Ascend Men

Margin

The C3 Church — Sat, 10 Aug 2024 06:00:00 +0100

This is not your usual interview or article so listen-up.

A huge thanks to Greg Barber for cooking-up our “Summer Sizzlers” Season. The articles and reflections of the last few weeks had a thread of “community” running through them and were great reminders of why we are not meant to do this journey alone.

This week I want to thank Luke Franks for highlighting a book extract:

“I think of rest as the margins around the page of a book I’m reading. The words matter, but without the margins they would run into one another and be senseless. When I rest, I create order and context around everything I do.

I don’t rest as a reward or to gain something, but to return to the original expression of human design. I am a being not a doing. I am not a tool in the belt of a workman but a picture in the wallet of my father. God doesn’t get me out to use me, but to enjoy me.

Rhythms of rest , especially in a time of work and creative output, return me to those truths.”

From Joshua Luke Smith’s book: “Something you once knew: Waking up to the extraordinary in your ordinary life”

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A Time for Everything - Ecclesiastes Chapter 3:

1 There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under the heavens:
2 a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,
3 a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,
4 a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance,
5 a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,
6 a time to search and a time to give up,
a time to keep and a time to throw away,
7 a time to tear and a time to mend,
a time to be silent and a time to speak,
8 a time to love and a time to hate,
a time for war and a time for peace.

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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-care-for-men through a small number of honest personal relationships initiated and supported by regular male-oriented events. Relationships are built shoulder-to-shoulder doing stuff in preference to eye-balling each other!

Ascend Men is that community.

Our podcasts reflect that desire to challenge, inspire and equip our men. Some are light-hearted easy-listens. Some deserve to be digested and pondered. If you love them, tell us - we could do with the encouragement. If you can see ways they could be improved, tell us - feedback is a gift.

Join our Facebook group or email us (ascend@thec3.uk) to hear more about our fantastic breakfasts in Cambridge, Bury and Colchester as well as our Camp in June.

Summer Sizzlers - Who's in Your Circle?

The C3 Church — Sat, 03 Aug 2024 06:00:00 +0100

Who's in your circle?

The 2 meter Radius Challenge

"Now, therefore, thus says the Lord of hosts: Consider your ways" - Haggai 1:5

Today's voices are:
- Article narrated by Jordan Bonner
- Reflection from Greg Barber

Full credit for this article to Justin Camp of WiRE, Gather Ministries, 95 Third Street, 2nd Floor, San Francisco, CA 94103, United States
Not signed up for WiRE? Get it today - it comes twice a week, free.

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Summer Sizzlers - Go-it-alone vs. Ask-for-help

The C3 Church — Sat, 27 Jul 2024 06:00:00 +0100

Who Are Your Fellow Conspirators?

For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them - Matthew 18:20"

Today's voices are:
- Article narrated by Simon Barnett
- Reflection from Alan Feetham

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Summer Sizzlers - You’re Not the Architect and Neither Am I

The C3 Church — Sat, 20 Jul 2024 06:00:00 +0100

Mistakes in Gathering‌

. . . if anyone thinks he is something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself - Galatians 6:3

Today's voices are:
- Article narrated by Tony Smith
- Reflection from Alan Colley

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Summer Sizzlers - Community is for Men, too

The C3 Church — Sat, 13 Jul 2024 06:00:00 +0100

Call Out or Call In?

". . . and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free" - John 8:32

Today's voices are:
- Article narrated by Jordan Bonner
- Reflection from Simon Barnett

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Summer Sizzlers - The Formula for Community

The C3 Church — Sat, 06 Jul 2024 06:00:00 +0100

We’re Here, Now What?

Love one another with brotherly affection - Romans 12:10

Today's voices are:
- Article narrated by Tony Smith
- Reflection from Chris Luche

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Summer Sizzlers - Two or More... and Jesus Shows Up

The C3 Church — Sat, 29 Jun 2024 06:00:00 +0100

With Whom Do You Gather?

For where two or three are gathered there am I among them - Matthew 18:20

Today's voices are:
- Article narrated by Simon Barnett
- Reflection from Tony Smith

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Summer Sizzlers Trailer

The C3 Church — Wed, 26 Jun 2024 06:00:00 +0100

Full credit for the articles in this series to Justin Camp of WiRE, Gather Ministries, 95 Third Street, 2nd Floor, San Francisco, CA 94103, United States. Not signed up for WiRE? Get it today - it comes twice a week, free.

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Healthy Same-Sex Attraction ft David Bennett - Relationships

The C3 Church — Sat, 22 Jun 2024 06:00:00 +0100

Dr. David Bennett is an author, speaker, and theologian scholar who speaks and writes on a wide range of topics including theology, desire, beauty, gender, theodicy, suffering, ethics, and sexuality. He is frequently asked to appear and speak internationally in a variety of settings including churches, academic conferences, national radio and TV including VICE Australia, and on BBC platforms such as the BBC One Documentary, Young, Gay, Christian.

As a gay celibate Christian, he seeks to be a fresh voice on the topics of love, holiness, desire and sexuality in order to show how people can live and flourish through Christ’s cross-shaped teaching. He is passionate about equipping the Church to better love the LGBTQI+ and other minority communities, and the art of showing solidarity to those who are different or other to us. His other interests include French, Latin, church history, writing, travel, cooking, reading books, and living in Christian community.

As a member of the Archbishop of Canterbury’s College of Evangelists, David has spoken for Oriel College, St Aldates Church, New Wine Network, HTB, Kings Cross Church London, the Synod of the Church of England, Church of the City NYC, St Edwards School and Magdalen School, Oxford, Christ Church London and much further afield.

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Healthy Marriage - Relationships

The C3 Church — Sat, 15 Jun 2024 06:00:00 +0100

After covering healthy friendships & singleness and assuming the dating we talked about last week goes well, the next logical step is marriage.

To cover being married and staying married we are joined by two treasured friends of the C3 house, John & Gen Loaker.

FOUR hot-topics of

Friendship
Connection
Conflict resolution
Faith

More details here on Michael Jr’s “Funny How Marriage Works” tour when it visits Cambridge on Saturday 29th June.

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Healthy Dating - Relationships

The C3 Church — Sat, 08 Jun 2024 06:00:00 +0100

Whatever your relationship status, healthy dating is relevant to you. You’ll likely know single people who don’t want to stay single. Or you’ll be in a church which may create a really healthy environment for dating couples. Or not. Or maybe you have growing kids in your home - in which case this will definitely be useful at some point.

To help us get a balanced perspective we are joined again by Annabel Wheeldon-Clarke of the Engage Network and we also welcome David Payne, customer success manager at the award-winning Christian dating app, SALT.

A few references:

- Made by Christians for Christians, SALT is the award-winning dating app that makes meeting single Christians less awkward and a lot more enjoyable.
- For more on SALT, visit their YouTube channel.
- Engage Network.
- Curry's Techtalk article: Is our modern love affair with dating apps fizzling out?
- The Forbes article: Dating Statistics And Facts In 2024

Top Tips

We had so many great tips in this episode, here are my Top 10:

Have difficult conversations early
Consider getting on a dating app, participate in some of the SALT table events
Having a date vs having a relationship are not the same thing
Don’t ignore the spiritual element of a relationship. It’s about much more than shared values - your faith is about shared identity.
Independence is attractive
Annabel’s motto: “Be intentional but not intense”
As a church, what more could we be doing to help our people get from A-to-B I.e. single to dating?
Older people are wise - seek out somebody you can trust to chat things over with
Pray and persevere
Be better listeners

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Healthy Singleness - Relationships

The C3 Church — Sat, 01 Jun 2024 06:00:00 +0100

This week we are covering Healthy Singleness and we are privileged to be joined by two esteemed guests:
Barry Danylak, author of "Redeeming Singleness: How the Storyline of Scripture Affirms the Single Life"

& Mike Simpson, Executive Director of the Single Friendly Church Network in the UK.

5-steps to becoming a single-friendly church:
1 - Who is single?
2 - Language
3 - Welcome
4 - Teaching
5 - Leadership
More information on the Church Audit can be found here.

In addition to Barry's "redeeming singleness" book we also refer to a condensed theological book, "Singleness in God's Redemptive Story".

The Single Friendly Church network also provides some very helpful 'Survival Tips for Single Christians'.

If you're listening from The C3 Church, I'd love your feedback on your experiences of how welcoming the church is towards singles. So why not drop me an email (ascend@thec3.uk)?

ASCEND CAMP 24 - 7/8th June, Thetford Forest
With less than a week to go, it's very tight whether we can fit you in. Check Brushfire for the latest.

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Healthy Friendships - Relationships

The C3 Church — Sat, 25 May 2024 06:00:00 +0100

Whilst researching and preparing this series on Relationships, Josh Campbell preached at the C3 Church Cambridge on 22nd April talking about “Courageous Friendships”. As a result, I added-in “Healthy Friendships” to our schedule. Why? Because healthy friendships are fundamental to being single, dating, marrying.

So welcome to the podcast, Pastor Josh Campbell.

Josh referred to two c.1hr sermons delivered Levi Lusko which were “The secret to making friends” and “You need friends”.

Statistics to put a male orientation on loneliness:

MALE LONELINESS
According to a recent YouGov poll in the UK:

18% men (1-in-5), don’t have a single close friend
1 in 3 men (32%) don’t have a best friend
For women the figures are 12% and 24% so potentially less severe
The main difference is that men struggle to talk about their loneliness than women, which has the effect of making them even more isolated

MALE SUICIDE
Samaritans' interpretation of the ONS 2022 data for England:

Overall suicide rate of 10.5 per 100,000 (same as 2021)
Male suicide rate was 3x that for women i.e. 16.1 per 100,000 compared to a female rate of 5.3 per 100,000
The highest suicide rate is in males aged 50-54 (23.1 per 100,000)
Much ascribed to men’s inability to talk about their loneliness

If you know somebody who is rock-bottom and there is any thought they might want to end their life, ask them if they’re considering suicide. Asking the question can ONLY help. It will never give somebody an idea of taking that action. Don’t put it off. Who’d want to be too late? Want to talk more? Contact Alan Colley via Facebook or email (alan.colley@thec3.uk).

THREE key points from Josh's sermon:

1 - Keep an open heart (in terms of the impact of others' friendship with you and yours to them)

2 - Stay humble (nobody wants a know-it-all, arrogant, proud mate)

3 - Don’t be a coward (have those difficult conversations even if they risk the relationship)

Secular groups that are aimed to help with loneliness and men's mental health:

Men’s sheds https://menssheds.org.uk (a few around Cambridge)
Andy’s Man Club https://andysmanclub.co.uk (Cambridge AMC led by one of our Ascend brothers)

ASCEND CAMP 24 - 7/8th June, Thetford Forest
By the time you see this, we might be out of spaces. Check Brushfire for the latest.

Camp 23 bloke: "It just keeps on getting better. An amazing experience and fun to see it grow."

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Healthy Relationships - NEW SEASON!

The C3 Church — Sat, 18 May 2024 06:00:00 +0100

In this new season we're going to cover healthy friendships, singleness, dating, marriage and even life after a relationship, i.e. being single again. Whatever your interest, you'll know others at different stages so come back every week for a deep-dive into each area.

A huge thanks to Annabel Wheeldon-Clarke of Engage for helping me put this season together.

Today we're doing an overview i.e. what it means to have “Healthy Relationships” with Annabel and Nathan Blackaby of Christian Vision for Men.

The Relationships Venn diagram explained by Annabel is at the bottom of this page.

Check out the book: "7 Reasons Your Church Needs More Men: How to lead a gender balanced church supporting healthy singleness, dating, marriage and youth"

Annabel refers to the work on Boundaries by Dr. Henry Cloud and Dr. John Townsend. See more at Cloud-Townsend Resources.

Curious after the conversation on Love Languages? There's plenty of info on the Interweb but here's a good start point (including a quick quiz).

ASCEND CAMP 24 - 7/8th June, Thetford Forest
By the time you see this, we might be out of spaces. Check Brushfire for the latest.

Camp 23 bloke: "It just keeps on getting better. An amazing experience and fun to see it grow."

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Godspeed to CPM and Flok Health - Entrepreneurs

The C3 Church — Sat, 11 May 2024 06:00:00 +0100

Three weeks ago (S11/Ep2) we heard from Martin Frost - a serial entrepreneur who has achieved so much in his four decades of business. Today we’re talking with two guys who are much earlier in their careers, getting things off the ground and building reputations.

To quote Martin Frost in that podcast, he predicted that CMR will give birth to people who will go and do something else, very special. Today we are joined by Ric da Silva who is one of those people having spent nearly 6 years at CMR. He’s now the co-founder and CTO for Flok Health - an entirely new business doing something very special.

Our second guest has demonstrated his passion for music and recording for a long time. At school he recorded year 11 GCSE music for all the solo/ensemble musicians. At sixth Form he conducted live recordings of the college Jazz and Concert Bands. And at the University of Hertfordshire, whilst gaining a First Class Honours degree in Music Technology he recorded for bands and artists in the University studio. Let's hear what a Mastering Engineer does by talking with Chris Pavey.

How do they measure success and what one thing that, if they had it in total abundance, would guarantee success?
Hear about how Chris and Ric have dealt with Imposter Syndrome.
They have a lot resting on their shoulders, how do they look after themselves physically and mentally?
Dealing with rejection?

Chris talks enthusiastically about "C3 at Work" so if you want to know more, please get in touch with Rob Allin or here on Churchsuite.

Application from this week's episode?

Ric recommends a book: "Ruthless Trust: The Ragamuffins Path to God" by Brennan Manning available at Amazon, Eden and other good booksellers.

In his sequel to The Ragamuffin Gospel bestselling author Brennan Manning shows how true and radical trust in God can transform our lives. Manning, beloved author and spiritual teacher, shows us how trust in God can transform our lives and open us up to deeper experiences of grace and love. In Ruthless Trust, he turns his focus from furious love to radical trust, revealing the ways in which trust renews our faith and help us grow.

Chris suggests a THE BUSINESS OF AUTHORITY podcast which says

how you feel about your to-do list is a leading indicator of what you’ll actually accomplish

In preparing to close this episode, I felt God wanted me to wish you both “Godspeed”, which is an interesting word.

There's a great article on the origins of it here.
To summarise, it’s a very old Middle English word dating back to the 1300s.

God translates to God.

Speed translates to speid which has nothing to do with movement - it translates:

success
prosperity
good fortune
profit
advancement
furtherance

I’m sure we'd all want God to grant you those things.

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Sara-Louise Martin: The Faith Driven Entrepreneur

The C3 Church — Sat, 04 May 2024 06:00:00 +0100

Sara-Louise Martin (or S-L as she likes to be called) hails from Belfast. Keen to escape Northern Ireland she left to study International Business and Languages at Heriot-Watt University in Scotland before going to work in France, New York and then settling in London for most of the last 16 years.

In March 2020 she co-founded Impact Central (an accelerator programme focused on Impact entrepreneurs) and in Sep 2022 joined Faith Driven Entrepreneur where she's now the Regional Director for operations in Europe, Middle East and North Africa.

In this episode S-L talks about;

Being sure our identity in Christ helps us take risks and not see our experiences as failures.
Being stewards but not owners of all we have.
Not being so caught-up in our jobs that we tip into worship
How excellence matters.
That while we “impress people with our strengths, we connect through our vulnerability.”

More information on the Wonderful Summit 24 London can be found here.
And if you want the free place (normally £49) and standard class rail travel from Cambridge (or an equivalently-priced station) be the FIRST to contact me Alan Colley.

To read The Saving and Keeping Power – the Testimony of Inspector Brian Martin (1955-1983) (S-L's father) visit here.

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Matt Parfitt: God, You've Got To Come Through - Entrepreneurs

The C3 Church — Sat, 27 Apr 2024 06:00:00 +0100

Matt Parfitt, born in 1979, grew up in Nottingham and came to know Christ whilst at The University of Manchester. Graduated with a Batchelor of Applied Science in 2001 and in March 2002 at England’s oldest inn, Ye Olde Trip To Jerusalem in Nottingham, he enjoyed his first date with Samantha who he married the following year.

With a steady, fulfilling job as a Primary School Teacher and a married to a GP, how on earth did they both manage to give up their rewarding, fulfilling professions for something even more rewarding and fulfilling, if perhaps a little more risky?

