Cornerstone TeleVision Blog

I was in the mall the other day, with many Christmas purchases in hand making my rounds through my favorite stores. As the cashier was handing me my change at one of the last stops she replied "happy holidays" as to which I replied "thank you--you too!" Instantly I was rebuked by the person behind me in line who shouted "Merry Christmas!!!" to the cashier and told me to not put up with that "happy holidays" stuff because there is only one holiday that we are getting ready for and that is Christmas. I said nothing in response to this because I was actually more offened by the outspokenness of the women behind me saying "Merry Christmas" than I was by the friendly "happy holidays" greeting from the cashier who was "just doing her job." Don't get me wrong, I prefer it when people say "Merry Christmas" because I know they get a sense of what it is all about, but I also understand that not everyone really knows the true meaning of Christmas and why we celebrate it. So was it wrong of me to "put up with that happy holidays stuff" from the cashier? I don't know, but what I do know is what Jesus would do in this situation. He would not demand a personal birthday acknowledgement, he would show love to the cashier regardless of her holiday comment and so I need to do the same. I hope that when you're leaving the register this week that you will express to the cashier the same love Jesus gives us each day regardless of their comment.

Merry Christmas y'all!!!!!!!!!!

 I love this movie!

I love to read.  It can be anything.  I once said that I could just walk into the library, pick a random card out of the card catalog (this was a while ago) and read whatever book it said...and find it interesting.  That said, there are certain categories I find most interesting: history, fiction, and biographies being at the top of the list.  For the last nine years I’ve kept a running list of every book that I’ve read.  Here’s what I'm reading now or have recently finished:

Flickering Pixels by Shane Hipps.  Hipps was formerly a Porsche ad executive and his job was to convince you that your life was incomplete without a Porsche. Now he's a Mennonite pastor (talk about a career change) and he shares some amazing insights on what electronic media does to us and the gospel.

With by John Stahl-wert.  A short little book about relationships, both familial and spiritual, by the Director of the Pittsburgh Leadership Foundation.  Tremendously heartwarming stories.

A Tale of Two Sons by John MacArthur.  The Prodigal Son is my favorite portion of scripture.  I've taught on it for years. This book brought so much new insight to me that I felt like I was reading the parable for the first time. One of Macarthur's greatest achievements is to let the reader know how such a story would have been received by the religious leaders of Jesus' day.

The Hole in Our Gospel by Richard Stearns.  This is a life-changing book.  The president of World Vision shares his personal story of God's recruitment of him for this ministry, a position he did not want. That story would be challenging enough, but then Stearns goes on to lay out the need of billions of people around the world for food, clean water, health care and social justice. 

The Path Between the Seas by David McCullough (still reading).  McCullough is my favorite historian.  In this book he tells the amazing story of the building of the Panama Canal.  It is an incredible story of human achievement and international intrigue. 

The Church of Facebook by Jesse Rice (still reading). How is social media affecting the way human beings relate?  How should the church be involved? Jesse Rice had served as the worship arts director of Menlo Park Presbyterian Church in California. He also has a master's degree in counseling psychology. (I had the opportunity to interview him on the air.) Good insights so far.

So that’s the last couple of months or so. Kind of a serious run for me. I need to read some science fiction or humor soon.

Tom