General Chat

Good morning :-)


I see that Vera has had a birthday this week. Happy birthday to our good friend and I hope you had a wonderful day. <3

The Collect (special prayer) for today :

Almighty Father,
whose Son was revealed in majesty
before he suffered death upon the cross:
give us grace to perceive his glory,
that we may be strengthened to suffer with him
and be changed into his likeness, from glory to glory;
who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever. Amen.


The Gospel today tells of the Transfiguration of Jesus
‘This is my Son, the Beloved, with him I am well pleased, listen to him.”


Love to all Cx :-)

Good morning :-)


Definitely a God-incidence kandj. I have come on here this morning ready to post exactly that same hymn. :-D


I won't post it again, but its a fitting hymn to end our week of thinking about friendships.


Love to you all. Cx :-)

Good morning :-)


Definitely a God-incidence kandj. I have come on here this morning ready to post exactly that same hymn. :-D


I won't post it again, but its a fitting hymn to end our week of thinking about friendships.


Love to you all. Cx :-)

Another week of interesting posts. Thank you Cynthia. Friends are so important. While we are thankful for our friends, we should also remember those who do not have that network of support and try to offer our friendship to them.

A special thought for those in need of a friend today and a very gentle hug for kandj as she grieves for the loss of her family member <3

Hello all

Hope no one has been blown away with storm Doris yesterday?

What a friend we have in Jesus
All our sins and griefs to bear
What a privilege to carry
Everything to God in prayer.
O, what peace we often forfeit
O, what needless pain we bear
All because we do not carry
Everything to God in prayer.

Have we trials and temptations
Is there trouble anywhere
We should never be discouraged
Take it to the Lord in prayer.
Can we find a friend so faithful
Who will all our sorrows share
Jesus knows our every weakness
Take it to the Lord in prayer.

Are we weak and heavy laden
Burdened with a load of care
Precious Saviour, still our refuge
Take it to the Lord in prayer.
Do our friends despise, forsake thee
Take it to the Lord in prayer
In His arms He'll take and shield thee
Thou will find a solace there.

We have returned from the funeral service of a family member and this
hymn was sung there today. Is it a coincidence or a God Incidence, that Cynthia
has posted about Jesus and His friendship for us all on here today?

Sending gentle hugs to everyone in need right now. xxx

Good morning :-)

Whew! What a day! I hope everyone has remained safe during storm Doris. We have had some damage to church apparently :-(


Friends are an important and wonderful part of life.

We’ve looked at different kinds of friends and friendships this week, but by far, the most important friend that you can have is Jesus.

However, we need to be careful about being too chummy in calling Jesus our friend. In the bible, no human ever refers to God or Jesus as their friend. Jesus calls the disciples his friends, but he is still their Lord and Teacher.

At the last supper, the apostle John laid his head on Jesus’ breast but years later, when he saw Jesus in His glory, he collapsed at His feet. As we consider whether or not we are friends of Jesus, we need to maintain John’s reverence.

Would Jesus call me his friend?

Friends of Jesus love one another, obey His commandments, understand His truths, and are chosen to bear fruit that remains.


Love to all.......especially those looking in. Cx :-)

Good morning :-)


What a morning! Do take care if you have to go out today......sounds as though it is going to be horrible.

Have you ever heard of ‘Job’s Comforters’? The dictionary states ‘A person who aggravates distress under the guise of giving comfort’.

In the Old Testament poor Job (Jobe) was having his life whittled away bit by bit — he has lost his crops, his livestock and his family. He is truly unhappy. Job's friends live a distance from him, but they come together and decide to visit Job in order to help him mourn. For the first seven days, they merely sit with him, quietly. They do not say a word. They support him, let him have his sadness and be there with him in his time of trial.

But finally, they speak. They say it is his fault he has lost so much, because he has sinned. He deserved what he got. And then, after telling him off, they begin to give him advice. And they do not stop giving him advice. For pages and pages, they give him advice. Even when Job tells his friends that they are "miserable comforters," they still will not stop giving him advice.

Eventually, God finally speaks from a whirlwind. He asks Job's friends, "Who are you to talk?" And then he tells them to be quiet.

The most impressive bit of the story is the seven days his friends sat with him and gave him comfort. We have probably all been guilty of wanting to fix things for a friend — giving advice instead of comfort. But really, the most valuable gift a friend can provide is quiet and steady support.


What sort of comforter are you?


Love, Cx :-)

Good morning :-)

We all need friends at times of crisis. Over to the New Testament to-day and a look at a family who were friends of Jesus.

Mary and Martha lived with their brother Lazarus at Bethany, a village not far from Jerusalem. They are mentioned in several episodes in the Gospels.

