November Newsletter 2017
Save The Date-
November 4: Clocks Go Back!
November 11: Veterans Day
November 23: Thanksgiving Day
Prayer Corner- Please pray for our veterans and their families. Also, remember to pray with a heart of thanksgiving! Sometimes our prayers are focused on our wants, but we really need to be thankful for all He has blessed us with! Pslams 100:4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name!
GIVE THANKS
1Ch_16:8 Oh give thanks to the LORD; call upon His name; make known His deeds among the peoples! 1Ch_16:34 Oh give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; for His steadfast love endures forever! Psa_105:1 Oh give thanks to the LORD; call upon His name; make known His deeds among the peoples! Psa_106:1 Praise the LORD! Oh give thanks to the LORD, for He is good, for His steadfast love endures forever! Psa_107:1 Oh give thanks to the LORD, for He is good, for His steadfast love endures forever! Psa_118:1 Oh give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; for His steadfast love endures forever! Psa_118:29 Oh give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; for His steadfast love endures forever
MIC DROP!
Well I guess I should be more specific. We do give thanks to the Lord for allowing us to overcome the many obstacles we faced before and after the hurricane. Everything is back online with the exception of a few things that are not affecting the listener. Our Faithful 500 Fall Fundraiser was our best ever, and we are so thankful to everyone who gave. At the time of this writing, we have received 404 of the 500. How do you say thanks to 404 people? One way is: we will work hard to keep things in good order and to continue bringing you God-honoring programming. I remember the song that had the chorus, “God will make a way when there seems to be no way”. For the Cornerstone, that has been a way of life not just a song. We have had a tough year, and it is still yet to be seen how it will all play out but we are confident God will make a way. Something that I have learned over the years is that often times the Lord uses His people as instruments to make the way. This Thanksgiving holiday season, keep in mind that you may be the one that the Lord uses as an instrument that makes a way for someone. We are to be salt and light, and with the blessings we have been given come responsibilities. Thanks again to everyone who gave so we can continue to give. I can’t believe I am saying this, but don’t forget that the day after Thanksgiving its 100% Christmas music! Were very excited about that. Oh Give Thanks, Bill
Thankfulness, Faithfulness & Trust
Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.” Those sacred words from Proverbs 3:5-6 have been a treasured passage for my wife Stephanie and me since the day we were married. It would not be possible to count the number of times we’ve encouraged one another and others with these words as we’ve navigated our path together. Our Lord’s faithfulness to guide our steps and direct our lives has been a constant fuel to our faith and means of grace by which our thankfulness for His mercy has continued to grow and deepen.
One of the leading areas in which we’ve found this collection of truth to be so powerful has been as the Lord has given us the gift of children. In less than one month, we will welcome our third baby, a little girl whom we’ve named Eden. She, like her two older brothers, were sweet, unplanned surprises given by the Lord at just the right time in His providential plan. Noah, Levi, and now Eden have taught Stephanie and I the lesson of patience and trust three unique times during our 14 years of marriage. There are seven years between Noah and Levi and five years between Levi and Eden. During those seasons of waiting, we cherished and love each day with our little boy, which became boys. But in all honesty, there were “ times of frustration and even sadness as we longed to add as we longed to add another little one to our nest only to find out we had to wait a little longer. How wonderful though is the good news that those paths of wanting and waiting were corridors leading us to trust in the Lord, leave our own understanding behind, and acknowledge the sovereign plan of God in ordering the family, a plan He’s had in store for us since the beginning of time. “Be anxious for nothing,” the Apostle Paul instructed the Philippians, “...but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”(Phil 4:6-8 NKJV)
The greatest earthly treasures I’ve ever been given are my dearest Stephanie, my boys, Noah and Levi, and already my daughter Eden. This season of Thanksgiving will be all the more sweet as we count down the days to her soon arrival and especially so, because these days were ushered in by prayer, supplication, and thanksgiving as we made known to God our desires. Truly His peace has been a guard and comfort to our hearts and minds, and all of this, through Jesus Christ our Lord! As you journey through life’s many twisting paths, know that it’s the Lord of Glory who directs those roads. He promises his Word to be a light and lamp to our feet and our path. He assures us that He’s working all things according to His perfect plan. Yet, He’s calling you and me to trust in Him in every way through every day. May His peace be with you as He leads you.
