Thursday 26 February 2009

Live a life of love..

NOW is the time to BE church not just TALK ABOUT church. Come on guys, let's quit the talk and live the life! God challenges us to 'live a life of love'.

At MKCC as we talk about Revolutionary Love, NOW is the time for us all to actively demonstrate love to those around us.

There will be situations around you everyday that are opportunities for God to school you in active Love. I really believe that as we engage in selfless acts of kindness it is the key to our spiritual growth. The Bible encourages us to PURSUE the way of love. It tells us that love always wins! Therefore, God says, 'Make love your highest aim'. So make it yours TODAY!

Let me ask you a question toaday! Who are you going to extravagantly, sacrificially and generously demonstrate love to today? Don't think about it for to long...go ahead and DO IT and BE church!

Tuesday 24 February 2009

It must be love, love, love



Madness nailed it when it comes to the importance of relationship and love in our lives. Just love these words!

I never thought I'd miss you half as much as I do
And I never thought I'd feel this way the way I feel about you.
As soon as I wake up, every night, every day
I know that it's you I need to take the blues away.

It must be love, love, love.
It must be love, love, love.
Nothing more nothing less love is the best.

How can it be that we can say so much without words.
Bless you and bless me, bless the bees and the birds.
I've got to be near you, every night, every day
I couldn't be happy any other way.

It must be love, love, love.
It must be love, love, love.
Nothing more nothing less love is the best.

As soon as I wake up, every night, every day
I know that it's you I need to take the blues away.

It must be love, love, love. It must be love, love, love.
It must be love, love, love. It must be love, love, love.
It must be love, love, love. It must be love, love, love.
It must be love, love, love. It must be love, love, love.

Love is the best. Reminds me of the challenge to us all from the Bible in our lives ' to make love your highest aim!'

Monday 23 February 2009

Revolutionary Love


"Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.' The second is this: 'Love your neighbor as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these." Mark 12:29-31 (NIV)


We started a new series at MKCC on Sunday that will roll for 7 weeks through to Easter. It's called revolutionary Love check out the first sermon.

If you are a follower of Jesus Christ, you have been called to live a life of Love. If you don't then nothing you say, will ever know, believe, give or accomplish in your life will matter.  Love must be your highest priority and matters to God.  Why?  Because God is Love.  If you are going to represent him as his ambassador you should want to represent him well.  

Love and lust are not the same! The Bible tells us that love is a command, Love is a choice, Love is about conduct and Love is commitment.

Join us for a journey that might revolutionise your

Saturday 21 February 2009

Completely yes God

Whilst preparing for Sunday services tomorrow, I found myself abandoning my notes and was lost in worship and devotion. It was a fresh and beautiful moment and I just wanted to remain there forever. A divine connection with God is everything to me in the journey of faith to me. With my hands raised I reached out to God in total surrender I found myself singing again the song 'Today I choose to follow you'. It became my prayer and I wept and wept......and wept before the Lord.

Today I choose to follow you
Today I choose to give my 'yes' to you
Today I choose tyo hear your voice and live
Today I choose to follow you

As for me and my house
We will serve you
As for me and my house
We will spend our lives on you

Wonderful counseller , Everlasting Father
Eternal King , Lord of hosts
Willingly we follow

Get with God today and let him touch you and draw you to himself in life changing way. Never settle for anything less than personal intimacy with God - NEVER.

Tuesday 17 February 2009

Surrender...

Great article by Rick warren today - Brilliant!

Surrender: Let Go and Let God Work by Rick Warren

Surrender yourself to the Lord, and wait patiently for him. Psalm 37:7 (GWT)

Surrendering your life means:

· Following God’s lead without knowing where he’s sending you;

· Waiting for God’s timing without knowing when it will come;

· Expecting a miracle without knowing how God will provide;

· Trusting God’s purpose without understanding the circumstances.

You know you’re surrendered to God when you rely on God to work things out instead of trying to manipulate others, force your agenda, and control the situation. You let go and let God work.You don’t have to always be in charge. Instead of trying harder, you trust more.

You also know you’re surrendered when you don’t react to criticism and rush to defend yourself.

Surrendered hearts show up best in relationships. You are not self-serving, you don’t edge others out, and you don’t demand your rights.

The most difficult thing for many people to surrender is their money. Many have thought, “I want to live for God but I also want to earn enough money to live comfortably and retire someday.”

