Special Update from Pastor Adam

March 5, 2025

Dear Resurrection Family,

Just a quick note to remind you that today is Ash Wednesday, the start of the season of Lent. Tonight, at all locations, we’ll have our traditional Ash Wednesday service at 7 pm. We’ll also offer a service at noon today at our Leawood location, and have family friendly special children and student services at 6:15 pm at Leawood (Foundry), West, Downtown and Brookside. The 7 pm service will be online as well. Here’s the link to the online service.

I’ll tell you more about fasting and taking on something for Lent below, but first, I want to tell you about the weekend we’ve got planned with John Ortberg.

Best-Selling Author John Ortberg Speaking this Saturday

John Ortberg is a personal friend whose ministry and writings have touched millions of people. He has a Ph.D. in clinical psychology from Fuller Theological Seminary and is the author of 17 best-selling books, including If You Want to Walk on Water, You’ve Got to Get Out of the Boat; When the Game is Over It All Goes Back in the Box; The Life You Always Wanted and many more.

John has also known challenges and adversity, made mistakes and survived. Last year, I was reviewing an advanced copy of John’s latest book, Steps: A Guide to Transforming Your Life When Willpower Isn’t Enough. It was excellent and I thought it was a book that many of you would find helpful. I asked John if he’d be willing to come to Resurrection as the book launched to share more about it and he agreed.

John will be speaking on Saturday morning at our Leawood location at 9 am in the Foundry (or you can join online at 9:30 am). In-person registration includes breakfast and a copy of the book. Here’s the registration link. John will also be our guest preacher this weekend, and I know you will be inspired by his message.

Go Deeper with a Churchwide Lenten Study

The week of March 12, we’ll offer new study groups that will study Ortberg’s book Steps. The groups will be led by Resurrection staff members at all locations and online. As a part of the study, you can sign up to receive weekly videos that explore and complement each week’s topic. Here’s the link where you can register for this study at any of our Resurrection locations and online.

Opportunities to Grow Deeper During Lent

Lent is a season to be intentional about growing deeper in your faith. Here are a few things I’d invite you to consider:

• Be in worship each weekend of Lent, in person if you are able.
• Fast from something you enjoy as a way of deepening your spiritual hunger and focus. This could be food or drink, but it could also be things like social media.
• Take on a spiritual discipline – additional scripture reading, certain times set aside for intentional prayer, and/or journaling – writing your spiritual reflections each day through Lent. Join a small group study of John Ortberg’s book, Steps. There are many others, these are just a few ideas.

I’m excited as we begin Lent today and look forward to this season of growing deeper in my faith. I hope you’ll join me!

In Christ’s love,

Adam