Book and Music Reviews

A few weeks ago, I read a book by Pastor Larry Osborne called Accidental Pharisees: Avoiding Pride, Exclusivity, and the Other Dangers of Overzealous Faith. I heard Larry Osborne share about this book during a church conference simulcast, and I wanted to find out more. In the American church, trends come and go. One of the current trends is a

At church, we have been struggling with how to best help those in crisis in our own community. Since we are a downtown church in an area with a high level of poverty, we receive many requests for assistance from individuals and families. So many people are struggling to pay their bills. High electric rates coupled with high unemployment levels

We are currently in the middle of a five week series on marriage at Cornerstone. Over the 17+ years that Jennifer and I have been married, we have found that reading books together has really strengthened and helped our marriage. We’ve read quite a few and I wanted to share the ones that stand out in my memory. There are

Last week, I was able to finish reading Andy Stanley’s new book Deep & Wide. This is a book about Northpoint’s philosophy on creating a church that unchurched people would love to attend. Andy Stanley has proven to be a leading voice in the area of church leadership. While I may not agree with all his terminology, I found myself

At Cornerstone, we have just finished a five-week series on the Gospel. One of the books that helped me and encouraged me was Gospel: Recovering the Power that Made Christianity Revolutionary by J.D. Greear, pastor of Summit Church in the Raleigh-Durham area. This book is a powerful book that I highly recommend. Unfortunately, many people think the gospel message is

I’ve been listening all morning to the new album by the band Dogwood & Holly. If you like Mumford & Sons, The Avett Brothers, Fleet Foxes, or The Civil Wars, then you’ll want to check this out. Richie Worrell and Luke Sawyer have been part of Cornerstone since the beginning of our church and they are both incredible musicians. They

I’ve been preparing for a new sermon series we are starting at Cornerstone this week. It seems that our society values people who live crazy, chaotic, overloaded lives. We simply don’t have margin in our life. Margin is the difference between our current load and our limits. It’s the extra space in life that we desire and need. When we

In the book Missional Renaissance: Changing the Scorecard for the Church, author Reggie McNeal shares about a shift that is taking place in churches around the world. I had read this book last year, but I decided to go back through it this week in preparation for my sermon Sunday. I shared a message about the importance of engaging our

I finished The Leadership Secrets of Billy Graham today, and I must say this was a great read. I had to read this for a class I’m taking in seminary, so I didn’t really know what to expect. It turned out to be a fascinating glimpse into the life of a great man of God. This was one of my