The Cornerstone Universe

This week on the marque

2007-08-03T12:28:00.001-06:00

Our pastor is always coming up with cleaver things to put on the marque. Doesn't this make you want to come in and listen to what he's going to say?!?!

A Simple Prayer

2007-05-14T07:35:00.000-06:00

I received this prayer in an email this week. I thought it was very timely. I hope you are blessed by it too.

Dear Lord, I thank You for this day. I thank You for my being able to see and to hear this morning. I'm blessed because You are a forgiving God and an understanding God. You have done so much for me and You keep on blessing me. Forgive me this day for everything I have done, said or thought that was not pleasing to you. I ask now Father for Your forgiveness. Please keep me safe from all danger and harm. Help me to start this day with a new attitude and plenty of gratitude. Let me make the best of each and every day to clear my mind so that I can hear from You. Please broaden my mind that I can accept all things. Let me not whine and whimper over things I have no control over. Strengthen me to give the best response when I'm pushed beyond my limits. I know that when I can't pray, You listen to my heart. Continue to use me to do Your will. Continue to bless me that I may be a blessing to others. Keep me strong that I may help the weak... Keep me uplifted that I may have words of encouragement for other s. I pray for those that are lost and can't find their way. I pray for those that are misjudged and misunderstood. I pray for those who don't know You intimately. I pray for those that will delete this without sharing it with others. I pray for those that don't believe. But I thank you that I believe. I believe that God changes people and God changes things. I pray for all my sisters and brothers. For each and every family member in their households. I pray for peace, love and joy in their homes that they are out of debt and all their needs are met. I pray that every eye that reads this knows there is no problem, circumstance, or situation greater than God. Every battle is in Your hands for You to fight. I thank You for who You are and who I am because of who You are. In the name of Jesus, Amen.

Happy Mother's Day

2007-05-09T11:37:00.000-06:00

Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies. The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her, so that he shall have no need of spoil. She will do him good and not evil all the days of her life. She seeketh wool, and flax, and worketh willingly with her hands. She is like the merchants' ships; she bringeth her food from afar. She riseth also while it is yet night, and giveth meat to her household, and a portion to her maidens. She considereth a field, and buyeth it: with the fruit of her hands she planteth a vineyard. She girdeth her loins with strength, and strengtheneth her arms. She perceiveth that her merchandise is good: her candle goeth not out by night. She layeth her hands to the spindle, and her hands hold the distaff. She stretcheth out her hand to the poor; yea, she reacheth forth her hands to the needy. She is not afraid of the snow for her household: for all her household are clothed with scarlet. She maketh herself coverings of tapestry; her clothing is silk and purple. Her husband is known in the gates, when he sitteth among the elders of the land. She maketh fine linen, and selleth it; and delivereth girdles unto the merchant. Strength and honour are her clothing; and she shall rejoice in time to come. She openeth her mouth with wisdom; and in her tongue is the law of kindness. She looketh well to the ways of her household, and eateth not the bread of idleness. Her children arise up, and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praiseth her. Many daughters have done virtuously, but thou excellest them all. Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the LORD, she shall be praised. Give her of the fruit of her hands; and let her own works praise her in the gates.

Proverbs 31:10-31

May 13, 6th week of Easter

2007-05-09T10:27:00.000-06:00

I will be out of town Sunday, but I'm sure you all can handle church without me. Here are the scriptures for this week.

Psalm 67 The Nations Exhorted to Praise God.

Acts 16:9-15 The Macedonian Vision and First Convert in Europe

Revelation 21:10, 21:22-22:5 The New Jerusalem and The River and the Tree of Life

John 14:23-29 Role of the Spirit

May 6, 2007

2007-04-30T07:33:00.000-06:00

This coming week at Cornerstone:

Psalm 148The Whole Creation Invoked to Praise the LORD.

Acts 11:1-18 Peter Reports at Jerusalem

Revelation 21:1-6 The New Heaven and Earth

John 13:31-35 A New Command

HAPPY 50th BIRTHDAY DOC

2007-04-28T00:00:00.000-06:00

Happy Birthday to you!

Happy Birthday dear Doc.

Happy Birthday to you!

A Happy Birthday to you, a happy birthday to you,

May you feel Jesus near, every day of the year.

Happy birthday to you a happy birthday to you,

and the best year that you've ever had!

The Illusion of Control

2007-04-20T15:09:00.000-06:00

For a visual of where the sermon is heading this coming Sunday take a look at The Miraculous Draught of Fishes painted by Peter Paul Rueben's circa 1618.

Lectionary readings for this week:
Psalm 30

Acts 9:1-6

Revelation 5:11-14

John 21:1-19

From the preview we were given Wednesday night at Prayer Meeting (starts at 6:30 and is a wonderful pick me up during the week), God has an awesome word to speak to us this week. We hope you will be able to join us at 9:00 am for Sunday School and 10:15 for worship!

Two Commandments or Three or One?

2007-04-15T04:27:00.000-06:00

The Greatest Commandment
Matthew 22:34-40
Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together. One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question:

"Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" Jesus replied: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."

God woke me up early this morning thinking about this particular passage, and since I'm up I might as well blog about it.

The Greatest Commandment in a nut shell: Love God. The second: Love your neighbor like you love yourself.

And that, my friend is where I started to think. Love God. Sounds easy enough. He's our creator, the one who has our lives mapped out, maybe. God's always the one that we turn to when we're in a bind. Sure, loving God is easy. Right?

But love your neighbor like you love yourself. That one isn't as easy as the first. Who are my neighbors? The strangers that live on my street? How about the people I interact with on a daily basis. What about people that live in other countries that I've never met and never will, are they my neighbors? What about other christians, even if they believe something a little different. Are they my neighbors? But some of these christians have caused me a lot of pain in my life, do I really have to love them?

