September Blog
Keeping the Connection Going
There’s something about the end of summer that always feels a little bittersweet.
The days are getting shorter. School supplies have replaced sunscreen in the store aisles. Calendars are beginning to fill up again. Vacations are winding down, routines are returning, and before we know it, September will be here.
And for many of us at Cornerstone, we’re also coming off a great few days together at Connect Camp.
We laughed together. Ate together. Worshiped together. Played together. Sat around campfires together. Opened God’s Word together. And throughout our time at camp, we kept coming back to one simple truth:
Life is better connected.
Connected to God. Connected to His Word. Connected to others.
Our theme came from Paul’s words in Colossians 2:6-7:
“So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in Him, rooted and built up in Him, strengthened in the faith...” (NIV)
I love the word “continue.”
Because following Jesus isn’t something we do for a few days at camp. It isn’t something we do only when life slows down enough to make room for it. And it certainly isn’t something we leave behind when we pack the camper, fold up the tent, or drive away from camp.
The challenge of Connect Camp was never simply to get connected. It was to stay connected.
Camp is over. Connection isn't.
One of the dangers of experiences like camp, retreats, conferences, or even a particularly meaningful Sunday morning is that we can begin to associate spiritual connection with a particular place or moment. We felt close to God there. We had meaningful conversations there. We slowed down enough to listen there. But Jesus never intended our relationship with Him to depend upon being at camp.
In John 15:5, Jesus says: “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in Me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from Me you can do nothing.” (NIV)
Notice that Jesus doesn’t say, “Visit Me occasionally.” He says, “Remain in Me.” Stay connected. Because branches don’t survive on yesterday’s connection to the vine…and neither do we.
The question coming out of Connect Camp isn’t simply, “Did we have a good time?”
The better question is: What will we do differently because of the time we spent together? Will we continue making time for Jesus? Will we continue opening His Word? Will we continue building relationships with other believers? Will we continue encouraging one another, praying for one another, serving one another, and showing up for one another? Because the real measure of what God did at camp won’t be what happened at camp…it will be what continues after camp.
Don't Let Busyness Disconnect You
And that may be especially important as we head into September. Summer has its own kind of busyness, but fall brings another level altogether. School. Sports. Practices. Work. Appointments. Meetings. Homework. Church activities. Family commitments.
Before long, calendars fill up and life begins moving at full speed again.
And one of the easiest things to lose when life gets busy is connection. Not intentionally.
Nobody wakes up one morning and says, “I think I’ll slowly drift away from Jesus.” Nobody puts on the calendar, “Stop reading my Bible.” Nobody schedules, “Become disconnected from Christian community.” It usually happens much more quietly than that. We simply get busy. And little by little, the things that matter most get crowded out by the things screaming the loudest.
That’s why heading into a new ministry season is a great opportunity to make some decisions ahead of time. What will keep you connected to God?
Maybe it means protecting a few minutes each morning to pray before the noise of the day begins.
Maybe it means opening your Bible before opening your phone.
Maybe it means establishing a simple rhythm of reading Scripture together as a family.
And then ask another question: What will keep you connected to others?
Because Christianity was never intended to be lived alone. Hebrews 10:24-25 reminds us: “And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another…” (NIV)
We need each other. Not because attending church earns us anything with God. Not because filling our calendars with church activities automatically makes us spiritually mature. But because God designed us to grow in community.
We need people who will encourage us.
People who will pray with us.
People who will challenge us.
People who will remind us of truth when we forget.
People who will walk beside us when life gets difficult.
And there are people who need the same thing from us.
A New Season, Same Mission
September marks the beginning of another ministry season at Cornerstone. Growth Groups will begin again. Children and students will settle into new routines. Ministries will restart. Volunteers will serve. People will gather. New faces will walk through our doors. And there will be plenty of opportunities to get involved.
But my hope isn't simply that we will have a busy ministry season.
