September 14-15

Friday 7pm-10pm + Sat 9am-5pm

Discounted tickets on sale now! $81

Plus rooms at Howard Johnsons $32/4 to a room

Make your reservation now!

Mercy Me!   Anita Renfroe   Lisa Harper  Rick Warren

Have you ever asked yourself: Don’t I deserve a little happiness? Is happiness within my reach? Why is life so frustrating? Is it too late for me?

If you’ve ever pondered any of these questions, then this study is for you!

The Wed, morning women’s group will meet at 9am, and both men & women will meet Wed evenings @ 6:30pm. There will be several times the men & women will study together including the starting date.

If you would like a study they are $8, but are not mandatory. Please let us know in advance.

Join us May 4 11:00am-1:30pm
“Depth of Wisdom”
Discounted Tickets on Sale April 7 $10 each
After April 21, Tickets are $15 each

Join us for a lovely lunch, a great speaker
(Melissa Maimone) and fun fellowship.
Buy a ticket for a friend!

(Entering 7^th grade-graduating seniors)

June 23-28 (Su-Fr)

Silverwood Lake

Early Registration: $95

(Expires May 5^th)

Late Registration: $110 (After May 5^th)

 Please note, cost does not include food.

Theme Nights:

Tuesday: Crazy Colors Night—Cook and wear the craziest colors you have!

Wednesday: Backwards Night—Front in the back and breakfast for dinner.

Thursday: Caveman Night—Finger foods and caveman attire.

Events:

Silverwood Lake: Swimming, Games, Fishing, Hiking, etc.

Lake Gregory: Water slides, Swimming, Games, Canoe and other water craft rental, hiking.

Mountain Hike: We will do a long hike one day. Location TBD, but proves to be lots of fun.

SIGNING UP (Get Packets in the Lobby or from Anthony)

A $30 deposit, submitted now, will hold your spot for summer camp. You can make payments. All payments must be given to Anthony, not the church office.

To sign up, please fill out the medical release form, the permission slip (on the envelope) and place it with your payment into the envelope (also the permission slip) and turn in to Anthony.

Be sure to note your preferred group leader.

Please do not turn into the church office. Thanks!

LOGISTICS

We will be departing Cornerstone at 1:30 pm on Sunday June 23^rd. You are encouraged to bring a sack lunch and all of your camping gear with you to church on June 23^rd. Lunch is not provided this day.

We will be checking out by noon on Friday the 28^th of June. This will put us back to the church around 1:00 pm.

PREPERATION

Prayer Outline

• Tender hearts in the teens.
• Humility to relate to the teaching.
• Conviction to seek change.
• Open minds.
• For the teachers to seek God’s truth in His word.
• Revelation of God’s truth.
• That many would attend camp.
• Safety in travel and during the trip.
• Pray for specific areas of conviction that you or your teen needs.

THE INNER WORKINGS

You will be placed in groups prior to leaving for camp and will be assigned a leader. ^* You will work with your leader to make sure that you have appropriate accommodations (tents and such).

Food is not included in the cost of the camp. Your leader will arrange the food with the group. You will cook most meals for yourselves, in your small group.

Where much of the camp will be done as a large group, we will spend significant time in small groups for teaching and fellowship.

April 20th

Outdoor fun: 2pm

• Live music
• Children’s games, Bounce House, Balloon toss and more fun for kids
• Dunking booth ($1 per throw)
• Men’s Horseshoe Tournament($10 per team)

All proceeds from dunking booth and Tournament will go to VBS.

Mexican Buffet: 4pm

Speakers, Videos and History of the church: 6pm

A Farmer’s Nursery will be on hand during entire event. 50% of all proceeds to benefit VBS.

Sunday April 21st

BINGO: 4pm

Eating: 5:30pm

Open Sharing & Thanksgiving: 6pm

He is risen! Please join us to celebrate our risen savior. This year

Cornerstone is celebrating with our Adult Choir and Youth and Adult

worship teams and will be blessed by the Word of God.

March 8,9

COST $15.00

Sign Up with Kurt

At Central Christian Church

Cost: $25

Sign up with Jami

More info at FathersEyes.org

Friday 3/1 In the Worship Center

Session 1 starts at 6:30

Q&A starts at 8:00

Saturday 3/2 In the Worship Center

Session 2 starts at 9:00

Session 3 starts at 10:30

Q&A Workshops start at 11:45

Bring your sleeping bag and your appetite.
Friday dinner through Saturday dinner

Be ready for good food, crazy fun, and excellent teaching.
Shiloh’s rustic cabins are nestled right at the Punchbowl.
This is a time to get refreshed in the Lord, bond with other
women and have a great time doing it.

Fellowship-Teaching-Games-Music-Fun

February 15-16, 2013

$10 for food

We will leave the church at 9am on Friday.

If you cannot come up until later we can

Meet you there.

Bring:

Sleeping Bag or Blankets & pillow

Toiletries

Warm clothes (pray for snow)

Sack lunch for Saturday

A snack to share and your favorite beverage

Money for lunch out on Saturday (& shopping?)

Drivers will need help with gas money

This is a fun cabin camping experience.

Join us for a great time of bonding and fun.

Sign up with Tammy Staubs

Ladies Night Out!
You are invited!
Free pampering and
Great fellowship!
Bring someone to pamper!
January 18th 6:30 pm
Cornerstone Church of Littlerock
8533 East Ave T
Littlerock, Ca 93543
(Facials, manicures, stress relief, relaxation, food, fun, etc…)

10 Favorite Books of the Decade!

In celebration of Cornerstone’s first decade the 2013 Bible Reading plan is a collection of the ten favorite books of the Bible as compiled by surveying the Elders, Staff, and Pastors.  Below is a list of those favorite books, a reading guideline to read them all this year, and some quotes as to why they are favorites!  Some months are heavier reading than others so if you get behind do not despair.  Start each month fresh and in your spare time catch up on the ones you may be behind on!

Thanks to all the contributors.  Those quoted are.  Pastor Ken Mercy, Pastor Mike Gonzalez, Joy Ely (Prayer Deaconess), Pastor Jim DeVore, David Doffing (Worship Director), Sheryl Robison (Administrative Secretary), Joe Millard (Elder), Pastor Anthony Delgado, Paul West (Elder), Valerie Mercy (Women’s Ministry Director), Darlene West (Accountant), Irene Rowe (Church Secretary).

TYPOLOGY

The following information is borrowed from ‘Rampage School Shooters: A Typology’ by Peter Langman, Ph.D.

Dr. Peter Langman has categorized the school shooters of the past few decades in the following three ways:

1. Traumatized—experienced psychological injury or pain.

The traumatized shooters all came from broken homes. They suffered physical and/or sexual abuse. Each had at least one parent with substance abuse problems, and each had at least one parent with a criminal history. Other common characteristics are mistreatment by non-parent partner of parent, traumatic events (such as loss of parent), foster care and history of non-lethal suicide attempts or cutting. A final observation is that all the people analyzed who are typified as traumatized had accomplices—some that participated in the shootings and some that did not.

1. Psychotic—mental disorder characterized by symptoms, such as delusions or hallucinations that indicate impaired contact with reality.

The psychotic shooters all came from typical families with no history of abuse, parental substance abuse, or parental incarceration. The psychotic shooters exhibited symptoms of either schizophrenia or schizotypal personality disorder, including paranoid delusions, delusions of grandeur, and auditory hallucinations. Reports include fear and paranoia of monsters or demons, voices that only they can hear, imaginary people (friend or foe), a belief that they are not human like everyone else, belief they have superhuman characteristics or a superhuman calling.

