Of Promise & Prophets
Sin ruined everything. With one bite—one choice—it separated us from God, setting mankind on a path towards dysfunction and death. The days turned dark and evil...and the days turned into months, then years, then centuries. The glorious plan of a loving, faithful relationship between God and man seemed to be nothing more than a long, forgotten memory. Yet in the midst of the silence sin created, prophetic voices called out with a promise of hope. A hope that God hadn’t forgotten his people, and that He was crafting a bold, beautiful rescue operation to save the world from its sin. And the truly amazing thing? The same voices of hope beckon to us today—that no matter our sin, no matter our rebellion—we too can experience deliverance.
The Upside Of Down
Polls have shown time and time again that the fear of failure is one of the most common and crippling threats we face. And we do face it...all of us. We’ve all encountered failure before, whether personally or professionally. Ways that we’ve not quite lived up to our expectations. Ways that we we’ve let ourselves down...or let God down. Failure is an awful feeling—but it doesn’t have to be. God wants us to see the truth, that there is an upside to every down. For every cross, there’s an empty grave! We don’t have to fear failure. We can embrace it. So the question is: “Will we choose to see that truth and allow it to reinvent the way we see failure?”
How To (Still) Survive A Horror Movie
Randy Meeks, the horror film fanatic from the movie Scream, declared that “The horror genre was destroyed by sequels.” And while he may have a point (we’re looking at you, Friday the 13th: Jason Takes Manhattan), we beg to differ! Because sometimes a horror movie sequel breaks new territory, pushes its story into uncharted places, and, on rare occasions, is superior to the original. And that’s why this #SpookySZN, we’re creeping into our own scary sequel; once again learning what to do when we find out the movie of our life has become a horror flick. So grab some popcorn, turn off all the lights, and join us as we find out how following Jesus can help us survive the deadly mistakes and wrong turns that have taken the lives of so many others.
The Prison of Comparison
It’s shocking how often our suffering is self-inflicted. In fact, sometimes the worst thing the Devil does is wake us up - then we take it from there! And in our day and age, there’s one specific way we shoot ourselves in the foot time and time again: Comparison. We live online, sharing the highlights (and lowlights) of our lives. We’re more aware than ever who our literal and metaphorical neighbors are, what they have, and exactly how we fall short or outshine them. Comparison may seem harmless, but it’s a serious threat. It’s a prison that will rob us of the life we were made to live. So it’s time for a jail break! It’s time to get freedom from Comparison’s toxic mindset! It’s time to start seeing ourselves and others as Jesus intended!
Silent Symphony: When God Goes Quiet
The Book of Esther is one of only two works in Scripture that never mentions God. In fact, there doesn’t appear to be a single recorded miracle in the book—no moment where God steps into the narrative to save the day. That makes Esther one of the most relatable books in the biblical canon. Chances are, you’ve had moments in your life when God seemed to disappear from your story—and just when you need him the most. But just as Esther discovered, God’s sovereignty doesn’t take a single day off of work. And in the midst of the supposed silence, God is conducting a symphony in your life. All you have to do? Trust Him.
Under New Management
For many, Christianity is an exercise in behavior modification. God gives us a list of “To Dos” and “To Don’ts”, and it’s our job to do and don’t them as best we can—right? Wrong! Actually, being a follower of Jesus isn’t about a change in behavior…it’s about a change in identity! Christians are people under new management. We’re not who we used to be. So why do so many of us struggle with our new identity? Why is it hard to believe God when He says we’re loved, chosen, and blameless? It’s time to address the gap between who we think we are and who God says we are, and see what it really means to be under new management.
