What an amazing turn out for the City Celebration and Gods amazing grace and presence abounding.
An incredible evening and message by Tyrone Daniels, ‘We are in a battle’.
Here are a few points which stood out for me which I would like to share with you:
· Shut our ears to distraction, open our ears to hear Gods voice!
· When doctrine and truth are abandoned and the authority of the church is questioned, you get a whole new religion which attacks the pre-eminence of Christ’s supremacy and the authority of the God head.
· Jesus is our victory (Walk in Victory)!
· Ephesians Ch 6. Vs 10 – 18: Finally, be strong in the Lord and in His mighty Power. Put on the full armour of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armour of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all of this take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.
· Power is in the centrality of Jesus Christ.
· The world does not need more of the world.
· Saved people do not become sinners to save sinners.
· His Kingdom is like nothing here on earth.
· God wants to restore the warrior spirit in the church.
· We are the Army of God.
· We need to worship Jesus where he is now, we are not at the foot of the cross anymore.
· Make way for the King He is coming!
The Magnificence of Jesus is the foundation of the Victory of the Church.
Other verses to read:
Colossians 1
Isaiah 6
Isaiah 32 vs. 14
Hope to see you at the All Sites celebration on the 27th May 2012.
This month’s remarkable woman of the Bible was Rahab, and she proves to us that no one is beyond the reach of God. Colette Meeske emphasised that if God can use a women like Rahab they way He did, how much more then can He use us.
Rahab had hope and much love for her family, even under her circumstances and lifestyle choices. Her life teaches us to have faith. Faith comes from hearing and all we need is the word of God.
Rahab also teaches us to fear God more than man. She took a great risk, but she had great faith. James 2: 17 tells us that faith not accompanied by action is dead.
Rahab committed herself, she made a choice, and she chose God. She helped them with fear and trembling. Philippians 2:12 –continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling.
The story of Rahab encourages us to not let the past dictate our futures.
Do not miss Key Women on the 7th June 2012, for encouragement from Deborah, another remarkable woman of the Bible.
This is a wonderful time of fellowship for women and an opportunity to take two hours out of the month to hear and understand the word of God! Bring friends!
Guys and girls may have very different views on “romance” – but one thing is for sure, male or female, we all love free stuff and eating (and if you don’t – you should check your pulse).
Combine free popcorn, coffee, movies and students and you have a recipe for success. Passers by at Grove were certainly interested when they tried to buy popcorn, only to be told it was free. Their smiles got even bigger when we told them we’d be screening two movies – also for “mahala”. Personally I think the free coffee was also a big draw card. Caffeine is its own food group in the diet of a student.
I know the Uptown guys were a little…um… bitter about having to endure a “Romantic Comedy” movie night, but it really worked out well. People gathered as the evening progressed, watching the movies, mingling and munching on popcorn. I had to chuckle at the animated audience response to particular characters. They were very supportive of the “underdog”.
In between movies and even after, people stuck around – enjoying themselves, and getting to know new people.
A big thank you to all the tireless workers, popcorn makers (27kg’s!), coffee pourers (1000 cups) and general friendly faces. These events are a great way for us to develop relationships and build our profile as a community focussed church in the city.
The MEN evening last night was fantastic, with a focus on Health and Fitness. Lots of guys were getting into it and enjoying it, with testosterone flying around left, right and centre.
There were a few challenges to do – for example, Crossfit had a few competitions going where guys had to see how many push-ups, clean and jerks or squats they could do in 30 seconds, while Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) experts were showing how the sport works and running competitions where guys could check how many punches they could do in a minute, etc.
Meanwhile, men could also get their blood pressure checked and have some quick blood tests done, while guys could try out some health food and grab some free vitamins. In short, there was a ton of things to see and do. There was even some hip-hop dancing going down.
Marcus spoke about family, marriage and singleness – being a husband, being a father and then being a single guy. One of the Crossfit guys, who used to be a bouncer (and was involved with everything that usually comes with that lifestyle) gave his testimony on how Jesus has changed everything for him.
Marcus’ talk included this spoken word video below, which is worth a watch! I love the last line: “You don’t fall out of love as much as you fall out of repentance.”
Next weekend’s MEN LEAD event will incorporate the outdoors and all the gadgets and things we can get relating to that sort of lifestyle. If the past events are anything to go by, this one is going to be great!
A relaxing afternoon was enjoyed by friends and family at Easter in the Park, with families picnicking and browsing the craft market with both food and craft stalls; friends relaxing and chatting on the grass; and the children enjoying the obstacle course, farm animals and pony rides. Plus there was the ever popular cannot-get-enough-of Jumping Castles. A special treat was coming down the slide to receive a marshmallow egg at the bottom, an excuse to return timeously until the last egg was given out.
