Where In The World Is…..?

Dan Jensen has been a part of the Cornerstone community for the last few years.  Helping out in student and music ministry areas (and the best

Pepsi driver around), Dan left last fall to head to Briercrest College in Caronport.

Right now though, Dan is on his way to Africa.  Kenya, to be specific, with a group of Briercrest students from across North America.  As a representative of Cornerstone Church while he’s there, we thought it might be cool to give you a heads up on where he’s going, what he’ll be up to, and how you can be praying for him and the team.  Here’s the main gist of what they schedule is in Dan’s words:

“The opportunities we have are amazing and the schedule is full.  We will be doing a number of campaigns in four or five communities (preaching, speaking, singing, praying – basically being ready to do whatever we are asked to do).  We will be visiting and ministering in 2 AIDs orphanages, and we will be ministering to widows and orphans in the village.  We’ll also be helping to lay a foundation for an orphanage home in Kisumu that will give up to 32 kids a home, and help establish a poultry farm to help the locals.  We will be helping to build 10 water springs and 2 wells in strategic locations in remote villages.  We also have the privilege of leading meetings at the University of Kisumu.  All of this is done with the local church, and all of it in just under four weeks.”

Busy schedule for sure, and part of Dan’s spiritual family, we want to invite you to be praying alongside and for Dan and the team.  Not totally sure who Dan is?  No problem!  God will make sure the dots get connected

Here’s the longform itinerary in case you’re curious what they will be up to each day:

July 24-26: Travel

July 28: University Event in Kisumu

July 29-Aug 1: Bunyore Campaign

Aug 2: Building fresh water springs/wells

Aug 3: Ministry to Operation Joseph kids and familes (AIDS ministry)

Aug 4: Orphanage ministry in Kakamega

Aug 6-8: Maseno and Kisumu Campaigns

Aug 9-11: Boyani Revival Service

Aug 12-13: Laying foundation for orphanage ministry

Aug 16-19: Wrap up and return home.

Summer Wednesday Connection

During the months of July and August, every Wednesday an activity will be organized for families and friends within our church  and community  to connect at.

These events are open to everyone. Feel free to invite friends and family.

Cost is covered by the individual.

Weather permitting.

Parents are to accompany their own children and are responsible for them.

JULY

July 7th: Appleby Drive Kids Club

Time:6:00 p.m.-8:30 p.m.

Meet at Kids Club Apartment ( 107-714 Appleby Drive)

The club minister to immigrant and refugee children. Tons of fun.

July 14th: Fort Carlton Provincial Park.

Time: 9:00 a.m.- 1 p.m. approx. Meet at the church at 9:00 a.m.

for those interested in car pooling.     -Bring packed lunch.

-Fire pits and picnic shelter available.

-Historical Tours of the Fort and hikes available.

Cost: Family $9.00     Adult: $4.00    Youth(6-17): $1.00

Children under 5: FREE

July 21st: Saskatoon Berry Picking

- Berries are ripe!     Meet at the church at 9:30 a.m.

- Bring a packed lunch.     $5.00 per ice cream pail.        Bring own pails.

- Place: Langham ( 30 min)

July 28th: Riverdale Outdoor Pool

- Time: 1:00 p.m..    Meet at the Pool

- Cost: Family $12.00  Adult: $6.00  Youth (6-18) : $3.60

August

August 4th: TBA(Outreach Opportunity)

August 11th: Kinsmen Park and Rides.

- 9:30 a.m.- 12:00 p.m.        Rides open at 10:00 a.m. $1.00 per ride.

- Meet at the park          -Bring packed lunch/snacks

August 18th: Pike Lake Day

-Leave church at 9:30 a.m.   ALL DAY EVENT: you leave when you want.

- Day Pass to Park only : $7.00  Swimming/mini-golfing is extra $.

- Fire pits and picnic area’s available.       -Nature hikes.

- Please see Pike Lake Provencial Park website for more info.

August 25th: Meewasin Park ( Free but bring snacks/lunch)

- Shelter and playground available.   Time: 10:00 a.m.- 12. 00 p.m.

- Church will bring some play supplies.

