Pray for Matt Chandler and family

Just over a year ago I had the opportunity to visit a conference in Atlanta called Catalyst. Maybe I am the only one but I started to look through the list of speakers making note of those I had heard of before and wondering what the guys I had never heard of before were like. One of those was Matt Chandler. (I know I am a bit behind the times) But after hearing him talk for a few seconds I was hooked.

Since then I have a been an avid listener to his podcast from The Village Church, Dallas.

So it was a huge shock to hear through twitter last week that he had had a seizure and a mass in his brain. Please take a moment to pray for Matt and his young family as they walk this road with Jesus.

Hi wife quoted Psalm 112 v 6 - 8 on her blog today. You can read the rest here.

For the righteous will never be moved;

he will be remembered forever.

He is not afraid of bad news;

his heart is firm, trusting in the LORD.

His heart is steady;

he will not be afraid,

until he looks in triumph on his adversaries.

Belated Sunday Thoughts

• Please explain to me God, why does it seem to bucket down with rain on Sunday mornings?
• Mark announced that the peeps from MKCC pledged £285,000 to our building fund over the next 3 years. Monday update: £293,000. I am humbled by your faithfulness.
• Then everyone rose to yet another challenge and committed to providing Christmas Hamper to MK Foodbank for families in need at Christmas time. We blew out the requested 67 and have another 14 people waiting for families to help!
• We included in each hamper Rick Warren's great new book the The Purpose of Christmas.
• I messed up the announcements in our first 2 services. Finally got it right third time round.
• Mark concluded our History Makers series with the Miracle of Overflow from the feeding of the 5000. Here are some quotes.
• Jesus solitary moment didn't last long because people went looking for him when they found him he had compassion not bitterness.
• Jesus wanted to be with the crowds it was his disciples who tried to get rid of the crowd.
• Jesus always has a plan! We might not always know it but he always has one.
• Jesus wants us involved in what he is doing.
• Disciples looked at a few fish and rolls and saw the impossibility Jesus saw a gateway to miracle.
• When you give to Jesus something small is not too small if you give it your ALL.
• Jesus fed 5000 but the crowd who probably had picnics with them were not willing to share except 1 boy. Jesus ignores the selfish & works with the generous.
• It is amazing what Jesus can do when you give him your lunch.
• Watch the full message here.
• 13 people got baptised in the afternoon. Brilliant!!
  

Thankful when everything is not wonderful

Our friends in the US start what they now call I believe the Holiday Season with today's Celebration of Thanksgiving. Until holidaying there 17 years ago at this time I had never heard of it before. Something to do with the early pilgrims being thankful for safe passage across the ocean. Or maybe they were just thankful that they had not landed back in England! (Joke)

Looking at history on the face of it some of them seemed to have very little to be thankful. Many lost friends and family on the journey and even more didn't make it through the winter, but they remained thankful to God on their journey in spite of the hard times.

Maybe they had stoked up on board for the up coming Christmas as the Thanksgiving meal looks very like the Christmas dinner - Turkey and all. At my first Thanksgiving meal we experienced it by purchasing Dinner in a box from the local supermarket with everything from a Turkey to cranberry's.

I wish all my American friends a happy Thanksgiving day. Enjoy the day, dinner and oh yes the football. Then stay away from the crazy black Friday Thanksgiving sales.

“One single grateful thought towards heaven, is the most perfect prayer.” –Minna von Barnhelm

Facing martyrdom at 26

Following on from the previous post when I arrived home I caught the end of of a BBC Documentary about the Covenantors - The History of Scotland.

It told the story of James Renwick a young preacher who was martyred at the age of 26 because he recognized King Jesus and not the King of Britain as head of the Church.

Standing on the scaffold waiting to be hanged he said this:

"Spectators, or (if there be any of you) auditors, — I must tell you I am come here this day to lay down my life for adhering to the truths of Christ, for which I am neither afraid nor ashamed to suffer; nay, I bless the Lord that ever He counted me worthy, or enabled me to suffer anything for Him; and I desire to praise His grace that He hath not only kept me free from the gross pollutions of the time."

He then sang part of Psalm 103

Praise the Lord, O my soul;
all my inmost being, praise his holy name.
2 Praise the Lord, O my soul,
and forget not all his benefits—
3 who forgives all your sins
and heals all your diseases,
4 who redeems your life from the pit
and crowns you with love and compassion,
5 who satisfies your desires with good things
so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's.
6 The Lord works righteousness
and justice for all the oppressed.

Then he prayed:

"Lord, I die in the faith that Thou wilt not leave Scotland, but that Thou wilt make the blood of Thy witnesses the seed of Thy Church, and return again, and be glorious in our land. And now, Lord, I am ready."

At 26, man am I just playing at this thing called Christianity?