The Well

Pastor Laura's Blog

In Jesus' time, the town well was the place where people gathered and shared news and ideas. It was also the place they could be refreshed. In the book of John, chapter 4, the town well was where Jesus offered his living water to the Samaritan woman. In this blog, I will offer some reflections on sermons I just preached, and some thoughts on upcoming sermons and Scripture passages. I welcome your thoughts, questions and insights in conversation with me. Your feedback will help me as I pray about what word from God I can bring to people in the sermon. Please check in weekly and send me your thoughts via email through our Contact Us form.

March 27, 2006

It was good to be in the pulpit again yesterday. Sometimes the best thing to do when you're grieving is to think about what you can offer to others. Today is our day to go to the Micah Ministry, so I'll also have an opportunity to serve other people who are hurting in other ways. The parable of the sower is a pretty straightforward passage to preach on, except for that pesky verse 12. Most pastors don't preach this parable from Mark's Gospel; they prefer Matthew's or Luke's version because Jesus doesn't come across quite so harshly. But since we're in Mark's Gospel, we tackled Mark's version. My family informed me after the first service that I lost them a little bit in my attempt to briefly address this tough verse, (what every pastor loves to hear after a sermon!), but we spent all of Act(s) II trying to come to some understanding of what was going on here. The way Matthew 13 handles it is to reframe it so that Jesus is simply explaining the way things are, not the way he wants them to be. I actually enjoy digging deep into Scripture and discussion to try to make sense of troubling passages, so I had a really good time.

Next week we'll look at Jesus who performs miracles. What is a miracle, and can we still expect them today? How come some people seem to get them instantly, while others pray for years without seeming to get an answer at all? Join us next week as we look in Mark's Gospel for stories of Jesus' miracles, and discover what they teach us about him.

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March 20, 2006

Yesterday was a first for me - I simply attended worship at Living Water without having any responsibilities in the service. The funeral for my best friend was yesterday afternoon, and I knew that it would be logistically impossible for me to preach in the evening service, and I also knew that I wouldn't be emotionally strong enough to preach in the morning. So others stepped in and took over everything that needed to be done. My sister-in-law Jennifer preached a wonderful sermon. Our director of children's ministry, Sara Matney-Collins, gave a beautiful communion meditation. Sara and others took over running graphics in the evening service so my family could attend the funeral with me. It was such a blessing to know that Living Water Christian Church is a church who can minister even to a hurting pastor. God has given gifts for ministry to many people, and they are willing and able to step in and offer their gifts. A church family can be one of the most powerful ways God shows love to us.

Next week, I plan to be back in the pulpit, held in prayer by those who know how long the grieving process takes. I am finding even greater hope in the words of Mark now, and I am looking forward to spending more time in this Gospel for the next few weeks. If you are one with a hurting heart, or if you are looking for a church where God is powerfully at work in the lives of the people, then I welcome you to Living Water.

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March 16, 2006

I usually write this blog on Monday mornings, reflecting on the prior Sunday service and the upcoming one. But this week I'm writing this on Thursday morning, and I'm not really thinking about our Sunday services right now. Early Tuesday morning, March 14, I lost my best friend to breast cancer. Her name was Kay Roberts, and we met 14 years ago when we attended the same church and we were both stay-at-home moms. Kay was nothing like me - we could never figure out how we became friends. But nobody could make me laugh like her, and nobody encouraged me or sympathized with me like she did. Over the years, she left our home church, Countryside Christian, for one which has a very different theology, and it put a huge strain on our relationship. Through her determination and constant pestering, we found a way to still continue the friendship. She was such a huge supporter of my ministry and Living Water, even though her pastor preaches that women cannot be pastors. She was there when I preached one of my first sermons while I was in seminary. She was there with her family when we first prayed about whether God was leading us to Parkville. She was there when we prayed over the building, asking God to bless it for ministry. She was there at Oasis and at least one service to support us. And even though her hand was hurting her during her chemo treatments, she sewed all the curtains in our main room.

I will miss her more than I can say, but I am so glad that God brought us together for the time we had. I am now in the position of being a pastor who needs to be ministered to, and my Living Water family is indeed ministering to me. This Sunday is Kay's funeral, and I have asked others to preach and lead worship at Living Water so that I can simply worship with the community and feel their love. It is such a blessing to know that God has raised up so many talented people within our church, and they will do a wonderful job this week. I love this church so much, and it is the only place I want to be to feel God's presence and experience God's peace and healing comfort in this time of great sadness. May others have that same experience in the sorrows of their lives as well.

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March 6, 2006

I heard myself say yesterday that Mark is my favorite Gospel. I hadn't really intended to play favorites with the Gospel writers, and I had to stop and think about it after I said it. I love so many things about the book of Mark - the fast-paced writing style and the way the disciples sound so much like me. When I read it, I can almost hear Jesus sighing whenever he tries to explain something to his somewhat dense followers. I also love the way the book ends (I happen to think Mark did orginally end at 16:8). It's a 2,000-year-old cliff-hanger that's still hanging out there. I'm excited to have the opportunity during Lent to preach on Mark, and to encourage the whole congregation to read through Mark themselves. But I know that as soon as I start spending time in Matthew, Luke and John again, I'll have to re-think who wrote my favorite Gospel.