1. Psychopathic

The psychopathic type is characterized by a lack of empathy, a sense of superiority and contempt for others, skill in impression management, pleasure in deceiving others, and sadistic delight in inflicting pain on humans and/or animals. Other moral crimes usually accompany such individuals such as theft and vandalism. The psychopathic shooters had intact families with no evidence of abuse or neglect and had no known psychotic symptoms. The psychopathic killers do not show remorse for their actions because they lack an understanding of good and evil.

MORGAN FEREMAN

You may have seen the Morgan Freeman quote being widely circulated on blogs and social media outlets:

It’s because of the way the media reports it. Turn on the news and see how we treat the Batman theater shooter and the Oregon mall shooter like celebrities…[The shooters] are household names, but do you know the name of a single ‘victim’ of Columbine?

Disturbed people who would otherwise just off themselves in their basement see the news and want to top it by doing something worse and going out in a memorable way. Why a grade school? Why children? Because he’ll be remembered as a horrible monster instead of a sad nobody.

This quote did not really come from Morgan Freeman. It was a simple ploy to get an opinion into wide circulation. But, the psychology suggests there may be some truth to it, nonetheless. To the shooters, every shooting sets a new standard for the next.

One of the traumatized shooters came to school with the intent of shooting only himself, but was talked into shooting others by some friends instead as it would make a bigger impression. In their eyes they are making recompense for the unearned trauma they have received and the bigger the trauma, the bigger the recompense.

Psychotic shooters live in a warped reality where they believe they are in some way being alienated or even hunted. In their warped reality they are fighting against alienation and must make a profound statement by killing as many as possible. Because these shootings were a survival instinct of sorts, the psychotic shooters did not commit suicide.

Because the psychopathic shooters have a superiority complex, they have a natural tendency to do worse than what was done prior; the greater the crime, the greater their satisfaction.

You will notice I do not identify a single shooter as I would not want to contribute to the glorification of these horrific events.

RESPONSIBILITY

At this point, I could go on talking about the shooters’ responsibility before God. The traumatized shooters showed remorse for their actions. Even though (those who lived) felt justified to a certain degree, they had the moral sense to acknowledge the evil in their deeds. The Psychotic shooters, trapped in-between a moral reality and a delusion, do not always come to a realization of the true morality of their actions and therefore lack a sense of responsibility. The psychopathic shooters always lack responsibility because they do not even know the sense of the word due to their lack of moral compass.

No, I wish to talk about our responsibility as ministers of the Gospel. As I read through the background stories of the shooters, I was able to identify distinct similarities between them and people I know well—not to mention with myself, at times. Which of us does not minister to traumatized—hurting, pain inflicted—people who have suffered at the hands of the evil forces of this world? We have a responsibility to such as these.

I won’t pretend to be equipped to diagnose psychological disorders, but the reality is some people are distinctly ‘odd;’ and how are we to know who of these might be delusional since they rarely even know, themselves? Likewise, I would not be quick to cry demon possession, but I’m reminded of the father who came to Jesus saying, “Lord, have pity on my son! He has a bad case of epilepsy and often falls into a fire or into water” (Matthew 17.15). Was not this boy tormented by evil so that he was caused to do acts which his conscience spoke against? Possession or not, many of those we minister to are tormented by forces of evil in this world that warps their reality. We have a responsibility to such as these.

And how many have we met who lack a moral compass? I’ve had numerous discussions where I will show someone a scriptural mandate, but it is accepted without conviction. Their conscience does not bear witness of the truth. Whether we accept these as possessed or simply affected by evil, there is a stark comparison between the person who lacks the ability to discern evil and good and the story of Legion (Mark 5)—the man who was fully under the control of the indwelling evil spirits. Again, I will not attempt to diagnose such as these, but simply to identify the points of comparison. Many have been far more than influenced by evil and are infected with it to the point they cannot discern morality. We have a responsibility to such as these.

THE MYTH OF ADOLESCENCE

Doctors, researchers and biologists spend countless hours attempting to find a cure for cancer, or at least better treatments. Many argue that we should not spend so much money trying to cure cancer. No, the money should be spent to learn where cancer comes from so it can be prevented in the first place. This argument has continued in the field of cancer research for decades.

The same exists in the church. We work tirelessly to minister to those who have been affected, influenced and infected by our wicked, fallen creation. But I wonder if effort could (should?) also be spent preventatively.

I’ve been studying a book called Do Hard Things by Alex and Brett Harris with a couple of my teen boys. The third chapter addresses The Myth of Adolescence. It seems these young men have read a lot of the same research I have. Essentially, a youth is capable of adult responsibility, but is stifled because society at large views them as ill-equipped and lacking in real value. In general, teens are expected to go to school, mess up a lot, but still graduate, play video games, watch movies and TV and spend way too much time on Facebook. Needless to say, the majority of today’s youth live up to the standard. They lack value because they are told they lack value. But is this true?

A new wave has occurred in the last decade, appropriately titled ‘post-adolescence.’ Due primarily to economic change, teens are expected to go off to college where they will incur a lot of debt at the hands of credit cards and student loans. They will drink alcohol and experiment with sex and drugs—and hopefully scrape by with a C average. Why? Because that is what our society says they are to do with this period of their lives. It is expected of them and they are happy to meet that standard.

The most recent shooting was by a 20 year old, full grown man. He lived with his mother as his parents were divorced. The shooter had Asperger’s syndrome, a form of high-functioning autism. Reportedly, the parents both did everything they could to accommodate every need of his. Do you see the problem? He was never required to grow up. People with Asperger’s are typically productive members of society, but just like any other child, they must be trained by parents to function in the real world. The shooter never received the moral and practical education necessary. His parents had low expectations of him and as a result he never rose to a higher standard.

I have very high expectations for myself because my parents had high—yet realistic—expectations of me as a child and a youth. As ministers I believe there are two areas we ought to be involved in raising the bar for expectations of those we minister to in order to preventatively minister to those who are at risk for being affected, influenced and infected by the evil forces of this world. (If we are honest, this includes everyone.)

1. Ministry to Parents

“…these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children” (Deuteronomy 6.6-7a).

I’ll ask a simple rhetorical question. How are parents to teach something to their children, they do not understand? Simply, they cannot. We must equip our parents with the tenants of the faith so that they can teach them to their children.

And more than that, we must equip them to teach what they do know. Look at the practicality given by Moses:

“[you] shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates” (Deuteronomy 6.7b-8).

These were practical ways in the days of Moses for the parents to pass on their faith to their children. Today the church must provide practical teaching for our parents to hand their faith down to their children.

1. Ministry to Students

The reality is, not all parents will succeed in this handoff. And how many students do we have in our student ministries whose parents do not attend church or do not believe? Hopefully many. And to these we must equip with the word of God to the best of our ability.

But there is one thing we must do first. We must first show them the love of God and their value in the eyes of God. Then we can equip them as servants of God. When they see God’s high expectations of obedience, they will understand it in light of God’s love and according to God’s mercy and have a desire to meet that standard, more and more every day; they will have high expectations for themselves because of the high expectations of a loving God.

