Authors Page

Denise

Denise lives in Easton with her husband Tim, who is Senior Pastor at Cornerstone Churches in Easton, Pa. She has four children; two in college, one serving in the Army and one at home. She is a pastor's wife, Bible study leader, prayer warrior and encourages women toward a deeper relationship with Jesus.

Helen 

Since coming to Christ as a young teen, I have experienced the precious truth that His Person & His Word are more than enough for all of life's challenges and trials. It is my passion to point others to Him and His Word, to know Him, trust Him and embrace His life-sustaining truths. My prayer is that my life, words and even my writings would stir us to love God and others well and move us to joyfully partner with Him to profoundly affect our families, workplaces, communities and the world for His Kingdom and His glory.

Helen is a mother, grandmother, pastor's wife, counselor, Bible Study Coordinator for Women's Ministry and has spent many years on the mission field in Thailand. She currently resides in Easton, Pa with her husband Tim.

Janis

From riding on an elephant in Ringling Bros. & Barnum Bailey Circus to growing up surrounded by Scottish Terrier puppies, Janis Adams' early life unfolded much like a fabled well-told tale.

The author began writing at age 7, when in the first grade. Her teacher, Miss McGuire, asked the class to write a sentence about the dog - her Scottish Terrier Betsy - who attended a fire drill, during "Show and Tell." When asked for one sentence, she was compelled, with a #2 pencil in hand, to instead write three. The writer in her was born.

But even before her well-known love of writing began, Janis fell in Love with Jesus.

Blessed by being born into a family, on which both sides had generation after generation of followers of Christ preceding her, she came to personally to give her heart to Jesus at age six. And, not long after chose to be baptized. She avidly shared her faith with anyone, even the grocery store teller. 

Published first in high school, she has gone on to win a number of writing awards. Her work has now appeared in numerous media outlets. In 2003, she began writing the newspaper column, “Saving Grace”. A lifestyle piece, the column focuses on the need for grace - in all forms - in everyday life.

She is the author of A Complete Guide for Single Moms: Everything You Need to Know About Raising Healthy, Happy Children on Your Own. She is a sought-after speaker, on the subject she knows and loves best - mothering. 

When her son was three, Janis became a single mom. Shocked and ill-prepared and had never in her life before met another single mother, she found herself on the most amazing journey of her life. Why amazing, one might ask. Because, it was through this time that she fully came to know and understand that the Jesus she had loved as a child, would be a father to her child who had been abandoned by his father, and a husband to her, as no earthly man could ever be.

Janis is a graduate of Wheaton College in Illinois.

Jessica

My relationship with Christ began when I was very young. I can't remember a time when I didn't attend church. I committed my life to Jesus when I was eight years old, but I don't feel that I truly understood what that meant until a few years later. God has allowed challenges throughout my life to bring me closer to him and help me to learn more about his character; broken family relationships, an unplanned pregnancy before I was married, job changes and financial challenges, and poor health. My prayer is that my life experience not only allows me a deeper understanding and relationship with my heavenly Father but that it will also be used to minister to those I come in contact with. 

I am a mom of two, wife to James, and live in Easton, PA. My occupation is speech-language pathology, a job where I get to work with older adults and hear so many interesting, encouraging and inspiring life stories.

 I am excited for and honored by this opportunity to share what I'm learning in the Bible, and hope that through this experience I can get to know more Christian women who are seeking to serve God in the Lehigh Valley!

Kim

Burdened by much difficulty and stress as a child, I developed a strong desire for truth and social justice very early on. Unlike most little girls of my time who played games like house and school, I pretended I was a social worker when I wasn’t drawing or writing. Strange as that may be, these are the things that have really served to shape my worldview and my need for a Savior at a very young age. Sadly, although I had been well acquainted with church tradition and even the passion of the cross, I knew nothing of Christ’s victory over sin. I knew he died on the cross at the hand of bad men but somehow the personal significance of his death and resurrection were lost on me.

It would be years after the devastating death of my four-year-old brother before a stranger would witness Christ’s victory to me (just a few weeks before my best friend would be killed in a tragic accident in much the same way as my brother 22 years prior.) But this time, the experience would be significantly different per a meeting with the most merciful Holy Spirit of Christ himself.

Since then it has become my passion and life’s work to share the gospel in a tender and meaningful way, to the little children he puts under my charge. After my conversion to Christ, I lost my fervor for social work, and have been working as a preschool teacher and ministering Christ to children for over 25 years.

