Fresh Bread

Easter 2009

noreply@blogger.com (Nils Swanson) — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 15:45:00 -0700

There have been many amazing rescues in the history of humanity, but one stands above the rest and it is commemorated each Spring during the Easter weekend.
Rescue!

Technical difficulties

noreply@blogger.com (Nils Swanson) — Tue, 3 Mar 2009 14:51:00 -0800

We are currently experiencing technical difficulties with sermon postings. Please email the office if you would like to hear a previous sermon. office@pullmancornerstone.org.

Christians and the Empty-Well Syndrome: Trading Stress for God's Peace

noreply@blogger.com (Nils Swanson) — Mon, 2 Mar 2009 14:25:00 -0800

Dr. Kathleen Ruby from the WSU Veterinary School talks about how to manage stress in your life and how to fill your well with God. Part 1 Part 2

All Church Meeting Notes 2-08-09

noreply@blogger.com (Nils Swanson) — Mon, 9 Feb 2009 14:20:00 -0800

Attraction v Promotion

Underlying issues
We talk about easily seen issues, but we don’t talk about the underlying factors. Who are we? Where did we come from?

Five Points
We have a purpose (individually and corporately)
We have a purpose to love God and join Him
We accomplish this purpose better together
We will find satisfaction while working toward our purpose
We have no promise of tomorrow

Winning/Building/Equipping: We need to bring people to Christ, build our body, and equip people to be ambassadors of Christ.

Do the three C’s work better? Communion/Community/Co-Creativity: Come together and realize that this is not an individual task. Understand that God is still active and has a purpose for us and this world.

“Cornerstone isn’t here for Cornerstone’s sake”

“Why send a doctor to a healthy person—it’s about Him and His Kingdom.” We should be reaching out to the people who need and are ready to know Christ.

“Are we equipping people to go ‘out there?’”

‘It’ is about the other six days—think Nascar...Sunday morning is the pits.

“What does it look like to be an ambassador of Christ? How do you reach a group of people who haven’t heard of Christ...who do not know Him?” Should we focus on the Sermon on the Mount and learn how to answer these questions...how to be Christ-like? Live 1 John 2:6

Should we look at the idea of Christian sponsors? “Every man needs a Barnabas and a Timothy.” (Read Timothy 2:2).

Christianity Today Article

noreply@blogger.com (Nils Swanson) — Thu, 5 Feb 2009 15:05:00 -0800

John Doty recommended this article by Richard Foster (author of Celebration of Discipline) saying it may give our congregation some insight into some of the topics of our discussions.

Ananias

noreply@blogger.com (Nils Swanson) — Wed, 4 Feb 2009 13:30:00 -0800

In this message we learn about Ananias and his journey as a disciple of Christ. Ananias

All-Church Meeting 1/25

noreply@blogger.com (Nils Swanson) — Tue, 3 Feb 2009 14:12:00 -0800

Who Are We?

We understand how we fit together as a body
John Doty: Look at what you’ve got
Everyone is here for a reason
We are the results of outreach
We’re primarily a church of young adults who know God
What kind of people do we attract? What kind of people should we attract? How do we attract these people?
undergrads
graduate students
young families
young couples
young single people
middle-aged families
older families/couples
other?
What are we good at? Let us stick to it!
Do we have a “Dare me to worship” attitude
Do we come to church only for ourselves?

What Can We Do? What questions we should ask?
How do we make Cornerstone a place that people want to call their home church?
This concern keeps coming up
How do we balance attacking v not approaching newcomers
How do we decide who does and doesn’t want to remain anonymous?
Spread ourselves throughout to church to give newcomers more opportunities to intermingle with us
Come to church with a passion for all things happening at the church...personal excitement
What other types of worship could we try?
How do we follow up on meeting people?
Change our mission statement: We are a welcoming church full of friendships. We are here to strengthen our relationship with God and knowledge of the Bible.
Give each other feedback
It is crucial that you let us know what isn’t working for you. A song, an attitude, something that is missing...
Comments for music team: Constructive criticism
Prayer before worship...Don’t rush in
Connect Bible verses to songs
Which key result areas should we focus on, if any? How and why?

Cornerstone, on track?

noreply@blogger.com (Nils Swanson) — Mon, 2 Feb 2009 16:21:00 -0800

In reflecting upon our discussion about the health of Cornerstone and discerning God’s guidance for the church, I was reminded of the importance of prior guidance. Identifying where God has guided in the past can be important in discerning his guidance in the present.

As I looked back over some key things related to Cornerstone, I came across this quote from Peter Drucker:
“It’s just human propensity to start in a clearly defined direction then to veer off the path somehow and wind up not doing what you originally started to do… (and not do that one thing well).”