Finally, I would like to exhort with these two thoughts:

1. There was none too lowly for Christ to minister to. Therefore, there are none too lowly—too traumatized, too psychotic, too psychopathic—for the church to minister to. The Spirit of the one who is in us is bigger.
2. Jesus did not come simply to minister. He chose 12 and equipped them to minister to the needs of others. These 12 went out to equip more. Yes, we are in the business of ministering, but let us also be in the business of equipping. To come along side the hurting in their time of need is great, but we must also anticipate need and equip the body of Christ to meet these needs—and I would argue this equipping must start with children and spread to teens, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these (Luke 18.16).

Join us for the choir’s performance of “Mary Did You Know”.

Sunday, December 16^th at 6:00 PM in the Worship Center.

Bring your favorite dessert to share and lend your ears to praise lifted through song by our choir.

Saturday Nights January 12-February 2  6 p.m.

FELLOWSHIP: companionship, company : community of interest, activity, feeling, or experience

This Winter discover others with the same “community of interest” as you!  Got teenagers? – Got you covered!  Got grade-schoolers and tiny ones? – We’ve got parents night out!    Got a quiet house? – You’re not alone!   We’ve got “companionship” for everybody!

Throughout the Littlerock area this winter Cornerstone families will be hosting in their homes fellowship groups for eating, meeting, sharing, and learning!  The groups will consist of potlucks, a short devotion from the leader, and discussions concerning topics that are a part of your daily life!  The homes will be announced at the beginning of the year, (If you would like it to be your home give the office a call!) The leaders and fellowships are listed below.  A full children’s and youth program will be offered at the church on Saturdays from 5:45-8:30.  IF you would like to volunteer to help please contact the church office or Children’s Director Eldred Hughes.

Saturday night groups starting at 6 p.m.  1/12-2/2

• Parents with grade-schoolers – birth -6^th grade –Jim and Missy DeVore
• Parents with teens – 6^th-12^th grades –Anthony and Jamie Delgado
• Parents w/ adult children -   Steve and Roni Squire
• Saturday Night Children’s and Youth Staff:  Jim and Missy DeVore  4:00 p.m.

Sunday Nights  1/13-2/3

• Post high school to young married without kids  -  Jon and Kathy Stinson

Tuesday Nights  1/15-2/5

• Women Attending Alone – Diane Olsen

The first night is a potluck for every group, after that, it’s whatever each group decides when it comes to food!  Remember, all studies need a hosting home in Littlerock!  It could be yours!

Shiloh

FROG is the theme for our Spring Retreat. We will be nestled in cabins only steps from the Punchbowl in Pearblossom at Shiloh. This will be our 3rd Annual Spring Retreat and it is going to be fun.

Our Speaker is DawnAnn Burch, those who didn’t know her before last year fell in love with her, and those of us who have known her for years have always loved her. She is a teacher and an awesome woman of God. She is going to be speaking on how to Fully Rely On God during difficult times.

We encourage those who have RV’s to bring them up and park them on the grounds to help accommodate sleeping arrangements. There are 3 cabins on the property with beds and the main cabin has plenty of floor space for your air mattress and sleeping bags. We are close enough that if you simply can’t spend the night you can go home and come back in the morning as well. It will be more fun if you can stay with us.

We will begin Friday night with dinner, a lesson and games. All day Saturday will be filled with meals, snacks, activities and lessons, and hopefully a walk to the nature center at the Punchbowl (weather providing). Sunday we will have our last lesson during the Sunday School hour at Cornerstone while we share breakfast.

This is a great time of fellowship with gals you know and some you don’t know so well but would like to. Set the weekend aside, we are selling tickets now at a discounted price of $25 for the whole weekend of food, crafts, games and an awesome speaker. After March 1 the price goes up to $30. You can reserve your spot on Wednesday mornings or Thursday evenings during Bible Study or before or after services on Sundays.

Join us for a great time of fellowship, refreshing, and teaching.

Val Mercy

Director of Women’s Ministry

Cornerstone Church of Littlerock

Saturday 2/19 5 p.m. to Sunday 2/20 5 p.m.

Join us at the events even if you do not fast.

Saturday 5 p.m. Kick off with movie “To Save a Life”

Separate Movie for Kids.

Sunday Morning (No Snacks during Sunday School)

Sunday 5 p.m. – All Church Prayer Meeting

Sunday 6 p.m. -  All Church Soup Potluck Celebration

Food Fast only.  Keep drinking liquids, especially lots of water!

Do not fast if concerned about medical issues.

Things to pray for concerning the Evangelism Campaign (EC).

Pray for Pastors Neil Arias and Jim DeVore as they prepare messages.

Pray for the Children’s Program and Worship Ministry.

Use the Schedule Insert to pray for all events surrounding EC.

Pray for God to reveal sin, confession of that sin, and pray for strength to walk away from that sin.

Pray for people you want to bring and get saved at the EC.

Use the fast to ask God specifically what your role is in the EC.

If you know, then fast to prepare yourself spiritually for the job.

Cornerstone Church of Littlerock

Sunday Feb. 13, 2011  Jim DeVore, Pastor

Fasting, God’s Spiritual Weapon

I. Fasting is

1. A Spiritual Mandate!  Matthew 9:14-15
2. A Humility Maker  Ezra 8:21-23
3. For Decision Making   Acts 13:2-3, 14:23
4. Fasting is a U-turn from Sin
   1. For Others   1 Sam 20:34,
   2. For Yourself   Joel 2:12
   3. Fasting is a Long Spiritual Red Light.
      1. Ps. 27:14
      2. 2 Chron. 20:1-4
      3. Esther 4:16
      4. Fasting is a Spiritual Meal of Empathy.

Nehemiah 1:2-4

1. Fasting is a Spiritual Weapon for War.

Matthew 4:1-3

1. God responds to Fasting    Matthew 6:18

1. What fasting is not . .Matthew 6:16-18

• Not a hunger strike.
• Not a vending machine.
• Not a show.
• Not a contest.
• Not a Panacea!  Isaiah 58:1-4

Sunday, February 6, 2010      Jim DeVore, Pastor

Psalm 4   When the Year is not Easy on the Resolutions

1. The Problems   (Numbers in parenthesis are verses from Psalm 4)

• Distress (1)
• Unheard Prayers  (1)
• Bad Reports on Your Good Behavior  (2)
• Angry People with Revenge in Mind  (2,4)
• People Living in Delusion  (2)
• Friends without Hope  (6)

1. The Solutions

• God is and wants to be with you! (3)
• God hears you!  (3)
• Pray for your enemies, that anger does not rule them!  (4)
• Pray for yourself, that anger does not rule you!  (Eph. 4:26-27)
• Pray for your enemies and yourself to make things right! (5)
• Pray for God to be obvious! (6)
• Remember God’s peace is better than the world’s peace.(7-8)

What to Pray When the Year is not Easy on the Resolutions!

Psalm 4

Pray this prayer and make it your song just as David did!

4:1 For the director of music. With stringed instruments. A psalm of David.

You are invited to join our new Bible Study. We are meeting on Wednesday mornings at 9:30am or Thursday nights at 6:30pm. Join us as we study “Living Beyond Yourself” exploring the fruit of the Spirit. It is a 10 week study, but we will take 20 weeks to give it the attention it deserves. We will discuss the book then watch the DVD series the following week, alternating each week. Books can be picked up at the church during the week or at the study on either Wednesday or Thursday at your convenience.

We have been enjoying encouraging our Sisters in Christ with the Secret Sisters program since October. It is time to reveal our Secret Sisters! Join us at the church on Friday, February 4 @ 6:30 for a game night and to reveal our Secret Sister. We will play board games, snack, reveal Secret Sisters and have some fun!

