“Do not worship any other god, for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God.” –Exodus 34:14
There is a need inside each of us to worship something. Blaise Pascal, a French mathematician and philosopher, once said, “There is a God shaped vacuum in the heart of every man which cannot be filled by any created thing, but only by God, the Creator, made known through Jesus.” It is in the very fabric of our being, and is as much of a human need as water, food, or air.
Often enough, we say that God has filled that “vacuum” in our hearts and that he is at the very center and foundation of our life and this is true enough. But, sometimes we try to cram things into that “vacuum” that God has already filled. We are a culture that constantly needs to be entertained; therefore it becomes quite easy to become polytheists, worshipping both God and whatever obsession we may be currently facing.
Sometimes it is easier to worship something, or someone, which is visible and seems more manageable to worship. If we truly believe that God is our priority, then we know that he will not share his throne with any object or person. He alone is the only one worthy of our admiration and praise, and we have to constantly remind ourselves of that. So, cast aside your dualities, and focus on the one who saved us when no one could.
Cornerstone Update
Cornerstone is still going strong. Again, our freshmen class is especially large and solid. Every year, there always seems to be an overwhelming amount of females overpopulating the males. This year, it is different. We have a sturdy and steady amount of freshmen men involved in Cornerstone. All the freshmen are heavily involved in Cornerstone, and it is fantastic.
This semester, we have decided to do a different sort of talk series: the seven deadly sins. A Catholic tradition, we decided to put a bit of a protestant twist on the classic series. The students have seemed to enjoy it, and have been participating in the messages. They’re not always easy to talk about (i.e. sloth), but it has been a fun talk series.
Why We Do What We Do
Meet Charles “Charlie” Port. Charlie is a sophomore neuroscience major that hails from Grove City, PA and is on the Freshmen Ministry Team at Cornerstone. Though often soft spoken, Charlie has a dry sense of humor that is like no other. He is a very thoughtful, intelligent, and well read individual who is quick to serve others before himself. Oh, and he’s a Pittsburgh sports fan. Read more about him:
1. What is your favorite movie, book, and band/music? My favorite movie is probably "A Hard Day's Night" starring the Beatles. My favorite book is "Siddhartha" by Herman Hesse. Music is a tough one; I'd have to go with good ole Leon Russell as my current favorite artist.
2. What has been your involvement in Cornerstone? I started attending Freshman Bible study early on in my first year here at Pitt and found that it really helped to get to know people in Cornerstone. Now in my sophomore year I'm one of the leaders of that group, meeting weekly with the new freshman to fellowship and offer what I know I needed in my first year here at Pitt. I am also involved in Drama and Service teams.
3. How has Cornerstone helped you during your years at Pitt? Well, right from the get-go, when I first showed up at Pitt, Cornerstone was there for me. I wasn't really sure where I fit in at this gigantic institution, I felt kinda lost, but the Community of Cornerstone pulled me in right quick. Many of the people who have had the biggest influence on my life at college so far I've met at Cornerstone, it has really helped me to mature in my faith. It just makes such a difference in my life, that as I'm going through the rigors (and distractions) of college life, to have people to keep me rooted in my faith and make sure I never lose sight of those things that should be most important in my life.
Everyday I praise God because of where he has put me and who he has put me with. It is one thing to go to work to keep you, and your family, sustainable, but it is another thing to go to work and enjoy what you do. As John Piper has famously said, “God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in him.” There is no better feeling in the world then to go to work, enjoy it, and in the process glorify God with a joy from the work you just accomplished! The work that I do has only been accomplished because God has allowed it to further bring glory to himself, and because I have a base of people praying for me and supporting me financially. It is because of God and people like you that I get to bond with people like Charlie. As you can see, we are now at $2,600 per month, or 89% of where we need to be. The past few months, we had some huge one time donations that will help us make it through the next couple of months. This has been great, but we could still use your help. I am asking that my current supporters give an extra 10% on top of their usual giving. With this money we can be at full monthly support again, possibly obtain a raise, and I will have more time to minister to students. We are always looking for new supporters that help make this ministry possible. If God leads you to do so, we would love for you to be a part of this ministry through your financial gifts and your prayer. Remember that any gift is a good gift. In the past few months, we have truly witnessed God’s provision. We thank you, and may God bless you richly because you have given to advance His kingdom! Please be in prayer that God will continue to build our support team and that we would be faithful in doing our part.
Moore News
Big news in the Moore household! Benjamin, our four year old, professed Jesus Christ as his personal lord and savior! I have been talking to Benjamin about Jesus for sometime now, and he could tell you everything inside and out. One evening, before bed, I asked if he wanted to talk about Jesus in which he replied, “Yes.” I started to go through the whole gospel story, and what it meant to be a Christian. He soon interrupted me and stated, “I want to invite Jesus into my heart!” So Emily, Benjamin, and I prayed together the prayer of salvation. Right after we finished, Emily asked, “Benjamin, how do you feel?” To which Ben replied, “Happy.” What a great response!
Joshua is enjoying his life of being a two year old. He especially enjoys anything related to football. In fact, he makes up conversations about a Steelers game that we had just watched. It usually goes something like this: “The Steelers played for three hours…they threw a touchdown, though…and then Polomalu tackled the quarterback.” He’s pretty observant.
Asher continues to grow bigger and happier. We have caught him on many an occasion standing by himself. After we “catch him in the act” he usually has surprised look on his face and drops to the floor as if he was doing something wrong. We feel as though he will be walking soon. When he does, I’m sure he’ll give that surprised look as he gets into mischief.
In Christ,
Andy Moore
