Comedy Evening with Micheal Smalley at NCCB

Written by Cheryl McAlpine

This man has something to say and the way he says it will have you doubled over with laughter.  The topic was him donating a kidney to his dad who was very ill and needed the kidney or he would be on dialysis for the rest of his life (which is no life at all).  This is no laughing matter but as he explains this whole process he has you rolling on the floor.  He starts off with being totally disgusted that his father has the audacity to even ask one of his kids for a kidney and feels that it is just going to be him. It turns out that he is the perfect match (6 out of 6 match – which is nearly never heard of).

If anything can go wrong in an operation, it did with him.  His antics are hysterical even though the tough time he goes through most certainly is not.  He is totally embarrassed by the processes that he has to go through before the op and he goes into the details.  He nearly dies a few times in the process while his dad is up and about a few hours later after receiving Michael’s kidney.  His recovery is also slow after all the complications but in the end he pulls through and lives to tell his very humorous tale.  I left with valuable lessons on life and how to overcome with a sense of humor.

 

All Sites Celebration – August 2011

Written by Lindsay Rielly

The all sites celebration time was awesome. The band rocked out and having the choir on stage was the icing on an already very delicious musical cake. It was great having the Uptown guys and girls with us and their presence definitely improved the dancing skills average by about 98.3%, if not more. We had serious fun dancing and singing together.

The song and dance was followed by a whole bunch of people getting baptised. It’s always great seeing people get baptised and sharing that experience with them. There was a real sense of family and community as we all supported those taking the step of baptism and it was really wonderful to be a part of.

Understanding And Engaging Today’s World

TITLE: Understanding And Engaging Today’s World
PREACHER: Marcus Herbert
DATE: 14 AUGUST 2011 – Sunday PM

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Luke 8 – The Power Of The Gospel – Intro

TITLE: Luke 8  – The Power Of The Gospel – Intro
PREACHER: Marcus Herbert
DATE: 14 AUGUST 2011 – Sunday AM

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Hennie’s Trip to Cairo

Written by Ryan Strydom

Hennie Keyter recently returned from a trip to Cairo and on Sunday gave a small report-back of how things are in that side of the world. It was quite encouraging but at the same time the people there need a lot of prayer as the country is going through a tumultuous time.

What was encouraging is that for the first time in history the various Christian groups have agreed that the time has come for them to lay their differences aside and work together. Along with this group, a Muslim group, who would like to continue what they are doing peacefully, look like they may form the official opposition.

However, there is another Muslim group which appear to want to go a more aggressive route, and in this the people of that country need prayer as there is a lot of uneasiness. There is a parliamentary election in November and people are aware that this must happen for things to go forward, but there is obviously a lot of uncertainty on how everything will transpire.

“The leaders God has raised that we are connected with are people of integrity and we trust, and pray, that they will be able to make a huge difference in the country,” Hennie says. Let’s join in prayer for that.

Become a Lurve Magnet, Baby

Written by Ryan and Shannon Strydom

This last Thursday for EQUIP, Michael and Amy Smalley from the U.S. came to give us a little talk on marriage. Their talks took place throughout the whole day, starting with sessions at Newday Edenvale and then culminating in an EQUIP evening session at Central Cornerstone.

The Smalleys were witty in imparting some key principles on cultivating an environment of love – “allowing love to grow in the home,” as they put it. Or in other words, becoming a “lurve magnet”.

Their evening talk boiled down to four points, which were:

1) Respect your spouse’s boundaries
2) Don’t be judgemental of each other
3) Value each others’ differences
4) Be Christlike towards your spouse (love and serve them unconditionally)

These were driven home by some hilarious stories and clear illustrations from their own marriage. One of the encouraging points of the evening was that there is hope for every marriage situation – no marriage is beyond restoration.

Audio recordings for the morning sessions will be made available on Newday’s website here and the evening session here.

The Transforming Power of the Gospel for Society

Written by Ryan Strydom

Recently Marcus highlighted the new social justice initiative that we as a church are embarking on under the banner of Ukwahka Isizwe (Nation Building.) Read more

Chippy Brand at Exchange

written by Anton Tjarbring

Chippy Brand spoke at the Exchange on friday 5 August, and was throughly enjoyed by all. Just a real testimony of how there are tough times and good times in life and yet through it all God is faithful in building our characters so that we can be used more by Him. Chippy used the analogy of road construction, where the different layers need to be prepared and compacted (through trying times) before the top layer can be placed, which is where the road is used, and is what is visible.

I really enjoyed the humourous stories associated with his upbringing, different projects and even testimony of how God looked after them during his farming experiences. Chippy’s testimonies of the business decisions he made based on his faith are great. The practical aspects of setting up a business, choosing staff, making business choices and much more – just could see how those grey hairs were earned.

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Get Involved Part 2

TITLE: Get Involved Part 2
PREACHER: Marcus Herbert
DATE: 7 AUGUST 2011 – Sunday AM

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This is my Season

On Saturday, 30 July, we invited our community into our ‘lounge’. This Is My Season 2011 afforded us this wonderful opportunity and privilege.

Pediatrician Dr. Simon Strachan and Dietician Katherine Megaw were our guest speakers. They covered vital issues related to child nutrition and feeding and Katherine ended her time with her own life-story . She told how she suffered from bulimia which was compounded by the grief of loosing her 7 month old daughter. She explained how Jesus changed her obsession with food into her passion as a Peadiatric Dietician. There were two video testimonies of others who have been rescued from bad choices and of healing.

The response was so encouraging, with people admitting that they need a relationship with God and asking about Cornerstone meeting times. Thanks to all those who were involved, and thank you to the Lord for this opportunity.

Check out http://www.thisismyseason.co.za/#notes for audio and notes of the morning.