I released this situation to Jesus because I’m His child. He is with me, for me, and fights my battles. Needless to say, Jesus brought me through
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How could my story help anyone else in their quest to become more like Christ? Could my story help others to be more loving and caring? How could my story help someone see that living to be more like Jesus is all about being a Christian? Now, I still can't answer that question. However, I will tell my story, at least the short version of what Jesus' love and grace have done for me in my life.
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I knew of God’s promises to me, but I couldn’t see anything beyond or different than where I was. The past was too painful, the present was unbearable, and I saw no attainable future. Being frustrated and exhausted from all the physical and emotional battles, grieving declared my defeat.
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True faith in Christ is not passive. It is active. It is because we have encountered Jesus that we live accordingly. Christ has accomplished our salvation, and our response is to repent (turn from our old way of living and turn to Christ) and believe. This type of belief is the same kind of belief that Abraham had. It was a belief that led to action. It was not the mere mental affirmation of doctrine but a deep trust in God. In the same way, our faith in Christ is expressed through shaping our lives according to the Way of Jesus.
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…nothing was enough to bring me peace. The challenges continued and it was a cycle on repeat. Various situations would cause me to constantly question and have continuous doubt. It has been debilitating. I always wondered and questioned, “Why me? Why are things always this difficult?” One final situation set the stage for change to be put in motion. I know in order for me to be the best for myself, for my daughter, for my marriage, career, family - all of those relationships - I needed to turn to God. This is why I am here now.
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The Lord has walked with me up to and through this crossroad as I prayed about a change I was thinking may be best. I embraced the thought that if God could do what he did for Cornerstone when he brought us out of our old building to the school and now to our current property, then he would look after me just as well.
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Next is John Calvin. Calvin was a child of the Reformation and was a trained lawyer. He took a more pessimistic view of the Roman Catholic church (to say the least). Yet, he even believed that there were at least some faithful churches within the Roman Catholic tradition.
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Next is John Calvin. Calvin was a child of the Reformation and was a trained lawyer. He took a more pessimistic view of the Roman Catholic church (to say the least). Yet, he even believed that there were at least some faithful churches within the Roman Catholic tradition.
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Pastor Brenda is easily one of the wisest and most experienced people we know, so we know everyone has questions they'd love to ask! Once a month, we will take one of your questions and have Pastor Brenda answer it!
Am I Really Supposed To Forgive and Forget?
The weekend of March 13 left us in awe and here is why! …
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Heaven is not our home. It is not the end goal. There, I said it. Before you turn off your computer or close out of your email app of choice, hear me out. Our home and our hope is so much better than heaven. What I’m going to talk about next is spoken of at length in Surprised by Hope by… You guessed it… N.T. Wright. If you haven’t noticed, aside from being one of the world’s leading New Testament scholars, he’s a favorite around here.
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COVID and pain, the perfect storm.
For those directly affected by COVID, I don't want to downplay your problems or make light of the virus at all. But it has been a time of great healing and growth for me. All of my Christian life, I've had a conflict with the love and grace of God, being loved by anyone, especially God. I know well enough to know that I don't deserve either. And the thought of God loving someone like me, no way!
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We had a powerful weekend with the founder and president of Construction Team Management, Monty Trask! He gave a lot of vision and excitement for our future in this building campaign! If you missed him, jump in on our YouTube channel and listen to what he had to share!
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Our Here & Now goals and God-sized dreams are coming true! Cornerstone leaders met with Construction Team Management to go over Phase One building plans so we can be prepared to hit the ground running in the New Year. We are confident that God is bringing together the plans, the people, and the finances to bring our vision to life!
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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!
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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.”
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The Christmas word for today from Luke 2 and John 3
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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.
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Still just on top of the world after an amazing church weekend! I attend services only online for the time being, but I had the opportunity to attend 2 in-person events this weekend, and my heart is SO full! On Saturday, we had a mental health event geared at bringing hope to those who are hurting this holiday season. It was enlightening and beautiful! Last night was an event called MP Nite, where ministry partners (those giving of their time, talent, and treasure in and for the church) were filled up with gratitude from our pastor, comedy/fun from some of our youngest ministry partners, and unbelievable worship in song! This worship - let me tell you - when you are surrounded by givers, doers, workers, and those who are SO on fire for Christ -- it is just the most powerful, amazing, life moving experience…
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Whether suffering from loneliness, heartbreak, or maybe the loss of a loved one, the feeling of heartbreak can be devastating, and sometimes debilitating around the holidays. Find help and hope as you navigate this difficult holiday season.
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