Some reflection on my homeless shelter experience

I can't imagine living day to day not knowing if my wife or my kids are going to eat or have a place to lay their head at night.

Last night was my second time serving at a PADS Homeless Shelter. I remembered a few faces from the first night and the slight glimpse into their situation. I also got to meet a couple more last night. As I sat at the registration table, I opened up the logbook that travels from PADS site to PADS site each day and got a glimpse of things like "last known address." It's quite sobering that a person I met last night has laid his head down for the night under a bridge. As I look outside the window while I write this I'm at a loss for words to describe my reaction other than this; I realize a need for me to do more but feel somewhat paralyzed and am not sure why that is. I'm sure many people feel this way.

One gentleman that checked in last night just had foot surgery a couple days ago, foot bandaged up, a plastic grocery bag full of prescription medications. I wonder if he is homeless because he chose medication over paying rent? You hear a lot of comments from the visitors like "if I pay for this-then I can't pay for that." One young woman who was there with her husband and 5-year old little boy asked if the laundry cards (laundromat vouchers) were available yet because they had two-weeks of dirty clothes in their car (home). It's amazing that the little boy was cheerful in spite of circumstances but then-he's only 5. It's easy for many of us to criticize that many of the homeless smoke cigarettes. We sometimes (as I have) comment that if they can afford to buy smokes, they can afford to by some necessities of life. My sometimes rare compassionate side then helps me realize that perhaps the only pleasure some of these people may get to enjoy is smoking. I know-it's easy to criticize still but I try to not get caught up in all that. Maybe for some, smoking makes it easier to skip a meal or two. Who am I to say?

Some visitors just can't make it on $10.00/hr. Do you know anyone that can...on their own anyway? It burns me that the same minimum wage paid to a forklift driver is the same wage paid to a teenager making ice cream cones at the local dairy joint for crying out loud but that is a story for another day. Some people despair because they find a job opportunity but have no transportation.

I read a statistic the other day that 50% of Americans are one paycheck away from being homeless. I'm not sure about that; it seems like a high percentage. I would guess that this stat means some will end up homeless and others displaced (moved in with friends or family).

There are a lot of reasons people are showing up at the shelters and I'm pretty sure there will be even more as Winter digs in. I don't know what else to say other than I know how close to this edge my own kids are and that without family to be there for them; that is the only thing that may one day prevent them from meeting similar fate as those I saw last night.

Who brings a casserole to a divorce?

Last night as we were discussing various things in our life group and we briefly touched on divorce and the comment was made that divorce is often harder to go through than a death in the family. With a death you have closure but divorce has ongoing effect personally and peripherally. What came up was that divorce compared to other life crisis’ doesn’t seem to generate much support from an emotional standpoint. In essence, as Darcy put it, “nobody brings you a casserole when you are going through a divorce.”

One of the comforting things that happens when people go through tough times is you real friends show up-the ones that truly care. It really does matter when you’ve been hospitalized and return home knowing that friends are taking care of your meal plans for a short time. That certainly meets the physical need but it serves a psychological one as well. Unfortunately-this is not often the case when a friend is suffering through a divorce process. It’s interesting that we react to news of a spit up like “they’re splitting up…so sad”, or “those poor kids”, or “ he’s a jerk, it’s about time.” Then there is the comment from the “over-saved” friend “God’s not liking this!“ Well duh…

When it comes to a marriage in the midst of a split, we tend to comfort from a distance. Perhaps this is because divorce comes with more baggage than an illness and because there is a more long-term need for support mentally, relationally and even spiritually many of us will guard our distance. That’s sad because the fact is that these days more than half of all marriages end in divorce and in more cases than not, we will fail to respond in time to help save a friend from going through one. Perhaps it’s just easier (like going to a wake) to just bring a casserole after the fact and be done with it after all?

A Good Chase

Last Sunday as Kristi and I were on our way to church we had just passed our former church home-Harvest Chapel. As we made our way past, we saw someone named Clint. For those who don’t know who Clint is; even if you don’t attend Harvest Chapel you’ve likely seen him walking a gravel shoulder along highways and back roads carrying a large garbage bag. He picks up cans presumably to help make ends meet. Only on rare occasion have we seen him in shoes. Every time we see Clint alongside the road, quickly walking the gravel shoulder with the look of a "man on a mission" we are blessed at the sight. Some people just by the pure essence of being themselves have that affect on us. Clint’s background and life in general, I will just leave out of this for the sake of privacy but for those who know who Clint is, this probably will have a bit more “bite” to it.

So what was so special last Sunday as we passed Clint? Clint was about ¼ mile from church, it was 9:38 a.m. and he had plenty of time to make the 10:15 a.m. service. He was on County Line Rd., cars backed up a few deep behind him…barefoot…running. Kristi and I at that moment seemed to lose whatever thoughts were going through our head and were turned to what God is doing with this man’s life. Once again God has used someone; He has used someone nameless to so many people and yet He used Clint that particular morning in part to “reel-in” my and Kristi’s attention to where it belonged...we were running a bit late. If you can envision Clint at this moment please do. Please get this image in your mind…barefoot and running to church, afraid he’s going to miss something; perhaps afraid He might miss something important from God if he gets there too late. In essence he’s chasing after God and he doesn’t want to miss a thing. He had plenty of time to get there on time and yet he wasn’t going to risk it-so he ran. We’re grateful for churches like Harvest Chapel that are reaching people in a way that has them running after God.

How many times do we who have all the time in the world to get ready for a late morning church service, allow ourselves to be so absolutely lazy and nonchalant, that we would risk missing something? Perhaps it’s just no big deal just to miss a bit of the worship part of the service-right? If you have to miss any part-that would be the part to miss because the “takeaway” part is in the message segment-right? Think about that (and I know a lot of people think that way) as if God will understand that whatever we need to fiddle with on Sunday morning, is somehow going to honor Him that we were able to squeeze Him into our busy Sunday schedule. If we can’t do better about bringing ourselves to Him on Sunday He probably isn’t going to expect much from the other six days.

People like Clint remind me just how insignificant I can be no matter how significant I often like to believe I am.

Unless something has changed which I doubt, Clint can probably be found sitting up front at church, in the first row and that’s another thing; how most people would rather blend in? Not Clint. When it comes to God-he wants that front-row seat. Its interesting how front row seats are usually available even when the house is packed.

