Cornerstone at Hardin-Simmons University is a special time where speakers come and share advice with students and testimonials from their personal experiences on how their lives have been impacted by the truth they are speaking about.
“Cornerstone is a time to really focus on the Lord, our personal relationship with Him, and set aside time in our life to be challenged and grow,” Shelli Presley, Director of Spiritual Formation, said. “I look forward to us seeing God's power move as we put into practice all that was shared.”
Cornerstone this year had HSU Alumni Josh and Melissa McCasland, from Coleyville, share with us the power of mentoring and discipleship. Josh McCasland is the Pastor of Community engagement at Cross Creek Church in Colleyville. Melissa McCasland works for six Stones, a non-profit based in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. She runs a mentoring program for at-risk students, helping point them toward the right track, rooted in Christ.
“The goal of this event is for us to be inspired and equipped to live out the great commission by learning how to be a disciple of Christ and to make disciples as he commanded,” Presley said, “Christ comes alive to all people as we reach out, love, pour into and equip others and as we position ourselves to be taught and shaped by other Godfearing mentors. It is our prayer that Hardin-Simmons will be better equipped to do both from engaging and investing in our time together at Cornerstone.”
Cornerstone began with Josh McCasland focusing on our need to follow Christ’s commands, and how it leads to producing spiritual fruit in our lives. He referred to both John 13:34-25 and John 15:8 while emphasizing our need to rely on Christ when it comes to bearing fruit.
“Jesus is extremely relatable when we look at His life, but what He commands us to do leads us to a fuller, better life,” Josh McCasland said. “We will produce much fruit, fruit we never thought we would produce if we follow Christ.”
On discipleship, Josh McCasland continues to focus on our need to focus on Christ.
“You can do a lot of the things but at the end of the day there has to be a singular purpose,” Josh McCasland said. “Some things have to go, in order to pursue God deeper and to pursue relationships with others.”
“Be rooted in Christ,” Melissa McCasland said. “Continue to walk in Him. Find a community to walk with, cause college can be isolating and lonely. Where you are rooted matters. It is worth it to invest now in the Lord.”
As the event came to a close, Josh and Melissa McCasland gave six ways for people to invest in one another.
“Text or call them and send them scripture that you feel the Lord speaking to you through,” Melissa McCasland said. “Ask to spend an hour together reading the Bible and talking about spiritual things and show up in their life and meet them where they are.”
“Pray out loud over someone, even though it may be awkward,” Josh McCasland said. “Care to remember things that they told you, and most importantly have fun.”
“A huge thank you to Josh and Melissa McCasland for the faithful lives they lead in family, their church, in the community,” Presley said. “And, for taking time to come back to their HSU roots and teach us this week.
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