Israel Trip 2010 – new dates -

What can you do to really increase your understanding of the Bible?  Let me make you an offer.  This winter I will be leading a tour to Israel departing Saskatoon February 21st through to March 5th.  This will be my 5^th trip to the Holy land and with each trip I have used the same Jewish tour guide.  He is a remarkable man who will help you understand the scriptures in a way you would never have imagined.  You will come back to Canada with a brand new appreciation of your faith.  You will have a renewed hunger to study the places you have had the opportunity to visit.

Imagine with me riding in an open boat on the Sea of Galilee while reading the story of Jesus walking on water.  We will walk into the Garden of Gethsemane and you will enter the empty tomb or at least what they believe is the best possible location for the empty tomb.  I will take you to the top of Mount Carmel where Elijah fought the prophets of Baal.  We will walk the ancient cobblestone streets of old Jerusalem.  You will sit on the slopes of the Mount of Beatitudes leading down to the Sea of Galilee where Jesus fed the multitudes.  This is just a small sampling of the many places you will experience on our tour.

We will also be going into the country of Jordan for a one day trip where we will see one of the wonders of our world…Petra.  Much has been written about Petra but you really have to see it to believe.  I was blown away the first time I walked that path in that remarkable country.  Petra does have Biblical associations which you will learn about while journeying there.  For many people the trip to Israel truly ends up being a trip of a lifetime.  The greatest joy I have is when I return and hear people say, “I read my Bible differently now.”

I have a full two week itinerary and a price schedule for you if you are interested.  Please contact Kathy Janzen at our church office either by phone or email and she will get you the information you need (ask Kathy about the trip, she’s been there).

cornerstone@sasktel.net

Well, at least the Canucks showed me SOMETHING in Game 4…

Fair warning.  This blog is about the Vancouver Canucks.  Sort of.

My “playoff beard” is just starting to get it’s legs, and this past week it has been pushed to edge of elimination/shaving, one game away from being banished for another year (Melissa can hardly wait.)

As I sat on a tour bus watching game 4 between Chicago and Vancouver instead of singing along with Michael W. Smith inside (I much prefer the early 90s concert memories I have of Smitty to today anyway), I found myself muttering the same thing over and over.

“What the heck happened!?!”

See, I could show you the newspaper articles, and the video clips, and TSN reports, and all the notes from before the game (trust me, I read them. All of them.)  To a man, every player on my beloved Canuck team spoke of how they knew what they needed to do.  How they needed to have more discipline.  Make smarter plays.  Be tougher during the play, and not between the whistles.  The said all the right things.  They sounded united. Focused.  They used the right words with the right inflections, and said it with enough conviction to have you believe that they understood what was at stake, and we’re prepared to go do whatever it took to make sure that what they knew they needed to do happened.

Then they went and laid a giant collective egg.

That was definitely not how this was supposed to go.

And yet, hours later while I was laying awake in bed replaying the sobering game in my head, an even more sobering thought hit me:

Am I the same way?  Are Melissa and I, as a couple the same way?  How about as a church?  As Christians?

Now I really didn’t like the outcome of the game.

I’ve wrestled with this over the last few days.  All I can do is speak for myself, and from what I see in our culture around me, but far too often, I wonder if we as Christians know the right things to say.  We sound sincere, like we get it.  We sound repentant, even passionate about being “missional”, and “community-focused”.  We say the right things, have the right slogans, and, even, perhaps even most disheartening, the right intentions.  We actually want to do the right thing.

But then we take a hit.  We discover that it’s gonna cost.  That there is work involved.  And so we back off.

I’m so passionately frustrated when I see this pattern in my hockey team, and so quick to judge others for the same thing, but just as quick to rationalise and create excuses when it happens in my own life.  It a trait I’ve been working hard to change.

So my question is this:  What if we, as Cornerstone Church, were a place where when Christians said something, they followed through?  Where when we say we believe in the grace, faithfulness, and goodness of God, our lived reflected that trust? Or when we say we believe that mentoring and coming alongside young adults, or serving the poor, or giving our time is important, we actually DID exactly those things? Or when we said that everything we have belongs to God, and then reflected that when we set our own budgets?  What if we were a place that DID what we SAID? (wait, that sounds familiar…).

