-05-11T23:42:00.003-06:00

I read with interest Pastor Runke's article reviewing the book "The Shack" from this week's edition of the Herald Journal. (Click Herald Journal to read his article)

I have not had the opportunity to read this book although I did read the entire review that Pastor Runke had referenced in his article.

The author of "The Shack" (from what I read) attempts to fictionalize theology that has come out of the Emergent church movement. (for more on the Emergent Church visit http://www.emergentvillage.com/)

I am a pastor of Jacob's Well, a missional house church in Montrose, MN. I find myself sometimes in agreement with the Emergent church and other times I greatly disagree with what is said. Just as I agreed with some of what Tim Challies had to say about the theology in "The Shack" and I also disagreed with some of what Challies has to say about the theology.

To me, what disturbs me is the potential for division in the church. Pastor Runke spoke of one congregation that he knew that had been torn apart by this book... and I am certain that it isn't the only one. Divisions regarding theology are nothing new to the church. All we have to do is look at the Bible and see that even in the very beginnings of the church in Acts we see differing opinions on how to approach theological issues. It still amazes me that 2000 years later humans still are causing division in the church.

Peace,
Pastor Lisa Ellwoods
Jacob's Well

Sunday Night Supper

2008-04-21T13:22:00.001-06:00

Join the conversation at ….
Jacob’s Well
We invite you to
Sunday Night Supper @ Jacob’s Well

What it is:
A meal once a month where we can get together and share what is going on in our lives. Depending upon the weather, the activities will vary. We can pray for each other and discuss Christian teachings. We may even sing some worship songs if so inclined!

Where it is:
The Ellwoods Family Home
218 Quail Drive, Montrose MN

When it is:
Sunday nights at 6:30 PM

Who it is:
Jacob’s Well is a Christian neighborhood church dedicated to serving the community of Montrose, Minnesota.

For more about Jacob’s Well visit our blog at: http://jacobswellprayer.blogspot.com/ or contact Pastor Lisa Ellwoods at 763-675-2707.

Save these days for
Sunday Night Supper

April 27th, 2008
May 18th, 2008
June 29th, 2008
July 27th, 2008
August 24th, 2008

Meet Missional Pastor... Lisa Ellwoods

2008-04-16T21:29:00.003-06:00

For a class I am taking, I had to create a personal webpage. Check it out at http://www.bethel.edu/~woolis/

Peace,
Lisa

Abbey Road and Jacob's Well

2008-04-09T21:37:00.006-06:00

In the past few months, I have really been wondering with where God has been positioning me in Montrose and the direction that Jacob's Well is heading.

I have noticed an increase in my community activities. I am a volunteer in several community organizations where I actively serve the community. I have greatly enjoyed being a part of them and I know that God has put me in positions there in order to serve.

Then I wonder about Jacob's Well.

I put that on the back burner for awhile... I have been a substitute teacher this fall/winter. Again, I am serving the community in which I live in ways that I have the education for. I believe God has put me there in order to serve.

Then I wonder about Jacob's Well.

I decided to go back to school and get a certificate in Postsecondary teaching so that I could learn what it takes to be a college teacher. I believe God has put me there as well to pass along what I have learned about ministry to other people entering ministry. I am serving there in ways I could not have imagined.

Then I wonder about Jacob's Well.

I think that a part of the problem with Jacob's Well is that my initial vision of a coffeehouse ministry in the community never quite meshed with what actually was going on at the house church. I remember choosing the name of Jacob's Well thinking that it would be a cool name for a coffeehouse... and bonus... it had a Biblical reference. But the name didn't really fit with a house church idea and I was redefining what it was by who was there.

So, I wonder about Jacob's Well and have begun to think about Abbey Road.

What do I mean by Abbey Road?
I have been a Beatles fan for most of my life and one of their albums was named 'Abbey Road' as a reference to the recording studio in which it was produced. Their message of love and peace put me on the spiritual road that lead me to becoming a pastor. I think that Abbey Road is an appropriate description of my spiritual path.