But the scripture says, 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' As yourself. There's a catch. You can't just love your neighbor. You have to love your neighbor AS YOURSELF. But that would imply that you do actually love yourself. Somedays its easy to love me, but there are days when I wouldn't be my friend, or my neighbor.

So did Jesus give us two commandments or three?
Love God.
Love your neighbor.
Love yourself.

Or let me put it this way,

Love yourself so that you can
Love your neighbor so that you can
Love God.

Or maybe this way.

Love.
Love.
Love.

A sneak peek

2007-04-11T13:15:00.000-06:00

Here's a link to a sneak peek at the sermon for this Sunday.

See you there!

There's a slacker in the midst...

2007-04-11T10:53:00.000-06:00

... and her name is Leslee. Sorry I haven't been getting the scriptures out every week like I intend. Real life has a way of sneaking up and distracting me. But I am here and here with the second week of Easter's scriptures to post.

From what I've heard last Sunday morning's service was wonderful! The choir sang their little hearts out for God and even the congregation joined in on one of them. God spoke well through Doc on Sunday as he preached from John 20:1-18. He emailed me the sermon since I wasn't able to attend. He thinks I'm scared of the crowd on Easter morning, he might be right. I've tried to talk him into posting on his sermon blog, so far he hasn't. Perhaps you could leave a comment here and encourage him if you'd like to read them.

Now, on to April 15th's scriptures so you can read ahead. Have a great week, see you Sunday!

Psalm 118:14-29

Acts 5:27-32

Revelation 1:4-8

John 20:19-31

Scriptures for Palm Sunday

2007-03-30T09:20:00.000-06:00

Psalm 118:1-2, 19-29

Luke 19:28-40

Philippians 2:5-11

Scriptures for March 18

2007-03-14T14:48:00.000-06:00

Joshua 5:9-12

Psalms 32

2 Corinthians 5:16-21

Luke 15:1-3, 11b-32

Springing Forward a little early, aren't we ???

2007-03-09T16:04:00.000-06:00

Remember that we Spring Forward this Saturday night - which means that you lose an hour of sleep this weekend - which you could possibly make up by coming to church and listening to the sermon . . .

Of course, there is a sure-fire way to not really be affected by this change of seasons. When you arise on Saturday morning (having slept in a little late, don't you know) go ahead and set your clocks forward at that time. That way, you have all of Saturday to adjust to the idea, and when evening rolls around . . . well, you know the rest of the routine.

Scriptures for March 11th

2007-03-05T16:25:00.000-06:00

Take a few minutes and read over the scriptures for next Sunday. You might read something you like!

Isaiah 55:1-9

Psalms 63:1-8

1 Corinthians 10:1-13

Luke 13:1-9

Scriptures for March 4th

2007-03-02T13:49:00.000-06:00

Here's a look ahead to the scriptures we will be reading on Sunday. I've linked them to the BibleGateway, a wonderful place to read scriptures online. It has many features that you might enjoy including being able to see the same passage in different versions.
Have fun and see you on Sunday!

Genesis 15:1-12, 17-18

Psalm 27

Philippians 3:17-4:1

Luke 13:31-35

A New Beginning

2007-02-27T10:55:00.000-06:00

Our readership has dwindled drastically in the last six months. This is perhaps the direct result from having no post in the six months. But I'm not ready to give up on this site. I would like to see it become something more functional. My goal, with the help of some wonderful friends, is to create a site that will be easy for our members and friends to navigate through to see what's going on in the Cornerstone Universe. Some changes you might see are a new template, new or updated links, a church calendar, and what we are studying. If you have any ideas or comments on the changes taking place please leave a message in the comment section.

Ten Surprises About the Unchurched

2006-08-08T13:19:00.000-06:00

I went to my Dead Pastor's meeting yesterday. I'm sure a lot of folks wonder what we do at those meeting besides eat. Currently we are working through Will Willimon's book Pastor: The Theology and Practice of Ordained Ministry. We probably should have read this book during seminary, but Willimon hadn't written it yet . . .

Anyway, our discussion took us in the direction of what people expect out of church. One of the pastors in our group supplied us with an article entitled Ten Surprises About the Unchurched, printed in Christianity Today. Click on the link to read the entire article.

When I sat down today to read the article, I was frankly amazed at two or three of the premises they stated. I encourage you to read it.

Let me prime your pump with their first three "surprises." BTW - they classify someone as "unchurched" if they attend two or less times in a year.

Surprise No. 1 - Most of the unchurched prefer to attend church on Sunday morning if they attend.

Surprise No. 2 - Most of the unchurched feel guilty about not attending church.

Surprise No. 3 - Ninety-six percent of the unchurched are at least somewhat likely to attend church if they are invited.

I genuinely hope our entire church will read this article.

Pretty good post . . .

2006-05-16T10:24:00.000-06:00

One of the guys I read regularly had this to say on his blog this morning - some fresh ideas about recreating the church. Check it out if you have time.

http://www.anglobaptist.org/blog/archives/2006/05/evangelism_and.html

From whence came the lectionary

2006-05-06T12:41:00.000-06:00

You might wonder about the scriptures we read each week - who selected them, where did they come from, etc.?? Here is a link to a FAQ about the Revised Common Lectionary - you may find the history of this somewhat interesting

In Preparation for Sunday . . .

2006-05-06T12:25:00.000-06:00

Here is a link to the scriptures for tomorrow (May 7, 2006). If you have time to read these and meditate on them before Sunday, I think you will be blessed.

