Blog entries

Top Ten Ways to Support a friend who is suffering

Matt Ashworth — Sun, 13 Jun 2010 16:43:51 +0100

A compilation of thoughts from interviews with people

Everyone handles it differently- People I spoke with all seemed to have different perspectives on what would make a good friend, so proceed with caution. Some people need space, and some need to be with people 100%. Some people had hoped for people to be “pushy” with helping, while more often they appreciated practical approaches. The point is that everyone is a little different, and if you’re not sure how to help, ask!
Be Available for ...

Annual Mille Lacs Launch

John Schaenzer — Sun, 13 Jun 2010 12:08:16 +0100

The annual fishing launch on Lake Mille Lacs was hosted by the Men's Ministry last night. The weather was pleasant and fun was had by all who attended. The fishing was good, the food was very good and the fellowship was excellent. Read the full story here.

The Men's Ministry continued the theme of Believer ...

Sacrifice of Praise

John Schaenzer — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 00:22:35 +0100

Hebrews 13:15
Through Him then, let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that give thanks to His name.

While sitting at home wondering what is causing the pain, I look forward to the doctor appointment on Wednesday.

My work Pager goes off alerting me to the production of my day. A slow day, I was hoping for 62.5%. The numbers came in at 63%.

Having watched a couple episodes of Band of Brothers tonight which is about W...

Requesting Prayer

John Schaenzer — Sat, 05 Jun 2010 11:40:52 +0100

Praying for one another and the needs of the church is a regular practice in the Christian life. At Cornerstone Church of Blaine it is no different as we have regular corporate prayer meetings, leadership that believes in and promotes prayer and home groups that foster the building of relationships and caring for one another.

So how does one request prayer?

From time to time we see prayer requests posted in public on message boards which is a broader form of a person to ...

Thoughts?

CCB Admin — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 01:20:33 +0100

Recently I had the opportunity to have a discussion with some Jehovah’s witnesses. My wife quickly prayed for me and also asked many on Facebook to do the same. Several people posted encouraging comments and promises of prayer. One post however caught me off guard. They quoted 2 John 1:7-11. These verses seem quite clear that we should not be entertaining groups such as the Jehovah’s witnesses. This has caused me some concern as it doesn't seem like the correct interpretation. But I need some mo...

Prayer Station 5 Mission Trip 2010

John Schaenzer — Sun, 30 May 2010 21:13:25 +0100

Station 5 - Mission Trip 2010

Where:

Buffalo Narrows, Saskatchewan, Canada is the destination where we will serve the local community by teaching the youth, running outreach events and encouraging the adults to grow in their faith and prepare them to go and preach to the nations themselves. The trip is scheduled for June 27 through July 5, 2010.

Pray For:

Buffalo Narrows

the families of those who recently committed suicide in Buffalo Narrows....

Prayer Station 4 Ministries

John Schaenzer — Sun, 30 May 2010 21:00:54 +0100

Station 4 - Ministries

Pray for our church ministries and ministry leaders. Pray that our leaders will continuously seek God for guidance, provision and to do His will. Pray for our congregation that individuals will rise up in roles of leadership and support by being active as the Holy Spirit leads them. Volunteers are always needed.

Elders

Pastor: Dr Ron Sykes
Chairman: Steve Harms
Elder: Mike Vedders
Elder: John Mittelstadt

Minis...

Prayer Station 3 Healing

John Schaenzer — Sun, 30 May 2010 20:47:54 +0100

Station 3 - Healing

We serve a sovereign God and we desire to see His will fulfilled both in the world and our individual lives. He determines the times and seasons of our lives and we do not seek to short-circuit any work that He is doing in us and through us. God has taught us to pray and in fact commands us to seek Him. So we follow the Scriptural example and pray for one another.

"Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray. Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs o...

Prayer Station 2b Prayer

John Schaenzer — Sun, 30 May 2010 20:30:43 +0100

Station 2 - Prayer (Part 2)

A Praying Church (From our Five-Year Vision)

We desire to be a church filled with people who are dependent upon God through prayer as opposed to being self-reliant. Self-reliance is more akin to pride whereas dependence upon God honors Him. This spirit of dependence is portrayed in how people pray. We desire to be a church where individuals have a vibrant prayer life where prayer is saturated through all of our meetings and where corporate...

Prayer Station 2a Prayer

John Schaenzer — Sun, 30 May 2010 20:16:06 +0100

Station 2 - Prayer (Part 1)

While it may seem silly on the surface to pray for prayer, this is where it all begins. Without prayer and seeking God for the work we do as a church and as individuals, everything is merely man's effort. Pray that we fulfill our church vision by becoming a praying church. Prayer is the path to becoming men and women of God. Our 2009 church goal is, "We desire to be dependent upon God through prayer and reading and applying His Word."