Reflections from Catalyst 2010 Atlanta

I'm glad Kristi and I had the time and resources to attend the Catalyst conference in Atlanta the last few days. It's difficult to summarize the "takeaways" or even the "giveaways" for that matter; day and night was just simply filled with spiritual and educational download and upload.

I had the opportunity to personally thank a couple of leaders that are among those that are influencing me and resourcing me. I had a moment with John Ortberg from Rockford, IL., author of the book "The ME I Want To Be"; just a humble guy that spent three days giving himself away to anyone who wanted to sit with him and talk in the Monvee tent. I'm glad I got to thank him for helping God shape me. I then had a chance opportunity when I recognized Craig Groeschel at one of the elevators at the arena and I wanted to thank Craig for www.lifechurch.tv and "giving it away"; and that I appreciate that he makes life group resources available free to anyone that cares to download it. Heck-he even gives away sermon material to any Pastors that want to download that stuff too! It's easy to see how some of these guys have attained "rock star status" yet I can tell you they are very humble and understand that they are not the source and therefore lay no claim to that which makes their fame. The downside perhaps of my encounter with Groeschel (for him anyway) is this: I was with my friend Bob Lockwood who is the creative arts point leader at Jacobs Well and he had a camera on him and was not shy about asking Craig if he would mind having his picture taken with "yours truly". Craig was more than happy to. That kind of had the effect of ringing the dinner bell though and it wasn't but a few seconds later that Craig was very much like a single worm tossed into a school of hungry fish! Sorry about that!

So...what is my biggest takeaway from Catalyst2010? "To give it away." To be humble enough to get under those who are smarter than me and can teach me. The more I do that, the more prepared I will be as a mentor for someone that seeks someone to get under... to give it away (be over) and continually "stay under."

The Devil Made Me Do It !

One of the fringe benefits of being a Christian is that we get to blame everything bad about ourselves on the Devil. Even better, we have an army of fellow believers, some of which are quick to come to our aid at times and even validate the Enemy by acknowledging that fact while “nurturing” us through our sin. But should we blame the Enemy? Should the Enemy get the credit he desires?

Even though our sovereign God has allowed us the freedom to choose by will of our own to do right by one another and make wise choices (James 1:5), on the flip side we are allowed the same freedom to choose to wrong someone or make wrong choices. It stands to reason then why repentance is rarely a one-time-shot deal. It’s just too dang easy to blame the Enemy for our bad behavior. I think habitually blaming the Enemy is why so many Christians languish in the belly fat of their own indignation rather than flourish by the visceral strength of the Holy Spirit. Let’s face it-it’s easy to lose credibility if we become content to blame all that is bad and all that goes wrong on the Enemy while not taking responsibility for our own actions. We choose to give credit for all that is good to God because it is to His Glory we do so and it pleases Him. On the other hand, it seems we should refuse to give credit to the Enemy for the bad things we do because it validates him and he flourishes in our filth…he wallows and rolls in it like a dog that comes upon new-found stink! I choose to not give the Enemy credit for anything or he becomes my “crutch” and I, his pleasure. Interesting how non-believers think we Christians need God for our “crutch” but ironically it is Satan often serves that purpose. The crutch of God keeps us upright and healed but the crutch of Satan keeps us crippled. Think about that.

With all that said, I believe especially as believers, we could do better about accepting personal responsibility for our actions, quit blaming others including the Enemy because you know-some people just choose to be nasty, rude, disrespectful, self-centered, perverted and worse with no outside help.

Embracing the idea that all blame can be given to the Enemy tends to rob a person of initiative to seek lasting change from God and let’s face it, WE are our own worst enemy…not the Enemy.

NAMELESS AND SIGNIFICANT

As you are walking along,” He told them, “you will see a man coming towards you carrying a pot of water. Follow him.” Mark 14:13

The man carrying the pot of water was just an ordinary man yet he was selected by Jesus to serve His purpose one day. The man carrying the pot of water is whom Jesus instructed His disciples to follow-that he would lead them to the place they would dine that evening. The place was to be the venue-the place of the last supper. The man is one of many in the bible that are nameless and yet Jesus used them to serve His purpose. The man carrying the pot of water didn't even know he was leading disciples that day but God did. The man was just doing what he does-his routine. Today, however insignificant you think you may be or that perhaps you think your job is so low on the ladder and mundane that you don't matter, that is not how God sees you. Today you may be called to do something for God and He may or may not make you aware of that but rest assured, you do matter to God, even if all you do today is carry a pot of water.

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A FALLEN WILDFLOWER

My dad wasn’t a religious man but he did have his religion. Hunting and fishing were equally important to him and preference was totally dependent on what time of year it was. Dad passed away in 1997 and I think for me, as with many I suppose, I have grown even closer to him in the time since. I’m ever so grateful that I had a dad that fostered in me a love for the outdoors. My pathway to that love was hunting and fishing and that eventually gave way to what is now my spiritual pathway…nature.

I’ve postponed supper to pen my thoughts this late afternoon. Roast beef with potatoes and carrots have been simmering in a Dutch oven in the fire pit for a couple of hours now and sits with heat waves emanating from it while I jot my thoughts down. It smells great…the onion and garlic dancing with the beef-you get the point.

Today is Sunday September 12, 2010 and the day began much like any other when Kristi and I are camping. When we miss church, we still have devotional time and today was no exception. What started out a 2-hour hike became a 4-hour one with diversions and back-tracking. I don’t often like to take the “well-beaten-path” when I hike. You see the “hunter” in me knows that the best way to see wildlife is to walk their pathway-not one created by man. So that’s what I did. The path (a deer-run) was so narrow that in a couple of days I should see serious poison ivy on my legs. Along my hike I came upon several deer just as expected and they were beautiful. The trail became too narrow and thick for me to go any further so I doubled-back. It’s amazing sometimes how things have a different perspective when you look at it from a different vantage point.

Ambling my way back from where I came from presented me with what I believe was the sole purpose for my walk this morning. Up ahead the trail was thickly lined with wildflowers that were approximately 5-feet high. One long-stem daisy-looking flower however had fallen and was lying across the trail; I found that odd I didn’t see it when I came through the other direction. I stopped and looked at it and the picture you see above is that flower. What I noticed is that the flowers were facing upward toward the sun; fallen and attention turned upward. How profound that even a fallen wildflower knows to surrender and seek healing from its life-giver. God always sends me home with something from my pathway and today was no exception.

