MCC Podcast

As we continue to look at MCC’s Core Values I want to remind you of why these are important. I am the product of my values. That means that who you are right now is determined by the things you have decided are important. You are a product of your values, of what you deem valuable. AND MCC is the product of our values. So we’d better be aware of what they are and if we are holding onto them. So fa...

When we think about our spiritual lives we often think about how personal our relationship with Jesus is. How we should independently be spending time in prayer, reading the word, and worship. Yet, our relationship with Jesus is not just independent, but interdependent on others. To live the way of Jesus we need those who will rejoice, suffer, and endure this life with us. This week Eric will be c...

This week I get to continue our Core Values series. These are the values that sit at the core of who we are. They form a solid core of who we are, what we believe, and who we want to be going forward. MCC’s Core Values are those values we want to make sure we all have in common AND get passed down from generation to generation, that help reflect Jesus to others. What is it about us that helps othe...

When you hear the word “value,” what comes to mind? A value can simply be what an item is worth. Interestingly, that can rise and fall depending on the situation. The value of a bottle of water might be 35 cents in the grocery store. You put it in a refrigerator at Speedway and suddenly the value shoots up to a dollar-fifty. Put that same bottle of water at Disney, slap a sticker with ears on it a...

We’ve been studying the life of King David and if we’ve learned anything about him so far, it’s that he was far from perfect, yet God was able to use him. Now through relationships in his life we’ve looked at issues such as -how to have a heart like God -how to take on giants -how to be a friend -and how to affair proof your marriage. Our last look at what we can learn from David covers chapters 1...

What creature is most deadly to humans? Think about that for a moment. If you had one guess, what would it be? What creature has caused more deaths than any other? That is our one question quiz this weekend. I know you will be tempted to look up the answer, but I’m asking that you don’t. Come ready with your best, non-looked-up guess. This weekend I get to share one of the top two stories that peo...

We’ve walked through several events that occurred prior to David becoming King of Israel. We have been in 1 Samuel and this Sunday we jump to 2 Samuel 6. Last week David battled the giant Goliath. And Saul was still King of Israel. But since our verses last week, King Saul died in battle. And David has become King. There is a lot there and I want to encourage you to read 1 and 2 Samuel to get all...

This weekend we’re going to look at a story that has become embedded in the culture and language of nations all around the world. It is so well known that it has become a way of describing any conflict in which there is a huge disparity between the combatants, whether describing athletes, companies or nations. The phrase, “It is a classic David versus Goliath match up,” creates a certain image. An...

This Sunday I’ll be preaching on friendship. I can’t tell you how many conversations I’ve had with people in our church this past year who feel like they struggle with friendships. As we look at the friendship between David and Jonathan, we will seek to understand what a Godly friendship is supposed to look like and learn how to overcome some barriers to forming meaningful relationships.

Abraham Lincoln said, “The greatest lessons I ever learned were at my mother’s knees.” And more often than not, moms, we learn a lot just by watching you live your life. This has been true of great leaders throughout history and perhaps none more evident that King David. This Sunday as we continue our look at his life we will be reminded that his life was full of decisions. Some of those decisions...

This weekend we are going to begin a series of messages that will examine the life of King David. I don’t know about you, but David is my favorite Old Testament character. Did you know that: More has been written about David than any other character in the Bible. He’s an Old Testament character, but he has 59 references to his life in the New Testament. The New Testament opens and closes mentionin...

This will conclude our Ick series by talking about SEX. I sense you backing away already. But we need to be clear on this—all of us need to be clear on this—because we live in a world that is saturated with sex. And our world is saying things right now that many of us NEVER imagined we would hear. In her book, Guardians of Purity: Raising PG kids in an X-Rated World , Julie Hiramine says, “This wo...

I have appreciated your response to talking about issues that give almost all, although it may be fair to say ALL of us, the ick. This week we’re talking about money. And I know the reason for the ick. In part of Jesus’ most famous sermon, He told us that there is a tug of war going on in our hearts involving our stuff. Jesus is recognizing a strategy that our enemy uses against us. I want to remi...

This weekend we will continue our Ick series where we’re talking about those things in our lives where when someone brings them up, in our minds we go, “Ick.” I don’t want to talk about that. Stop talking about that. So we thought we’d talk about that. You’re welcome. This weekend I will be addressing the ick of politics. I realize that the only thing that might be more icky than politics, is talk...

This Sunday we will be kicking off a new series called “Ick.” As our Teaching Team thought through this year and what topics we need to talk about that will most likely give many, or most, or at times all, people “the ick.” So for the next few weeks we’re going to talk about politics, money, and sex. This Sunday we will begin by talking about “culture.” It will be interesting to see how you would...

The 2 biggest holidays of the year in the church are Christmas and Easter. Why is that? What is the draw? If you are a follower of Jesus these holidays celebrate where we get our identity. Christmas reminds us that God loves us so much that He sent His Son on a rescue mission to save us. And Easter reminds us that it cost Him His life. Both of them remind us of Who we belong to. Join us this week...

This Sunday I will be sharing about what happened on that first Palm Sunday (although they would not have called it that). The occasion was Passover Week, a time when thousands of Jews from all over Palestine made their annual pilgrimage to Jerusalem. This event was the remembrance of the story we read in the book of Exodus of the Jews leaving their slavery in Egypt for the promised land. And it w...

This week John wraps up his letter to the early church by addressing a question that they had in the first century that many people still do today. How can I be sure I will go to heaven? It’s important that we get this because it is vital to our spiritual emotional well being. Disciples of Jesus can be sure of their eternal life. John is wrapping up his letter with this 1 John 5:13-15 (NIV): I wri...

This Sunday as we look at 1 John 4, I am going to remind you of something I’ve said before: almost truth, isn’t. This week I get to share what John says about false teachers and the truth. And this will impact us and God - us and each other - and others and God. That’s a lot! Here’s why this is so important: if you don’t know what the truth is, almost truth sounds like it. It sounds like something...

What is love, baby don’t hurt me. Joking aside, love is one of those words our culture loves to throw around. We use it as a description of our enjoyment of a good cup of coffee, or how great a meal is. And at the same time use the phrase to describe our deep affection for a spouse, a friend, or a family member. To say the word “love” has been muddied in our world is an understatement. So I’ll ask...

Did you know that you can confess, repent, and be forgiven, all from the comfort of your own home? I found a sight called Absolution Online and you begin by selecting a category (some sins occur in more than one section): -10 Commandments -The 7 Deadly Sins -Internal Sins -Physical Sins -General Sins I also found an app called Sincerely - Off My Chest. It seems that people want to get things off t...

This week I get to kick off our series on the book that we call 1 John. This book is actually a letter written by John. I don’t know if you know this, but Jesus nicknamed John and his brother James, two of the 12 apostles, the Sons of Thunder. You can find where Jesus gives them that nickname in Mark 3:17. It seems that it may relate to an incident when a town rejected Jesus and they wanted to cal...

Let me tell you 3 things I know about your decision to follow Jesus, without knowing your story. You had already heard the message, probably. It wasn’t like someone came to you in your 20’s or 30’s and said to you, “Jesus died on the cross for your sins” and you responded, “What? He did what? Are you kidding me?” There are a few, but for most of us the message wasn’t new. And it wasn’t simply the...

This weekend we will be looking at one of the very things that has perhaps caused people to struggle with church; they have seen too many whose lives often don’t match their words. Did you know that last year we helped 53 people make their commitment to Jesus through their baptism? Which is great. But we all know that making that initial commitment to Jesus is not the finish line. It’s actually cl...

We kick off a new series this week called Journey and week 1 is all about being a follower of Jesus.