February 2014 Newsletter

Finding God in Failure
“And no inhabitant will say, “I am sick”; the people who dwell there will be forgiven their iniquity.” -Isaiah 33:24

We all fail, and sometimes it is completely out of our hands. Sometimes students will study as hard as they can for a test, and will still do poorly. Sometimes they don’t study for a test, and fail. Failure is a learning experience. As the movie Batman Begins says, “Why do we fall? So we can learn to pick ourselves back up again.”

What about those times, though, where you try to take matters in your own hands and fail? Those times where you feel like God is specifically telling you to do something and you ignore it, deciding you will do what you want. “I can do it better,” you subconsciously say to yourself. “I need to be in control.” So you do it yourself, without God’s help, and you fail. We have all been here. We have all done this. We have failed because we did not rely on God.

You see, from the very beginning we have failed. God created a good world that was perfect for us. But somewhere we were lied to. Satan came to Adam and Eve telling them, “Eating this fruit will make you better. You don’t need God.” And they believed this lie and failed miserably, causing a domino effect for the rest of mankind. The world became broken and riddled with failure. No matter how hard we worked, or how hard we tried, we could never reestablish that good world that was perfect for us. Now we have new fruits that are being dangled before us: ones of greed, and lust, and power. And we believe the same lie that Adam and Eve heard from the serpent, “Eating this fruit will make you better. You don’t need God.” And so we gluttonously gorge on the feast of fruit that is set before us, and in doing so fail miserably. We are unjust before a just God.

In our failure, God had a plan. He sent his son Jesus Christ to die for us taking our very failures upon our back and to forgive us of the very things we fall short on. But death could not defeat him, and he rose again on the third day. He did this so that one day, if we believed in his son, the savior Jesus Christ, we could stand before that Just God and instead of failure he would say, “You have passed. You are righteous. You are mine.” With Christ, we are not failures.

Are you still denying your failures and thereby clinging to them and reinforcing their power over you? Two thousand years ago, on a cross outside Jerusalem, there was a man who bore our guilt. God says that if we trust in Christ to bear our failure, our guilt is never coming back. That’s when nothing can hold us back from newness of life, not even our own failure.

Cornerstone and Bellefield Update
As many of you may know, this past weekend (February 14-16) was the Jubilee Conference. The Jubilee Conference is a conference put on by the CCO about faithful living in every area of life and is designed to help students wrestle deeply with the challenges of being a student of Jesus and of this world. It articulates that a whole-life devoted to Christ and the common good is possible.

This year, we had about 60 students from Cornerstone go and listen to such speakers as Andy Crouch, Dan Allender, Eric Mason, and York Moore. It was, honestly, one of the better Jubilees I have attended (I have gone to nine Jubilees thus far), and the majority of main speakers were excellent. Students, I felt, were really engaged with the messages and the Jubilee theme. It raised awareness of God’s grasp and sovereignty over every area of life, raised awareness of a fallen world saturated with injustice and corruption, and articulated how we are God’s agents set to make a difference in this world for the kingdom of Christ. It was truly an excellent and uplifting time filled with growth for students and staff.

Meet the Students

Meet Katie Smith, a freshmen psychology major from Potomac, Maryland. I met Katie during freshmen orientation week, and she has been a constant at Cornerstone ever since. Read more about her...

1. What is your favorite movie, book, and band/music? Movie: I’m not a huge fan of watching movies, which my movie-loving friends kind of hate sometimes. Usually, two hours is way too long to dedicate your attention to and I either fall asleep or want to go do something else 30 minutes in. But, growing up I did always love the first two Santa Clause movies (the 3rd just isn’t the same). And I recently started to love horror films, especially The Conjuring, because they make my heart beat fast and keep me engaged for the whole 2 hours. Book: In 10th grade English I read Catcher and the Rye and it’s been my favorite ever since because Holden Caulfield just gets it. Music: My favorite song ever is “All Star” by Smash Mouth. I also have a thing for songs sung by other people and acoustic Music. My favorite bands include Mumford and Sons, Switchfoot, and David Crowder Band.

2. What has been your involvement in Cornerstone? My third day here in Pittsburgh I had lunch with some students and staff from Cornerstone and I guess I thought they were pretty cool because I’ve been involved ever since. I went to Wednesday night fellowship and Freshmen Bible Study throughout my first semester. This semester I’m excited to be on the other side of that on the Freshman Ministry Team and look forward to leading bible study for next year’s freshmen. I will be traveling to Nome, Alaska on a mission trip in a few weeks for spring break with a 14 others to serve the Native people there.

3. How has Cornerstone helped you during your year at Pitt? The biggest thing Cornerstone has done for me is challenge my beliefs and help me grow deeper in my relationship with Jesus. In high school, I had a comfortable faith and now I’m constantly challenged because I’m learning from people that come from different backgrounds than me. Cornerstone is where I have met my best friends that are encouraging and supporting me in all areas of life. I have discovered a desire to know the true nature of God and everyday I’m excited to see the things he is doing in my life and those around this campus.

Financial Update

This past month was another low month for us, but we stand on the promise that God provides: He always has and always will, and has taught us that many times over. We are very thankful for the support given to us as well as our wonderful supporters! If you are interested in supporting this ministry, I would love to meet with you. Please contact me using the information on navigation bar or email me at amoore@ccojubilee.org.

Moore News

The past two weeks we have had the privilege of having Emily’s dad, LeRoy (or as he is more commonly called in our house, “Grandpa”), for a visit. It is always a treat when he gets to come, since he is a busy farmer out in Colorado. The boys love having their quality “grandpa” time and enjoy his rough housing and playful banter. It is a shame we don’t get to see him more, and we always look forward for the times that we do get to spend with him.

We are preparing to leave for Disney World soon on vacation. This trip was given as a gift to us, and we are very grateful to be able to go with my loving family. I assume it will be a bit chaotic, but good chaotic…if that makes sense. Plus, I am really looking forward to spending time with my parents, sister, brother-in-law, and nephews as well as Em and the boys. It will be a blast.

Again, we thank you for your love and support and pray that God blesses you as you glorify him in all circumstances.

In Christ,
Andy Moore