He has established three businesses with four more in the prophetic pipeline. You can find all of Grace Enterprise businesses in one place here or individually below:

“Radiant Cleaners” a multi-award winning, social enterprise cleaning company employing people with major barriers to work (homelessness, survivors of modern slavery, addiction issues etc) and paying them all the real Living Wage. Mix of small company and corporate customers. https://www.radiantcleaners.co.uk/

"Jubilee Events" providing top-quality marquee and equipment hire for corporate events, wedding receptions, large garden parties. Delivering an excellent service, creating employment and challenging the existing ethics of the events industry. Employing people with major barriers to work (homelessness, survivors of modern slavery, addiction issues etc) and paying them all the real Living Wage. https://www.jubileeevents.co.uk/

"Half the Story" helping the homeless have hope, purpose and dignity through employment. Supplying biscuits to companies and in coffee shops all over the UK. It's not about the (great tasting) biscuit... it's about the people who made them. https://www.halfthestory.uk/

You can connect directly with Matt Parfitt here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mattparfitt/ or matt@graceenterprises.co.uk
Or via Matt's PA, Cristina Soper 0115 698 0224 or cristina-pa@graceenterprises.co.uk

If you're interested in talking with Kara Leake about C3's activities in this area, please get in touch: kara.leake@thec3.uk

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Martin Frost: Embracing Uncertainty & Managing Risk - Entrepreneurs

The C3 Church — Sat, 20 Apr 2024 06:00:00 +0100

Martin Frost CBE is a businessman and entrepreneur responsible for the start-up and scale-up of several highly successful global technology businesses.

Graduating from Cambridge reading History he returned to Manchester and qualified as an accountant working with broad based engineering firms. Joining the environmental services side of Simon Engineering he spent time in France and the USA where he learned to write software and more importantly where his daughter Hannah was born.

He is a cofounder of CMR Surgical, one of the UK’s leading medical devices startups, developing the next generation system for robotically-assisted minimal access surgery where he raised over £250M for the company's development. He was known for putting the Frosty into Frost by walking round the office in a snowman outfit at Christmas and biking to various offices across Cambridge come rain or shine.

Prior to CMR, Martin was CEO and CFO of Sagentia plc. Under his leadership Sagentia, developed and rolled-out M-Pesa, the leading mobile-money platform in the world. He cofounded Redcloud which now manages this technology.

For all of this Martin won the Disruptor Award in the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year™️ 2019 UK Awards.

Since leaving CMR Martin has engaged in starting and scaling-up companies within the spectrum of fast-charge batteries, electric motors, digital pathology, and sensors. He was awarded a CBE in the 2020 Queen's Birthday Honours for Services to Robotics and British Industry.

In his "spare time", Martin is a trustee of Peek Vision whose mission is vision and eye health for all and with wife Ali previously belonged to the C3 Cambridge family where Martin served as a trustee and as a youth leader.

A few noteworthy quotes from Martin:

"The person who is best at a job today isn’t necessarily the person who is best at the job in a few years time."

"Success comes from being authentic, knowing yourself and being prepared to be challenged (don’t surround yourself with people who are as bonkers as you are)"

"CMR will give birth to people who will go and do something else; very special." - Come back in 3 weeks time to hear one of them.

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Peter Heslam on God, the Church & Entrepreneurs

The C3 Church — Sat, 13 Apr 2024 06:00:00 +0100

Rob Allin is a new presenter on the Ascend Podcast and based on how well he did on this one, you'll want him to come back to do more!

Today he kicks-off our Entrepreneurs season by interviewing Peter Heslam.

As Director of Faith in Business, Peter's focus is on the moral and spiritual dimensions of entrepreneurial business and their role in business performance and human development. He is particularly interested in the social impact of Christianity and entrepreneurship when they converge. Which makes him an ideal guest to open-up this season on Entrepreneurs

Using the first few chapters of Genesis, Peter talks about God's inherent creativity and appetite. Being made in His image we too we can all be creative. However we are not all called to be entrepreneurs - some are quite happy having a job rather than running a business.

Hear about how faith-filled entrepreneurs have the advantage of the Holy Spirit to help build the Spirit of Enterprise. And how Christ-centred entrepreneurs will naturally be seeking to demonstrate the fruits of the Spirit, being love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness & self-control.

He talks about the difference between "success" and "significance" including some of the potential metrics that go with that. And also what we as friends / family / fellow congregation members / church leaders can do to encourage our entrepreneurial brothers and sisters.

Interested in the story of the Christian-run toy shop? Watch "The Entertainer: Facing the Canon with Gary Grant".

All you need to know about Faith in Business can be found here.

For those who want to make contact with Peter directly, he can be found here: peter.heslam@gmail.com +44 7531 504285

ASCEND CAMP 24 : 5pm Fri 7th June - evening Sat 8th June
Are you ready for an unforgettable experience? Look no further! The Ascend Camp is here to provide you with an incredible adventure like no other. Get ready to eat, bond and have the time of your life with like-minded men in a beautiful natural setting.

Spaces are limited, so don’t delay! Join us for an adventure-packed experience that will leave you rejuvenated and inspired. Whether you’re seeking a thrilling outdoor escape, an opportunity to forge new friendships, or simply a break from the daily grind, our camp has it all.

Special rate for Dads and Lads. All ages welcomed. Youth programme through the day on Saturday. Contact alan.colley@thec3.uk for more details.

COST: £70

LOCATION: Thorpe Woodlands Adventure Centre, Shadwell, Thetford IP24 2RX

ACCOMMODATION: Indoor small dormitories or outdoor camping

SPEAKERS: Steve Campbell, John Wilson & Nathan Blackaby

QUESTIONS? Email: alan.colley@thec3.uk

BE QUICK - Around 80% of the places are now taken so pull your finger out by signing up here if you want to come.

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Ascend Men is that community.

Join our Facebook group or email us (ascend@thec3.uk) to hear more about our fantastic breakfasts in Cambridge, Bury and Colchester as well as our annual Summit in February and Camp in June.

Saving Life or Prolonging Suffering & Death? - Dying Well

The C3 Church — Sat, 06 Apr 2024 03:00:00 +0100

Today we are talking with Dr Katie Butler, who lives with husband Scott north of Boston, Massachusetts. Katie completed her surgical and critical care training and was a member of staff at Massachusetts General Hospital for a decade until 2016 when she swapped catheters for crayons promoting herself to homeschool headteacher to her two children.

She's an acclaimed and award winning author with fictional work including “The Dream Keeper Saga” which points families to the Gospel through vivid storytelling. The first four books comprise The Dragon and the Stone, The Prince and the Blight, Lost in the Caverns & The Quest for the Guardians.

Her unique insight into the intersection between medicine and faith have given her an authoritative voice on TV, podcasts and in our discussion today. She has also written two books, the first of which we'll refer to several times:

Between Life and Death: A Gospel-Centered Guide to End-of-Life Medical Care

Glimmers of Grace: A Doctor’s Reflections on Faith, Suffering, and the Goodness of God

Katie's Desiring God website article: Can Death Ever Be Good? The Grief of Loss and Hope of Heaven

Check this blog post to understand more about how Katie's experiences of the hospital Emergency Room (ER) impacted her “nominal Christianity”.

Katie's four fundamental precepts:

Sanctity of mortal life
God’s authority over life and death
Mercy and compassion
Hope in Christ

Organ-supporting measures covered in Part 2 of Between Life and Death:

Cardiac Arrest/Resuscitation
Mechanical Ventilation
Cardiovascular Support
Artificially Administered Nutrition
Dialysis
Brain Injury

BBC Radio 4 "Doctor, Doctor" episode featuring end of life specialist Dr Rachel Clarke.

NHS website with information on planning ahead for end of life care, advanced statement about care wishes, advanced decision to refuse treatment (i.e. a living will) and lasting power of attorney.

Katie mentions this must-read from Ewan Goligher on assisted dying/euthanasia titled "How then shall we die?".

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Steve Legg: Killing himself laughing - Dying Well

The C3 Church — Sat, 30 Mar 2024 03:00:00 +0000

Steve Legg left school in the late 80s and started a career at Barclays Bank from which he quickly resigned to spend the next 35 years visiting 21 countries communicating the Christian message through trickery, comedy & mystery.

His kit-bag has included a straightjacket, chains, handcuffs, jokes, conjuring tricks and a passion to share the gospel.

In 2007 Steve launched “Sorted”, voted the UK’s most wholesome men’s magazine with a distribution to 80,000 readers in 26 countries.

Steve’s first marriage failed making him a single dad for 5 years to three daughters until Jun 2007 when he met Bekah along with her two daughters.

Last April (2023) he was given 5 months to live and he continues to be determined to die living rather than live dying.

The book to which we refer regularly is The Last Laugh: Reflections of a funnyman with terminal cancer which you can find on Amazon (as well as all book suppliers).

Here's a link to the Youtube video of Derek Redmond's run at the 1992 Olympic Games.

Three things God has been saying to Steve through this experience:

I love you.
I’m with you.
Try not to be scared.

If you want more Steve Legg, there's also a fantastic interview with him and Carl Beech who we know well from Christian Vision for Men (CVM).

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What does a good death look like? - Dying Well

The C3 Church — Sat, 23 Mar 2024 03:00:00 +0000

What does a good death look like?

If you're struggling to comprehend that title, listen to these two inspiring guests today.

Maggie Doherty, Director of the Centre for the Art of Dying Well at St Mary’s University, London
Jo Beaumont, Senior Sister in Critical Care at Addenbrookes hospital, Cambridge.

I was driving our Campervan home from Folkestone on Sunday 6th August 2023 and, approaching midnight, listened to an episode of BBC Radio 4's "Beyond Belief" programme titled "Grief" featuring Maggie. Get a replay of that here.

Please check the Art of Dying Well website for more information including links to their podcast episodes many of which go into great depth on topics covered in this episode.

The YouGov Death Study can be referenced here.

Maggie mentions some practical preparations that we can make:

Make a Will and review it every 5 years
Who would we give Power of Attorney to?
Opt in (or out) of organ donation
Funeral planning including how you would like it to be done, where, whether you'd like to be buried or cremated, any songs or hymns, readings, reception location etc.

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Making the cut - Through the Lens

The C3 Church — Sat, 16 Mar 2024 03:00:00 +0000

A big thanks to Rob Davies, Offline Editor for this fascinating episode. Check out his website for some beautiful samples of his work.

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Still & Moving Pictures - Through the Lens

The C3 Church — Sat, 09 Mar 2024 03:00:00 +0000

This episode sees the launch of a short two-episode season focussed (pun intended) around photography, videography and editing.

Not sure this is your thing?

Who doesn’t appreciate or get emotional at a good photograph or video sequence?

Whether that’s the result of a Napalm attack on a naked nine year old Vietnamese girl or an awesome scene on Planet Earth.

A big thanks to Andrew Wilkinson and Jeremy Dawson for this episode.

Find out whether they wash their packaging before recycling it, who’s been their heroes and listen to them as they take a trip up the lift in the Shard, London.

Quote from Andrew:

It is the photographer who makes the picture, not the camera; equipment really doesn’t matter – until it does!

Quote from Jeremy:

Image and movement combined in a passion that now shapes my work.

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Good Cop > Bad Cop > Criminal > Straight Talker - Forgiveness & Reconciliation

The C3 Church — Sat, 02 Mar 2024 03:00:00 +0000

This final episode of our Forgiveness & Reconciliation season introduces Simon Pinchbeck:
"Good cop" turned "bad cop" turned "criminal" turned "Straight talker".

Never knowing his biological father and not receiving much love from his parents, Simon had a rough start to life. But it looked like he was on the straight and narrow when at 18 he started working for the Met Police. Unfortunately he strayed into the criminal lifestyle of those he was supposed to be policing with drugs & violence taking the place of his loving wife and kids. His career came to an abrupt end after 23 years when charged with serious assault of a fellow copper.

Simon's life nosedived as he became more involved in organised crime.

In February 2002 after a chance meeting in the gym, he ended-up in church, heard the gospel, gave his life to Christ and undertook the Alpha course. He's since been on a mission to see others' lives transformed through Tough Talk, Christian Vision for Men and now in leading Christian Straight Talk.

"God can't move on with you with unforgiveness in your heart" - Joyce Meyer

Click here to connect with Simon by email.

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1,763 Days in Captivity - Forgiveness & Reconciliation

The C3 Church — Sat, 24 Feb 2024 03:00:00 +0000

Terry Waite was born just outside Wilmslow in Cheshire in 1939. In 1980 he was recruited as a "special advisor" and chief travel companion by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Robert Runcie. He had particular success in helping to negotiate the release of several hostages from Iran and later Libya in the early 1980s. Then as a result of what he says was "a very dodgy invitation" he visited Lebanon in January 1987 to negotiate with the Islamic Jihad. The goal was to secure the release of British hostage John McCarthy, Northern Irish Brian Keenan and five Americans.

He was taken hostage and kept in solitary confinement for almost five years. Other than for a 10 minute toilet visit, he spent every day of those five years manacled and chained to the wall with no natural daylight. Blindfolded whenever anybody entered his cell, he had no real contact with another human being for most of that time. Finally, after 1,763 days in captivity he was freed on November 18, 1991.

He's president and co-founder of Emmaus UK and Hostage International. In 2023 he was appointed a Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George (KCMG) in the King’s Birthday Honours list.

Terry is the author of a number of books including Taken on Trust to which we refer extensively in this episode.

Excerpt from Taken on Trust Chapter 4:

Pillows are placed over my head. The man in the suit sits on the pillows. I struggle to move my head so that I can breathe properly. Someone removes the blanket covering my feet. Oh God, give me strength.
A sudden pain shoots across the soles of my feet and convulses my whole body. I want to cry out, but my face is pressed into the pillow. Another blow sears my skin, and another and another. God, how much more? The old man must be beating me with a cable.
After a dozen or so strokes he stops and runs his finger down the length of my foot to see if there is still feeling. When he discovers from my reaction that there is, he resumes the beating. I clench my fists and tense my whole body. My feet hurt so much, so much.
Finally he stops. The man in the suit gets up and takes the pillows from my head. I lie quivering with nervous reaction.
‘Now you will tell us.’
‘There is nothing more to tell.’

This Forgiveness & Reconciliation season will inspire you to forgive and accept forgiveness and to find reconciliation. The stories such as this one are full of hope and we provide some of the science and psychology of why it's so important to forgive and how to do that in the most difficult of circumstances.

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Everyone can forgive - Forgiveness & Reconciliation

The C3 Church — Sat, 17 Feb 2024 03:00:00 +0000

This Forgiveness & Reconciliation season will inspire you to forgive and accept forgiveness and to reconcile with those from whom you might be estranged. The stories are full of hope and we provide some of the science and psychology of why it's so important to forgive and how to do that in the most difficult of circumstances.

This week we are joined by Everett Worthington.

Imagine studying the psychology of forgiveness for a decade only to put that theory into practice in your own life by forgiving a burglar who brutally murders your mother. And then a few years later, learning how to forgive yourself when your brother commits suicide and you feel implicated in that tragedy.

As Commonwealth Professor Emeritus at Virginia Commonwealth University, United States, Everett isn't just one of the world's leading authorities on forgiveness, he has walked the walk. And some key steps of that forgiveness walk were taken on the streets of Cambridge, UK.

His mission is to help people forgive whether they be individuals, couples and families, even communities and countries. So here is some of the science, psychology and Biblical basis for forgiveness & reconciliation.

REACH Emotional Self-Forgiveness

R = Recall my hurtful acts

E = Emotionally Replace Unforgiveness with Empathy Toward the One Who Hurt Me (i.e. Myself)

A = Altruistic Gift of Self-Forgiveness

C= Commit to the Emotional Self-Forgiveness That I Experienced

H = Hold On to the Self-Forgiveness When I Doubt That It Was Real

Check out everything there is to know about REACH and download the Forgiveness Workbook by visiting reach.discoverforgiveness.org

Here's the heart-warming story of Chris Carrier and his kidnapper David McAllister. It's worth every second of the 7 minutes. You won't finish it without appreciating the power of forgiveness.

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ISIS took my brother - Forgiveness & Reconciliation

The C3 Church — Sat, 10 Feb 2024 03:00:00 +0000

David Cameron said it was an "act of pure evil"
Barrack Obama condemned it.
The leader of Interpol said it was "twisted and depraved"
Other European leaders classed it as "heinous", "terrible and barbaric".

In 2014, Mike Haines' brother David, was brutally beheaded on camera to punish the West for their support of the anti-ISIS, Kurdish forces. Mike has since been on a mission to forgive, reconcile and bring unity to individuals, religions and countries. Read more about Mike's channel for this at the Global Acts of Unity website.