Business Meeting

2006-04-28T10:30:00.000-06:00

Mark your calendars for Sunday, April 30th. We are having a business meeting at 6:00 pm. If you're here make sure you attend!

He Did What ?!?!

2006-04-17T14:30:00.000-06:00

Easter

John 20:1-18

I had a conversation with a new friend on Monday or Tuesday. I told him how busy Easter week is for me, and then when you throw in completing the income taxes – well, you know . . . Anyway, he asked a question. “Is Easter still that big of a day for you in terms of how many people show up?” We commented about the growth of Christmas services in popularity, and the seeming decline in Easter worship, and I said to him, “Well, Easter is the hard part of the story to believe!!”

For a lot of people, Easter is the hard part – to believe. The story is a simple story – God creates man, man messes up, God needs to redeem man. So God sends God’s Son. The birth part of the story is easily believable. Jesus walks among us – roughly 33 years – teaching us something of what God is like, and then He dies for our sins. That part we can buy – especially the “our sins” part of it. We can believe Jesus came to earth, We have lots of “Jesus” documentation. Nearly everyone believes he was here.

But then Sunday morning rolls around, the stone has been rolled away, and we say to our collective selves, “He did what?!?!?!”

Resurrection. Brought back to life. We have some stories of the sort – even in contemporary life – near death experiences – people trapped under the ice for 30 minutes, not breathing, and then resuscitated – things like that. But after they’ve been dead for three days? This is the stuff of fairy tales and myths!!

From the very first moments it’s been a hard story to believe. The women checked out the tomb early in the morning, and then ran to report the missing body to the disciples. They didn’t believe them. So the boys went running – had to check this one out for themselves. John got there first, and he says that he believed immediately. I wonder. Peter – always in John’s mind the “dense one” – didn’t put it together until sometime later. And what did they do with this miraculous news. They went home. That’s all – they went home.

The authorities had difficulty with the story as well. They concocted a story that put the responsibility on the disciples. They even anticipated such – posting guards at the tomb. They finally said that someone must have stolen the body – dead folk don’t get up and walk out of tombs.

Thomas didn’t believe it at first. I suspect that if the other disciples hadn’t been in the upper room when Jesus first appeared to them all – except Thomas – I suspect they would have had trouble believing it as well. At least Thomas was honest – “I’ll have to see Him for myself – see the wounds – before I’ll believe.” That happened in a few days.

There were more appearance stories. He met with Simon Peter and the boys for breakfast on the seashore. He appeared to a couple walking on the road to Emmaus – they didn’t recognize Him until He broke the bread in front of their eyes. He appeared to the 40 regular followers, and then there are accounts of Him appearing to several others.

Finally, as if to cap off the appearance stories, He meets with them, gives them a commission, and then ascends into the heavens.

It’s a pretty tall story to believe. It is the hard part to believe.

I was watching a documentary on television just yesterday, and some New Testament scholars were commenting about the difficulty of this part of the story. They spoke of all the theories surrounding His body and His disappearance. One professor reminded us that often people conjure appearance of those they have loved and lost to death. Grieving people come up with stories all the time about seeing their loved one standing at the foot of the bed and calling out to them. Usually we chalk those stories up to the dream world.

Then they posed the question, “What if they came up with evidence of a body? What if they found Jesus – now?” They kicked it around for a while, and about half of them indicated that the presence of a body wouldn’t alter their faith.

I want to remind us of something. These people in the story – they were Jews. I’ve known a few Jewish people in my life. When I was a teenager, we lived across the street from Ed and Ruth Shapiro in Pasadena, Texas. They were wonderful neighbors – exceptionally ecumenical – and that’s before I knew what that word meant. We would take them something symbolizing their roots to the Passover, and they would send us Easter baskets. We would take over a Chanukah fruit basket, and they would send over Christmas presents. In other words, we had a mutual respect for the faith tradition of each other.

I took a course during my doctoral work with Dr. Charles Ashby on Biblical Education practices. As a part of our study outside the classroom, we attended the synagogue in Fort Worth one Friday evening. It was an eye-opening experience. One of the things that our professor told us was that most of the Jewish population doesn’t believe in an afterlife. That this is all there is – and that when you die, that’s all. Your legacy was found in your lineage, and the success of your children and grandchildren.

Well, I hadn’t had any personal experience with afterlife beliefs of the Jewish people, so I wasn’t sure that what Dr. Ashby was telling us was really accurate. Always question authority, especially when you’re a doctoral candidate, right? Well, I was back in Houston for a tour of duty in a church on the west side of town, and Mom called with the news that Ruth Shapiro had died. I was visiting Mom and Dad just the next week, and was out in the yard, and I noticed Dr. Ed out tooling around in his yard, and so I went over to express my condolences. I said something like, “Ed, I’m sure sorry about Ruth. We certainly loved her, and she was always to very good to us.” And he said, “Yes, it’s strange. A person’s here, and then they’re gone, and then that’s it.” Dr. Ashby’s words raced back into my mind – “no afterlife.”

When Jesus appeared to His disciples, things changed exponentially for them. Nothingness turned into eternity – with possibilities!! An afterlife – heaven – eternal life!! What a concept. All that they’d known was erased in a moment’s notice. There was something – an existence – after death!!!

Friends, I’ve asked myself this question all week. Does the resurrection matter? Does it matter for our salvation? It’s an important question. Do we have to believe in the resurrection in order to be saved? We tell people all the time, “All you have to do is trust Christ!” And by that, we mean that we must trust the sacrifice of Jesus, His death which paid the price for our redemption, in order to find salvation. But is belief in His resurrection necessary for salvation?

