Francisco Domingo Joaquim has earned the title of “world’s widest mouth” and “the Angolan Jaw of Awe”. According to the Guinness Book of Records his 16.99 cm wide mouth, means he is officially the man with the world’s largest mouth. His record breaking mouth is so large and flexible that he has no problem fitting in a whole can of cola – sideways!

Francisco, who became famous performing his jaw-dropping talent on the streets of Luanda, capital of Angola recently entered the Big Mouth competition in Rome.

In the competition, contestants crammed their mouths with an amazing array of gob-smacking items including saucers, coffee cups and beer bottles, but nobody could beat Francisco and his can of coke.

To see an image of Francisco click here

Admirable as these amazing feats may be, I don’t think this is quite what God had in mind when he instructed His people “Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it.” Ps 81:10.

The instruction is to open our mouths WIDE, in other words to honour our Big God with big expectations.

A careful look at this verse reveals that this is a condition of answered prayer as much as a promise. God doesn’t offer to fill the slightly open mouth. He promises to satisfy the desires of those whose mouths are open wide in anticipation.

It has been said that sometimes we insult God with our small prayers because small prayers are born of small faith in a God who is too small. The question is “how wide can you open your mouth?

Here at MCM it feels like our mouths are open pretty wide. We are currently trusting God to supply the temporal needs of ten (soon to be twelve) members of staff. At the same time our mouths are open for the sixty plus people that attend the Windsor Drop In each session and up to twenty three homeless people that use the Narrowgate Shelter each night, not to mention the hundreds of children that come under the Gospel each month through Groundbreakers.

More importantly our mouths are open to ask for salvation. God has been pleased to answer. Up to now this year at least eleven people have told us that they have found Christ through our work.

All this encourages me to stretch my jaw a little further and to ask God for more and more! Move over Francisco!

The death of a loved one is one of the most painful experiences any of us can face, especially when it seems as though they died before their time. The two sisters were understandably heartbroken. The tears still flowed freely even four days after the funeral of their brother. The comfort of friends, even those who had come to “weep with those who weep” did little to silence the inevitable questions; “Why did God let this happen?” “Where was He when we needed Him?”

It hard to imagine a more depressing situation to walk into. The atmosphere was heavy with grief and despair. Death had won another victory. Nothing could now be done except mourn the loss and contemplate the inevitability of the grave. And Jesus was getting blamed for it all.

Mary and Martha had both, in a mixture of disappointment, faith and surrender , told Jesus that if He had made it earlier Lazarus would still be alive. The Jewish mourners, perhaps more cynically, were making similar statements. It would have been enough to undermine anyone’s faith that God could turn the situation around.

But Jesus lifted his eyes, and the miracle happened. Lazarus came out of the grave.

Here at MCM we often face situations that would tempt us to despair. The desperate situations that may of our homeless clients face, the hopelessness that so often accompanies addiction, the sad face of a child experiencing pressures that only adults should know.

If we could not lift our eyes above the horizon of broken human experience to seek God, we would have nothing to offer. But as we follow Jesus example and fasten our eyes on the one who loved us and saved us faith grows and despair dissipates.

We may not see many people rising from a literal grave, but we regularly see the power of death defeated and new life come to those who hear our message. God still overcomes despair, fear, uncertainty and grief. Just lift your eyes an take a look!