I’m a firm believer that if a man desires to be in a true synchronous relationship with God; if he sets out expecting real communication with Him-he can. With heart, mind and body in the right place where you cannot be distracted you will hear His voice and I really believe He can give wisdom by way of a rock if you are open enough to hear.

In the years since dad’s death, a lot has changed about me. For one I don’t hunt much anymore but I do still fish from time to time. I wish dad could see me now. I wish he was here to see where a love for fishing and the outdoors has led me.

Isaiah 43:19-20~
19 For I am about to do something new.
See, I have already begun! Do you not see it?
I will make a pathway through the wilderness.
I will create rivers in the dry wasteland.
20 The wild animals in the fields will thank me,
the jackals and owls, too,
for giving them water in the desert.
Yes, I will make rivers in the dry wasteland
so my chosen people can be refreshed.

Yes...you!

This past week was unforgettable. What started out as a trip to the emergency room for Kristi followed by a 7-day stay at Rush-Copley for surgery had a rewarding twist. We got to see several ordinary people doing extraordinary things. Some were nurses "just doing their job", some were CNA's "just doing their job", some were janitors "just doing their job." All were singing their own song...the song God put in their heart.

While it may not have been God's will that Kristi got sick, on the flip side, it certainly was His plan to roll with it and boy did He. Nursing staff expressing faith, a CNA hungry to know more and opening an opportunity for us to tell some of His story, our story and to listen to theirs. We heard the heart of an angel in a man that collects the soiled laundry as he pushed his cart up and down the halls singing Spanish love songs. Interestingly Kristi told Pastor Rob that the whole week of experiencing God in new and different ways made it all worth it-even the pain and surgery. A particular highlight was Kristi having a divine intervention during a painful procedure and she shared that story as well.

How interesting and profound that in the last few weeks Pastor Rob's message has been centered on becoming the best version of our self-each of us God's masterpiece. We tend to believe in ourselves at a much lesser degree than God does. He values each of us more than we tend to our self so perhaps maybe if we changed our track from any old song to singing that which is His in us, we might step out with a little more courage and without the anxiety that comes from feeling embarrassed, and just let the spirit flow; and leave it to God to send that song to the right person at the right time in the right place. Be the "you" God created you to be...His masterpiece. Whatever your occupation is, whatever your song is do it and sing it as if doing it for His glory. Submit, surrender and sync. Do that and lives are going to change, and you get a front row seat.

Some Reflections On Religion In School and Government

I had a few minutes during lunch today and wanted to pen some thoughts that have been on my mind.

I was thinking this morning about how emotional we can get as adults over issues like prayer in school, elimination of the Pledge of Allegiance and what religion our president claims to be. As a kid in grade school, I don’t think any of us kids really viewed the “Pledge” as anything more than a morning ritual quite honestly. I don’t believe we were ever taught verse-by-verse what it even meant; besides-we were focused more on things like lunch and recess. Nowadays it’s a popular big deal to take on passive crusades (by that I mean shallow lip-service) to make public our disapproval of those who seek to change or eliminate the “Pledge” or deny our children the right to pray in school. This is usually undertaken with little more action than a few keystrokes. I’m all for prayer; I’m just not convinced that there are many Christian kids that had or would publicly pray in school had a controversy not taken root anyway.

Now the daily news is ridiculously focused on the religious “leaning” of president Obama. Good grief-how many different ways can he say he’s a Christian? Even if he were not-I’m not sure it would matter in contrast to Bill Clinton who led our nation as a Christian if you catch my drift. Surely I would “like” my president to be a Christian yet I’m a pragmatist and as such understand the faith principles of a man or woman new to Washington are mandated to be “checked” along with his or her bags and coat at the door for the duration of their term (except on Christmas and Easter for photo-ops) so they are better equipped to “play ball”…hardball.

All that said-if we as Christians value God in the public sector so much then why aren’t most of us practicing our belief out loud in our own home? How many among us pray daily together as a family? How often do our kids see mom and dad pray together, study scripture or read literature that grows us as Christ-followers? Its gut-check time folks because my bet is our kids see us spending exponentially and ridiculously more time on internet social networking sites than they see us doing any of the above.

What would it look like to our kids, if they saw mom and dad spending even a mere 20% of the time they waste on Facebook serving as volunteers in some capacity instead?

It seems to me we need to get our head on straight, wise up and give God priority in our own house and set the example for our kids there.

"The Ride of a Lifetime-Reflections of grace" by Pastors Rob and Christy

“The Ride of a Lifetime…”



I recently shared with a new friend how I remembered feeling when God first implanted the vision of a new church in my heart. The best way I could describe how I felt was to compare it to a massive roller coaster ride. You remember (or at least can imagine) that feeling of your heart racing in your chest as adrenaline, fed by an odd mix of both exhilaration and intimidation, courses through your body. Even as you are flying through the course of giant drops and corkscrews your stomach goes from entertaining flurries of butterflies to waves of anxiety. Few things in life can create such a dynamic tension between sheer joy and pangs of fear. The joy comes from actually believing and living with an expectation that God can do anything. The fear comes from knowing that apart from God you can do nothing. Thankfully, God uses that fear to focus our faith and total dependence on Him.

Needless to say, the roller coaster analogy has held amazingly true since God first gave that to me in January 2006. Nearly a year and a half later (Father’s Day Weekend 2007) God’s vision for Jacob’s Well went public. We felt God telling us clearly that “Jacob’s Well Church was to be seen before she is heard.” We’ve since come to love Francis Assisi’s quote…”Preach the Gospel always, when necessary use words.” And that’s exactly what we did for nearly 4 months before our first monthly preview service would be held in mid-September. By following the Spirit’s leadership we have experienced first-hand this simple but profound truth…grace, God’s grace, still amazes people.

Whether its our summer festivals ministry where we are passing out free sports bottles with ice water (over 12,000 so far this year alone!) or providing a shaded, clean area for families needing to change and feed their toddlers and babies, we have seen again and again how both community leaders and attendees are intrigued by such simple, selfless grace. Likewise, when we roll up our sleeves to undertake both large and small renovations on area homes as well as massive scale restoration of public parks, God’s grace can be seen building curiosity in the hearts of even the most stubborn cynics. And, when we show up in force to help lead and serve in the counties’ first ever free medical/personal services clinic (Kendall Cares Clinic) and thrift store ministry (Caring Hands) that serve the under-resourced, both onlookers and benefactors alike are reminded that God’s grace is not just available during a particular weekend, week or season…He is there all the time. As thousands of dollars and man-hours are invested dispensing God’s grace we can hear the loud “clack, clack, clack, etc.” of our roller coaster car heading up that intimidating first summit.

