Pastoral Notes for Sunday, January 26, 2025

For the Pastoral Notes today, I’ve asked Pastor Tony Giles to update us on his work with the international missions organization Serge. –Nate

Dear Cornerstone Family,

It was around seven years ago now that I was asked to step into the unknown. A ministry which had a significant impact in my own life many years prior was hoping to launch a new initiative to come alongside church pastors and ministry leaders. There were no blueprints, nor was there a strategic plan—just a growing awareness of the need and a blank sheet of paper. The more I thought about it, the more willing I became to rearrange my life in order to move toward that need.

I approached Cornerstone leadership with a question: “What about dropping a few hours here in order to give a few hours each week to a ministry that seems central to my sense of calling?” And then I heard words in reply that still stagger me every time I tell the story: “If you are doing what is central to your sense of calling, we think we get a better you. 

A better you. And that is what I am after each coaching opportunity: a better leader, better equipped and prepared by the gospel for the challenges that every ministry leader faces, and often alone.

The work I do is through Serge, a Reformed missions organization whose work today consists of sending and caring for missionaries, mentoring and equipping ministry leaders, and developing resources for ongoing spiritual renewal.

Serge’s work of Mission occurs with over 325 missionaries in 26 countries scattered throughout Africa, Asia, Europe, and Latin America. Serge’s work of Renewal is the engine that drives mission throughout the world and in our own lives. Spiritual renewal is the ongoing daily experience of the Father’s love for us that motivates and sustains us as we lay down our lives in mission. 

My role with Serge has two facets. Through Church Leader Development I provide individualized coaching of ministry leaders and pastors. Currently, I am coaching five pastors individually. Through Leadership Lab I facilitate an 8-month development program designed to give leaders the tools and the mindset to become Christ-centered, gospel-saturated, and mission-focused leaders. This takes place in monthly online roundtable discussions with men and women in the U.S. and as far away as England, Ireland, Japan, India, Malawi, and Senegal. Currently, four cohorts are meeting with a total of 25 participants.  

So why Serge? What is it that keeps me chugging along with that crowd? That’s simple. It’s the stated and lived-out values which have marked their work for over 40 years now: the centrality of the gospel, ministry from weakness, love for people, and kingdom-centered prayer. The Sprit is working those values slowly deeper into my own heart and life as I ever so slowly learn more of what it means to abide in Jesus.

Your servant,

Tony

Pastoral Notes for Sunday, January 19, 2025

Dear Cornerstone family, 

It’s not every week you get to walk your daughter down the aisle.

As a good number of you will know, my oldest daughter, Rosalyn, got engaged in April of last year to a godly young man, Michael. Rosalyn and Michael met in high school and were a part of the same friend group. Michael worked up the nerve to ask Rosalyn out his senior year, and as the Lord would have it, four years later I’m walking Rosalyn down the aisle to give her away in marriage.

The marriage of Michael and Rosalyn is especially sweet for Christy and me since Michael’s last name is Koellein. Some of you will recognize that last name. Charles and Karen Koellein are long-time members of Cornerstone; Michael is Charles and Karen’s grandson. And if that weren’t blessing enough, Michael is the nephew of long time Cornerstone members, Preston and Martha Brooks. Preston is an elder and Martha is our Women’s Director.

All that to say, you need to pray for the Koelleins and Brookses, for they are inescapably tied to the Shurden clan now. Heaven knows that is bound to take its toll. As far as the Shurdens go, we feel ourselves to be in “high cotton,” as my father would say. “The lines have fallen in pleasant places” (Psalm 16:6) for us. We couldn’t be happier.

I’ve been asked two dozen or more times this week, “Did you officiate the service?” Yes, I did. But I was very hesitant to do so. As you know, being Father of the Bride is a very special role, and I wasn’t eager to complicate things by officiating the wedding as well. But when the bride and groom told me that it would mean a lot to them for me to officiate, I caved.  

Not long after I agreed, I began questioning the decision. I knew giving away my girl was going to hit me in a tender spot, so I wasn’t confident I could keep it together through the ceremony. I tried to get out as many tears as I could in the days leading up to the wedding in hopes the river might run dry. Alas, I wasn’t entirely successful.

