A couple of weeks into joining the Cornerstone family, Pastor Daryl sent me an email informing me that I am to write a blog post. “What am I writing a blog post about?”“Whatever you’d like!”He said it like it was an exciting adventure, but it felt like being at the world’s largest buffet and being told to pick ONE thing. What in the world was I going to write about? What wisdom could I impart upon...  Read More

There is a Bon Jovi song that says, "Never say goodbye." Boyz 2 Men said, "It's so hard to say goodbye to yesterday." Nsync famously said "Bye Bye Bye," and Chris Brown reminds us that there's never a right time to say goodbye.I don't know exactly how to say goodbye, but maybe a blog is the best way to do it. I said hello through a recorded video amid COVID. So it's not like we have a traditional ...  Read More

In the process of considering a female candidate for our Children's Pastor position, there may be some people wondering if we have changed our position regarding female pastors (to many, we've never had one before) and how we reconcile this with Scripture. These are two very important questions that need to be addressed. The first question is relatively straight forward - we have not changed our p...  Read More

...I was a stranger and you invited me in.Matthew 25:35Over the past several weeks, the world has watched as the Ukraine crisis has dominated headlines.  But this blog isn't about taking one side or the other or espousing any particular political views.  What is undeniable is the fallout that has resulted from this conflict between Russia and Ukraine.  The most jarring statistic is that over 5 mil...  Read More

Recently Lisa and I celebrated our four year wedding anniversary and six years of being together.  I love pouring into relationships, especially as somebody who has gone through a divorce and seen how important strong marriages are to the church.  Thankfully for me, one of our favorite things to do as a couple is walk alongside other dating or married couples as we grow in our relationships, and ...  Read More

When my wife and I first started dating, everything we did was solely for the other person’s benefit. When I found out that she was a fan of my cologne, I would wear it every time I saw her. I pretty much bathed in it. And she knew I liked to see her in specific colors, so she would intentionally wear that color just for me. I would talk nonstop to my friends and coworkers about her. It got to the...  Read More

Ephesians 4:11-1611 And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, 12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, 13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, 14 so that we may no longer be children, toss...  Read More

I’ve been told it’s weird, but in an honest confession, New Years is my favorite holiday of the year, not Christmas.  In my family, I grew up in the Japanese tradition, and we tweaked it for the American experience.  We bust out all kinds of food, starting with ozoni (mochi soup) for breakfast, then teriyaki flank steak, chicken wings, salads, massive amounts of sushi, nacho dip and more laid out...  Read More

     The first time I remember taking a serious leap of faith towards God, I was 21. I was in Mexico building houses, I had almost finished college with a degree in English and I was planning to go into teaching. Summers off baby! Sign me up! That year, I’d experienced some academic setbacks and found myself increasingly disenfranchised with public education. I knew I wanted to make a difference i...  Read More

November is a time we honor our veterans and cast our votes so it seemed appropriate to address a couple of hot topics that relate to freedom, the very thing that our veterans have served to protect. In our country, freedom is a cherished value that has defined our nation ever since the first settlers came so they could experience economic opportunity, political liberty, and religious freedom. Our...  Read More

The idea that we go to church is a common one and we use this phrase without giving it much thought. “Are you going to church this Sunday?” “What church do you go to?” When we use language like this, we reinforce the idea that church is a building or a place we go to worship. It also tends to shrink church down to just the corporate worship service. Sometimes we might use the expression “we are do...  Read More

Matthew 6:1-41“Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.2 “So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 3 But when you give to the ...  Read More