Ascend Men

In this episode we're talking with Adrian Semerene who started his church leadership as Youth Pastor at Comberton Baptist Church, while completing a BA in Theology at the London School of Theology. In 2016 he followed a call to join Gamlingay Baptist Church where he was Inducted and ordained to be Lead Pastor. Married to Amanda, Adrian has three amazing children and loves coffee, beatboxing and ba...

At Ascend Summit 23, back in February, we heard from Nathan Blackaby, CEO of Christian Vision for Men or CVM as it's known. Nathan lives in Essex and attends the C3 Church in Colchester along with his wife Jennie and 3 young children. Nathan is teetotal, loves gaming on his PS5, motorbikes, fast cars and writing. Nathan's inspiring talk was brought alive through the use of some key photos. I sugge...

Dr Terence Ascott was born in London but has lived and worked in the Middle East since the 1970s pioneering the creative use of Christian print and visual media. Terry launched the first Christian magazine to be successfully distributed on newsstands in more than a dozen Arab countries. He soon realised that TV would be the gateway into millions of Middle Eastern and Northern African homes and in...

It's the first Saturday of the month so let's get back to our stronghold verses series, thanks to Mike Harvey. If you've forgotten what these are all about, jump back to Series 5 Episode 1 titled "Stronghold Verse 1 - Psalm 121.." and the first few minutes of this episode explains why Mike has invested so much time into this series and why we too should ground ourselves in some of these. This Stro...

Today we have the pleasure of welcoming Becky Ingamells,   Head of Church Partnerships at Tearfund. With her 3 red-headed children, Becky lives in Fairlight, Hastings where she enjoys walking her dog and can occasionally be found drinking wine and eating ice cream. According to the "Oxford Languages" dictionary, a definition of " masculinity " is a noun that describes the qualities or attributes r...

Sunday 18th June 2023 is Father's Day here in the UK. We want to honour some of our Dads and encourage ALL men to demonstrate the Father's heart. So we approached a few of our grown-up sons and daughters to talk about how fathers or father-figures inspired them to live lives full of faith. It was a struggle editing this one because every single contribution moved me. I reckon many of you will have...

This week we have an opportunity to hear Tim Robertson's inspiring talk that was delivered at Ascend Summit 23 in February. We can't recreate the warm atmosphere of 120 men after they've sung their hearts-out, but we can still plumb the depth of Tim's message on Mighty Men . David’s Mighty Warriors - 2 Samuel 23:8-17 These are the names of David’s mighty warriors: Josheb-Basshebeth, a Tahkemonite,...

1 I lift up my eyes to the mountains –          where does my help come from? 2 My help comes from the Lord,         the Maker of heaven and earth. 3 He will not let your foot slip –          He who watches over you will not slumber; 4 indeed, He who watches over Israel         will neither slumber nor sleep. 5 The Lord watches over you –         the Lord is your shade at your right hand; 6 the su...

This week it’s the final episode of our four part MENtal HEALth series.  Today we are joined by one of the world's most ambitious explorers. Nick Hollis & I both worked at Hewlett-Packard for around a decade before Nick stopped trying to juggle his IT career with his passion for adventure and fitness. Leaving HP in 2011 he launched Fitways Adventures and has recently been pursuing his 721 Chal...

This week it’s the third episode of our four part MENtal HEALth series. According to Co-op legal services, a study published in 2011 suggested that mental health issues had been found to increase the likelihood of divorce with a range of between 20% – 80%. That study is over a decade old and the range is very wide.  But we don't need a fresh survey to know that one person in a relationship undergo...

Today we are talking with Mark Baldwin-Smith who was born in Cambridge, studied Environmental Science at the University of Reading before undertaking a Masters in environmental ethics at Edinburgh University from 2012-2014. After a relationship makeup with Christ Jesus and a relationship breakup from a long term girlfriend, Mark returned to Cambridge in 2019. Since then he has been finding a home-...

MEN tal HEAL th To kick off our month focussing on Mental Health, we are privileged today to hear from Ben Slater. Born in Essex, Ben developed a career in education, increasingly working with children who needed specialist teaching environments.  This led to a keen interest in attachment theory & mental health which combined with his faith gave him a heart for clergy and their families. As Be...

