Wednesday Night

Last night we kicked off our new Family Night program at Cornerstone. It was fantastic. People kept coming, and coming. The kidMo team did an excellent job as they taught the kids about God’s Word. I still am trying to figure out all of the motions that go along with Matthew 7:24! I peeked in on the youth for a moment and they had 4 visitors. The youth leaders are really pumped about the new direction. All I know about the adult prayer group is that they had to keep coming back for more seating. They had packed it out. All in all, it was a great night, and if you missed it, then you really missed it.

Proactive Discipline?

Celebration High School has a problem. This year the administration enacted a plan to create a peaceful lunchroom environment by having all the students face one direction during lunch. Apparently last year’s student body was too rowdy during their lunch “break.” So this year instead of dealing with the rowdy kids, they decided to punish the whole school in advance of any rowdy behavior. Our teens that attend Celebration high have not complained to me about this, but when I saw it on the wftv news, I could not let this one go. I am suggesting that they put principal Debra Neil on Administrative leave pending any future misconduct she may or others around her may do. I have been a long opponent of homework, and the removal of recess from the schedule. All kids, not just us hyperactive kids have energy to burn. Science tells us that the average girls will speak 25,000 words every single day. If they are not given time to use them on each other, then we as parents will have to listen to phrases like “Billy thinks he is so cool, but Janet says that he is not cool he just thinks he is cool.” I shudder just thinking about it. I say turn the tables on this proactive discipline and give them the freedom of speech, at least during their “breaks” and on top of that… send them outside for recess. And while we are at it, let them play dodge ball!

Showing God's Love

On Monday Gabe and I had the opportunity to attend a networking meeting with a hundred church leaders here in the state of Florida in order to receive some instruction and encouragement and to discuss how we can more effectively launch new churches within the state. The quote that stood out to me was by Tom Messer of Trinity Baptist in Jacksonville. Here is the quote: “The difference between today’s church and the first century church is that today we are trying to show the world how much we love God and the first century church was trying to show God’s love to the world.” Far too often we fail to realize that Jesus said that when you “Do it to the least of these, you have done it unto me.” It is our goal as a church to always be focused on sharing the love of God with those in our community who do not go to church. In fact we love nonreligious people, and not so that we can give them our. We know that relationship trumps religion and that if we get you to act like a child of God without really becoming a child of God then we have failed as a church.

Letter from Lebanon

Do you ever wonder what makes a pastor cry tears of joy? A few weeks ago Israel invaded Lebanon and we were reminded of a Lebanese family that was part of our church in the very beginning. Fadi Korban had been brought to FL to work for Disney. His ability with detailed wood work is beyond compare. After some time however, he had to return to his home country. With the conflict in Lebanon we recently added him to our prayer list. Today, after three years I received this email.

Hi
Dear Joel and the church staf, it has been almost three years since last time i have been with you at the church, but through all these days at least one of you guys at the church every day been with my thought and memory. i miss you a lot and my kids too ( Rayan and Riwa Korban) we lost contact .... i,m sorry but in lebanon never comes easy. today i.m in my friends house he got internet connection so I said I want try to contact you and here I'm sending you this email with my hope that receive it with my wish that everyone of you be in a good condition.
hope talk to you later

please send my regards to all the church staf or who remember us

sincerely: Fadi Korban

Did you read the part where he said he prays for at least one of us and for the church every day? Did you read the part where he hopes that we are in good condition? Read it again.
That is the stuff that makes a pastor cry. As I replied to his letter, I was reminded of Paul and the emotional letters he wrote to church members along his missionary journey. The bond of Christian love is unlike anything this world has to offer. Sometimes people ask Why God is blessing Cornerstone so much. What is the secret to the rapid growth and the wonderful spirit of the church. The answer: there was this guy who still prays for us every day. In a country where bombs are still falling, there is a man and his kids who are praying for our good condition. Oh to God that we would all embrace the power found in the prayer of a believer. That we would pray for our brother Fadi, and the other Lebanese Christians who are caught in a battle between the Muslims and Jews. That we would continue to pray that the influence of Cornerstone would wrap around the world and have a lasting affect on all that would pass our way.

Back to School

It's the most wonderful time of the year. Those little people who have been causing so much trouble over the past two months are getting ready to be put back in their place. School has a special place in the hearts of those of us at Cornerstone. We have the privilege of meeting at the Four Corners Elementary School and basing much of our community outreach through those hallowed halls. In fact this past Tuesday a group of us met to move text book after textbook from classroom to classroom. Simple, but simply a way of meeting a very real need for the teachers and administration of "our" school.
For most people, the memory of school carries with it enough emotional backpacks, to fill a hundred lockers. Yet in spite of the teachers, we learned many of life's most important lessons at school. Don't hit, share, do your home work... And so on.
One of my favorite things about school is graduation. In K-4 the parents and their video camera's block your shot of Jr. Receiving his verdict...um, I mean diploma from the teacher. Sixth grade, a little more important as the kids punish the parents and grandparents with endless barrage of musical numbers and cute costumes. High school... One word... Rebellion. "I am 18 and I have learned it all, now stop telling me what to do." In college it was a bit of gratitude and relief mixed with the ignorance of how hard it will be to land a job, and that student loans come due in two weeks. The amazing thing is that even though we graduate from one to the next that there is always more to learn and that there are always those that think that they have finished learning.
Over the next few weeks at Cornerstone we will look back at School and how important it is for us to continue learning even after we graduate. Unfortunately, many Christians fail to grasp the all important concept of continuing education. We will look at the grade levels in the Christian life and the graduated learning we all must do.

