Questions From Todd’s Message

Here are the questions that Todd prompted us to think through in his message last weekend:

• Do I consistently make excuses?  Not just to God, but to others or myself?
• Do I play it safe?
• Is my life marked by not doing “wrong” things, but the “right” things are for my kingdom?
• Do I “hide” what God has given me, or use it for a kingdom return?
• Do I see “kingdom fruit” in my life?  Is the production in my life about what is in the Master’s best interest or my own?
• Do I have a tendency to find fault in God when things don’t go “right” in my life?
• When I look at my life (marriage, family, job, business, relationships, financial stability, etc.), does my safety and comfort come at the expense of God’s kingdom?
• Do I believe the next life is infinitely better than this one?

Ephesians

The book of Ephesians read with simple, illustrative word pictures in the background.

You can download the video here and the audio here

Parenting & A Wedding

I hope you had a great Labor Day weekend!  For me, one of the highlights was seeing the wedding at the 11 am service.  If you weren’t there, it was a powerful reminder of the ability of the gospel to restore even the most broken marriages!  Mike and Nancy Sherrill were divorced due to the mess of sin, but after each of them came to know Jesus, they knew they needed to have their marriage restored.  During their vows, I was fighting back tears.  The video of the wedding is attached and worth the watch:

The wedding came on the heels of a good morning of worship.  Christian Burkhardt, our pastor that gives oversight to our children’s ministry, did a really good job of laying out the power and the privilege of parenting.  Even if you aren’t a parent or if you are done parenting and you weren’t here, I would highly encourage you to watch the podcast.  God really allowed him to take an important issue like parenting and bring the Bible to life.

A Letter from Francis

Dear Friends,

For those who have not heard, this past Sunday I announced to Cornerstone Church that I will be transitioning out of my ministry in Simi Valley.  It was a rough Sunday as there were many different emotions floating around the room.  In short, Lisa and I believe God is calling us to take a step of faith.  We believe we are supposed to move into a major city such as LA, San Francisco, or New York.  Every time I fly into a large city, I am struck by the sheer numbers and feel pulled to try ministering in that environment.  I encourage you to listen to the podcast from this past weekend to hear more details.  If for no other reason, my wife spoke some very powerful words that every believer needs to hear.

It has been an amazing 16 years as pastor of Cornerstone Church.  When we started gathering, I doubt that any of us dared to dream that God would use this church to have such an impact on Simi Valley and the rest of the world.  I think most of us were just hoping it would survive.  God had bigger plans than we did.  The Lord has truly shown us His grace, that we could be used as His instruments to bring glory to the name of Jesus.

The plan is that I would teach at Cornerstone through the end of May.  During this time, I will be sharing the lessons most important to me.  I have taught thousands of times over these years, and now I hope to re-emphasize what I see as most important.  I will also be at our prayer meetings to beg our God to do even greater things in Simi after I leave.  For those who have questions or just want to talk, you can catch me at the prayer meetings.

I’ll continue to write and give you more information as the Lord continues to guide the elders and me.  Like I said at our services, I’m still not completely sure of everything, but it feels great to be living by faith.

Once again, here is my family’s rough plan for our future

April/May = speaking at Cornerstone

June/July = speaking around the U.S.

August/Sept = Praying and walking large cities to seek God’s leading.

Oct-Dec = Serving in a third world country

Jan 2011 = launch a new ministry as an extension of Cornerstone

Thanks to everyone who was a part of this amazing journey in Simi.  Thanks for all the love and encouragement my family and I have received over the years.

Francis

But I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.  Acts 20:24

Saturday - Personal Prayer

Use the following document to lead you through a personal prayer time.

Saturday - Week of Prayer

Please use the following resources to guide you into a Biblical understanding of prayer and fasting.

Theology of Prayer - Week of Prayer

Fasting - Week of Prayer