Easter is a blessed and memorable time in our Saviour Jesus Christ and a special time for families to get together and enjoy each other’s company and celebrate His abundance and love.
Thank you for supporting the day, which raised funds for the Ukwakha Isizwe Foundation initiatives, including the hArt Day Centre for homeless youth and the Russell House Baby Sanctuary for abandoned babies.
Wishing you all a Happy Easter weekend; be safe and be blessed.
More photos to soon follow on our Facebook page.
Despite rain, cold and urns that would not co-operate – Coffee with Kabelo (hosted by Uptown on 16 March in Braamfontein) was a roaring success. By my estimate we had about 200 to 250 eager students gathered in the SouthPoint reception area, waiting patiently to see and hear Kabelo.
Kudos to “Bouga 2 Shoes” for handling the crowd with such style and for making sure they knew that Jesus was the real celebrity. Kabelo has learned how to use the fame he has achieved, not for his own benefit but to bring all glory to God. He delivered a targeted message to the youth about their identity in Christ, and it was clear that God moved and hearts were touched. Approximately 10 people responded to the salvation call.
A big thank you to everyone that was involved for all your hard work!”
On 9 March, Cornerstone Bedfordview hosted a successful evening on Ladies’ Health, where key issues such as pregnancy, PMS, menopause and puberty were discussed with the main focus being on menopause.
Colette, who organised the event, feels that it’s essential for all women, from teenagers to adults, to understand their bodies.
“As women, our daily lives and the interactions that we have with society are impacted by our hormones. We go through all sorts of changes through our lifetimes. Ladies’ Health was organised to provide women of all ages with the opportunity to gain greater understanding of their bodies and empower them to have greater control over how they cope with day-to-day life,” she says.
Dr Percy Moodley, a well qualified and respected obstetrician and gynaecologist, was the main speaker for the event. His talk was simple and easy to understand as well as being humorous. He included his wealth of knowledge and his experience in the field.
He mapped out the changes in a woman from infant to puberty to menopause and into old age and spoke about what to expect at every stage of your life, the hormonal changes and the health concerns.
Dr Percy was gracious enough to spend a lot of time after his talk answering questions for a whole queue of women; and with aerobics to start and prizes to finish, it was a fun evening.
Adele closed off the evening with a message that no matter what we are facing in life, God wants us to come to Him and he can solve any problem, heal any illness and He wants to be part of our life to help us!
It was a fabulous ladies evening.
Dr Percy Moodley (Mb.ChB) is a well qualified and respected obstetrician and gynaecologist from KwaZulu Natal. Dr Moodley has numerous fellowships and many years in private practice. He is also a husband and the proud father of three children. His special interest lies in the way in which hormones influence women’s health and the way in which women can manage their hormones. Dr Moodley believes that there are a variety of lifestyle adjustments that can be made and treatments available that can enable women of all ages to cope with hormonal changes throughout their lives.
When God’s people come together there is an amazing unity of spirit and the 2012 Kids’ Camp was absolute proof of this. It was a privilege to be included as part of an incredible team of leaders and assistants and to enjoy the benefit of interacting with the children. Under the leadership of Lance the 2012 camp MISSION: HIMPOSSIBLE encouraged the children to be the best agents that they can be, while at all times keeping in contact with God, emphasising the importance of faith, the Holy Spirit, praying to God, reading God’s Word and getting closer to God.
The children were divided into five teams representing five nations that need prayer: Turkey, Indonesia, Iran, Morocco and North Korea. The children rose to the occasion and war cries and camp songs were a highlight during the course of the weekend. In between this time the children enjoyed various challenges and games: Tug of War, obstacle courses, paintball, “spider web”, pole balance in the pool, the climbing wall and smuggling Bibles into China, with a healthy dose of free time for swimming, relaxing and meals.
As qualified field agents the children have been released into the mission field. Here are the missions that you can help them with:
Mission 1: Each child is encouraged to give a packet of chips together with a booklet to a friend and read it with them.
Mission 2: Read James 4:8 – Come near to God and He will come near to you.
Mission 3: Read Romans 8:31 – If God is for us, who can be against us?
Mission 4: Read Psalm 5:3 – In the morning, Lord, You hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before You and wait expectantly.
Mission 5: Read 1 Corinthians 15:41 – The sun has one kind of splendour, the moon another and the stars another, and star differs from star in splendour.
Mission 6: Read Matthew 10:42 – And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones who is My disciple, truly I tell you, that person will certainly not lose their reward.
Book early for Kids’ Camp 2013…it is a valuable part of your child’s walk with our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
More photos to be published soon to the Cornerstone Facebook page
Adele Herbert discussed the journey of Sarah with the ladies that attended Key Women on the 1st March; the emphasis was on being a ‘Woman of Faith’. She encouraged us to live in the world in a supernatural way and to realise that God is in the little things. She also emphasised the importance of putting on the Armour of God every day.
