Posts with the category “heart-work-and-change”

The Ministry of Embodiment in a Chaotic World
December 7th, 2022
In a perfect storm of circumstantial stressors, our own sin and pride in wanting to please everyone, a real spiritual enemy who comes hard after our souls, and trudging through a world that is not kin...  Read More
by Cornerstone West Los Angeles
Lent is a Time for Gentle Fury
March 31st, 2022
This season of Lent, reflecting Jesus’s 40 days in the desert, allows us to consider who he is and what exactly he came to do....  Read More
by Cornerstone West Los Angeles
Spinning Tires and Spiritual Disciplines
March 8th, 2022
When you’re stuck in ice or snow, you’re not going to be able to get out by yourself. Someone is going to need to reach into the ditch and help pull you out. I think “stuck” is a good way to describe ...  Read More
by Cornerstone West Los Angeles
The Tender Mercy of the Light of Christ
December 14th, 2021
We live in a world where we’ve gotten used to being the ones in control of light – flip a switch on, put a fake fire up on the TV. Because of this, when I think of God as our light in the darkness, I’...  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
Reflections on Jeremiah 29:11
May 7th, 2020
Jeremiah 29:11 is a well known passage.  In the NIV it reads: “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”...  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
Being in One Place at a Time
October 10th, 2019
From the printing press to the smart phone, every technological innovation is built to give us time. We used to have to wash clothes by hand, but now washing machines give us back those hours. We used...  Read More
by Cornerstone West Los Angeles
Am I This Personality Type?
October 3rd, 2019
About a decade ago, I read up on the descriptions of introverts and extroverts and exhaled a big sigh of relief. I finally had some concrete understanding and descriptions of why I as an introvert wou...  Read More
by Cornerstone West Los Angeles
Do Not Throw Away Your Confidence
July 16th, 2019
As women, we have an especially complicated relationship with the topic of confidence. From an early age, we are inundated with images that leave us constantly competing against a false standard of be...  Read More
by Cornerstone West Los Angeles
The Temptation of Quick Fixes for Suffering
July 11th, 2019
Life is showing me I have a much stronger desire for quick fixes to my suffering than I typically care to admit. For example, as a mother, I struggle a great deal with joy in parenthood on a daily bas...  Read More
by Cornerstone West Los Angeles
Dealing with the “Bummer” Effect
June 5th, 2019
“Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion, which cannot be moved, but abides forever.” -Psalm 125:1It’s not hard for Christians who read their Bibles (yes, there are many who don’t, but I know ...  Read More
by Cornerstone West Los Angeles
God’s Perspective on Failure
April 10th, 2019
I’m afraid of failing.I imagine most of you can resonate with me to some degree. There are a lot of emotions tied into the experience of failing – embarrassment, shame, disappointment, anger, discoura...  Read More
by Cornerstone West Los Angeles
Three Reasons to Think About Eternity
January 2nd, 2019
All humans know that eternity is coming. A lot of us do our best to forget it. It can be disorienting to think about the fact that we will die and the universe will keep on going. Eternity is a long t...  Read More
by Cornerstone West Los Angeles
Busy Living and the Brinded Cow
October 13th, 2018
It seems to me that only rarely does someone follow up “Hello” with “How are you doing?” Perhaps it’s because this is the age of therapy. Perhaps we fear that it’s not going to elicit a simple “Fine.....  Read More
by Cornerstone West Los Angeles
Store Your Treasures in Heaven
September 12th, 2018
Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys ...  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
Life on Crutches
August 2nd, 2018
I sort of assumed that you’d have to do something pretty extreme to tear your achilles tendon. Apparently hopping up and down in excitement over a friend’s good news is more than enough to hobble you ...  Read More
by Cornerstone West Los Angeles
Echoes of David
July 26th, 2018
For years I have been summoned from sleep mid-dreamto tend to imaginary monsters and soaked sheets,to stroke sweaty heads and whisper soft prayers for sweet slumberbefore crawling back to bed myself.I...  Read More
by Cornerstone West Los Angeles