I looked this question up on the internet yesterday. I ran across a chart that lists the beliefs of various Christian denominations on a wide variety of subjects. Catholic, Orthodox, Lutheran, Presbyterian, Anglican, Methodist and Baptist beliefs were listed. When it got this question, do you know what was there? Every denomination listed their beliefs – except the Baptists. I was shocked. We have beliefs on everything. And Baptists are such a diverse group, sometimes we have multiple beliefs.

That being no help, I turned to the two best Baptist theologians I know – W.T. Connor and E.Y. Mullins. They’re the guys we studied in seminary.

Connor said it this way: “In the first place, one needs a clear understanding and a firm grasp on the elemental things in salvation. This is not to say that he needs to be an expert theologian. He does not. Nor is it to say with the Catholic creeds that, if he does not believe certain dogmas, he shall be anathema. But he does need a firm grasp on the fact that Christ has made full provision for our sins and that we are saved by faith in him. There can be no definite assurance of salvation where one does not definitely grasp this fact. Sometimes one may know that he has been changed without having a clear consciousness of salvation, but this clear consciousness of salvation will come when one firmly grasps the fact that it is faith in the crucified and risen Redeemer that saves.”[1]

That helped a little, but Connor sounded a little shaky to me. So I turned to his teacher, E.Y. Mullins. In speaking first of the resurrection of Christ, and then the general resurrection of all believers, Mullins said, “In other words, the resurrection was a religious necessity. God will not forsake his servant, even in death.”[2] That’s a little more blunt. Here’s his point – God accomplishes our salvation. In fact, God’s good name rests on God’s ability to do what God says God will do. God accomplishes our salvation, and God doesn’t do anything part way. So, when God redeems fallen humanity, God redeems us, not just for this life, but for all of eternity.

I’ll say this one other thing about the resurrection in a theological sense. If it isn’t a necessity that we believe in the resurrection in order to experience salvation, then at least, the resurrection, and our hope of eternal life – is the gravy to our redemption. Not only are we saved from our sins – redeemed – but we are saved into eternity.

I said that I’ve been asking this question this past week, but frankly, I’ve asked myself this question for the past year. Ever since Dad died last April, I’ve pined for contact with him. During May and June of last year, there were agonizing moments when I absolutely craved conversation with him. Those days gave way to an occasional need for contact, and finally to the random moments of panic and sadness. But I know something. I’m going to get to talk with my Dad again. Maybe soon, maybe years from now. But I have full assurance that I will see him again, and together we will worship the risen Lord side by side with all those whom I have loved who have gone ahead of me. Full assurance.

It’s a feeling, really. Friday night, when we left this place, we had been reminded of the price paid for our salvation. It was a good feeling, in a strange sort of way, to be reminded that our salvation was purchased – paid for – done and finished. But it was also something of an empty feeling. Then Sunday rolls around, and the stone is rolled away, and the risen Lord stands before us. Now it is finished. Now there’s something to look forward to. Now we have a hope of eternity. In His resurrection, we find the promise of our resurrection.

And that’s the gospel. That’s the good news.

Richard W. Dunn, PhD.

[1] W.T.Connor, Christian Doctrine, 1937, p.221.
[2] E.Y.Mullins, The Christian Religion in its Doctrinal Expression, 1917, p.447

Could we start a discussion . . .

2006-03-07T11:26:00.000-06:00

I have been doing some reading of the blogs of a couple of friends (one of whom is a contributor to this blog) and I would hopefully encourage us to enter into a discussion about the nature of church.

The suspects - my friend Tim Youmans has written an insightful post on his blog, Anabaptist Monk, about a recent visit to a church. I like some of the things he says, especially his five points about the purpose of the church.

Then, our friend, Mike Kear, has been writing about the church on his blog, Imagining the House of God. I have really enjoyed reading his thoughts on this site.

Let's start a discussion!!

Journey to the Cross

2006-03-02T09:10:00.000-06:00

Are you looking for an online devotional to take you through the lenten season? If so I hope you will consider this website in your Journey to the Cross.

Thought for the day

2006-02-27T10:45:00.000-06:00

Speak kind words and you will hear echos.

2006-02-14T20:44:00.001-06:00

LOVE

2006-02-13T14:59:00.000-06:00

With Valentines Day quickly approaching I thought I would remind us what the Bible says about LOVE.

1 Corinthians 13:4-7,13

LOVE is patient, LOVE is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. LOVE does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

And now these three remain: faith, hope and LOVE. But the greatest of these is LOVE.

No that you know what LOVE is, tell everyone you know how much you LOVE them!

P.S. I LOVE YOU!

Three things . . .

2006-01-24T11:05:00.000-06:00

Good Tuesday morning to you. It is a beautiful day in Enid, America.

Three things for your consideration.

1. It is a beautiful day in Enid, America - except we need rain. I have posted a call to prayer on the Sojourning Pilgrim blog site. I hope that you will join me in praying for rain - petitioning God until we receive an answer.

2. Mark your calendars. I know that March 19 is the end of Spring Break, but I am requesting that all of us consider being back in town for that Sunday. I have asked Dr. Presnall Wood to preach for us that Sunday. Dr. Wood was my pastor in Houston during my "youth" years, and I suspect has been the single most influential person when it comes to what I think "ought" to go on in the pulpit each week.

3. Sorry it's later in the week, but I have just posted last Sunday's sermon.

4. I think we need to actively recruit other writers to this "Universe" blog. We have some other fine writers in our church, and I think we need to extend an invitation to them to join our little writing band.

Oh, well . . . that was four things. Long-winded preacher, don't you know.

Another week in review

2006-01-22T07:49:00.000-06:00

2006 just showed up a couple weeks ago and it's already whizzing by. In case you missed a couple of great post here's your chance to catch up!