I am pursuing a life dedicated to Christ (much like monks or nuns from an abbey) but also dedicated to being involved in the world around them. This is how I see Abbey Road… a way of following Christ where you intersect with the world around you. I believe that I am living Abbey Road now by being actively involved in my community. I am seeking others wishing to be a community of people devoted to following Christ and serving others. In other words, I am looking for others also on Abbey Road.

So, I wonder about Jacob's Well and think about Abbey Road.

Peace,
Lisa

Operation Joseph Review

2008-02-28T13:03:00.001-06:00

I don’t think I had fully understood Joseph’s ministry in Egypt when I wrote the blog entry for the Coffeehouse Vision…

Joseph’s ministry in Egypt was a direct response to the crisis that was happening around him. He was ‘called’ by Pharaoh into a ministry that feed people in a drought situation. Yes, Joseph had vision from God to lead him through this situation.

I, too, have found myself through circumstances to be helping out in the middle of a crisis situation here in Montrose. Last fall, the school district proposed a levy for operating expenses in the district. Well, this levy did not pass and now we are faced with many personnel cuts across the district.

One of the cuts directly effects a program that my daughter is involved in… there will no longer be funding for the instructor for the Montrose Suzuki Program. I volunteered to be a part of the grant-writing committee (thinking I would learn how to write grants for the coffee shop) and I find myself working on proposals and going to school board meetings just to save the program.

I know that I didn’t realize it at the time, but I feel that I was ‘called’ like Joseph into this situation so that I would be able to participate in it and make a difference for the kids.

I think this is what true ministry should look like… helping out when needed in whatever way you are able to. What I am participating in now with the Suzuki group is probably more like Joseph’s ministry than what I had thought about with the coffee shop. Isn’t it wonderful when God places you right where you are needed?

Peace,
Lisa

Basic Church

2008-02-26T23:11:00.002-06:00

A wise woman recently had this advice for me. She said that you need to have a church that you would like to attend. Sounds simple enough…

I have been wondering lately where Jacob’s Well is heading. We have been on a break for awhile now and I have been getting a pull to begin holding meetings again.

Maybe it’s just that I miss the conversation….

So I have been thinking about what I would want in a church and here are the elements that I am would like:

-People who are in love with Christ
You would think that in a church, you would find people who are in love with Christ to such an extent that they would devote their lives to growing closer to Christ. Sadly, this is rarely the case.
-Conversation
I love to talk about God and would enjoy being a part of a group that wants to talk about God as well. Not only could we talk about God but also what it means to be a Christian today in Montrose Minnesota and how we can share God’s love with others.
-Sharing life together
Purposefully spending time with one another and sharing your journey together.
-Meals together
There is just something about eating together. There is a segment on Disney Channel called “Pass the Plate” that talks about sharing food across cultures. Right now, I would be interested in simply sharing a meal here in Montrose.

So, I am proposing that Jacob’s Well would resume as a Basic Church. No frills, just people loving Christ who want to spend time with one another to talk about God over a meal. This Basic Church is the next step in the life of Jacob’s Well.

Peace,
Lisa

PS I suppose y’all are wondering about the coffeehouse. I have had a little bit of movement in this area, but I still have not found any core group of people who also feel called to this ministry. Until I do, this dream will have to rest for awhile.

Operation Joseph.... or Coffee Anyone?

2007-11-25T14:43:00.000-06:00

Our family has just finished "Joseph" immersion... Calista was in the kid's choir for the Buffalo High School Production of "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat" and our entire family has been consumed with the music and the songs for several weeks now. If you are not familiar with this musical, it is about Joseph the son of Jacob from the OT. The whole show is about dreams that Joseph and others around him have had. In the show, Joseph's dreams lead him to a ministry in Egypt where he provides food for the Egyptian people and also for his own family.

I had a dream once upon a time. I was living in Saint Louis Park, Minnesota. The dream was to start a coffeeshop that would be a church (a ministry) that would be a part of the community. I didn't know where I was to open this coffeeshop and through a chain of events this dream lead me to Montrose, Minnesota. On faith, my family and I moved away from everyone we knew to a place that we knew no one so that we could follow the dream.