We are excited about the Evangelistic Campaign at Cornerstone Church coming up in February. The women are joining in the preparation of this event with prayer walks, door to door contacts and being available for helping out with the event. Please be praying for this exciting time of revival in our community.

Blessings to you,

Val Mercy

Director of Women’s Ministry

Cornerstone Church of Littlerock

Check out the upcoming Women’s events:

Seniors – 55 and up – Bingo January 22 2-4pm

Game Night February 4 6:30 pm

Women’s Retreat @ Shiloh March 25-27

Jesus would not burn the Koran despite what this “Pastor” in Florida thinks.

Here is what Jesus would do from His own words . .

Matthew 5  43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, (NIV)

or from the Holy Spirit, and the leader of his disciples.

1 Peter 2  13 Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every authority instituted among men: whether to the king, as the supreme authority, 14 or to governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right. 15 For it is God’s will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish men. 16 Live as free men, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as servants of God. 17 Show proper respect to everyone: Love the brotherhood of believers, fear God, honor the king. (NIV)

1 Peter 3  8 Finally, all of you, live in harmony with one another; be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble. 9 Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing. (NIV)

1 Peter 4  15 If you suffer, it should not be as a murderer or thief or any other kind of criminal, or even as a meddler. 16 However, if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name. (NIV)

Here are the details I mentioned for the Fellowship-Peace Offering forms we passed out in church on Sunday 8/15 for the special evening service on 9/19.  If you need a copy of the form send your request to jdevore@cornerstonelittlerock.org.  or check the bottom of this post.

Remember it’s based on Leviticus chapters 3 and 7.

I Thank God that  . .

Ephesians 1 & 2,  Galatians 5:19-23

James 1:17-18,  2nd Timothy 3:16-17

New baby, Christian marriage, new job,

rescue from health issues

Here is the Vow I fulfilled for God’s  Glory.

BEFORE 9/19

Maybe a giving of time, talent or money.

Baptism (on 9/19)

Begin a reconciliation process,

Actively tackle a bad habit.

Read your Bible more. (be specific.  Pick time and how much reading.)

Daily Prayer time. (Be specific.  How long, how often.)

Read a Christian marriage book all the way through out loud with your wife. (Guys do not wait for your wife to suggest this!  Yes, she wants you to read to her!  I have free books in my office.)

My Free Will (Yeah God!  Just Because!) Offering is

Money,

Some gift of appreciation to be used or given away such as a car, a room in your house, a free service.

Statement of praise.

Here is the link for the form to fill out.  Call or email if you have questions!

9-19 -Fellowship-Peace Offerings

I cannot wait until September 19th when we celebrate together!

Love in Christ,

Pastor Jim

Cornerstone Church of Littlerock presents  Son Quest Vacation Bible School June 28-July 2 from 6 to 8:30 p.m. at 8533 E. Avenue T.  All children going into the 1st-6th grade are encouraged to attend.  Using the jungle as our theme we will present a drama of a war in the animal kingdom.  There will be water games, great snacks, crafts, and prizes for everybody.  And of course there will be Bible teaching!  This year we will focus on some of the parables, the stories that Jesus told, that we have written in the Bible.

Now that you know what it is, WHY SEND YOUR CHILDREN?  It is a wonderful opportunity for them to be out of the house, play with friends, have fun, meet new friends, learn more about Jesus and the Bible, and have fun, fun, fun!  So, if you want to put a smile on your child’s face, and eternity in their heart, then send them on this quest, SonQuest VBS at Cornerstone Church of Littlerock!  Join us for the VBS kick off Cornerstone Country Festival Sunday June 27 from 1-5 p.m.  For more information call us at 661-944-1880.

Lord,

What does your church; the people of God do, to bring light into darkness that is so dark that it no longer looks like darkness?

D. Krzyzopolski

This morning the news spoke of the Gulf Oil Spill and the company BP responsible.  200,000 lawyers gathered to discuss how to litigate the situation.  Everyone is lining up for lawsuits, from restaurant owners, tourist attractions, and excursion boats, whatever.  Quote “This is the worst spill at the worst timing.”  In other words, it comes right before the summer tourist season.  Like there is a good time for 11 people to die and this massive of an oil spill.

The problem is that the mentality is not how will we survive and move on.  The mentality is that somebody has to pay for this.  There is no such thing as an accident and forgiveness.  It is no longer one for all; it is really all for one.  This response will only spread strife, discrimination, selfishness, distrust, jealousy.

Everything else is situational ethics.  If we rescued the automobile and banking industry because of what it caused the economy, then why not rescue BP and the surrounding communities?

Who do you trust, the economy?  It will pick up for the summer tourist season and we’ll make it.  You can always count on the tourists.

The oil industry – They provide good paying jobs, oil to run the economy, security and $$.  We can trust them.

The government – they will always find a solution and come to our rescue.

God’s response.

Does the word of God deal with oil spills?

Psalms 146:3-6 NIV 3 Do not put your trust in princes, in mortal men, who cannot save. 4 When their spirit departs, they return to the ground; on that very day their plans come to nothing. 5 Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the LORD his God, 6 the Maker of heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them– the LORD, who remains faithful forever.

Matthew 5:21-26 NIV 21 “You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘Do not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ 22 But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to his brother, ‘Raca, ‘is answerable to the Sanhedrin. But anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell. 23 “Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, 24 leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift.

Christian, don’t be angry and seek revenge with with BP and think your offering to God is a blessing to Him.

How should BP handle lawsuits?

25 “Settle matters quickly with your adversary who is taking you to court. Do it while you are still with him on the way, or he may hand you over to the judge, and the judge may hand you over to the officer, and you may be thrown into prison. 26 I tell you the truth, you will not get out until you have paid the last penny.

Matthew 5:39-44 NIV 39 But I tell you, Do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. 40 And if someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. 41 If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. 42 Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you. 43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,

Imagine how run over you would be if you handled it this way.  Imagine how quickly things would be resolved, and how free you would be of the situation.  Maybe not financially secure, or rich, but free.

Here’s the problem

Matthew 6:22-34 NIV 22 “The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are good, your whole body will be full of light. 23 But if your eyes are bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness! 24 “No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.

We have wrong solutions because we have bad vision.  The light we use to light our lives is the darkness of the world’s thinking.

Here’s the solution.

Matthew 6:25 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27 Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? 28 “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31 So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

If BP is not the enemy, or even if he is the enemy, then I come along side and help him.  I pitch in, and not pitch at.  Just imagine how “run over” we would be if we lived like that.  Maybe being run over by people is better than being run over by God!

We the church need to see the value of the word of God and trusting in him.  But we will only trust God as much as we actively pursue Him.  The light we pursue will be the light that guides.  Oh, that the light we pursue would not be the “light” of the world for “how great is that darkness!”

Do not put the Lord your God to the test, but . . . Psalms 34:8 NIV 8 Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him.

Notice all of the active verbs in this passage.

Psalms 34:1-22 NIV 1 I will extol the LORD at all times; his praise will always be on my lips. 2 My soul will boast in the LORD; let the afflicted hear and rejoice. 3 Glorify the LORD with me; let us exalt his name together. 4 I sought the LORD, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears. 5 Those who look to him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame. 6 This poor man called, and the LORD heard him; he saved him out of all his troubles. 7 The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear him, and he delivers them. 8 Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him. 9 Fear the LORD, you his saints, for those who fear him lack nothing. 10 The lions may grow weak and hungry, but those who seek the LORD lack no good thing. 11 Come, my children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the LORD. 12 Whoever of you loves life and desires to see many good days, 13 keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking lies. 14 Turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it. 15 The eyes of the LORD are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their cry; 16 the face of the LORD is against those who do evil, to cut off the memory of them from the earth. 17 The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles. 18 The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. 19 A righteous man may have many troubles, but the LORD delivers him from them all; 20 he protects all his bones, not one of them will be broken. 21 Evil will slay the wicked; the foes of the righteous will be condemned. 22 The LORD redeems his servants; no one will be condemned who takes refuge in him.