I want to be a part of that kind of Church.  I think we’re moving in that direction.  But we’ve got some more ground to cover.  We’re we jump to action, and where we have an abundance of people who just simply want to follow through on what God is calling them to.

Because this is so much more important than a hockey game, or a shiny tin cup we can dance around with.  It’s about eternity, and faithfulness, and fully grasping and joining the Adventure Jesus invites us to be a part of.  It’s about obedience, and follow through, and Jesus doesn’t just ask politely for that, like a “good idea, but only if you really feel like it”.  He commands it if we want to follow him (James 4:17).

I know some of you may already be great at doing this.  Awesome!  Please, continue to show us and teach us how.  But for the rest of us, we need to show up.  After Watoto last Sunday, I leaned over to Melissa and said “We can do more.  We HAVE to do more.”

Let’s just start with doing what we say.  (for a good example, google Vancouver Canucks, game 5.)

Your Chores or Mine? Discipline….

“I’m amazed how two empty trash cans left by the driveway can transform me from Mother of the Year to a raging inferno in two seconds flat….”

I was curious to read more on discipline because it has been six months since I have entered Children’s Ministry and am evaluating how I have been disciplining the kids that I have been encountering week after week. Know we now all the kids are Angels…not quite…what about those dirty socks and spilled milk?

But in my reading I came across this article and thought I would share it with you. Discipline doesn’t always have to conjure up feelings of anger, disappointment and let down but with a little imagination and creativity, parents can have a sense of humor when it comes to discipline.

This article is from  http://www.focusonthefamily.ca/parenting/discipline/your-chores-or-mine

Your chores or mine?

Written by Heather Trent Beers

I’m amazed how two empty trash cans left by the driveway can transform me from Mother of the Year to a raging inferno in two seconds flat.

One morning, I entered my 15-year-old son’s room. “Jacob,” I said. I waited for eye contact.

“Yes, Mom?” His eyes darted between the screen and my face.

“I’m heading out on an errand. Please bring the trash cans in before I get home in an hour.”

“Uh-huh.”

Now, I’ve learned two things about Jacob. First, I must say his name and make eye contact. Second, I need to make him repeat what I’ve said. Both are helpful in the “But I Didn’t Hear You” battle.

“What will you do?”

“Bring in the trash cans.”

“When?”

“Before you get home.”

“Which will be when?”

“In one hour.”

“Good. See you in an hour.”

I left with a spring in my step. He’s growing into a responsible young man! An hour later when I came home, however, the cans were still at the end of the driveway.

Goodbye, June Cleaver. Hello, Mommy Dearest.

I fumed as I pulled into the garage. “Why do I even bother?” I stomped to the end of the driveway, jerked the cans off the ground and wheeled them to the garage. My blood pressure soared, and my heart thumped wildly.

I knew Jacob needed a consequence for his inaction, but all I could think about were the chores that awaited me, and here I was doing his simple chore on top of it!

Suddenly, I smiled. If I’m doing his chores, he can do mine. The simple brilliance of the plan filled me with hope. I whispered fervently, “God, please let this work!”

Upstairs, I stopped by my son’s room. “Hi, Jacob!” I was pleased with my friendly tone.

“Hi, Mom!” He flashed a quick smile and continued his game.

“You left the trash cans at the curb, so I brought them in.”

“Oh . . . I’m sorry,” he said, grimacing. He looked at me, but his fingers continued tapping.

In the past, I would have made a smart remark like “ ‘Sorry’ doesn’t change things.” This time I said, “That’s all right. You can do one of my chores. The laundry needs folding.”

Jacob froze. He knew he’d been had, and it was fair and square.

While he hung shirts and folded socks, I read a few pages of a novel. I thought about what just happened. Bringing in trash cans: One minute. Folding laundry: Six minutes. Five extra minutes reading with my feet propped up. I could get used to this.

I whispered a prayer of thanks.