I also was reminded that an airplane 1º off at takeoff will be 10 miles off course after 100 miles of flight. Both of these reminded me of the importance of being on track and staying on track!

Here are some of the key items in God’s guidance of Cornerstone over the years:

1) We have a purpose. I realize that seems incomplete as it stands. But it is important to recognize the truth and power of that statement. It does not say I have a purpose (although that is indeed the case). It says we have a purpose.

2) Our Purpose is to glorify God by loving him and joining him in what he is doing. What God is doing is changing the world by touching lives in Pullman. He is doing this by making disciples (fully committed followers of Jesus Christ).

3) Our purpose is best accomplished as a body/team (we have a purpose).

4) In working toward our purpose we will discover satisfaction.

5) We have no promise of tomorrow.

You may or may not agree with these five points and each one could be expanded upon. They may not be for every church. Yet I believe these are key points for Cornerstone Community Church.

In order to stay on track we need to keep in mind the following:

Our motive—love God and people (our passion) The Great Commandment
Our mission—make disciples of Jesus Christ (our purpose) The Great Commission
Our method—live as Jesus lived (our practice) The Great Example

The result, hopefully, will be a healthy body of believers obeying the great commandment, functioning according to giftedness and joining God in accomplishing the great commission.

A healthy body has a balance of these three “M’s” which may be expressed in a variety of ways. One that I like because of its simplicity is this: winning, building and equipping. Winning has to do with introducing people to the Kingdom of God and the gospel of Jesus Christ. Building relates to helping believers grow in their relationship with Christ and others. Equipping involves the training necessary to be ambassadors of Jesus Christ and the Kingdom of God in the 21st century.

There has been quite a bit of study regarding church health in the last decade and it has been noted that the church in North America is struggling greatly. A reason for this is the tendency for churches to lack balance in these three areas. One researcher has called this the “87% problem.” In his research, out of 100 churches surveyed, 87 focused exclusively on building believers and not at all on winning or equipping. The result is that they are out of balance and thus not healthy.

Balance in this case does not mean an even split in thirds, but an intentional and prayerful integration of all three areas in the life of the church: sometimes focusing on one area or another as needed. It is a dynamic process that ebbs and flows much like nutrition, exercise and sleep which are needed for personal health. It is not that each one has to be happening every day, but that over time each one is evident in proper measure.

In light of this, my sense is that in the past 18-24 months Cornerstone might have slipped out of balance. We may have moved towards being part of the 87% problem and need to regain a healthy balance of winning and equipping along with building. Give this some prayerful thought. Talk about it with your small group and then join us on Sunday, February 8 for an all church conversation regarding this topic. See you then! Blessings, Nils

Philip's Ministry

noreply@blogger.com (Nils Swanson) — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 14:49:00 -0800

In this message we learn about the history and geography of Philip's ministry and how his experience applies to our lives. Philip.

Stephen

noreply@blogger.com (Nils Swanson) — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 15:47:00 -0800

Message from 1-18-09. Stephen

The Cost of Advent

noreply@blogger.com (Nils Swanson) — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 11:42:00 -0800

Message from 12/14/2008. The Cost of Advent

What is Cornerstone About?

noreply@blogger.com (Nils Swanson) — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 10:09:00 -0800

As we have moved into a new facility the question has come up: what is Cornerstone about and how are we doing? The answer to the first part of the question could be stated in several ways but each response would ultimately boil down to this: Cornerstone is about loving God and loving others. We use the statement that “God wants to change the World by touching lives in Pullman” to convey this and that there is a larger mission involved beyond “just me”. For many churches this is summed up in Jesus’ commission in Matthew 28:18-20 where he says to “Go and make disciples of all nations.”

In the past we wrestled with this topic and concluded that there are several areas Cornerstone needs to emphasize in order to be faithful to God’s calling. These are not the only things necessary for ongoing discipleship, but because we have so many people who are with us for only a few years (primarily university students) we felt these are areas we should focus on. In hopes of helping people remember what these are we chose five words that begin with the letter I and called them the “5 I’s.” (Now isn’t that catchy!) They are “invite”, “include”, “involve”, “invest” and “intercede”.

The first I, “Invite”, focuses on the area of inviting people to consider following Jesus Christ. I like how Andrew invites Nathanael to consider Jesus, saying simply “Come and see!” (John 1:46). To invite someone is not to browbeat or manipulate them. It is to be excited about what you have discovered in Jesus (like Andrew) and to tell your friend “come and see!” It is to take seriously your friend’s value as being created in the image of God and to realize that is exactly why Jesus Christ came: “to seek and to save what was lost (Luke 19:10).” A person only seeks something that is lost because of its value to him. Jesus left the glory of heaven (Philippians 2:5-11) to seek the lost, and the value of each person is seen in that Jesus willingly gave up his life on the cross for them.