D. Krzyzopolski

What about it Psalm 1, what are the promises there for a man who actively seeks God?  I dare you, “taste and see that the Lord is good. “He’s good in the first century, and in the 21^st.  His word is good at the beginning of time, until the end.

Hebrews 13:8 NIV 8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.

Hurry Hurry Pass the Candy!

Two teams sitting at tables!

Keep it in the spoon!

On your mark, get set,

One Candy at a Time!

GO!

GO! GO! GO!

It makes snack time easy!

Game Time Becomes Snack Time

Everybody who passed a section (Memorized at least one verse) that week!

Julie DeVore finished her LAST AWANA Book!

I encourage all of you to read the passages over and over again the week before each message!
Thanks for your faithfulness as God chooses the foolishness of preaching to reach the world! Pastor Jim

The purpose of the hunt was to get photos of as many of the things on the list as possible. Certain photos were worth more points than others, like folding a stranger’s laundry at a public laundry mat.  While most of the photo tasks were wholesome fun, a couple of our girls did have a run in with some police officers .

Can’t wait to do the next one! See the rest of the youth photo scavenger hunt photos here on the Flickr site.

and a voice came out of heaven, “You are My beloved Son, in You I am well-pleased.”

(Luke 3:22)

A voice came from the cloud, saying, “This is my Son, whom I have chosen; listen to him.”

(Luke 9:35)

Though there is no recorded statement from God at the resurrection, (As if the resurrection wasn’t statement enough!) you can imagine God shouting “You are My beloved Son, in You I am well-pleased.” (Luke 3:22)  I so look forward to us rejoicing with God on the resurrection of His Beloved Son this Easter and for all eternity!  There are so many opportunities this coming week to celebrate so be sure to join us for all of them, from the special communion service on Thursday, to Good Friday Service, and finally to Easter Sunday at 8, 9:30, or 11!.  And of course, bring friends and family!   On Easter Sunday if you are bringing guests then come to whatever service is best for them.  If you are coming without guests then we encourage you to attend the 8 a.m. service!  WE are offering a full children’s program each service.  Take you babies and preschoolers to the nursery and bring your grade-schoolers into the service with you.  After the second song we will exit them to children’s church.

Almost 50 women attended the retreat at Shiloh, nestled in the hills of the Devil’s Punchbowl.  God provided the most wonderful weather; we enjoyed the warmth of the sunshine on the porch at noon where we could take in the sun and were refreshed by the cool evenings around the fire ring. The view of the snow capped mountains directly behind the cabins provided a breathtaking view to behold each day.

DawnAnn Burch came from Grover Beach to bring our lessons on “Living Hope” and she brought a missionary from Albania, Linda Chappell who was a real bonus. Many scriptures from God’s Word were shared, our theme verse was Romans 15:13 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. The teaching was just what we needed as we reflected on what causes us to live in fear instead of the hope God promises.  It was a great time of making new friends, bonding with other women, gaining spiritual insights from each other,  awesome worship, laughing, crying, sharing testimonies, being silly, and serious.

We enjoyed an amazing amount of delicious healthy food and filled in with plenty of snacks, chocolate and of course ice cream.  Many took a walk to the Punchbowl and had a tour of the displays at the reserve; the view along the trail was amazing.

Six teams designed very creative dresses out of duct tape and we had a fabulous fashion show displaying their creative handiwork.  Walking in the long exquisite gown proved to be challenging, as well as standing close enough to each other to pose for a picture, and not ‘stick together’ with the go-go girl, the trailer T queen, or the Viking princess.  It was a very sticky situation, but we all stuck it out and in the end the sisters stuck together.

We are all full of praise for a wonderful weekend focused on our God in whom we place our hope.  God is our ‘Living Hope’, now and forever.  Praise be to God!

Many people were not able to win a teen. We will see if we can arrange another auction in a month or so–not making promises yet–so that those who missed out on this one will be able to get some work done.

I love what Pastor Jim said about it at church today. It’s win-win. You get some work done at a great price and our teens get to have a reasonable rate for camp. Thanks again to everyone who participated!

When the residences arrived in the building, we had it decorated with birthday banners, helium balloons and special food for each one. We had the scripture Psalm 18:16-19 on a flier for each one and a card saying we were celebrating their ‘Born Again Birthdays’ and new life in Christ.

He reached down from on high and took hold of me;

he drew me out of deep waters.

He rescued me from my powerful enemy,

from my foes, who were too strong for me.

They confronted me in the day of my disaster,

but the LORD was my support.

He brought me out into a spacious place;

he rescued me because he delighted in me.

(Psalm 18:16-19, NIV)

There is so much pain in the people there, so many have been disowned by family, and to see the tears and then the joy when they see the Lord…its just amazing! One guy that got saved told us how his brother had just gotten injured severely in Iraq and that he is going to faithfully pray for the troops every day now.

Another guy was talking to us and someone came up to him and asked what size pants he wore, and he was holding the exact size that had been donated (new wranglers) and gave him to the guy.

Another man had to leave before the end, but came back as we packed up to say he’d just re dedicated his life that night and that when I’d shared something about being sorry if people that had called themselves Christians in their lives had hurt them or misrepresented the Lord, that it grieves the Lord, and that people will let you down, but the Lord will not.

Anyway, a lot of the guys said “That Church on T…I know where it is!!!” Another one that got saved, lives right up the street. As an exhortation to the congregation, please be aware of the needs of these new believers and welcome them to the body of Christ with open arms.

We had an awesome time at the Father’s Eyes conference hosted by Central Christian. The girls learned that trends and fashion may change but God’s word remains! The theme verse for the weekend was Hebrews 13:8, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” One girl gave her life to the Lord and two girls rededicated their lives to the Lord! Praise God!

We enjoyed learning about fashion and dance changes throughout the century as well as hearing some amazing testimonies from wonderful Christian women who challenged and encouraged us. We were especially taken aback by a skit that was put on called “Everything” by Lifehouse. We were so moved by this skit that we are hoping the Mime Team at Cornerstone would consider performing it for our church.

A special thanks to Gene and Anne Royal who allowed us to stay at their home and also decorate our T-shirts there. We love the tub!

Enjoy this video of the girls doing some dance moves from the past! For more photos of the event, you can see them here on the Cornerstone Flickr page.

Can’t wait to go again next year!

I’ve just completed the bulk of the new Cornerstone website. Please check out the new functionality. Some things will be coming shortly, such as the Sermon’s tab.

If you are a frequenter of Facebook, please ‘fan’ the new Cornerstone Church of Littlerock Fan page to receive church updates via Facebook.

The prayer request tab is being checked by the church office. Please make free use of this functionality.

If you have any questions, comments, suggestions regarding the new website, please contact me.

Enjoy!

-Anthony Delgado

http://www.anncoulter.com/cgi-local/printer_friendly.cgi?article=349

Cornerstone Church 2010 Bible Reading Program

Get your Bible, and a journal, a notebook, a diary or a computer, and something to write with or type on!  Then set your appointment to be discipled by Jesus this year.  Pick the time and quiet place.  No TV, no radio, no cell phone!  You’re with Jesus, the interruption can wait!