We got here and formed Jacob's Well as a home-based church which we have been running since 2003. But lately, I have been reflecting upon the original dream... the one that inspired us to moved to Montrose. Although Jacob's Well has served us well in the time we have been in Montrose, I believe that it is time to follow our dream... like Joseph followed his dream... and get on with establishing a coffeehouse here in Montrose, MN.

So we begin Operation Joseph to follow the coffeehouse dream. I am working on getting a business plan together and then I will work on grant writing. While we get the coffeehouse up and running, we will be suspending any sort of 'Deeper' Sunday meetings.

Instead on Sunday mornings we will be encouraging our current Jacob's Well attendees to check out other worship services in the area. We are planning to go as a group next week to Celebration in Montrose. I think that we may be able to find others that might want to work with us on the coffeehouse ministry at these churches. I don't think that they would need to leave their current churches because what we are going to be doing is not the same thing as what they offer.

Please be in prayer for all of us as we follow our dream...

Peace,
Lisa

PS If you want to be on the Operation Joseph planning team, please contact me.

Come Out of the Cold

2007-11-15T14:23:00.000-06:00

Hello everyone,

We have been invited to Celebration Community Church's "Come Out of the Cold" event:

We will be having our annual "Come Out of the Cold" event on December 9 at 6pm. This is a time for coffee, cookies, and cocoa. We would love to have you join us. This year we will have a special musical guest from Plymouth. The Armstrong Chamber Singers will be here. We are looking forward to a great evening. So, if you want, you may join us. All are welcome to attend. Pastor Frank

Hope we are all able to attend.

Peace,
Lisa

Mission in Montrose

2007-10-14T11:36:00.000-06:00

Have you felt that there is more to being a Christian than sitting in a pew once a week on Sunday morning? Are you filled with compassion for those around you?

Maybe it's time to join us a Jacob's Well...

We are a group of Christians who are committed to following Christ 24/7. We meet together periodically to encourage each other to grow closer to Christ.

As a part of this process, we also see ourselves as part of a greater mission... one that started with Christ and continues today. Christ came to restore humanity to the state that God originally intended when humanity was created. This mission includes bringing compassion and love to those of us around us. Jacob's Well was established in Montrose to join God in this mission here.

To find out more about Jacob's Well, contact Pastor Lisa Ellwoods at jacobswellprayer@aol.com.

Missional Church & Readings for this week

2007-08-26T22:58:00.000-06:00

Shalom
Do you know what this word means? It is a Hebrew word that means peace. This is the state that God wants us to be living in. At Jacob's Well, we have spent way to much time in conflict and not nearly enough time in peace. In order for Jacob's Well to survive we need to get ourselves to a point where shalom reigns our gatherings. Right now, I don't see it. In fact, I see the exact opposite.

I know that the way that we are attempting is not the way that you have done church in the past, but Jacob's Well was never supposed to be a church that is like the churches that meet in the buildings that have been erected for that purpose.

We are not a church that is 'selling' God to others. We are not to assume that just because people don't attend a regular church gathering that people don't believe in God. We assume the opposite.... that God is already working in the world around us and we need to recognize God where God is showing up. We join God where ever God is at work. This is what it means to be a part of a missional church...

Missional Church
I know we have been talking about it for awhile at Jacob's Well, but I think it would be helpful to see what others have said about the missional church. Please read at least the front page of this website:

Friend of Missional - What is a Missional Church?

It explains what a missional church is supposed to be about. Please be praying about if this is the type of church that God wants you to be a part of. This kind of church is not for everyone. Some people fit better in a more traditional congregation where there is preaching from a pulpit and Sunday school each week. It is between you and God to discern where you belong.

Readings
I want each of us to be looking at the Gospels and Acts to see how the early church interacted with the world around them. We will talk about this as we are doing our 'Mission to Montose' on Sundays. When you do these readings, read a version without commentary so that you can look at the text and come to your own conclusions without seeing what another author has to say about the text (let it speak directly to you).

For next week, read all of Mark and look for the answer to the following questions: How did Jesus and the disciples respond to the people that they met along their journey? What did they talk about? What was the first thing that Jesus says in this Gospel? What is the last thing Jesus says in this Gospel?