Next week we'll look at one of my favorite texts in Mark (there I go playing favorites again!) - Mark 5:21-43. This story tells us so much about who Jesus is and how he viewed ministry. For anyone who has ever felt unimportant or overlooked, this story reminds us that our Lord will always make time for us. It's not the only story of healing in Mark's Gospel, but it's one of the most powerful. Join us as we meet this Jesus who heals next week in worship.

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February 27, 2006

I happen to really like history, so I found it fascinating to explore where the traditions of Lent have come from. Others may not have been so fascinated, but all of us can take this opportunity to make Lent mean something for us this year. As of this writing, I haven't yet decided what exactly I'll take on as my Lenten practice this year. I think I will try to do some form of fasting because food is one of the things I worship. Even giving up food one day a week or one meal a day can help me focus more on my relationship with God, rather than when my next meal is! I am praying for God to lead me to a Lenten practice that will really draw me closer to Him.

Next week we begin our study of Mark, both in worship and in the study time. In the morning, we will begin Eye-Openers at 10 am, and in the evening we will do our study during Act(s) II. I am looking forward to immersing myself and the whole church in this Gospel for the next seven weeks so that we can see Jesus as Mark saw him. It is our goal to have the whole church read through Mark during Lent. There is so much to be gained from reading a Gospel through, start to finish. We hear it as it was meant to be heard - one story that weaves together the many parts of Jesus' life into the greatest story ever told. Come grow with us during this Lenten season!

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February 20, 2006

Yesterday's sermon was a very eye-opening one for me to prepare. Since I live with two teenagers, I was very surprised to learn that a new study revealed that many Christian teens expressed beliefs that aren't actually in sync with Christianity. We had a visiting youth group from Marshall, MO join us for our evening service, and I thought this would be a good opportunity to not only talk to the teenagers about this study, but to also talk to the adults about whether or not our beliefs match up with the God we know in Jesus. The question Jesus asked his disciples in Mark 8:27-30 is still a question we must grapple with - "Who do you say I am?" The answer to that question makes all the difference.

Next week we'll look at the season of Lent and what it has meant to the Church for 2,000 years and what it means to us today. When I was growing up, the only thing I knew about Lent is that we had fish sandwiches for lunch every Friday at school during Lent. I was surprised later on to learn that Lent is actually a very important time in the life of the Church, and a time of great spiritual growth for many people. We'll explore the history of Lent, as well as think about some ways that we can grow in our faith this Lent.

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February 13, 2006

In some ways, it's really exhausting to preach a sermon on all the needs in the world. There is a sense of hopelessness when we think about the very small impact we can make on all the suffering in the world. But when we realize that we don't have to do it all by ourselves, and that God doesn't expect us to do everything, we can find the place where God is leading us to help. For some, that might involve a commitment to pray for those in need. For others, we might try volunteering or giving money to a worthwhile organization. And for some, we might be ready to go on a mission trip or sponsor a child through Compassion International or World Vision. Even though Living Water is a new church that is still in the first stages of growth, we can make a difference. If each of us commits to love Jesus by loving others this week, then the light of Christ will shine where there was only hopelessness before. How exciting it is to be a part of the body of Christ, the Church, and know that God can work through all of us in life-changing, history-changing ways!

Next week we'll look at Mark 8:27-30, Peter's confession of Christ, and we'll ask ourselves, "Who do we say Christ is?" Some new research shows us that Christian teens have beliefs about God and Jesus that are not necessarily in line with the ancient creeds of the faith. How do these beliefs affect decisions that teens make? Where did they learn them? This is a fascinating look into how the messages of our culture can influence the messages of our faith. Most of us will find that our thinking isn't so different from that of the youth in the study. Have we lost the faith, or is this just the next generation's way of experiencing God for themselves? We'll have plenty of youth on hand in our evening service to discuss this with us. Youth from Slater, MO will join us for worship at 5 pm and Act(s) II afterwards. I'm sure they will have some insight into this discussion!

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February 6, 2006

Yesterday's sermon was a real stretch for me - in more ways than one. First of all, I'm not comfortable preaching on a sports theme, and I'm definitely not comfortable talking about boxing! I did a little research last week by watching Rocky and Million Dollar Baby, and even though they are both very good movies, I realized how much I truly detest boxing. But what made me even more uncomfortable was telling people about my own "time in the ring" a few months ago. As a preacher, I have to be very careful that I don't make the sermon about me - that I keep the focus on the point of the Scripture. And while I have never pretended to have my act together, it's a little scary to let people know that I found myself doubting God's call. Ultimately, I decided that sharing my story might help others who also find themselves cut and bruised and wondering if God really cares at all.

Next week we'll explore what love looks like on a global scale. How can we possibly love people we don't even know? It's so easy for us to read about all the horrible things happening in the world and feel like there is nothing we can really do to make a difference. But what did Jesus really expect of us? Is there something we can do that can show love to others and help us become more like Christ? This service will have an international theme, with songs from around the world and a great music video.

