August 2019 Newsletter
SAVE THE DATE |
Volusia, Flager, and St Johns County schools return on August 12.
FALL FUNDRAISER | Mark your calendars for September 25 - 27
PRAYER CORNER | Join us every Thursday mornings @ 9am for prayer
As we welcome the month of August, schools across the country will be welcoming millions of students into their buildings. Please pray for the students, parents, and teachers. Some of these students are going to school for their first time so pray that God would help guide them through their first days and calm their anxious spirit. Some of these schools deny Christianity- pray that the teachers, leaders, students, and even parents would be reached in some way with the gospel. Also pray for our kids’ safety across the nation.
MAKE US PART OF YOUR MIX,
PART OF YOUR LIFE
Bill Powell
Something we have been kicking around for a while is the fact that the programming of the Cornerstone is needed for everyone, young and old alike. We realize we are not the only programming you need. It is a fact that radio doesn’t have the status it once did. It’s a fact some people don’t even listen to the radio. Some listen to satellite radio, their phone, their iPad, and yes, some even still listen to CD’S and tapes.
A quick story. My grandchildren loved listening to tapes of Adventures in Odyssey. That program once came to us by tape, and we had boxes and boxes of them. I sent my granddaughters hundreds of tapes, and they were a major part of their mix. Actually, my son used them as currency when the girls misbehaved; he would take away their tape player as a form of punishment. Anyway, the girls now are older, and the tapes have done their work. The girls had them catalogued and neatly organized. Just recently, my son thought someone might have a use for them and put them on Craig’s list. They were gobbled up immediately by a family that loved Adventures in Odyssey and wanted the tapes for their kids when they go on trips. Now they are a part of their mix.
Anyway, the Cornerstone programming is God-honoring, inspirational, Biblical, and educational, and our music is good (Music with a Message). Back to peoples’ listening habits- you can set us to your radio dial AM and FM. You can listen on your phone. You can listen on your computer at www.wjlu.org and on your Alexa by just saying, “Alexa, tune in WJLU, or tune in WMFJ.” You can stream us on your TV through Tune-In on your ROKU, Amazon Fire or Droid TV. On your TV, you can actually see the song, artist, and album art. Anything with the Tune-In app. You see, we have worked hard to make it possible for you to add us to your listening mix. The Cornerstone is part of your community, and we can go with you anywhere you go, even if you can’t get us on your radio.
The important thing to remember is: God-honoring programming is necessary for you, me, and (most importantly) all the lost people out there who are being swayed and socially engineered by the secular media and Hollywood. The truth is hard to find, and we know that Jesus is the only answer. We have set out to convince everyone who has ears to hear to make us part of your mix. Won’t you help us by telling your church, family, and friends about what great programming is available from the Cornerstone? We realize there is a lot of competition for everyone’s attention, but there is no greater need than the Word of God. We are available if you have any questions on all the many ways you can make The Cornerstone “part of your mix, part of your life”.
THE PATHWAY OF ETERNAL LIFE
Chris Johnson
A number of years ago I ventured to find a waterfall deep into the forest of northern Georgia. A local man had told me about the spectacular sight and had assured me that it was fairly easy to find. The key, he said, was to stay on the right path. The mouth of the path was clearly identified, and before long a small group of us embarked on the journey to find the hidden gem. After a period of time, I began to realize that this path wasn’t quite as easy as the gentleman had explained. It had many twists and turns, ups and downs and downright scary cliffs. We pressed on deeper into the woods confident that the waterfall was certainly just around the bend. Our joy turned to sadness though as it became more and more evident that there was no waterfall to be found on the path that we’d taken. To this very day, even after another attempt at the hike, we never found that waterfall. The journey was exciting, but if I’m honest it was also terrifying due to the rough terrain and the fact that we ran out of water about halfway through our attempted search. I’ve spoken to a few people about that waterfall and some have attested to have actually found it. Thinking back I wonder if somehow we took a wrong turn and ended up on the inevitable “path” that leads to nowhere.
