Reading the Bible, Hearing the Voice of God
on November 29th, 2023
Reading the Bible, Hearing the Voice of God  As I am writing this, I look as shelves of books. Hundreds of books, ranging from classic novels, to systematic theologies, scores of Biblical commentaries, books on church growth, and Christian living. Each of these books are noteworthy, having contributed to the field of literature, theology, ecclesiology, or living the faith.  I am reminded of walkin...  Read More
It's Wild Out There
on November 17th, 2023
Don’t Skip the SunscreenThe Temptation of Jesus. We often pass over the first few verses of this experience and jump straight into stones becoming bread, the promise of kingdoms, and some sort of angelic trust-fall. As if the only thing we need when Satan shows up with wild and bombastic ideas is to say “no” and spout off a few Scripture references. First of all, the texts from Mat. 4, Mark 1, and...  Read More
Jesus Be My Guide
on November 10th, 2023
In the first of three The Lord of the Rings movies, Frodo and his closest hobbit friends (the Fellowship), along with three humans and a wizard (Gandalf), embarked on a journey to Mount Doom to destroy an evil ring. During this journey, the Fellowship lost Gandalf in a battle with a wicked demon. This event took the wind out of the sails of the Fellowship, and Frodo was in a dark place, as he had ...  Read More
Success Joshua Style
on November 3rd, 2023
Joshua was afraid to take on the task God called him to do. And who can blame him? Moses, the friend of God, was his predecessor, and he left Joshua with impossible-to-fill shoes. Sure, Joshua had been groomed for his task by Moses and by God. He was a warrior with a proven track record. But this job—this was more than leading battles and military campaigns. This was leading the nation of Israel, ...  Read More
Worship Together
on October 27th, 2023
I love the fact that Cornerstone encourages personal expressions of worship. While our leaders often encourage expressive forms of worship - raising hands, bowing in God’s presence, even silence during the weekly worship gathering, these leaders acknowledge that no single form of worship is uniform among God’s people. This is how God designed worship, a personal expression of one’s relationship wi...  Read More
Face to Face with Jesus
on October 19th, 2023
Face to Face with Jesus John 4:16-26In Olivia Lane’s song, Woman at the Well, she sings, “I heard a story from the Bible, When I was just a little girl, About a broken-hearted woman, Who met the Savior of the World.” In this poignant story, the Apostle John tells us about an unnamed Samaritan woman coming to collect water at Jacob’s well in Sychar. John is the only gospel writer to tell this story...  Read More
Jesus Restoring Peter-Failure isn't Final
on September 29th, 2023
Simon Peter, also known as Cephas, was one of the first followers of Jesus Christ. At times most of us can identify with him. He had one of the most unique personalities of all the apostles. Peter was known as being enthusiastic, strong-willed, impulsive, and brash. Peter was also a natural-born leader, and quite possibly at his own appointment, became the primary spokesperson for the Twelve.By tr...  Read More
Growth Habits and the Cross
on September 28th, 2023
The Cross and Our Growth HabitsTrees. That’s one of the images that comes to mind when I think about Jesus hanging on the cross. For some, this may seem abstract or odd, and for others this may harken back to familiar imagery within scripture. Occasionally, “cross” and “tree” are used interchangeably in the New Testament, depending on your preferred Bible translation. Verses referring to the cruci...  Read More
Walking the Talk
on September 22nd, 2023
Extreme situations tend to rip the doors off the carefully concealed places of our hearts and minds and expose what's deep within us. The crucifixion did just that for Jesus—what poured out of Him wasn't what we would expect from someone the Romans tortured.Compassion, love, and forgiveness flowed from Him just like His blood. We see Jesus practicing what He preached and providing an example for u...  Read More
Righteous Anger in an Unrighteous Age
on September 8th, 2023
If you have been around Cornerstone in the last few weeks, then you have probably witnessed the unprecedented heartbreak and shock that came with the firing of one of our executive pastors. My husband and I sat with our family during that Thursday night church meeting, listening to Pastor Michael and our elders share the appropriate details and responses from the events that had transpired. Afterw...  Read More
Blind Faith and a Better Plan
on September 1st, 2023
I knew that I was sick in November of 2021. It was terrifying because I could feel that something was wrong, but I struggled to articulate it. Even though I armed myself with an ever-growing list of alarming symptoms, I was routinely dismissed, ignored, and even harassed by the doctors who were supposed to be helping me. Many of them told me that my symptoms were normal for a young woman, that not...  Read More
The Perfect Example
on September 1st, 2023
Throughout Jesus’ ministry, He makes it clear that the Kingdom of God does not look like what we would think or expect. I believe that He continues showing us this in John 13 when He washes the feet of the disciples. I’ve seen a few weddings where the man and woman being wed wash each other's feet. In fact, my husband and I had talked about doing this at our own wedding. We bought a beautiful basi...  Read More
Shaken
on August 30th, 2023