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January 30, 2006

Just when you think you've got everything all planned out and nothing can surprise you, God does something wonderful and unexpected. The worship service yesterday had been planned for weeks. I had asked Jennifer to share her story with us because I thought it would go along very well with the sermon. Since Jennifer is my sister-in-law, I knew her story well, and I knew she would do a nice job sharing it. But as I sat there in worship and listened to her speak, I realized it was a holy moment. Her words were not just sharing her story, her pain, but she was speaking for many others in the room, too. It's moments like this that remind me how all the work I do to prepare for worship is simply creating a stage for God to work. I encourage you to listen to Jennifer's story as part of the sermon from last week, and see if God has something to say to you, too.

Next week is Super Bowl Sunday, and just to challenge myself, I'll be preaching a sports-themed sermon. Those who know me know how far a stretch that is for me. I'm one of those people whose idea of watching sports on TV is watching ice skating and gymnastics whenever the Olympics are broadcast. But Paul liked to use sports analogies in his writings, and I'll explore one of them next week from 1 Tim 6:11-16. And as much as I loathe bowing to culture, I realized that having our evening service at 5 pm just wasn't going to work next week. So, we'll be worshipping at 4 pm, and we'll be partying at 5 pm. Come join us if you can!

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January 23, 2006

Yesterday was a unique opportunity for me to not only preach on dating for my congregation, but to preach for my two teenagers. I got some grief from them over my suggestion that we ask our parents what kind of person they think we should marry, but it gave us a good opportunity to really talk about this topic. It's so hard to find a balance between using wisdom to think through the qualities we're looking for in a mate, and waiting for the spark to let us know this is someone we could spend the rest of our lives with. But I've seen the consequences when someone chooses poorly, and I don't want anyone to have to go through that kind of pain. God doesn't either.

Next week we'll finish up this series by looking at the "secret ingredient" for all healthy family relationships. This will cover parents, children, spouses, siblings and all other family members we relate to. How do we deal with family members who are less-than-lovable or who even deliberately do things to hurt us? Can we really have a healthy relationship with people like this? We'll see if we can find tools in the Bible to help us love the "unlovables" in our lives.

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January 16, 2006

It's a little intimidating to preach on marriage. I do have 22 years of experience in the field, but that doesn't make me an expert. And our Biblical authority for the day was the Apostle Paul, who has no experience whatsoever. But I realized that a lot of my friends who don't believe in the whole submissive-wife-thing were simply ignoring Paul's marriage advice. I wanted to find a way to dig deeper into what Paul was saying and see if I could find some solid marriage advice that could really help couples in the year 2006. I was pleasantly surprised by what I found. In fact, I'm going to listen to the audio of my own sermon, so that I can hear it preached to me.

Next week we'll look at where all families begin - the dating relationship. We'll see if we can find any help in the Bible for selecting a good mate in the first place. As we go through this series on families, we are celebrating the fact that families come in all shapes and sizes. Each week, the particular theme might not apply to a person's life, but our hope is that everyone will hear the Gospel message and at least one thing they can take home with them. Whether you're single or married, join us next week as we talk about "Finding the Right One."

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January 9, 2006

I had forgotten what it feels like to worship in the morning! I have loved the Sunday evening services at Living Water, but I realized yesterday that there is something wonderful about starting your day with worship, too. We launched our new sermon series on families by looking at how we can raise healthy, happy kids. (listen to message here) I had to confess a lot of mistakes I have made as a parent, but I am happy to report that God has somehow managed to overcome my mistakes and help my two kids become really wonderful people. Being a parent is a tough job, and if we let our egos become tangled up in our parenting, we make it even tougher. How awesome it is to realize that our children truly belong to God, and we are given the joy, privilege and responsibility of raising them so they can become what God created them to be! How fortunate for us that God has given us communities of faith to help us with this huge task.

Next week we're going to talk about marriage, and I've decided to dive right in and tackle a thorny passage, Eph. 5:21-33. What does it mean when it says wives should submit to their husbands and husbands should love their wives as Christ loves the Church? Can contemporary couples find anything in this passage that will really help them strengthen their own marriages? What questions does this passage raise for you? Send me your thoughts on our Contact Us form.

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January 2, 2006

Wow, where does the time go? Here we are in the year 2006! This is a time when anything seems possible - losing weight, getting control of our finances, spending more time with loved ones...But we also know from experience that making new year's resolutions doesn't mean the changes are permanent. That's why we need a faith community to encourage us and challenge us and hold us accountable when we really want to make big changes in our lives. That's why I love Living Water Christian Church so much. I have seen people change over the last year. I have seen people find hope and forgiveness and a safe place to grow closer to God. I have experienced those things myself, too. It's a beautiful thing - a church that truly wants to be what God calls us to be. I can't wait to see where God leads us from here!

Next week we start our sermon series on Building Stronger Families. I realize that people are in all different places - single, married, divorced, widowed - or too young to even be thinking about any of these. In this series, we will talk about all our family relationships - spouses, children, parents, siblings - and see if we can find some help in the Bible to make all these relationships stronger and healthier. I'm looking forward to this series, and I know it will shed some new light on how to love the people we love the most.

Who is Pastor Laura?

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