We Can Do Anything featuring Lucy Stimpson- Maynard

Now only 1 week and 2 days before the 20th anniversary of our musical “His Story” on Saturday, November 8th – performances at 3.00 pm and 7.30 pm. Here are bio’s on two of our performers.
Lucy Stimpson- Maynard, who features on so much of this blog and who is singing and playing piano in His Story.
Lucy is the original singer and pianist of Mustard Seed Songs. She arranged all the music and sang and played on the albums I Look Up To The Heavens, Love Is The Way, Uplifted, Where Would I Be Without You? His Story, Precious and The Season of Singing. Lucy performed in all the His Story productions, and it is wonderful to have her return to celebrate this 20th anniversary
John Drake who is playing the disciple, John.
Jake has toured with faith-filled shows like Fisherman’s Tale, Beyond Bars, and Where Adventure Begins and even played Jesus in the 2024 Worcester Passion Play. He’s thrilled to play John in His Story along with two dear friends, retelling the good news that continues to transform us today. Here are some facts on two of our performers
I will share some more bios of His Story performers next week

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Only 2 weeks and 2 days before the 20^th anniversary of our musical “His Story” on Saturday, November 8^th – performances at 3.00 pm and 7.30 pm

Here is the storyline:

Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother, his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to her, “Woman, here is your son,” and to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” From that time on, this disciple took her into his home.

In John’s house, he and Mary, mother of Jesus are deep in conversation. John realises that he and Mary know more about Jesus than anyone else in the world and has the idea of writing a book about His life. Joined by the disciple Peter, Mary and John reminisce on the life of Jesus and the Gospel story unfolds in a fusion of music, dance, song and theatre.

Next week I’ll share a little of our three brilliant actors who play Mary mother of Jesus, and the disciples John and Peter. Of course, there is also the Mustard Seed Soul and Gospel Band, soloists Lucy Stimpson- Maynard (who features in todays song) and Ross Gill plus the Alverstoke School of Dance and the St Mary’s R.C Primary School Choir.

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The Fire of Sacrifice featuring Lucy Stimpson- Maynard from the album Precious recorded and produced by Ross Gill

So sorry I thought I had concluded the series of blogs on this subject, but I have just read this and thought I had to share. It is from the Word For Today written by Bob and Debbie Gass.

The psalmist wrote, ‘Your path led through…mighty waters, though your footprints were not seen’ (v. 19 NIV). When you can’t see God’s ‘footprints’, He is calling you to walk by faith, not by sight (see 2 Corinthians 5:7).

Joni Eareckson Tada wrote: ‘A few months from now, I’ll mark an anniversary that is a heart-breaking story of loss and an incomparable testimony of God’s faithfulness…I will have been in a wheelchair for 47 years…barely a heartbeat in history, and as nothing compared with eternity. But for a flesh-and-blood, earth-dwelling human being, 47 years is a long time. Anyone who suffers…[wants] assurance that somehow, someway, things will work out in the end. We want to know that God is at the centre of our suffering. In Romans 8 we have…that assurance: “For those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose” (v. 28 ESV) …[God] is so supremely in charge of the world that everything touching our lives…is ordered in such a way that it serves our good.

‘This is true whether we face cancer, broken relationships, job loss, bankruptcy…or even a broken neck at age 17. The strong hope of the believer is not that we will escape “bad things”…but that God will transform our hardships into an instrument of his mercy to do us good…Paul said [our] sufferings are small and short…compared with the weight of glory they are accruing for [us] in heaven. So bear with heartbreak and hardship a bit longer. These things are expanding your soul’s capacity for joy, worship, and service in heaven.’

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Precious featuring Lucy Stimpson- Maynard from the album Precious recorded and produced by Ross Gill

To conclude this series of blogs on how can a God of love allow suffering, I would like to refer to my blog of March 17th 2022.
Richard England, the Vicar of Holy Rood Church, Stubbington once pointed out that we, in the West seem to expect to have a life that is epitomised by “Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness”- this is our right and something is fundamentally wrong when we don’t get it. In other parts of the world, however people are much more realistic and accept that suffering is a part of this life and we should not be surprised when it happens. This does not mean that there is no God or that He does not care – it just means that things will go wrong and His promise is not to take bad things away but to stay close to us through life’s challenges and His promise is not to take bad things away but to stay close to us through life’s challenges and sufferings.
In “The Case Against Christ” John Young (not be confused with Lee Stobel’s “The Case for Christ”) writes that we live in “a world that makes itself”. He says that as science has shed more light on our world, we have discovered that the finely tuned processes which enable and sustain life are inevitably fragile; good outcomes contain risks. The movements of the continental plates- an essential aspect of our eco system- can also cause earthquakes. The weather system on which life depends is extremely sensitive and climatic events in the Arctic can lead to hurricanes in New York.
God, continues Young, has created this amazing world with a life of its own – “a world that makes itself”. Accidents happen; they are not “sent”. We live in a beautiful and exciting world, but it is unpredictable, often dangerous and sometimes downright terrifying. Perhaps the act of creation inescapably involves the fact of suffering. Can we have one without the other? Jesus Himself accepted suffering as an inevitable part of life.
It is impossible to come through this life without experiencing some form of suffering – so perhaps we should not be surprised when it does come our way- and perhaps also appreciate the good times more than we do.