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One fireside chat. Two men. Three near-misses. Part 2

The C3 Church — Sat, 03 Feb 2024 03:00:00 +0000

This is Part 2. To listen to the opening episode, please pop back to last week or click here to get the opener. It's well worth a listen.

Closing out our Health & Fitness season, we feature a "fireside chat" between Andrew Baker and David Andrews. They discuss their serious health issues in the relaxed atmosphere of a crackling fire and cool beer.

It's an open and very vulnerable conversation with humour, faith and the odd swear word.

If you have comments back to the guys or any reflections on this format, please email me Alan Colley (ascend@thec3.uk).

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One fireside chat. Two men. Three near-misses. Part 1

The C3 Church — Sat, 27 Jan 2024 03:00:00 +0000

Closing out our Health & Fitness season, we feature a "fireside chat" between Andrew Baker and David Andrews. They discuss their three serious health issues in the relaxed atmosphere of a crackling open fire (BTW see here for more on the "Inglenook" that is mentioned!) and a beer and packet of crisps in hand.

It's an open and very vulnerable conversation with humour, faith and the odd swear word.

You can't rush a fireside chat so this is a two-parter. We've never done one of these before so we'd love your feedback. Also, David & Andrew have been incredibly open and despite how comfortable they sound, this wasn't easy for them. Please message me Alan Colley (ascend@thec3.uk) with any feedback I can pass on.

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A GP Prescribes the Power of your Mates

The C3 Church — Sat, 20 Jan 2024 03:00:00 +0000

Welcome to Episode 3 of our "Health & Fitness" season. After some great insights from Byron Hosking & Gaynor van der Burton about fitness, diet & nutrition, today we're stepping into the doctor's surgery with Jonathan Wilcock.

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Diet, Nutrition & Tiny Transformational Tweaks

The C3 Church — Sat, 13 Jan 2024 05:00:00 +0000

Alan's equation:
[Who we are physically] = [What we put in] - [what we expend]

Gaynor van der Burton is the Founding Director of Fitfish, a Christian fitness organisation offering retreats, fitness, nutrition, and coaching. God called Gaynor to start Fitfish in 2011 and since then she has led over 60 retreats and coached over 200 people through the Healthy, Whole & Free Programme. She is passionate about helping Christians gain freedom and balance in the area of healthy living in body, spirit and soul and is an advanced level Personal Trainer, Nutritional Advisor and Eating Behaviours Expert.

There are several references in the Bible to our bodies being likened to a temple:

But the temple he had spoken of was his body. John 2:21

and

Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? 1 Corinthians 6:19

or a dwelling place for the Holy Spirit:

Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in your midst? If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy that person; for God’s temple is sacred, and you together are that temple. 1 Corinthians 3:16-17

For an interesting article on the Temple of the Holy Spirit: The Body: https://lifehopeandtruth.com/relationships/health/temple-of-the-holy-spirit/

Gaynor's suggestion for TTT's (Tiny Transformational Tweaks)

Glass of water when you wake up, before caffeine or milky drinks
Read packets so you're aware of what you're putting in to yourself
Swap a sandwich for a soup (even a bought one)
Can you make your own lunch (or get somebody else to do that for you)?
Reduce your window of eating (e.g. have all your meals in 10hrs)? Or at least track when you first eat and last eat in a day and try to reduce that.
Snack on veg e.g. cherry tomatoes, carrot batons, sugarsnap peas
Can you do 30 plants a week?
One new recipe a week?

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"Stop putting it off" - Launching our Men's Health & Fitness season

The C3 Church — Sat, 06 Jan 2024 03:00:00 +0000

Byron Hosking hails from Melbourne Australia and is well known both for his professional musicianship leading us at the C3 Church and also for his international reputation as a music producer and mix engineer.

Since moving to London in 2012, Byron developed a musical career including leading worship at Hillsong and has played at some notable venues including Wembley, the O2, ExCel and Chelsea Football Club. He's also been vocal performance and music producer on various Australian & UK TV shows such as "Stage School" and "South Side Story".

Marrying Ami in 2016 they've since taken on the care and development of two sons and a dog called Harry.

But today it's not his music we're talking about. Byron talks about what first got him fitness-aware and how he sticks with the regime. There's some great nuggets of advice which every single one of us can learn from.

Scroll down the page to watch Byron's video by visiting The Barn Bootcamp and why not book-in for a consultation whilst you're there?

During the interview I also reference a Lancet article on premature death.

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Gold. Frankincense. Myrrh.

The C3 Church — Sat, 30 Dec 2023 03:00:00 +0000

Upcoming Series:

January? Health & Fitness
February? Forgiveness & Reconciliation
March? Hopefully two lighthearted episodes on DIY & over Easter; "Dying Well"

Three gifts we'd love in 2024:

GOLD: We want everybody to tell somebody about this podcast
FRANKINCENSE: We have vacancies on the team and not just for people called Frank
MYRRH: Bring us your guest suggestions. You might have heard them on the radio or another podcast show, or read about them in the Metro, or seen them on TV.

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C3 Advent Devotional 22: For unto us, a child is born

The C3 Church — Sun, 24 Dec 2023 03:00:00 +0000

Welcome to the C3 Advent 2023 series with this devotional written by our senior pastors, Steve & Angie Campbell.

One thing that seems so elusive in our world this Christmas is peace. Wars abound across the world and even in the very place where the Prince of Peace was born.

Yet on that first Christmas the angels declared:

Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favour rests. Luke 2v13-14

Did they get it wrong? Is peace possible?

No they didn’t get it wrong and yes because of the Prince of Peace, peace is not only possible but one day when all things will be made new lasting global, even cosmic, peace will be achieved.

… and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross. Colossians 1v20

Because of Jesus Christ we can have peace with God. Through our peace maker we can have peace with our neighbours and nations can and will unite to worship him.

After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could count, from every nation and all tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, and palm branches were in their hands. And they cry out with a loud voice saying, “Salvation to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb. Revelation 7v9-10

Until then we pray and work for peace.

May you know the peace of Christ this Christmas.

With love

Steve and Angie

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C3 Advent Devotional 21: Living In The Light of Christ

The C3 Church — Sat, 23 Dec 2023 03:00:00 +0000

Welcome to the C3 Advent 2023 series with this devotional written by Ascend Men.

Today's Scripture:

“For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light.” Ephesians 5:8

As we approach another Christmas, how can we approach this year with a renewed view of the light we live in?

How can we share this, the truth of the gospel and the real meaning of Christmas, with our friends, family and colleagues?

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C3 Advent Devotional 20: The Beauty of Kindness

The C3 Church — Fri, 22 Dec 2023 03:00:00 +0000

Welcome to the C3 Advent 2023 series with this devotional written by the Breathe Collective.

Today's Scripture:

“When she speaks, her words are wise, and she gives instructions with kindness.” Proverbs 31:26

Three practical ways to speak kindness and wisdom:

Pray
Listen
Be patient

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C3 Advent Devotional 19: Cheerfully Giving

The C3 Church — Thu, 21 Dec 2023 03:00:00 +0000

Welcome to the C3 Advent 2023 series with this devotional written by C3 Impact.

Today's Scripture:

“Give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you.” Luke 6:38

These words encapsulate the transformative principle of compassion—one that operates on the premise of generous and selfless giving.
Are we offering a stingy portion, or are we generously pouring out love, kindness, and resources to those in need?

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C3 Advent Devotional 18: Be the light of the world

The C3 Church — Wed, 20 Dec 2023 03:00:00 +0000

Welcome to the C3 Advent 2023 series with this devotional written by C3 Ascend Men.

Today's Scripture:

Love God. Love People.

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C3 Advent Devotional 17: Generosity Modeled by God

The C3 Church — Tue, 19 Dec 2023 03:00:00 +0000

Welcome to the C3 Advent 2023 series with this devotional written by Ascend Men.

Today's Scripture:

“Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” 2 Corinthians 9:7

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C3 Advent Devotional 16: Stir one another up

The C3 Church — Mon, 18 Dec 2023 03:00:00 +0000

Welcome to the C3 Advent 2023 series with this devotional written by the C3 ?? Ministry.

Today's Scripture:

“And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.” Hebrews 10:24-25

As sisters & brothers in Christ, let us inhale the spirit of consideration, contemplating how we can uplift and stir love and good works in the lives of those around us:

To Love and Good Works
Encouraging One Another

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C3 Advent Devotional 15: The Gift of Love

The C3 Church — Sun, 17 Dec 2023 03:00:00 +0000

Welcome to the C3 Advent 2023 series with this devotional written by the C3 Impact.

Today's Scripture:

“But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him?” 1 John 3:17

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C3 Advent Devotional 14: Embracing hope & be the light of the world

The C3 Church — Sat, 16 Dec 2023 03:00:00 +0000

Welcome to the C3 Advent 2023 series with this devotional written by Ascend Men.

Today's Scripture:

"For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope." Jeremiah 29:11

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C3 Advent Devotional 13: The Wise Men’s Journey of Faith

The C3 Church — Fri, 15 Dec 2023 03:00:00 +0000

Welcome to the C3 Advent 2023 series with this devotional written by the C3 Ascend Men.

Today's Scripture:

“Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” Matthew 2:2

Let’s be seekers this Christmas, and actively go looking for Jesus.

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C3 Advent Devotional 12: We are in this together

The C3 Church — Thu, 14 Dec 2023 03:00:00 +0000

Welcome to the C3 Advent 2023 series with this devotional written by the C3 Breathe Collective.

Today's Scripture:

“Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up!” Ecclesiastes 4:9-10

A Shared Toil
A Shared Burden
A Tapestry of Sisterhood

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C3 Advent Devotional 11: Lending to the Lord

The C3 Church — Wed, 13 Dec 2023 03:00:00 +0000

Welcome to the C3 Advent 2023 series with this devotional written by C3 Impact.

Today's Scripture:

“Whoever is generous to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will repay him for his deed.” Proverbs 19:17

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C3 Advent Devotional 10: Let your Light Shine

The C3 Church — Tue, 12 Dec 2023 03:00:00 +0000

Welcome to the C3 Advent 2023 series with this devotional written by C3 Youth.

Today's Scripture:

"In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven." Matthew 5:16

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C3 Advent Devotional 9: Joseph’s Silent Leadership

The C3 Church — Mon, 11 Dec 2023 03:00:00 +0000

Welcome to the C3 Advent 2023 series with this devotional written by our very own C3 Ascend Ministry.

Today's Scripture:

“When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife.” Matthew 1:24

Why do we have to make such a noise about things? Why does it often seem that we fail to just ‘serve’ without the want of a reward? Why do we so often need to be thanked and praised and seek adulation? ‘It would be lovely if they just appreciated me or said thank you.’

Listen-in!

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C3 Advent Devotional 8: Wisdom & Kindness

The C3 Church — Sun, 10 Dec 2023 03:00:00 +0000

Welcome to the C3 Advent 2023 series with this devotional written by the C3 Breathe Ministry.

Today's Scripture:

"Love each other with genuine affection and take delight in honoring each other." Romans 12:10

Three takeaways from today's episode:

Be patient & graceful.
Be resilient
Be honouring

Which one of the three things can you do this week?

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C3 Advent Devotional 7: Welcoming the Stranger

The C3 Church — Sat, 09 Dec 2023 03:00:00 +0000

Welcome to the C3 Advent 2023 series with this devotional written by the Impact ministry.

Today's Scripture:

“For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.” Matthew 25:35-36

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C3 Advent Devotional 6: The Lamp and the Light

The C3 Church — Fri, 08 Dec 2023 03:00:00 +0000

Welcome to the C3 Advent 2023 series with this devotional written by C3 Youth.

Today's Scripture:

“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” Psalm 119:105

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C3 Advent Devotional 5: The Advent of Strength

The C3 Church — Thu, 07 Dec 2023 03:00:00 +0000

Welcome to the C3 Advent 2023 series with this devotional written by the Ascend Men ministry.

Today's Scripture:

“But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” Isaiah 40:31

In the bible, there are many verses that tell us where the strength comes from. Verses like these:

Exodus 15:2 – The Lord is my strength and my song
Psalm 28:7 – The Lord is my strength and my shield
Psalm 46:1 – God is our refuge and strength
Isaiah 40:29 – He gives strength to the weary and power to the weak

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C3 Advent Devotional 4: The Sisterhood of Faith

The C3 Church — Wed, 06 Dec 2023 03:00:00 +0000

Welcome to the C3 Advent 2023 series with this devotional written by the Breathe ministry.

Today's Scripture:

"Therefore encourage and comfort one another and build up one another, just as you are doing.” 1 Thessalonians 5:11

3 tips on how to encourage people the God way:

1. Be intentional with what you say and how you say it.

"Don't use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them.” Ephesians 4:29

2. Be consistent

"But continually encourage one another every day, as long as it is called "Today" [and there is an opportunity], so that none of you will be hardened [into settled rebellion] by the deceitfulness of sin [its cleverness, delusive glamour, and sophistication].” Hebrews 3:13

3. Put others first

"Do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. Philippians 2:4

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C3 Advent Devotional 3: The Feast of Compassion

The C3 Church — Tue, 05 Dec 2023 03:00:00 +0000

Welcome to the C3 Advent 2023 series with this devotional written by the Impact ministry.

Today's Scripture:

“But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you. For you will be repaid at the resurrection of the just.” Luke 14:13-14

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C3 Advent Devotional 2: Embracing Hope & Be the Light of the World

The C3 Church — Mon, 04 Dec 2023 03:00:00 +0000

Welcome to the C3 Advent 2023 series with this devotional written by the Youth ministry.

“The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”
John 1:5

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C3 Advent Devotional 1: Voices of the Church

The C3 Church — Sun, 03 Dec 2023 03:00:00 +0000

Welcome to the C3 Advent 2023 series, kicking-off with our lead pastors, Steve & Angie Campbell.

We should be motivated to be:

“(…) steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labour is not in vain.”
1 Corinthians 15:58

Paul's lesson on Christ’s coming:

“So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be alert and self-controlled.”
1 Thessalonians 5:6

We work while we can because:

“Night is coming, when no one can work.”
John 9:4

Join us for the next 21 days until Steve & Angie close out with a special Christmas Eve message.

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Advent 2023 is about to begin

The C3 Church — Sat, 02 Dec 2023 03:00:00 +0000

Welcome to the C3 Advent 2023 series.

Steve & Angie introduce the series tomorrow, Sunday 3rd December and close us out with a special Christmas Eve message.

Between those you'll hear daily devotionals written by the four C3 ministry areas, being Ascend, Breathe, Youth and Impact.

We'll include scriptures in the show-notes.

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Ascend Men is that community.

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Boast

The C3 Church — Sat, 25 Nov 2023 03:00:00 +0000

“May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.”

Galations 6:14 NIV

Thanks to Luke Franks for writing and narrating this week's episode.
And we appreciate Patrick Leckie & Greg Barber who joined with Luke to reflect on it.

THE FUTURE OF ASCEND POD
76 episodes | Over 5,000 downloads | 36 different countries

A year in to the Ascend Podcast we ARE making an impact.

If we're to continue the trajectory we need help in TWO different areas.

Firstly, we're moving towards a mini-series format where we bunch together episodes covering a specific theme such as Health & Fitness, forgiveness, sport, tech and even DIY.

To make this work we need guests.

Men (AND women) who we can interview who have something to say on various topics.

Many of you will know somebody who has a story or a specific passion who fits the bill.

Perhaps an old school friend, somebody in your village, a voice you heard on the radio or even somebody who is already podcasting on a topic.

Whatever they're into, we need to know about them.

The second ask is for YOU to consider whether YOU could be on the team producing this great content.

Currently we're operating with a team that you could count on the toes of a rhinoceros foot.

We need researchers, interviewers, editors, writers.

For both the above, please email ascend@thec3.uk

UPCOMING ASCEND EVENTS

** TONIGHT **
Unschooled Ordinary Men - Christian Vision for Men
Venue: The C3 Church, Colchester, CO2 7FD
7:00 - 9:30pm 25th November 2023
Tickets here

“When they saw the boldness of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they marvelled and took note that these men had been with Jesus.” Acts 4:13

Men of Essex you are invited to come and see, to be part of a gathering of men looking to Jesus. CVM are launching a series of men’s events in 2024 which all point us to Jesus, and we start here.

The evening will be hosted by the CVM team, Carl Beech and Nathan Blackaby will be speaking with Graham Kendrick leading worship.