Two days later, I asked nine-year-old Rebekah to put her shoes away before lunch. I went through the “Say Her Name and Make Her Repeat My Instructions” deal. She passed with flying colours. Lunch came and went, but the shoes didn’t. So I put them away myself, without saying a word or sighing like a martyr. I was planning my next five-minute escape.
After lunch, I said, “Rebekah, you didn’t put your shoes away, so I did it.”

“Oh, I’m sorry, Mom,” came the usual reply.

“That’s OK. I need to vacuum the den, so you can do that for me.”

Rebekah looked as if I’d slapped her. “That’s not fair!” she wailed, eyes wide with shock.

“Well, it’s certainly not fair for me to do my chores and yours. Since I did yours, you can do one of mine.”

Her face fell. She hates vacuuming, so she didn’t do it with the best attitude. But it was done, and I got my five-minute reading date.

Over the next several days, I assembled my to-do list with glee, calculating how many chapters I might finish if all went well. I asked the kids to help more, and they did with improved attitudes. I started to feel less like the Lone Ranger and more like Mom.

Even my prayers were transformed from “God, help!” to “God, let them forget their chores; I just started a new book!”

Heather Trent Beers lives in Grandview, Missouri.

Ladies Bible Study

Web Links for families

Splink is a SIMPLE way to LINK your family together spiritually.It’s a FREE weekly email packed with ideas to help connect your family. Splinks are creative ways of interacting with your children with family devotional starters and ideas for family time. Splinks can also help you use teachable moments to pass along spiritual truths and life lessons while making memories or just having fun together. No matter where you are, it can always be time for a Splink!

Family Times helps parents transfer a spiritual legacy to their children. Family Times is designed to help equip parents with easy to use tools to make the most of everyday moments together. This tool is based on the biblical model that teaches that the home should be the primary place where a child learns about God.
Seeds Family Worship – Worship & Togetherness through music! Planting the seeds of God’s word in the hearts of families.

Quest for Compassion is designed to educate your children about global poverty and help them develop a heart for the poor around the world. When children understand poverty, they grow into compassionate adults.  This is a great interactive online game for kids.

Persecution Awareness Month

In November we’ve been highlighting the persecuted church around the world, and there are some real ways to get informed and actively involved through the internet.  Here are a few links to get you started:

www.PrisonerAlert.com Users can impact the world for the cost of postage and printing a letter off their printer.  Features (usually) one new prisoner a month.   There are over 100,000 people world-wide, who have signed up to receive regular monthly updates from this site, and who have agreed to pray for and write to the people whose profiles we present.   Letters are composed in the language of the recipient, right on the site.   We were told never to expect the release of a prisoner through our efforts.   However, after running this site for about five years, and featuring roughly 60 prisoners, 18 of them have been released, and most of the rest report better treatment at the hands of their captors.   This is a ministry of The Voice of the Martyrs  — US.

www.BiblesUnbound.com An opportunity to participate in shipping of New Testaments into restricted nations.   For users outside of the US, participation is by means of the “virtual operation” option only.   In the US, families, youth groups and others count it a great privilege to pack these Bibles, preparing them for shipment into the restricted country, where they are then dropped into the local mail system, so that they arrive at their final destination with a local postmark.    There’s a video on the site, that explains the process.   This is another VOM-US ministry.

If this leads you to get involved, we’d love to hear from you.  Just post a comment on this post and let people know about your experience.

Adult classes update…

I just wanted to make people aware that Carols class “That the world may know” will continue until April 5.

Walters class “Forgiveness” will be starting April 19 and continuing until May 31 (no class on May 17)

Mark it on your calenders you won’t want to miss either class!

Our adult classes are Sunday mornings at 9:30am in the Mayfair Room.

Easter 09

Easter 2009 at Cornerstone Church

A week of intimate reflection and joyful celebration on the event that changed the world!

April 5, Palm Sunday 6:30pm
A time of worship to start off the week.  With special guest speaker Tim Braun.

April 10, Good Friday 11:00am
A readers theatre drama acount of the journey to the cross.

April 12, Easter Sunday 11:00am
The hope of Easter realized as we celebrate ressurection of Jesus.

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