Retirement is not the goal of a surrender life, because it competes with God for the primary attention of our lives. Jesus said, “You cannot serve both God and money,” (Matthew 6:24 NIV)and “Wherever your treasure is, your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:21 NIV).

The supreme example of self-surrender is Jesus. The night before his crucifixion Jesus surrendered himself to God’s plan. He prayed, “Father, everything is possible for you. Please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will, not mine” (Mark 14:36 NLT).

Jesus didn’t pray, “God, if you’re able to take away this pain, please do so.” He began by affirming that God can do anything! He prayed, “God, if it is in your best interest to remove this suffering, please do so. But if it fulfills your purpose, that’s what I want, too.”

Genuine surrender says, “Father, if this problem, pain, sickness, or circumstance is needed to fulfill your purpose and glory in my life or in another’s ! life, please don’t take it away!”

This level of maturity doesn’t come easy.In Jesus’ case, he agonized so much over God’s plan that he sweat drops of blood. Surrender is hard work. In our case, it requires intense warfare against our self-centered nature.

© 2008 Purpose Driven Life. All rights reserved.

Friday 13 February 2009

I saw this brilliant post by Mark Driscoll the teaching Pastor of Mars Hill, Seatle. Check it out.

Valentine's Day by Mark Driscoll

Valentine’s Day is often loved by women and loathed by men, who drop their cash on flowers, jewelry, candy, and cards. Perhaps comic Jay Leno expressed the male dilemma about Valentine’s Day best in one of his monologues: “Today is Valentine's Day—or, as men like to call it, Extortion Day!” Conversely, the hopelessly romantic at heart enjoy the opportunity that Valentine’s Day affords for thoughtful romance and unbridled passion.

Whether you love or hate Valentine’s Day, the fact is that it has evolved into an enormous holiday. The question remains, however, who is Valentine and how did he come to be associated with everything from the color red to some secret known only by a woman named Victoria?

Who Was Valentine?

While the details of his life are sketchy at best, Valentine was allegedly a Christian who was canonized by the Catholic Church as a saint. His name was common and is derived from the Latin word valens, meaning strong and powerful.

One legend claims that Emperor Claudius II (or Claudius the Goth) outlawed marriage because he decided that single men made better soldiers than those with wives and families and he wanted to bolster the strength of his military. But a priest named Valentine secretly performed marriages, thereby defending romance and love.

Another legend claims that just prior to being beheaded, Valentine prayed over the daughter of his jailer. This led to the curing of her blindness and the conversion of her entire family, including her father, though he still put Valentine to death toward the end of the third century.

Further contributing to all of the confusion is the fact that there may have been as many as three Christians named Valentine who were all martyred, thereby making it seemingly impossible to know which stories are true and to which men they apply.

Legends and Feasts


Although the celebration of the life of Saint Valentine was not initially met with much fanfare, he eventually grew in popularity for a very practical reason. Around AD 498, Pope Gelasius chose February 14 as the day for commemorating Valentine’s life because that was the day he reportedly died as a Christian martyr around AD 270. That day proved to be serendipitous, as the medieval legend emerged that birds select their mates on February 14, thereby associating the day with romance and love. Also, Saint Valentine’s Day fell the day before the Hefner-esque Roman fertility feast of Lupercalia on February 15. Lupercalia was a drunken, naked crazy-fest not unlike modern-day Mardi Gras celebrations. Lupercalia was dedicated to the god of partying, Faunus, and was marked by the usual frat-boy nonsense of naked guys running through the streets while crowds danced and drank heavily, and young singles enjoyed “hooking up.”

Once Saint Valentine became connected with the debauchery of Lupercalia, his Christian influence on the holiday quickly waned; the two holidays essentially merged and the spirit of Lupercalia remained but was renamed Valentine’s Day. At this point, Valentine’s Day quickly grew in popularity. Its association with the color red may stem from the fact that the color red was chosen to commemorate the death of Valentine who died the bloody death of a martyr. Also, the association with the chubby, winged pseudo-angel Cupid, who is the mythical son of the Roman goddess of love, Venus, is a Lupercalia leftover from pagan mythology.

Be My Valentine

Perhaps the most common present-day tradition associated with Valentine’s Day is the giving of valentine cards. No one is certain how this tradition began. One legend reports that Valentine actually sent the first valentine. The story goes that while in prison awaiting his execution, he wrote a love letter to a woman and signed it, “From your Valentine.” Apparently the expression stuck and remains perennially popular.

