Holding Grief and Hope at Christmas The holiday season arrives with lights, music, and constant reminders that this is “the most wonderful time of the year.” For many, it is joyful. But for others, Christmas carries both beauty and heaviness. Grief often resurfaces during the holidays—sometimes quietly, sometimes not so subtly. We miss people who… Read More »
A Certain Point of View
by Carol Pitts: July 2025 This summer our church has been spending time in the Old Testament, focusing on the minor prophets. They are a treasure trove of God’s mercy, love and justice, but I keep wondering how and why so many nations seemed to miss the memos! On Sunday, July 13, 2025 Pastor Ben… Read More »
He’s Here
He’s Here Pentecost Sunday (June 8 this year) marks the moment in the church calendar when we remember the coming of the Holy Spirit to the Apostles (Acts 2). For me, it’s always a powerful, personal reminder of the Holy Spirit’s presence in my own life. One bitterly cold, snowy day in late January many… Read More »
Star Wars, Story time, and Character Formation
Star Wars, Story time, and Character Formation When I was a kid, my grandma had a series of books called “Help Me Be Good.” They were full of 1970s cartoon art, and had titles like, Let’s Talk About Lying and Let’s Talk About Being A Bad Sport. I think my grandma meant well in having… Read More »
Steadfastness and Faith
Steadfastness and Faith As is often the case, Pastor Ben’s sermon makes me think of a song, and when he spoke about worry this past Sunday, I thought of the hymn “His Eye is on the Sparrow.” This was probably reinforced by the pictures he shared during the sermon. Under each of the eight different… Read More »
God and a Dishwasher
God and a Dishwasher Last week, Caitlin and I made the decision to purchase a dishwasher. Ours was starting to rust and get some of that on the dishes, and a store was running a sale on them. We found the dishwasher we wanted, and I went in ready to purchase. When I arrived, I… Read More »
A Life of Prayer and Faith
A Life of Prayer and Faith An Interview with Ken and Ann Bartel Ann Bartel has an ongoing conversation with God, every day, all day. She rarely goes more than an hour or two without praying about something. It might be for safety when she gets in the car to go somewhere. It might be… Read More »
The Faithfulness of God
The Faithfulness of God An Interview with Lawrence and Roberta Foth Neither Roberta nor Lawrence Foth focuses on the “why” of life events. “Lots of things happen,” Roberta said, “Some things can be terrible, disastrous experiences, but I never turn back to ask why it happened.” Instead, whether consciously or unconsciously, Roberta is guided by… Read More »
A Quick Q & A: Kelly McClendon
Kelly McClendon, a long-time church member and recent elder, answered some questions about following Jesus and serving our church community. How did you come to Cornerstone? The church we were attending was getting so big that we felt we could not serve and participate in the community anymore. Our friends tried Cornerstone, so we tried… Read More »
Awake My Soul
Worship songs don’t usually hit me hard. For those of you who know me, I’m pretty staid with my emotions, but I’ve been listening a song this week that has been extremely meaningful. The song Awake My Soul (Psalm 57) by The Worship Initiative & Writers Well is drawn from Psalm 57. In Psalm 57,… Read More »