Sadly, many people today are on a similar journey. The journey of life has led them to take the wrong pathway, and they’ve failed to realize that the only path that leads to life is the path that was cleared by Jesus Christ. Proverbs 12:28 is a helpful reminder for us to stay the course on the pathway of righteousness. It states, “In the path of righteousness is life, and in its pathway, there is no death.” How wonderful! How marvelous is the assurance that God’s path leads to eternal life. The path I took on that dangerous hike did not provide any such assurance and in fact, left us quite disappointed. However, this is not the case with following the Lord Jesus Christ. Take a few moments and read Psalm 25:3 and I Peter 2:6. These passages, along with many others, help us take courage on our journey to the Celestial City!
AN HONEST MISTAKE
Christina Hutchinson
When I think of sin, I’m instantly taken back to where it all stems from, Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. After Adam and Eve had sinned their first reaction was to hide. Of course, we know that God sees all and knows all, so hiding anything from God is, well, impossible! But the weight of guilt we feel after we sin often sends us into our fight or flight mode, and we suddenly become superhuman and think that we can just fix it without God Almighty! Is this an honest way to view our sin?
When we make mistakes and fall into temptation it’s difficult for us to face our poor choices with honesty because we are either too full of pride or just flat out embarrassed. But, without honesty, you don’t get to reap the benefit of forgiveness and reconciliation. We do ourselves a disservice when we shy away from what needs to be addressed or try to mask our sin with an excuse. We are human! We make mistakes, we sin. Our heavenly Father knows this about us all too well, and yet, we still feel the need to cover ourselves and make excuses and run from Him when we have done wrong. Our Father in Heaven is a loving Father who sent His son to pay the price for our sin so that we could have eternal life with Him. While our past, present, and future sins have been paid for, our responsibility is to own up to our sins, confess them, and repent. He wants nothing more than for us to run straight to Him in times of trouble, just as a child runs to their earthly mother and father.
Seek God through your trials. Remember who you are and whose you are. Remember that no sin is beyond the forgiveness of our Heavenly Father. Lean on Him today and every day.
INCIDENTAL
Denisha Stearns
The post seemed as incidental to me as stumbling upon a paperclip in a junk drawer, one post of many in my social media newsfeed. In the photo, the church marquee read, “It’s hard to be spiritually fit if you work out only on Sundays.” I wasn’t searching social media for a spiritual reminder. Nevertheless, the message seemed profound, and really, it seemed I needed it.
There are probably hundreds of messages we read each day while going through our daily routine- on marquees, in print, on TV, websites, and yes! radio. They have the potential to get into our heads and influence our behavior. I’d love to think that all the messages put out there are good for us, but sadly, many are not. And they seem incidental, but they really were placed there by someone on purpose.
Which is why it is important to be quite intentional with our lives in Christ. This is a big reason why we do what we do here at The Cornerstone. Even so, I can truly appreciate the title of one of our programs: Intentional Living with Dr. Randy Carlson. The program’s title suggests that we, as Christians, can do better than leaving our spiritual fitness to what is incidental, convenient, casual, (or just to Sunday even). Furthermore, how intentional are the messages in the Bible, the gospel of Jesus and whole counsel of God? What love the Father has for us. What a gift He has given us, that is, His Word. How sad to have a cover collect dust and so many pages void of a human fingerprint.
So, I am looking for what I can do intentionally to be spiritually fit, and that includes the time spent in places where Christ’s people are and where God’s Word is appreciated. Where iron can sharpen iron. (And in my case, maybe remove a bit of rust?) Cause let’s face it, it is difficult to be a Christian in isolation. And here’s a message that I incidentally heard recently from my Christian brother at the station: a coal on its own gets cold quickly. Now, that’s one for a church marquee AND a media post.
Intentional Living by Dr. Randy Carlson can be heard on WMFJ Weekdays 3:30am and 4:30pm and on Saturdays 11:06am. Turn your dial to 1450AM, stream from www.wjlu.org, or tell your Alexa, “Tune in to WMFJ.”
FEATURED PROGRAM | Kids Programming
Your kids can enjoy fun programming on our FM stations and more when you visit www.wjlu.org/kids
FEATURED BUSINESS SPONSOR | Harris Grocery
Harris Grocery offers the area’s freshest meat selections, cut to order on your request. In addition, they have all the day-to-day items you need to pick up. They have been open since 1983. Located at 1006 S US1, Harris Grocery is open Monday - Saturday 7:30am - 8:00pm and Sundays 8:00am - 5:00pm.
Their number is 386.437.3813
Visit their website www.harrisgrocerybunnell.com
