Desert Well

Join Pastor Jared Townley and Principal Derek Blessing from Lamb of God Lutheran Church and School, Las Vegas. Delve into discussions on faith, scripture, and the unique challenges of ministry in a desert city, all while connecting with a community centered on the love of Jesus.

Desert Well is a religion podcast hosted by Lamb of God Las Vegas, with 57 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80. PitchCentric scores this show on Booking Probability, Listen Score, and live audience signals refreshed every 24 hours.

Lamb of God Las Vegas hosts Desert Well, a religion show with 57 episodes published.

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  Desert Well

  058: From Guilt to Grace: The Gift of Prayer

  Aug 14, 202647 min

  This week we discuss Bob Hiller’s 1517 article “Blood Bought Prayer,” reacting to how prayer can become either a guilt-producing law (e.g., the alleged Luther quote about praying three hours a day) or a convenient, phone-based habit shaped by apps, echoing concerns from Freya India’s “When Faith Is Just An App.” We emphasize that prayer is first a gift purchased by Christ’s atoning blood, granting believers access to the Father, and that Jesus gives both the command and the words to pray, especially in the Lord’s Prayer. We consider how the Divine Service sets the pattern for personal devotion and highlight simple daily routines from Luther’s Small Catechism (morning, meals, evening) that avoid both pietistic pressure and convenience-driven minimalism, with pastoral reflections on faith, suffering, and trusting God’s promises. We have also included today's article here https://www.1517.org/articles/blood-bought-prayers and here is also the article we thought about doing this week on meditation https://www.1517.org/articles/meditation-chewing-on-the-word. 00:00 Intro and Article Setup 00:58 Convention News Banter 02:20 Starting the Prayer Article 03:44 Luther Quote and Guilt 07:03 Prayer Apps and Convenience 10:05 Embodied Faith Beyond Phones 13:20 Prayer as Blood Bought Gift 15:29 Access to the Father 19:41 Lord's Prayer as Need 22:27 Promises Ask Seek Knock 23:14 Amen as Confidence 23:40 Let It Be So 24:31 When Prayers Hurt 27:03 Pietism vs Piety 29:26 Divine Service Rhythm 32:33 Prayer Habits That Stick 38:56 No Guilt Prayer Life 41:50 Quick Prayers in Passing 44:04 Talking to Jesus 45:53 Wrapping Up Thank you for joining us around the well that is Jesus! Be sure to tune in every Friday to hear the latest from us here at 'Desert Well'! You can also catch this week's episode on YouTube https://youtu.be/xQuoMkJXluA and Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/desert-well/id1823028492. We will see you next week!

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  Desert Well

  057: Inside the LCMS Convention: Paperwork, Resolutions, and Hope for the Future

  Aug 7, 20261h 6m

  This week Pastor Jared and Derek recap the LCMS convention’s logistics and key takeaways, describing the stack of daily documents (workbook with 300 overtures, nominee bios, and multiple “Today’s Business” updates), how voting occurred across several sessions, and how floor committees revised resolutions overnight. They share practical tips like tracking vote percentages, and praise the convention’s organization. Big-picture reflections include strong doctrinal unity despite differing opinions, the encouragement found in conversations and networking, and surprise at the number of younger delegates and women lay voting delegates. They highlight positive resolutions on encouraging presidential election participation, preserving circuits, enabling synod entities to create special purpose entities (including a Riverside property example), a telehealth counseling feasibility study, and clarity in prior approval for theology faculty and university presidents. They conclude with hope grounded in younger involvement and trust that Jesus remains Lord of the church.01:38 Why So Many Books02:36 Voting Booklet Breakdown04:10 Backpack Full of Paper04:37 Todays Business Explained06:48 Tracking Votes and Revisions11:48 From Logistics to Takeaways13:15 Unity in Doctrine15:21 People and Connections20:35 Daily Convention Rhythm24:49 Understanding Disagreements25:12 Haidt and Moral Intuition29:52 Turning to Resolutions30:14 Convention Whiplash30:40 Election Participation Debate36:05 Circuit Structure Changes38:03 District Special Purpose Entities41:29 Telehealth and Worker Care42:24 University Hiring Transparency44:09 Celebrations and Fellowship Votes46:28 Consent Calendar Dynamics49:04 Contentious Issues Revisited51:07 CTCR Clarifications52:25 Online Seminary Training Debate57:02 Worship Commission and New Hymnal58:42 Did You Enjoy It01:01:29 Hope for the Synod01:02:22 Jesus Leads the ChurchThank you for joining us around the well that is Jesus! Be sure to check back each Friday for the latest from us here at 'Desert Well'! You can also catch this week's episode on Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/desert-well/id1823028492 and YouTube https://youtu.be/f3Jeqn5IR4s . We will see you next week!

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  Desert Well

  055: What Is a “Mature” Christian Faith?

