Pastoral Notes for Sunday, February 1, 2026

Dear Cornerstone Family,

Congratulations, you survived the great ice apocalypse of 2026. Despite the many trials caused by the storm, I am grateful for how our church came together to care for one another and neighbors in need. From hosting those without power, to providing heaters and propane, to helping cut up tree limbs and clear ice—it was a joy to see the church being the church.

Our neighbors to the north in Nashville continue to deal with ongoing effects from the storm. In fact, some of our sister churches are struggling to worship today due to power outages and property damage. As we have opportunity, let’s continue to pray for and serve those in need.

I don’t know if it’s the weirdness of this last week or what, but didn’t we just celebrate Christmas and the start of 2026? I’m not sure how it happened, but like it or not, January is gone, and February is upon us.

Boyfriends and husbands, you know what that means—Valentines Day is right around the corner. February 14 will be here before you know it. Consider this a friendly public service announcement.  

Truth be told, Valentine’s Day probably isn’t what’s really on your mind. No, you’re thinking about Midweek at Cornerstone! That’s right, Midweek at Cornerstone will be back in action February 18. As per usual, you can expect a delicious catered meal beginning at 5:15 p.m. followed by a full slate of ministries for children, youth, and adults.

If you’ve never come to Midweek before, you’re missing out. You really are. It’s a short, six-week season that promises to deepen your relationships in the church and spiritually prepare you for the celebration of Easter.

The series topic for our Midweek Vespers service is When God Seems Silent. In this series, we will explore how to commune with God when he feels distant and when the pain of life is overwhelming. This is a subject that hits home for every one of us, and of which Scripture speaks with clear, honest, and life-giving direction.

You probably know people at work or in your neighborhood who would benefit from this series. Please invite them! We would love for this series to not only be a blessing for our church family but the Franklin community.

When God Seems Silent
·      February 18 – Permission to Lament
·      February 25 – The Mystery of Suffering
·      March 4 – Praying Through the Silence
·      March 11 – Waiting on God’s Timing
·      March 18 – Between Exile and Return
·      March 25 – Hope in the Silence

Please, make every effort to join your church family for this special season of the church calendar. I look forward to seeing you there.

Grace & Peace,

 

Pastoral Notes for Sunday, January 18, 2026

Dear Cornerstone Family,

Greetings and blessings to you in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.

I’ve been a long-time subscriber to and an occasional writer for Tabletalk magazine. If you’re unfamiliar with Tabletalk magazine, it’s a monthly publication of Ligonier ministries, which was started by the late Dr. R.C. Sproul in 1977. As a ministry of Ligonier, Tabletalk magazine is dedicated to helping you read and understand the Bible and grow in Christ. With articles from pastors, scholars, and teachers, every issue of Tabletalk focuses on something different. Each issue contains feature articles, daily Bible studies, and columns touching on biblical, theological, and practical themes to help strengthen and encourage you in your walk with Christ.

The February edition of Tabletalk was just released this week. The theme for the month of February is Sadness. Topics include the origin of sadness, learning to lament, grieving with hope, learning how to extend comfort in the church, and many other topics. We have fifty copies of the February edition of Tabletalk to give away today! If you’ve never read Tabletalk magazine before, please pick up a free copy today while supplies last.

Writing about Tabletalk’s mission to help you read and understand the Bible reminds me of Barna’s 2025 State of the Church report published in September of last year. There are some fascinating tidbits in the report especially related to Bible reading and church attendance generationally.

For instance, on Bible reading, there is a reported uptick in Bible reading among Christians generally. Nearly 50% of Christians report reading their Bible at some point during the week, which is up from 42% from the previous year. Interestingly, the Bible-reading surge has been led by younger generations, Gen Z and Millennials particularly.

Another interesting tidbit—it’s been generally true for years that women read the Bible more faithfully than men. New reports, however, show that young men (Gen Z and Millennial) are reading the Bible on par with young women if not surpassing them. This increase in Bible reading syncs with other data indicating spiritual interest and engagement among young men is on the rise.

This uptick in Bible reading parallels the uptick in church attendance. Gen Z Christians attend church/worship 1.9 times a month. That’s up from Millennials at 1.8 times a month, Gen Xers at 1.6 times a month, and Boomers at 1.4 times a month. Though the statistics are still disappointing, the trend among Gen Z and Millennials to pick up their Bible and go to church more is a cause for praise.

As we think twenty-five years into the future planning for ministry expansion as a church, we want to make room for the many moving to middle Tennessee and the younger generation of men and women waking up to the truth of Scripture and the value of the church.  Whether it’s a larger facility, adding services, church planting, or some combination therein, maintaining the status quo isn’t the answer. God is calling us to more.

Toward that end, a congregational survey was sent out this week from our ministry expansion team. If you’re a member, you should have received it. If you did not, please contact our Church Life Coordinator, Dan Fiedler, at dan@cstonepres.org for the link. If you’ve received it and haven’t yet filled it out, take time today or tomorrow to do just that. We value your input as together we press forward in the great commission (Matthew 28:18-20).

