Tuesday, May 5, 2009

Women's Retreat



I heard the women's retreat was edifying and fun ...it had to be with funny gals like Debbie!

Why Seminary?

Shane shared on Sunday that he will be leaving in early August for Southern Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky. As the elders shared on Sunday, Shane is not simply leaving Cornerstone ... we are sending him out!

Shane and Jess have prayed much about this decision and have sought counsel from godly people inside and outside of Cornerstone. God has put on Shane's heart the desire to pastor a church like Cornerstone, perhaps in the Northwest where there is a great need for Christ-centered, Bible-centered churches. He is going to seminary to be better prepared for a lifetime of ministry and leadership in the church.

Southern Seminary is led by Dr. Albert Mohler (www.albertmohler.com, his radio program is on 890AM at 3 p.m. here on the central coast). The seminary has outstanding faculty, a great Master of Divinity program, family housing on campus, a seminary wives program where Jess can attend electives each semester, and they even allow pets in campus housing (the Sanders rottweiler "Kia" is like a member of the family)!

Please keep praying for the Sanders as they prepare for this move. We will miss them, but are thankful that they will visit with us when they are in town visiting Jessica's parents.

Also pray for clear leading and wisdom for the Cornerstone church leadership as we will need to identify the right person/people to help with family ministry.

Community Groups

Our family visited the South Atascadero Community Group at the Covington's on Sunday night. It was a joy to see all the children playing in the back yard and gave us a greater appreciation for how Kevin and Felicia are serving the young families!

Shane did a wonderful job of leading music, discussion, and prayer - but it was neat to see everyone in the study engaged and participating in the dialogue. I was also blessed to hear my daughter Jenn and son JP wrestling with the Bible text, asking questions and offering insights.

Studying the book of Acts has provided a great window to see the love the saints had for each other. Sunday night was an encouragement to see love in action in Atascadero!