Peace,
Lisa

Jacob's Well... a Mission to Montrose

2007-08-14T22:23:00.000-06:00

Jacob’s Well is a Christian neighborhood church dedicated to serving the community of Montrose, Minnesota.

I was reflecting on the mission statement of Jacob’s Well tonight. In October 2003, we began Jacob’s Well to be a church that serves the community of Montrose, Minnesota. While we began with good intentions, we have become a church that is serving a few select residents of Montrose, Minnesota. And this needs to change….

As Jacob’s Well… we need to be active in the community.
As Jacob’s Well… we need to get to know our neighbors.
As Jacob’s Well… we need to serve Montrose, Minnesota.

As I have said before, God loves Montrose. And as followers of Christ, we need to be showing love to Montrose, Minnesota.

I think that as individuals, we have been showing Montrose that we care, but we need to be doing this as a group. We have talked about being a missional church many times and I think that we need to be putting this to action.

Starting on Sunday, August 26th we will start approaching Jacob’s Well a little differently. We will be going out into Montrose each Sunday at 10:00 AM as a group to see where we can serve our community. Some weeks this may be a meal at Red’s or Alice’s… other weeks could be a prayer walk through a neighborhood or a roadside cleanup. I am excited about going out into our community and I hope you are too.

Peace,
Lisa

PS For more information on missional church, check out http://www.friendofmissional.org/

Fishing for Men of the Spirit... Fishing with a purpose.

2007-08-10T15:31:00.000-06:00

Fishing for men of the spirit: Is a group of men that through fishing are able to change, not only their lives, but lives of other men and children. We can be mentors to one another and the children by teaching how to take care of our ecosystem and building relationships.

Where: Big Waverly Lake: AMERICAN LEGION PARK public boat launch area.Entrance at PARK DR and LAKE AV. Of WAVERLY township.

Date: Starting Aug 8, 2007 Every Wed Night.

Times: 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM

Other: Every one of legal fishing age must have a fishing license. Please, no alcohol. Boaters please have life jackets for every one on board your boat. Please recycle your used fishing line and throw your trash in the trash bins. Please practice catch & release, but if you decide to keep fish, follow MN state guidelines and rules of fishing. Follow all rules of boating. There will be a snack & drink provided by Jacob’s Well Church of Montrose, MN. Let’s have fun and catch some fish!

For More Information contact: Michael Dueball
Email: www.mdueball05@aol.com
Phone: 763-675-3507

2007-07-07T19:49:00.001-06:00

Due to scheduling conflicts, we need to push back the Revelation Study for a week. Here is the new schedule.

July 15 - Seven Churches Chapters 1:1 - 3:22
July 22 - Seven Seals Chapters 4:1 - 8:1
July 29 - Seven Trumpets Chapters 8:2 - 11:19
August 5 - Seven Signs & Seven Bowls Chapters 12:1 - 16:21
August 12 - Destruction of Babylon & The Consumation 17:1 - 22:21

Peace,
Lisa

2007 Owls - Buffalo Soccer Club

2007-06-27T11:09:00.000-06:00

Jacob's Well has been sponsoring the 'Owls' in the U8 Girls division of the Buffalo Soccer Club this year. This season, so far, we have won 2 games, tied one game and lost 3 games. If you would like to cheer us on, we play on Monday nights (see link on sidebar) in Buffalo on the fields behind Target. Our team color is raspberry (hot pink). So, come on out and cheer us on!

Peace,
Lisa

Summer Topics

2007-06-27T11:04:00.000-06:00

I am excited to announce that for the next six weeks we will be talking about the book of Revelation.

Here is the schedule:
July 1 - Introduction to Revelation
July 8 - Seven Churches Chapters 1:1 - 3:22
July 15 - Seven Seals Chapters 4:1 - 8:1
July 22 - Seven Trumpets Chapters 8:2 - 11:19
July 29 - Seven Signs & Seven Bowls Chapters 12:1 - 16:21
August 5 - Destruction of Babylon & The Consumation 17:1 - 22:21

This should bring some very lively conversation over the next few weeks. Hope to see you there.

