MCC BLOG

We started a new series this morning, after the JOURNEYS course, the journey certainly doesn’t stop there. WE learnt this morning about how God is the perfect Father. It puzzles me how difficult it seems to be for people to accept that God is such a loving, kind considerate, sacrificial Father who only wants the best for us. He is the Father that you have always dreamed of having. Some people don’t have a great example of a Father and with so much family break up these days, many children don’t even spend time with their fathers, but God the Father is always there for all of us to just cry out to. He is also a father who wants us to trust Him, follow Him and walk in His ways. Sometimes that leads us into unknown, scary places, but if we trust that God the Father always has our best interests at heart then it’s the best way to live. Well it was another great morning @ MCC this morning with a great message and God is with us, you can just feel his presence. We have an amazing God Praise His name!!

I just wanted to tell you about a great gospel, R&B, pop, funky, jazzy artist. You know that as pastors of a church we don’t have much Christian music in our house, even though we absolutely love music. The reason being, there is not much good Christian music out there. Well we have now been proved wrong, absolutely wrong!!! Nanette Welmans album ‘It’s Personal’ is out of this world and definitely ‘Heaven’ sent. You just have to listen to it to believe how good it is. Take a look on Nanette’s website www.nanette-welmans.co.uk the album is programmed, arranged, mixed and engineered by her husband Russ Courtenay who has written for Tina Turner. Nanette was voted BBC jazz soloist of the year in 1987 and gospel dance nominee 2003. She has toured with Cliff Richard, Gloria Gaynor and more and has the voice of an angel. 

Well today has been the last day of our journeys course. What a journey it’s been.

It has been a different road to the one we set out on but God had his way, and we have seen many people and many blessings over the last few weeks.

For the end of a journey you always reach a destination or a place to stay, we got a caravan it’s a strange picture but just right for MCC as God moves us along we don’t stay still.

The caravan will make a great home for our PA, and who know what else we will do with it.

I think the thing the Journey’s course most highlighted for me was to examine our Journey, what are we doing to advance God’s kingdom?

Is my life sowing seeds is it pleasing to God.

Who knows were the next step of the Journey is but my prayer is that God will be in every step and that we make steps and take roads that make a difference.

Well, it’s a bit of a confession really! On Sunday we saw week 4 of our journey’s course - an exploration of life and faith, which is an excellent resource for sharing with people why we follow Jesus and what relevance He has in their lives today. I’ve been desperately wanting my friends and family to turn up for this course as I feel that it would really show them what my faith is about, and how God works in other people’s lives - real people telling their real stories. (with the hope that it would cause them to look carefully at themselves and their own lives and make them realise how good God is and how much they need Him and what an adventure it is when you put your trust in Him) Week 4 was - Does God have real power to change things?     It told the story of a young girl who was murdered in the Columbine massacre and how her relationship with Jesus had shaped her life and affected those around her. (and continued to do so after her death as her story is carried on by her father). And I realsied that I’m the one who needed to hear it.

I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it. How was this 17year old girl so close to God that nothing else in life mattered to her. She delighted in thinking about Jesus and spending time with Him and reading His word, even all her doodles were about Jesus and faith in Him!

It made me realise how wishy washy I am.

How I think I’m fully devoted to following Jesus, but my life tels a different story.

Rachel can’t talk about her faith anymore but her life tells a stronger story than her words could.

Her life shows her faith.

If I died tomorrow, my life would not tell that story.

I am ashamed but that’s no use on its own - its only any use when I act on it.

So I’m not going to waste anymore words or try to paint a picture of how I’d like to think I am, or how I know I should be. I’m going to wait til my life can speak for itself of the power and glory and love of God, no frills.

We had great visit this morning at West End Impact. Lance and John came up from Darwen where they have a Christian Rehabiliation centre for people struggling with drugs and alcohol. It was so great to hear John’s story of how he had struggle with addiction for 40 years and the programme, and most of all God, as turned his life around. He told of how he spent 2 years on a park bench, how he had been involved in 2 serious accidents and actually died and came back to life, and now he has found new life in Jesus Christ. He said is just like he can see now in a whole new way and feel like God has a tremendous purpose for him. Lance the manager of RETO was telling of some of the work they do and that RETO is a internation organisation with 27 centres all over the world. The one in Darwen is for men only but they fly the women off from Liverpool to Spain to the big center there. It was great to have these guys with us this morning and they actually took one of our clients with them who has been struggling for years. Praise the Lord He is moving in amazing ways.

It was great to hear Michl interviewed on the radio today, to advertise the journeys course and talk about MCC.

The interview went really well Michl spoke with great passion and the interviewer was really positive in his responses.

Its good to hear the word  about what God is doing at Impact and MCC getting out.

You can listen on the website if you missed the radio.  (click here to listen to the interview)

I had a text yesterday from my dear friend Brian Jackson who was the senior Pastor at the Hope Centre in Oswaldtwistle. They ask us (@MCC) to pray as they are starting a new venture in Blackpool. Pray that God will bless this venture abundantly and that they will experience growth and the strength they need to build the foundation of this new project. The Hope centre Oswaldtwistle and York have both experienced tremendous growth so I have no doubts what so every that the Blackpool project will go the same way. We are very proud as a church to be connected with them at Hope as they are living example and a tremendous encouragement to us. Amazing things are happening through them and lives are being transformed, restored and renewed as God moves in their midst. Let’s continue to uphold these guys in prayer daily, as they work out God’s purposes.

Tracy

Also pray for us as we have an interview on Radio Lancashire at 8.50 am on Sunday morning. Thanks