Read a chapter a day from the Gospels using the schedule below. When you finish the book before the month ends just start in the same book again!  Using the questions below, record your answers after each reading.  List your comments, questions, prayer requests and thankfulness as well.  Enjoy your discipleship with Jesus this year!

1. What does this passage tell me about Jesus himself?
2. What is Jesus teaching me in this passage?
3. What should I do as a result of this teaching?

v Additional Study Option – When an Old Testament passage is discussed, look it up for additional study.

v If you are not sure about a passage, look up some insight in a trusted commentary.  Your Sunday School teachers or Pastors can give you some suggestions and books to borrow.

Matthew – January,      May,        September

Mark -      February,    June,        October

Luke -      March,         July,         November

John -       April,          August,     December

“The master commended the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly. For the people of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own kind than are the people of the light. (Luke 16:8 NIV)
In Luke 16:8 Jesus says that the people of light, Christians, do not put as much effort into things of the light as people of the world put into their own efforts. So if Christians are not putting their effort into the “people of light”, then where are they putting their efforts? . . . . . Into the things of the world.

The challenge for us is to then place our efforts into the things of light, into the things of Jesus. How do we do that? Sit down today with your Bible and a notebook and read Matthew Chapters 5,6, and 7. That’s the Sermon on the Mount. Every time you come to a verse that states something you are not doing or need to be doing better, write down some ideas as to how you can put more effort into that area. Ask the Lord to help you! Remember you put in the effort and leave the results up to God. Remember this also, you put in the effort for righteousness, and you will be satisfied! “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.” (Matthew 5:6 NIV)

Hey everyone,

Yesterday was another great day in Lanco.

We woke up in the morning. The men met at Pastor Neil’s house for a men’s prayer meeting with a bunch of the men from the church. It was awesome to sit and pray with those guys. Their needs are really no different than ours. It is amazing how similar life is 5000 miles away from home.

We spent some more time playing guitar with the locals. One of the guys Caesar brought in his guitar which was sort of broken and we were able to get new strings on it so he can play it.

VBS went great again. It was much more organized because we had a good idea how many kids were coming. Syndia made more cake so there was enough for everyone.

The youth meeting was last night from 9 til 11, supposedly. Jorge, Pedro, Josh and I went and found a bunch of guys in the neighborhood and invited them to the meeting. We had a really great turn out. Tom orchestrated the event. Kyle and Josh did a great job giving their testimonies. I taught on John 14.6. Pastor Neil did an alter call. I think it was a re-dedication and salvation call, but I’m not certain because it was in Spanish. About nine youth came forward. It was amazing.

After the meeting, Jorge took me over to his house. I met one of his three sisters and his Mom. He gave me this drink that has barley and fruit and juice in it. I can’t remember exactly what it is called, but it is very different and very good.

About midnight, we started playing soccer. We had four teems and you play to 1 point, rotating teams. We won six games, which I think is really good for us out of shape Americans. Pastor Jim says Ultimate Frisbee next.

All the guys went home and to bed. Tom and I sat out in front of the church for about an hour talking and playing guitar. We had a chance to talk with the gas station attendant across the street. We tried to get him to come to church, but I don’t think he will come. We will see tomorrow!

Please continue to pray for the success of the trip. Today is the festival for the kids and tonight is the marriage meeting. God bless,

–Anthony

Tom and Steve and a couple of the church members Jorge, Pedro, and Hector jumped in with them and they replaced a whole section of the roof. While the guys were working on the roof all the ladies and a few ladies from the church worked very hard to make a traditional American lunch of fried chicken and mashed potatoes with coleslaw and macaroni salad. After lunch we all got hard to work decorating for VBS.

When we finished decorating we hit the neighborhood in full force with two teams to pass out fliers to get as many kids as we could to come to VBS. It was a truly amazing experience to just walk around and see the community and there willingness to try to talk to us.

After we got done passing out the fliers we headed back to the church, leaving it in His hands to see how it would turn out and just like always he didn’t disappoint. VBS started at seven with a full house of kids; it was amazing. All the kids were so excited to be there we put on a mime show and then the real fun began as we all piled into the gym. We set up games and activities. Tonight’s theme was birthdays for all the little girls. The ladies made them cakes and they also helped them make pinatas.

(It was awesome, cause’ there was a grip of kids—like 150—and we ran out of cake. Everything was chaos and the gospel of Jesus Christ was clearly preached to all of them. Amen, amen!—Anthony)

We wrapped up the night with a time of prayer and dinner at Pastor Neil’s house—Gracias Hermana Rhonda—today was truly a blessing. I would like to thank you all for your prayers and your support.

Pray, pray, pray for God’s continued intervention in this trip and specifically for VBS over the next two days. Gracias Piedra Angular Iglesia de Littlerock!

Following the service we were blessed with delicious empanadas and other Chilean treats. It was really nice to have some time to meet the locals, especially all our brothers and sisters that lead the church here in Lanco.

This morning, we gathered in two groups, women at Sister Jody’s house and the men in Lanco at Pastor Neil’s house. We had a great time worshiping in both English and Spanish and discussing some scripture from the book of John. It was amazing to here that the implication of scripture is completely the same when read in Spanish as we get in English.

Various projects went on throughout the rest of the day.

The women did shopping and preparation for various events that are coming up in a day or so. After that, they blessed some of the women in the local church here to pedicures and manicures.

Brother Tom and Brother Steve did some work on the roof. They have a leak when it rains that is causing some pretty serious damage across the back end of the building. I hope it doesn’t rain before they get it fixed because some of the damage is right above where we are sleeping.

Pastor Jim conducted the first of several sessions of leadership training. He led the leadership at the church and some of us on the team through the first chapter of 2 Timothy. Ultimately, the application is that a leader can only be successful if he is saturated in scripture, prayer and fellowship.

Josh led guitar lessons with Jorge and Pedro. It was great! He taught them to play two songs, one which they blessed the congregation with for special music tonight. The song was This is the Day—Eres es el Dia.

After church today we caught the second half of the world cup soccer championship game between Chile and Ecuador. Chile slaughtered them uno y cero.

It has been a fantastic event so far. We are going to be busy tomorrow.

I would have to say that today I learned that God is bigger then Littlerock and the US. He is working in Chile, the same as He is in the US. Who knows, maybe one day missionaries from Chile will come to minister to the people of Littlerock.

Here are some thoughts from some of the other team members.

