What does it mean to value life as God does? In this episode, Mark Vance and Emily Jensen continue through the Ten Commandments by exploring the sixth commandment: “You shall not murder.”

Building on Simeon’s recent sermon, they discuss the sanctity of life from a biblical perspective and reflect on how this command extends far beyond the act of taking life. Together they talk through cultural shifts, issues of human dignity, and what it looks like for Christians to uphold life in a society that often devalues it.

Episode Highlights:

• 00:00 — Introducing the Sixth Commandment: “You shall not murder”
• 04:30 — The deeper meaning of the sanctity of life
• 10:40 — Cultural attitudes toward life and human dignity
• 16:15 — How Christians can respond with conviction and compassion
• 23:10 — Living out the value of life in everyday relationships

Resources:

• Cornerstone Church Sermons: Listen Online

What does the Fifth Commandment really mean? In this episode, Mark and Emily explore how honoring our parents not only applies to childhood obedience, but to every season of life.

They also expand the conversation to authority more broadly, addressing why our culture often resists authority and how Christians can live faithfully under parents, leaders, and institutions. From honoring aging parents to navigating government and school boards, this episode helps us see how honoring authority is part of honoring God.

Episode Highlights:

• 00:00 — Introducing the Fifth Commandment
• 04:50 — Why it’s more than “kids obey your parents”
• 11:20 — Honoring parents at every stage of life
• 17:45 — Authority structures and our cultural cynicism
• 24:10 — What honoring authority looks like for Christians today
• 29:30 — Honoring God by honoring those He has placed over us

Resources:

• Cornerstone Church Sermons: Listen online

What does it mean to keep the Sabbath today? In this episode, Mark and Emily explore the fourth commandment and what it teaches us about God’s design for rest. They talk about how the Sabbath command is fulfilled in Christ yet still calls us to rhythms of renewal, worship, and delight in God.

Mark also shares his own weekly patterns of rest and how Sabbath practices shape his life as a pastor, husband, and father. In a culture of hurry, constant emails, and endless activity, this conversation invites us to see rest not as weakness but as worship.

Episode Highlights:

• 00:00 — Introducing the Sabbath commandment
• 05:15 — How Sabbath is fulfilled in Christ yet still needed today
• 12:00 — Why rest is part of God’s design for human flourishing
• 18:45 — Mark’s weekly rhythms of Sabbath and rest
• 25:30 — Practical ways to resist hurry and embrace delight in God

Resources:

• Cornerstone Church Sermons: Listen online

We’re wrapping up the first month of the Fall Spiritual Workout Plan—so how’s it going? In this bonus episode, Mark Vance and Emily Jensen pause to answer common questions about the SWP, share how it began, and offer encouragement for staying consistent as we reach the middle stretch of this 18-week journey.

They remind us that the plan isn’t about perfection or performance, but about building daily habits that draw us closer to Christ. Whether you’re just getting started or already five weeks in, this episode will help you see the bigger picture of why daily prayer, Scripture, and reflection matter for a growing faith.

Episode Highlights:

• 00:00 — What the Spiritual Workout Plan is and how it started
• 04:45 — Why daily rhythms shape long-term spiritual growth
• 10:30 — Common challenges and encouragement
• 17:20 — How both students and adults can engage with the SWP
• 22:40 — Looking ahead: endurance for the full 18 weeks

Resources:

• Fall Spiritual Workout Plan
• Get Weekly Reminders: Text 'WORKOUT' to 515-329-3343
• Weekly Memory Screens
• Cornerstone Church Sermons: Listen online

What happens when you give Mark Vance an open mic and no idea what’s coming? In this special episode, Emily Jensen puts Mark on the spot with a series of surprise questions—ranging from technology and AI to fasting and current events.

This “Ask Mark Anything” episode is lighthearted, thought-provoking, and a unique peek into how Mark processes culture and faith as a pastor.

