Capstone Church (Benbrook)

06/02/2026

Keep It Safe by Giving It Away

“Guard the good deposit that was entrusted to you—guard it with the help of the Holy Spirit who lives in us.” 2 Timothy 1:14 NIV

When I was in junior high school, we went on a family vacation to Italy and visited St. Mark’s Square, famous not just for its spectacular buildings but also for the many pickpockets who prey on tourists. We had been warned, and as the responsible son I was, I took it upon myself to keep a sharp eye on my mother’s handbag. But when we got back to the hotel, we realized her bag was empty!

Fun fact: several years later, the Italian police contacted her and said they had found her driver’s license. The only time I can think of when I wasn’t watching it was for a very short moment when she took a photo of the whole family by the fountain.

We have something way more precious to keep watch over than a handbag—we have been given the gift salvation and the call to carry the good news of Jesus to the world. The devil will do what he can to steal what we have been given. So how do you guard it?

God’s kingdom works very differently from the world. In the world, the best way to keep something is to hide it. But in God’s way of doing things, the best way to guard what you have been given is to give it away! And the more you share, the more you’ll have and the safer it will be (see Luke 9:24).

I have seen this many times: those who keep Jesus for themselves grow weak and, sadly, often turn away from Him later in life, while the people who share Jesus with others grow stronger.

Is there someone the Lord has placed a burden for on your heart? Reach out to them today with the good news. The Holy Spirit will anoint you with power to share what God has given you; when you do, it will grow and be safe.

I have a person on my heart that I’m thinking of right now, and I plan to write a letter to share the gospel with them—that’s my way of guarding the treasure of Jesus.

Holy Spirit, help me not keep the gospel to myself but to share it with others. Lead me today to people who need what You have given me, and give me the boldness to act.

Pastor Mikael Stenhammar, PhD
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06/01/2026

“This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God’s glory so that God’s Son may be glorified through it.” John 11:4 (NIV)

Have you ever felt as if God has forgotten you and that the prayers you prayed have gone unanswered? We have all been there.

Mary and Martha certainly must have felt that way when their brother died. Even though they sent word to Jesus, He waited, and when He finally arrived, it was too late.

Scripture says, “Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. So when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was two more days” (John 11:5-6). That doesn’t make any sense. In our minds, if Jesus loved them, He would have come immediately. In fact, He wouldn’t even have let Lazarus die in the first place! But this was all in God’s loving hands. Jesus knew that by coming when all hope was lost, they would see new revelations of His kingdom and glory, and He would be made known to the world.

Today, you might feel like a situation is beyond hope, that something has died. Refuse to fear, and trust that the God who created you is with you. He will move heaven and earth to make His plans come true in your life. You, like the sisters of Lazarus, will also testify to the greatness of Jesus!

Use this Scripture: name your problem and your fear, and then put your faith in God.

Fill in the blank:

“This ___________ will not end in ___________! No, it is for the glory of God so that God’s Son may be glorified through it.”

This financial problem will not end in foreclosure! No, it is for the glory of God so that God’s Son may be glorified through it.

This conflict will not end in a relational breakdown! No, it is for the glory of God so that God’s Son may be glorified through it.

This dark season will not end in a lifelong depression! No, it is for the glory of God so that God’s Son may be glorified through it.

This hard exam will not end in a failing grade! No, it is for the glory of God so that God’s Son may be glorified through it.

This health challenge will not end in disaster! No, it is for the glory of God so that God’s Son may be glorified through it.

Lord Jesus, help me to trust in You even when You haven’t changed my circumstances. Give me faith to believe that whatever I’m facing will ultimately reveal Your love and power to the world.

Pastor Mikael Stenhammar, PhD

05/31/2026

05/31/2026

Less of Me, More of Him – Two2Grow, May 31

He must increase, but I must decrease. John 3:30 NKJV

“Sir, how tall do you think you are?” The officer looked up from examining my driver’s license renewal application. She had spotted a mistake. I had misplaced a number, so instead of indicating that I was 6 feet tall, I claimed to be 6 inches tall! We had a good laugh.

