Each of our three kids went through the “Why Phase”. Do you know what I’m talking about? That phase where a child is just burning with unquenchable curiosity about the world around her and everything in it. Every conversation starts and ends with the question: “Why?” With our second son, it was such an intense phase that one day after my husband, Todd, had attempted to answer his questions all the way down to the molecular level of existence he finally said, in a joking exasperation, “I don’t know, go ask a priest.” And for whatever reason, that was a satisfactory answer for our 2-year old son, and so it became a household phrase: “I don’t know, go ask a priest.”
I think it is written somewhere into our DNA code as human beings to be learners. God places within us a natural curiosity about the created order, about art and science, relationships and meaning; God places that in us and names it good.
Jesus in Matthew 7:7, tells a crowd of curious people who had gathered to sit at his feet, to listen and learn from him: “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.” Now, don’t get me wrong, there is good in the being given to, the finding, and the opening door; but I wonder if the growth that happens in the journey of the asking, the seeking, and the knocking on the door is what Jesus is fanning into flame with this crowd …and with us.
One of our commitments as a community at Jacob’s Well is to learning, to foster a life-long pursuit of God together. (READ MORE)
Winter Institutes
This Winter, Institutes will start on Tuesday, January 15th, and will meet every Tuesday evening for four weeks from 6:30-8pm. The one exception being the art gallery tours in the West Bottoms that will be a one-time offering on Saturday, January 19th, 1-3pm.
We frame Institutes around three areas of Christian faith: form, live, and extend the life of Christ. There are some really wonderful classes this round, including Men’s and Women’s specific formation classes; a budgeting class; a tour of art galleries in the West Bluffs; and a course on challenging stereotypes. There are some phenomenal instructors for these classes. You won’t want to miss out on this opportunity to connect with others and learn! To find out more and to signup, CLICK HERE.
Marriage Retreat
Join us January 25-26, 2013 for our first Marriage Retreat at the Embassy Suites on the Plaza! There will be great sessions led by Grant and Emma Wood of Resonate Clinic, as well as time on your own to renew and refresh.
The cost of the retreat is $150 and includes an overnight stay at the Embassy Suites plus Breakfast and Lunch on Saturday. Please register by Monday, January 14th, 2013. Questions? Email Rachel Reynolds.
Newly engaged couples, newly married couples, and couples married for years will benefit from the Marriage Immersion led by Grant and Emma Wood of Resonate Clinic. Join us Saturday, February 9 and Saturday, February 16, 2013, from 8:30am-1:30pm for a continental breakfast and great sessions. The cost is $120 per couple. Childcare is provided. Please click here to register by Friday, February 1st. Questions? Email Rachel Reynolds.
New to Jacob’s Well? Want to learn more about our community, values and practices? Join Tim Keel after morning services on Sunday, January 20th from 12:30 – 2:00 PM in the commons for our Community Compass. Lunch and Childcare are provided. Can’t make this one? We’ll be offering another very soon. Questions? Contact Maureen Lunn.
Jacob’s Well launched a new web-responsive design for our homepage. Web responsive designs deliver optimal viewing experiences whether using a desktop, tablet or smart phone. We also enhanced the integration of our online community and registration processes.
Consider bookmarking our site in your smart phone or tablet. (it almost looks like an app!) Lastly, we have heard your request to “fix the podcast”. You can now subscribe to all of our messages through iTunes or listen directly through your smart phone or other device.
SUNDAY – Parent Meeting for Grade School Parents
Come to a Parents Meeting this Sunday, January 6th at 10:30 or 12:30 in Banner Hall. You’ll learn about the opportunity for your child to attend Youthfront Camp this summer!
Our Grade School children will start meeting in their new grade level tribes this Sunday, January 6th. Look for new signs to direct you.
Verge 2013 – High School Students
The high school group is headed back to Colorado! Current 8th-12th graders will experience 3 days of service in inner-city Denver and 3 days of whitewater rafting, rock climbing, hot springs and mountain hiking in Buena Vista, CO. The goal of VERGE is that through service and adventure, students would connect with God, self, others and the world.
With Winter Institutes and other events just around the corner, we’re looking for a few more childcare workers. If you’re interested in picking up a few bucks and love to be with children, we’d love to have you. Contact Rachel Reynolds.
Sermon Series – The Beforelife
Our upcoming series is entitled “The Beforelife: Being God’s Future Now”. It will explore seven different aspects of our life together in God and how they get worked out in our daily life and community. Think of it as another way to learn about the marks of being a disciple in a community of disciples. Tim Keel will be launching the 8 week series beginning this Sunday.
(I don’t know. Go ask a Priest, cont.)
One of the ways that we do this together is through Institutes three to four times a year. The last round in the Fall and it was amazing. It felt so good to walk into this building on Tuesday evenings; the vibe was somehow different than on Sundays. There were kids learning how to cook healthy meals together and doing yoga classes down in Banner Hall. Every possible meeting space was filled with groups of adults gathered around different subject matter like parenting, spiritual practices, adoption, and justice. It was just so full of life with people wrestling with questions together, practicing faith together.
Something beautiful happens when we learn together. It becomes more than just the learning the material at hand. It becomes about knowing and being known; about connecting with each other beyond passing Sunday greetings. We get to corporately re-enter the age-old question: Why? And that is a space God uses to give, to be found, and to open doors.
Each of our three kids went through the “Why Phase”. Do you know what I’m talking about? That phase where a child is just burning with unquenchable curiosity about the world around her and everything in it. Every conversation starts and ends with the question: “Why?” With our second son, it was such an intense phase that one day after my husband, Todd, had attempted to answer his questions all the way down to the molecular level of existence he finally said, in a joking exasperation, “I don’t know, go ask a priest.” And for whatever reason, that was a satisfactory answer for our 2-year old son, and so it became a household phrase: “I don’t know, go ask a priest.”
Join us January 25-26, 2013 for our first Marriage Retreat at the Embassy Suites on the Plaza! There will be great sessions led by Grant and Emma Wood of 
Newly engaged couples, newly married couples, and couples married for years will benefit from the Marriage Immersion led by Grant and Emma Wood of Resonate Clinic. Join us Saturday, February 9 and Saturday, February 16, 2013, from 8:30am-1:30pm for a continental breakfast and great sessions. The cost is $120 per couple. Childcare is provided. Please click here to register by Friday, February 1st. Questions? Email 
New to Jacob’s Well? Want to learn more about our community, values and practices? Join Tim Keel after morning services on Sunday, January 20th from 12:30 – 2:00 PM in the commons for our Community Compass. Lunch and Childcare are provided. Can’t make this one? We’ll be offering another very soon. Questions? Contact 
Jacob’s Well launched a new web-responsive design for our homepage. Web responsive designs deliver optimal viewing experiences whether using a desktop, tablet or smart phone. We also enhanced the integration of our online community and registration processes.
The high school group is headed back to Colorado! Current 8th-12th graders will experience 3 days of service in inner-city Denver and 3 days of whitewater rafting, rock climbing, hot springs and mountain hiking in Buena Vista, CO. The goal of VERGE is that through service and adventure, students would connect with God, self, others and the world.