Colchester Christmas Curry Night - Saturday 2nd December - email here (ascend@thec3.uk)
Bury St Edmunds Christmas Dinner - Monday 11th December - sign up here.

To sign-up for our weekly inspiring emails, please complete the form here.

Ascend Men is that community.

Join our Facebook group or email us (ascend@thec3.uk) to hear more about our fantastic breakfasts in Cambridge, Bury and Colchester as well as our annual Summit in February and Camp in July.

"I've Got This" - Really?

The C3 Church — Sat, 18 Nov 2023 03:00:00 +0000

Credit for this episode goes to Justin Camp, WiRE Magazine.
Read by Jamie Davidson.

"A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity"

Proverbs 17:17

“. . . though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him—a threefold cord is not quickly broken”

Ecclesiastes 4:9-12

THE FUTURE OF ASCEND POD
76 episodes | Over 5,000 downloads | 36 different countries

A year in to the Ascend Podcast we ARE making an impact.

If we're to continue the trajectory we need help in TWO different areas.

Firstly, we're moving towards a mini-series format where we bunch together episodes covering a specific theme such as Health & Fitness, forgiveness, sport, tech and even DIY.

To make this work we need guests.

Men (AND women) who we can interview who have something to say on various topics.

Many of you will know somebody who has a story or a specific passion who fits the bill.

Perhaps an old school friend, somebody in your village, a voice you heard on the radio or even somebody who is already podcasting on a topic.

Whatever they're into, we need to know about them.

The second ask is for YOU to consider whether YOU could be on the team producing this great content.

Currently we're operating with a team that you could count on the toes of a rhinoceros foot.

We need researchers, interviewers, editors, writers.

For both the above, please email ascend@thec3.uk

UPCOMING ASCEND EVENTS

Unschooled Ordinary Men - Christian Vision for Men
Venue: The C3 Church, Colchester, CO2 7FD
7:00 - 9:30pm 25th November 2023
Tickets here

“When they saw the boldness of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they marvelled and took note that these men had been with Jesus.” Acts 4:13

Men of Essex you are invited to come and see, to be part of a gathering of men looking to Jesus. CVM are launching a series of men’s events in 2024 which all point us to Jesus, and we start here.

The evening will be hosted by the CVM team, Carl Beech and Nathan Blackaby will be speaking with Graham Kendrick leading worship.

Colchester Christmas Curry Night - Saturday 2nd December - email here (ascend@thec3.uk)
Bury St Edmunds Christmas Dinner - Monday 11th December - sign up here.

To sign-up for our weekly inspiring emails, please complete the form here.

Ascend Men is that community.

Join our Facebook group or email us (ascend@thec3.uk) to hear more about our fantastic breakfasts in Cambridge, Bury and Colchester as well as our annual Summit in February and Camp in July.

Lest We Forget

The C3 Church — Sat, 11 Nov 2023 03:00:00 +0000

This episode will be released on 11th November 2023, Armistice Day. So to commemorate that and show our appreciation to the British Armed Forces we are privileged to be talking with Padre Antony Wilson.

Instead of our usual episode ending, this week Antony will read The Exhortation (see below) after which we will play the traditional Last Post.

That is followed by two minutes of silence, broken by a Reveille and The Kohima Epitaph (below).

You don't HAVE to listen to this but it will take you just a few minutes so why not use it to explore the silence highlighted by Antony and honour those to whom we owe our freedom. And why not pray for those we hear about every day who are suffering in war-torn areas of the world.

The Exhortation:

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them.

The Kohima Epitaph:

When you go home, tell them of us and say,
For your tomorrow, we gave our today.

THE FUTURE OF ASCEND POD
76 episodes | Over 5,000 downloads | 36 different countries

A year in to the Ascend Podcast we ARE making an impact.

If we're to continue the trajectory we need help in TWO different areas.

Firstly, we're moving towards a mini-series format where we bunch together episodes covering a specific theme such as Health & Fitness, forgiveness, sport, tech and even DIY.

To make this work we need guests.

Men (AND women) who we can interview who have something to say on various topics.

Many of you will know somebody who has a story or a specific passion who fits the bill.

Perhaps an old school friend, somebody in your village, a voice you heard on the radio or even somebody who is already podcasting on a topic.

Whatever they're into, we need to know about them.

The second ask is for YOU to consider whether YOU could be on the team producing this great content.

Currently we're operating with a team that you could count on the toes of a rhinoceros foot.

We need researchers, interviewers, editors, writers.

For both the above, please email ascend@thec3.uk

UPCOMING ASCEND EVENTS

Men of Essex you are invited to come and see, to be part of a gathering of men looking to Jesus. CVM are launching a series of men’s events in 2024 which all point us to Jesus, and we start here.

The evening will be hosted by the CVM team, Carl Beech and Nathan Blackaby will be speaking with Graham Kendrick leading worship.

Colchester Christmas Curry Night - Saturday 2nd December - email here (ascend@thec3.uk)
Bury St Edmunds Christmas Dinner - Monday 11th December - sign up here.

To sign-up for our weekly inspiring emails, please complete the form here.

Ascend Men is that community.

Join our Facebook group or email us (ascend@thec3.uk) to hear more about our fantastic breakfasts in Cambridge, Bury and Colchester as well as our annual Summit in February and Camp in July.

Stronghold Verse 6 - Ephesians 6:10-18 (The Armour of God)

The C3 Church — Sat, 04 Nov 2023 03:00:00 +0000

This is our FINAL of the Stronghold Verses series. A huge thanks to Mike Harvey for writing and recording these.

The previous episodes have gone down really well so hopefully you know what these are all about. If not, listen to Mike's explanation at the start of the first episode of Series 5 titled "Stronghold Verse 1".

We've already explored "where your help comes from", how to "guard your heart", the need to "renew your strength", how to "be transformed" and how to "take captive every thought". Now we're going to round-off the series by putting on the "Full Armour of God".

Ephesians 6:10-18

“10Finally, be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. 11Put on the full armour of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13Therefore put on the full armour of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.”

We all feel under attack at times but as Mike says, when it comes to defence, we need to be dressed for the part. And in a battle, that means we need armour.

You probably know a bit about the belt of truth, breastplate of righteousness, boots, shield of faith and helmet of salvation. And then there's the sword of the Spirit and cloak of prayer.

Have a good listen to what Mike says and do an inventory of your armoury. A bet there's a bit of polishing, cleaning or upgrade required here and there.

UPCOMING ASCEND EVENTS

Men of Essex you are invited to come and see, to be part of a gathering of men looking to Jesus. CVM are launching a series of men’s events in 2024 which all point us to Jesus, and we start here.

The evening will be hosted by the CVM team, Carl Beech and Nathan Blackaby will be speaking with Graham Kendrick leading worship.

Find out more about our other upcoming events here.

To sign-up for our weekly inspiring emails, please complete the form here.

Ascend Men is that community.

Join our Facebook group or email us (ascend@thec3.uk) to hear more about our fantastic breakfasts in Cambridge, Bury and Colchester as well as our annual Summit in February and Camp in July.

A life-changing mouthful of food? "Simplicity" by Tony Smith

The C3 Church — Sat, 28 Oct 2023 03:00:00 +0100

74 Episodes / 5,000 Downloads / 36 Countries
The Ascend Men Podcast launched 5th Nov 2022 and we have great plans for 2024.
To deliver on these we need GUESTS and we need YOUR help to find them.
Please contact alan.colley@thec3.uk and we can figure out how they fit-in to our mini-series plans and how to get in touch with them.
-----

A life-changing mouthful of food? "Simplicity" by Tony Smith
It’s time for another short yet inspiring and challenging message from our man-in-Singapore, Tony Smith.

Can a mouthful of food really change your life?

Just like the simple dish he was eating, God was speaking to Tony about THREE ingredients to a fulfilling life:

Slow down - nobody needs to be in that much of a hurry
Look around you - there are miracles everywhere, including in your own life.
What you need is simplicity. You don’t need to be flashy, fancy or remarkable. You don’t need to be spectacular.

UPCOMING ASCEND EVENTS

Men of Essex you are invited to come and see, to be part of a gathering of men looking to Jesus. CVM are launching a series of men’s events in 2024 which all point us to Jesus, and we start here.

The evening will be hosted by the CVM team, Carl Beech and Nathan Blackaby will be speaking with Graham Kendrick leading worship.

Find out more about our other upcoming events here.

To sign-up for our weekly inspiring emails, please complete the form here.

Ascend Men is that community.

Join our Facebook group or email us (ascend@thec3.uk) to hear more about our fantastic breakfasts in Cambridge, Bury and Colchester as well as our annual Summit in February and Camp in July.

To Befriend or Be a friend

The C3 Church — Sat, 21 Oct 2023 03:00:00 +0100

Today we find out about Hope Into Action (HIA) a UK charity, founded in 2010.

They stand on the principle… that everyone has the right to a home, and churches have the power to meet the tragedy of homelessness in their community. They partner with churches to enable them to house and support the homeless. They welcome people of all faiths and none, all ethnicities and sexualities.

Joining us on the podcast are Jonathan Tame - who has been working two days a week for 18 months, as an Empowerment Worker for HIA. Jonathan lives with Helene, one of his 5 children, a three-legged cat in St Neots and supports Liverpool FC.

In addition, we are joined by Kevin McIntryre - who has been a ‘befriender’ for HIA for the last 2 years. Kevin lives with wife Lisa, two children and too many pets including a bearded dragon! Kevin has been calling C3 home for nearly 20 years.

Find out more about HIA here and watch their 50th home video.

UPCOMING ASCEND EVENTS

A night out with the boys
POSTPONED..
A HUGE thank you to those who signed-up for tonight’s social in Bury. Sadly there weren’t enough of you so we’re going to try to find a new date in the hope we get a better response next time.

Men of Essex you are invited to come and see, to be part of a gathering of men looking to Jesus. CVM are launching a series of men’s events in 2024 which all point us to Jesus, and we start here.

The evening will be hosted by the CVM team, Carl Beech and Nathan Blackaby will be speaking with Graham Kendrick leading worship.

Find out more about our other upcoming events here.

To sign-up for our weekly inspiring emails, please complete the form here.

Ascend Men is that community.

Join our Facebook group or email us (ascend@thec3.uk) to hear more about our fantastic breakfasts in Cambridge, Bury and Colchester as well as our annual Summit in February and Camp in July.

Shalom Israel with Colin Symes

The C3 Church — Sat, 14 Oct 2023 03:00:00 +0100

With the developments in Israel over the last week, we've interrupted our planned schedule to talk more about this difficult topic with a great longstanding friend of mine, Colin Symes.

Born in London, Colin spent his first two years a stones' throw from Kings Cross Station which accounts for his love of transport, particularly trains and trams. The family relocated to Billericay, Essex and Colin committed his life to Christ at the age of 10 and quoting Colin, Jesus not only became his best friend but also the "Managing Director" of his life.

From 1975 he studied for a Bachelor of Divinity at New College, the University of Edinburgh and during this time attended the Pentecostal church which later became Edinburgh City Fellowship.He developed from Housegroup leader to Congregational leader and eventually gave up full time work at the DHSS to become Elder i.e. Minister of the church. He married Ann in 1983 and fathered three children, all of whom were in the kids church that I used to run.

You can get an insight into Colin by looking at his profile on Facebook and checking people Colin likes of which there are 5; St Cuthbert, St Mungo, St Aidan, St Columba & Jesus Christ.

We want to be clear that this Q&A isn't about the detail of the current conflict - you can get that from news channels and commentators and we're recording this on Wed 11th Oct so a lot may change before it drops on Saturday. The objective is to dig into the spiritual and biblical background of what's happening which isn't generally in the mainstream media.

If you want a MUCH deeper understanding of Jewish history, please get hold of the three volumes of "The Story of the Jews" in which Simon Schama details the story of the Jewish experience, tracing it across three millennia, from their beginnings as an ancient tribal people to the opening of the New World in 1492 to the modern day.

UPCOMING ASCEND EVENTS

A night out with the boys
We have a minimum number to make this event viable - if you're thinking of signing-up but leaving it to the last minute, please get your name down NOW (along with any guests) otherwise we may cancel it before you get a chance.

Venue: The Lounge, 2 Hatter Street, Bury St Edmunds IP33 1LZ
7:00 – 9:00pm 21st October 2023
Sign up here

An evening of entertainment with local hero and man of music, a brain teasing all age quiz with ‘interesting prizes’ and a special guest appearance by our very own Steve Campbell.

An evening not to be missed. Bring as many friends as you can but let us know first when you register. There are no ticket prices so that any man of any age can attend but do please buy drinks, cakes and snacks to help us cover the cost of the venue. It will be fun, friendly and generally fabulous.

Men of Essex you are invited to come and see, to be part of a gathering of men looking to Jesus. CVM are launching a series of men’s events in 2024 which all point us to Jesus, and we start here.

The evening will be hosted by the CVM team, Carl Beech and Nathan Blackaby will be speaking with Graham Kendrick leading worship.

Find out more about our other upcoming events here.

To sign-up for our weekly inspiring emails, please complete the form here.

Ascend Men is that community.

Join our Facebook group or email us (ascend@thec3.uk) to hear more about our fantastic breakfasts in Cambridge, Bury and Colchester as well as our annual Summit in February and Camp in July.

Stronghold Verse 5 - 2 Corinthians 10v5 (Take captive every thought)

The C3 Church — Sat, 07 Oct 2023 03:00:00 +0100

It's the first Saturday of the month so it's time for another of our stronghold verses series.

We've already explored "where your help comes from", how to "guard your heart" and "renew your strength" and how to "be transformed". Today it's time to "Take captive every thought" by looking at 2 Corinthians 10v5

2 Corinthians 10:5

We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.

This is a more aggressive kind of stronghold. Some strongholds you simply shelter in or take comfort from; others need to be more proactive. As Christians we shouldn’t only ever be on the defensive – we can and should be on the offensive. Some of us need to be bolder in our faith. This kind of muscular Christianity won’t be to everyone’s tastes – some don’t like confrontation and some think that it doesn’t become men and women of God. I respectfully disagree. It might come easier to some than to others, but we all need to be more muscular in our faith – mentally and spiritually vigorous.

UPCOMING ASCEND EVENTS

A night out with the boys
Venue: The Lounge, 2 Hatter Street, Bury St Edmunds IP33 1LZ
7:00 – 9:00pm 21st October 2023
Sign up here

An evening of entertainment with local hero and man of music, a brain teasing all age quiz with ‘interesting prizes’ and a special guest appearance by our very own Steve Campbell.

Men of Essex you are invited to come and see, to be part of a gathering of men looking to Jesus. CVM are launching a series of men’s events in 2024 which all point us to Jesus, and we start here.

The evening will be hosted by the CVM team, Carl Beech and Nathan Blackaby will be speaking with Graham Kendrick leading worship.

Find out more about our other upcoming events here.

To sign-up for our weekly inspiring emails, please complete the form here.

Ascend Men is that community.

Join our Facebook group or email us (ascend@thec3.uk) to hear more about our fantastic breakfasts in Cambridge, Bury and Colchester as well as our annual Summit in February and Camp in July.

What's in a name? - William Thompson

The C3 Church — Sat, 30 Sep 2023 03:00:00 +0100

William Thompson
William Thompson is passionate about the importance of names, their role in our lives, and the way they’re used in our relationships with others. This interest was sparked by his personal name journey and his formative experiences in Africa as a teenager, when he first was introduced to an intentionality behind naming.

William’s Christian faith is the foundation that underpins his unique ability to listen well, offer deep compassion and lead others. From the unemployed to executives, he inspires and equips individuals and groups with his writing, coaching, and training.

William is a carpenter, communicator and sports nut. London born and bred, he’s based in Liverpool, although often on adventures elsewhere with Annika and his three children.

The Book: "Why does your name matter"

Your name matters, both to you and to those who chose it. And it feels good when others show you that your name matters to them, too. It’s a bridge between you: using each other’s names builds a connection and helps you relate to each other.

Exploring the ‘why’ behind your name is profound. The person who gave you your name intended to convey something essential about who you are. But most of us rarely think about their intention and how that relates to our lives.

Why Does Your Name Matter? encourages you to open windows of insight into the world of names, revealing aspects of names and naming you hadn’t considered before. Discovering the intentions behind your name – and those of others – provides a powerful tool for connection and reconciliation.

This is a journey into names and naming, from your heritage and the legacy of family names, to the ways in which names work in different cultures, to the responsibility of choosing names for the next generation. This book will revolutionise the way you see yourself and others.