Text Messages From God

Text Messages have been around since the beginning of time. From the first sunset God has been sending a message of love to his creation. Throughout the centuries man has scribbled messages on cave walls, carved them into trees and sent them up by smoke. Today communication is so advanced that the average person is bombarded with messages that compete with our God for attention. In this Sunday’s message we will see how we can filter out the spammers and scammers that fill our inboxes with junk mail.

The Mosquito

The Mosquito is now officially the state bird of FL. We all have been driven out of the yard and into the house because of these annoying pests. Now a security company in the UK has harnessed the mosquito's sound to drive away another perceived pest. Here is a quote from Compound Security Systems website.

"The Mosquito ultrasonic teenage deterrent is the solution to the eternal problem of unwanted gatherings of youths and teenagers in shopping malls and around shops. The presence of these teenagers discourages genuine shoppers and customers from coming into your shop, affecting your turnover and profits. Anti social behaviour has become the biggest threat to private property over the last decade and there has been no effective deterrent until now. "

Now the cool thing for teens to do is to make this same sound the ringtone for their cell phones. Because the frequency is too high for most adults over 40 to hear they can send and receive text messages in class without the teacher knowing. Hence, the same thing that adults used to push teens away is being used to keep adults out of their lives.

As father's day approaches, I wonder what annoying thing I do that keep me from connecting with my kids. It is those same things that will one day keep me out of their lives. Am I grumpy, or maybe aloof, would I rather work on the computer than play with my kids. Would I rather watch sports on TV than a movie with my family. Should I take more time off during the summer or a lesser paying job so that I can be an active part of my kids' development years.

I happen to know that God loves teenagers of all ages and that the church should do what it can to attract young people and remove anything that is a barrier between them and an authentic personal relationship with Jesus Christ. So kids, if you are still listening, you are welcome here. We know that you are a genuine shopper too. That your anti-social behavior is maybe just a response to a culture that sees you as a pest rather than a person.

On a personal note, my whole family can still hear the mosquito. It does not bother Abby (8 years) but it did drive my wife Amy out of my office. On second thought, this may be useful after all :) You can check your hearing here.

Where's the Pool?

What a great weekend! On Saturday, Amy and kidZone took 23 to Green Meadows Farm. They had a blast catching chickens, riding ponys and petting farm animals. There are some pictures on the members page of the Cornerstone site. Then Sunday night a great couple, Art and Maureen, were baptized into the membership of Cornerstone. We have been claiming them for a long time and they are always a blessing when they are in the country, but they have a passion for God and want to be a more active part of the church. It is their goal to spend more time in the states serving in any capacity they are needed. That attitude does this pastor's heart well. There are some pictures on the members page as well. Props go to our friends down at Four Corners Baptist Church for allowing us to borrow their baptistery. It was the first time since beginning the church that we have used a "real" baptistery. This only became evident to me when we arrived at the church and Andrew (my 4 year old) said "Where's the pool?" He thought having a big tub in church was pretty cool. In some ways I still find myself asking "Where's the pool?"

Self Phones

Come on admit it. You have done it too. We all have. You are driving down I-4, stuck in traffic. There is nobody around, except for the guy in the other lane who is more interested in picking his nose than picking a lane. You have scanned the radio twice, and there is nothing on. Then, as if silence and solitude will kill you. You reach for the self phone. You know, that little device, that security blanket, that thing we do not know how we ever lived without. We scroll through the numbers looking for someone, anyone to talk to. At last check my phone book had 235 names. We then call some unsuspecting schlump, and totally use them. They could be hard at work, spending time with family, reading their Bible but it does not matter. We are bored and alone and want someone to talk to so we pull out the old self phone and say those now famous words ... "Can you hear me now?" Lately I have become aware of my tendency to abuse my friends and family in this way when I am alone in the car. Once I noticed it, I began to learn the driving patterns and schedules of people who call me. I like people, I am honored with their call, and I guess the only thing that annoys me is how quickly they dispense with me when they arrive at their destination, or another call comes in. "Oh, I gotta go because there is a telemarketer beeping in." That is insulting.
I guess that is how God feels. We only talk to him when we have nothing better to do. Or worse yet, we only call when we want something. Then the entire time we have him on the line we are distracted by the traffic of life, and as soon as there is someone else to talk to we quickly hang up on Him. I bet, he would like us to turn the radio off more often, and instead of scrolling through the phone book on our self phone to talk to Him for a while. Maybe He wants us to know that when we are all alone, that He is there. He is available. He is sitting by the phone waiting, hoping it will ring, that it is you on the line, and that you will say, "Hey God, it's me, what are you doing?" Well I need to go, you see I have a call to make. More on this Sunday. - Joel

Today’s culture is marked by individualism. The iPod is the mascot for a culture where everyone wants to express themselves. The desire for personal distinction increases in a world where the population has become so large and communication so vast that the only thing you can claim as strictly, personally, yours is your DNA. It is into this culture that the church is challenged to run counter culture. The church is described in the Bible as a body; all working together for the common good. We may live in an iworld, but God has called us to become a weChurch. For the next four weeks we are going to look into our culture of individualism and see the lonely individuals around us who are starving to connect. People long to be a part of something that is greater than themselves, to belong to a place where true community exists. This community is what the Bible calls the church.