Hi Guys! We are so happy to have the Chile team here! They hit the ground running and haven’t stopped yet. The Lord has already blessed, and we are anxious to see just what He is going to do this week. Thank you all for your sacrifice and prayers. We are blessed to have you partner with us during this special time—Rhonda and Neil

Hey, this is Josh! We made it to Chili safely, and God is working down here in SO MANY ways! The plane ride down took FOREVER, but it was worth every minute of torture in the plane to be down here. I have been given the privilege to teach two boys down here the guitar, and it is amazing how quickly they are picking it up. They learned one song really well the FIRST DAY! (I couldn’t play a song for weeks when I first started taking lessons!) I thought the language barrier would be an issue, but it isn’t at ALL! I just have a translator with me during the lesson, and it works out wonderfully! We are actually teaching our songs in SPANISH! Anthony helps a bunch in the translation! He initially teaches me the song in Spanish, and helps me sing it with the students. Then I pick up on it, and can teach the rest. We played a song for the church the first night after our first lesson. It was AWESOME! I didn’t know what God would do with me on this trip, but now I can see that despite my doubts and questions, He has great plans down hear, and I just pray He continues to use me in them! Thank you for your prayers and encouragement! We couldn’t be down here without ALL of you supporting us at home. I miss you all SOOOOOO MUCH! See ya when we get home! CHOW!—Josh DeVore

Hey everybody this is kyle well we arrived in chile a little tired but ready to get started. I was a little worried about the whole language thing at first but I’ve come to find out that as long as your willing to try its ok. The last couple of days have been a true eye opener to me. The people here are so amazingly friendly and willing to help with any thing we need. It is truly amazing to see how gods working here and to be part of it. Today we got up with all the intentions in the world to start working on the church but some of the local teenagers came by and we played soccer. We also had a blast trying to teach them to play American football and that was so fun. We managed to end up getting a little work done before we had service. Well I appreciate the prayers and hope that every thing is going ok back there we are truly blessed to be here and I appreciate all the support—Kyle Jones

13 people, 34 hours with only 3 hours sleep max, and none of the results you would expect.  They are all exhausted, but still laughing, joking, willing to serve, and excited to see God work.  Thanks for praying for all of us.  Steve had the itinerary to help get Dean through customs.  Tom scouted ahead to get us to gates.  Val remembered to mark the luggage with Gingham.  Vicki and Anthony gave incredible testimonies tonight with tears and emotion, and God moved to bring about two dozen down front to commit to obey Jesus always.  Keep praying,  Tomorrow the guys are tackling leaky pipes in ceiling.  Looks like rafter work to me.

God is awesome.  Keep up your prayers.

Pastor Jim

Since I had not been on a plane since my honeymoon, six years ago, I had forgotten that airplanes are not the most graceful form of transportation. I immediately was reminded upon takeoff that an airplane is in fact controlled chaos—a bottle rocket duct-taped to a matchbox car. Anyway, we flew from LAX to Lima Peru and then  on to Santiago, Chile. We transferred planes in Santiago which included re-checking our luggage—more on that later—and then flew into Temulco, Pastor Neal, his wife Rhonda, her mother Jodie and a great servant of Christ’s church Caesar met us at the airport in Temulco and showed us around town. As I am writing this, we are in the vans heading out to Lanco, about an hour and a half drive.

We had a few eventful moments on our way down here. In the following, we will detail some of those events.

The first was at the start of our trip. After an emotional departure, an easy ride down and the hustle to get our bags checked, we had some questions which needed to be asked regarding how exactly our bags were getting to the plane. I’m fuzzy on the details of how this all went down, but we had a run-in with a member of the airport personnel, which was all in reality misunderstanding. Tempers flared on many accounts and many of us faced the challenge to keep cool. God challenged us from the beginning to lean on His son and to reflect of  His love.

The second came up in Santiago when we were changing flights. Apparently, you are not suppose to bring sausage from Littlerock, CA into the country of Chile. Who knew? I’ll let Pastor Jim tell that story at another time.

All in all, we had a relatively painless trip down, but are all very happy to be here. Here are some specific things to be praying for based on the events of today.

1.      Pray that we would see God leading.

2.      Pray that we would have patience.

3.      Pray that we will have the strength to do all that God has called us to do.

Here are some notes from the other Chile Team members. God bless and thanks for supporting us now through your prayers—Anthony Delgado

Its has been a long but yet fantastic voyage to get to Chile. We are all very tired but excited enough to get through the first day and evening.. I already miss my wife and thank God she has been so understanding . I appreciate the prayers of all for myself and the entire team. Take care and God Bless.   Love ya all—Tom

Well we made it here in one piece.  We had a great lunch and did some shopping in Temuco and we are now on our way to Lanco.  I am excited to see and be apart of all that the Lord will be doing through all of us these next few days.  Thank you for all of the prayers and support because we would not be able to do what we are being called to do without them.  Take care and God Bless—Vicki Gartrel

We are so excited to be here in Chile.  We are tired, but all excited and are passing out all the treasures we brought our missionaries. Ministry starts in 2 hours, so we will try to catch our breathe and cleanup.  Your prayers are coveted—Val Mercy

Not by the beauty of it all,  nor the lights or its decor.

But it was the folks in Heaven  who made me sputter and gasp–

the thieves, the liars, the sinners,  the alcoholics and the trash.

There stood the kid from seventh grade who swiped my lunch money twice.

Next to him was my old neighbor who never said anything nice.

Herb, who I always thought was rotting away in hell,

was sitting pretty on cloud nine,  looking incredibly well.

I nudged Jesus, “What’s the deal?  I would love to hear Your take.

How’d all these sinners get up here?  God must’ve made a mistake.

“And why’s everyone so quiet,   so somber – give me a clue.”

“Hush, child,” He said, “they’re all in shock.

No one thought they’d be seeing you.”

Author Unknown

]]> http://myccol.org/that-poem-about-heaven-by-populare-demand/feed/ 0 http://myccol.org/of-seeds-and-men/ http://myccol.org/of-seeds-and-men/#comments Wed, 16 Sep 2009 20:40:38 +0000 Cornerstone Church http://cornerstonelittlerock.org/?p=554 James 1:2-4

2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. 4 Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

NIV

1 Peter 1:6-8

6 In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. 7 These have come so that your faith-of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire-may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.

NIV

The other day I was planting seeds, seeds form of some of the native desert plant, plants which are more drought resistant. I had gathered seed pods and let them open broadcasting the seeds all over my office. On examining the seeds I noticed they were slippery and waxy. The only way they would germinate would be if I tumbled them in sand. Then while planting the seed something came to mind.

Men seem to be a hard nut to crack. Let me tell you something about nuts (seeds). Some of the species of pine cannot reproduce without the pine cones being burned in a fire so that it can open and release its seeds in the air. Other seed, especially of desert plants cannot germinate unless they have been rolled and tumbled in the desert sand, some seeds need to go through the digestive tracts of animals in order to germinate. Generally speaking the poor little seed has gone through a rough trial in order to germinate and start new life. But without their rough and tumble start, they couldn’t get rid of the protective coatings on their exterior that isolate them from the life giving soil which allows them to germinate as they were meant to do to start a new life.
Such are some men; the protective coating of the world isolates them from God’s plan for their life. And God will do to them what He does to the little seeds to get them to germinate and start a new life in Him. The only other thing needed is the fertile soil of the Word.
Pastor Ken

There are many points to this parable, but for this moment let’s realize that this isn’t about Jesus having more affection for the afflicted than the “healthy.”  Jesus is looking for the humble.

Ps 51:17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.

Matthew 5:4 NIV 4 Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.

Jesus is looking for the humble. and all too many times it takes affliction to make us humble!   Whether you are feeling afflicted today or not, why not voluntarily take a fall of humility and fall at the feet of Jesus.  You just might discover you’ve entered a banquet of rest!

Pastor Jim

God has made it clear that this mission trip was in His plans! We have received so much support!

If you want to see 79 more photos from the successful Chile Cook-off and Auction, go here:

The team posed for a quick photo at the cook-off and auction on Aug 22nd

www.photographinglife.com
ENTER PASSWORD:  cornerstone

Stay tuned and visit often, as I will be taking and uploading LOTS of photos of the trip.

We leave next month and we are all looking forward to it! Thank you for your support! Keep praying!

-Kelly Lacefield

Thursday Nights Youth Group

Worldliness Study

What is worldliness?