Consider Proverbs 13 vs. 12: “Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life.”
Sarah’s life is a true example of what the Lord says, happens. We need to have patience knowing that God’s plan is the best plan, God knows best. God sees through our present faults to our future faith. God sees us as women of faith, His love will never dry up, always being a overflowing well; God is merciful.
Despite Sarah’s imperfections, Sarah was a ‘Princess of God’; despite our imperfections we are ‘Princesses of God’. God is always true to His Word and God is faithful and trustworthy.
Read about Sarah in Genesis 11 – 15 and Hebrews 11.
Key women is held on the first Friday of every month and is a must for every woman. Take two hours out of your working month to be inspired by the remarkable Women of the Bible.
Hello Cornerstone,
Hello to you all from a (very grateful) windy Durban North. I love it when the wind blows now as then we can cope with the heat. Well, here we are living in Durban and loving it!
We drove down on the 29th of January with Storm our cat travelling with Tarryn and I. She coped very well with the trip and went straight into a beautiful brand new cattery that I found on the Internet – God literally guided me to that website. We stayed in a friend’s flat for three nights (a huge blessing) until we could move into our new rental house on the 1st of February.
The removal van arrived just after 8am and after just over two hours they were unpacked. We had organised a storage facility and had planned to move all the extra furniture that afternoon. However when the team leader/driver of the truck heard about us moving it all ourselves, he offered to put all the extra furniture back into the truck, drive it to the storage facility and then they helped Barry off load it into the garage that we had rented. What a huge blessing as it took them half an hour to do it whereas it would have taken Barry a good few hours to do!! God was so good and took care of the details for us!!
We have spent the past two weeks cleaning, unpacking and getting ourselves set up in our new home. We are very happy here, and our cat has settled in well too. There is a lovely park area nearby which the girls ride their bikes to and play cricket with some of the other teenagers in the afternoons. They are very settled here and enjoying living in Durban North. We have met all our neighbours in our little crescent and they are all so friendly. Sometimes we stand in the road chatting for half an hour or more.
Robyn has settled in well at her school, Virginia Preparatory, and has made some friends. After her first week at school she was given an award for “outstanding effort” as her teacher could see that she was trying hard to catch up her work. You get to wear the badge for a week and then it is someone else’s turn. She is dancing at school as an extra mural and is enjoying it. She wants to go on a Kids camp next weekend that COGS is hosting, and went to their God Chasers equivalent on Friday afternoon for the first time. They call it KICK – it stands for “Kids In Christ’s Kingdom”.
Tarryn has also settled in well at her school, Danville Girls High, and went on her first school tour last week for three days. They went up to Seula which is near Tugela River mouth. She had a great time and got to make more friends. Next Saturday morning their school hosts a “Dad’s and Daughter’s breakfast” which she has bought tickets for. Tarryn is doing Art as an extra mural and may try Choir next term. The girls haven’t started with dancing yet as we are still finding our feet here.
The Wards in Durban North
I have been very busy setting up home, and now am doing my own housekeeping as our place isn’t too big. I have met some moms from Tarryn’s school and on Thursday morning I’m going to join their prayer meeting. They have a “Moms who care” group who meet at Danville every Thursday morning to pray. I have also put my name down to help at Robyn’s school. Every Wednesday morning the staff have a meeting and so they need moms to help out and monitor the corridors, so I have offered to help out and will be a “Corridor Monitor”. Still waiting to hear when my turn is. Never too old to be a “Monitor” – ha ha.
Barry is settling well into his new job at Softworx. Initially he was a bit frustrated as they seemed a bit disorganised and didn’t have things ready for him, but now things are up and running and he has met the clients. He has had to get back into Baan (software system) and remember it all, but it’s coming back to him. He has also been very busy here and working hard on our rental place. Quite a bit of household maintenance needed to be done like fixing the lights as lots of them didn’t work, getting the pool pump working properly etc. But it is all fixed now and we are doing well in our new place. We are so incredibly grateful that it has a little pool as we have been swimming almost every day. In fact Robyn’s blonde streaks in her hair are now green from all the swimming.
More exciting news is that we have a buyer for our house in Edenglen – took the estate agent 20 days to sell our place!!! God is so good and faithful!!! We are waiting to hear if their bond has been granted and then it will be all systems go.
We serve an awesome, amazing God and we are so appreciative of how our Lord has taken care of all the details – both big and small! We are going to visit various churches in the area and see how the Holy Spirit leads us and where He wants us to go.
We all send lots of love to everyone, and thank you for your prayers. God has heard and answered them!
Lots of love,
Barry, Charlene, Tarryn and Robyn