Thankfully, with each evangelistic outreach of grace we never fail to hear our two favorite questions…”What is Jacob’s Well?” and “Why are you guys doing this?” Of course, we derive even greater joy in answering those questions! Since our last update we have had the thrill of seeing life after life, family after family not only intrigued, but ultimately transformed by grace. This summer the festivals ministry point-leader was Shawn Dowd, a mother who received her first water bottle back in June 2007. Likewise, the point-leader who led and worked with all our out-of-state missions teams this summer was Rob Tesmond, a father who actually became engaged by The Well for the first time as he showed up to help serve in our comfort booth in June 2008. Whether it’s in receiving the grace or in partnering with us to dispense grace..God’s grace has transformed these and many other lives here at The Well. And with that..the roller coaster car takes your breath away as it launches down that first big summit!


Because There is a Better Way!

Rob & Christy Hager

We invite you to visit a special F.A.Q. page that we have set up with additional information regarding the potential temporary strip mall location as well as our current property situation. This link will also take you to a small Photo album from this summer... http://www.welcometothewell.com/?page_id=119

1-minute of Intimacy

I guess with a title like that you have to wonder what the heck Mr. Cole is going to unpack this time huh? Actually I was reflecting this morning on what sets the tone for a good day in my life before I walk out the door for work each morning. Usually my head begins to turn to thoughts of what my workday will hold soon after I wake up. Sometimes this is what gets me out of bed in the morning and I don't much care for that. When this happens, there is usually an element of anxiety.

I would characterize the relationship Kristi and I have as a married couple as fairly "normal"-if you can equate inclusion of "yours truly" in anything that can be defined as normal that-is. I was thinking this morning about what I consider to be our most intimate moment together. For me it's a mere 1-minute or so (I know what you're thinking). The most intimate time I spend with my wife is the 1-minute or so I spend holding her while I pray with her before I walk out the door to work in the morning. Sometimes Kristi does the praying but usually it's me that does. I'm not always in the spirit for it and when I'm not, Kristi insists that I be the one to do the praying that morning. She realizes that it's important for me to surrender to God from my own mouth than through hers. I'm blessed to have a wife so wise. There are times though-that my heart is so grieved that she takes control. I'm grateful for that.

This brief time together each morning is something special that unless you take the time to do it, is difficult to describe what that intimacy feels like. I can tell you though-when your Pastor preaches to you that when you allow God to be at the center of your relationship it makes a difference. It does; and there is usually a huge hole or void in my attitude on the days we don't start with that minute of intimacy. If praying with your wife is not something you normally do, try it. As a man, this is something your wife will appreciate and it is something that will find you putting God at the center of and at the start of each day and will change both the onset and outcome of the circumstances of your day.

BAD RECEPTION

Have you ever been tested by someone (like a wife) to see if you are paying attention to what is being said? I have. Yesterday Kristi and I went for a Sunday evening drive and while I daydreamed of things from deep in the realm of “Jeff’s world”, Kristi was saying things like “look at that and what do you think about this” and what-not. There is usually a lot of “what-not.” She later mentioned that at one point while she was talking to me she said “do you see that monkey on the swing?” I replied “yes”. I was caught in the act of not listening to her she said. If this had been a serious matter I would have taken it to court with a plea innocent on grounds of entrapment! Fortunately for me I am a sufferer of A.D.D., a self-diagnosed fact I might say. If that doesn’t work then I guess I will play the “safety in numbers” card that all men have poor reception when their wife is transmitting (a few bars shy of a good signal). It would be much better if women had a squelch knob like CB radios do so we could control the background noise and hear only the important stuff. That’s what a friend once told me anyway. I of course do not necessarily agree with that. I would settle for just a volume control-JUST KIDDING! This isn’t what my post was inspired by but it does somewhat provide an example of everyday breakdowns in communication in a relationship and how its health is dependent on our being intentional about listening.

This morning after my bike ride, Kristi and I were out on the deck (the dreaded backyard deck-yes). She said she was trying to get WMBI radio tuned in but the reception was bad. She explained that as she drew closer to the antenna, the reception got better and when she grabbed hold of it, it was even better yet and very clear. She went on that as she let go of the antenna it became difficult to hear the radio station and as she backed away farther, reception got progressively worse and back to the way it was before she first drew close. She said “that’s a lot like being in a relationship with Jesus.” She didn’t have to explain any more to me. Been there-done that. It amazes me that even in these modern times we are surrounded by parables and I truly believe that if a man meditates on even a blade of grass God can speak one into his heart to learn from. My eyes are welling up at the thought of just how spectacular He is right now.

You know I think some people are reluctant to get too close to God because when that happens there is expectation and accountability. Fear of those things however prevents many Christians from becoming “followers.” That fear will most certainly keep a person from becoming all that God has planned. Keeping God at a distance denies the opportunity to truly experience Him. God is speaking but He isn’t going to speak so loud that no body knows who He is talking to. Keeping your distance increases the chance that you will miss what He has in store for you because you will be overwhelmed with background noise. That background noise is all of the elements, influences and behavior that aim to keep you right where you are at so listen closely-God will meet you right where you are at-right now, and here is the best part; He will not leave you the way He found you! As the saying goes “sit down, shut up and hold on!” Listen, and allow Him to move you toward becoming the person He created you to be and complete the work He has started in you. Nobody is perfect and it’s only by his grace that we are even moveable. I find at times I’m so stubborn and set in my own ways that you would think by now I’ve learned that His way is always the better way so He lets me fall now and then to remind me Who is in charge. It may not have been His will for me to fall but I do believe it is His will to extend a hand and lift me back up every time I do. That is grace.

As for the monkey on the swing, dear wife; I in fact did see a monkey and I challenge you to prove otherwise!

The Front Porch

"Go outside and make some new friends!" My mom used to yell that at me a lot when I was a kid. I spent my best childhood years in a humble dwelling situated at 212 E. Park street in Plano, IL. As a kid, making new friends was easy. All I had to do was look for a football game or baseball game (hardball) in a small empty residential lot. There was one lot in particular that was right across the street that had a line of brush in the back (which made it hard to find a baseball I might add) and beyond that a long shed with broken windows...caused by foul balls of course! I remember hiding in the bushes with friends and smoking homemade cigarettes I fashioned from corn silk, rolled in brown sack paper. These smokes were kind of harsh by the way and as a result we didn't do this often but it made us feel "big" when we did.