GLORIFYING CHRIST WITH THANKSGIVING
By Christina Hutchinson
Well, well, well, if it isn’t November… One of my FAVORITE months. Not only because we really start to feel a difference in the weather here in the good ol Sunshine State, but also because it’s my husband’s and my anniversary! We’ve been married 5 years on the 17th. The fact that it has been 5 years is truly remarkable. Time continues to fly by whether we’re ready or not. With that being said, all of the holiday festivities are going to come barreling at us. Through all the busyness and special dates and basking in the sweet fragrance of turkey dinner and pine, let us not forget to thank our Heavenly Father for all of His blessings. Each year I tell myself I’m going to slow down, breathe, and be present in the moment the Lord has me in. I end up failing. I get preoccupied, impatient, and then before I know it the days have past, and we’re in a whole new year.
Throughout the next couple months, I’m going to remind myself to really focus on a heart of thankfulness. To take my time through each day and really live an intentional life of thankfulness is glorifying to Christ. The season isn’t really about me, my anniversary, or my wants as far as holiday plans. It’s about using this time to share the gospel by showing that I am thankful for a God who saw me in my sins and transgressions, sent His only Son to be born of a virgin, and died on the cross for me so that I might be saved and live in eternity with Him. Lord, help me to see each and every moment of every day, no matter the season or time of year, that it is all about You, to be thankful for the moments You’ve put me in, whether mundane or full of exciting new adventures. Most of all, help others to see You glorified through a heart of thanksgiving! Amen.
EXPRESSIONS OF GRATITUDE
By Denisha Stearns
Maybe they helped you a bit or a great deal. The guy who jiggled loose that candy bar hanging in the throes of the vending machine coils. The EVAC medic who assured you it would be all right as she transported you safely to the hospital. The elderly person in the department store who paid you a respectable compliment as you tried on a new (albeit, larger) outfit. The evening janitor who personally escorted you through locked doors and unknown routes to the exit and freedom.
Thinking back to that moment, how did you thank that stranger? It probably took form as a verbal “thank you”, a handshake, or even a hug as you went on your way. But if you are at all like me with strangers, you didn’t ask their name or their address to send a thank-you note. Or maybe due to the circumstances, you didn’t even get the chance to verbalize your appreciation. Consider the account in Luke Chapter 17 of Jesus and the ten lepers. Jesus was a stranger to them. They had no relationship with Jesus, yet He up and healed their wounds, removing the disease that separated them physically and spiritually from their families and avenue of worship- what a thing to be thankful for!
Why did only one come back to thank Jesus? I can only speculate. As I reflect on the state of my own thankfulness toward Jesus, I think, “Am I more like the one, or like the other nine?” For the healing I have, how have I thanked Jesus?
I imagine that it took time, effort, and maybe resources in order for that one leper to express gratitude to stranger Jesus, and likewise, the woman who anointed Jesus with her bottle of spikenard (See Luke, Chapter 7). For the forgiveness I have, how do I thank Jesus? To me, Jesus is no stranger, but Lord and Savior. For what He does for me, in me, and through me daily, how do I express my gratitude? Do I, in a figurative sense, anoint Jesus with my offering of perfumed oil and wipe His feet with my tears? Will my expressions of gratitude ever be good or ample enough?
Maybe not. Oh, but let me try. And let me give thanks to whom it is due. George Washington knew to whom it was due when he declared the first Thanksgiving Day of America in 1789. Abraham Lincoln knew when he reinstated Thanksgiving Day in 1863. Whoever wrote that tune, the “The Doxology”, knew. They all echoed the same sentiment, “Praise God from whom all blessings flow…” We want to wholeheartedly thank YOU and thank our God who impressed upon you and many others the desire to support The Cornerstone with your Faithful 500 pledge, your other monthly or yearly donations, and your prayers and encouraging words. Maybe it was in thankfulness to us or rather to the Lord Himself. Either way, this ministry can continue to do His work, and we are so grateful. We do not call you strangers, but friends for sure. God bless you all.