As I left the office, I thought of John the Baptist. He had an incredible ministry with amazing national impact. Some think that he could have reached crowds numbering in the hundreds of thousands, making up several percent of the population of Israel.
But then Jesus showed up, and everyone started going to Him. John the Baptist went from being a celebrity in the spotlight to being outdated and uninteresting. It’s like technology: I laugh when I compare my new smartphone with my twenty-year-old dumbphone, remembering how, at one time, it was cool!

But how did John handle his sudden loss of glory? It is one thing to have never had fame and influence, but to have had it and then lose it hurts much more. His response sets the standard for all of us, which can be paraphrased as “Less of me, more of Him”.

Decreasing for God’s glory is beautiful. We should never fear becoming smaller for God, because our decreasing creates space for Jesus to show His greatness—which is the greatest longing of our hearts!

Make a commitment today to resist fear and follow the principle of John the Baptist!

Jesus, I want You to increase in my life. Holy Spirit, show me where I can decrease so that Jesus will be even more glorified through my life.

Pastor Mikael Stenhammar, PhD

05/31/2026

https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZP8poGPEu

Another great church picnic in the books! A huge thank you to all of our amazing volunteers who helped make the day such a success in Christ Jesus. From the grill chefs and potluck setup crew to the cleanup team, game helpers, kickball and basketball coordinators, kite-flying, volleyball organizers, face paint and balloon artists, cake walk callers, small kids zone team, and bounce house monitors—your time and effort helped create a fun and memorable day for everyone. A special thank you as well to those who donated the generous and creative raffle baskets. Judging by the large crowd sudden silence, when the winners were being announced, it's safe to say everyone was in it to win it! Your contributions added excitement and helped make the day even more memorable. We're sure we've missed mentioning some volunteer groups, but please know that every act of service was noticed and appreciated. Events like these simply wouldn't be possible without your willingness to serve.

Thank you for helping make our church picnic a wonderful time of fellowship, laughter, and community. Goodnight Capstone, we love our church family and visitors.

Video courtesy of LL. Our sincere gratitude for capturing and sharing.

Check out Hair by Lucie Lu’s video.

05/30/2026

Submit Your Problems to God – Two2Grow, May 30

“By this time it was late in the day, so his disciples came to him. “This is a remote place,” they said, “and it’s already very late. Send the people away so that they can go to the surrounding countryside and villages and buy themselves something to eat.”” Mark 6:35-36 NIV

A guest post by Josephine Stenhammar

I am sure many of us are familiar with the story of Jesus feeding 5,000 from 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish. In this story, we first see how the disciples come to Jesus and tell him about the problem–how it is a remote place, and it is getting late– and their own solution to it– that Jesus should send the people away so they can buy food to eat.

The disciples have taken the situation into their own hands, presented their plan to Jesus, and asked him to bless it and make it come to pass. They were leaning on their own understanding rather than submitting to Jesus (unlike in Proverbs 3:5-6). But Jesus had a different plan. Jesus already knew about the problem before the disciples even asked him, and Jesus had a solution that was different from the ideas of the disciples.

The disciples should have instead come to Jesus, surrendered their problems to him, and allowed him to lead. The same thing with us today, instead of trying to solve things in our understanding and presenting our fixed plan to Jesus, we should come and surrender to him, allowing him to work his way out, which will always be the best way. When Jesus had his way with the feeding of the five thousand, all of them ate and were satisfied- there were even leftovers.

This would not have happened if Jesus had allowed the disciples to have their way. When we surrender to Jesus and trust his ways, it will always turn out better, even if it requires walking by faith and us giving up control.

Thank you, Jesus, for loving us and caring for me. I want to surrender all of my problems to you. I trust that you have a plan and that your way is better than my way. Lead me on your path and help me to trust in you. Amen.

05/30/2026

https://youtu.be/5_pRasv4qeo
In this powerful testimony, Dr Emelie Stenhammar sits down with Chandra Burns who shares how Jesus faithfully carried her through a childhood marked by addiction, instability, fear, and brokenness—and how Jesus transformed her life with hope, healing, and purpose.