Prayer Station 1 Communion

John Schaenzer — Sun, 30 May 2010 20:03:55 +0100

Station 1 - Communion

One need not be a member of Cornerstone Church of Blaine in order to partake of communion with us. The requirement is to be a follower of Jesus Christ, that is to have acknowledged one's sinfulness and need for a Savior and have submitted to Jesus Christ as Lord. The communion table is open to all who follow Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.

Step One: Read the following passage.

"The Lord Jesus, on the night He was betrayed, to...

Prayer Stations - May, 2010

John Schaenzer — Sun, 30 May 2010 19:43:49 +0100

Prayer Stations May 2010

Today's church service featured a shortened sermon time followed by a time of prayer. Attendees were free to move among the five prayer stations and pray for the various topics. The five stations were Communion, Prayer, Healing, Ministries and Missions Trip 2010.

At Cornerstone Church of Blaine we believe that prayer is of central importance to the welfare of our congregation and the effectiveness of the work that the congregation does. Witho...

Fasting 04 - Caution

John Schaenzer — Sun, 23 May 2010 11:57:07 +0100

Fasting also has pitfalls of which I must be aware. If the practice becomes a ritual that takes on a different meaning, dangerous territory has been entered. As with any ritual, fasting can become the object rather than the means. To fast religiously can become a vain exercise losing all spiritual value. Fasting can be a regular event, however, once it becomes a legalistic event, the practice needs to be re-evaluated. Any practice that is legalistic in nature, and is not offered u...

Fasting 03 - Focus

John Schaenzer — Sun, 23 May 2010 11:50:30 +0100

It is not wrong to have a focus on a specific issue when entering a fast. In fact, it helps to focus the prayer time in the beginning. I must be willing to shift the focus when I realize what God is trying to teach me. To refuse to adjust is stubbornness, which is born out of pride. I cannot seek God’s will and continue to put my own will first. Fasting is really the practice of laying aside myself to seek God. To clear my mind of my own agenda will allow me to focus on God....

Fasting 02 - Examples

John Schaenzer — Sun, 23 May 2010 11:42:38 +0100

Following are a couple of examples of what could take place while fasting.

For the first example, my decision to fast may be based on my employment situation. Let’s say that I feel miserable at work and don’t like going to my current job. I decide I will fast and ask God to open doors for me to move on to a job that will be a happier place to work where I can enjoy the work, the people and the atmosphere. And of course a pay increase would be a nice blessing from Go...

Fasting 01 - Reason

John Schaenzer — Sun, 23 May 2010 11:36:18 +0100

The reason for fasting should be a desire to draw closer to God. Through the proper practice of fasting, a person can clear the mind of selfish desires and seek to clarify the will of God. This is accomplished by concentrating on God in prayer, scripture reading and meditation on the Word.

At various points in life, denying self in an effort to draw closer to God is a good thing. Generally speaking, most people who fast do so at a time when something is needed in life. Someti...

Saints Baseball

John Schaenzer — Sun, 16 May 2010 10:40:24 +0100

It was a hit last year so it is back this year, hopefully without the rain.

The Men's Ministry will gather for tailgating at a St. Paul Saints baseball game, and to watch the game also. The general admission ticket cost is only $5 which makes this a very easy opport...

Gone Fishin

Joel Larkin — Fri, 14 May 2010 00:41:52 +0100

It seems every year the Men look for an excuse to go fishing. This year is no different! The annual Mille Lacs Launch will be on Saturday June 12th, departing from the dock at 6:00PM. All bait, gear, tackle, and even cleaning of fish is included in the price of $30(each). We will be leaving from Blaine high school at 4:00 PM. There will be an onboard barbeque so don’t worry about food (Steve). Even though this is a pretense for quality fellowship time and an outreach opportunity for our...

God Breaks For Summer

John Schaenzer — Thu, 13 May 2010 00:49:00 +0100

Summer time, summer time, sum - sum - summer time. This has always been a small source of anxiety for me as spring rolls into summer. Does God go on vacation or cut back on His involvement because of the change of seasons? Of course the answer is a resounding NO! So why do churches pare back certain ministry operations? I know the usual responses, especially in the frozen north land. Here are some of the typical reasons for activity reduction.

Vacation Seaso...

Trap Shoot

John Schaenzer — Mon, 10 May 2010 05:00:00 +0100

Saturday, May 8, was the date of this year's trap shoot with the Men's Ministries. Although it was a cloudy, breezy and a little sleet flew a couple of times, the men in attendance had plenty of fun and laughs. Even though the conditions limited attendance this year, nobody was shut out on the range or at the picnic tables.

In addition to the great company and relationship building was a short devotional as is customary for the Men's Ministries events. A typed version of the dev...