Hi

Where has the summer gone? I feel cheated that it’s September already, but heh let’s not moan too much. It could be a lot worse couldn’t it? How has your summer been? I guess for most it’s a mix of ups and downs. I haven’t blogged for nearly a month due to being away on family holiday and getting back to a busy period in the life of the church, but glad to be in Blog-land again. Thanks to those of you who’ve said you’re reading the Blog. This is fun.

Let’s get back to New Wine, as I implied I would write more about it. I continue to be impacted by what I learned and was exposed to. There are a number of leads I have yet to follow up on, and much food for thought. The overriding thought was how much God’s church is embroiled in a spiritual battle, and how God calls us to be courageous about and for him in sharing this amazing gospel of the love of Jesus Christ. Some of MBC were serving at New Wine again this year, with the added edge of leading the Prayer Ministry in one of the 2 large gatherings (about 2000 people). I can’t describe the immense privilege this was. It’s tempting to think I just want to go for what I can get from it, but going to give – I know it sounds like I’m teachers’ pet – was so much better. Each day, morning and evening praying with a shed-load of people who are desperate and hungry for God to do something in their lives or responding to God’s call in some way was a moving experience every time. It was daunting on occasions as sometimes easily over 100 would respond, sometimes becoming Christians, and as we watched this crowd of people swell at the front your heart jumps and you think I can’t do this. Which in turn is a good thing because we then think ‘But God can – come Holy Spirit’.

You also wonder sometimes whether you are ‘getting it right’ when you’re praying into a situation. I did until one morning when I greeted the person behind me, who said with his wife, that I had prayed for them last year about going into a new venture. He described the picture (vision) I had for them (I vaguely remember it) and then went on to explain its fulfilment back in his local church when they were commissioned as street pastors for their city. It was such an encouragement to keep on keeping on, that God is with us and wants to use every day people like you and me. Seeing such hunger raises our faith levels too for MBC and is why we so want to encourage people to receive as much prayer as possible, so forgive us if we keep banging on about it – the Bible is littered with encounters with God and we’re simply facilitating that. Come on people, Come on Lord!

It was a privilege also to be praying with and amidst a crowd of people, look up and realise you know a person from another sphere of life and you instantly know and share a common bond that is greater than what your relationship was: old colleague, friend’s relative, previous churches, other local churches to MBC. What a small world and what a huge family the church is!