JUNIOR HIGH SUNDAY SCHOOL

Today our topic is, "MAKE IT A TWO-WAY STREET - FORGIVENESS. We talk about why forgiveness is such a big deal to Jesus, consider the difficulty of forgiveness in third-person case studies and to choose a specific act of forgiveness to put into action this week.

Our verses for today are Matthew 6:14-1514 - For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.

INTERNATIONAL FOOD FESTIVAL

Today was Cornerstone's annual International Food Festival. We had well over 150 people come and some great food! All of the proceeds went to the Markham Food Bank so it was a great cause. As well as international food and

dress, we were also treated to special performances including Indian guitar and Bob Marley reggae!

JUNIOR HIGH YOUTHQUEST

Tonight we talked about how as Christ-Followers, we need to try to live our lives free from hypocrisy. Even made some crazy skits about it. Wanna see it? Here it goes!

CORNERSTONE COMMUNITY LIFE CENTRE SIGN UNVEILING

Last Saturday Cornerstone was blessed to have a ceremony on the recently purchased, 5.65 acre site that will be the future home of the Community Life Centre. Mayor Frank Scarpitti, The Honourable Paul Calandra - MP - Oak Ridges-Markham, Deputy Mayor Jack Heath, John Webster (Ward 5 Councilor), and many other dignitaries were on hand. Look out for our sign in the near future!

DEEP THOUGHTS

God has given us a short time here upon earth, and yet upon this short time eternity depends (Jeremy Taylor - 1613-1667).

YOUTHQUEST BASKETBALL

Today we had part 2 of our volunteer training program. We played ball, then talked about the mission and vision of Cornerstone as well as the mission of the program. We official start our program next Wednesday. Grades 6-8 from 6:15-7:45 and grades 9-10 from 8:00-9:30 @ Greensborough Public School (80 Alfred Patterson Drive). This program is for boys and is free!!!

Listen to the story of a battle rapper from BET's Freestyle Friday who after 10 weeks of winning, became a Christian and had his life transformed. Jason Ma, also known as Jin.

Jin - from battle rapper to Christian rapper
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MmncKOadBgk

Welcome to the Light Club - video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0LdFOWaKY_U

Love - Jason Ma
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=73kZ6wBoqTk

JUNIOR HIGH SUNDAY SCHOOL

DON'T BOW TO IT! - MONEY

Today we consider Jesus’ teaching that money can become a master, try to understand what it looks like for a young teen to have money as a master and to take a dare to de-master money in their lives!
Our main passage is MATTHEW 6:24
No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.

These are the dares:
¨ GIVE IT AWAY! One of the best ways to make sure we’re not living for money is to give away lots of it. Not just tipping God like you would a waitress but really giving a lot. What will you give your money to this week? How much?
¨ ASK OTHERS. Find a couple of people – maybe even one of your parents – who will be really honest with you (not just a friend who always tell you what you want to hear). Ask those people to tell you if they think money is too important to you. Then give them permission to tell you any time they see you making money a master. Who will you ask?
¨ PRAY AND PRAY. Pray about your attitude toward money. Pray that God will help you see if money is too important to you. Pray that God will help you care less about money. And pray that God will give you the courage to consider a lifestyle that doesn’t allow money to become a master. When will you pray?

SENIOR HIGH YOUTHQUEST

On Friday we had another time of practice for the service we'll be playing at on October 18th. Our next meeting will be in October.

DEEP THOUGHTS

Personhood is formed through making decisions. We learn to think and weigh options, we discover what we truly value, we take responsibility for our choices. God wants us to be people, not robots, and that means we must make decisions. - John Ortberg

DEEP THOUGHTS

Philippians 4:8

And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honourable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. (NLT)

A honey bee gathers nectar from fresh flowers. A buzzard inspects the ground for dead animals. Today, you can be the bee and focus on what is lovely, or you can be the buzzard, searching for negative feelings. Are you like the honey bee or buzzard?

* 2009 Devotional Day Planner - The Bible League of Canada

JUNIOR HIGH SUNDAY SCHOOL

Today our topic is, "Make It a 2 Way Street - Forgiveness." Our main passage is Matthew 6:14-15. Our goals are to understand why forgiveness is such a big deal to Jesus, to consider the difficulty of forgiveness in third-person case studies and to choose a specific act of forgiveness to put into action this week.

Matthew 6:14-15

For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.

JUNIOR HIGH YOUTHQUEST

Tonight we looked at TV - how much we watch and the effect it has on us. We looked at 1 Corinthians 10:31 - So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.

DEEP THOUGHTS

A key test to know whether we really want God's guidance is to ask, "How often do I seek God's guidance when I'm not facing trouble or a difficult situation? - John Ortberg

JUNIOR HIGH SUNDAY SCHOOL

Today our topic is, "Enough Said - Your Word." Our main Bible passage is Matthew 5:33-37. We try to understand that this dare is not about keeping promises, but being a person whose word can be counted on as well as to rate our own current level of trustworthiness and choose a way to work on it this week.

* Taken from Dares from Jesus 2

Matthew 5:33-37
33"Again, you have heard that it was said to the people long ago, 'Do not break your oath, but keep the oaths you have made to the Lord.' 34But I tell you, Do not swear at all: either by heaven, for it is God's throne; 35or by the earth, for it is his footstool; or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King. 36And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make even one hair white or black. 37Simply let your 'Yes' be 'Yes,' and your 'No,' 'No'; anything beyond this comes from the evil one.

SENIOR HIGH YOUTHQUEST

Tonight we started part 1 of a 6 part study entitled: Following After God - What difference does God make?
Session 1 - How Does Believing in God affect my everyday life?
THE ORACLE - MATTHEW 4:18-22 & LUKE 9:57-62
Challenge:
Every one of us lives with something at the center of our lives - it is how we are wired to function as human beings. What inhabits the center can vary greatly: It can be a boyfriend or girlfriend, a job or a car. It can be a hidden motivation like the desire for money, power, significance or security. It can be even a substance addiction. But all of us live with something at the center of our lives.
When matrix moments come, we realize that there is probably more to life than having a significant other, a nice car or a cushy job. We realize that there could be a God, and that it is possible this reality should somehow affect our everyday lives. It is in these moments that we choose between the blue pill and the red pill. Do we ignore these spiritual promptings and go back to life as it always was? Or do we risk everything and open ourselves to the reality of who God claims to be? If God reveals himself to you, are you ready to drop your familiar nets and follow him?
What do you choose?
Self-Reflection
When you have some time to be alone and reflect, pull out a piece of paper and draw a big circle on it. Ask yourself this honest question: "What is truly at the centre of my life?" If you have trouble answering, there are a couple of tools that you can use for help. First, pull out your Day-Timer or PalmPilot and look over the last few weeks of your life. What do you spend most of your time doing? Next, pull out your bank statement and look at what you spend most of your money on. If you still are not clear, ask a couple of your close friends what they would say is at the center of your life. This can be a scary exercise to do, but it can also provide you with very valuable information.
Once you come up with an answer to this question, you are faced with a matrix moment. This type of self-awareness provides you with the opportunity to take the blue pill or the red pill. The red pill question is the same that Jesus gave each of the people in the stories you read earlier.
What would it take for you to drop your familiar nets (whatever is inside the circle) and follow God?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DOATbVxHVr8 = Matrix - When Morpheus Meets Neo - Blue Pill or Red Pill

BAPTISM SERVICE

On Sunday August 16th, Cornerstone had the privilege of baptizing two brothers, Justin and Matthew Tan.