UPCOMING ASCEND EVENTS

A night out with the boys
Venue: The Lounge, 2 Hatter Street, Bury St Edmunds IP33 1LZ
7:00 – 9:00pm 21st October 2023

An evening of entertainment with local hero and man of music, a brain teasing all age quiz with ‘interesting prizes’ and a special guest appearance by our very own Steve Campbell.

Find out more about our other upcoming events here.

To sign-up for our weekly inspiring emails, please complete the form here.

Ascend Men is that community.

Join our Facebook group or email us (ascend@thec3.uk) to hear more about our fantastic breakfasts in Cambridge, Bury and Colchester as well as our annual Summit in February and Camp in July.

Lead Where You Are

The C3 Church — Sat, 23 Sep 2023 03:00:00 +0100

Today we have the pleasure of talking with Steve Campbell who made his first appearance on the Ascend podcast back on 31st December 2022. So if you want a more complete introduction head back to Episode 1 of Series 3. You'll also find out whether fishing trumps a Liverpool FC match for Steve as well as whether he's a Marmite man and what his schoolfriends said about him.

As if leading the team at The C3 Church isn't enough for Steve and his wife Angie, they are also the National Directors of the Global Leadership Network UK&I. And it's in that capacity that we're talking today.

If you’re already switching off because you don’t feel you qualify as a “Leader” please listen-in to find out why this is for YOU.

If you're thinking of getting more involved in Ascend and you're interested in attending on the 12th October, be one of the first 3 to get in touch with me, Alan Colley (email ascend@thec3.uk) and we'll fund your place.

LEAD WHERE YOU ARE
12 October 2023 | The C3 Centre | GLOBALLEADERSHIP.UK
At the Global Leadership Summit, you will experience new ideas, actionable concepts, and inspiring stories, while learning from a diverse faculty who will share their wisdom and practical perspective to support you in your leadership growth. Book in with the C3 family discount using the code C3FAMILY for 20% off.
Book your tickets here.

And if you can't be there or any of the other UK events, head to globalleadership.uk to sign up for GLS+ and register for the Digital Day in April 2024.

UPCOMING ASCEND EVENTS
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Ascend Men is that community.

Join our Facebook group or email us (ascend@thec3.uk) to hear more about our fantastic breakfasts in Cambridge, Bury and Colchester as well as our annual Summit in February and Camp in July.

Concrete Rose - Mike Farrington

The C3 Church — Sat, 16 Sep 2023 03:00:00 +0100

Born 13th August 1982 when the No1 songs in the US were "Eye of the Tiger" by Survivor and "Come on Eileen" by Dexy's Midnight Runners, Mike hails from Preston, Lancashire. Since graduating in geography at the University of Cambridge in 2003 he's worked for The Princes Trust and Romsey Mill before founding Concrete Rose in November 2020.

Concrete Rose is a Community Interest Company (CIC) with a Christian ethos and a determination to both deliver, and equip others to provide, first-class care and support for the most vulnerable young people across the UK. They work alongside, and support, those of all faiths (and none), all ethnicities, all genders and all sexualities.

Click here for a copy of "The Rose That Grew From Concrete" poem by Tupac Shakur.

Website: www.concreterose.co.uk
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IoFwjG1FNAc&t=26ssocial
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ConcreteRoseCIC/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ConcreteRoseCIC
Insta: https://www.instagram.com/concreterosecic/
Contact: mike@concreterose.co.uk // 07881 926728

UPCOMING ASCEND EVENTS
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The Call To Courage - Pete McAllen

The C3 Church — Sat, 09 Sep 2023 03:00:00 +0100

Pete McAllen was born to faithful Christian parents in a Suffolk town called Eye, which with a population of around 2,000 people is a very small place. After moving to the metropolis of Diss he started to show early signs of his musical talent, picking up the violin at age 7. Later his high school music teacher said he was a "natural performer" and he was soon wrapping his fingers round the frets of the guitar from around 15.

He met New Zealander Lizzie in 2009 and they married three years later and now have two beautiful daughters. He's worked for Christian Aid, been music director and worship pastor at The C3 church and is now the Director of MacAllen Music Ltd.

Musically, Pete and his band, Pyramid Park are developing a great reputation after touring Europe and the US, playing at festivals all over the world and releasing 3 albums:

"I hear your voice" 2014
"Vulnerability" 2017
"Not An Island" 2020

His music has been described as "Lush, vibrant, mysterious, immersive and lustrous".

Find Pete on his YouTube channel or on Spotify.

Grab your album pre-order bundle for the album here.
Merchandise can be purchased from the Pyramid Park Store.
And for all other info head to the Pyramid Park website.

UPCOMING ASCEND EVENTS
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Ascend Men is that community.

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Stronghold Verse 4 - Romans 12v2 (Be Transformed)

The C3 Church — Sat, 02 Sep 2023 03:00:00 +0100

It's the first Saturday of the month so it's time for another of our stronghold verses series.

We've already explored "where your help comes from", how to "guard your heart" and how to "renew your strength". Now it's time to "be transformed" by looking at Romans 12.

Romans 12 v1-2

Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God – this is your true and proper worship.
Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – His good, pleasing and perfect will.

Romans 12:2 is a stronghold for the mind, a place of renewal, transformation and strengthening. It’s a blatantly counter-cultural verse because it starts with the command ‘Do not conform to the pattern of this world”. It’s so easy to do just that, because we’re immersed in this world and surrounded by people and institutions whose worldview is focused on and limited to this world. Most people are living just for this life, for the here and now. The pattern of this world is selfishness, me-centred living and the pursuit of power, possessions, pleasure and prestige. All the time we’re egged on in our selfishness by the consumerism of our culture that saturates every media form and bombards us with material messages until we think that’s all there is.

Paul doesn’t want us to live like that. God doesn’t want us to live like that. We’re to live a different lifestyle and have a different worldview. The counter-cultural lifestyle that Paul envisaged is laid out in verses 9-21: devotion to one another, hospitality, selflessness, restraint, generosity and overcoming evil with good. Similar passages can be found in Ephesians 4:17-5:21 and Galatians 5:13-6-10. The different worldview is one where we’re striving towards our real home in heaven and viewing everything in this world through the lens of service to Jesus – the upside down Kingdom seen in many of Jesus’ parables. As Paul says in Philippians 3:20: “But our citizenship is in heaven.”

But the important thing for now is that this shift in thinking and perspective takes place in the mind. Our mind is the key to transformation: ‘but be transformed by the renewing of your mind’. Note, this isn’t us transforming ourselves because we can’t renew our minds; no this is about letting God transform us and letting God renew our minds. There’s a temptation in Christian circles sometimes to underplay and undervalue the role of our minds in faith, but Romans 12:2 makes clear that it’s a crucial component. Following Jesus doesn’t rely on blind faith where we just switch off our minds, nor does it engage the heart only. No, Jesus appeals to every part of us and wants every part of us to honour Him. That’s why Jesus says in Mark 12:30: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.”

Do you ever get the sense that you’re not accessing all that God has for you? Do you want to know more of His will for your life? Do you feel trapped in particular habits, sinful practices or harmful patterns of thinking? Even after coming to faith in Christ it’s easy to feel like that, unable to give ourselves fully to the cause of Jesus and live up to what we feel is expected of us. Sometimes it’s hard to honour God fully and to know what He wants for and from us. This verse shows us that the renewal of our minds is key to breaking these limitations and realising God’s plan for us.

God’s will for our lives is not just good nor even just pleasing, it’s actually perfect. It’s the very best we could hope for, perfectly suited to us and the fulfilment of all our potential, with blessings like we couldn’t even imagine. The end of verse 2 calls us to ‘test and approve’ God’s will, but the words ‘Then you will be able to’ establishes a key sequence and progression: it’s only possible once our minds have been renewed. That has to happen first. It’s also tied to wholehearted, day-in-day-out worship, which is what verse 1 is all about.

If you need transformation, if you want to reset your thinking, if you want to unlock your full potential in Christ, you need to have your mind renewed. Come to this stronghold as often as it takes until that renewal happens. It’s not a one-time thing, we have to be renewed again and again because outside this stronghold the tug of the world is constantly trying to pull us back into bad habits and self-centred thinking. Make this your go-to stronghold, and take refuge in it against all the lies and empty promises of a world that’s going nowhere. Instead focus on the God who offers You eternal life and the privilege of helping others get there too. Forget mindfulness, aim for a Christ-renewed mind instead.

What do we learn here? God is ‘everlasting’. He is both ‘the Creator of the ends of the earth’ and ‘The Lord’ (that is, Yahweh), the covenant God who is passionate about relationship with us. Therefore God is both powerful and present, awesome and accessible. We can know Him, but ‘His understanding no one can fathom’, which means He’s beyond our understanding and infinitely wise. He also doesn’t grow tired, there’s no limit to His power or energy. This is a neat little portrait of God. Like so many other beautiful passages in Scripture it’s just a brief snapshot, which means you have to read the whole Bible and put them all together to get the complete picture of who God is, but it’s reassuring and wonderful all the same.
---
Written and narrated by Mike Harvey
You can see more of Michael's writing on his website: www.mjhmusings.wordpress.com and www.worldofastrom.com or by following @worldofastrom on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

UPCOMING EVENTS
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Get Connected

The C3 Church — Sat, 26 Aug 2023 03:00:00 +0100

We launched the Ascend Men podcast on the 5th November last year with the intention of running a pilot for a couple of months. The plan was to get your feedback in February or March and based on that, decide whether to continue and in what format. And here we are 65 episodes later. Wow, who would have believed that?

I really can't say this strongly enough, please encourage others to listen. I'm staggered how many people still don't know we're doing these and I challenge every one of you to spread the word. If something impacts you one week, don't keep it to yourself. Message a few friends or post something on Facebook.

Remember, together we ARE stronger.

"GET CONNECTED"
Today's episode is adapted from a message from Justin Camp of Wired Magazine. And it's narrated by Greg Barber who has been struggling with Covid symptoms as he recorded this.

---

UPCOMING EVENTS
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Like a child - Tony Smith

The C3 Church — Sat, 19 Aug 2023 03:00:00 +0100

I've yet to encounter anybody who doesn't find Tony Smith a source of inspiration and encouragement. This is short but is uplifting and packed with direction. We can all do more of what Tony suggests.

Recording this in Singapore, Tony is one of our global contributors who has a huge heart for C3 and Ascend Men.

'At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who, then, is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?”'
Matthew 18:1

'And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me.'
Matthew 18:3-5

Please remember to like & comment in your podcast player and share this with somebody who will also benefit from it.

UPCOMING EVENTS
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Pushed by the Spirit - Luke Franks

The C3 Church — Sat, 12 Aug 2023 03:00:00 +0100

Luke Franks was born in an Army field hospital in Germany but has lived most of his life in Cambridgeshire, now residing in Haverhill with his lovely wife Shelby and two cute daughters. His first job was a paper-round and he must have done it well because he was soon promoted to be a shop-assistant in the same corner-store.

A couple of football facts - he's a Chelsea supporter (so hasn't had a great year) but once refereed a match involving Fran Kirby who went on to represent England at the 2015 and 2019 Women's World Cups.

This episode refers to Paul Reid speaking on "Jesus passes by in the most unusual places" at C3 on Sunday 6th March 2023. You can hear the whole talk on YouTube.

UPCOMING EVENTS
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Stronghold Verse 3 - Isaiah 40 (Renew Your Strength)

The C3 Church — Sat, 05 Aug 2023 03:00:00 +0100

It's the first Saturday of the month so it's time for another of our stronghold verses series.

Hopefully you've caught one of our previous episodes and know what these are all about. If not, listen to Mike's explanation of why we all need some of these Stronghold Verses at the start of the first episode of Series 5 titled "Stronghold Verse 1".

We've already explored where your help comes from and how to guard your heart. Now it's time to Renew your strength by looking at Isaiah 40.

Isaiah40v28-31

Do you not know?
Have you not heard?
The Lord is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary,
and his understanding no one can fathom.
He gives strength to the weary
and increases the power of the weak.
Even youths grow tired and weary,
and young men stumble and fall;
but those who hope in the Lord
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint.

This stronghold is in Isaiah. These are some of my favourite verses in the whole Bible, ones which have stuck with me from a very young age. When I was a new Christian most of the book of Isaiah went right over my head, but here were these verses, highlighted blue in a book that otherwise puzzled me. These verses are so clear and so universally applicable. They contain timeless truths about God and capture the unchanging challenge of being human which we all share.

Why does Isaiah start it with ‘Do you not know? Have you not heard?’ Because it’s easy to forget these things. Most of us have known them at least in part at one time or another, but we tend to forget, or let it lodge only in our heads, not in our hearts. The relentless pressures of life have a way of driving these truths out of our thinking so that we need to be constantly reminded. Sometimes we act as if God isn’t all-powerful, or as if He isn’t the master of everything, or as if He doesn’t have everything we need. This stronghold reminds us that all those things are true. It grounds us in who God is, which, in turn, unlocks what we need.

And what do we need? We need strength and energy. We need hope and purpose. We are frail, flawed and faulty human beings. We run out of strength rapidly and lose energy quickly. We’re accident-prone, fallible and get knocked down a lot. We all grow weary, we all lose heart, and we all stumble. Tell me that’s not true? Some more than others, true, but Isaiah goes out of his way to show that this is true for all of us. ‘Even youths grow tired’ and even ‘young men stumble’. If the strongest among us grow weak, or the best among us stumble, then we all share this need of rejuvenation. We all need power from God to do what is impossible on our own resources. We all need fresh heart put into us because we all despair and give up at times. We all need limitless grace because we all sin and all make mistakes.

What do you do when life gets tough? What do you do when you get tired, discouraged or beaten? We all have a choice. We can either rely on ourselves, and continue tired, discouraged and beaten, or we can rely on God, and find energy, courage and victory. The key promise is there in verse 31: ‘those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength’. This heavenly resource is only available for those who choose to access it. The faithless and self-centred can forget it. No one is discounted except those who discount themselves by relying on themselves.

Do you want to renew your strength? You have to hope in the Lord. Trust Him. Rely on Him. Turn to Him always. Do you want to be able to run the race of life without giving up? Do you want to walk this road without collapsing? Do you want to ‘soar on wings like eagles’? Then you’ve got to hope in God. When we do so we find everything we need and more. It’s not just a little boost – soaring with eagles means thriving and living life to the max. Who doesn’t want that?

This is a stronghold for recharging your strength. Come here to refresh yourself and pick yourself back up after a knock. Come here and rest for a while when life hits you hard. In this stronghold you remember who God is and realise who you are not. The good news is, the entry is free and the power supply is inexhaustible. Come as often as you need, no matter how fast your batteries seem to drain. God will renew you.

UPCOMING EVENTS
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Create a proud reflection - Fitness Rush

The C3 Church — Sat, 29 Jul 2023 03:00:00 +0100

This week we are hearing from Liam Rushmer who is the Founder & Fitness Professional, at Fitness Rush Ltd. He was born in Huntingdon, raised in St Ives and now lives in Sutton near Ely. Married in 2016 he's the very proud father of two daughters aged 2 and 5. And with relatives in Orlando, those girls are getting to see plenty of Mickey and Minnie.

Why not come along and meet him and see his mobile gym at the C3 Centre, 2 Brooks Road, Cambridge CB1 3HR. You can find out more on the C3 Wellness area of the fitness rush website.

UPCOMING EVENTS
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Unity & Humility - Adrian Semerene

The C3 Church — Sat, 22 Jul 2023 03:00:00 +0100

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 basketball.

In Francis Chan's synopsis of his own book "Until Unity", he writes that "Despite what many in the church say, doctrine is not at the root of most division. The main problem is the shallowness or non-existence of our love for each other, which comes from a shallowness in our understanding of the gospel." Adrian gives a big Amen to this but goes a little further - that we all need a big dose of humility if we are to encourage unity.

UPCOMING EVENTS
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Call and Response - Nathan Blackaby, Ascend Summit 23

The C3 Church — Sat, 15 Jul 2023 03:00:00 +0100

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 suggest you review these below as you listen to the podcast.

Slide Images - see the whole folder of images by clicking here or choose individual slides from the list below:
"Call and Response" title slide
Lighthouse
Describe yourself in three words
Google images of Jesus
Homeless man 1
Homeless man 2
Homeless man 3
Chilean Miners
Build a gravestone
Brazilian drug addict - it is NOT OVER with Jesus.

