General Chat

Good morning :-)


I think I have mixed feelings about Autumn. Whilst I appreciate the beauty of the colours, I do tend to think that everything is drawing to a close whereas, in Spring there is the promise of things to come. :-)



For today, with thoughts of those who are our friends....


On Life's Busy Thoroughfares We Meet With Angels Unawares


The unexpected kindness from
an unexpected place,
A hand outstretched in friendship,
a smile on someone's face,
A word of understanding
spoken in a time of trial
Are unexpected miracles
that make life more worthwhile.
We know not how it happened
that in an hour of need
Somebody out of nowhere
proved to be a friend indeed...

For God has many messengers
we fail to recognise,
But he sends them when we need them,
and His ways are wondrous and wise...
So keep looking for an angel
and keep listening to hear;
For on life's busy, crowded streets,
you will find God's presence near.

- Helen Steiner Rice



Cx :-)

Good morning :-)



It's a foggy morning here in the North West but I am still hoping to get my husband to church. Everything depends on how he is at the last moment though. Time will tell.


The collect for today:


Almighty God,
you have made us for yourself, and our hearts are restless
till they find their rest in you:
pour your love into our hearts and draw us to yourself,
and so bring us at last to your heavenly city
where we shall see you face to face;
through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,
who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever.
Amen.



Continuing to remember our friends in prayer.......Cx :-)

A very foggy morning which was slow to lift today here in Yorkshire. I hope that your husband felt well enough to join you in church this morning Cynthia.

Thank you for the collect prayer for today......... Amen to that.

Praying for those who have been hurt or felt upset or let down in any way today.

Good morning :-)


Sadly he didn't make it to church - it's a matter of getting the timing of the medication right which makes the difference and, as our doctor told us, it's a very unpredictable condition. This means that we can't make plans ahead - we just have to be flexible :-)


Some words for today:

Lord, may the sacrifices we make
be the willing choice of our spirit
to respond to your purpose for our lives.
In the knowledge of your love for us,
and the joy of your call to us,
may we hear, with all creatures, your voice.

Walking beside us,
inspire and enlighten us
with others we meet on the way.
Beneath trees which sing of you,
under sky and stars alive with you,
may we see beyond night, the new day. Amen.

Shaun Swithenbank


Enjoy your day. Cx :-)

Cynthia such a shame that your husband
was unable to attend church.
I hope something can be worked out so that
your husband can feel involved with the church.

Remembering all in need of prayer and comfort.

Emma x

Perhaps next Sunday might be different Cynthia. We also have ongoing serious ill health issues here, but "never say never" is a motto we have learned to accept.

Neither of us are as fit as a fiddle any longer. I read this recently and found it fascinating.............. As Fit As A Fiddle:-

This expression is used to indicate a person is in a good condition, lively and energetic. But since its origin we seem to have lost a letter along the way. Back in the days of medieval court, the fittest person was meant to be the fiddler as they danced and scampered about as they played their music throughout the crowds. The phrase used at the time was... As Fit As A Fiddler, which makes more sense.

My prayers tonight will include all the homeless people who are sleeping outdoors in this cold wet blustery windy weather.

Good morning :-)


'As fit as a fiddler' - I didn't know that either kandj. One lives and learns. Thank you for the kind thoughts everyone.

With thoughts of autumn...

Good and generous Lord, You have once more brought the year full circle, through planting and growing and ripening to harvest time, and autumn.

We thank You for the sun and the wind, the rain and the dew, the minerals of the earth and all the plants that grow and all the beasts and birds of farm and field. We marvel at Your wonderful ways of bringing food from the earth for man's good.

Dear God,
Help us to use Your rich gifts as You want us to.
Teach us to share them with our neighbour when he is in need.
Make us see, in the marvellous succession of seasons, and in the growth and ripening of our crops,
the merciful, generous hand of Your divine providence.

Help us to realize, too,
that if we keep Your commandments and live according to the inspirations of Your grace,
we shall also reap a plentiful harvest in the autumn of our lifetime:
a harvest that we will be able to enjoy for ever and ever,
where no rust can destroy, nor blight spoil any least part of it.
Amen.


Remembering our friends in prayer. Cx :-)

Thank you Cynthia, your thoughts about Autumn were amazing.

How often on difficult days are we told, "Cheer up and smile?"..... easier said than done on challenging days. These few words might help.

What is a Smile?