Starting out at the Cornerstone Pulpit we are asked to look at how we reveal ourselves to others and to ourselves. But then to take things one step further, how does God reveal Godself to us? Here's my favorite line "One of the great mysteries of faith is God’s decision to reveal Godself to us. Were it not for God’s choice in the matter, you and I would know nothing of Almighty God." There's a lot more to that sermon so I urge you to check it out even if you have already heard it.

My second stop this weekend was atMike's Seedbed where earlier in the week he remembered going with his family to an African American church once a month and visiting these friends on the day that Martin Luther King Jr was assassinated and the impact it had on his life. Mike also talks about bosses and jobs that I'm looking forward to reading after I get done with this post.

Richard is excited about having a World Wide Minsitry but wonders why are there no bloggers in Antartica. Richard also has Miscelleneous thoughts on this beautiful Wednesday which are so varied I won't tell you all about them here. Just go check it out!

At Emmaus Theory there's a great link to see if you are Mensa Material. I'll be honest, I only got 15 questions right before I gave up. I guess I'm not a genius, but are you? Go take the test.

Gentle Warrior reminds me of someone I know. See if his post on Constitutional Principles reminds you of someone.

Ok, last but not least is me. This week I blogged about the year I would go back and live if I could, my search for a long lost friend, and my 5 pleasures from the RevGal Friday Five.

So there it is. Pontious is still MIA. Hopefully he will resume blogging again someday. If I've missed something please feel free to tell me about it in the comments or send me an email and I'll update the page.

See ya Sunday!

This Week in Review

2006-01-13T09:34:00.000-06:00

Just in case you missed some of the really good stuff, here is another chance to go read up on what's going on in the lives contributors.

The first Sunday after Epiphany asked the great question Into What Were You Baptized. Later that day Leslee opened up her blog for the really "tough" questions.

J.D. instructed us to pray for rain. We did and we got snow. Though it was short lived it was enjoyed. Sojourning Pilgrim and Leslee both blog about it.

Don't miss out on Mike's funny funny blonde joke! It was the best I've ever heard!

The Tall Doctor needs to be encouraged to write more. You know, in all that spare time he has. I mean, how much WORK can a doctor really have to do?

Have a great weekend and we'll see you on Sunday! Be blessed!

Healing Snow

2006-01-10T02:33:00.000-06:00

Oh Lord! You know just what we need. You always come to our rescue when we need you the most and even when don't realize we need you. You are most powerful and worthy of praise. Thank you, Father, for sending us snow. Our land was thirsty and so were we. Let the snow remind us of the promise you made to us. For Lord, your word says in Isaiah, "Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow." Make us white as snow, Lord. Pure white though our sins have caused us to be scarlet. Thank you for always being there. For protecting us. For rescuing us. For LOVING us!

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Nativity and handbells . . .

2005-12-12T14:51:00.000-06:00

We had a wonderful evening last night.

I was tremendously impressed by the children's Nativity. They did a great job of presenting the gospel story of the birth of Jesus. They were well behaved and right on cue.

Then we came indoors for the handbells. The N.O.R.C.E. handbell choir presented four songs for our pleasure and inspiration. We actually had quite the packed house, with a number of visitors.

My epiphany for the day came from one of the little girls who was in the nativity. As she and I were coming back around from the Youth house to the sanctuary, she kept saying over and over, "My daddy is here tonight!!" Her father has not attended our church before, and you could sense the joy in this little girl's heart that her father showed up, and brought his video camera. I hope she has that joy much more in the coming years.

Epiphany - Pontious Style....

2005-12-11T13:00:00.000-06:00

Friends, this has been one of those days that open you heart and in which you find yourself saying "Christ visited us".

Sunday School was a wonderful experience, we spoke of Mark 2:1-12 and visited the players in the story...the paralytic, his four "cot carriers", the scribes and the crowd. The class would not let me forget that our church has members of each group and that we step up and minister, all in different ways, all playing out the parts of this wonderful story.

It was a good day, before I ever got to the sanctuary.

When you sit on the back row of the choir, and I will remind you that I have the most wonderful seat in the room, singing between two blind men, who lead me to worship on a weekly basis, but the back row does not always allow you to "hear" the music. Rather, you sometimes have to work to hear the message of the music...and it happened today...from the offetory with its hidden lines, to the choir specials...the music touched me and I was primed for the sermon.

So pastor speaks of my old friend John, and his way of telling of one who is coming later...no, I have never been offended by someone sharing their faith walk with me...no matter the content or perspective of that faith walk...and then we read scripure from John, and substituted our own name...powerful perspective changing stuff.

But my epiphany came this year as I sit behind Travis Dunn. My friend Travis has had a life that has been forever changed by a bout of menigitis when he was an infant. In a less "politically correct" time, you would have called Travis "simple". And yet this "simple man" brings me to that place that no other person can. The invitation song was "Redeemed", Travis is singing in front of me at the top of his lungs, almost yelling out the words...it is in that moment that I am overcome with the impact of this song...Redeemed how I love to proclaim it..

You see, the epiphany comes when you least expect it.

It has been a wonderful day already and yet there is still a living nativity and NORCE Bellringing this evening...Christ is with us this day.

Pont

2005-12-08T15:45:00.000-06:00

An Advent Story

2005-12-05T14:52:00.000-06:00

It was the second Sunday of Advent. My boys had been asked to read scripture in the worship service. A common practice at Cornerstone, but still a moment to make a parent proud.

They were reading one after the other and asked if they should go up on stage together. Knowing the dangers of such a combination, I needlessly gave in to my thoughts of how perfect that would be.