A couple of weeks ago while vacationing, I was on one of my early morning bike rides and was reflecting on 212 E. Park street. The thing that was on my mind was the front porch. Not many houses these days are built with front porches and the sad thing is, most people really don't care. Right around 1980 a new "thing" took root in home renovation. This "thing" was called a deck. Oh to have a deck in the back yard was the thing to do so decks began to spring up everywhere. Society had taken another evolutionary step from "community" to "isolation". It was now possible to sit outside and not be bothered by people walking by on the side walk or have them wave as they drove by. It was now possible to never get to know a neighbor 2-doors down. Instead if you look 2-decks down and wave hello they might think you've been snooping at their wife laying on the deck sun bathing or something-so we isolate ourselves.

Those of us old enough are fortunate enough to have known the "good ol' days" when we didn't have back yard decks. Back then my parents probably would have rejected the idea anyway. Growing up in the 60's was a gift-it truly was. People back then seemed to enjoy the opportunity to be friendly, to wave at a passing car whether you knew them or not. People would stop on the sidewalk as they went by to say hi to mom and dad and they did the same. The front porch is where a neighbor would drop off a freshly baked rhubarb pie. We sat and watched several thunderstorms from the front porch. Mom often yelled my name from the front porch when I was out making friends while a storm was passing. After supper time was followed by a sit on the porch like Andy and Barney from Mayberry did but Andy smoked a better cigarette than the kind I made as a 10-year old.

Last night after my bike ride, at about 8 p.m. I wound-down with a sit on my front porch...something I don't do often enough. People I don't know waved as they walked by, said hello, smiled and I did the same. It's interesting that where I live now, there is significant separation between homes, hardly any front porches and zero sidewalks. That is Lake Holiday. Isolation-living by design you could say. My most precious memories of "community" will always be of a time when I was a kid growing up at 212 E. Park street which made me later fall in love with a front porch and hate a back yard deck.

Exposure To The Elements

Did you know that it's possible to get hypothermia even in temperatures in excess of 70 degrees? It's true! Unlike warm-blooded animals that have a layer of fur or blubber to keep them warm (or like I used to), you and I need an extra layer of clothing to keep you warm when it's cold outside. Without that extra layer of clothing, more heat escapes from your body than your body can produce. If too much heat escapes, the result is hypothermia.

Life has a way of exposing us to conditions that are less than safe. Many times we find ourselves exposed to people or situations that are unfeeling, insensitive, unforgiving or just plain cold. Before you know it-the dangerous condition of over-exposure has begun. It's important to recognize the danger signs before it's too late-before we lose that heat-that fire that burns in our heart and in our soul.

When hypothermia (in the clinical sense) takes hold, death can be mere minutes away and there are warning signs such as chattering teeth, shivering, inability to reason-to think. Similarly spiritual hypothermia has warning signs of it's own. We can be drawn into a false sense of security, warmth and comfort and in the process overexpose ourselves to the elements; elements that are marginal at best, and although seemingly safe, pull us into a situation, circumstance or acquaintance that is all but that.

It's crucial to be on guard at all times against even those subtle temptations that can lead us down the wrong path. We need to be prepared for spiritual hypothermia and have extra layers of clothing on hand. These layers I'm inferring are friends and family that have your best interest at heart. Keep close to you, those that are supportive and eager to help you when you need help and have your well-being in mind...people that are selfless and giving. Surround yourself with those that will be there to cover you when you are at risk of over-exposure to the elements before hypothermia sets in.

The best way I know to avoid hypothermia is to become part of a life group at your church. If your church fosters these-great! Get plugged in! If not, then talk to your Pastor about getting a program launched.

SWEET DREAMS

Michelangelo often prayed, "Lord, grant that I may always desire more than I can accomplish."

This weekend I have been privileged to experience God in a new way (I love when that happens) with friends that are no doubt doing so at at even higher level than me. Without getting into details, I just wanted to pen a few thoughts.

We all go through slumps, experience failures and face challenges that can be insurmountable-or seemingly so. This is why having a vision for our life is so important-I mean, it's a matter of spiritual survival. Looking further ahead than today is a good thing. Dreams, vision, whatever you choose to call it does two things 1; it helps us to overcome today's disappointments with joy and anticipation and 2; it allows us to maintain a positive attitude in the midst of difficulty and failure.

God has a plan (a vision) for your life. Be patient and allow today to unfold and happen. Try not to force things or push so hard and at the same time ask God to share his vision for you-with you. Wouldn't it be awesome if your dream and His plan for you are one in the same? Don't sell God short because He happens to be in the "awesome" business. Add a little vision, dreaming, hope, faith and prayer to your list of things to do each day because If all we live for are today's promises then we will most certainly find ourselves empty-handed by the end of the day.

Vision this weekend is cast westward from a temporary resting place to a permanent home across a quiet field and a busy highway to a piece of land where a lonely oak stands; a future outpost-a new field office for God with a lost and found department.

Sweet dreams indeed especially when they become reality, especially when you share a common dream with others and most certainly when your dream is part of God's plan.

Sacred Footsteps

Time flies as they say. As you get older, life has a way of speeding up it seems. I’ve found the older I get, the more I reflect on days gone by-even decades gone by. That’s no different than most people I imagine.

I recently read a tweet posted by Pastor Rob. In it he said he was at Drake’s dam working. Rob has mentioned a few times that nature is one of his sacred pathways. I can understand that; being surrounded by God’s creation in the quiet noise of nature gives a man a sense of peace and after all, that is one of the things Jesus taught us by example, disappearing in the wilderness to be alone with the Father. This is a story for another day though. I really just want to pen some thoughts about last Sunday on my own walk in the woods.

My dad passed away in 1997. It seems like just yesterday that he left us. My brother and I are avid outdoorsmen because of dad. It’s been that way since the very first time we held a 4-dollar, Zebco 202 rod and reel combo in our small hands. I’m guessing my first experience fishing was probably in Big Rock creek between the train bridge and the swimming hole at the park now known as Klatt Park. Yes-for those that don’t know this was the only place around that had public swimming. There was a sand beach, a shower house that always had a turd in it (the things you remember from childhood), and a concession building.