At the start of the ceremony, I was on the verge of tears. I had to slow down during the reading of Scripture to maintain composure. I realized pretty quickly that looking at my beautiful daughter was going to be tough, so I averted my gaze whenever I felt like I might lose it.

Things went smoothly until I got to the pronouncement. “By virtue of the authority given to me by the church of Jesus Christ, I now pronounce you…” and then it hit me. After a sniffling and teary pause, I whispered, “I love you,” to Michael and Rosalyn and choked my way to the end.  

Yes, it was hard, but it was beautiful, too. It was an honor I’ll never forget.

One big sadness Christy and I felt was not being able to have everyone we love present with us on the special day. Christy said again this week, “I just wish we could have invited the whole church.” I feel the same.  

Though everyone couldn’t be present in person, your impact on Rosalyn was present. For you taught her in children’s Sunday School. You walked with her in her teen years, through the ups and downs. Many of you recently showered her with gifts to help her and Michael furnish their apartment. In a word, you loved her, and your love was present with us on the wedding day. For that, we are eternally grateful.

Your servant,

 

Pastoral Notes for Sunday, January 12, 2025

Dear Cornerstone family, 

Three to four times a year, we have a Cornerstone Family Meeting. These whole church meetings are informational in nature and are designed to provide you important updates on the life and ministry of the church.

Last Sunday, we kicked off 2025 with a deeply encouraging Family Meeting. We shared statistical data on the church’s growth, made notes on changes within our church leadership and staff, provided a midpoint fiscal year financial update, and reviewed the main tenants of our church vision. 

By God’s grace, we had lots of positive things to share. One particularly positive point I want to circle back to is the fact that the Lord drew 102 new people into church membership at Cornerstone last year. As one of you said to me after the meeting, “That’s a big bump.” You’re right, it is a big bump, and it’s the kind of bump we’ve seen each year since 2021. In fact, the membership of Cornerstone has more than doubled in three years.  

Now, there’s lots of reasons for the growth we’re seeing. For starters, Nashville and Franklin have grown exponentially in that same time frame. By God’s providence, we live in a happening place. People are moving here in droves. That’s certainly a reason for growth.

But another reason more particular to us is the fact that many people are looking for a church like Cornerstone. A church committed to the expository preaching of the Bible, discipleship, and a high view of worship, that also possesses a warm relationality that is born of genuine care. Praise the Lord, Cornerstone is not the only church in our city that is true of, but we are, as my grandfather would say, “a dying breed.” In other words, it’s much harder than it used to be to find churches committed to those distinctives.  

Over the last couple of years, we’ve expanded our facility footprint to help better accommodate the growth, but the time has come to begin preparations for our next step as a congregation. As we begin to prayerfully explore what those steps may be, would you covenant to pray with and for your leaders? It’s always true that we feel a desperate need for your prayers, but it’s especially true when we sense the Lord leading us to take new steps of faith and take holy risks for kingdom purposes. It’s exciting and scary all at the same time!  

As the months unfold, we will be reaching out to you in different ways. We will need your questions and ideas all along the way. Your input is mission critical as we chart a course forward. But for now, in keeping with last week’s message on becoming a weaker church in 2025—that is, more dependent on Christ—let’s begin on our knees surrendering our hearts and lives to the Lord’s will.

Your servant,

 

Pastoral Notes for Sunday, January 5, 2025

Dear Cornerstone family, 

Happy first Lord’s Day of 2025!

Every year I publish a curated favorite books list. Before we look at this year’s list, let me give you a caveat. By “favorite reads,” I don’t mean I agree with everything in each book, nor am I recommending each book for every reader. We’re all at different places along life’s journey, and each of us must make hard decisions about what to read, watch, listen to, etc. So, be discerning.  

I’ve exercised immense self-control and limited myself to only eight books. A tremendous feat! Maybe you’ll find something of interest. Enjoy!  

Eight Favorite Reads of 2024

  • On Getting Out of Bed: The Burden and Gift of Living by Alan Noble – Speaking from experience, Noble explores the different ways and different degrees mental pain affects us and the ones we love. Poetic and instructive, Noble skillfully navigates the depressive mind and proves to be a careful and wise guide for anyone groping in the darkness for the light.