Growing up around drugs, prison, and unsafe environments, Chandra experienced deep pain and loneliness at an early age. Yet through it all, God’s hand was protecting her even before she fully knew Him.

At 17 years old, everything changed when she encountered Jesus personally. What followed was a radical transformation—from darkness to joy, from hopelessness to healing, and from brokenness to a life devoted to serving others and loving people deeply.

Today, Chandra serves faithfully at Capstone Church, and her story is living proof of God’s redeeming grace across generations.

If this testimony encouraged you, please like, subscribe, and share it with someone who needs hope today.

In this powerful testimony, Dr Emelie Stenhammar sits down with Cha...

05/29/2026

Carried to Jesus — Two2Grow, May 29

“Some men came carrying a paralyzed man on a mat and tried to take him into the house to lay him before Jesus. When they could not find a way to do this because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and lowered him on his mat through the tiles into the middle of the crowd, right in front of Jesus.” Luke 5:18–19 NIV

Christian relationships are absolutely essential for success in life. At some point, we will all face hardships that can only be overcome with the support of godly friends. The man Jesus healed received his miracle when his friends carried him to Jesus because he was unable to do it himself.

I once heard a speaker addressing a group of Christian leaders who carried a great deal of responsibility. He asked each person to take out a pen and paper and write down the names of four Christian friends they knew would carry them to Jesus when they were too weak to do it for themselves. He told them, “If you can’t write down four names, you’re in trouble!” His point hit home.

Let us nurture godly relationships so that when we face a spiritual battle too great to fight on our own, or when we are sick and weak, we can ask our friends to carry us to Jesus in prayer. This means building friendships with people whom we know can touch heaven through their prayers.

If a friend has really helped you, have you ever reached out to appreciate them?

Beyond making an effort to have these kinds of people in our lives, we should also make sure that we are those kinds of friends to others. Human friendship and support are important, but even more important is our ability to pray for others effectively.

Is there anyone in your life who needs you to carry them to Jesus?

Father, thank You for my friends. I pray that You would give me more good Christian relationships who will stand with me and support me during difficult times. I also pray that You would bring people into my life whom I can encourage and support in prayer.

Pastor Mikael Stenhammar, PhD

05/29/2026

WHY PRAY?

If you missed Wednesday service — in person, on Facebook, or YouTube — or if you’d just like to watch it again, you can still catch the message here: https://youtube.com/live/ndXkOQEb7eQ

05/28/2026

You Don’t Have to Live with Regrets—Two2Grow, May 28

“But go, tell his disciples and Peter, ‘He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.’” Mark 16:7 NIV

Regrets are part of life. Often, we cannot escape the remorse of having made the wrong choice and wondering what would have happened if we had acted differently. Yet what we do with our regrets can affect our future.

In today’s Scripture, the angel tells the women to announce to the disciples that Jesus is alive. Notice the little phrase: “and Peter.” Why is that so important? It highlights God’s heart for those who have made a mess of things and struggle with remorse.

After denying Jesus three times, Peter was filled with regret. The Bible says that after his triple failure, “he went outside and wept bitterly” (Luke 22:62). So what does God do? He makes sure to single Peter out from the others—not for shame or judgment, but for restorative love. Peter accepted God’s love, and it transformed him into a key leader in the early church.

Judas Iscariot also experienced deep regret. He “was seized with remorse” when he realized the consequences of his actions (Matt. 27:3). The difference between Peter and Judas was that, instead of humbling himself and turning to God for forgiveness and help, Judas took matters into his own hands and tried to escape the pain by ending his life.

Judas serves as a warning example. Instead of trying to carry your regrets alone, bring the memories of your bad choices and the consequences of missed opportunities to Jesus.

God’s heart goes out to you. He wants to wipe away your bitter tears, break the cycle of regret, and lead you into a new day. He can free you from the torment of past mistakes and make you fruitful for the kingdom of God—just as he did for Peter.

Father, I bring my regrets to you. Thank you for loving me despite the wrong choices I’ve made and the opportunities I’ve missed. Thank you that you still have a hope and a future for me.

Pastor Mikael Stenhammar, PhD