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The Gospel of Christ sang and arranged by Lucy Jane Rutherford from the album “Where Would I Be Without You? recorded and produced by Ross Gill

Continuing the series on this most challenging subject – here is the final episode in this series from Word For Today written by Bob and Debbie Gass
Have you heard of the principle of supercompensation? A pastor explains:
‘When an athlete is pushed beyond the threshold of pain and exhaustion, the body overcompensates. The more a muscle is broken down, the more it builds back up…The two hundred and six bones in the body are constantly going through a process called remodelling. They are being broken down by osteoclasts and built back up by osteoblasts. The process of remodelling is intensified when a bone is broken. Extra osteoblasts help rebuild the bone. There is a period of weakness where the bone is more vulnerable to re-injury. That is why we wear casts. But eventually the bone ends up stronger than it was to begin with because the body overcompensates. Very rarely does a bone break in the same place twice because the bone is thicker and stronger than it was before the break.
‘Almost like a broken bone that needs to be reset, God breaks us where we need to be broken. He fractures the pride and lust and anger in our lives, but He does it to remodel us into His image, and once we heal, we end up stronger than we were to begin with. [Paul writes,] “It has been granted to you on behalf of Christ…to suffer for him” [Philippians 1:29 NIV]. The word “granted” comes from [a] Greek root…which literally means “to grant a favour”…We tend to see suffering as a necessary evil at best, but Paul calls it a divine favour.’
So, maybe God is remodelling you. Perhaps the problem you thought you would never overcome will become your most effective ministry to others.

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The Name That’s On My Lips featuring Lucy Stimpson- Maynard from the album “Where Would I Be Without You? recorded and produced by Ross Gill

Continuing the series on this most challenging subject – here is another episode from Word For Today written by Bob and Debbie Gass

A pastor encourages us: ‘Psychoanalyst Alfred Adler conducted a fascinating research project that popularised the theory of compensation. He studied art students and discovered that seventy per cent of them suffered from optical anomalies. He found degenerative traces in the ears of great composers like Mozart and Beethoven. And he cited numerous examples of other people who eventually became successful in the area of their greatest weakness.

Adler believed that birth defects, poverty, illness, and negative circumstances often prove to be the springboard for success…God wants to recycle your adversity and turn it into a ministry. People go through a painful divorce or the death of a child or a destructive addiction, but God helps them climb out of the pit so they can help others in similar circumstances. One of the most paralysing mistakes we make is thinking that our problems somehow disqualify us from being used by God…No one rolls out the red carpet and invites tragedy into their life, but our greatest gifts and passions are often the by-product of our worst tragedies and failures. Trials have a way of helping us rediscover our purpose in life.’

The problems God has brought you through become a platform upon which you can stand and minister to others. ‘Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God’ (2 Corinthians 1:3-4 NIV).

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Here I Am Because I Love You featuring Lucy Stimpson- Maynard from the album Where Would I Be Without You? recorded and produced by Ross Gill

How can a God of love all the suffering there is in the world? This a most challenging question which I have written about before – in, for example 2016 and 2022.  However, I would like to share some other insights – today from The Word For Today written by Bob and Debbie Gass:

A pastor writes: ‘All of us want every day to be a good day. But if every day was a good day, there would be no “good” days, because there wouldn’t be any bad days to compare the good days to…Sickness helps us appreciate health. Failure helps us appreciate success. Debt helps us appreciate wealth. And the tough times help us appreciate the good times…Adversity is often the seedbed of opportunity [because it has] a way of bringing the best out of us…Adversity is often a blessing in disguise.

‘We dream of zero gravity. We imagine what life would be like without any problems or issues or challenges. But from a biological perspective, zero gravity is hazardous to your health. Astronauts who spend any length of time in zero gravity experience serious medical complications. Without any resistance, they lose muscle mass and bone density, they experience high pulse rates and heart palpitations, and they can barely walk after re-entering the earth’s atmosphere. We may dream of zero gravity, but what we really need is a healthy dose of adversity. The people God uses the most are often the people who have experienced the most adversity. This isn’t necessarily…what you want to read, but it’s true. Adversity can produce an increased capacity to serve God.’