Episode Highlights:

• 00:00 — Why we’re taking a break from the Ten Commandments series
• 03:10 — Reflections on Baptism Sunday
• 07:45 — AI, technology, and the Christian life
• 15:20 — Faithfulness in a rapidly changing culture
• 22:30 — Fun rapid-fire questions with Mark
• 28:40 — How to stay rooted in Christ when the world feels chaotic

Resources:

• Cornerstone Church Sermons: Listen online

Taking the Lord's name in vain is about more than just speech. Mark Vance and Emily Jensen unpack the Third Commandment and show how it’s about more than avoiding certain words—it’s about living as representatives of God in the world.

Together, they discuss how God’s people carry his name, what it means to bear that name well, and how this commandment speaks directly into everyday life—from the words we speak to the way we act as his witnesses.

Episode Highlights:

• 00:00 — Introducing the Third Commandment
• 04:20 — Why it’s about more than just “not cussing”
• 10:45 — Bearing God’s name as His representatives
• 17:30 — Everyday examples of carrying God’s name in our lives
• 24:50 — How this commandment shapes our witness today

Resources:

• Cornerstone Church Sermons: Listen online
• The Unseen Realm by Michael Heiser

Pastor Mark Vance reflects on the assassination of Charlie Kirk and helps us think biblically about how to posture our hearts in a time of political violence. Mark calls Christians to pray, to speak with wisdom, and to embody Christlike character in our public and private conversations.

Does watching The Chosen violate the Second Commandment? In this episode, Mark Vance and Emily Jensen continue their journey through the Ten Commandments by digging into the second commandment.

They discuss how this command calls us to worship the true God in the true way, what it means in a culture filled with media and art, and why our hearts are so easily drawn toward substitutes. Along the way, they reflect on The Chosen, Christian media, and how to discern what helps or hinders genuine worship.

Episode Highlights:

• 00:00 — Introducing the second commandment
• 03:20 — The conversation about The Chosen and Christian media
• 09:45 — What “graven images” meant in the Old Testament context
• 15:30 — How images and idols distort true worship
• 21:50 — Where Christian art can serve faith versus distract from it
• 28:40 — Practical ways to keep God at the center of worship today

Resources:

• Cornerstone Church Sermons
• Tim Keller, Counterfeit Gods

What is an idol, really? In this episode, Mark Vance and Emily Jensen continue the Ten Commandments series by looking at God’s command to have no other gods before him. Together, they unpack what idolatry means, why it’s more than statues or images, and how it shows up in the everyday loves and pursuits of our lives.

Drawing from Scripture and voices like Tim Keller, they discuss how easily good things become ultimate things, why our hearts are prone to wander, and how God calls us to a better love—a love rooted in Him alone.

Episode Highlights:

• 00:00 — Introducing the commandment against idolatry
• 04:30 — What an idol really is: taking the verbs of life away from God
• 11:10 — How good things become “god things”
• 17:45 — Insights from Tim Keller’s Counterfeit Gods on modern idolatry
• 24:20 — How God’s commands redirect our love back to Him
• 30:00 — Practical ways to identify and confront idols today

Resources:

• Cornerstone Church Sermons
• Tim Keller, Counterfeit Gods
• Elyse Fitzpatrick, “Idols of the Heart”

How can something so old speak with so much power today? In this conversation, Mark and Emily look at the heart behind the current teaching series at Cornerstone, why God gave these commands, and how they point us toward a life of freedom with him. Together, they talk about connecting God’s truth to everyday life and share how this series is meant to shape us as a church family.

Episode Highlights:

• (00:00)  Cornerstone is focusing on the Ten Commandments this fall
• (04:15) The greater discipleship plan behind the series
• (10:40) How the Ten Commandments reveal God’s character and design for life
• (18:05) Why these “ancient words” are still essential for today’s world
• (25:30) How Equip will help you dive deeper each week

Resources:

• Cornerstone Church Sermons: Listen online
• Risen Motherhood
• Emily’s Books