Sunday afternoon I grabbed my spinning rod (an upgrade from the Zebco 202) and headed to Plano. For quite some time I’ve felt the urge to step back in time and retrace some sacred footsteps. Intentionally I left Sam at home and went alone. I needed to be alone with the past for a couple of hours; alone with my dad, my brother, an old friend named Phil and alone with myself.

It’s amazing how unchanged an old hangout so close to town can remain. As I stood looking at the massive train bridge, several memories came front and center such as walking carefully across the boulder-strewn, light rapids under it without slipping and getting wet, or worse yet-cracking my skull open and floating to the fox river never to be seen again. Is there anything better than the imagination of a young boy with an adventurous spirit? I recalled the time Phil and I met a middle-aged guy just downstream from the bridge who taught us to use corn to catch carp, and so we did. We caught stringers full, took them to the Plano hotel and sold them for five bucks! Both the buyers and the sellers saw the deal as mutually satisfying. The residents we sold the fish to had carp for supper. Phil and I used the five bucks to feast on sweet rolls and candy. We believed we got the better end of the deal-I still do, those were carp after all! To this day I still advise people to use corn for carp bait.

There’s a spot near the bridge where the old millrace waterway enters. Standing there Sunday I looked across the creek spotting the huge boulder that years ago had a trailing eddy that often yielded a smallmouth bass to a carefully cast #2 purple buck tail Mepps spinner or yellow Rooster Tail. On this particular day however, the boulder and the eddy yielded only a fond memory. For me, that was all I really came for.

I walked the bank of the creek further upstream, marveling as I did when I was a kid at the spawning run of Redhorse. A Redhorse is a species of sucker that spawns this time of year. I could see them in the fairly clear water that is typical early in the spring. By now I’m being especially intentional to take in the surrounding smells as I walk. The fragrance of the creek, the weeds and the wildflowers have a way of stirring a few more memories; memories that await me at a very special place from my childhood known as Drake’s dam.

Ambling my way past the Main street bridge I glimpse upstream and think to myself, if I didn’t know I was in Illinois, I could have presumed to be in any number of places in these fifty states. I sometimes get caught up in wrong-thinking, that beauty in nature cannot be found in Illinois; and that this state is void of God’s artwork but that is far from the truth. Sometimes you have to put some effort it finding natural beauty. This is God’s way of protecting it, I like to think anyway. Those most willing to put effort in seeking hidden treasure will be those most likely to protect it. As I make my way closer to the dam, I notice a contraption in the woods about 100 feet from where I stand, and recognize it as the gate mechanism that used to be part of the small foot-bridge over the millrace tributary just ahead of me. Old, worn and rusted are the rack, pinion, gears and cogs that once controlled the flow of water that downstream powered the old grist mill. Why (I wonder) was this historical work of human hands abandoned like that? I find it rather odd that the city of Plano has chosen to proudly display a huge bomb, an obscene weapon of mass destruction quite frankly, at the veteran’s memorial and yet here this mechanical beauty that promoted life and vitality to the city is left abandoned and forgotten.

I moved on toward my ultimate destination and the dam came into view…remnants of it I should say. A few years ago it was destroyed because ecologically the dam had for years restricted water flow and prevented it from cleansing itself. There is still plenty of the old structure remaining. The end-walls are still there and just as I remembered. I hadn’t stood at this place for approximately 36 years. As I walk the bank I find myself looking for fish hooks, sinkers and bobbers in the hopes I would find one and if I did-could it be mine? Standing on top of the south end-wall I gaze down at where I’m standing and remember having once built a campfire there. I look across to the other end at that wall and remember the steps that used to be there. Steps you wonder? As a kid, it never made sense to me that whoever built this dam, had to put steps inside where the water flowed, making it hard to walk up, instead of putting the steps outside and out of the water. Years later I learned that these weren’t steps at all, not for people anyway. These steps were for the fish. The Army Corps of Engineers had these steps (known as a fish ladder actually) put in so the fish could swim upstream past the dam. The only problem with this was that the Corps didn’t know that suckers and carp don’t quite have the ambition or other attributes that made them use the ladder like the salmon and trout of north woods waters do.

I meandered around some more and eventually spotted a bobber in the water and so I couldn’t help but wonder if that red and white ball of plastic, of a design unchanged for decades, could perhaps belong to me. Probably not, though it was nice to fantasize about it for a moment. More memories began to flood in such as shedding clothes down to nothing but my “tighty-whities” and sliding down the dam on my butt. My friends were doing the same. There was always a nice carpet of green moss on the dam surface which made it slick and great for sliding. What fun we had! Mom always knew where I spent time during the week when on Saturday, laundry day at our house, she saw green underwear in the pile. All I can say is that my mom probably went through several gallons of bleach on my account. I don’t recall her ever complaining about my underwear being green.

To this day I believe that kids would be better off leaving their mom a pile of green underwear instead of a pile of garbage that requires professional help to get to the bottom of. I’m grateful for this life and my childhood. I’m grateful that my dad helped me to lay some sacred footsteps that I could follow from time to time. If I ever find myself wishing I had done this or done that I really just need to slow down and remember a time in my life that molded my spirit and connected me to nature and laid down the sacred footsteps to a place that I know; a once secret place that is my Heaven on Earth.

What's In Your Tool Belt? Reflections from yesterday's Kendall Cares Clinic

"The church has left the building." That is the message that was displayed on the backs 400+ volunteers and leaders at the 1st annual Kendall Cares Clinic in Plano yesterday. This morning I'm reflecting on that message and the importance of it-the significance of it...the sheer relevance of it. 2000 years ago the message began on the back of our Savior who launched the greatest mission in the history of mankind, for mankind-the Great Commission.

Volunteers were coached and encouraged to share their story, to listen to the story of those we were serving and to share His story if/when the timing and opportunity presented itself. It was a privilege to serve alongside several other churches and their leadership and see just what can be accomplished when each sets aside its own usual agenda to focus on simply the purest most undefiled mission of all-God's call to meet the needs of the poor. I would love to share the story of my day yesterday and my service to a man that had quite a story to tell but I won't because it's personal. I can tell you this man was blessed yesterday (as I was) because he got to see God's love revealed tangibly and it got personal for him. It got personal for both of us.

Reflecting on yesterday I can't help but feel satisfied that yesterday's mission satisfied God and pleased Him. Surely everything we did yesterday that was good, was lead by His Spirit and so all honor and glory go to Him in absolute gratitude that we became His hands and feet (and His voice) yesterday to further His Kingdom. Its amazing that when you set out to simply love people expecting nothing in return you don't have to say a whole lot about why you do it but when the one you are serving asks you why-there's the opening to tell a wonderful story-His story.