Leslie

The Word first captivated my soul as a teenager in Cornerstone's youth group many (yet not too many!) years ago. Now I have the privilege of serving alongside my hubby Matthew who pastors the 2nd St. campus. Our four kids range in age from elementary to high school and I've been blessed with the ability to homeschool. This gives me a great excuse to spend my days in books and museums. God's mercies are new every morning and I am happiest when I can greet the dawn with the Word and a good run. I've always been more comfortable expressing myself through the written word and can't help internally editing everything I read. Therefore, I have a love/hate relationship with social media, but I always look forward to reading what my sisters have to say on this blog! May you be encouraged as well by these writings!

Lori H

Although she had attended church since she was a child, Lori Hixon didn’t really understand the meaning of grace until, as a teen, she accepted Jesus as her Lord and Savior. It was during a difficult time, and she knew in her heart that her life wasn’t what it should be. She also believed that God allowed his son, Jesus Christ, to be crucified for her sin. During that trial, she understood that the only path to salvation was by accepting a gift that she did not earn and certainly would never deserve.

Although her undergraduate degree is in chemical engineering, Lori has worked for more than 30 years in the community relations and public relations fields for employers including Penn State University, the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant, GPU Energy, Kelly Michener, Elizabethtown College, and SunGard K-12 Education. She currently serves as Director of Presidential Communications for Lafayette College.

Lori learned to write on the job, thanks to the skilled mentoring of some excellent editors. At Elizabethtown College, she discovered her passion for writing stories that celebrate people for their service. In this world that has largely forgotten how to say, “thank you,” for gifts of time and talent, Lori loves honoring people and letting them know that their service is appreciated. Today, she is also grateful to Cornerstone for giving her the opportunity to write about our Lord for the Women Encouraging Women blog.

Lori serves in the Welcome Center at March Street Campus and attends the 9 a.m. service at the campus. A passionate introvert, she was a bit scared at first by the prospect of serving in the Welcome Center, but she has grown to love her Sunday mornings there and all the hugs that come along with her service. She is also blessed to be able to collaborate with Kris Schetelich on the weekly church newsletter, Cornerstone Connections, and is one of the leaders of Cornerstone Counseling Ministries’ DivorceCare Ministry. 

Lori

Hey there, I am Lori and a small business owner, living in Palmer Township, Pennsylvania. Married to Ron for 20 yrs and have 4 children and 2 grandchildren.

My goal is to help others reach their God-given potential in the journey of life. I heard a gal say "It is great when you realize your dream, but when you realize the dream God has for you, well that is like the icing on the cake" - Terry Seville Foy.

I am in leadership with women ministry and help lead Bible Study. I offer workshops on team building and personal growth. I also have led a small group for High School girls. 

Sharon

I began writing, at sixteen, when I took a creative writing course in School. Mr. Brown encouraged me to never stop writing. And I didn't, through the years, as I have filled hundreds of pages of journals, I have found focus and understanding. As I write I find that I am better able to process through the joy, sorrow, and pain of life. In writing, I have found healing.

 I believe that God has called us all to share our life and story as a part of His bigger story of redemption, For me, I do this best through written words and it has been such a blessing, and very humbling, as I share my heart and life with you.

My hope, through my writings, is that you will see God's story through my story. That you will experience His grace and be drawn into a deeper love of all that He is and does through each of us.

Sharon is a mother, grandmother, blogger, and Blog Coordinator for Women's Ministry. She currently resides in Wind Gap, Pa with her husband Keith. She has 2 married children and 5 grandchildren.

Rachel 

Here I sit, fingers stretched, yet frozen with intent and hope to share what makes me, me. First I will start by saying that this is scary to me! Sharing my heart amongst a sea of peers who may or may not know me, or know my heart. I am a mother of three and wife to a police officer. His daily sacrifice makes me want to be a stronger, more giving, selfless woman.

I have loved to write since I was literally a little girl. I would make up stories and plays as a little girl but NEVER acted in them. I'm a bit stage-shy. I love, love music, and the sensation that a well performed/produced/written piece of music can generate the soul. That said, I am not entirely a music nerd, and find it difficult to keep up with the latest trends, or back alley stuff. I wish I had more time!

I am a photographer for Twinkle Photo Studio, and Birds of a Feather Photography. I find myself in photography daily. Photography is a beautiful thing in its application to real life. The contrast and beauty of shadow and light in photography is one that we can so often parallel with life as we course through it. Without shadow there can be no contrast to the light. Without the sorrow, there can be no contrast to the joy, and to life’s most beautiful moments. We find hope as a result of not just faith, but also in living through even small phases of shadow, and knowing the glory, and redemption that the next glimmer of light will bring. 

It is my absolute honor to be a part of something so redemptive as I share life through my writings. To be used in a greater story of hope, of faith, and of love.

Rachel resides in Easton, Pa with her husband Matt and three children.