Why? Because adversity causes us to turn to God, lean on God, seek God, and get to know God in a way we otherwise wouldn’t. Some of God’s greatest promises in Scripture begin with the words ‘to him who overcomes’. The Bible says, ‘People who know their God shall be strong, and carry out great exploits’ (Daniel 11:32 NKJV).

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Worship Song featuring Lucy Stimpson-Maynard from the album Where Would I Be Without You? recorded and produced by Ross Gill

How can a God of love all the suffering there is in the world? This a most challenging question which I have written about before – in, for example 2016 and 2022.
It is the focus of episode two of our, soon to be released, “A Journey of Faith” study course. In this Luke sings “This is not heaven” explaining that Jesus understands what suffering is and how we feel as He himself suffered in so many ways, including bereavement, anguish, betrayal, humiliation, physical, emotional and spiritual pain. He promises not to take away our suffering but to never leave or forsake us and to walk with us through life’s storms.
In the forthcoming weeks I will share some more thoughts on the issue of suffering.
The lyrics to “This is not heaven” are:

You’re not alone in your struggle
It’s one many more have had,
Believing God is always good even though life is so often bad,
I could offer you the world’s wisdom but hand on heart that’s not enough,
For in truth there’s more questions than answers,
With only one thing I’m sure of.
Rejection, betrayal, humiliation, injustice and distain,
Grief, anguish, the agony of the Cross,
Jesus suffered again and again,
So, when life throws its worst at us, we can trust this promise is true,
He will never leave or forsake us for He has been there too.
This is not heaven, but little bits of heaven keep breaking through,
This is not a perfect place, but He is perfectly placed to hold on to,
To give us strength when we feel weak,
To be our hope when all is bleak,
So even in the darkest night when grief and pain are at their height,
Somehow, He will be there to be our light.

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A Crown Today – A Cross Tomorrow –  featuring Lucy Stimpson- Maynard from the album Where Would I Be Without You? recorded and produced by Ross Gill

This year marks the celebration of 20 years of Mustard Seed’s first musical “His Story.”  I admit to having been a little disparaging about “His Story” as it is not a traditional musical in which performers act, sing and dance. “His Story” has actors acting, singers singing and dancers dancing. I now appreciate that “His Story” is not inferior to a traditional musical but simply different. It is, in fact, easier to produce as the separate sections – actors, dancers, band and soloists can rehearse separately.

So, I can proudly announce that there will be two performances of “His Story” at Holy Rood church on Saturday, November 8^th.  More details to come later but in the meantime:

Lucy Stimpson- Maynard featured in our albums “I Look Up To The Heavens” “Love Is The Way”  “ Uplifted” “Where Would I Be Without You?” and “Precious” together with performing in many concerts and in “His Story” itself. It is, therefore with great pleasure that I can announce that she will be singing and playing piano. Sadly, only two of the original Mustard Seed Soul Band are available for November 8^th however I have had great fun forming a new and newly named “Mustard Seed Soul and Gospel Band.” The band is full of extremely talented musicians and to give you a taster today’s video clip features our trumpeter, Jon Yates performing at the Royal Albert Hall.

Much more information to come but please put November 8^th in your diaries.

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Oh Lord Hear My Voice featuring Lucy Stimpson- Maynard from the album Where Would I Be Without You? recorded and produced by Ross Gill

Regular readers of this blog will know that I am a Manchester United fan! I was really pleased to see 19-year-old French Centre Back, Leny Yoro score his first goal for United, but even more pleased when he could be seen to obviously give praise to God.

From the tattoo of a Cross on his neck I had assumed that he was a Christian, but it was good to have this confirmed.

I read in www.thickaccent.com that:

Leny’s mother is a devoted Christian, and she instilled the values of Christianity in her sons. She currently lives in Villeneuve-d’Ascq according to her Facebook profile.

According to Le Populaire, Yoro’s father is the former Lille player, Alain Yoro. Senior Yoro played for the reserve team of Lille in the late ’80s and ’90s. In the late 90s, he moved to Paris Saint Germain, where he played as a forward. His jersey number 15 is the reason why Leny chose to play with that number despite being offered to wear numbers 4 and 5, the traditional numbers for a central defender.

Alain is of Ivorian descent, hence Leny Yoro will be eligible to play for the Ivory Coast as well, putting him in the French-African ethnic group. Leny had already made his debuts for France U17, U18, U19, U21 and U23 teams, where he worked closely with Thierry Henry.

Yoro has a holy cross sign on his social account and ‘God Made’, ‘God’s child’, ‘God’s kid’ and ‘God did’ are written on his bio. Also, most of his social media posts end with #GodDid.

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