The longer I'm at this thing called Christianity, the more a believer I become that it's not what you know, what your church rank is or how eloquent and studied you are in scripture that makes people want to know Jesus it's where you are, what you do and who you are. It's about getting outside the four walls and the halls and into the community walking the talk. You know we sometimes forget that before Jesus was Rabbi, He was a carpenter and carpenters take their tools to the work site because you see-you can't bring the work site to shop. Catch my drift? What's in your tool belt?

FROM FINISH TO START

I'm sitting here in the quiet early morning, listening to the birds outside joyfully greet a new day and it is well with my soul. The peace I feel this morning is entirely because of the hope I have; not just for myself but for all those that I know who have come to the cross and those that will. Is it wrong that I see beauty in the brutality that saved me? Like the beauty of Fall colors of a dying season I imagine a blood-stained cross on a hill with another cross to the left and one to the right. I think about Jesus there dying and how he thirsted and because of that I can drink living water. I think about Jesus in agony crying out to the Father to forgive and because of that I am shown mercy. I think about Jesus' cry to the Father "why have you forgotten me?" Out of that I am remembered and accepted. Most of what I'm feeling this morning is gratitude that I can walk in victory and I get to start at the finish line. All of the work has been accomplished; all the heavy lifting-done. When Jesus walked out of the tomb that couldn't contain Him the Spirit was set free to live within me, where too...He cannot be contained. I don't think there is any more I can say this morning. I'm overwhelmed.

One Drop

Have you ever really looked at what happens when a single drop of water falls into a puddle? When this tiny droplet of water, seemingly powerless on its own, hits the water you think its pretty much over for that droplet-right? It just disappears; it gets absorbed in something bigger and is lost forever without being noticed. This droplet has done little to contribute anything tangible...just an insignificant droplet. Interestingly that although this droplet was short-lived and seems to have gone quietly and become buried in the mass with no real legacy, nothing could be further from the truth. Although the droplet's time was short, it made a huge impact as it came face to face with the water puddle. This tiny insignificant droplet created ripples many time its own size that extended quite far and had great influence on those things in it, on it, and around the fringes.

John 7:38-Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him."

Each of us, however small or insignificant we believe ourselves to be, have been given at least one gift that can change the life of another person and do so in a manner that even though we may never see the full impact of it; a random kindness, a gesture or expression of love of any kind, God will not waste it.

2000 years ago a droplet fell to Earth and perhaps you could say it was a tear of hope and a tear of joy. A drop of Living Water that impacted this world in such a way that it was never to be the same but transformed-redeemed. There is no better time than this Easter to reflect on the influence of a single drop from Heaven and the impact He made. What better gift to give back to God than to honor Him and make some waves of our own.

Happy Easter

NOTHING IS TOO SMALL FOR GOD

You can tell a little kid just about anything and they'll believe it, no matter how big or how small the tale is-they will believe just about anything you tell them.

I didn't pray much as a little kid. In fact praying was pretty much non-existent in my family. Back then my prayer ability was limited to my repetitious mastering of the two standards; one was the Lord's prayer and the other was the Hail Mary. As a young Catholic you pretty much had to stick to the standards. Looking back, that was chanting and not prayer at all; looking that far back conjures up memories I would rather not revisit anyway so back on track here.

Have you ever snuck up on your kids, when they were tiny and peeked in on them while they said a goodnight prayer or ever overheard them just talking to God casually? It's kind of funny to think about it that your little one might get wrapped up in a casual conversation with God sitting there at a little table, just the two of them; your little girl and God having a tea party. What imagery. Perhaps you've gotten a private glimpse of your little boy in despair over something so small in your eyes yet something huge in his as he barters with God; "God if you just do this for me I swear I'll never do (fill in the blank) again."

As these thoughts came into my head I got to thinking about how I tend to operate and wondered how many others are the same way. What I wondered about was the size box we tend to confine God to. Some of us keep Him in a small box and some in a big box. What I mean by that is-some of us look to God for help a lot and some of us very little. There are several reasons for this I suppose. In my case, I sometimes don't ask Him for help with the little things. It's easy to get caught up in thinking He doesn't have time for my little problem, after-all, He has much more important prayers to answer that this little trivial thing of mine...right? We're encouraged to dream God-sized dreams and to believe that God is bigger than any problem we face and that nothing is too big for God. In so doing, I think we sometimes, some of us anyway, get to thinking our little needs, wants, hopes and dreams are too small to bother God with. How can we distract Him from important stuff like healing a friend of cancer, mending a broken heart facing divorce or looking after a widow or orphan and feeding the hungry. How can we bother God with our petty little issues?

The thing that keeps coming into my head is "childlike Innocence". It's not about how we think God is or what we think He should do or how He should respond to us but that we should recognize Him as the God He is; God the Father. What kind of dad would deny his child even the simplest request? Whatever the need we should turn to God "expecting". No good dad would treat one child any differently from another. Every good dad loves all of his kids equally. Every good dad plays the role of tooth fairy. How ever small your need is-place it under your pillow tonight because nothing is too small for God.

The Church Has Left The Building

In just 4 long weeks (I say long because it seems like forever between Sundays), Kristi and I have learned a good bit about Jacob’s Well, our new church home. There is still so much more to learn and many new personal relationships to build. Opportunities abound for us to do just that. Observation and initiative will take care of that over time. Kristi hooked up with a young lady on our first visit actually and they really look forward to seeing each other each week and this has inspired Kristi to pursue her long desire to learn sign language. We’ve had opportunity to spend time privately with the pastors and their wives over coffee, pizza and sandwiches (I made good choices by the way) allowing them to learn a bit more about our heart and us-theirs. Life groups are an integral part of JW with several hosted through the week and we discussed that a good bit.