Grace & Peace,

 

Pastoral Notes for Sunday, January 11, 2026

Dear Cornerstone Family,

This past week I had the immense privilege of gathering with eight men from across our denomination including, for a brief time, our current moderator, Dr. Kevin DeYoung, to devote extended time to reflection on the principle and practice of worship.

For those of you who follow denominational business, you may remember that at the 2025 Presbyterian Church in America’s General Assembly, which is the annual meeting of the PCA, the denomination approved the formation of a directory for public worship study committee. This committee is entrusted with the responsibility to “propose revisions to portions of the Directory for the Worship of God not yet given full authority, in accordance with Scripture and the Westminster Standards, for authoritative use in the Presbyterian Church in America.”

In the paragraph above, the Directory for Public Worship is mentioned. If you do not know what that is, you’re in good company, and yet the Directory’s place and role in the history of Presbyterian worship is significant. For instance, the Westminster Assembly—which produced The Westminster Confession of Faith (1643-1647), the theological standards for our denomination—included in their work the very first Directory for Public Worship. The first directory consisted of five principal parts: the assembling of the church for worship, the public reading of Scripture, the exercise of public prayer, the preaching of the Word, and instructions for baptism and the Lord’s Supper.

Different from the Anglican Book of Common Prayer, which tends to focus on fixed forms (prescribed orderings of services, written prayers and responses, etc.), a Directory sets forward principles, instructions, rubrics, and models that are intended to be a guide to the pastor or worship leader.

Currently, the PCA has authoritative standards for doctrine and polity, but we do not have a binding standard for the practice of worship. The intent behind the action of last year’s General Assembly to form this study committee is to pursue for the first time in our history as a denomination an authoritative standard for worship. Our committee is entrusted with the noble responsibility to review and revise our currently non-binding Directory and then submit our revisions to the denomination for adoption and authoritative use. 

In a surprising even humorous providence of our God, I was appointed by our moderator to chair this study committee. I am profoundly humbled to be at the helm of this work and to work closely with an esteemed band of faithful teaching and ruling elders in our denomination.

As we approach the throne of grace this morning, we recognize that the worship we offer to God is not a matter of human desire and design but is defined and directed by the Word of God. As Jesus Christ instructed the Woman at the Well, the Father seeks worshippers who will worship him again today in Spirit and truth (John 4:23-24).

Grace & Peace,

 

Pastoral Notes for Sunday, January 4, 2026

Dear Cornerstone Family, 

Happy New Year!

As we embark on another year of God’s grace together, we’re taking two Sundays—today and January 11—to renew our vision as a congregation. Our vision statement as a congregation is: To glorify God in the gospel together as disciples who make disciples. As you can see below, this one sentence summarizes our aspiration as a church and outlines the core commitments of our ministry:

·      Worship – To glorify God in the gospel

·      Fellowship – To glorify God in the gospel together

·      Discipleship – To glorify God in the gospel together as disciples

·      Mission – To glorify God in the gospel together as disciples who make disciples

To help us renew our vision together, we’ll be considering the Apostle Paul’s words in 2 Corinthians 5:11-21 today and 2 Corinthians 6:1-13 next week. In these two messages, we’ll be focusing primarily on Paul’s heart and strategy in discipleship and mission. The goal of our time in these texts is to strengthen our resolve to carry out the mission God has given to the church. Please join me in praying to that end.

Before I close, you’ll find my much-anticipated 2025 favorite reads list. For a book to be a “favorite read” doesn’t mean I agree with everything or think everyone should read it. Favorite means I personally benefited/learned from it and really enjoyed it. For instance, The Barn made my list. It retells a tragic moment in Mississippi history. It’s full of historical insights and rich storytelling, but it’s not a general audience read. So, be discerning.  

Further, I intentionally did not include any theological or biblical volumes. The list would have simply been too long for the space allotted. But don’t despair, I will do a rundown of my favorite biblical-theological titles for the kickoff of the next season of the Life at the Corner podcast on Monday, January 12. Mark your calendars!  

Okay, caveats aside, here were my favorite reads for 2025:

·      Memories and Opinions by Arthur Quiller-Couch

·      Against the Machine: On the Unmaking of Humanity by Paul Kingsnorth

·      Paradise Lost: A Biography by Alan Jacobs

·      Marce Catlett by Wendell Berry

·      The Barn: The Secret History of a Murder in Mississippi by William Thompson

·      Theo of Golden by Allen Levi

·      The Forged Coupon by Leo Tolstoy

·      Democracy and Solidarity: On the Cultural Roots of America’s Political Crisis by James Davison Hunter

·      Bitcoin is for Everyone by Natalie Brunell

·      Heroes by Paul Johnson

Your servant,