Posts with the category “community-and-church”

Your Decorations Are Worship
November 20th, 2023
Despite the lack of snow, Los Angeles never ceases to amaze me when it comes to her transformation around the Christmas season. Empty lots on street corners, normally overgrown with weeds, are trimmed...  Read More
by Ashley Ross
Pastors, It’s OK to Cancel Christmas Sunday
November 30th, 2022
There are many good reasons to hold a church service on Christmas morning when it falls on a Sunday. There are also many good reasons to not hold a church service on Christmas morning when it falls on...  Read More
by Cornerstone West Los Angeles
Meet the Staff
July 23rd, 2022
Did you know that we have a former sous chef on our staff? That the people who work at Cornerstone come from places as far away as South Korea and Guatemala? And that one of our newest hires dabbles i...  Read More
by Cornerstone West Los Angeles
Cornerstone Summer Book Discussions
June 27th, 2022
At Cornerstone we are holding two book discussion groups this summer. We hope you come and enjoy the blessing of books in community with us this summer…...  Read More
by Cornerstone West Los Angeles
God Bless VBS Songs
June 23rd, 2022
Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, to all of you who invested time in Cornerstone Kids Camp this year…...  Read More
by Cornerstone West Los Angeles
How to Be A Sister
June 14th, 2022
Being a part of the family of God means being sisters and brothers, not just mothers and fathers. Both Christian and secular culture have ways of making us wary of the opposite sex, for different reas...  Read More
by Cornerstone West Los Angeles
Where to Take Your Grief
May 26th, 2022
Where do we take our grief? Where do we go when tragedy is scattered on page after page of our newsfeed? Sometimes we need words for dry mouths, but sometimes it’s better to sit in a story. The Bible ...  Read More
by Cornerstone West Los Angeles
What is Holy Week?
April 7th, 2022
Ask Christians in the West about Christian holidays, and they typically come up with two: Christmas and Easter. Now these are rather big ones. The birth of Christ and the resurrection of Christ are ex...  Read More
by Cornerstone West Los Angeles
How to Give Good Encouragement
March 15th, 2022
When I was in college, I had the privilege of being discipled by a wonderful, godly woman named Joanna. Though slightly younger than me in age, Joanna was wiser in the faith and greatly shaped my walk...  Read More
by Cornerstone West Los Angeles
Better Together: A Brief History of Cornerstone
March 1st, 2022
We were unaware, when we named our church Cornerstone, that it was the most common church name in the United States. It’s rather ironic, since the story of Cornerstone is not very common at all. And i...  Read More
by Cornerstone West Los Angeles
Riding the Roller Coaster
February 21st, 2022
There’s no point in pretending we’re exactly the same people we were two years ago. We’re not. We’re a little more banged up, a little more broken, a little more fragile. And that’s okay. God isn’t as...  Read More
by Cornerstone West Los Angeles
Before You Buy Your Kid a Phone for Christmas…
November 22nd, 2021
There’s not a one-size-fits-all solution regarding kids and phones, but before you buy your kid a phone for Christmas, take a look at our latest article by Pastor Scott. He shares several helpful prin...  Read More
by Cornerstone West Los Angeles
Discipleship Happens in Your Community Group
November 18th, 2021
Cornerstone’s community groups are meant to facilitate discipleship in the church — and in order to do that we need to embrace our call from Christ toward intentional, Christian friendship. Pastor Mat...  Read More
by Cornerstone West Los Angeles
Teaching Our Girls How They Are Wonderfully Made
November 9th, 2021
A period is a monthly reminder that our bodies were designed to create life. Are you ready to talk about it with your daughters? For all my fellow mamas, aunties, and big sisters, I offer three themes...  Read More
by Cornerstone West Los Angeles
The Discipleship Pathway, A Recap
October 26th, 2021
If you’ve been at Cornerstone for very long you’ve probably heard us talk about The Discipleship Pathway. Born out of a desire to help bring simplicity and order to the principles of our faith, The Di...  Read More
by Cornerstone West Los Angeles
Compassion is More Important Than You Think
August 27th, 2020
There is a calling in our lives as Christians and as a church to demonstrate compassion to one another and towards our neighbors. Compassion is something we are called to “put on” as part of our ident...  Read More
by Cornerstone West Los Angeles
I Belong (and So Do You)
April 23rd, 2020
In the fall of 2016, I embarked on an intimidating adventure: the search for a new church home in Los Angeles. I told myself to be patient, and I steeled myself for the discomfort of walking into buil...  Read More
by Cornerstone West Los Angeles
Messy Community
April 16th, 2020
Community can be a fickle thing. At times it can be easy and at other times it can be hard. It can be both exciting and a drag. Both spontaneous and obligatory. I’m pretty sure that any relationship o...  Read More
by Cornerstone West Los Angeles
10 Ways to Love the Sick
March 4th, 2020
As I write this, Los Angeles is on heightened alert in response to the novel coronavirus outbreak. Our church campus will be closed for weeks to do our part to contain the spread of the virus and love...  Read More
by Cornerstone West Los Angeles
Take Time to Listen, Take Time to Weep
January 30th, 2020
It’s been hard not to think about July 31st or August 8th of 2019. Those days play in my mind over and over again. The experiences I had those days can best be summed up as traumatizing. I’ve cried mu...  Read More
by Cornerstone West Los Angeles
The Beauty of Unity
September 25th, 2019