  • Daily Doctrine by Kevin DeYoung – Designed as a one-year study in doctrine, DeYoung treats every major tenant of systematic theology in very brief (2-3 pages) but surprisingly thorough entries. It’s vintage DeYoung—clear, thoughtful, edifying. A worthy addition to any Christian’s library.

  • Why Liberalism Failed by Patrick Deneen – A professor at Notre Dame, Deneen takes on Enlightenment assumptions embedded in modern democracies—especially individual autonomy—and shows ironically why liberalism’s success is liberalism’s failure. Regardless of political prejudices, this work will challenge your thinking.

  • The Good Gift of Weakness by Eric Schumacher – From Genesis to Revelation, Schumacher shows how human frailty is not an obstacle to overcome but a gift to embrace. Vulnerable and convicting, this work will free you from the delusion of self-sufficiency and press home the beauty of God’s strength perfected in weakness. I needed this one.  

  • Caring for Words in a Culture of Lies by Marilyn Chandler McEntyre – Because we live in a spoken world and are made in the image of a speaking God, words are central to life, personhood, and meaning. In a world increasingly deconstructive of language, McEntyre urges Christians to be keepers of words—to cultivate a rich vocabulary for naming reality, communicating truth, and strengthening the social fabric. A lovely and needed work. 

  • Glorifying and Enjoying God by William Boekestein, Jonathan Cruse, and Andrew Miller – A devotional commentary on the Westminster Shorter Catechism that takes you through the catechism in 52 weeks. Chapters are short, substantive, and accessible. A great aid in personal devotions and family worship. Glad to see this in print.  

  • The Anxious Generation: How the Rewiring of Childhood is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness by Jonathan Haidt – The decrease in traditional forms of play alongside the malformities of screens is rewiring the brains of children (and adults) and the effects are devastating. Haunting and helpful, we must come to terms with Haidt’s diagnosis and prescription, hard as that may be.

  • C.S. Lewis in America: Reading and Reception, 1935-1947 by Mark Noll – I love C.S. Lewis and Mark Noll, so it was impossible to keep me away from this one. It’s an interesting look at how Lewis’s influence in the U.S. grew among the Catholics to the secular media and, finally, Protestant evangelicals. Well researched and illuminating, Noll provides a unique glimpse into why Lewis’s early reception sheds light on his enduring witness.

Your servant,

 

Pastoral Notes for Sunday, December 22, 2024

Dear Cornerstone family, 

One of the staples of the Christmas season at Cornerstone is our annual Service of Lessons & Carols. For those new to our midst or unfamiliar with the history of this service, it began in 1918 at King’s College Cambridge led by Eric Milner-White. The opening service was received with such great acclaim that it became an annual tradition at King’s College.

The popularity of the service grew quickly after the BBC broadcast the service in 1928. The BBC has broadcast the service on Christmas Eve every year since 1928 with the exception of 1930. The broadcast extended oversees in the mid 1930’s and its popularity quickly spread worldwide. It was even broadcast during World War II when the stained-glass windows of the cathedral and the heat source were removed from the building for security reasons. During those dark and tumultuous days, the service of Lessons & Carols provided a gospel reminder of hope and peace.  

As the popularity of the service grew, churches around the globe began to adapt the service for their own corporate use. If you’ve never attended a Lessons & Carols service before, the power is in the simplicity of the Scriptural witness in word and song. It’s what Dean Milner-White called, “the development of the loving purposes of God through the windows and words of the Bible.”  

As we approach this special service, let me encourage you to let the Word carry you from the Garden of Eden to the babe in the manger in Bethlehem. For as you trace the hand of God in the salvation of the world, you are tracing the path of God’s love for his people, even you. “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son…” (John 3:16).

Now, from the sublime to the mundane, let me make one final note. The church offices will be closed on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Then, from December 26 to January 1, the staff will enjoy some much needed “flex time.” We will be in and out of the office for meetings and tasks, but much of our work during that window of time will be carried out remotely. Please contact our Office Administrator, Whitney Ruff (admin@cstonepres.org), if there are any specific ways we can serve you during this time.

Your servant,