I want us to have a fruitful one. There is a difference.
We can fill a calendar without making disciples.
We can attend programs without growing spiritually.
We can be around church without actually being deeply connected to Jesus or one another.
So maybe the question for this new season isn't: “What should I add to my calendar?”
Maybe the better question is: “What will help me stay connected?”
Connected to God.
Connected to His Word.
Connected to others.
And then there's one more connection we can't forget.
Connected So We Can Connect Others
Our connection was never intended to end with us. Jesus connects us to Himself and places us in community so that His life can flow through us into the lives of others. There are people all around us entering this fall disconnected.
Some are lonely.
Some are hurting.
Some are searching.
Some have given up on church.
Some have never seriously considered Jesus.
Some may be waiting for someone simply to notice them, invite them, listen to them, pray for them, or walk alongside them.
And maybe God has placed you in their life for exactly that reason.
What if this fall we didn't simply invite people to church?
What if we invited people into our lives?
What if our dinner tables became places of connection?
What if our Growth Groups became places where people could ask honest questions?
What if our ministries became places where people experienced genuine grace?
What if our church became known not simply for what happens inside our building, but for the way we love people throughout our community?
Because ultimately, our goal isn't simply to connect people to Cornerstone.
Our goal is to connect people to Jesus.
Keep Going
Summer is ending. Connect Camp is over. September is coming. A new ministry season is about to begin. But the invitation remains exactly the same:
Continue.
Continue walking with Jesus.
Continue being rooted in His Word.
Continue showing up for one another.
Continue serving.
Continue inviting.
Continue encouraging.
Continue loving.
Continue growing.
And when life gets busy, and it will, remember what we learned together:
Life is better connected.
So don't allow what God began this summer to become simply another good memory. Keep the connection going. Stay connected to God. Stay connected to His Word. Stay connected to others.
And together, let's help others discover the life, hope, grace, and belonging that are found when they become connected to Jesus.
Because camp may be over.
Summer may be ending.
But God isn't finished with us yet.
There’s something about the end of summer that always feels a little bittersweet.
The days are getting shorter. School supplies have replaced sunscreen in the store aisles. Calendars are beginning to fill up again. Vacations are winding down, routines are returning, and before we know it, September will be here.
And for many of us at Cornerstone, we’re also coming off a great few days together at Connect Camp.
We laughed together. Ate together. Worshiped together. Played together. Sat around campfires together. Opened God’s Word together. And throughout our time at camp, we kept coming back to one simple truth:
Life is better connected.
Connected to God. Connected to His Word. Connected to others.
Our theme came from Paul’s words in Colossians 2:6-7:
“So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in Him, rooted and built up in Him, strengthened in the faith...” (NIV)
I love the word “continue.”
Because following Jesus isn’t something we do for a few days at camp. It isn’t something we do only when life slows down enough to make room for it. And it certainly isn’t something we leave behind when we pack the camper, fold up the tent, or drive away from camp.
The challenge of Connect Camp was never simply to get connected. It was to stay connected.
Camp is over. Connection isn't.
One of the dangers of experiences like camp, retreats, conferences, or even a particularly meaningful Sunday morning is that we can begin to associate spiritual connection with a particular place or moment. We felt close to God there. We had meaningful conversations there. We slowed down enough to listen there. But Jesus never intended our relationship with Him to depend upon being at camp.
In John 15:5, Jesus says: “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in Me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from Me you can do nothing.” (NIV)
Notice that Jesus doesn’t say, “Visit Me occasionally.” He says, “Remain in Me.” Stay connected. Because branches don’t survive on yesterday’s connection to the vine…and neither do we.
The question coming out of Connect Camp isn’t simply, “Did we have a good time?”
The better question is: What will we do differently because of the time we spent together? Will we continue making time for Jesus? Will we continue opening His Word? Will we continue building relationships with other believers? Will we continue encouraging one another, praying for one another, serving one another, and showing up for one another? Because the real measure of what God did at camp won’t be what happened at camp…it will be what continues after camp.