Have you ever had a friend or family member call you up and share a circumstance or situation out of their life that has left them shaken? SHAKEN. RESTLESS. CONFUSED. ANXIOUS.As you listen to them share the details you also may not know how to respond. You can tell by their countenance that the experience feels as though what was under their feet felt solid is now shifting sand. What was true may ...  Read More
More Than Just a Job
on August 18th, 2023
Work is a gift from God. It doesn't always feel like it, but according to the Bible, it is. God gave Adam work in the brand new world. God gave Noah work--a job that made absolutely no sense to him. God even gave Jesus work. It stands to reason that He gives us work too.I have to admit, I've had jobs I did not see as a gift. They were drudgery that I looked for an escape from, and I escaped in way...  Read More
Finding Fulfillment in an Unsatisfying World: Part III
on August 16th, 2023
Fulfillment in a Vaporous LifeBefore diving into Part III, be sure that you have read Part I and Part II of this blog post so that you have an understanding of what I mean when I refer to the word hebel and its applications throughout the book of Ecclesisates. With the prior segments in mind, what should we conclude, then, from the teachings of Qoheleth, the author of Ecclesiastes? Is life essenti...  Read More
Finding Fulfillment in an Unsatisfying World: Part II
on August 16th, 2023
Hebel Applied Before diving into Part II, be sure that you have read Part I of this blog post so that you have an understanding of what I mean when I use the word hebel. Qoheleth, the author of Ecclesisates, has no qualms with opposing the prevailing, idealistic view of Wisdom. Though he recognizes that “there is more gain in wisdom than in folly” (2:13), he also acknowledges that “what happens to...  Read More
Finding Fulfillment in an Unsatisfying World: Part I
on August 16th, 2023
IntroductionHebrew wisdom literature explores the way the world works in order to instruct readers in how to live. It seeks to “make wise the simple” (Ps. 19:17) and to make our paths straight (Pr. 3:6). Three of these biblical wisdom books are Proverbs, Job, and Ecclesiastes; these three provide a unique and necessary perspective on life. Proverbs presents an idealistic view of life: if you do ri...  Read More
Fruit Trees, Wolves, and the Will of God: Part I
on August 2nd, 2023
It would be difficult to find a passage in Scripture that scared me more as a child than Matthew 7:21-23. Every year or two, a good old-fashioned Baptist revival would roll through my hometown, and the visiting preacher would read those verses from the pulpit—his sermon conjuring images of hellfire and brimstone. His voice would boom, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the king...  Read More
Fruit Trees, Wolves, and the Will of God: Part III
on August 2nd, 2023
The Will of GodThe final thing we must address is back in Matthew 7:21 when Jesus says that only those who “do the will of my Father” will enter the kingdom of God. This naturally poses the question, “What is the will of God?” This is another one of those intimidating church questions that confused me as a young believer. We can blow it up so often to seem like something that is ambiguous and unat...  Read More
Fruit Trees, Wolves, and the Will of God: Part II
on August 2nd, 2023
Good vs. Bad Fruit If a false teacher is known by their bad fruit, then it makes sense that true disciples of Jesus would be known by our good fruit—but what is this good fruit? Obviously, the first place most of us would think to look is the Fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22-23 which says, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness...  Read More
A Fathers Gift
on July 27th, 2023
Mr. and Mrs. Arrington were old when I was a kid. Although physically they were slight people, they are still some of the mightiest people I’ve known. Shortly before my family went to Ecuador as missionaries, the Arringtons had us over for dinner. As an eleven-year-old, I was less than thrilled. I wanted to spend the afternoon at my friend’s house, not sitting quietly while my parents visited for ...  Read More
The Golden Rule
on July 21st, 2023
I grew up in church. I am quite confident that I had been taught the Golden Rule or at least had heard of it, but it wasn’t until the 5th grade that it started taking shape in my life. My teacher, Mrs. Dimmick, loved people, but more than that she loved Jesus. She knew the importance of memorization. Every morning of my entire 5th grade “career”, we recited 3 things: the Pledge of Allegiance, a po...  Read More
Truth to Drive Home
on July 14th, 2023
I have a confession to make: I'm a closet worrier, and the thing that causes me to worry most is car accidents. Yes, I know. We're not supposed to worry. I know that if (or when) something happens, God will still be with us and will walk with us through whatever it is. I know this. I find peace in this--usually.Several years back, I traveled a lot without my husband, which meant I was the one driv...  Read More
Why Fasting Works
on July 7th, 2023
“How is being hungry going to make me any closer to Jesus?” You cannot always tell why someone asks a question. Maybe this person felt her pastor asked his church to engage in a senseless task. Perhaps she knew Christians modeled fasting in the Bible but was unwilling to be hungry, and the lack of explanation salved her conscience. Maybe she was afraid that she would commit to the church-wide fast...  Read More
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