Dare to Connect and Commit

God wired us to connect with God, ourselves and others. When we do, amazing benefits come. And when we're disconnected, we suffer the consequences thereof. Whether you need to work on your connection with God, yourself, or others, your life will be enhanced if you step out in faith and dare to connect.

Sunday mornings at 10:45am is the best time to work on these connections. Yet often we walk out of church feeling as disconnected as when we walked in. We've got to change that Cornerstone! We may have been let down or hurt in the past but we cannot let that keep us from trying again. It's that important to our spiritual growth and development.

Romans 12:4-5 (Message) "We are like the various parts of a human body. Each part gets its meaning from Christ's Body as a whole, not the other way around. Each of us finds our meaning and function as a part of Christ's Body. But as a chopped-off finger or cut-off toe we wouldn't amount to much, would we?" Now that's an image to consider! 

If you've been cut-off for whatever reason, I have good news for you! Jesus, the Great Physician is ready, willing and able to stitch you up and reattach you as soon as you dare to connect and commit to taking your place. Cornerstone is not complete without you and you are not complete without Cornerstone!! Together we can experience great joy and accomplish so much more. Please join us.

Rev Sandy, Pastor

Dare to Give Your Best

Taking the lead from scripture, I want to give you something to think about and pray to understand this week. The text comes from 2 Timothy 2:3-7, "Endure hardship with us like a good SOLDIER of Jesus Christ. No one serving as a soldier gets tied up in civilian affairs-but wants to please their commanding officer. Similarly, if anyone competes as an ATHLETE, they do not receive the victor's crown unless they compete according to the rules. And the hardworking FARMER should be the first to receive a share of the crops. Think about these three illustrations, and the Lord will help you understand how they apply to you."

Spend some time meditating on this text and ask the Holy Spirit to help you understand how it applies to you. Then join us Sunday as we dig deeper to learn lessons from soldiers, athletes and the farmer - lessons that will help us dare to give our best to God. There is good, better, and best. God deserves our best and as we give it, miracles happen in our lives, our church, and our world. I hope to see you at 10:45am Sunday.

Rev Sandy, Pastor

Daring to Imagine

It's not often that one hears the word "imagination" in connection to spiritual matters. That's unfortunate because it is so important when it comes to developing Daring Faith. The challenge is that our imagination decreases as we age. When we're children we have wild imaginations. And often the adults in our lives tell us how unrealistic we are. But God gave us our imagination for a reason and it's time for us to reclaim it!

Join us Sunday as we look at what destroys imagination, why we are afraid to imagine, and how we can recapture this God-given gift. If you want to know your God-given life dream, you need to spark your imagination. It's part of knowing the truth and being set free to be who God created you to be.

I'll leave you with a prayer from the first chapter of Ephesians, "May God enlighten the eyes of your mind so that you can see the hope that God's calling holds for you." I hope to see you Sunday, in person or on the Internet.

Rev Sandy, Pastor

Daring to Believe

If we surveyed our congregation on Sunday morning, almost everyone would say they're a believer. And on one level that would be correct. Most people attending church believe that Jesus is the Son of God. That's great! But that is just the beginning. Many believer's never venture beyond this intellectual knowing that Jesus is who He claimed to be.

But there is so much more than head knowledge. The next step is heart commitment. If you research the Greek word interpreted "belief" it is "pisteuo" which means to trust in, to cling to, to rely on, to adhere to, or to commit to. So step one is to know in your head that Jesus is Lord of all, step two is to commit to making Jesus Lord of your life.

Last week I spoke of how seeing life with eyes of faith opens the door to miracles. The greatest miracle of all is salvation. Have you fully received that miracle or have you stopped with just a head knowledge of your Savior? Have you committed parts of your life to Christ but have other parts you still try to hold onto and control? Unless you are completely committed to making Jesus Lord of all in your life, you have room to grow.

Join us Sunday as we exam what it means to experience the full miracle of salvation. Come and be challenged to take the next step on your journey to Daring Belief in which you not only know but fully commits to God's plan of salvation for your life. It's about more than where we spend eternity, it's about enjoying abundant life right here and now. Don't settle for less than God's best for you.

Rev Sandy, Pastor

Living by Faith

My great grandfather used to sing a song titled "Living by Faith". As I was singing it the other day I was reminded of just how much of my theology comes from the songs I learned as a child. It made me stop and give thanks for my ancestors and the foundation of faith they passed down to me. If there is one thing I am good at, it's that I have learned to live by faith. I want to pass that foundation on to you as well.

Over the next six weeks we will be sharing in a new sermon series called "Daring Faith". This Sunday we will begin by looking at what faith is (and is not), and what happens when you live a life of faith. I want to encourage you to make attending church a priority over the next six weeks. If you do so, I believe your faith will be greater and stronger than ever before.

To help in this time of stretching and growing your faith, we are offering a six week small group experience. Groups are meeting in Mobile and we even have one in Mississippi and Pensacola for those who commute to Cornerstone. If you haven't signed up for a group please do so this Sunday as they will begin meeting next week.

I will be returning from vacation and look forward to seeing everyone on Sunday. It's great to get away, but it's even greater to return home. Thanks to everyone who has been covering for me, especially our Student Clergy, Lisa Kelson and Sara Sills. Cornerstone is so blessed! Come and rejoice with us Sunday at 10:45am. Invite someone to join you at church and in your small group. It could be one of the greatest things you do for them.

Rev Sandy, Pastor