A Great Weekend!

Had a great weekend....took Lori and some of our youth to Leadapalooza on Saturday. That is a youth leadership training event. We had a great time and learned a lot of cool schtuff and...



WE WON THE MINISTY MAKEOVER PACKAGE GRAND PRIZE!!!! Victoria had the winning number...we are calling her VictoriaS...because she is. We are so psyched...now we are finalizing our name choice and we'll start working on our logo to launch our website and that. Coolio indeed!



Also, Cornerstone hosted a "Professional Minister's Appreciate Luncheon" for our staff yesterday after our worship service. It was wonderful and a great time. I am so pleased to be able to live out my calling among some fantastic people. Cornerstone...YOU ROCK!!!

Perspective....

Man, Was I Thirsty!!!

So I cancelled my appointments today and spent the day at the park with God. Here is what He said to me:

"Come, all you who are thirsty,come to the waters;and you who have no money,come, buy and eat!Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost. 2 Why spend money on what is not bread,and your labor on what does not satisfy?Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good,and your soul will delight in the richest of fare. 3 Give ear and come to me;hear me, that your soul may live.I will make an everlasting covenant with you,my faithful love promised to David. 4 See, I have made him a witness to the peoples,a leader and commander of the peoples. 5 Surely you will summon nations you know not,and nations that do not know you will hasten to you,because of the LORD your God,the Holy One of Israel,for he has endowed you with splendor." (Isaiah 55:1-5)

Thanks Lord....I really needed that. I'm claiming those promises, and thanks for prompting me to spend the day with you....

What a God Send!

Some words from the recent edition of Discipleship Journal:

"Given the choice, would you rather read a book or ride a bike? Ponder theological concepts or prepare a meal for a sick neighbor? Keep a journal or talk with a friend about your spiritual journey? Jot down musings about a Bible passage or debate an issue? Guess what - most material on spending time with God is written by people who would choose the first option in each question..."

So the article goes on to talk about how to enjoy the presence of God and allow Him to enjoy you in ways that are not so passive and sedentary. Praise the Lord...finally some resources for the more tactile learners of the world!

So, fellow kinesthesians, how do you experience the presence of God in active, experiential ways?

15 Years Ago Today...

...Carla and I were married. After she gets home from school, we are going to spend the rest of the day together. She is my best friend, my closest companion, a true encouragement, and a wonderful Christian example. She is more beautiful than ever, wittier than ever, and more in her element as a student nurse than I have ever seen. She is a constant source of joy in my life and the greatest gift God has given me apart from His Son. I thank the Lord for her, for our relationship, and for every day that we get to enjoy one another.

Jesus' Method of Discipleship

This list is from Mike Yaconelli, who summarized Jesus' methods of discipling people like this:

Hang out with the disciples…
Let them see you at your best and your worst…
Teach truths that none of your disciples can grasp at the moment…
Avoid crowds…
Go slowly…
Spend hours in solitude…
Don’t worry about opposition…
Ignore criticism…
Don’t expect immediate results…

Whaddya think?

For the Birds!

On Saturday, Carla and I spent the day together...what a blast. We went to the National Aviary on the North Side of Pittsburgh. What a cool city in which to live. We had so much fun learning about different birds and observing them. God is amazing and His creation testifies to His goodness and love at every 'tern'...get it? Tern...turn? Nevermind...

Anywho, we had a blast together. I thank God for my wonderful wife, for days off, and for a God who is worthy of all of our praise, as well as the praise of His creation....

He Who Is Not With Me...

Jesus said "He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me scatters." (Matthew 12:30) An interesting statement, to be sure. What does He mean?

Well last night Carla and I attended the Bishop's Night on the District gathering at St. Paul's United Methodist Church in Allison Park. He had a very inspiring message about life and how to choose it for our churches. This verse came to mind as he was speaking, because I believe this is what Jesus was saying to His disciples in the first place.

We must choose to follow Jesus, which according to Him in this statement is simply being "with" Him. If we are not, then we have chosen, without even choosing, not to be with Him. As the Lord tells us in 1 John 5:12 "He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life." Choosing to be with Jesus is a choice for life, and all that it can be. Not being with Jesus is a choice to die...in every sense of the word.

For the people called Cornerstone, as much impact as my leadership can have, I choose to be with Jesus. And, therefore, I choose life.