OCTOBER 2021
SAVE THE DATE
PASTOR APPRECIATION MONTH
10.11 | COLUMBUS DAY
PRAYER CORNER
Please join us in praying for the remainder of hurricane season, that we make it another year without major storms. Please pray for those who do not know Christ. It is our hope that those who are blinded in darkness would come to see and know the Lord. That hearts would be changed and long to follow Jesus. Pray for those who struggle with the anxiety that comes along with all the unknowns of life. May we all trust the Lord and His plan for each one of our lives. Finally, pray for our pastors. The Scripture encourages us to care for our pastors as they care for us. Let’s lift them up in prayer.
CONTINUING TO CONTINUE
By Bill Powell
Being a part of the Cornerstone ministry for 23 years, I have seen the hand of God on this place many times- irrefutable evidence! This past fundraiser was one of those times. Ok, you’re doing your phone fundraiser. What is one of the worst things that could happen? How about all your phones going out the last day when you are starting a $5000 match? Our phone provider which is a worldwide provider was hacked with ransomware. They wanted 4 million dollars. Needless to say, they didn’t pay, and the hackers shut them down. (For your info we have backups of our backups off-site. We would never give in to hackers.) What a world we live in.
In steps the Lord. Our provider had a backup provider and was able to get us a temporary line. Getting a line that quickly was a miracle. With efficient and skilled phone operators, we had a great day. This was the worst problem ever during a fundraiser, and yet it became the best fall fundraiser we ever had. Thank you for your patience and generosity. Let’s pray this lighthouse continues to shine bright in the darkness. We finished at $40,000. And our goal was $50,000 but over the next several months as in the past the balance will come in.
I thought I would share my thought process when faced with difficult situations. Our theme is, “Continue to Keep the Faith”. When we discovered the phones were out and were faced with, “What are we going to do?” this is how I reason. Is there a God? Of course, there is. I have witnessed and determined that many times over. Is this His ministry? Of course, it is. I know that; He knows that, and He knows I know that. Have I done all that I could do? Carefully and diligently, yes. Is He sovereign? Absolutely. He is omniscient. Does He love me and know my plight? Again, He is omniscient. With that being said, we are to have faith. Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of the unseen.
(2Co 12:10 NASB) Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.
(1Pe 5:7 NASB) Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.
(Php 4:11 NASB) Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.
(Psa 27:14 NASB) Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.
When I have done all that I can do, I trust in the Lord. And with that I have great peace. Remember, without faith, it is impossible to please God.
(Heb 11:6 NASB) But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
ARE YOU A COMFORTER?
By Chris Johnson
2 Cor. 1:3-4 - Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. (ESV)
I’m always overwhelmed with the goodness of the Lord which Paul so vividly portrays in this passage of Scripture. He worships the Lord and welcomes his readers to do the same as he describes God as being the “father of mercies and the God of all comfort.” We are a people in need of comfort, and we have received that in abundance from the Lord. Each day we are faced with ample opportunity to worry and fret about the days and times we’re living in. Fears and concerns abound, yet we can take courage in the God who is our rock, and refuge, our strength, and our peace. Indeed, He is the God of all comfort, and we praise Him with shouts of joy and thanksgiving. However, Paul doesn’t leave us to only be the recipients of comfort but shepherds our souls to be mindful that we are in turn to comfort others in their afflictions as well. The beauty of this call is that we are not responsible to comfort from our own personal supply but out of the abundant supply of God’s comfort with which he comforts us. This reality changes the way we think and the way we act because we realize that it’s by God’s power and for His glory that we come alongside others and encourage them in their walk of faith. Do you know the comfort of God? Do you comfort others from that same deep well of God’s comfort?
HOW TO HIGHLY ESTEEM
By Denisha Stearns
The young man stood up at the wedding reception of his older brother to give the “best man” speech. He shook a bit as he took the mic in one hand and held in the other what he had penned beforehand. Yes, he was nervous, he explained, but even more than the average best man because of his autism and high anxiety. As I watched this video in my social media feed, I didn’t know what to expect next. Fumbling? Faux pas? Then, the young man began to share with such confidence and clarity (and a bit of humor) how his brother had always protected him, supported him, loved him. When he finally sat down, it seemed the married brother could not be more highly esteemed. The young man’s words were a gracious witness of his love for his brother.
It was a rich and humbling lesson for me on how to highly esteem people. October has traditionally been known as Pastor Appreciation Month, and I am challenged to write a highly esteeming letter to my pastor with just half as much regard. So, I’m asking myself: How diligently do my pastors prepare for and deliver their weekly sermons and lessons? How have they kept their lives free from sin and walk in integrity? How do they pursue the things of God? Encourage others? Help hurting people? And pray to the Lord on behalf of others?
Words come more easily for some people than for others. The young man in the video considered expressing himself to be extremely difficult. But there are many people in our lives for whom praise is well deserved. Who are worth our facing our limitations and letting graceful speech abound. May these be our pastors!
We ask you, brothers, to respect those who labor among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish you, and to esteem them very highly in love because of their work. 1 Thes 5:12,13
LOSE THE FIGHT, WIN THE WAR
By Christina Hutchinson
When you look into the darkness of our society, it can be hard to see any glimmer of light at all. But what we feel and what we know are two entirely different things when we talk about Spiritual Warfare. What we feel is that our society is driving out Christianity and Christian values from every inch of the planet. Well, they can sure try. What we feel is that our light is dimming in this already dark world. What we feel is that there is no hope for a culture that spits in the face of Christ, murders the unborn, and sets themselves on a pedestal begging to be worshipped. It feels like we're losing a fight.
We know that the darker the world gets, the brighter our light shines. "You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden." Matthew 5:14
We know that there is hope for anyone who is alive and breathing to come to Christ and be changed. They only need to repent and believe in Jesus, salvation is found in none other.
And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved. Acts 4:12
Yes, it feels like we are losing a fight as the world is spiraling out of control. But we will win the war because Christ already has. Nothing is out of His control. We know how the story ends because it is already written in His Word! Keep the faith, persevere, and be ready to give an answer for the hope that is in you! Jesus is coming soon and when He returns the war will be won.
Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him, and all tribes of the earth will wail on account of him. Even so. Amen. Revelation 1:7 ESV