“…do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind…”

(Rom. 12.2 NAS).

This fall we will be going through a study which will show us how we are to live in obedience to this command. In addition to teaching we will be learning through games, discussion and other fun tools which will guide us through God’s word.

• Thursday, September 24^th
  • “Is This Verse in Your Bible?”
• Thursday, October 8^th
  • “My Heart and Media”
• Thursday, October 22^nd
  • “My Heart and Music”
• Thursday, October 29^th
  • “Put Media and Music in Its Place”
• Thursday, November 5^th
  • “My Heart and Stuff”
• Thursday, November 12^th
  • “Put Stuff in Its Place”
• Thursday, November 19^th
  • “My Heart and My Appearance”
• Thursday, December 3^rd
  • “Put My Appearance in Its Place”
• Thursday, December 10th
  • “How to Love the World—Part 1”
• Thursday, December 17^th
  • “How to Love the World—Part 2”

-Syndia Kemp

How great is the love the Father has lavished on

us, that we should

be called children

of God! And that is

what we are!

(1 John 3:1 )

For I am the LORD, your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you. (Isaiah 41:13)

“That if you confess

with your mouth,

“Jesus is Lord,” and

believe in your heart

that God raised him

from the dead, you

will be saved. (Romans 10:9)

You are forgiving

and good, O Lord,

abounding in love

to all who call to

you. (Psalms 86:5

The Codex Sinaiticus is a legitimate copy of the scriptures.

For the most part the article and the website itself seems pretty legitimate.  However there are a few statements in the article that show it’s writtne from a liberal or even non-Christian viewpoint.  I just want to comment on a couple.

The first is, “And some familiar — very important — passages are missing, including verses dealing with the resurrection of Jesus, they said.”

First of all, notice it didn’t say all of the passages about the resurrection are mising.   In the Sinaiticus the text has most of what the Gospels we have today say about the resurrection,  just not every verse.   Their statment about mising resurrection passages make some kind of allusion here that the resurrection idea was added later.  They allude to the idea that the resurrection is a hoax created by the church later on to give more credibility to their whole story. The answers to that simply are, “If it’s a hox, then where is His body? Why didn’t Jesus’ enemies of the day find the body and put it on display? Why did his followers allow themselves to be persecuted and killed over a lie?  Why are lives continually changed today if Jesus is not alive?”

Now back to the article.  This quote comes from the article  “The manuscript contains the Christian Bible in Greek, including the oldest complete copy of the New Testament. (A copy held at the Vatican dates from about the same period.) Older copies of individual portions of the Christian Bible exist, but not as part of a complete text.”

That is a legitimate statement.  Older portions are more accurate so modern translators have used the Sinaticus and older portions for come up with their final copies.

Here’s another false allusion from the article.  ”Juan Garces, the British Library project curator, said it should be no surprise that the ancient text is not quite the same as the modern one, since the Bible has developed and changed over the years.”

This is based on the idea that Christians change the Bible over the years to fit their needs.  Not so.  There are differences in the Sinaticus and modern Bibles because when needed the modern ones went to the older manuscripts instead of the Sinaticus for accuracy. The Sinaiticus is the oldest entirely intact Bible we have found so far, but not the oldest manuscript from individual books.  In the realm of Ancient Literature, the older is the better.

Eslewhere in the article it says . . . “the handwritten Codex Sinaiticus includes two books that are not part of the official New Testament and at least seven books that are not in the Old Testament. . . That portion includes books not found in the Hebrew Bible and regarded in the Protestant tradition as apocryphal, such as 2 Esdras, Tobit, Judith, 1 & 4 Maccabees, Wisdom and Sirach. . . . .The New Testament portion includes the Epistle of Barnabas and The Shepherd of Hermas.

That’s true, we don’t include these books. Apocryphal means doubtful authenticity.  Pretty much explains why those OT books were left out.  As for the two NT books. They didn’t meet the final criteria set when it was determined what would oficially be considered part of the NT.  That criteria was

· Authority of the writer – Was he an aposlte of close associate of an apostle.

· Test of Content – Was there an awareness of blessing and guidance when the book was read?

· Test of wiedespread acceptance – Did the early church as a whole accept it?

The people who put together  the Sinaticus liked the extra books, but the church as a whole did not.

These are just a few quick thoughts based on the article.  Intentional or not, articiles like this one are fiery darts to cuase us to doubt our faith.  However simple examination and reconsideration often proves the truth and authenticty of God’s word.

As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the LORD is flawless. He is a shield for all who take refuge in him. (Psalms 18:30 NIV)

Standing on the Word of the Lord,

Pastor Jim

The greatest gift at the greatest price

Packaged and delivered

At the cost of blood and bleeding,

Tears and weeping

Mocking and beating.

The gift was carried through a life of being misunderstood,

Of name calling and ridicule,

And false accusations.

In the end it was carried to a false trial,

A false jury,

And a false charge.

It was carried while blindfolded.

It was carried while whipped and beaten.

It was carried through a crowded street with jeering people.

Oh the weight of the gift at that point caused him to stumble and fall.

He carried it to the top of the mountain.

To the height of a cross.

And though His feet and hands were nailed,

He did not drop the gift.

The cross was raised; the body was wracked with pain,

And with His dying breath the giver said

“It is finished.”

And He handed me the gift.

I replied, “I’m sorry;  it just isn’t what I wanted.”

And without ever opening the gift,

I dropped it in the dirt, and turned and walked away.

“I tell you, whoever acknowledges me before men, the Son of Man will also acknowledge him before the angels of God. But he who disowns me before men will be disowned before the angels of God. And everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven. (Luke 12:8-10)

Pastor Jim DeVore 6-16-09

Oreo is Kit’s Great Dane and he is big!  No worries about Bears that night! Pastor Jim’s father i law rode his recumbent bicycle from Littlerock to the camp area, 26 miles and from 2000 to 72000 feet!  He slept well that night!  Jim gave him and his bike a ride home.  The whether was cool, the bon fire wonderful, and camp food is always good!  Next time though perhaps we can convince Pastor Jim to bring something different besides hotdogs and chili for dinner, breakfast, and lunch!

“He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me, scatters. (Luke 11:23 NIV)

“Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. (Matthew 25:41 NIV)

For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, (Colossians 1:13 NIV)

These verse paint a frightening realistic picture, but at the same time a wonderfully beautiful rescue. God’s word does not leave us without hope, nor does it candy-coat the hard truth. The truth is, according to Luke 11:23, if we are not active in our obedience to Jesus Christ we are actively disobedient to him and obedient to Satan. There fore our desire, and I did say “desire” (meaning something we want to do!) to not obey (We think disobey means to be bad, and we try to justify that, but in this case to disobey means to not even try to obey).  Now where was I, oh yes, our desire to not obey Jesus is a reflection of our desire to obey Satan. The end result of obedience to Satan is hell according to Matthew 25:41.   After all we are simply following our leader.
A-h-h-h but here comes the good news. If we desire to change our direction, then we need to change our leadership from obedience to Satan to obedience to Christ. It still requires obedience. The good news according to Colossians 1:13 is that Jesus has already gone to great lengths to rescue those who desire to be obedient to Him.
The question is, which leader are you obeying now? Do you need to make a change? You can’t do it on your own, but Jesus will be glad to help if you ask and obey.

But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Corinthians 15:57 NIV)

Here are a few highlights of the trip.

Join us this August on Thursday nights for the MacArthur, Tale of Two Sons video and small group series.