The Secret to Happy Life, Pastor Brenda Young // Staff

As followers of Jesus, we can up our own joy level when we do like Jesus—when we go about doing good, focusing on the needs and spirits of others. That’s a great goal for you and me today. I will be a carrier of calm, peace, hope, possibilities, joy, and Jesus everywhere I go. I will look for people who need a lift and provide it. I will get over my moods, and put aside my self-centered concerns, and my negative outlook. I will be the person who leaves the people in my wake saying, “Wow! Thank God I ran into her/him today!” I will intentionally open my heart for God to use me to make life a little more fulfilling and joyful today.

Don't Take it for Granted, Chloe Martin // Staff

This year we had our Cornerstone Kids Christmas event "Merry Marketplace." Families visited four different stations making crafts that correlated to the birth of Jesus. They started at Station One, "The Angel," decorating their wooden angel ornament while hearing about how an Angel of God told Mary that she was going to bear a child - the Holy Child! Then, they moved to Station Two, "The Donkey" and decorated donkey ornaments while hearing how Mary and Joseph rode a donkey to Bethlehem. The third station was "The Manger." The kids decorated a canvas with popsicle sticks arranged to look like the manger scene. The finished up at Station Four, creating little shepherds out of cardboard tubes while hearing about how shepherds followed the guidance of angels and a star to bring baby Jesus gifts. We wanted to bring the story of Christmas to life!

StaffJordan SanchezDecember 22, 2021Cornerstone ChurchChristians, Cornerstone Church, Akron, Ohio, Jesus, Love, Minnennals, Gen Z, 2021, Now, God, Bible, Nondenominational, Created, creation, hate, positivity, negativity, positive, negative, worship, allow, suffering, prayers, pray, praying, hope, LGBTQ+, welcome, Pastor, ministry, ministries, evil, question, questions, return, returned, disappointment, disappointed, disappointing, forgotten, traditional, tradition, modern, religious, create, made, heaven, hell, surprise, onsite, online, Christmas, Merry Marketplace, Angel, The Manger, Bethlehem, Shepherds, Baby Jesus, Jesus’ Birth, Virgin Mary, Joseph, Son Of God, Nativity, Jesus’ Love, Cornerstone KidsComment

Kentucky Tornado Relief, John Eutzley // Life Impact

The downtown area of Mayfield is completely gone. Blocks and blocks of nothing but rubble. The old brick buildings 4-5 stories high are now flattened. There are no freestanding buildings. This was an old and deeply valued town. A lady who has lived there all her life, her grandfather was a local pastor for 48 years, told John, “As I walk through what is left of my town, it is like a devastating death. This town will never be the same again. It’s like when someone dear to you dies, you just try to get through the next day.” For many people, this is sorrow upon sorrow. One of the residents deeply affected by the tornado’s destruction was already heartbroken. In December of 2020, just one year prior, his mother died of COVID, and his daughter was murdered that same month. The local librarian’s family home was very damaged. The library was still able to open, however, and this lady courageously and unselfishly went every day to keep the library open and read to and talk to children. She considered it “doing what she could.”

Life ImpactJordan SanchezDecember 21, 2021Cornerstone ChurchChristians, Cornerstone Church, Akron, Ohio, Jesus, Love, Millennials, Gen Z, 2021, Now, God, Bible, Non-Denominational, Created, creation, hate, positivity, negativity, positive, negative, worship, allow, suffering, prayers, pray, praying, hope, LGBTQ+, welcome, Pastor, ministry, ministries, evil, question, questions, return, returned, disappointment, disappointed, disappointing, forgotten, traditional, tradition, modern, religious, create, made, heaven, hell, surprise, onsite, online, Tornado, Western Kentucky, catastrophic damage, Mayfield Kentucky, Benton Kentucky, Dawson Spring Kentucky, Bremen Kentucky, Compassion, City Lights compassion ministry, overwhelming, destruction, United, First Assemblies of God church, together, teamwork, impact, humanity, humbling, relief workComment

O'Neil's Historic Nativity Set by Bruce Oberlin // Life Impact

If you ask anyone over 50 years old, they will fondly tell you, of their yearly pilgrimage to downtown Akron to see the Nativity set and the Christmas display windows at both O’Neil’s and Polsky’s department stores. Some will remember what seemed like a whole floor of both of these stores being designated as North Pole Akron. The nativity set had its place of prominence displayed on the marquee on the facing of the O’Neil’s store. Driving down S. Main Street it could be seen by everyone. It was a magical time of the year and in Akron’s history.