The ten year old read first, maintaining composure and concentration. I saw my twelve year-old’s focus shifting from scripture to all the things that can run through a boys mind at such an age. His passage was not too long, but also not too short. As he stepped to the podium, he had what I hoped would be enough composure to make it through. My ten year-old had stepped back and was still on the stage, his composure quickly fading.

The twelve year-old began, but the giggles came. Precariously teetering between childhood and adolescence, he stopped reading. He tried to begin again, but suddenly realized that he had lost his place. All eyes were in his direction. What to do? He laid down his head and hoped the proverbial hole would open in the floor that would swallow him up. The tears of frustration and embarrassment came.

From my pew just a few rows from the stage, I wanted to rush to the front and sweep him up. Rescue him as all moms are prone to do. But I felt God’s Spirit speak to me and say, “Wait. Watch. A life lesson best learned here is about to take place.”

My perfectionist, defeatist preteen was about to learn about failure and unconditional love. The kind of love sent from Heaven to Earth in a manger. The kind of love exhibited by my church family.

Dad came from the choir and put his arm around his son. “Let’s read this together,” he said. But the son was too devastated to continue. The dad read and then the son retreated from the stage to the pew, head buried in his sweater.

As he sat in the pew, still wishing for the hole to appear and planning his retreat to the vehicle immediately following the service, I sat praying and thanking God for my church family. I knew what was going to happen after the benediction.

As soon as the pastor blessed us, I turned my son to me and told him that some people may want to hug him and talk to him and that he needed to stay. He balked at the idea. But I insisted, saying, “You need to let them love on you.”

I no more had finished when he became enveloped in the first hug. With more hugs, tears, encouragement, and other’s own stories of such happenings, our church family loved him back to laughter.

On the second Sunday of Advent we light the candles of hope and peace. On the second Sunday of Advent, my twelve year-old learned these words in a new way.

Cornerstone Family,

This year, the Sarver family is giving you a Christmas story. A story you have helped to write.
Few of you may realize all that truly happened the second Sunday of Advent. You may not realize until you read the story that God was working in miraculous ways in our midst.
Thank you for being Cornerstone.
Thank you for allowing your heart to be His manger.

With love,
The Sarver Family

Spread the news

2005-12-03T16:28:00.000-06:00

We will be having some Sunday evening services this month. Tomorrow (Dec. 4) we will have our "Hanging of the Green" service @ 6:30 pm. We will complete the decoration of the sanctuary, listen to the choir "rehearse" some music for the season, and then eat our heavy hors douvers. Wonderful fellowship - always one of our highlight services of the year.

But we may top it the next week. Sunday the 11th, 6:30 pm, we will have our Children's Nativity, and our special guests, the NORCE handbell choir will perform. I just listened to them, and I'm still dabbing my eyes. What a blessing. NOW is the time to make your plans, and invite friends and neighbors to attend.

No evening service on the 18th.

Christmas eve is Saturday, Dec. 24 - 6:30 pm. This is my favorite service of the year - kinda a family Christmas service. We will sing - A LOT. If you have relatives in town, plan to invite them. We always have a packed house.

Christmas Day is on Sunday this year, and so for that morning, we will not have Sunday School, but will have our regularly scheduled service at 10:15 am. What a glorious day!!

A little busier than usual - but you will find joy as a result of your worship.

Advent Devotional

2005-11-28T13:17:00.000-06:00

Friends,

Over the past several years, I have found this site, produced by Passport camps, to be a wonderful devotional site for Advent. Stop by for a tremendous experience as you prepare for the celebration of our Lord's birth.

Just click the graphic above for a direct link to the site.

Good Sheep!

2005-11-20T13:30:00.000-06:00

Matthew 25: 34-40 from the Message

I was hungry and you fed me,
I was thirsty and you gave me a drink,
I was homeless and you gave me a room,
I was shivering and you gave me clothes,
I was sick and you stopped to visit,
I was in prison and you came to me.

Then those 'sheep' are going to say, 'Master, what are you talking about? When did we ever see you hungry and feed you, thirsty and give you a drink? And when did we ever see you sick or in prison and come to you?' Then the King will say, 'I'm telling you the solemn truth: Whenever you did one of these things to someone overlooked or ignored, that was me- you did it to me.'

If you missed our service today, you missed a great blessing. This scripture means a lot to me and you can go to Fresh-Cut Flowers to read why it means so much to me. To read what pastor had to say you can read his sermon about the little things.

Blessings to you all!

How 'bout some humor

2005-11-09T08:36:00.000-06:00

I got these from a member of Cornerstone today, enjoy.

Q. What do they call pastors in Germany?
A. German Shepherds.

Q. Who was the greatest financier in the Bible?
A. Noah. He was floating his stock while everyone else was in liquidation.

Q. Who was the greatest female financier in the Bible?
A. Pharaoh's daughter She went down to the bank of the Nile and drew out a little prophet.

Q. What kind of motor vehicles are in the Bible?
A. Jehovah drove Adam and Eve out of the Garden in a Fury.
David's Triumph was heard throughout the land.
Also, probably a Honda, because the apostles were all in one Accord.

Q. Who was the greatest comedian in the Bible?
A. Samson. He brought the house down.

Q. What excuse did Adam give to his children as to why he no longer lived in Eden?
A. Your mother ate us out of house and home.

Q. Who is the greatest baby sitter mentioned in the Bible?
A. David. He rocked Goliath to a very deep sleep.

Thanks Faith for helping us smile today!

Visiting preacher . . .

2005-11-03T10:32:00.000-06:00

I'll be out of the pulpit this week, and we have invited the Coordinator for our state CBF organization (Cooperative Baptist Fellowship) to be with us and bring the morning message.