By the Middle Ages, Valentine’s Day was widely celebrated. The first Valentine’s Day card was reportedly a poem sent by Charles, the Duke of Orleans, to his wife in 1415 while he was imprisoned in the Tower of London following his capture at the Battle of Agincourt. That card remains on display at the British Museum in London to this day. By 1450, to be someone’s valentine was synonymous with being his or her sweetheart. By 1533, a valentine was synonymous with a piece of paper folded as a romantic card. By 1610, valentine gifts were also commonly given to sweethearts.

By the mid-1700s, Valentine’s Day grew in popularity throughout Great Britain, and around that time Americans also began exchanging handmade valentine cards. By the 1840s, the commercial greeting card companies began mass-producing valentines marked by such girlie adornments as lace and ribbon. Today, an estimated one billion valentine cards are sent each year, making Valentine’s Day the second largest card-sending holiday of the year, following Christmas.

Sadly, the holiday in his name completely ignores our Christian brother Valentine. As a pastor, he likely would have been mortified at much of what is done in the name of love to commemorate the day his head was chopped off because of his love for Jesus.

Hillsong Australia active in practical support

Many of us from around the world have watched the devastation of people's lives in Australia due to raging Bush fires. Hillsong church have reached out and become practically involved in helping meet the need. Brilliant! Read this post from Pastor Brian Houston.

An Outpouring of Support: Victoria Bushfire Relief UPDATE from Brian Houston in Sydney.

Hope and faith remain, along with heroic stories and the Aussie spirit, even as the devastating news continues to come from the decimated communities of country Victoria. The bushfires continue to burn as more and more people are coming to terms with the magnitude of this disaster, and the enormity of their loss.

Currently, there are over forty chaplains representing our movement, the Australian Christian Churches, on the ground in some of the worst areas of Melbourne. My hope is to visit them next week, along with the Victorian President of the ACC, Alun Davies, to pray with them, encourage and thank them for their great commitment and response. I am so encouraged by the outpouring of love and support from our church family, and the tireless effort of incredible people lending a hand, and giving of their time and gifts to come alongside.

Last night, the core of Hillsong Church came together at Leadership Vision Night to pray and give of their resources to aid in this crisis. One hundred percent of the finances given last night, donations through the website, as well as a percentage of tithes this weekend are being distributed amongst the Australian Red Cross and Salvation Army to aid in their continued and effective efforts to bring hope, help and life back into the people of Victoria.

Both of these fantastic organizations are playing a major role in the restoration and organized labour of the emergency relief appeal. Both the Red Cross and Salvation Army are on the front lines, offering personal support and assistance to those returning home, ongoing counseling for people in need, temporary accommodation and world-class first aid. They are on the forefront of food and clothing distribution and have set up much needed call centers and blood donation clinics in the affected areas.

Thousands of volunteers are working around the clock at close to thirty relief centers, and continue to be innovative in facilitating the generous love and support of Australians all over the country, who are desperate to reach out and help.

I read an email this week from a volunteer at one of the Salvation Army crisis centres, who spoke about the distinct cross on the front of her uniform. She spoke of the recognition the cross received, and likened her job and that of thousands of other volunteers, as being the hands and feet of Jesus when people need it the most.

Please continue to remember the victims of this tragedy in your prayers, and don’t underestimate the way that God wants to prove Himself faithful in days like these.

Brian Houston

Thursday 12 February 2009

Happy Birthday son..

Wesley was 14 today and has had a great day!  

* It started with Alison, Mitchell and I bursting into his room at 7.00am singing happy birthday.  We shouted out hip hip hooray 14 times - YES FOURTEEN TIMES!

* We all went downstairs and had breakfast together - Grapefruit and waffles with Maple syrup.  Wesley opened all his cards and had enough money to but an XBOX360 he was desperate to own.

* He went off to school a very happy chappy!  

* After School we went to get the 360 and I have to say it is awesome.

* All our family phoned in to wish him happy birthday, and uncle Ian and Madison came to visit.  Granny also showed up and stayed with us for dinner.

*  Alison made a fantastic sponge cake that was totally yummy.

*  I gave Wes the choice of what he wanted to eat - He chose Chinese so we jumped into the car and went to Hong Kong on Furzton.  Hey check it out, totally brilliant!!  It is ran By Anthony and Iris who attend our MKCC.  

* We had a great time around the table reminiscing about Wesley when he was a baby.  He was well embarrassed by some of the stories.  Ha..  ha... brilliant!

* We all sta down with a coffee and some chocolate to watch a couple of Wesley's DVDs from the TV series 'Wild at Heart'.

