Posts with the tag “scott-mehl”

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
Reflections on Hurting and Healing
October 6th, 2022
Why do bad things happen? It’s a question my daughter has been asking in her first philosophy class. It’s a question I’ve been asking in the wake of my bike accident. In fact, it’s a question I’ve hea...  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
Why We Live in LA
January 11th, 2022
Every time we go out of town to travel or visit family, my kids look at other parts of the country with their slower paces and wide-open spaces and inevitably ask why we live where we live. I sometime...  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
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
The Year My Son Became a Man, Part 4
February 4th, 2020
As Harper’s homeschool year came to a close, we drew a line in the timeline of his life, and determined that, going forward, he would be treated like an adult in our home, and increasingly in our rela...  Read More
by Cornerstone West Los Angeles
The Year My Son Became a Man, Part 3
January 28th, 2020
Most discipleship of your children is going to take place during the warp and woof of your daily routines as they watch you interact with God, with others, and as they see you continue to grow yoursel...  Read More
by Cornerstone West Los Angeles
The Year My Son Became a Man, Part 2
January 23rd, 2020
In my previous post, I shared how we have begun to approach our kids’ middle school years by asking the question: How might we carve out time to invest intentionally and sacrificially in our children’...  Read More
by Cornerstone West Los Angeles
The Year My Son Became a Man, Part 1
January 14th, 2020
Last year was a special year in the life of our oldest son. We invested the year in an intensive process of discipleship that was far more intentional than anything we had previously done with any of ...  Read More
by Cornerstone West Los Angeles
The Joy of Sending Your Children Off
August 30th, 2018
The other day I dropped my oldest son off at the airport for his first ever flight alone. He was traveling to visit my brothers and planning to spend a couple of weeks working on the farm of a family ...  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
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
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
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
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
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
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
Ask Your Daughter’s Boyfriend about Porn
February 6th, 2017
For years I’ve imagined what it would be like to meet a romantic interest of my daughter’s. Of course there’s always the jokes of sitting in the chair cleaning your gun, and then there’s the fantasies...  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
Family Devotions: Where to Start
November 8th, 2016
“I believe that intentional, focused time with your children, teaching them about who God is and what he has done, is invaluable.”    I’ve been doing family devotions with my kids for a decade now. Yo...  Read More
by Cornerstone West Los Angeles
God and Money, Part 4
September 15th, 2016
True Contentment“In Christ, not only do we have everything we could ever need, but we are given freedom from the desire to be rich, we are given freedom from the love of money, and we are empowered to...  Read More
by Cornerstone West Los Angeles
Sleep is a Beautiful Act of Humility
September 13th, 2016
“Sleep is a beautiful act of humility.  When we sleep we are declaring to God that we can’t do everything we want to do. You can’t keep going. You are finite. You must rest.”    I’ve fought with my al...  Read More
by Cornerstone West Los Angeles
God and Money, Part 3
September 8th, 2016
“Saving and debt are intricately related, and developing biblical convictions on both is necessary to being a good steward of God’s finances.”In the past two posts I discussed our identity as stewards...  Read More
by Cornerstone West Los Angeles
God and Money, Part 2
August 31st, 2016
“The lifestyle we choose to live demonstrates powerful things to both others and ourselves about whose glory we are living for.”    As I mentioned in the previous post, God cares very deeply about how...  Read More
by Cornerstone West Los Angeles
God and Money, Part 1
August 24th, 2016
“The most basic truth regarding money and possessions that we need to be regularly reminded of is the fact that God owns everything.”    Personal finances are a tricky thing. We all struggle with our ...  Read More
by Cornerstone West Los Angeles
Personal Finance 101: Why Money Matters
July 26th, 2016
“The basics of personal finance are important because of how tied our money is to our hearts.  And as we grow to become more and more like Christ, addressing our hearts inevitably involves addressing ...  Read More
by Cornerstone West Los Angeles
Redeem Your Boredom!
July 26th, 2016
What do you do with those moments of downtime that pop up throughout the day?  You know, those moments when you’re sitting in traffic, standing in line, waiting to be picked up, waiting for your coffe...  Read More
by Cornerstone West Los Angeles
Letters to CWLA: Pastor Scott
July 18th, 2016
In conjunction with our “Letters to a Healthy Church” sermon series, each pastor has written a letter to Cornerstone in a similar style to Paul's pastoral letters.  We pray they will be a blessing and...  Read More
by Cornerstone West Los Angeles
The Golden State Warriors and Church Leadership
April 28th, 2016
“Even though our super-star, celebrity-driven culture has the tendency to search for a single player to pin a basketball team’s success on, that’s just not consistent with reality.  Basketball doesn’t...  Read More
by Cornerstone West Los Angeles
Discipling is Mentoring is Counseling
March 1st, 2016
We all need someone to talk to from time to time. We need someone that is willing to listen, but we also need someone who can nudge us in the right direction. We need someone to correct us, encourage ...  Read More
by Cornerstone West Los Angeles
A Call For Deep Humility
November 4th, 2015
As we looked at in my previous post, adoption is a powerful concept. I'd like to look into a passage that touched me lately as an example of how God's powerful use of language shapes our understanding...  Read More
by Cornerstone West Los Angeles
The Devil Is In the Details
November 3rd, 2015
When people think about spiritual warfare they usually picture a scene from The Exorcist or a miniature Satan on someone's shoulder (pitchfork, horns, and red cape included) urging them to do somethin...  Read More
by Cornerstone West Los Angeles
2 Reasons for Adoption
October 28th, 2015
I didn’t grow up adopted. I had a few friends who were adopted, but it didn’t leave a huge impression on me. When I first attended church as an adult I didn’t know any other adults who had adopted. Bu...  Read More
by Cornerstone West Los Angeles
Reflections on Homosexuality and the Church
October 20th, 2015
“Change without Jesus is just behavior modification, and that is not what those struggling with same-sex attraction need.”Last week I attended ACBC’s conference on the topic of homosexuality. It was a...  Read More
by Cornerstone West Los Angeles
Understanding Satan, Part 4
April 23rd, 2015
"Paul specifically identified the redemptive purposes of Satan’s work as a tool to help keep him humble."Read Part 1, Part 2, and Part 2 here.Having looked at the reality of Satan and ways that we can...  Read More
by Cornerstone West Los Angeles
Understanding Satan, Part 3
April 21st, 2015
"Satan is not only real, but he is on the prowl."    Read Part 1 and Part 2 here.Over the past two weeks we have looked at the reality of Satan as well as our means of protection against him. This wee...  Read More
by Cornerstone West Los Angeles
Understanding Satan, Part 2
April 15th, 2015
"So if Satan is real and our fight is “against the cosmic powers over this present darkness,” what has God given us to protect us?"Read Part 1 here.In my last post, we looked at the reality of Satan, ...  Read More
by Cornerstone West Los Angeles
Understanding Satan, Part 1
April 14th, 2015
"We don’t really like talking about Satan and demons...but if we’ll look at even a few of the passages in context, we’ll see that they provide a great deal of clarity [on understanding Satan]."You pro...  Read More
by Cornerstone West Los Angeles
Redeeming Our Emotions
March 12th, 2015
"Emotions are produced when our heart loves God above all else, and emotions are produced when our hearts love ourselves above all else."In my last post, God And Our Emotions, I discussed our identity...  Read More
by Cornerstone West Los Angeles