  Jul 24, 20261h 6m

  This week on 'Desert Well' we discuss what “maturity” means for a follower of Jesus after a conversation about church values and whether simple faith (childlike, mustard seed, thief on the cross) is enough. We use a “hook, book, look, took” Bible study approach and read Ephesians 4:11–16, Colossians 1:24–29, and Hebrews 5:11–14 (and 6:1), noting the Greek term for “mature” (telos/teleios) as completeness and growing into Christ. We explore maturity as rootedness against false doctrine, speaking truth in love, belonging to the church body, proclamation of Christ, warning and teaching with wisdom, and developing discernment beyond “milk” to “solid food.” We conclude with Augsburg Confession teaching on good works as fruits of faith and Book of Concord’s third use of the law, emphasizing works pleasing through Christ and the Spirit’s renewal amid ongoing struggle. 01:02 Hook Book Look Took 06:12 Defining Mature Faith 11:14 Common Maturity Myths 15:15 Plan And Passages 16:06 Ephesians 4 Reading 18:14 Telos And Fullness 26:42 Truth In Love 28:58 Body Builds In Love 30:57 Defining Maturity 31:15 Colossians Mature in Christ 33:33 Proclaim Warn Teach 36:02 Pastor as Prophet 38:55 Sermon Versus Lecture 42:29 Toil With His Energy 46:28 Hebrews Milk and Solid Food 49:29 Discernment and Readiness 55:48 Confessions New Obedience 58:17 Law Gospel and Donkey 01:02:56 Wrapping Up Maturity Thank you for joining us around the well that is Jesus! Be sure to check back every Friday to hear the latest from us here at 'Desert Well'! You can also catch this week's episode on Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/desert-well/id1823028492 and YouTube https://youtu.be/e6uabLymxGU. We will see you next week!

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  Desert Well

  054: Heading to Phoenix: LCMS Synodical Convention

  Jul 17, 20261h 8m

  This week on 'Desert Well' Pastor Jared and Derek discuss the LCMS synodical convention, detailing their travel timing and roles: one as a Pacific Southwest District advisory delegate and the other as a pastoral voting delegate attending as an alternate. They explain LCMS structure (synod, 35 districts, circuits), how circuits send one lay and one pastoral voting delegate, and how conventions occur every three years to decide matters through overtures submitted by congregations, circuits, districts, or synod boards. They describe the convention workbook, reports, 374 overtures, and how 11 floor committees process them into resolutions or place them in omnibus categories. Using an example overture about opening access to Lutheran Confessions, they show how a resolution is formed. They preview debated topics like pastoral formation amid a pastor shortage, Concordia University system governance after Ann Arbor’s closure, and elections, and share excitement about the process and networking while anticipating conflict and “politicking.” 00:00 Travel Plans to Phoenix 01:03 Why We’re Going 01:46 Advisory Delegate Role 05:40 Pastoral Delegate Explained 07:47 LCMS Synod Basics 10:19 Districts and Circuits 14:08 How Convention Voting Works 17:40 Overtures and Submissions 19:33 Convention Workbook Tour 21:37 Floor Committees Breakdown 27:00 Reading a Sample Overture 30:58 Omnibus Categories Explained 32:07 Omnibus Pull-Out Options 32:47 How Resolutions Get Written 33:16 Convention Workbook Walkthrough 34:32 Floor Committees and Hearings 36:32 Daily Schedule and District Meetups 39:23 Sample Finance Resolution 804 42:00 Hot Topics Pastoral Formation 51:43 University System Governance 55:36 Elections and Ballots 57:55 What We Dread and Hope 01:03:41 Networking Heat and Wrap-Up Thank you for joining us this week around the well that is Jesus! Be sure to tune in every Friday to hear the latest from us here at 'Desert Well'! You can also catch this week's episode on YouTube https://youtu.be/O-i_97gchDM and Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/desert-well/id1823028492. We will see you next week!

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  Desert Well

  053: The Mission: Chris Townley on Faith, Vocation, and Saying Yes to Ministry

  Jul 10, 202655 min

  This week on 'Desert Well' Pastor Jared interviews his dad, Chris Townley, on his first podcast, discussing how their family’s faith deepened over time and how laypeople support pastors as part of a “crew.” Chris describes his work as a self-employed civil engineer since 2003, including how he adopted the tagline “Through faith, all things are possible” from Philippians 4:13 and relied on faith when unexpectedly starting his business. He explains the “Working Genius” framework (wonder and tenacity), his role as a deacon at St. John’s Lutheran in Midland since 2017, and ministry through shut-in and hospital visits. Chris recounts being drawn into deacon training and later joining a Cambodia mission trip, where he helped lead a pastoral conference and saw the value of diverse gifts on a team. He encourages listeners to “do something” in service and trust God to equip the called. 00:00 A Special Episode 00:32 Why Dad Is Here 02:04 Pastor Needs A Crew 03:40 Meet Chris Townley 05:04 Working Genius Explained 08:37 Engineer And Deacon Life 12:53 Faith In Business 17:49 From Curious To Cambodia 19:59 Pastor Kempen Sparks The Trip 24:10 Mission Prep And God’s Hand 27:36 God Was Faithful 28:55 Via de Christo Spark 30:57 Deacon Training Journey 34:09 Hospital Visits Presence 38:31 Future Missions Liberia 39:48 Just Do Something 43:16 Encouraging Church Workers 49:43 Always On Mission 51:49 Closing Reflections Thank you for joining us around the well that is Jesus! Be sure to check back every Friday to hear the latest from us here at 'Desert Well'! You can also watch this week's episode on YouTube youtu.be/hPRJ-QAe4mk and Apple Podcasts podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/desert-well/id1823028492 . See you next week!

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