What is a smile? It is a gift? Does it cost anything? No, and yet it gives so much.
It enriches one who receives it and also the one who gives it. It may only last for a moment, but the meaning of the smile can last forever. No-one is rich enough to go without it, yet no-one is so poor that they cannot afford to give it away.
Your smile can mean fresh life, hope and courage to many people. It is nature's answer to all ills and yet it cannot be bought, lent or stolen, for it only has value from the moment it is given. Smile at God too, by accepting all He sends you in life and
His smile will be on you forever.

Sending a smile right now, to all who need one........ pass it on tomorrow please.

Good morning :-)


I can't take credit for those words on Autumn kandj, only for finding them :-D


A smile can make such a difference to a person's face, especially when their eyes light up too.

One such smile I remember is from quite a while ago. A school friend of my daughter had the most wonderful smile. He was just 6 years old when he died from Cystic Fibrosis but I can still remember his smile as he turned his head to look at us during his therapy sessions. One smile I won't forget bless him.

For today:

THERE'S SUNSHINE IN A SMILE

Life is a mixture of sunshine and rain,
Laughter and pleasure, teardrops and pain.
All days can't be bright, but it's certainly true,
there was never a cloud, the sun didn't shine through.

So just keep on smiling,
whatever betide you, secure in the knowledge,
God is always beside you,
and you'll find when you smile,
your day will be brighter,
and all of your burdens,
will seem so much lighter.

For each time you smile,
you will find that it's true,
somebody, somewhere
will smile back at you,
and nothing on earth,
makes life more worthwhile,
than the sunshine and warmth,
of a beautiful smile.

~ Helen Steiner Rice



With love Cx :-)

Cynthia :-) thank you, that is so true.

Emma x

How beautiful to remember the little boy's smiley face, God love him.

Smiling Is Infectious.

Smiling is infectious
You catch it like the flu
When someone smiled at me today
I started smiling too
I walked around the corner, and
Someone saw me grin
When he smiled I realized
I had passed it on to him.
I thought about the smile
and then realized its worth
A single smile like mine
Could travel round the earth.
So if you feel a smile begin
Don't leave it undetected
Start an epidemic, and
Get the world infected.

I like the idea of these few words...... and hope that you all will too.

Good morning :-)


Yesterday was the feast day of St. Teresa of Avila. I enjoy reading about these ordinary folk who accomplished extraordinary things and went on to become an inspiration to us. Their stories are often fascinating and that is certainly true of this woman :


Teresa lived in an age of exploration as well as political, social and religious upheaval. It was the 16th century, a time of turmoil and reform. She was born before the Protestant Reformation and died almost 20 years after the closing of the Council of Trent.

The gift of God to Teresa in and through which she became holy and left her mark on the Church and the world is threefold: She was a woman; she was a contemplative; she was an active reformer.

As a woman, Teresa stood on her own two feet, even in the man's world of her time. She was "her own woman," entering the Carmelites despite strong opposition from her father. She is a person wrapped not so much in silence as in mystery.

Beautiful, talented, outgoing, adaptable, affectionate, courageous, enthusiastic, she was totally human. Like Jesus, she was a mystery of paradoxes: wise, yet practical; intelligent, yet much in tune with her experience; a mystic, yet an energetic reformer. A holy woman, a womanly woman.

Teresa was a woman "for God," a woman of prayer, discipline and compassion. Her heart belonged to God. Her ongoing conversion was an arduous lifelong struggle, involving ongoing purification and suffering.

She was misunderstood, misjudged, opposed in her efforts at reform. Yet she struggled on, courageous and faithful; she struggled with her own mediocrity, her illness, her opposition. And in the midst of all this she clung to God in life and in prayer.

Her writings on prayer and contemplation are drawn from her experience: powerful, practical and graceful. A woman of prayer; a woman for God.

Teresa was a woman "for others." Though a contemplative, she spent much of her time and energy seeking to reform herself and the Carmelites, to lead them back to the full observance of the primitive Rule.

She founded over a half-dozen new monasteries. She travelled, wrote, fought—always to renew, to reform. In her self, in her prayer, in her life, in her efforts to reform, in all the people she touched, she was a woman for others, a woman who inspired and gave life.

Her writings, especially the Way of Perfection and The Interior Castle, have helped generations of believers.

In 1970, the Church gave her the title she had long held in the popular mind: Doctor of the Church. She and St. Catherine of Siena were the first women so honoured.