C.S. Lewis once said, “In the truest sense, Christian pilgrims have the best of both worlds. We have joy whenever this world reminds us of the next, and we take solace whenever it does not.” People fr...  Read More
by Cornerstone West Los Angeles
A Calling to All Women
September 17th, 2019
When I was a junior in high school, my mother encouraged me to look for work as a math tutor. I was shocked and insisted that no one would hire me, and that even if they did, I would not be capable of...  Read More
by Cornerstone West Los Angeles
A Love for All Humankind
January 9th, 2019
As a child I was the pastor’s kid, a regular Sunday School attendee, and there long after the janitor had locked the doors. I’ve always felt a little camaraderie with Jesus who called the temple His F...  Read More
by Cornerstone West Los Angeles
A Call to Honor Our Pastors
October 9th, 2018
As the season has turned from Summer to Fall, aggressive marketing strategies are sometimes too quick to remind us of fast-approaching holidays: Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas. Many of us may not ...  Read More
by Cornerstone West Los Angeles
Our Problem with Comparison
August 9th, 2018
In May 2017, Time magazine reported on a British study that surveyed almost 1,500 teens and young adults about social media usage. The report determined that Instagram is hands down the worst platform...  Read More
by Cornerstone West Los Angeles
Loving Cities As They Are
July 24th, 2018
To learn more about this issue and things we must consider before moving to gentrifying communities.I didn’t grow up in Venice but I connect most of my childhood memories to that area. My grandmother ...  Read More
by Cornerstone West Los Angeles
Loving Our Undocumented Neighbors
April 26th, 2018
Undocumented immigration is a very complex, multifaceted topic in our nation. It is a subject so controversial, that even mature believers can find themselves holding biblically opposing points of vie...  Read More
by Cornerstone West Los Angeles
Presence is the Program
March 15th, 2018
"The church is so much more than a building, but it is also so much more than a program."What do you think of when you think of “the church”?  Some people think of a building.  They equate the church ...  Read More
by Cornerstone West Los Angeles
Why Community Groups?
February 22nd, 2018
The church...will always be full of sin and brokenness, but it is also a place with the power of the gospel to guide us and empower us to love one another...”    “The Bible does not command Christian...  Read More
by Cornerstone West Los Angeles
Colorblind No More
February 8th, 2018
“...I have slighted and misunderstood too many dear friends and brothers and sisters in Christ by trying to ‘not see’ their racial identity.”    As I sit down to write this it is Martin Luther King Jr...  Read More
by Cornerstone West Los Angeles
We Have to Talk About Money
February 6th, 2018
“While not everyone should know all our business, someone should.”When it comes to social situations, it’s common knowledge that you really shouldn’t bring up religion or politics. They make people un...  Read More
by Cornerstone West Los Angeles
Sexual Assault Revelations and the Church
November 17th, 2017
“To worship the God of the Bible is to invite openness and walk in the light.”    Like many of you, I have mixed emotions about all of the sexual abuse allegations flying around Hollywood, Washington ...  Read More
by Cornerstone West Los Angeles
Half of Cornerstone
October 31st, 2017
“...Both men and women—and therefore the church as a whole—thrive when women are challenged to live up to God’s calling in their lives.”I thought a lot about the women of Cornerstone when I first read...  Read More
by Cornerstone West Los Angeles
Letters to CWLA: Pastor José
April 25th, 2017
“Writing this letter to you has not been easy. This type of letter has forced me to think deeply of my love for you and more importantly for the love of Christ for us all.”I conjunction with our “Lett...  Read More
by Cornerstone West Los Angeles
A Message to the Married
April 24th, 2017
“Let me challenge you....to consider that this conversation DOES apply to you after all.”Cornerstone is offering an evening conference called “Redeeming Singleness.” It’s at this point that most marri...  Read More
by Cornerstone West Los Angeles
Why You Really Need a Vacation
February 23rd, 2017
Family vacations are fun. They’re also important. Vacations are an opportunity to rest from work, reflect on God’s goodness, and spend extended time with family we love. All three of these priorities ...  Read More
by Cornerstone West Los Angeles
Letters to CWLA: Pastor Matt
February 16th, 2017
“Through the ups and downs of life I pray that the constant reality for you is your experience of the love of God.”    In conjunction with our “Letters to a Healthy Church” sermon series, each pastor ...  Read More
by Cornerstone West Los Angeles
Reflections on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Pt 2
January 24th, 2017
In my first post I encouraged those who have never read Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in his own words to read “Letter from Birmingham Jail.”In this post I’d like to give 8 reflections on this letter and...  Read More
by Cornerstone West Los Angeles
Reflections on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Pt 1
January 11th, 2017
It has been almost 50 years since Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee. One of the unfortunate byproducts of time is that the words of historical figures become less and less ...  Read More
by Cornerstone West Los Angeles
Embracing Placebos and Striving for More
January 11th, 2017
“Just because something makes us feel, think, or act differently doesn’t mean that it’s addressing the core issue. It’s true in physical medicine and it’s true in spiritual growth.”A recent National G...  Read More
by Cornerstone West Los Angeles