Last Sunday Kristi and I had lunch with Pastor Ken and his wife Kelly. What a great couple; we enjoyed the short time together. Ken brought a couple of books for me to read-“The Externally Focused Church” and “Sticky Church” and the accompanying DVD set. I just finished reading “Externally focused Church” I only had 7-days to complete it before passing it on. I felt a little intimidated that I had such a short time to read this book yet I think Ken knew I would probably get sucked in pretty good. I love this book and I am going to buy a copy so I have it for reference. I think this is essential reading for leadership at all churches involved in outreach or planning to. Though this book was written with a couple of specific church examples, it may as well have been written about Jacob's Well because you see its about churches being (as the title says) externally focused. Though teaching, saving, baptizing and serving the needs of the flock (internal focus) are all great and necessary, you aren't whole as a church unless you are serving the needy and serving community and doing so by commissioning your membership out of the confines of the four walls in doing so. From my observation, serving in these ways is not by “department” and by that I mean it’s not a philosophy of “we have a group for this and a group for that” but rather a church-wide philosophy. Certainly Life Groups take on some special interests as a small group as well and that is healthy in growing the group as a close-knit family of its own and serving needs of others as such. It is also healthy for a church to serve together as a larger body...youth and adults serving together even.

Last week, youth from Texas joined alongside Jacob’s Well in serving community; they like what JW is doing and believe in its vision and its commission by God. This week, youth are visiting from Arkansas also to serve alongside JW in the community. You know-its one thing to believe in your church and what God is doing with it; it’s a whole other thing when you are blessed that other churches believe in your church as well and I’m not just talking Texas and Arkansas, I’m talking other local churches JW partners with-yes, even across denominational lines to serve a common purpose-to simply serve.

I love Jacob’s Well. This church lives the heart of the gospel as a church that “thinks, cares and DOES.” I would love to say that God is doing great things at Jacob’s Well but its more than that. God is doing great things THROUGH Jacob’s Well. From what I see the outreach by Jacob’s Well is not an attempt to increase attendance or simply take care of their own with an internal focus…no, not at all. If someone asks you for a cup of cold water you give it to them, not as a condition of anything, not to bring them to Jesus, not to bring them to your church-no conditions. You give someone a cup of cold water for the same reason Jesus would, because that person is simply thirsty and needs a drink of water…period. You feed someone that is hungry because they need something to eat. You lift someone up because they are too weak to stand on their own.

You know, its probably a couple of more years before Jacobs Well breaks ground on a church building. Some might wonder how does a church survive-let alone thrive without a building? It just goes to show you that in fact church is not at all about brick and mortar or steeple-envy. Its about what happens the other 6-days of the week and where and how you spend your time serving. This is how you truly love God-by loving people tangibly. By being His hands and His feet, by putting your efforts where your mouth is walking the walk and putting boots on the ground...willing boots at that.

If you are looking for Jacob’s Well after Sunday service look quick because the church has left the building and that’s how its supposed to be.

Master Plan or Master's Plan?

Well this has been quite a weekend. No matter where I turned there was clear instruction and direction either from God directly or from teachers around me. This was the first weekend in a long time that I have spent pretty much its entirety in pursuit of Him. In different ways, a seemingly common theme was always present-obedience.

Have you ever been paralyzed by planning or over-thinking? You know-the kind like when Katrina devastated New Orleans and something as logistically simple as just getting some lousy water dropped was stagnated because it had to be considered and planned in the context of the "greater plan". Sometimes even in our workplace, home life and churches we paralyze our efforts by thinking even the smaller "micro-manageable things" need to be thoroughly planned out. That's more often than not (in my experience) a recipe for never-never land. What does all this have to do with my weekend? A message I was getting a lot and in several ways was that we need not always wait to be put on God's path and that we should be more determined and put ourselves on His path.

God has already called us to His purpose. I'm not saying we shouldn't be obedient to authority-by no means am I saying that. I know God will support a good plan. I know God supports vision-casting that is reasonable. I also think it must aggravate Him deeply when we get way too wrapped up in planning what He has already planned and vision-casting what He has already cast. People are hungry so GO! People need to be told the good news. Don't invite them over, take it to them! GO! The great commission was not/is not about sending invitations. I believe Jesus said "Go". So what are you and I waiting for- a plan...a vision? We have one. His plan-His vision. What more do you need? In this case-nothing. Wait for a master plan if you want but the Master's plan is already drafted so go! Go like there is no tomorrow because there may in fact not be one for somebody.

Fools Gold or the Kingdom of Heaven?

I've been up since 3:00 a.m. this morning. That's nuts I know, especially on a Saturday when I can sleep in but choose not to. I have been reading this morning and listening for insight and wisdom. I've done a lot of thinking and reflecting on things as I read (this behavior is known to many as A.D.D.). I prefer to call it a blessing. It seems whenever I'm deeply engaged with God, poverty and suffering dominate our connection. Sure-these things deeply concern God...without question you could say that these things are what matter the most to Him when it comes to our conduct and compassion for one another.

As I got deeper in thought and questioning what God expected me to do with this, I think He wants me to keep mindful of those around me as well as those distant from me as both are within reach one way or another. On a larger proportion my attention was drawn to our friends Troy and Shari serving as missionaries in Mongolia. I feel led to honor them this morning and thank God for them. Their story makes me want to do more, to be better at being the hands and feet of the Lord...to stop being content with what I have and trade in my fools gold for real treasure. Troy and Shari not only found the treasure-they sold most all of what they had to get it and I'm sure consider the transaction to have been a deal heavily in their favor. Matthew 13:44
"The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field."

When I read that verse, for me, "fight the good fight" just comes up short. "Fight the good fight" just seems to have an aftertaste of "adequacy." In the midst of suffering and poverty all around us people raise their fist to heaven and cry to God "why do you let this happen" and yet we have no right to ask that. God on the other hand has every right to point at you and me and ask that.

I suppose some of us can do more for starters and instead of asking ourselves "how much am I expected to do or how much am I expected to give?" We should say more often "how much can I do and how much can I give?" Maybe if attitudes about serving and giving radically begin to change among Christians in a big way we might finally realize that fools gold has no value because it never did.

Our New Church Home

Well, I said we were going to post something when Kristi and I settled on our new church home so here it is. My intent is not to do a sales-pitch; I just want to be informative. If you are seeking or just curious, there are a few links below. Those of you that know our heart will see quite clearly why Kristi and I were drawn to Jacob’s Well in Plano. Though “The Well” is only a couple of years old it is quite mature. With land already acquired, it is hoped that the church building will be underway in the not too distant future. We are very excited to be a part of an extremely dynamic family of believers. Kristi and I would be happy to share more with you if you like. Just call or email.

He called-we answered; and we are excited about what God has planned for us-wherever and whenever.

What is Jacob’s Well?

Jacob’s Well Home Makeover project reported by Channel 2 News

Other community involvement

Want to know more?