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The New Year is truly underway and already it is making a mark on us. A questions that deserves to by asked by each of us is, “am I making a mark on my year?”.

Most people name their year after it is ended; our Queen famously named 1992 as her “annus horribilis” due to the happenings it thrust upon her. Yet we can name our year before it has begun and, whilst not being able to control many of its events, we can plot its course.

In this new year talk I set out the main priority in 2010 for New Life (Scunthorpe) and encourage people to realise 2010 as the year where they do their best; to name it as “my best year”.

If you want to discover how to cause a significant upturn in your ability to become all that creator God wants you to be, then listen to this podcast and follow along with the powerpoint if you wish.

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I was privileged this morning to be able to give the last in a series of six talks to the family at New Life, Scunthorpe. The series “Big on the Inside” was aimed at helping believers committ to the process of becoming the mature and resilient disciples that Jesus desires.

The final talk, based on Ephesians 6:10 was called “Superstrength”. This one verse, which perhaps should have been the real start to the final chapter, encapsulates Paul’s main point to the church in Ephesus and, at this time, to New Life; “Finally, be strong in the Lord”.

To discover why finding our strength in God and not from within is so important, listen to this podcast and join with the newlifers gathered at The House in Scunthorpe.

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Why is it so important for us to try and comprehend how little we have to do in order to have our lives transformed by God? It is important in order that we can truly live a full and rich life that pleases God. On Sunday I was privileged to give the second talk in a series of 6 based on the New Testament letter to the Ephesians and the talk called “Good Work” was based on chapter 2.

Starting with two key characters, Apostle Paul and the reformer Martin Luther I explain why God’s work is the source and catalyst of any good work we undertake.

Join with the congregation of newlifers at The House in Scunthorpe as we learn how to have a new perspective on living a life full of good work.

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Last week during a ten minute spell as goalie in a friendly football match I became the focus of attention of a flying hoard of mosquitoes. Twenty four hours and one doctor’s visit later my lower legs were still not a pretty sight and as shapeless and bloated as a giant Lincolnshire sausage. I then had to endure a week of having my hand slapped by my wife whenever she caught me scratching the troubled areas. I wouldn’t mind, but surely “scratching an itch” is one of life’s sweetest pleasures and so simple to do.

Many people; people just like us, have troubles. Perhaps someone is looking for a way out of an oppressive or hurtful situation. Another may be seeking some certainty or truth in an uncertain world. Still another is desperately trying to find a life with some hope in it or a glimmer of revelation to light a dim future.
Jesus said; “I am the way, the truth and the life” and “the light of the world”. He also invited us to, “come to me for rest if you are weary and burdened” and “come and taste and see that God is good”.

Go on; scratch your itch.

This coming Sunday I will be launching a new teaching series aimed at helping people become “big on the inside”. Each of the six sessions will be based on one of the chapters of Paul’s letter to the church in Ephesus and I know it is going to be so helpful to all who hear it.

If you’ve ever felt trapped and limited in expressing yourself or your faith then the first session is for you, called “Unchained melody” it will give you keys to unlocking the constraints that the enemy and life places on you.

For those of you who like a bit of lightness in church, as a recognition of recent events I will be dropping in song titles performed by Michael Jackson throughout the talk. See how many you can spot!

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What a great time we had at The House on Sunday morning as New Life did church together. It was somewhat emotive too. Fathers were honoured and it was exciting to see a young student speak very highly of his exceptionally humble dad and then pray for him in front of the whole congregation. Later one of our more senior members read the Rudyard Kipling poem “If” and I for one was moved to tears as he neared the climax of that most wonderful of verse.

The message, “A Father’s Advice” centred on the Godly advice spoken through a wise man in Proverbs 3:5-6. I suppose if the Holy Spirit inspires the wisest King who ever lived to pen words to his son, we should at least take careful note; and perhaps more so on Father’s Day.

This podcast then drops in on the message after I’ve finished the preamble which included reminiscences of my own father and his words of wisdom.

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I recently spent time away with some of the leaders of the church I pastor and as well as having lots of fun and enjoying each other’s company, we chewed over many of the various statements, mottos and axioms that we’ve used to describe our church. It was a helpful exercise and in the doing of it we arrived at an overarching phrase which we believe will express the whole scope of our flavour as New Life Church.

“Big God.. big people .. big church” is already becoming part of the language of New Life’s leadership. We believe in a Big God .. we build Big People .. who belong to a Big Church.

Heather Small, now a solo artiste was the lead singer of a band called M People when she sang the inspired song “What have you done today that makes you feel proud?”. What a grea song and what a great thought. I recently gave a challenge for the congregation of of my church to think of some things that they’ve done this year that make them feel proud. We know that the Bible teaches that having a proud heart is a sinful thing but being proud of personal development and achievement is not a self-exalting excercise – it’s a celebratory excerise. Perhaps if we find it difficult to list many things we’ve done which make us feel proud gives us a clue that we are not living life the way that Jesus intended; a life packed with lessons learned, battles won and successes earned.

This podcast features the bulk of a talk I gave entitled “Big People”. It was a call to the great people of New Life to listen again to the CALL of Jesus to “follow Him”, to take advantage of the consequence of followship which is a “life to the full” and then to take seriously the commission to become a true disciple.

You see the belief in a Gig God will cause a deep longing to see people become all they can be; for them to live life large and experience it to the full. For them to place body, soul and spirit into the service of God … to become Big People.

My team of leaders are committed to growing people in love displayed through our values, see them experience forgiveness, overcome weaknesses, resist the enemy and find freedom in God. We will join with the angels in celebrating every success and rejoice with everyone who is growing big on the inside.

In this second talk of a series you drop in on me talking about our need to be Big People. Enjoy as you join worshippers gathered at The House, the home of New Life in Scunthorpe, England