Peace,
Lisa

What is your "Good News"?

2007-03-05T09:48:00.000-06:00

I have heard over and over again that as Christians we are supposed to share the gospel with people. I don’t know if I am the only one or not, but I have often wondered what exactly are we supposed to share with others.

I tried explaining how I understood the Biblical account and shared with people how Jesus Christ died on the cross for us. The response: “That’s nice, but I didn’t ask him to.”

So I attempted another approach. I tried explaining how it was to experience ‘walking with God.’ The response: “Why would I want to do that?”

I’ve tried to logically explain how all of prophecies about the messiah were fulfilled in one person. The response: “You can’t trust the Bible, it was written by men and they make errors.”

None of these seem like ‘good news’ to me. So what is missing?

We need to remember that God sent Jesus Christ to earth as a human in order to help restore humanity to a right relationship with God. In other words, Jesus came to make what was wrong right. This is the good news.

So, in my life, what has God made right? Before I followed Jesus, I tried to do everything on my own through my own motives and understanding. I struggled to make sense of everything and most of the time I felt very much alone. When I decided to follow the way of Jesus Christ, I asked him to enter my life and partner with me in it. After he welcomed me with open arms, there were still struggles but I have not felt alone anymore. I know that no matter where I go or what I do, Jesus has partnered with me to make it through everything.

This is my good news: I no longer need to live life alone. Instead, I am able to live it in Christ.

What is your ‘good news’?

Peace, Lisa

All We Need Is Love

2007-02-26T11:58:00.000-06:00

Yesterday after our meeting, I was thinking about what we could all rally around. You know, that ‘thing’ that brings us all together. It’s funny that we hadn’t come up with it before since I think it is quite obvious. Above all, we need to be committed to each other. Remember the song “They will know we are Christians by our love”? We need to be loving to each other.

We aren’t going to agree on many, many points. Theologically we will disagree, we will disagree on how to do church, we will think that we are the only one with the correct answers, we won’t acknowledge when someone else is right etc. Remember that the church in Acts couldn’t agree either. But, they did have Christ in common and they learned to love each other through it.

We too have Christ in common. And I think that sometimes theological points get in the way of loving each other. I was reflecting today at how much more compassionate I was before I came to Christ. And I wonder what happened to that. I remember 20 years ago when I felt compassion toward all humanitarian causes I came upon. We had nicknames on my floor in college and I went by Peaceful. Maybe the Beatles were right… all you need is love.

I am truly sorry that I fall short of the unconditional love that we are supposed to be sharing in Christ. I know that we need to have this love for one another. I pray this week that God will bring me back to that compassion for humanity and especially the family that we affectionately have called Jacob’s Well.

Peace,
Lisa

The Faithful Four

2007-02-20T07:22:00.000-06:00

Whatever Happened to Following Acts?

Acts 2:41-47 from The Message
That day about three thousand took him at his word, were baptized and signed up. They committed themselves to the teaching of the apostles, the life together, the common meal and the prayers. Everyone around was in awe – all those wonders and signs done through the apostles! And all the believers lived in a wonderful harmony, holding everything in common. They sold whatever they owned and pooled their resources so that each person’s need was met. They followed a daily discipline of worship at the Temple followed by meals at home, every meal a celebration, exuberant and joyful, as they praised God. People in general liked what they saw. Every day their number grew as God added those who were saved.

Remember when we were at the beginning of Jacob’s Well and we searched Acts to see how the early believers ‘churched’? The kids memorized the four elements that the early believers committed themselves to. Remember what they were? Here is a refresher…

The Faithful Four
1) The Apostles Teaching
2) The Life Together
3) The Common Meal
4) The Prayers

For awhile, we were pretty good about following these elements, but somehow we haven’t been as diligent about following them. How many weeks go by and we tag on a quick prayer to the end of our gathering? How often do we get together and share a meal? How often do we just hang out and share life together? Are we reading our Bibles to see what the Apostles have to say?