As they have all gone to bed, I am left here to reflect on the day.  I can not believe how quickly time has gone by.  My baby son is now a teenager.  Where did the time go?  I have to tell you I have enjoyed every minute of being his dad.  We have had some excellent times together as a family but also have had to navigate through a few challenging incidents also like most families. I find my self praying to God every day asking him for his wisdom that I might be the best dad I can be.  I raise a glass to you Wesley and pray for God's blessing and favour to be upon you as you continue your journey into another year, love you mate.

Friday 6 February 2009

Lecturing at The International Bible School

I have just finished lecturing at the college where I have been for the past couple of days.  I have had a great time and the students seemed to have enjoyed my visit.  I met the first year students for the first time, only thirteen of them this year.  The second year students were thrilled to see me and gave me a huge clap as I walked into the classroom.  It is lovely to be appreciated!  It is amazing to see God bring people from around the world to IBTI each year. There are students from Burma, India, Iran, Spain, Uganda, Romania, Ukraine, Serbia, Bukino, Togo, Nigeria, England, Italy, USA, Belgium, France to name a few.  They are a great bunch and are  all so eager to learn about God and his word.  An absolute pleasure to spend time with them!  I am back again for two days in March and will look forward to it.        

I spoke to my wife to find out that things had ground to a halt in MK yet again with snowy conditions.  She told me that she had been in the garden with our children snowball fighting and building a snowman.    Brilliant - shame to have missed it!  Where I am in the south of England there is no snow at all!  There has been plently of rain but no snow.   Alison was coming to visit here sister in Crawley tonight, collect me and we were going to spend the day with family and then travel up to MK on saturday evening.  However, she is not coming due to the weather and so I need to figure out how I am going to get home!  Hey life is adventure and I aim to enjoy it all no matter what.                            

Wednesday 4 February 2009

Just down right funny!



Man did I laugh at this today! Good to laugh at others from time to time don't you think, in love of course!

Tuesday 3 February 2009

Desert song...Awesome!



Many people are not to sure about the refining part in the Christian life. Most of us want to live on a mountain top experience. However, the truth is that there are valleys that you will have to pass through. I have found that God often leads us through these valleys i.e crisis, difficult times, hard decisions, trails etc to bring us to a place where we will trust him and commit to follow his leadership whatever the cost. While you are on this journey you will be changed and your faith will grow as you embrace God.

At MKCC we are in a series based on the book of Habakkuk for the next few weeks. Billy is sharing some great truths and you need to make sure you follow this teaching.

Monday 2 February 2009

An awesome day... Macs back, the snow is here and a Curry for dinner

I got the call this afternoon from the Apple store saying, your computer is repaired and waiting for collection.  I felt like reaching down the phone and giving the guy a hug.  I have been without my lap top for around a week and it has been a nightmare, I have been lost without it.  Within 5 minutes of the call I decided to fight my way through the snow and traffic to collect it.  I have to say I enjoyed every minute of the journey.  Firstly, I love driving in the snow. Secondly, I was excited about getting the Mac back.  I found myself almost skipping into the store!  Strange I know, but that's how I felt.   The store has done a marvelous job and it works a treat.  Yipee!  Cheers to the guys at the Apple store, they were brilliant.

The snow is here!  Well I did the sledging today with my two boys after I had picked them up from school.  Well not exactly sledging, rather sliding and spinning on a large sheet of plastic I had saved in the garage for such an occasion.  It was absolutely brilliant!  You should have seen the three of us flying down the slopes by Furzton Lake.  People we laughing their heads off at us. (Not literally of course!)  Imagine this - the three of us holding one large sheet of plastic standing at the top of the slope.  After a count to three, we all ran and dived head first down the hill onto the sheet of plastic.  As we gained speed the sheet would spin round and I hadn't got a clue where I was.  It was so fast!  All I could hear was my boys laughing and shouting with delight.  Then we would finally come to a gently stop all bundled together in a heap.  We had great fun.   I just love spending time with my boys.  I love their spirit of adventure and shear lust for life.  Brilliant!  They make me laugh so much.  

Shattered, wet and in a battle of snowball fighting, we ran all the way home for 6pm as Mondays is my day to cook the dinner for the family.  Alison works a full day so it is my joy to look after her.  A Rogan Josh was on the menu and I knew my family would love it.  As we sat and ate together, we told mum all the stories of our time in the snow.

I wonder if it will last until tomorrow?  I can feel another sledging session coming on.....