UPCOMING ASCEND EVENTS
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He dared to believe - Dr Terence Ascott

The C3 Church — Sat, 08 Jul 2023 03:00:00 +0100

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 1995 launched SAT-7, the first Arabic-language Christian satellite-TV channel. This has grown from a two-hour a week broadcast, to a network of four 24 hour channels, with 200 employees in offices in Egypt, Lebanon, Turkey, Cyprus and the UK.

Terry served as the CEO until April 2019 and in 2021 published the incredible story of the highs and lows of this journey through the book "Dare to Believe! Stories from the Middle East". It's an inspiring book - buy a copy!

For more information head to the SAT-7 UK Website or get a great 3.5min intro on Youtube.

UPCOMING ASCEND EVENTS
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Stronghold Verse 2 - Proverbs 4:23 (Guard your heart)

The C3 Church — Sat, 01 Jul 2023 03:00:00 +0100

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 Stronghold Verse is very short but a challenge to all of us.

“Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.” - Proverbs 4:23

This is a stronghold for protecting your heart. It’s a verse for your heart to camp out in. Our hearts need protecting. There’s a lot of danger out there in this broken world, not danger that will harm you physically – that’s a whole other matter – but danger that will enter into your heart and damage it from the inside. Pride. Envy. Greed. Bitterness. Fear. Loneliness. The list goes on. There’s a lot of things that could come into your heart and corrupt it.

So our hearts need to be guarded. Why? That linking word ‘for’ tells us: because ‘everything you do flows from it’. All our efforts and activities, all our emotions and hopes and dreams and aspirations, all our connections, relationships, responsibilities and projects come from our heart. If our heart’s not in it, we don’t do any of that stuff. You could be going through the motions, but you can’t really do anything effectively if your heart’s not in it. All your energy and effectiveness flows from your heart.

So there’s a lot at stake here. If we let our hearts become proud, we put ourselves at variance with God. If we let our hearts become envious, we’ll no longer work well in team. If we let our hearts become bitter, we lose our life-force and our ability to trust others. If we let our hearts become fearful, we’ll hang back from all the things we could achieve and miss out on so many opportunities. If we let our hearts become cold, we can no longer be warm to others.

We must keep our hearts healthy. Why do we spend so much time thinking and worrying about and monitoring our physical health and pay so little attention to our heart health? If may take time, but the slow build-up of these corrupting attitudes will cripple our hearts in a way that’s far more harmful than ever a major external injury. Our hearts could become ugly, diseased, hardened, cut off from others. We need to regularly inspect our hearts and see if any of this crap is inside. If it is, get rid of it! Do something about it! It’s so much easier to rinse off a little stain than to perform complete heart surgery on an organ gone wholly bad.

How do we guard our hearts? Verse 23 doesn’t tell us, and neither does verse 24. Paying attention to all the good advice in the rest of this chapter, and the whole book of Proverbs for that matter, is a good start. But really we need to read the whole Bible. The answers are scattered throughout it. We need to hang around with Godly people who can keep watch over us in ways we can’t do for ourselves. We need to give generously of our time, treasure and talents, so that we don’t become selfish, acquisitive, inward-focused people. We need to spend regular time with God. We need to allow God to change our perspective on things so that we stop seeing slights where there are none and to be gracious with people who have genuinely wronged us.

Above all else, we need to believe in Jesus, trust Him, and keep our eyes fixed on Him. When we do, Jesus promises to give us ‘a spring of water welling up to eternal life’ (John 4:14). That’s the mark of a healthy heart. Unrestricted flow. Capacity made limitless by being plugged into an inexhaustible divine supply.

Now unlike other strongholds this one is not about hiding behind walls. In fact, that’s the very opposite of what this verse encourages, the worst thing you could do. Very often we respond to setbacks and hurts by retreating into our shells or putting up defences of one kind or another. We build walls around our hearts, thinking that will protect us from getting hurt again. But we couldn’t be more wrong. All that does is shut us down and cut us off. No this stronghold is about reminding us to dare to come out from behind our fortifications and be open and loving with other people. We guard our hearts by keeping them open. How can anything flow from our hearts if we’ve build a ruddy great wall around it? That will block the flow until either it dries up in spiritual death or drowns us in lost potential and might-have-beens.

Of course it’s scary to come out, to leave ourselves open. Vulnerability is something usually avoided, but it’s vital to a healthy heart. It takes enormous courage. You will still get hurt, no way to stop that. But at least if your heart is open the hurts can heal; but a fortified heart under siege will just keep getting battered with no hope of relief. This stronghold is about being strong enough to come out and leave a different kind of stronghold, a human-powered, self-destructive one.

And one last thing. See how this verse starts with ‘Above all else’? Guess what that means? This is more important than anything else. Keeping your heart healthy is vital to everything else you do or hope to do. Everything else gets built on the foundation of a healthy heart, not the other way around. Put your heart last and everything else will suffer. Above all else we need hearts like Jesus. We need a heart for Jesus. We need hearts right with Jesus. A healthy heart means accepting God’s righteousness every day, and then giving it away freely in love for others.

So come to this stronghold daily, read this verse often. Let it remind you to regularly do a spiritual heart check-up, and let it embolden you to break the walls down and come out to live wholeheartedly for God.

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Biblical perspectives on gender - Becky Ingamells

The C3 Church — Sat, 24 Jun 2023 03:00:00 +0100

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 regarded as characteristic of men or boys. An example phrase being: "handsome, muscled, and driven, he's a prime example of masculinity".

So how does Becky define masculinity?
What does the Bible say about masculinity?
Is masculinity biological, social, spiritual, cultural?

And what about "toxic masculinity"?

Through our discussion, Becky offers a wonderful mission statement for Ascend Men which is to
"create places and contexts where relationships can authentically be built".
YES to that! That's exactly what we'll be doing next weekend, see below:

ASCEND CAMP 23- ONLY 1 WEEK TO GO
Friday 30th June to Saturday 1st July 2023.
Put 100 guys in the middle of a forest with mouth-watering food, a warming bonfire, music, inspiring & informative words and for those who like them - a few easy challenges including a climbing wall.. and it's hardly surprising they come back changed-men. If you want to be sure of getting a place and having a shot at the climbing wall, please sign up asap here.

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Fathers and father figures

The C3 Church — Sat, 17 Jun 2023 03:00:00 +0100

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 the same reaction.

Whether you have children or not, who wouldn't want to leave a legacy like these?

You may find yourself measuring your fathers against what you hear but please be gracious. Only our Heavenly Father excels at everything.

Just in case you feel this isn’t for you because you’re not a father or you’re hurting because you can’t be a father, wait until I come back with an important message for ALL of you.

My heart for this episode was to have a contribution from a particular young man who doesn’t have a present dad in his life, but who has found a father figure to look up to. I asked him but he declined. Why? Because he hasn’t found one in this community. He’s a fine young man walking in his faith but if this saddens you as it does me..
Maybe you could advocate for the fatherless?

Why not take someone along with you to watch the football or play a game of pool?

Or just find out their name, say hello and take an interest in them.

Let’s aspire that every young person can one day talk about father figures who God has used to inspire them, just like those we’re hearing from here.

Here's what our young adults said their Dads have demonstrated:

Being quick to forgive & slow to anger
A servant heart
The value of worship
Constancy & prioritisation of faith
Patience & grace
Having a heart of generosity

ASCEND CAMP 23
Friday 30th June to Saturday 1st July 2023.
Put 100 guys in the middle of a forest with mouth-watering food, a warming bonfire, music, inspiring & informative words and for those who like them - a few easy challenges including a climbing wall.. and it's hardly surprising they come back changed-men. If you want to be sure of getting a place and having a shot at the climbing wall, please sign up asap here.

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Mighty Men - Tim Robertson, Ascend Summit 23

The C3 Church — Sat, 10 Jun 2023 03:00:00 +0100

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, was chief of the Three; he raised his spear against eight hundred men, whom he killed in one encounter.

Next to him was Eleazar son of Dodai the Ahohite. As one of the three mighty warriors, he was with David when they taunted the Philistines gathered at Pas Dammim for battle. Then the Israelites retreated, but Eleazar stood his ground and struck down the Philistines till his hand grew tired and froze to the sword. The Lord brought about a great victory that day. The troops returned to Eleazar, but only to strip the dead.

Next to him was Shammah son of Agee the Hararite. When the Philistines banded together at a place where there was a field full of lentils, Israel’s troops fled from them. But Shammah took his stand in the middle of the field. He defended it and struck the Philistines down, and the Lord brought about a great victory.

During harvest time, three of the thirty chief warriors came down to David at the cave of Adullam, while a band of Philistines was encamped in the Valley of Rephaim. At that time David was in the stronghold, and the Philistine garrison was at Bethlehem. David longed for water and said, “Oh, that someone would get me a drink of water from the well near the gate of Bethlehem!” So the three mighty warriors broke through the Philistine lines, drew water from the well near the gate of Bethlehem and carried it back to David. But he refused to drink it; instead, he poured it out before the Lord. “Far be it from me, Lord, to do this!” he said. “Is it not the blood of men who went at the risk of their lives?” And David would not drink it.

Such were the exploits of the three mighty warriors.

Ten Challenges:

Show Up - Just like Josheb, Eleazar and Shammah, we need to show up and be present with those around us in moments of struggle or difficulty. We need to stand on the front line with them.
Take Your Stand - In verses 10 and 12, the three mighty men took their stand, they stood their ground in the face of the oncoming Philistines, but also when their own troops were retreating. These three guys stayed, they didn't run away, and God turned their defeat into victory. So, be confident in the king of kings who is in you.
Turn Your Excuse Into Opportunity - Eleazar persevered despite difficult circumstances. Despite his exhaustion, he stayed and fought, and God brought about victory. What are the situations and limitations that you face that bring about inactivity that you need to persevere through so that God can bring about victory? (Money? Time? Energy? A feeling of inadequacy or being afraid?)
Be Relational - Josheb, Eleazar and Shammah, all served together. They stood NEXT to each other. They weren't acting independently. They served together not as Lone Rangers but as the Musketeers. In Ecclesiastes 4:9-12, we’re told that “Two are better than one”.
Be Grace-Filled - Eleazar stayed and defeated the enemy single-handedly, but we see that he was gracious enough to share the spoils of war even with those who fled. We need to not write people off when they fail, but instead, extend a hand of both forgiveness and grace. Just like the story of Jesus and Peter.
Be Courageous - Shammah took his place boldly in the middle of the field. He wasn’t concerned in the face of the enemy! We're told time and time again to not be afraid and to take courage. This is relational too. When we encourage, we give courage, we speak courage into their life. Call it out and call it out in others.
Fight For Your Supply Lines - You need to defend what God has given you. Just like Shammah defended his field of lentils, Daniel for prayer, Esther for identity, Paul for grace and freedom, and John for truth. You need to fight against corruption or distortion by the devil in order to maintain a strong faith.
Honour The Past - Just like the men who brought back water to honour and thank David, we need to honour and thank those who have helped us in our journey.
Invest In The Future - In verse 33, we read that a man called Jonathan was one of the 30. Jonathan was the son of Shammah. Shammah was already investing in his son. It's not just about our success, but it's about the success of others. So who are you investing in? Who are you calling greatness out of, generationally? Who are you training, mentoring, and building up?
Live The Mission - Just like David’s men, we have all been called according to His purpose. We've all got different gifts, but we share the mission of total allegiance to King Jesus and to see his kingdom extended right across the world.

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Stronghold Verse 1 - Psalm 121 (Where Does My Help Come From?)

The C3 Church — Sat, 03 Jun 2023 03:00:00 +0100

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 sun will not harm you by day,

nor the moon by night.

7 The Lord will keep you from all harm –

He will watch over your life;

8 the Lord will watch over your coming and going

both now and forevermore.

This stronghold verse is short and sweet, just eight verses in total, but full of wonderful assurance and comfort. It is a stronghold to take refuge in if you are afraid or anxious. It assures us of God’s help, of His care and His concern for us. It tells us repeatedly that God watches over us (four times in eight verses). Just as the Lord watches over us, so this psalm should be our watch-word if ever we feel alone or exposed. He is with us and looking after us. Always. I’ve never been afraid of the moon or sun harming me (beyond a little sunburn), but verse 6 is just a poetic way of saying that God watches over us around the clock. 24/7. There isn’t a moment that goes by when God isn’t watching over you. Twice we’re told, for emphasis, that He doesn’t sleep. He never takes His eyes off you. Not eyes of judgement or condemnation, but eyes of loving care. The eyes of a father who keeps His children safe.

I love this psalm because I love mountains. I always feel close to God in the mountains, and always seek His presence when I go hiking in the uplands. For the Israelites mountains too were places where they expected to find God, be it Mt. Sinai/Mt. Horeb, where the Ten Commandments were given in Exodus 19-20 and where Elijah met with God (1 Kings 19), or the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. Although God is everywhere, these were places where He dwelt with special intensity and purpose. The Bible is always talking about ‘the mountain of the Lord’. I particularly like Genesis 22:14, where Abraham’s experience on Mt. Moriah was made into a proverb: ‘On the mountain of the Lord it will be provided.’ That same mountain where a ram took Isaac’s place as the sacrifice was also where Jesus later took our place on the cross. And that’s the link for us.

Not only is looking up to the mountains symbolic of raising our eyes to heaven, it also conveys this foundational truth that everything we need stems from Jesus’ work on Golgotha. The help we need for salvation, for life and godliness, all comes from Jesus by His Holy Spirit. It’s no good trying to help ourselves or rely on others. God is the only one who can truly help us. Worldly support networks are important, but they cannot take the place of God. It’s Him we need to look to. It’s Him we need to keep our eyes fixed on (Hebrews 12:2). It’s from Him that our help comes (v. 1). He is the Maker of heaven and earth – possessing all the power to help us (v. 2). He will keep our feet strong and on the right path (v. 3). He will watch over us ceaselessly, neither getting bored nor weary (v. 4). He will shade us (v. 5), His coverage is round-the-clock (v. 6) and He will keep us from harm (v. 7). Whether we’re going out or coming back, the Lord is watching over us (v. 8). There’s no time limit or expiry date on His watching – it’s ‘both now and forevermore’ (v.8).

You are never outside of the Lord’s care. Whatever you need, He will provide it. Look to Him for strength, look to Him for comfort. Rely on Him when you’re weary or when you’ve slipped up. Don’t hold back from anything out of fear of going it alone, because He will be with you. In this stronghold you’ll find boldness, comfort and confidence. Speak this verse over yourself as often as you need to, as often as you need help. No matter how times you ask ‘where does my help come from?’, the answer is always the same: ‘My help comes from the Lord’.

Written by Mike Harvey
For more Stronghold verses and other fantastic writing, read Mike's blog at https://mjhmusings.wordpress.com/

And check out his Instagram: @mjhphotography 1

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ADHD: My Superpower - Nick Hollis

The C3 Church — Sat, 27 May 2023 03:00:00 +0100

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 Challenge, Guinness World Record attempt.

721 is short for 7 Mountains, 2 Poles and 1 Ocean.

Nick's already done the "7" by climbing the highest mountain on every continent - yes that includes Everest. He's done half of the "2" Poles by trekking solo across the Antarctic over Christmas. The North Pole continues to elude him due to the war in Ukraine. And in November he'll attempt the Ocean by rowing the Atlantic at world record speed.

We'll do another interview later in the year to hear more about the crazy physical demands Nick places on his body. But in this episode, as part of our MENtal HEALth mini-series, Nick is going to talk about his mind.

References:
The research suggests that Cromwell [1], Mozart [2,3] and our very own Cambridge legend, Lord Byron[4] could have had ADHD. It's possible that the apostle Peter might also have been a sufferer [5].
1. Fitzgerald M, Flannery W. Did Cromwell have hyperkinetic syndrome? Annual Residential Meeting, Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Faculty: Royal College of Psychiatrists. Harrogate. 2002;9:13–14. [Google Scholar]

2. Fitzgerald M. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: The Allegro Composer. Can J Diagnosis. 2000;17:61–64. [Google Scholar]

3. Schmitt A, Falkai P. Historical aspects of Mozart’s mental health and diagnostic insights of ADHD and personality disorders. Eur Arch Psychiatry Clin Neurosci. 2014;264:363–365. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

4. Fitzgerald M. Did Lord Byron have attention deficit hyperactivity disorder? J Med Biogr. 2001;9:31–33. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

5. Barclay A. Does Peter have attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)? J Religion Disability Health. 2008;12:330–346. [Google Scholar]

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Caring for a loved-one through a mental health crisis

The C3 Church — Sat, 20 May 2023 03:00:00 +0100

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 undergoing a mental health crisis will put incredible pressure on the other and on the relationship itself. Today we are going to hear from Rachel & Paula who are married to two of our Ascend Men who have been going through some very difficult times recently.