Hack The Wayback
The Wayback Machine is an online digital library, holding over 580 billion web pages. It works by storing original source code so that previous versions of web pages are accessible—even if the page no longer exists. Did you know the Enemy has crafted his own Wayback Machine? Your past—regrets, sins, mistakes—are all archived, and He is working at a feverish pace to make sure you visit them again and again. But through the Holy Spirit, we have a way out. We can Hack the Wayback, turning the Enemy’s greatest weapon against him.
eMOODjis
Emojis have changed communication. With a single keystroke, we can boil down complex emotions or moods to one digital image. All too often we repeat this oversimplification in life outside our phones as well. Analyzing and articulating my emotions? Hard work! Letting my moods dictate my day? Easy! But the truth is, life according to “eMOODjis” comes at a cost. Your life will turn into a rollercoaster ride, making you a hostage to fleeting feelings. That’s no way to live. And luckily, we don’t have to. God has given you the ability to control your “eMOODjis” before they take control of you. It’s work, but it’s worth it!
The 3MPH God in a 65MPH World
In our nonstop world, efficiency and production are king. This Kingdom of Production has creeds and statements of belief like, "I'll sleep when I'm dead!”, "Go hard or go home!" and "Good things happen to those who hustle!" But in the Kingdom of God, King Jesus invites us to step away from this lie that can't deliver and step into a new way of being—Sabbath rest.
Start The Scroll
You know the best way to get to know someone? By spending time with them. And if there’s anyone that we should want to get to know better, it’s God. The good news? We can! God has revealed himself through the gift, His inspired word, the Bible. And as we read, study, and meditate on the inspired Word of God in print, we find ourselves getting to know the life-giving power of the Word of God in person—Jesus Christ—even better.
Stop The Scroll
75 feet. That’s the distance the average person scrolls on their phone every single day. The biggest chunk of the 75-foot scroll? Distractions. Scrolling through Instagram, checking Facebook, seeing what’s trending on Twitter or TikTok...we kill time with every swipe. And the longer we scroll, the more disconnected we get—from reality, relationships, and God’s purpose for our lives. Let’s stop the scroll, put distractions in their place, and fight for our attention.
Follow Your Heart and Other Awful Advice
“Some things are better left unsaid.” Have you ever heard that piece of advice? It’s a good one. Especially when it’s applied to other bits of advice we often hear. Phrases like “Follow your heart!” or “Speak your truth!” sound helpful on the surface. But when you actually apply this awful advice in your life, you’ll see the results are not what you hoped they’d be. The good news is, there’s a better way to a better life—far better than living by one-sentence slogans that don’t actually work. Behind every piece of awful advice we can find a timeless truth from God that, when lived out in practice, will change our lives for the better.
613 Ghosts
Brace yourself for an unsettling, terrifying truth: You’re being haunted. I know. You’ve never seen a ghost, and you aren’t even sure they exist. But they do. In fact, you’re being followed by 613 ghosts at this very moment. Don’t be scared! You’re in good company. In fact, every Christian who has ever lived—including Jesus’ disciples—has been haunted by these same 613 specters. Who are they? What do they want with us? Why do they single out Christians to haunt? And how can we deal with them so we don’t have to be haunted anymore?
Here & Now
“The best is yet to come!” This statement has often been a popular rallying cry, especially for the Church. It’s a declaration rooted in the belief that God has great things in store for his people just beyond the horizon. And it’s a sentiment we’ve shared and stated here at Cornerstone...but, not anymore. Of course, we still believe the future is bright. But who has time for what’s to come when we’re too busy being blessed by what is? You see, the best isn’t “yet to come”—it’s here and now! God is on the move, and he is doing a new thing NOW, in the midst of our present circumstances. Instead of focusing on the future, we’re determined to follow God’s lead, right here and right now.
This is how we change the world
Nothing worthwhile happens by accident—especially the most worthwhile thing: Helping people find the Father, a family, and a fulfilling future. Living each day with Kingdom-minded purpose takes intention and dedication. We must be clear about who we are and what we value if we wish to change the world. At Cornerstone, we know who we are. We rally behind our core values that give us clarity, purpose, and an identity. This is how we change the world.
Looking for an older message? You can find it by searching for it below or you can browse all of our archive posts here.