Posts with the tag “jim-leonard”

C.S. Lewis’ Thinking Belief
December 31st, 2019
From the beginnings of the church those who followed Jesus testified to their faith by telling the story of their own conversion. “Testimony” was an important part of verifying a true change of heart....  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
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
Jane Austen and the War in Vietnam
May 10th, 2018
To most people the American war in Vietnam comes off as a huge mess.It was ‘my’ war since I came of age in the 60’s and 70’s. In my sophomore year in college I was drafted. I spent a month of sleeples...  Read More
by Cornerstone West Los Angeles
A Meditation on Being "Old and Full of Years"
March 22nd, 2018
"Life can seem more deeply disappointing as you accumulate years and experiences...Yet all of us, at every age, struggle with how life isn't working." "Autumn is really the best of seasons; and I'm no...  Read More
by Cornerstone West Los Angeles
Honestly Seeking Eternity
December 27th, 2017
“Science asks, ‘HOW are we here?’ Faith asks, ‘WHY are we here?’”    One way of framing the science/Bible dispute over origins is saying that these two approaches frame the question differently. Scien...  Read More
by Cornerstone West Los Angeles
Thinking About Thinking
October 10th, 2017
“From our perspective, both Jesus and Moses made poor choices. Both of them seem to have abandoned a pretty useful life-plan and instead become a one-man national wrecking ball.” Ken Myers, the founde...  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
The God Who Is (or is not) There
August 4th, 2016
“The historic Christian position is that man’s dilemma has a moral cause. God, being nondetermined, created man as a nondetermined person. This is a difficult idea for anyone thinking in twentieth-cen...  Read More
by Cornerstone West Los Angeles
Marriage as Spiritual Friendship
March 3rd, 2016
I write these notes in anticipation of our marriage conference coming up on Saturday, March 5th, which will focus on “middle marriage”—somewhat roughly defined as waaay-post-honeymoon, and (hopefully)...  Read More
by Cornerstone West Los Angeles
The Meaning of Words
February 23rd, 2016
I first became aware of the manipulation of words when I wound up by accident on the debate team of my small private college. I made the mistake of arguing a point with the teacher of my speech class,...  Read More
by Cornerstone West Los Angeles
The Intersection of Reading and Spirituality
June 2nd, 2015
Here’s a confession—I buy a lot more books than I read. Don’t tell on me, OK? It’ll be our secret. But I had to teach myself to do this. My family of origin didn’t have much money, and so each book ha...  Read More
by Cornerstone West Los Angeles
Is "Death" A Dead Issue?
September 11th, 2014
"Escaping death has always been an issue with us humans. Today we are just looking harder for the escape clause we know must be out there somewhere."    King Solomon wrote "Of the making of many books...  Read More
by Cornerstone West Los Angeles