Frank "T" Thomas was CBF's first appointed missionary. He served in Europe, working with the Romany Gypsy people. He is gregarious, to say the least, and you will be encouraged and challenged by him as he speaks. "T." never met a stranger, so step right up and introduce yourself, and extend a warm Cornerstone welcome to him.

I would also encourage you to invite anyone who has questions about CBF. T does a great job of explaining what CBF is all about, and you and I both know there are people out there who have heard nothing but the negative remarks of jealous detractors. So, invite a friend, and let's have a full house.

I'll think fondly of you from my deer stand in Texas.

Already looking toward Sunday

2005-10-26T08:04:00.000-06:00

This sermon comes from Matthew 23:1-12, and I have titled my message "Jesus' Favorite Sermon." It's not as interesting as the title I started to use, but friends talked me down from the ledge.

Looking forward to a great Sunday. Is it time change Sunday??

Jeremiah 29:11

2005-10-24T09:03:00.000-06:00

For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

Tomorrow at Cornerstone . . .

2005-10-22T14:18:00.001-06:00

Tomorrow, our scripture lesson takes us to Matthew 22:34-46, where Jesus is once and finally confronted by the religious leaders of that day. They ask Him which is the greatest of the commandments, and His reply is, well . . . worthy of your attendance to find out.

May God be honored, pleased and surprized with our worship, and may we be awed by His presence.

Halloween

2005-10-20T20:12:00.000-06:00

Ok, I know there are people out there that don't celebrate Halloween because it's an evil holiday and for those people, I say :-p "ptttttttthhhhhhhh! WHATEVER!"

Growing up Halloween was so fun. When else did you get to get all dressed up, have a party at school, and get so much candy your teeth hurt until Christmas! Some of my favorite costumes I remember were the clown, witches, oh then I was a punk-rocker--where I wore my mom's really really blue eyeshadow and red lipstick and my hair in a pony tail on the side of my head! Then towards the end of my dressing up years I started dressing up as the grim reaper. I made my own costume out of my older-taller brother's graduation robe (black of course) and I had a short black slip that had a slit in it so I wore this over my head and tucked it into the graduation robe. I pulled my long hair back into a pony tail so no one could see it. I painted my face white and outlined my lips and eyes in black eyeliner. I was around 16 or so at the time so I handed out candy dressed like this. It was so fun!

What are your favorite halloween memories?

What Patter Is Your Brain... Yes, another quiz

2005-10-18T16:20:00.000-06:00

Your Brain's Pattern

You have a dreamy mind, full of fancy and fantasy.You have the ability to stay forever entertained with your thoughts.People may say you're hard to read, but that's because you're so internally focused.But when you do share what you're thinking, people are impressed with your imagination.

What Pattern Is Your Brain?

An Iconic Sermon . . .

2005-10-15T19:35:00.000-06:00

Tomorrow we look at the confrontation Jesus had with the Pharisees (yes, another confrontation) regarding the paying of taxes to Caesar. Sermon title is "Whose Icon is Coined on Your Heart?"

I have to admit - after a realitively tough week, I'm looking forward to spending time with my church family tomorrow. May God be glorified in all that we do in His presence and the presence of one another this Lord's Day.

Worrying about my clothes...

2005-10-09T15:11:00.000-06:00

As I listened to the scripture from Matthew being read this morning before the sermon, I leaned over to Mr. Haney who sits by my left hand side (there must be some symbolism there somewhere...) and said "this is bound to be an interesting sermon..."

The wedding feast to which no one would come, so the king sends the servants out into the highways and byways to bring in the HIV infected drug user, his prostitute friends and those folks who get most of their meals down at "Our Daily Bread". My minds eye went beyond the sight to behold to the smell... and all of this is swirling around a wedding feast.

Surely Lord, you would not want me to set foot in this place, with "these" people, drinking up the wine and all of the trimmings...surely not.

I was getting a bit anxious about this parable, then I found my comfort. There was justice, they found the guy that had not "appropriately" dressed for the festivities and he was cast out into the darkness...finally some good old fashion "living up to the rules"...and then Dr. Dunn's words caused my heart to quicken, it was the attitude that this man brought with him, off of the street into the wedding feast...that caused his ejection from the party...

Still playing with this a bit in my head, as someone reminded me that this was one of Christ's common themes...the religious man prays "thank you father that I am not like this publican" while the publican prays "father I am a sinner and not worthy"...

It is becoming much more clear to me about how I must be dressed when I come to the wedding feast.

You know I love quizes...

2005-10-08T04:01:00.000-06:00

You are Woodstock!

Which Peanuts Character are You?
brought to you by Quizilla

Time for another quiz

2005-10-04T20:48:00.000-06:00

You Are Changing Leaves

Pretty, but soon dead.

What Part of Fall Are You?

Vaya con Dios

2005-10-03T15:06:00.000-06:00

"Vaya con Dios" a phrase I haven't used in a long time came to my mouth today and I spoke it. It means "Go with God." A beautiful blessing, isn't it? But I think we leave something out when we say "vaya." Vaya is singular. YOU go with God. I think I will try to say "Vayamos con Dios" which means, Let US go with God. That doesn't mean we have to go in the same direction. No, God can be in lots of places with lots of people.

So to my amigos and amigios I don't know yet, Vayamos con Dios!

Looking forward to Sunday - Already

2005-09-27T14:50:00.001-06:00

I ran across some cute marquee quips a few months ago. I probably ought to put one out there this week. It said, "Good week to visit - pastor on vacation." The second week it read, "Shhhh - he's back!!"

