The Pastor Post is a bi-monthly update from Pastor Matt with a brief meditation as well as information on upcoming events in the life of Cornerstone Church.
October 25, 2012
Dear Church Family,
I’m regularly reminded of the joy it is to serve as your pastor. You are dear people. Thank you for your love, prayers, and support both personally and corporately as we seek to know Christ and make Him known.
I’ve been meditating on two passages lately.
(1) NIV John 12:24 Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. I know that as a church and as individuals we desire to see the kingdom advance. Jesus says the way the kingdom advances is through death. We die to our selfish desires. We die to our fleshly pursuits. We give up our time, talent, and treasure. Just as the Son of Man gave his life away, we too are inivited to give our lives away so that there will be a great harvest.
(2) NIV Matthew 23:23 Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices–mint, dill and cumin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law–justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former. God’s heart is for justice, mercy, and faithfulness. Certainly, we are called to tithe, but we can do such things and not have love (as 1 Cor. 13 tells us and the end result is nothing). My invitation and challenge to you is to make sure your personal spiritual growth is dedicated to developing justice, mercy, and faithfulness. May the mark of our lives be love, not Bible knowledge or outward religious performance. Let’s be Micah 6:8 people: “He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God” (NIV).
A Few Announcements:
A thank you! We recently received this message from Sam Henson’s mom, Molly and the rest of the family: “Dear Cornerstone, Thank you so much for the beautiful flowers and plant that you sent in honor of our Bob, also known as Whitefield. Thanks also, for your prayers and the love you have shown to Sam these past years.”
Spiritual Life Retreat: Please pray for the 15 people involved in the Fall 2012 Spiritual Life Retreat this Friday and Saturday. Pray for them and for their families in their absence. Pray for our speaker and worship leader. Pray for spiritual rest and growth. Pray this retreat would be bring blessings for our whole body.
Sunday November 4 Annual Business Meeting: At Lowe Park 12:00 Pot Blessing followed by annual business meeting at 1:00. Bring a main dish to share, and a salad or dessert. Utensils and drinks will be provided
Cornerstone Apparel: We will be taking orders for Cornerstone t-shirts and polo shirts beginning this Sunday October 28 and November 4. More information and sign-ups will be in the lobby before and after church those Sundays.
Operation Christmas Child Boxes – How to get started: 1. Stop by the table in the lobby, sign up and get a plastic shoe box. 2. Decide whether your box will be for a boy or girl and what age range. 3. Fill it with gifts. Gift suggestions are listed in the brochure. 4. Include a $7 donation to cover shipping. 5. Bring it back to church by November 11th.