I want to challenge all of us to get back to faithfully following these four elements in our church community of Jacob’s Well. The believers of the early church did all of these things daily. I know that our schedules make it difficult for us to do these daily, but I think it would be reasonable to expect that we could do these at least weekly.

Here is what I propose for The Faithful Four
1) The Apostles Teaching –
a. once a week discussion in the group regarding specific teachings (this can be a Bible Study, Scripture, Theology, Church Traditions etc)
b. daily individual Scripture study
2) The Life Together –
a. Once a week meet with the entire group
b. Twice a week get together with another member of Jacob’s Well outside of the gathering of the entire group
c. Email or phone another member of the group at least twice weekly to connect with each other
3) The Common Meal –
a. once a week a meal with the entire group
b. one other meal with someone in the group each week
4) The Prayers –
a. Pray every time you get together with other members of Jacob’s Well
b. spend time alone with God daily
c. Once a week a longer prayer session with at lease one other member of Jacob’s Well

Let’s start with these guidelines. We can always go beyond these suggestions and we will adjust them if we find out that they aren’t working out.

Peace,
Lisa

Great Northern Gig?

2007-02-19T00:26:00.000-06:00

Hi gang!

I was thinking about what I have been taught about planning for ministry, and I think there might be a few steps that we would be wise not to forget to do before we get to far into the planning for the meeting at the Great Northern. We need to remember that all we are doing needs to be done by the will of God and not by what we think might be the way to do it. We have in the past of Jacob's Well tried things without a lot of strong foundational planning behind them (and without group prayer for the events) and only had marginal results. I really would like our next event to be more fruitful and for us to be doing what He intends Jacob's Well to be doing.

1) We should first of all be praying for God (as a group) to see if this is what He wants us to be doing... yes Mike has felt led to this, so we need to take that seriously but I know if we don't go into it with His blessing it will be pointless to spend time and energy on it (How have the rest of you felt about this... are you excited, indifferent or somewhere in-between?)

2) When I took the 'Strategic and Tactical Planning for Ministry' class, I was taught that we often present a solution before we fully understand the problem that we are trying to solve.

In the class he used this example: The problem is that there are too many kids getting into trouble after school so we need to put in more basket ball hoops at the school to occupy their time. This sounds like a logical solution, but the root cause of this problem was lack of parenting skills and overworked parents because they needed to work two jobs to make ends meet. So, putting in hoops was not getting to the main problem. Providing low or no cost parenting resources for the parents would better get at the real problem.

Bringing a band into the Great Northern might be the way that God wants us go, but I, myself, have not determined what the root problem is here in Montrose so I can't say for certain this is what we need to be doing.

Here is what I would suggest... Next Sunday is our business meeting in which we should determine the direction that Jacob's Well should be going. Let's take a week for all of us to be praying for God's direction and guidance for 1) the Great Northern 2) Walking at the Elementary School 3) Anywhere God wants to lead us 4) What problem does God want us to be addressing in Montrose and 5) How should we go about doing it

Keep on Praying!
Blessings In Christ,
Lisa

Weekly Update

2007-02-18T17:28:00.000-06:00

Hello everyone...

Just wanted to update you on the activities at Jacob's Well.

1) Finances - I just read Randy Alcorn's book "The Treasure Principle." Mike is reading this book and will pass it along to Diane. We talked about getting out of debt. We decided that we will start to be accountable to each other for this. Diane had some materials from a financial planner that she was going to try to find. (Why don't we talk more about this next week at the business meeting?)

2) We will continue our weekly prayer walking at the Elementary School. I suggested we call it "Miles for Montrose". We will normally walk on Monday nights, but because of President's day this week it will be Wednesday instead.

3) We will kick off lent on Wednesday at the elementary school by doing a short Ash Wednesday ceremony. We are all deciding what we will give up this year.

4) Mike is very excited about bringing in some sort of entertainment into the Great Northern. Mike is going to work on this project. (I'll put it on the agenda for the business meeting).

5) Next week we will continue in Chapter 2 of 'Waking the Dead.' Please bring your calendar next week so we can schedule out the chapters.

Did I forget anything? If so email the group.

