MCC Podcast

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.

This Sunday, in our Holiday Field Guide series where we are looking at how to survive the holidays, we will be looking at how to survive disillusionment. This is a significant issue for many of us at MCC and in our culture, especially around the holidays. Sometimes we get so caught up in the lights, gifts, and even the pace of Christmas that we don’t notice that there are others who, quite frankly...

It may be fair to say that most of us have never been lost in the woods….but picture it: you’re lost, you have no supplies - no food, no water, no shelter. What would you do first? Where do you begin? How do you figure out what is safe? Sounds like you need a field guide! A field guide is basically a manual for identifying natural objects, flora, or fauna in nature. It can provide survival tips an...

I think when most people think of generosity, they think of a specific act. Somebody had an unexpected expense. They can’t afford to get it fixed. Somebody hears the news and swoops in to save the day. The bill is paid and life is back to normal because someone wrote a check! Is that generosity? I’d like to think that, yes, that was generous. But does that one act paint the picture of what God say...

The church in Corinth was like other churches in the first century in that they met at night and had a tradition of gathering for a church fellowship supper prior to their worship service. Apparently their pitch-in dinners provided not only an occasion for fellowship but gave the wealthy a chance to share their abundance with the poor. That might have been the best meal some of the slaves and unem...

As we prepare for this weekend, I want to remind you that Paul is writing to the church in Corinth, which he started, about problems that they are experiencing that are causing divisions in the church. One of the divisive issues concerned spiritual gifts. This Sunday, I am going to completely encircle what Eric was talking about last week. He gave the central message when it comes to spiritual gif...

Have you ever noticed that there are just some people who give you their opinion and have no concern about how others feel about it? Or maybe you know someone who is spot on with their beliefs, but how they communicate it isn’t the most kind? Perhaps you know someone who is faithful in volunteering, but they are doing so for the wrong reasons. This week Eric will remind us that our primary motivat...

The roles of men and women are possibly as misunderstood today then any point in history. Instead of searching for what is socially acceptable or agreed upon by the majority, let’s take a look at what God was doing by design. Genesis 1:27 says, “In the image of God He created them; male and female He created them.” This week Rich will remind us that as Image Bearers, it’s clear that we are to refl...