Well, you good folks are in for a real treat this weekend. I will be out of town on vacation, and my good friend Mike Bumgarner will be preaching for us. He is thrilled at the opportunity, and expressed great thanksgiving for our invitation. He agreed to preach from the lectionary texts, and has already called me with his sermon title - are you ready for this - "The Hazards of a Rented Faith." Don't you love it? I will be torn on Sunday morning - good to be away, but wishing I were there to hear this message.

BTW - if it seems that I'm away a lot in the fall, that's only because that is actually the case. I rarely take any vacation in the spring or summer, and reserved it for the fall - time to harvest deer, hogs, and turkey. I certainly enjoy and appreciate the time away.

Pray for the services for Sunday, and pray for Mike Bumgarner. You'll love him.

I need your help

2005-09-26T08:09:00.000-06:00

I'm not afraid to ask for help when I do not understand something. And since you guys are best thinkers I know I'm sure you can help.

Question: What is perseverance?

Romans 5:3-5 NIV says "Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us."

When I looked the word up in the dictionary it said: The steady persistence in adhering to a course of action, a belief, or a purpose; steadfastness.

When I subistitute this diffination in the sentence the words make sense, but the meaning still doesn't quite. "...because we know that suffering produces a stead persistence in adhearing to a purpose(or belief)..."

So help me out, what does this mean?!?!?

Talking about the Two Sons...

2005-09-25T11:07:00.000-06:00

The sermon hit me between the eyes...again. Which of the two sons did the fathers will...Matthew 21 has a series of lessons that one could spend months trying to understand the personal application, but the two sons hits really close to home for me.

Saying one thing and doing another is not the problem. Having an attitude of questioning and challenging authority is not really the problem. When Christ "peels this onion" for us, the issue is obedience.

I get it now.

Pastor, thanks for a thoughtful sermon...it hit me where I needed to be hit.

Pont

Looking ahead to Sunday

2005-09-22T09:11:00.000-06:00

Hey, this is something I can do for us all each week - sermon preview. This is not to be construed as opportunity to decide if folks actually want to attend, or not. Rather, this is opportunity to start taking a look at the text, and formulating questions in your mind that the sermon may or may not speak to.

So, this week. Texts for the morning are Matthew 21:23-32 and Philippians 2:1-13. The Matthew text is the story of the father who asked both sons to go work in the vineyard, and one said "yes" but didn't go, and the other said "no" but relented and went anyway. Jesus had been asked about authority, and He responded with a statement on obedience. Hmmmm. The Philippians text is that wonderful hymn of the early church about the ministry of Christ to our salvation, and God's subsequent elevation of Him in every way.

Invite a friend, bring a neighbor. Let's have a full house.

This thing called Grace

2005-09-22T08:29:00.000-06:00

Over the last few weeks we have been studing Phillipians 1 on Wednesday nights. One thing that was pointed out to us that Paul's greeting is almost always "Grace and peace..." Roman 1:7, 1 Corinthians 1:3, 2 Corinthians 1:2, Galatians 1:3, Ephesians 1:2, Phillippians 1:2, Colossians 1:2, 1 Thessalonians 1:1, 2 Thessalonians 1:2, in 1 and 2 Timothy he adds mercy, but is back to just Grace and Peace in Titus and Philemon. Even Peter gets in on the grace and peace movement in 1 & 2 Peter. There are probably more, but I think I've made a point.

So, what is this thing called Grace and why does it always does it always come before peace?

Ok, don't tell anyone, but I cheat sometimes. When other people are looking for a big heavy book to look up words I go to the online Dictionary. I looked up grace and was shocked to see 9 entries! The one that caught my eye was number 8 though.

a. Divine love and protection bestowed freely on people.

So, does that mean when Paul says "Grace and peace" we can subsitute grace for "Divine love and protection"? I like that.

Grace and peace to you today!

What a great idea . . .

2005-09-21T15:04:00.000-06:00

Mike Kear stopped by my office to suggest this blog, and I think it's a great idea. Frankly, it was Mike that first gave me impetus to my own blog, but I like the idea that we are creating a place in cyberspace for a community conversation flowing out of Cornerstone.

I am the pastor - well, at least the paid pastor. We kind of pastor one another. We've been in existence as a church for seven years now, and I have been privileged to be with this group from day one. Many years ago, when I was doing associate work in other churches, I asked God to give me a church to pastor. I consider Cornerstone God's gift to me. I've had opportunity to go elsewhere, but it never seemed right. This is home, and these people are the people of God.

So, another avenue for ministry and conversation. May God be honored.

Richard Dunn (Sojourning Pilgrim)

In the Beginning

2005-09-21T12:31:00.000-06:00

Laughing Out Loud! I love it! A blog for my church. How fun is this going to be! Ok, I've been asked to say a few things about myself and church.

Hmm... what do I want John Q. Pubic to know... tough question.

Ok, I'll be honest. I'm insane. Not the "I'm wearing a pretty white jacket backwards" kind of insane. No, the "I'm always smiling because I'm so happy" kind of insane. Humor is my middle name. I've been going to Cornerstone for right at 6 years now. Being a part of Cornerstone has been a great impact on my life. The people have always been understanding and they don't carry rocks around looking for someone to stone. My favorite things about Cornerstone are of course the preaching (thanks Richard), and my Sunday School class rocks! We get to ask those questions that everyone silently wonders but never has the nerve to ask for fear of how it will be responded to (did I mention NO one carries rocks?). Wednesday is my favorite day of the work week because I get to go to choir practice. There's a baker's dozen (that's 13 if you didn't know) voices and an angel visiting Earth playing the piano. We have so much fun during the short hour we're together. We even manage to practice a few songs (thanks again Richard). Well, I could go on and on but will let the others intoduce themselves and tell why they attend Cornerstone.