Have a Blessed Week.
Lisa

PS I forgot to mention that the Business Meeting next Sunday night will be at the bank from 7:00 - 8:00 PM.

God Loves Montrose... Do you?

2007-02-09T23:03:00.000-06:00

Many times people have asked me, why did you move to Montrose? The answer that most people could relate to was that we moved here because we could get more house for our money. While this is a good and valid reason, there was more to it than that. God called my husband and I to Montrose to begin a ministry called Jacob’s Well.

This week I spent a great deal of time praying for what God wanted Jacob’s Well to do in Montrose. I kept thinking that God would give me some incredible direction to go that would bring God glory. God didn’t give me a detailed plan or an incredible vision but instead a question.

“Do You Love Montrose?”

Of course I do, but I haven’t necessarily done a good job at living it out. I’ve tried. I volunteered at the city and at the school. I have attended city events and promoted activities, but I feel that there is more that I could be doing. More love to go around.

My question is what does this look like? How does unconditional love and compassion apply to a place and the people who live and reside there? Is it about doing good for those in the community or is there more to it than that?

I believe that God would want this community to be one that is known for its love and compassion for the people. But, how do we get to the point that we have this kind of love for each other. I think that it comes out of prayer.

Lord, please give us your eyes so that we may see how you love this city of Montrose, Minnesota. Let us show your love. Let us know what is wrong in order to make it right in Montrose. In the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, Amen.

Coffee House Vision

2007-02-04T19:57:00.000-06:00

Jacob’s Well Coffeehouse Vision

My calling in Montrose has always been about having a business that would be a part of the community where people who did not want to attend organized church could go where Christ could love them. There would be no church per se but rather the business which would fund the ministry activities of the church. It would be a completely different way of doing church than had previously occurred. I envisioned the idea of a coffeehouse and no other idea for a business has filled me with passion or brought out a positive response from people in Montrose. So why haven’t I gone ahead and started this endeavor?

There are a couple of stumbling blocks…

• No space for the coffeeshop
• No money to start the business
• No people who are committed to this same vision

And yet this vision continues to grab a hold of me to the point that I feel if I do anything else that I would not be following what God has asked me to do here in Montrose. And yet, I am stumped as to what step to take next.

God… if you have truly given me this vision for Montrose… a place where Christ can love the people here… than show me the way… open the doors and guide me.

Thoughts on the Kingdom of God...

2007-01-31T22:44:00.000-06:00

Simply put, Christians interact with the Kingdom of God through the Holy Spirit. When Jesus came to earth, He initiated the way in which all believers could actively participate in the Kingdom of God. While Jesus was here, He showed us how we need to behave when we are in the Kingdom of God. Jesus demonstrated how to interact with other humans as well as how to interact with God in order to be representatives of God’s Kingdom. Jesus then gave us the Holy Spirit in order to facilitate our participation in God’s Kingdom. Jesus intended for us to play a part in the Kingdom while we are here on earth. There is an element of eternal life to this Kingdom which will intensify for us over time and become complete when Christ returns.

This is the basic Christian message in a nutshell, and over and over I have seen churches get some of it right and some of it wrong. Mainline churches will tell you that Christ initiated a way of living, but will usually downplay any sort of activity by the Holy Spirit. Evangelical churches emphasize the initial ‘decision’ to become a Christian and the fact that we are ‘born again’ through the Holy Spirit, but most Evangelical churches don’t teach that we are active in the Kingdom today, but more likely that we will participate in the Kingdom once these earthly bodies have died.

While both views hold some of the elements of the intended Kingdom, I don’t think that either viewpoint is quite as fulfilling as it is intended to be. In the New Testament, the idea of being ‘In Christ’ is one of the most common phrases. I think that one of the challenges of the church has always been to attempt to describe the reality of being ‘In Christ’ which is the participation in the Kingdom.

I think that the issue here may be the contextualization of the story of Christ. Specifically, I think that there must have been a time when the mainline churches needed to emphasize the compassion element of the message because the congregations were not getting that part and the reverse must have happened in Evangelical churches. Now, each tradition overemphasizes a specific element but seems to not quite understand the whole picture. I think that the time has come for pastors to bring the entire experience of being ‘In Christ’ back to the congregations and to be teaching both compassion and Spirit.

