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.