Life ImpactJordan SanchezNovember 30, 2021Cornerstone ChurchChristians, Cornerstone Church, Akron, Ohio, Jesus, Love, Millennials, Gen Z, 2021, Now, God, Bible, Non-Denominational, Created, creation, hate, positivity, negativity, positive, negative, worship, allow, suffering, prayers, pray, praying, hope, LGBTQ+, welcome, Pastor, ministry, ministries, evil, question, questions, return, returned, disappointment, disappointed, disappointing, forgotten, traditional, tradition, modern, religious, create, made, heaven, hell, surprise, onsite, online, Christmas, Nativity, historic, O’Neil’s, Polsky’s, volunteers, priceless memories, camaraderie, displayComment

Kendall Brown // Testimony

When I was in elementary school my parents got divorced. It was really hard because I was so young. I didn’t understand what was going on.

After their divorce, I would go to church on Sunday mornings out of obligation, not because I wanted to.

Testimonies, Life ImpactTaylor PoeJuly 29, 2021Christians, Cornerstone Church, Akron, Ohio, Jesus, Love, Millennials, Gen Z, 2021, Now, God, Bible, Non-Denominational, Created, creation, hate, positivity, negativity, positive, negative, worship, allow, suffering, prayers, pray, praying, hope, LGBTQ+, welcome, Pastor, ministry, ministries, evil, question, questions, return, returned, disappointment, disappointed, disappointing, forgotten, traditional, tradition, modern, religious, create, made, heaven, hell, surprise, onsite, online, divorce, Quarry Internship, AYC, isolated, Covid-19, quarantine, mental health, Youth GroupComment

Elizabeth Labbe // Testimony

I have no family relationships in my life and it's tough. But the quality of the relationships I have with my Cornerstone Church is much greater than just that...they are my family.

Life Impact, TestimoniesJordan SanchezMarch 5, 2021Christians, Cornerstone Church, Akron, Ohio, Jesus, Love, Millennials, Gen Z, 2021, Now, God, Bible, Non-Denominational, Created, creation, hate, positivity, negativity, positive, negative, worship, allow, suffering, prayers, pray, praying, hope, LGBTQ+, welcome, Pastor, ministry, ministries, evil, question, questions, return, returned, disappointment, disappointed, disappointing, forgotten, traditional, tradition, modern, religious, create, made, heaven, hell, surprise, onsite, online, cGroups, encourage, unconditional love, church family, spiritually isolated, testimonys, relationshipsComment

Tara Seeman // Testimony

HEALING & OVERCOMING

God had his hand in our situation all along. I say He put the butterflies in my life long ago, knowing they’d flutter again many years later. I believe that with Jesus Christ at the center of our lives, we will overcome any obstacles that enter our path.

Testimonies, Life ImpactTaylor PoeFebruary 8, 2021Christians, Cornerstone Church, Akron, Ohio, Jesus, Love, Millennials, Gen Z, 2021, Now, God, Bible, Non-Denominational, Created, creation, hate, positivity, negativity, positive, negative, worship, allow, suffering, prayers, pray, praying, hope, LGBTQ+, welcome, Pastor, ministry, ministries, evil, question, questions, return, returned, disappointment, disappointed, disappointing, forgotten, traditional, tradition, modern, religious, create, made, heaven, hell, surprise, onsite, online, divorce, life of sobriety, love, healing, overcoming, reconnecting, worshiping, stand with, mercy, Heavenly FatherComment

Not Easy, But Worth It

Have you acknowledged to yourself that, despite your best efforts and optimistic overlook, there are seasons that are astonishingly hard? Despite the happy face we deliberately choose to encourage other people, or even the perhaps less well-intentioned social media posts presenting the highlight reels of our lives, there are days, episodes, even entire seasons when we live anywhere but Easy Street.

This week my daughterRachel Carpenter and I were texting about the winter of the soul we both had experienced in the last year, made bleaker by the significant struggles and hurts of those we care about so deeply. Her texts were so...well, I can't describe them. But they were mightily on point, and I asked her if she would type them up and let me share. She agreed. Here they are. I'm going to reflect a moment at the end. Please know these come from a very difficult head and heart space, but not a depressed one.

Pastor BrendaTaylor PoeMarch 3, 2017Cornerstone Churchsuffering, Struggles, Loss, Dissapointment, Love, Sympathy, Family, overwhelmed, happieness, Joy

Feeling Like Job? Maybe Not So Much...

Just finished reading the book of Job again. Fascinating dialogue between a man badly misunderstood by his self-righteous friends, and an intimate dialogue with God who knew him best. It's interesting how common culture misuses this story, though. Many people compare themselves with Job when they are suffering...but few of us could even aspire to that, myself included. NONE of Job's trials were brought on himself because of his own poor choices. NONE of his suffering was because he had sinned. In fact, according to Job 1, God himself said about Job, "There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil.”(v.8) HIS suffering was initiated because Satan believed the only reason Job was obedient and faithful was because he was enjoying God's favor and protection.

Pastor BrendaTaylor PoeFebruary 21, 2017Cornerstone ChurchJob, Job 1, suffering, restoration, Job 42, 2 Corinthians 2

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