I can’t thank Rachel & Paula enough for their vulnerability and openness in sharing their experiences with us. Their men are blessed to be married to them.

On the radio we often hear the phrase "if you've been affected by anything on today's show" and I feel that's very appropriate here.
First of all you are NOT alone.
Ascend IS a community.
If you're struggling, don't do it alone.
As we hear in the discussion, you will be loved through the pain. You WILL come out of the other side.
Together we ARE stronger.

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You're already good enough - Mark Baldwin-Smith

The C3 Church — Sat, 13 May 2023 03:00:00 +0100

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-church, whilst working for the National Trust and in various key roles on staff at C3.

Find out what was the last book that Mark read, his favourite jacket potato filling and hear about his biggest regret.

Not to mention why it's been remarkable that he's been working hard through the winter.

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It won't always be like this - Ben Slater

The C3 Church — Sat, 06 May 2023 03:00:00 +0100

MENtal HEALth
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 Ben says, Christians are capable of beating themselves up like anybody else but with a shinier stick.

Ben founded Fiveways Devon through which he has trained over 10,000 adults and young people. And amongst other organisations, Ben has worked with The Methodist Church, The Church of England, Adoption UK and Street Pastors.

Find out more about Ben and Fiveways Devon here.

Says Elijah in 1 Kings 19:4 “I have had enough, LORD…Take my life, for I am no better than my ancestors who have already died.”

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Hoping in more than the weather forecast

The C3 Church — Sat, 29 Apr 2023 03:00:00 +0100

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 is that darkness!"

- Matthew 6:22,23

The Bible goes one step further. Rather than just being optimistic (which anybody can do), as believers it teaches us to HOPE. What's the difference? Hope is having faith in the character of God. When we hope in God, we put our trust in His sovereign plan above what our circumstances tell us.

“But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.”

- Romans 8:24,25

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Finish the race & keep the faith

The C3 Church — Sat, 22 Apr 2023 03:00:00 +0100

“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 stock too having close relatives from Manchester, England. John was a personal trainer and a nurse before taking up a post with the military, spending the past 3 years at RAF Mildenhall.

By the time you hear this podcast, he will have relocated back to the US with his wife, Brittany and their heart-meltingly-cute-baby Amelia.

The two scriptures that have carried John through the dark times of self-doubt and wanting to give up:

"Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends." John 15:13

"Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him." James 1:12

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Be the brother they never had

The C3 Church — Sat, 15 Apr 2023 03:00:00 +0100

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 the brother I never had and I really value him.

We thought it would be fun to record a few messages over a week and share our conversation with you. We've worked hard to keep these very similar to what we normally exchange but much shorter. They'll give you a good idea of how it rolls between us.

And why do this? Like I do, I think everybody needs an Adam. Not that this format works for all of you. But do something to build and maintain your relationships.

Be intentional.

Be prophetic.

Be the brother so many never had.

And as Rob Parsons said last week, don't be afraid to say "I love you" even though it might feel a little odd at first.

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Three things I've got wrong - Rob Parsons

The C3 Church — Sat, 08 Apr 2023 03:00:00 +0100

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 profession by a fellow churchgoer.

Whilst this career accelerated he helped lead a growing church on a large deprived housing estate in Wales. Here he recognised most organisations were trying to fix broken families at the bottom of the metaphorical cliff and was inspired to put a fence up at the top. He did this by starting Care for the Family which, with around 100 staff, continues to proactively support parenting, marriage, relationships and bereavement.

Ten years ago our guest featured in the Queen’s New Year’s Honours list being appointed as an Officer of the British Empire (OBE).

Married to Dianne he has two adult children, five Grandchildren and is a longstanding leader and member of Glenwood Church, Cardiff.

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Time to Tune Up

The C3 Church — Sat, 01 Apr 2023 03:00:00 +0100

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 at the moment?

Is he drilling into a specific area of your life?

And who are you going to play alongside?

Are they in tune or are they going through some tune-ups themselves?

The article references p436 of "The Musician's Guide to Acoustics" By Murray Campbell & Clive Greated.

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Our Ascend Man Down Under Down Under

The C3 Church — Sat, 25 Mar 2023 03:00:00 +0000

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 October 2019 to head back "Down Under". Bill loves cross-country motorcycling and has done some long distance rides such as the journey from Sydney to Perth.

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The Banshees of Inisherin: Friendship, rejection and a donkey

The C3 Church — Sat, 18 Mar 2023 03:00:00 +0000

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 and more into over-used CGI and pushing agendas (i.e. anything new on Disney+).

Hope was restored, however, after seeing the recent Martin McDonagh film, 'The Banshees of Inisherin'. I will avoid giving away spoilers, as I recommend it to any adult who doesn't mind regular bad language. 'The Banshees of Inisherin' was a simple tale of two small-town friends, Colm and Pádraic, off the coast of a civil war-stricken Ireland in 1923 (which makes for a subtle but powerful setting for the theme of conflict). Its stunning cinematography, endearing protagonist and humourous undertones lay the grounds for a truly thought-provoking film.

Films that leave you thinking the next week have done something right. I have been pondering the lessons that we can learn from 'The Banshees of Inisherin', and thought I'd share them with you.

1 - Do we value our friendships?
2 - How do we handle pain?
3 - Do we value greatness over kindness?

"Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but instead, consider others better than yourself."
Philippians 2v3

4 - The ripple effect of selfishness

The choices we make will build or destroy. Every day we face these choices, and they often involve those closest to us. Just know, when we choose to destroy, the consequences can be long-lasting, unexpected, and catastrophic. When you're discontent with your friend, or spouse, or the things you have; when you want to chase worldly greatness rather than kindness, or return evil with evil, just remember - your actions will have consequences. So be grateful, nurture relationships (even the dull ones), and consider others more important than yourself.

And if you haven't, go see this film!

UPCOMING EVENTS
Find out more about our upcoming events here including our next Cambridge Breakfast next Saturday 25 March at 9am.

Ascend Men is that community.

Join our Facebook group or email us (ascend@thec3.uk) to hear more about our fantastic breakfasts in Cambridge, Bury and Colchester as well as our annual Summit in February and Camp in July.

Beyond Mere Politeness

The C3 Church — Sat, 11 Mar 2023 03:00:00 +0000

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/ascendevents to help us with our planning.

UPCOMING EVENTS
Find out more about our upcoming events here.

Ascend Men is that community.

Join our Facebook group or email us (ascend@thec3.uk) to hear more about our fantastic breakfasts in Cambridge, Bury and Colchester as well as our annual Summit in February and Camp in July.

Moments from Ascend Summit 23

The C3 Church — Sat, 04 Mar 2023 03:00:00 +0000

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 about our upcoming events here.

Ascend Men is that community.

Join our Facebook group or email us (ascend@thec3.uk) to hear more about our fantastic breakfasts in Cambridge, Bury and Colchester as well as our annual Summit in February and Camp in July.

Compassion needs to be our passion - Sid Thurlow

The C3 Church — Sat, 25 Feb 2023 03:00:00 +0000

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.

Ascend Men is that community.

Join our Facebook group or email us (ascend@thec3.uk) to hear more about our fantastic breakfasts in Cambridge, Bury and Colchester as well as our annual Summit in February and Camp in July.

Striving Together

The C3 Church — Sat, 18 Feb 2023 03:00:00 +0000

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 together, and don’t be frightened.

“Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in the one Spirit, striving together as one for the faith of the gospel without being frightened in any way of those who oppose you.” (Philippians ch1 v27-28)

A special thank you to Mike Harvey for this week's inspiring and highly relevant article.

Power Unimaginable, the third novel in Mike's Oron Amular trilogy, was released in November 2020. Find out more at: www.worldofastrom.com
www.facebook.com/worldofastrom
Follow Mike on Twitter @worldofastrom
Or become a Patron of World of Astrom to unlock exclusive member-only content: https://www.patreon.com/worldofastrom

Read Mike's blog at https://mjhmusings.wordpress.com/ and check out his Instagram: @mjhphotography 1

ONE WEEK TO GO: ASCEND SUMMIT 23
It's not too late but it soon will be - sign up now for our annual Ascend Summit which takes place on Saturday 25th Feb. Last year we were almost at capacity in the C3 Centre so try to book your place now and we'll let you know if we still have space. As last year, we'll have delicious food, a live & loud worship band, inspiring messages from local and visiting speakers and some hilarious banter.

Click here to sign-up now.

UPCOMING EVENTS
Find out more about our upcoming events here.

Ascend Men is that community.

Join our Facebook group or email us (ascend@thec3.uk) to hear more about our fantastic breakfasts in Cambridge, Bury and Colchester as well as our annual Summit in February and Camp in July.

What a woman looks for in an Ascend Man

The C3 Church — Sat, 11 Feb 2023 03:00:00 +0000

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 women want in a man:

Confidence
Trustworthiness
Integrity
Compassion
Emotional Availability
Respect
A Sense of Humor
Maturity

I don't think anybody would argue about the importance of those qualities but in Ephesians 5v22-33, Paul compares the union of husband and wife to that of Christ and the church. So we might anticipate that a relationship founded on Christian principles would have higher or more specific expectations than Brides Magazine.

ASCEND SUMMIT 23
With only a few weeks to go, be sure to sign up for our annual Ascend Summit which takes place on Saturday 25th Feb. Last year we were almost at capacity in the C3 Centre so book your place now to make sure you don't miss out. As last year, we'll have delicious food, a live & loud worship band, inspiring messages from local and visiting speakers, and some hilarious banter. Though we promise not to phone any of your wives from the stage this year. You needed to be there to get that one!

Please don't leave it to the last minute. Click here to sign-up now.

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 care for men through a small number of honest personal relationships initiated and supported by regular male-oriented events. Relationships are built shoulder-to-shoulder doing stuff in preference to eye-balling each other!

Ascend Men is that community.

Join our Facebook group or email us (ascend@thec3.uk) to hear more about our fantastic breakfasts in Cambridge, Bury and Colchester as well as our annual Summit in February and Camp in July.

Make the most of this moment - Nathan Blackaby

The C3 Church — Sat, 04 Feb 2023 03:00:00 +0000

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 Kingdom.. There's a lot of Kingdom carnage we can do"

ASCEND SUMMIT 23
With only a few weeks to go, be sure to sign up for our annual Ascend Summit which takes place on Saturday 25th Feb. Last year we were almost at capacity in the C3 Centre so book your place now to make sure you don't miss out. As last year, we'll have delicious food, a live & loud worship band, inspiring messages from local and visiting speakers and some hilarious banter. Though we promise not to phone any of your wives from the stage this year. You needed to be there to get that one!

Please don't leave it to the last minute. Click here to sign-up now.

UPCOMING EVENTS
Find out more about our other upcoming events here.

Ascend Men is that community.

Join our Facebook group or email us (ascend@thec3.uk) to hear more about our fantastic breakfasts in Cambridge, Bury and Colchester as well as our annual Summit in February and Camp in July.

Nat Smith in the spotlight

The C3 Church — Sat, 28 Jan 2023 03:00:00 +0000

Hear from one of C3’s rappers, Nat Smith (or is that Nat James?). Sharing a honest account of Nat’s challenges and journey through music, we reveal his last trip of 2022, his passion to mentor and a challenge laid down for us all.

After listening to the podcast, why not listen to the man himself doing what he does best…

ASCEND SUMMIT 23
With only a few weeks to go, be sure to sign up for our annual Ascend Summit which takes place on Saturday 25th Feb. Last year we were almost at capacity in the C3 Centre so book your place now to make sure you don't miss out. As last year, we'll have delicious food, a live & loud worship band, inspiring messages from local and visiting speakers and some hilarious banter. Though we promise not to phone any of your wives from the stage this year. You needed to be there to get that one!

Please don't leave it to the last minute. Click here to sign-up now.

UPCOMING EVENTS
Find out more about our upcoming events here.

Ascend Men is that community.

Join our Facebook group or email us (ascend@thec3.uk) to hear more about our fantastic breakfasts in Cambridge, Bury and Colchester as well as our annual Summit in February and Camp in July.

Living in the overflow

The C3 Church — Sat, 21 Jan 2023 03:00:00 +0000

Today's Scriptures
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.

Psalm 23:5

Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”

Luke 6v38

ASCEND SUMMIT 23
With only a few weeks to go, be sure to sign up for our annual Ascend Summit which takes place on Saturday 25th Feb. Last year we were almost at capacity in the C3 Centre so book your place now to make sure you don't miss out. As last year, we'll have delicious food, a live & loud worship band, inspiring messages from local and visiting speakers and some hilarious banter. Though we promise not to phone any of your wives from the stage this year. You needed to be there to get that one!

Please don't leave it to the last minute. Click here to sign-up now.

Being "Sent" wherever you are

The C3 Church — Sat, 14 Jan 2023 03:00:00 +0000

ASCEND SUMMIT 23
With only a few weeks to go, be sure to sign up for our annual Ascend Summit which takes place on Saturday 25th Feb. Last year we were almost at capacity in the C3 Centre so book your place now to make sure you don't miss out. As last year, we'll have delicious food, a live & loud worship band, inspiring messages from local and visiting speakers and some hilarious banter. Though we promise not to phone any of your wives from the stage this year. You needed to be there to get that one!

Please don't leave it to the last minute. Click here to sign-up now.

Words of Honour

The C3 Church — Sat, 07 Jan 2023 03:00:00 +0000

WORDS OF HONOUR

Honour one another before yourselves - Romans 12:10

To honor someone is to build them up, to give them a sense of their worth. Prevailing culture teaches us our worth is weighed by worldly measures. And so, "honoring" becomes hero worship—elevating those good at projecting worldly success and marginalizing those of us with flawed lives, with failures in our past, or who are simply unable or unwilling to devote enough effort to convincing the world of our success. This type of "honoring" is not what God intends. We lead each other astray when we engage in it, because the focus is so wrong.

Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things - Colossians 3:2

To honor someone as God intends is to build them up and give them a sense of their true worth. It’s trying to see them as God sees them. It’s pushing right through the confusion of worldly measures—successes, failures, talents, faults, wealth, poverty, titles, appearances—looking for evidence of what God has done in and through them, and what he’s doing currently. And, finally, most importantly, it’s telling them what we see. Our edifying, encouraging words to one another are gifts from God. He allows us to give them to one another . . . and we must.

Do it now

Ask God to help you see those around you as he sees them. Look for how he’s working in and through them.
And . . . then . . . tell . . . them.
Tell them what you see.
We men tend to struggle with the telling. We can be married for years, or in community with other men for years, and never simply tell those closest to us what we see in them. So, pick someone this week and tell them what you see. Honor them with a glimpse of his/her true worth.

From Justin Camp at WiRE/Gather Ministries

ASCEND SUMMIT 23
With only a few weeks to go, be sure to sign up for our annual Ascend Summit which takes place on Saturday 25th Feb. Last year we were almost at capacity in the C3 Centre so book your place now to make sure you don't miss out. As last year, we'll have delicious food, a live & loud worship band, inspiring messages from local and visiting speakers and some hilarious banter. Though we promise not to phone any of your wives from the stage this year. You needed to be there to get that one!

Please don't leave it to the last minute. Click here to sign-up now.

We are the "they" - Steve Campbell launches us into 2023

The C3 Church — Sat, 31 Dec 2022 03:00:00 +0000

Let's meet Steve Campbell: Football or fishing? Three things about the teenage boy?

Isaiah 61v1-4 NIV
"The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion— to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair.

They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the LORD for the display of his splendor.
They will rebuild the ancient ruins and restore the places long devastated;
they will renew the ruined cities that have been devastated for generations."

Ascend Advent 2022 Day 25: Growing in Grace

The C3 Church — Sun, 25 Dec 2022 03:00:00 +0000

Today's Scripture
"And the child grew and became strong; He was filled with wisdom and the grace of God was on Him." Luke 2:40

Key takeaway for the day:

What one thing can you do to start investing in your spiritual health?

Credits
Thanks to Mike Harvey for writing our daily devotions and for reading this episode.
A shout out to Jamie Davidson for being the "voice of scripture".

