Blog | Cornerstone Church in Lodi

Excruciating

Posted: April 4th 2012

Sometimes we say, "I bumped my head and it was excruciating"-------NO not really!

Or we will comment, "Yesterday I tripped and sprained my ankle and it was excruciating" --------NO not really!

You may hear, "I hit my thumb recently with a hammer and it was excruciating" ---------again, NO not really!

EXCRUCIATING by definition truly means. "PAIN THAT COMES OUT OF THE CROSS". It is a Latin word and literally says "Out of the Cross".

Now we all know where that word originated and to…

What To Do In A Crisis

Posted: March 14th 2012

Everybody faces this on ocassion. It isn't fun and we don't like it. In fact we all hate it!

In the O.T. Elijah had a crisis and he got so depressed that he fled to a cave and just wanted to die. I think many of us feel that way when we feel overwhelmed.

When the officer called me on the phone and said the name of my oldest son. I couldn't believe my ears. He said that he rolled his VW down a very steep embankment. I thought it was a movie, someone elses life and son. This happened many y…

Can't Change My World

Posted: March 2nd 2012

I was amazed. Recently I was doing my morning jog (a routine I've followed for 30+ years). I found a surprizing bit of "chalk artistry" along the way.

It was a beautifully drawn image of a bride. The art was exceptionally good considering all she had to work with,..... a stick of sidewalk chalk.

The bride had a long flowing gown with a long train. Her face was detailed and wonderfully beautiful.

Along side the image was a saying "emerald cut or oval cut..... diamonds are a girl's best…

Stump Beach

Posted: February 5th 2012

Pam and I had a brief weekend getaway to celebrate Valentine's Day a little early. We went to Stump Beach on the Somoma Coast about 20 miles north of Bodega Bay.

This was another exceptionally warm winter day of about 61 degrees with no wind and no clouds in the sky. We took a blanket and enjoyed the sun and even got a little sunburn. It was a great time to relax and enjoy God's beautiful creation.

This was a favorite beach we had visited over 10 years ago when we lived in Petaluma. On ou…

The Biggest Ever

Posted: January 27th 2012

It is really true. The elephant seals are the biggest ever. We saw them at Ano Nuevo State Beach near Half Moon Bay recently.

It was a beautiful day with no wind or fog. It was all sunshine and clear skies with about 60+ degrees and this was on Jan. 25th in the middle of winter. Hard to believe for the coast.

Also surprizing was our first glimpse of these giants of the sea. The largest bulls can weighin at 5000 pounds!! And yes the nose looks just like an elephants nose only not quite as l…

Blessings----burdens

Posted: January 16th 2012

Yes they always seem to go together in some strange way.

It happened not long ago! I was opening the church mail addressed to me. WOW! What a great surprize. There it was staring me in the face. Two very large checks from two anonymous and hugely generous donors.

I could hardly believe my eyes. Especially since Cornerstone was down to its very last 247.00 dollars in the general fund. Now I'm holding a check for 5000.00 dollars for our empty checkbook. This was a huge blessing at just the …

Head On---brain Off

Posted: December 28th 2011

Apparently I had turned my "BRAIN OFF" last week when Pam and I went to Stockton.

I was busy talking and looking off into the field when I drifted off into the double yellow line. Suddenly I found myself heading over the line into on coming traffic, lots of it!!!

I awoke from my A.D.D. just in time to swerve back into my own proper lane to avoid a "HEAD ON" collison.

HEAD ON---BRAIN OFF

I always thought I was a good driver but now I'm not so sure. It is easy to drift, lapse off, da…

Christmas Stress Test

Posted: December 15th 2011

You can pass the stress test from all the hype,anxiety and non-sense of the holiday rush.

Everyone can get all pushed out of shape by the sales and lists and parties at home and the office. So be proactive and get your focus right before you get sucked into the stress of the season.

Here are a few suggestions to win the battle over stress.

First: Choose to "do all to the glory of God". Whatever is on your list do it for HIM!

Second: Plan your giving without any regard to receiving i…

Christmas Is Coming

Posted: November 26th 2011

I know we see the signs everywhere. Especially after Black Friday!

So did you survive the rush? the traffic? pushing through the sales? the exhaustion of early shopping?

Well as you know some people did not fare so well! We all read that in one well known store people got maced for crowding a certain lady who was really upset. So that is one way to repel the crowd.

I wonder if Jesus carried a can of mace when the crowd got rough? Do you suppose He was up early at the" Palestinian Holy …

Caramelized Walnuts

Posted: November 7th 2011

Take a generous supply of walnuts, cover them with 1/2 pound of butter (don't say anything), with lots of brown sugar and bake them in the oven.

Heaven on earth!! Watch out!! I could eat the entire batch without even stopping to drink my extra large glass of milk.

Now that is a snack to fill my stomach after I have watched a few teaching episodes of my favorite communicator, Andy Stanley.

However these tasty little morsels don't just suddenly appear on the table for anyone to enjoy. …