Social Media: The Thumb is a Fire
June 7th, 2018
On our way out of the house the other day my youngest daughter caught sight of her friend who lives next door. Skylar ran right over to her and—without a question, without a greeting, without so much ...  Read More
by Cornerstone West Los Angeles
Reflections on #MeToo and #TimesUp
May 22nd, 2018
Last Fall, when the #metoo movement hit a fever pitch, I wrestled with my reluctance to join the chorus on social media. It hurt to read this status over and over again on the profiles of women I know...  Read More
by Cornerstone West Los Angeles
When We Worry
May 2nd, 2018
Worry is normal. We worry about a lot of things. We worry about our finances. We worry about our grades. We worry about our careers. We worry about our families. We are in a fallen world filled with f...  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
God\'s Heart for Gang Members
April 19th, 2018
In recent months there have been various Los Angeles communities that have been plagued by violence. In one section of our city, around 15 people were shot in roughly a 2-week span. Another small comm...  Read More
by Cornerstone West Los Angeles
I Thought I Was a Good god
April 11th, 2018
In his book “12 Ways Your Phone is Changing You,” Tony Reinke adeptly explores spiritual struggles that use of our smart phones can potentially reveal and exacerbate in us if we are not careful. As I ...  Read More
by Cornerstone West Los Angeles
Abiding and Freedom: A Lenten Meditation
March 28th, 2018
I have so appreciated the Sunday dramatizations at Cornerstone and the literary pieces on the blog during this Lenten season. They’ve reminded me to read my Bible not only with a critical mind, but wi...  Read More
by Cornerstone West Los Angeles
Passion for Justice, Plea for Mercy
February 15th, 2018
“Moving through necessary justice towards a spirit of compassion, mercy and forgiveness, even for the most vile of perpetrators, is what allows us...to display the scandalous, beautiful, life-changing...  Read More
by Cornerstone West Los Angeles
The Demonic Nature of Self-Importance
January 4th, 2018
“You see, lacking this kind of gentle humility is not just unhealthy or problematic. It’s demonic.”    Many of us have had that strange experience before. The one where you hear a Bible verse from a b...  Read More
by Cornerstone West Los Angeles
When You Don't Know How to Pray
October 17th, 2017
“We don’t always have the presence of mind to figure out what to say to the Lord when we are spinning.”It was a beautiful Friday evening at sundown, and I was out walking my dog, reflecting on all tha...  Read More
by Cornerstone West Los Angeles
Trusting the Gospel in Times of Prosperity
September 7th, 2017
“...in many ways, prosperity actually highlights my need for Christ even more.”In recent months, I have experienced the curious adventure of dreams coming true. In my growing passion to give voice to ...  Read More
by Cornerstone West Los Angeles
Thoughts from My Mother\'s Deathbed
May 25th, 2017
“All I could do was beg God not to let her die, to give us more time with her, at least one more Mother’s Day together with her. I have never felt so helpless in all my life.”Come now, you who say, “T...  Read More
by Cornerstone West Los Angeles
Parenting Wide Open
May 17th, 2017
“He has been showing me that whenever I try to mother apart from Him, it not only results in sheer hypocrisy, it also hinders my kids from a clear view of Christ.”I was out with a group of new acquain...  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
Darkness, Blindness and Sight
March 29th, 2017
“The Bible has always used light and darkness, blindness and sight, as metaphors for our spiritual understanding. Salvation is a matter of God opening blind eyes by shining light into the darkness. Sp...  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
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
The Emperor\'s New Clothing
December 29th, 2016
"Jesus gives us clothes of salvation and righteousness that we can't earn, can't buy, and can't find here on the earth."    When I was a kid, I had a children's book that told the story of The Emperor...  Read More
by Cornerstone West Los Angeles
Letters to CWLA: Pastor Jim
September 20th, 2016
“You challenge me, delight me, encourage me, trust me with your heartaches and ask me for guidance. You are serious about growing in your faith. I love and cherish being one of your pastors...”    In ...  Read More
by Cornerstone West Los Angeles