Ascend Advent 2022 Day 24: Be Ready to go with Plan B or Plan C

The C3 Church — Sat, 24 Dec 2022 03:00:00 +0000

Today's Scripture
"When they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. 'Get up,' he said, 'take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him'...But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning in Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. Having been warned in a dream, he withdrew to the district of Galilee, and he went and lived in a town called Nazareth. So was fulfilled what was said through the prophets, that he would be called a Nazarene." Matthew 2:13, 22-23

Key takeaway for the day:

No matter how much life twists and turns, God is still working out His good plan for you.

Credits
Today's narrator is Simon Barnett.
Thanks to Mike Harvey for writing our daily devotions.
A shout out to Jamie Davidson for being the "voice of scripture".

Ascend Advent 2022 Day 23: Why Tragedies Happen

The C3 Church — Fri, 23 Dec 2022 03:00:00 +0000

Today's Scripture
"When Herod realised that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was furious, and gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had learned from the Magi. Then what was said through the prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled: 'A voice is heard in Ramah, weeping and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted, because they are no more.'" Matthew 2:16-18

Key takeaway for the day:

The light of Jesus shines all the brighter against the darkest parts of the Advent story.

Credits
Today's narrator is Mark Baldwin-Smith.
Thanks to Mike Harvey for writing our daily devotions.
A shout out to Jamie Davidson for being the "voice of scripture".

Ascend Advent 2022 Day 22: God Will Guide You Each Step of the Way

The C3 Church — Thu, 22 Dec 2022 03:00:00 +0000

Today's Scripture
"When they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. 'Get up, he said, 'take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him'...After Herod died, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt and said, 'Get up, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who were trying to take the child's life are dead.' So he got up, took the child and his mother and went to the land of Israel. But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning in Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. Having been warned in a dream, he withdrew to the district of Galilee, and he went and lived in a town called Nazareth." Matthew 2:13, 19-23.

Key takeaway for the day:

When life takes an unexpected twist, God will guide us one step at a time.

Credits
Today's narrator is Tony Smith.
Thanks to Mike Harvey for writing our daily devotions.
A shout out to Jamie Davidson for being the "voice of scripture".

Ascend Advent 2022 Day 21: God Will Provide for All Your Needs

The C3 Church — Wed, 21 Dec 2022 03:00:00 +0000

Today's Scripture
"On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshipped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh." Matthew 2:11

Key takeaway for the day:

Let’s be intentional in giving Jesus our first and our best.

Credits
Today's narrator is Greg Barber.
Thanks to Mike Harvey for writing our daily devotions.
A shout out to Jamie Davidson for being the "voice of scripture".

Ascend Advent 2022 Day 20: Let’s Give Our Best to Jesus

The C3 Church — Tue, 20 Dec 2022 03:00:00 +0000

Key takeaway for the day:

Let’s be intentional in giving Jesus our first and our best.

Credits
Today's narrator is Alan Colley.
Thanks to Mike Harvey for writing our daily devotions.
A shout out to Jamie Davidson for being the "voice of scripture".

Ascend Advent 2022 Day 19: No One is Too Small or Too Insignificant for God to Use

The C3 Church — Mon, 19 Dec 2022 03:00:00 +0000

Today's Scripture
"But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel." Matthew 2:6; quoting Micah 5:2

Key takeaway for the day:

We don’t have to be important for God to use us; we simply have to be willing.

Credits
Thanks to Mike Harvey for writing our daily devotions and for reading this episode.
A shout out to Jamie Davidson for being the "voice of scripture".

Ascend Advent 2022 Day 18: Be Ready to Listen to Outsiders

The C3 Church — Sun, 18 Dec 2022 03:00:00 +0000

Today's Scripture
"After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, 'Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.'" Matthew 2:1-2

Key takeaway for the day:

Allow your Christmas to be enriched by sharing it with others, even if they’re different to you.

Credits
Today's narrator is Simon Barnett.
Thanks to Mike Harvey for writing our daily devotions.
A shout out to Jamie Davidson for being the "voice of scripture".

Ascend Advent 2022 Day 17: Following Jesus Won’t Be Easy

The C3 Church — Sat, 17 Dec 2022 03:00:00 +0000

Today's Scripture
"Then Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, His mother: 'This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul too.'" Luke 2:34-35

Key takeaway for the day:

Following Jesus isn’t easy, but He gives us strength to overcome.

Credits
Today's narrator is Mark Baldwin-Smith.
Thanks to Mike Harvey for writing our daily devotions.
A shout out to Jamie Davidson for being the "voice of scripture".

Ascend Advent 2022 Day 16: The Importance of The Holy Spirit

The C3 Church — Fri, 16 Dec 2022 03:00:00 +0000

Today's Scripture
"Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was on him. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord's Messiah. Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for Him what the custom of the Law required, Simeon took Him in his arms and praised God". Luke 2:25-27

Key takeaway for the day:

Persevere in your faith. Commit to the long-haul with God, and you won’t be disappointed.

Credits
Today's narrator is Tony Smith.
Thanks to Mike Harvey for writing our daily devotions.
A shout out to Jamie Davidson for being the "voice of scripture".

Ascend Advent 2022 Day 15: Treasure and Ponder

The C3 Church — Thu, 15 Dec 2022 03:00:00 +0000

Today's Scripture
"But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart...But his mother treasured all these things in her heart." Luke 2:19, 51

Key takeaway for the day:

Cherish the things God has done for you, and don’t take them for granted.

Credits
Today's narrator is Greg Barber.
Thanks to Mike Harvey for writing our daily devotions.
A shout out to Jamie Davidson for being the "voice of scripture".

Ascend Advent 2022 Day 14: Great Joy for All People

The C3 Church — Wed, 14 Dec 2022 03:00:00 +0000

Today's Scripture
"But the angel said to them, 'Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people.'" Luke 2:10

Key takeaway for the day:

Whatever you’re facing this winter, choose to be joyful.

Credits
Today's narrator is Alan Colley.
Thanks to Mike Harvey for writing our daily devotions.
A shout out to Jamie Davidson for being the "voice of scripture".

Ascend Advent 2022 Day 13: How Can We Make Room for Jesus in Our Lives?

The C3 Church — Tue, 13 Dec 2022 03:00:00 +0000

Today's Scripture
"and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped Him in cloths and placed Him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them." Luke 2:7

Key takeaway for the day:

What can we do to make more room for Jesus in our lives?

Credits
Thanks to Mike Harvey for writing our daily devotions and for reading this episode.
A shout out to Jamie Davidson for being the "voice of scripture".

Ascend Advent 2022 Day 12: Becoming Strong in Spirit

The C3 Church — Mon, 12 Dec 2022 03:00:00 +0000

Today's Scripture
"And the child grew and became strong in spirit; and he lived in the wilderness until he appeared publicly to Israel." Luke 1:80

Key takeaway for the day:

What can you do to become strong in spirit?

Credits
Today's narrator is Simon Barnett.
Thanks to Mike Harvey for writing our daily devotions.
A shout out to Jamie Davidson for being the "voice of scripture".

Ascend Advent 2022 Day 11: Light Shining on Those in Darkness

The C3 Church — Sun, 11 Dec 2022 03:00:00 +0000

Today's Scripture
"because of the tender mercy of our God, by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven to shine on those living in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the path of peace." Luke 1:78-79

“The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned.”

Key takeaway for the day:

Jesus can shine His light into any dark situation, so long as we let Him.
What area of your life do you need to let Jesus shine in?

Credits
Today's narrator is Mark Baldwin-Smith.
Thanks to Mike Harvey for writing our daily devotions.
A shout out to Jamie Davidson for being the "voice of scripture".

Ascend Advent 2022 Day 10: Give People the Knowledge of Salvation

The C3 Church — Sat, 10 Dec 2022 03:00:00 +0000

Today's Scripture
"you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for Him, to give His people the knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins". Luke 1:76-77

Key takeaway for the day:

We can’t make people believe, but we can make it as easy as possible to find out about Jesus. Don’t keep the knowledge of salvation to yourself this Advent.

Credits
Today's narrator is Tony Smith.
Thanks to Mike Harvey for writing our daily devotions.
A shout out to Jamie Davidson for being the "voice of scripture".

Ascend Advent 2022 Day 9: Redemption Has Come

The C3 Church — Fri, 09 Dec 2022 03:00:00 +0000

Today's Scripture
"Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, because He has come to His people and redeemed them." Luke 1:68

Key takeaway for the day:

Your past, present and future have all been made right by Jesus. Thank Him for His redemption and ask Him to help you live in it fully, letting go of past regrets and failures.

Credits
Today's narrator is Greg Barber.
Thanks to Mike Harvey for writing our daily devotions.
A shout out to Jamie Davidson for being the "voice of scripture".

Ascend Advent 2022 Day 8: Blessed Are They Who Believe

The C3 Church — Thu, 08 Dec 2022 03:00:00 +0000

Today's Scripture
"Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfil His promises to her!" Luke 1:45.

Key takeaway for the day:

Only those who believe will receive the full blessing of God.

Credits
Today's narrator is Alan Colley.
Thanks to Mike Harvey for writing our daily devotions.
A shout out to Jamie Davidson for being the "voice of scripture".

Ascend Advent 2022 Day 7: The Holy Spirit Can Come on Anyone

The C3 Church — Wed, 07 Dec 2022 03:00:00 +0000

Today's Scripture
"When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit...His father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied:" Luke 1:41, 67

Key takeaway for the day:

If you’ve never been filled with the Holy Spirit, and want to be, just ask God to let Him come upon you. He’s ready and waiting to answer such requests. Let today be the day you meet Him for the first time.

And if you have experienced the Holy Spirit, go on being ‘filled with the Spirit’ each and every day.

Credits
Thanks to Mike Harvey for writing our daily devotions and for reading this episode.
A shout out to Jamie Davidson for being the "voice of scripture".

Ascend Advent 2022 Day 6: Handling the Unexpected

The C3 Church — Tue, 06 Dec 2022 03:00:00 +0000

Today's Scripture
"This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about: his mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly." Matthew 1:18-19

Key takeaway for the day:

What unwelcome or unexpected turn of events in your life might actually be a means through which God will bless you?
Trust Him, and be open to what He might want to do with it.

Credits
Today's narrator is Simon Barnett.
Thanks to Mike Harvey for writing our daily devotions.
A shout out to Jamie Davidson for being the "voice of scripture".

Ascend Advent 2022 Day 5: Respond with Faith

The C3 Church — Mon, 05 Dec 2022 03:00:00 +0000

Today's Scripture
"I am the Lord's servant,' Mary answered. 'May your word to me be fulfilled.' Then the angel left her." Luke 1:38

“The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God.” (Luke 1:35)

Key takeaway for the day:

When God reveals His plan for us, we should respond in faith.
What is God saying to you that you need to accept?

Credits
Today's narrator is Mark Baldwin-Smith.
Thanks to Mike Harvey for writing our daily devotions.
A shout out to Jamie Davidson for being the "voice of scripture".

Ascend Advent 2022 Day 4: Two Different ‘Hows’

The C3 Church — Sun, 04 Dec 2022 03:00:00 +0000

Today's Scripture
"Zechariah asked the angel, 'How can I be sure of this? I am an old man and my wife is well on in years'...'How will this be,' Mary asked the angel, 'since I am a virgin?'" Luke 1:18, 34

Key takeaway for the day:

God always comes through on His promises.
What has He promised you, and how are you responding to that promise?

Credits
Today's narrator is Tony Smith.
Thanks to Mike Harvey for writing our daily devotions.
A shout out to Jamie Davidson for being the "voice of scripture".

Ascend Advent 2022 Day 3: Immanuel – God with Us

The C3 Church — Sat, 03 Dec 2022 03:00:00 +0000

Today's Scripture
"All this took place to fulfil what the Lord had said through the prophet: 'The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel' (which means 'God with us')." Matthew 1:22-23, quoting Isaiah 7:14

Key takeaway for the day:

God is always with us. What one thing can you do each day to remind yourself tangibly of this wonderful truth?

Credits
Today's narrator is Greg Barber.
Thanks to Mike Harvey for writing our daily devotions.
A shout out to Jamie Davidson for being the "voice of scripture".

Ascend Advent 2022 Day 2: The Significance of Names

The C3 Church — Fri, 02 Dec 2022 03:00:00 +0000

Today's Scripture
"…Jacob the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary, and Mary was the mother of Jesus who is called the Messiah..."you are to give him the name Jesus, because He will save His people from their sins."" Matthew 1:16, 21

Key takeaway for the day:

Have you accepted Jesus as saviour? He is perfectly able to save all those who come to God through Him. Don’t let another December go by without accepting this incredible offer.

Credits
Today's narrator is Alan Colley.
Thanks to Mike Harvey for writing our daily devotions.
A shout out to Jamie Davidson for being the "voice of scripture".

Ascend Advent 2022 Day 1: These Things Deserve to be Fully Investigated

The C3 Church — Thu, 01 Dec 2022 03:00:00 +0000

Today's Scripture
"Many have undertaken to draw up an account of the things that have been fulfilled among us, just as they were handed down to us by those who from the first were eyewitnesses and servants of the word. With this in mind, since I myself have carefully investigated everything from the beginning, I too decided to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, so that you may know the certainty of the things you have been taught." Luke 1:1-4

Key takeaway for the day:

What one thing can you do to get to know the Bible better?

And what one person can you share this good news with?

Credits
Thanks to Mike Harvey for writing our daily devotions and for reading this episode.
A shout out to Jamie Davidson for being the "voice of scripture".

It's the small things

The C3 Church — Sat, 26 Nov 2022 04:00:00 +0000

From Thursday 1st December until Christmas Day we will be replacing our weekly episodes with a content-rich daily Advent devotion. If you haven't heard it already, check out my conversation "The Ascend Advent Series will start soon" with Greg Barber. Please remember to download the scriptures and key takeaways for our daily series through the Facebook Group or by emailing ascend@thec3.uk.

I'm excited that our Lead Pastor at C3 Church, Steve Campbell, will join us for our last episode of the year to say goodbye to 2022 and hello to 2023.

Why do we invest so much effort into this podcast?

Because, at the heart of Ascend is a vision for men to be the best they can be.

And that's across ALL dimensions of their physical, emotional, social, intellectual and spiritual, being.

So we have some great topics in the podcast funnel for next year, including;

Fitness and nutrition
Mental Health month
We'll have a GP telling us when we should really go to see them rather than getting a diagnosis from Google
How to be content in being single
And to complement that... What women look for in a man

And we'll hear great stories too;

from our Ascend Man in Antarctica
to a bestselling author and speaker who has sold over a Million books and who has spoken to over a Million people at live events around the world.

If there's something you want us to cover or if you know somebody who you think would make a great guest please message me, Alan Colley or email ascend@thec3.uk.

Remember walking 100km in the Ascend Men Peak District Ultra back in 2019? Our steps are still releasing children from poverty. Listen to our update from Decca Riondino and Tim Robertson (Head of Church Development, Compassion UK).

How to Persevere

The C3 Church — Sat, 19 Nov 2022 04:00:00 +0000

If you were wanting to run a marathon and do so well, I'm sure you'd train for it. You'd prepare yourself for the challenge. The same is true in our spiritual lives. Hear from Zac Pywell, our resident world-class triathlete, who knows how it feels to train and prepare. Thanks to Mark Baldwin-Smith for reading this article and for the Cornerstone Church San Francisco for allowing us to use an audio clip from their YouTube Message Moments video.

The Ascend Advent Series will start soon

The C3 Church — Wed, 16 Nov 2022 13:55:15 +0000

In the build-up to Christmas it's easy to get focussed on the wrong things. From 1st December, why not spend a few minutes each day following the Ascend Men Advent series? Each day starts with a short scripture reading, is followed by a brief thought-provoking devotional and closes with a key takeaway for the day. Download a summary of all the scriptures and key takeaways from our Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/527708931330993 or email ascend@thec3.uk to request a copy.

Patience that Activates

The C3 Church — Sat, 12 Nov 2022 01:00:00 +0000

Remember to comment on our Facebook group page and share the episode with a mate.

Don't forget that we have our Advent series starting on 1 Dec 2022. Each day will consist of a reading, devotional message and key takeaway. For a copy of all the scriptures and key takeaways, please email ascend@thec3.uk .

Visit here to sign-up for our upcoming events.

The inaugural Ascend Men Podcast featuring an interview with Gabriel Sandor

The C3 Church — Fri, 04 Nov 2022 09:43:25 +0000

Tune in to hear when Gabriel buys his Christmas presents, what he loves to eat, whether he’s “fight or flight” and how he proposed to his wife. All that before he shares the story of his faithful prayer-warrior mother and how he came back from the brink.