Because Jesus sees their value and knows they are created in the image of God, he treats them with dignity. This means he doesn’t coerce or manipulate a response but allows the person the right to decide. That is why we have chosen to use the word “invite”. It expresses a heartfelt desire for the person to join with us in following Jesus, but one that gives the person the respect and dignity to exercise their choice: yes or no.

This November we used the Natural Church Development survey to assess the health of Cornerstone. We received the results and learned that we are doing “okay”. Our average score of the eight factors measured is a 53 (which puts us just above the mean of 50). Our maximum factor is holistic small groups at 62 and our minimum factor is need-oriented evangelism at 45. [They use three words to describe need-oriented evangelism: prayer, care and share. What do these word choices reveal?]

This assessment indicates that we love being together but we are not doing very well inviting others to join us. I would like to ask you to consider why that is and what we might do to grow in this area. Leave your comments here (the link is at the bottom of this article), send me an email or drop us a message on the church phone. Most important, ask the Lord for His input on this topic. As we seek God’s will and wrestle with this together I think we might be surprised by what God says and does.

"My food," said Jesus, "is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work. Don't you have a saying, 'It's still four months until harvest'? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest. Even now those who reap draw their wages, even now they harvest the crop for eternal life, so that the sower and the reaper may be glad togheter. Thus the saying 'One sows and another reaps' is true. I sent you to reap what you have not worked for. Others have done the hard work, and you have reaped the benefits of their labor." John 4:34-38

Jealosy

noreply@blogger.com (Nils Swanson) — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 11:06:00 -0800

In Acts 5 the opposition from the authorities grows as the dynamic early church stirs up jealousy in the Sanhedrian.

Jealousy

Power Prayer

noreply@blogger.com (Nils Swanson) — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 17:17:00 -0800

In this message, we learn about four "anchors" based on the sovereignty of God:

You are where you are because of his (1) Appointment.
You are also in His (2) Keeping.
He has you where he has you because you are under His (3) Training.
The last piece of good news, is that you are in his (4) Time. He won't keep you 'their' any longer or shorter than you need to be.

Power Prayer

Courage

noreply@blogger.com (Nils Swanson) — Mon, 3 Nov 2008 17:26:00 -0800

We apologize, a technical error caused this week's sermon to be unplayable.

Authentic Change

noreply@blogger.com (Nils Swanson) — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 17:19:00 -0700

In this testimony, we learn about how we can see authentic change in our lives. Authentic Change

It's About Jesus

noreply@blogger.com (Nils Swanson) — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 16:49:00 -0700

We find forgiveness, refreshment, and restoration when we turn from our ways to Jesus. It's About Jesus

A Promise Delivered

noreply@blogger.com (Nils Swanson) — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 12:30:00 -0700

In Acts we find encouragement to believe the Gospel, and live it out in our own lives. A Promise Delivered.

Promise Made

noreply@blogger.com (Nils Swanson) — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 17:04:00 -0700

As we begin the study of Acts, Jesus communicates to his followers that He is alive. The Kingdom of God is everywhere, and it affects everything. Promise Made

Sent Like Jesus

noreply@blogger.com (Nils Swanson) — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 09:39:00 -0700

The Christian world view is that we were created for good, damaged by sin, redeemed for good and in this message, Sent Like Jesus.

Good Redemption

noreply@blogger.com (Nils Swanson) — Mon, 8 Sep 2008 17:17:00 -0700

In this message we learn that what has been damaged by evil may be redeemed for good.

Good Redemption

Damaged by Evil

noreply@blogger.com (Nils Swanson) — Mon, 1 Sep 2008 16:26:00 -0700

To understand our part in the Great Story, we need to understand the beginning of the story and how we got to where we are. In the first part we saw that creation and humanity were designed for good. But we don't see that today. Why? Because creation and humanity have been

Damaged by Evil

Parable of the Soils

noreply@blogger.com (Nils Swanson) — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 14:49:00 -0700

In this message from July, Jay Swanson challenges us to consider what it means to make disciples of Jesus Christ and how we invest our time.

Parable of the Soils

Great Story, True Story

noreply@blogger.com (Nils Swanson) — Sun, 24 Aug 2008 19:50:00 -0700

We are back on line, yay!

With the start of a new year we are going to look at what it means to be followers of Jesus Christ in this thing called "church". We are going to discover that we are part of a great story that is also a true story.

Great Story, True Story

We will be back!

noreply@blogger.com (Nils Swanson) — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 12:33:00 -0700

We have had some technical difficulties (read "computer crash") and so you may have noticed nothing new for a while... like weeks now! We will be back up and running with new sermons and maybe even a blog or two (shock!) early next week. Until then, thanks for being patient :)