The Cornuke Connection

by Ron Matsen

I first became aware of Bob Cornuke through his book ”Mountain of Fire.“ It was during August 2001 when my family and I were visiting our good friends, the Corletts, at their home in Upstate New York. Chris Corlett gave us the book and as we read it we found ourselves captivated by the daring exploits of Bob and his partner Larry. When we returned to our home in England, I called Chuck Missler to tell him of our discovery only to find out that Chuck was not only aware of Bob's adventures but had personally been encouraging him for some time. Soon after my conversation with Chuck I invited Bob to be one of our guest speakers at our annual Koinonia House conference held during the summer of 2002 in Portsmouth, England.

At this conference the people got a real treat as they listened to the adventures and discoveries of a real ”Indiana Jones“ type character. During the conference he not only gave a powerful personal testimony of his journey to what he believed could be the real Mount Sinai in north-west Saudi Arabia, but he also thrilled the delegates with his discoveries of the possible location for the Lost Anchors from Paul's Shipwreck.

More important to me, in those first few days after meeting Bob, was the discovery of a man of integrity and passion to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I was very pleased to see that he was not a mere thrill seeker but a serious disciple of Jesus who wanted to use his personal life discoveries to impact the lives of others for Christ. During this same time Chuck Missler could not say enough good things about this new-found ministry companion. After that conference Chuck and Bob went on many expeditions together. They seemed to energize each other in their quest of seeking those things that would encourage people to take the Bible seriously.

For the next 14 years, Bob primarily pursued his interests through the support of the B.A.S.E Institute. During this time Chuck and Bob were occasional ministry partners but organizationally remained separate. In 2015 Chuck expressed to me that he wanted to forge a closer relationship with Bob and to draw him into a more productive ministry partnership with Koinonia House. Chuck saw Bob as having the same ministry ethos as those within the K-House team and felt that Bob would bring into our K-House family a skill and focus that was very compatible with our core goals and objectives. If challenging the status quo is a well-known K-House hallmark, then Bob certainly has proven himself a man who is not shy about using his police detective skills to investigate – and even rethink – some of the Church's closest held traditions.

This month Koinonia House proudly announces the release of Bob's new book Explore: My life searching for lost locations in the Bible. This book is a compilation of all his adventures rolled into one volume. Trust me when I say that this book will thrill, excite and encourage you in your own adventure of faith.

God bless you,

Ron

EXPLORE

by Bob Cornuke

As long as I can remember, all I ever wanted to be was a policeman. I grew up in Van Nuys, California, in a typical baby boomer neighborhood where small, boxy homes were crammed into an expansive grid of urban sprawl. Down the street from me lived a tall, soft spoken police lieutenant named Bob. After his shift, Lieutenant Bob would park his big old black and white police car in his driveway, and many days I would appear as he drove up - a small boy waiting in excitement.

That police car was so imposing to me, with its draping, round, 1950s-style fenders and a growler siren mounted on its roof. I know my eyes widened when the lanky man stepped from his cruiser, and I saw that long-barreled revolver slung on his hip. Without a word, big Bob would offer a slight nod in my direction, which was his way granting me unspoken approval to climb into his police car. I would quickly clamber onto the cigarette-burned and coffee-stained front seat and just sit there for hours, listening in rapt attentiveness to the police calls on the radio. Without moving, that black and white cruiser transported me into an exhilarating world of cops and criminals. The crackling words filled my exuberant and fertile mind, and it was I who chased down stolen cars and fleeing bad guys.

Many years later, I realized my dream when I became a police officer with the Costa Mesa Police Department in Southern California. I worked as a patrol officer for several years, then as a motorcycle cop and finally, a crime scene investigator (CSI). Eventually, I graduated from the FBI Homicide Institute.

I admit, there's some truth to those stereotypes about cops and donuts. Some mornings after a long graveyard shift, when the sun was straining through the coastal haze, I would find time for a routine cup of coffee at a small donut shop on 17th street. On several occasions, around 7 a.m., or so, I would find a wide-shouldered, big man standing next to his car, all alone in the parking lot. He lived in nearby Newport Beach, and he liked to frequent this particular donut shop about the same time I did. He wore an Irish tweed cap on his head and held a steaming cup of coffee in his huge fists. His name was John Wayne. We often talked together about what had happened during my shift. He loved hearing stories of the night's activities and, just like me as a small boy, he too liked to stand by my police unit and listen in on police calls.

Once Mr. Wayne told me that his life was completely scripted, and while he was sometimes shot or killed in the movies, it was just an act and he always went home unharmed. He often said that the police were his heroes because we weren't acting, and real harm could come to us at any moment from unexpected circumstances. He liked to say that my job was unscripted. In my job, the bullets were real, and the potential for death skulked around every corner. Ironically, it was not that long after one of my morning meetings with the Duke that I was involved in one of those ”unexpected circumstances.“

Read more →

Stewardship

by Gunnar Johnson

Scripture says that God is in control but if I am to be honest it does not always feel that way. Dr. Chuck Missler used to say, ”Every day the Lord finds a new way to ask if we trust him.“ The more years I live, the more I admire God's creative way to test me.

We are in the middle of looking for a house to buy in Colorado in a tough market for home shopping. In the past two weeks, we missed on three properties that we made solid bids to purchase. In the overall grand scheme of life we are in the middle of a minor frustration, but to us, it is still a setback.

Nonetheless, I remind myself God is still in control, we are His managers, and ultimately His requirement of us is to simply follow him because, after all, He loves us and is our Lord. Despite being a teacher of these principles, my head knowledge does not always translate to my attitude being good in the process of tests. There I confessed it, and I feel better.

My family is hardly unique, every believer I have ever met has wrestled with God's active hand in their life and at times the feeling of His lack of physical intervention. My life always has something shaping my faith! There are challenges in the ministry, financial challenges, health challenges, and relational challenges. Yet, Scripture is still very clear about God being in control, and I've been taught to check every day to see if Romans 8:28 is still in my Bible. Our role in life is confirmed by Jesus in Matthew 22; we are to love God with all our heart, soul and mind, and love our neighbor as ourselves.

Read more →