Being in the Kingdom is being an active part of a community that God has established in order to improve the general wellbeing of people as well as the planet which God created. Being involved in the Kingdom is not simply ‘turn or burn,’ but it is a way of life that transforms us into the human beings that God has intended for us to be.

I think that a good portion of the problem lies in the way that Christians describe this transformation. They tend to focus on an individual experience rather than the fact that the community transforms the person. In the New Testament there was much talk about redemption of humans through Christ. Today’s secular American does not see any need for redemption because they do not see that they are involved with activities that pull them away from God. In fact, they believe that all people are entitled to believe in whatever type of God that they choose. Without a perceived need for redemption, the message is lost on the secular American. So, I think that this might be a question of how the message of the Kingdom is presented. Perhaps we need to change the description to being one of transformation or even ‘self-improvement’ in and because of community. I think that this perception of the Kingdom would be helpful for the post-modern audience.

Also the idea that the Kingdom is a way of life rather than a place could be helpful for the post-modern person. The Kingdom is about the relationships that we have with each other and with God. In other words, it is the Triune lifestyle. Of course when we talk in Christian phrases, the post-modern doesn’t listen to Christians. We need to describe this lifestyle in one in which we can personally connect with God and with each other. Because it is a three-way relationship, God is able to improve both of us while we are interacting with each other. As more people enter the community, the more we are improved.

What is God asking me to do?

2007-01-28T00:05:00.000-06:00

I came to a realization today. I had received my pastoral credential renewal in the mail and promptly put my renewal sticker on my license. I noticed that I have had the license for two years and I realized that, yes, God has called me to be the pastor of Jacob's Well and I need to be focusing on what I have in front of me before I can worry about some time in the distant future. I don't know if this makes sense, so I will try to explain. When I think of my calling, I generally have been looking toward the future. This is good for vision casting and direction, but I think I am missing the ministry that is happening here and now. I have regular attending people at Jacob's Well and I think that I forget to point them toward God. After all, this is my job as a pastor. I realized today that God intends for me to be focusing on the people and loving them and the rest will follow. I need to remember this as we go on in Jacob's Well.

40 Days of Prayer for Montrose

2007-01-24T21:50:00.000-06:00

We began praying for Montrose on January 1, 2007. I know that the first week went really well and then the Norovirus hit our group. I think that we need to get back on track with this.

Our original vision was to open a coffeehouse to be a place in the community in which we could provide spiritual guidance for those who may or may not set foot in a church. (And have some really good coffee!) This would also be a place where community could grow. Where people could meet and spend time together. Basically it would be a gathering place for Montrose residents.

So far... we have not been able to get everything together to open a coffeehouse. Are we not hearing God properly? Is there something else that God wants us to be doing instead? I am having a hard time hearing God... I pray that this would change.

Items we are praying for:
Jesus to show us what we need to do for Montrose
guidance on a coffeeshop
Help for our group to become closer to God

Lord, please show us the next step!

Blessings In Christ,
Lisa

Jacob's Well Neighborhood Church

2006-07-07T09:15:00.000-06:00

What is Jacob’s Well?

Jacob’s Well is a Christian neighborhood church
dedicated to serving the community of Montrose, Minnesota.

Why a ‘neighborhood church’?

At Jacob’s Well, we believe that church is about people becoming better people. We meet as smaller neighborhood groups in order to provide an intimate setting to share life as we learn how to be Christians together.
How do you ‘serve’?

At Jacob’s Well, we believe that Christians are to show love to others and help out wherever needed. The participants of Jacob’s Well attempt to live this out in our daily lives. This is how we serve Montrose… by truly caring about the community. Foundations of Jacob’s Well
In October of2003, we began Jacob’s Well with some simple ideas:
- Christians need to be living their lives in Christ 24/7
- As Christians we join God wherever God is already working in the lives of others
- We don’t have definitive answers about Christianity, but are willing to explore the possibilities