Her famous prayer is still widely used today:

Christ has no body but yours,
No hands, no feet on earth but yours,
Yours are the eyes with which he looks
Compassion on this world,
Yours are the feet with which he walks to do good,
Yours are the hands, with which he blesses all the world.
Yours are the hands, yours are the feet,
Yours are the eyes, you are his body.
Christ has no body now but yours,
No hands, no feet on earth but yours,
Yours are the eyes with which he looks
compassion on this world.
Christ has no body now on earth but yours.


Cx :-)

Very interesting Cynthia. All new information for me so thank you for that.

I am familiar with her famous prayer but I had no idea who had written this but I do now.

Praying today for patients who are admitted to hospital and are awaiting test results or surgery. Praying also for their family and friends who experience a stressful time.

Good morning :-)


St. Teresa's prayer is one of my favourites I must admit.


A prayer today for those who are anxious - for whatever reason....

Father, I'm praying that my family and friends will be free from worry...

Help them not worry when things don't go the way they expect. Jesus said we're not to fret, not to worry, not to let our hearts be troubled or afraid. He said we're to trust in You— and also in Him. May it be so in their lives and ministry, no matter how impossible things seem. (John 14:1, 27b)


Keep them from worrying about tomorrow, for each day has enough trouble of its own. When such trouble comes, help them to cast all their anxiety on Christ because He cares for them.


Help them not to be anxious about anything but to pray about everything with thanksgiving—for when they do, You'll give them Your peace that surpasses their understanding, and such peace guards their hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.


Keep their minds steadfast in trusting You, and give them Your perfect peace. May they turn to the Lord of Peace who will give them peace at all times, in every way.


Help them leave every worry at Your feet where it belongs.


In Jesus' name, amen.



Remembering all our friends in prayer. Cx :-)

Good morning :-)


A thoughtful smile for today:

When I Got To Heaven

I was shocked, confused, bewildered
As I entered Heaven's door
Not by the beauty of it all
By the lights or its decor.

But it was the folks in Heaven
Who made me splutter and gasp
The thieves, the liars, the sinners
The alcoholics, and the trash.

There stood the kid from seventh grade
Who swiped my lunch money twice
Next to him was my neighbour
Who never said anything nice.

Uncle Bill, who I always thought
Was rotting away in hell,
Was sitting pretty on cloud nine
Looking incredibly well.

I nudged Jesus, "What's the deal?
I would love to hear Your take
How'd all these sinners get up here?
God must have made a mistake."

"And why is everyone so quiet
So sombre? Please give me a clue."
"Hush, child," said He. "They're all in shock
No one thought they'd see you!"


- Anon.


Enjoy your day. Cx :-)

Funny Cynthia, thanks.

Good morning :-)


It will be a busy morning at church today as it is the enrolment service for the Boys' Brigade as well the welcoming of the newly baptised.

My husband won't be going this morning as it will be too hectic for him to cope with but, fortunately, our priest-in-charge brought him Holy Communion yesterday afternoon. I was so glad because he has missed it for the last few weeks.


The Collect for today:

Almighty and everlasting God,
increase in us your gift of faith that,
forsaking what lies behind and reaching out to that which is before,
we may run the way of your commandments and win the crown of everlasting joy; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,
who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God,
now and for ever. Amen.


Remembering those who have asked for prayer. Cx :-)

Amen.

Also remembering those in need.

x

Mixed Blessings. (Copied from our Church Mag.)

I love my garden, so peaceful there.
Take a seat, breath in the air.
Rub in some cream; of sun be wary.
Take out my beads & talk to Mary.

Gaze into space, let drift my mind
From troubled thoughts pull down the blind.
Hear the birds, srr what they’ve found
As they forage on the ground.

A cabbage white comes fluttering by.
Up to no good & I know why!
So many weeds from little rain.
Stand up girl - get weeding again.

Just had a short time of weeding Dermot and appreciated the little verse.

Cynthia, two of my neighbours, sadly both passed away now, were both involved in the Boys' Brigade in our village Methodist chapel. That building has since been sold off, demolished and new houses built on the site. One song that reminds me so much of these two lovely Christian people and our shared worship the rousing...
Will Your Anchor Hold.......... just one verse and chorus but there are other verses.

Will your anchor hold in the storms of life,
When the clouds unfold their wings of strife?
When the strong tides lift and the cable strains
Will your anchor drift or firm remain?

Chorus
We have an anchor that keeps the soul
Steadfast and sure while the billows roll
Fastened to the Rock that cannot move,
Grounded firm and deep in the Saviour's love.

A real blessing to have your priest in charge visit your husband at home Cynthia.

Joining with Emma today and remembering those in need of prayerful support.