Don't Let Busyness Disconnect You
And that may be especially important as we head into September. Summer has its own kind of busyness, but fall brings another level altogether. School. Sports. Practices. Work. Appointments. Meetings. Homework. Church activities. Family commitments.
Before long, calendars fill up and life begins moving at full speed again.
And one of the easiest things to lose when life gets busy is connection. Not intentionally.
Nobody wakes up one morning and says, “I think I’ll slowly drift away from Jesus.” Nobody puts on the calendar, “Stop reading my Bible.” Nobody schedules, “Become disconnected from Christian community.” It usually happens much more quietly than that. We simply get busy. And little by little, the things that matter most get crowded out by the things screaming the loudest.
That’s why heading into a new ministry season is a great opportunity to make some decisions ahead of time. What will keep you connected to God?
Maybe it means protecting a few minutes each morning to pray before the noise of the day begins.
Maybe it means opening your Bible before opening your phone.
Maybe it means establishing a simple rhythm of reading Scripture together as a family.
And then ask another question: What will keep you connected to others?
Because Christianity was never intended to be lived alone. Hebrews 10:24-25 reminds us: “And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another…” (NIV)
We need each other. Not because attending church earns us anything with God. Not because filling our calendars with church activities automatically makes us spiritually mature. But because God designed us to grow in community.
We need people who will encourage us.
People who will pray with us.
People who will challenge us.
People who will remind us of truth when we forget.
People who will walk beside us when life gets difficult.
And there are people who need the same thing from us.
A New Season, Same Mission
September marks the beginning of another ministry season at Cornerstone. Growth Groups will begin again. Children and students will settle into new routines. Ministries will restart. Volunteers will serve. People will gather. New faces will walk through our doors. And there will be plenty of opportunities to get involved.
But my hope isn't simply that we will have a busy ministry season.
I want us to have a fruitful one. There is a difference.
We can fill a calendar without making disciples.
We can attend programs without growing spiritually.
We can be around church without actually being deeply connected to Jesus or one another.
So maybe the question for this new season isn't: “What should I add to my calendar?”
Maybe the better question is: “What will help me stay connected?”
Connected to God.
Connected to His Word.
Connected to others.
And then there's one more connection we can't forget.
Connected So We Can Connect Others
Our connection was never intended to end with us. Jesus connects us to Himself and places us in community so that His life can flow through us into the lives of others. There are people all around us entering this fall disconnected.
Some are lonely.
Some are hurting.
Some are searching.
Some have given up on church.
Some have never seriously considered Jesus.
Some may be waiting for someone simply to notice them, invite them, listen to them, pray for them, or walk alongside them.
And maybe God has placed you in their life for exactly that reason.
What if this fall we didn't simply invite people to church?
What if we invited people into our lives?
What if our dinner tables became places of connection?
What if our Growth Groups became places where people could ask honest questions?
What if our ministries became places where people experienced genuine grace?
What if our church became known not simply for what happens inside our building, but for the way we love people throughout our community?
Because ultimately, our goal isn't simply to connect people to Cornerstone.
Our goal is to connect people to Jesus.
Keep Going
Summer is ending. Connect Camp is over. September is coming. A new ministry season is about to begin. But the invitation remains exactly the same:
Continue.
Continue walking with Jesus.
Continue being rooted in His Word.
Continue showing up for one another.
Continue serving.
Continue inviting.
Continue encouraging.
Continue loving.
Continue growing.
And when life gets busy, and it will, remember what we learned together:
Life is better connected.
So don't allow what God began this summer to become simply another good memory. Keep the connection going. Stay connected to God. Stay connected to His Word. Stay connected to others.
And together, let's help others discover the life, hope, grace, and belonging that are found when they become connected to Jesus.
Because camp may be over.
Summer may be ending.
But God isn't finished with us yet.
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