What a great reminder that we need to live life optimistically, with a glass half full, looking for the percentage of sunshine and worrying less about the occasional shower.  “The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great...

“ I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith .” 2 Timothy 4:7 The phrase, "As strong as Fort Knox" comes from a city in Kentucky where the United States holds its Gold Bullion deposits currently estimated to be worth 7 Trillion Dollars. That's not the only valuable thing about Fort Knox. Today's guest, John Conner also hails from that city. And he's from good sto...

Today we are trying something new. My friend Adam drives big articulated lorries and he starts his day very VERY early. Probably earlier than some of you finish yours. Adam often leaves me a WhatsApp voice message in the early hours to which I respond at some point during the day. We share all sorts -  what's happening in our lives, a word of encouragement, a reflection, a joke. I've called Adam t...

Today's guest has sold over a million books in multiple languages and has spoken in front of over a million people across the world.  But he started life in very humble surroundings. A son of a cleaner and postman, he lived in a home with no running hot water, no bathroom, an outside toilet with no toilet paper.  It was a huge step-up to train as a teacher but then he was attracted into the Law pr...

A big thank you to our new voice of Ascend Podcasts - Jordan Bonner reading an article by Alan Colley; Time to Tune Up Twinkle Twinkle. Pop goes the weasel. Doe a deer, a female deer. Frère Jacques. My toddler loves her glockenspiel. It's in tune so the melody sounds good.  Have we allowed God to tune us up so we can be part of the melody or harmony amongst our brothers? How is God tuning you up a...

Today you're going to hear a conversation between Tony Smith and Bill Merrick. Many of you enjoyed Tony's 14th Jan 23 Episode, "Being sent wherever you are" but who's Bill Merrick? Bill grew up on a farm in Tamworth (Australia not Staffordshire) is married to Sally-Anne with two sons, Jaydon and Harrison. After visiting the UK 25yrs ago, they did a family move back here March 2017 but then left in...

Those with an ear for a great voice will recognise today's reader, Jamie Davidson . What a talent! He's reading an article written by Tim Lucier which starts.. I love cinema. I love being lost in a visual story that takes you on a journey with the characters. I've found that many films made of late have left me underwhelmed. There's less thought put into good character development and storylines a...

Today we have Greg Barber narrating a wonderful article titled "Beyond mere politeness" written by Justin Camp from WiRE for Men, part of Gather Ministries. It talks about the importance of community - something that is at the heart of Ascend Men.  One way we do that is through eating together and there's just a couple of weeks to our next Cambridge Breakfast. Please sign-up now at thec3.uk/ascend...

In this episode, you'll hear the feedback from Ascend Summit 23 (yes, the positives but also your direction for next time) as well as what some of you recorded in the phone box. We've also added short excerpts from our two guest speakers Tim Robertson and Nathan Blackaby. If you'd like to hear their full messages in future podcast episodes, be sure to let us know. UPCOMING EVENTS Find out more abo...

In this episode, you'll hear Greg Barber interviewing Sid Thurlow. At just over 20 minutes it's a little longer than our usual interviews but honestly, I just couldn't find anything to edit out! UPCOMING EVENTS Find out more about our upcoming events here . WHAT IS ASCEND MEN? Imagine a community of men who are challenged, inspired and equipped to live passionate lives for Jesus. A place where men...

We need to stand firm together in the Spirit’s power. We need to strive together for the gospel, and we need to encourage each other to faith, not fear. What can we do on our own? If we all pursue different goals and head in different directions the strength of Ascend will dissipate and come to nothing. Instead, let’s pull together towards the same prize. Do three things: stand firm , strive toget...

With Valentines Day rapidly approaching we thought it would be a good idea to talk to two of our C3 ladies about what matters to them in the area of romance over and above what you might read in Brides magazine. This isn't just for single guys or men who are dating. We can all learn from what Rachel Hales and Rosemarie Wiener have to say. According to the experts at Brides Magazine , here's what w...

Today we meet a man who likes fast cars with an automatic gearbox, used to enjoy ales but is now teetotal and who likens himself to Samson in the Bible. Welcome to Nathan Blackaby , CEO of Christian Vision for Men and member of C3 Church, Colchester.  Nathan says: "I've been challenged to awaken the maverick in me, the renegade, the rebel,  the dreamer, the guy who is willing to have a go for the...