On one occasion, when Jesus and His disciples were their guests Mary sat at Jesus' feet and listened to Him while her sister Martha busied herself with preparing food and waiting on the guests, and when Martha complained, Jesus said that Mary had chosen the better part. Martha was active and anxious to serve others. Mary was quiet and contemplative.

When Lazarus died, Jesus returned to Bethany. Martha, upon being told that He was approaching, went out to meet Him, while Mary sat still in the house until He sent for her. When Jesus saw Mary weeping, He was deeply moved and He also wept.

It was to Martha that Jesus said: "I am the Resurrection and the Life."
That was followed by the scene at the tomb, when Lazarus came forth at the mere word of Jesus. He was bound hand and foot with grave clothes. Jesus said, “Loose him and let him go”—that is, unwrap the grave clothes and let him go free.

There must have been a great celebration at their home that night.


Love to all Cx :-)

Good morning :-)

I googled the organisation that excerpt came from - its one of the wild and woolly ones and generally regarded as a cult. Let's stay with the tried and tested eh?

For today :

Ruth’s late husband was Naomi’s son. While they were connected by a marriage relationship, they were also dear friends. Naomi’s husband had also died and they were returning to Israel, staying together and supporting each other because of their friendship.

Near Bethlehem, Ruth went to work in the grain fields; there she met, and ultimately married, the benevolent Boaz — an older gentleman who was a “kinsman” by marriage. They were blessed with a son, Obed, who eventually became the grandfather of King David, from whom Jesus is descended.

A wonderful friendship indeed.


Cx :-)

If Jesus of Nazareth were to return to earth today, would He recognise the religion that is using His name? Would He be shocked to find that people claiming to be His followers have been waging war against each other almost continually for the last 1,900 years - Catholic fighting Catholic, and Protestant fighting Protestant?

His professed followers believe doctrines totally contrary to what He taught, observing different days of worship, different customs and, most importantly, having a totally different concept of God and of His purpose than Jesus and the original Apostles did?

Jesus might wonder: “Why are they putting My name on all this “stuff”?

(A small excerpt copied from a 'Tomorrow's World' pamphlet, published in 2011.)

Good morning :-)


A manic morning in church yesterday as our youth organisations and their families piled in. The tiny Rainbows led the service and they were so cute. When it came to Communion, the vicar invited them to come and sit in front of the altar so that they could see what was going on. The vicar is a former Head Teacher and certainly knows how to encourage little ones.


For today:

Last week we took a look at the word Love in all its meanings. This week…………friendship and some friendships found in the bible.

True Friendship - Recognition
How can we find true friendship in this often phony, temporary world? Friendship involves recognition or familiarity with another's personality. Friends often share likes and dislikes, interests, pursuits, and passion.

First Samuel 20 focuses on the friendship of David and Jonathan. These two men truly cared for each other and had great trust and confidence in one another. David was running for his life from Jonathan's father, Saul. Jonathan recognized that David was innocent. Because of the true friendship they shared, David survived Saul's assassination attempts and went on to become one of Israel's greatest kings.


Thank God for our friends.

Cx :-)

Good morning :-)


Today is Thinking Day for our Girl Guiding friends.

Celebrated since 1926, World Thinking Day is a day of international friendship, speaking out on issues that affect girls and young women, and fundraising for 10 million Girl Guides and Girl Scouts around the world.

We will hear the story of creation and also the gospel where Jesus tells us not to worry about things… . “So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own. Today’s trouble is enough for today.”


Love to all Cx :-)

Good morning :-)

As we come to the end of our reflection on the word ‘Love’, I will leave you with these well known words which are heard at each service of Holy Communion......


Jesus answered, "You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind. And you must love your neighbour as yourself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets”.

Today, our bellringers are celebrating 150 years of our church bells being hung. They are going to use the same method and changes as were made all those years ago. Coffee is being served to those who wish to hear them first hand.......ear muffs may be needed - but I think they will be slightly more melodious than those which Pat in Cyprus often tells us about :-D


Cx :-)

Good morning :-)


Almost at the end of our week at looking at the word 'Love' and the many forms it takes.

Love is patient and is kind.
Love doesn’t envy.
Love doesn’t brag.
Love is not proud.
Love doesn’t behave itself inappropriately.
Love doesn’t seek its own way.
Love is not provoked.
Love takes no account of evil.
Love doesn’t rejoice in unrighteousness.
Love rejoices with the truth.
Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, and endures all things.
Love never ends.



Cx :-)

Cynthia, I am always amazed at how many different themes you manage to find to keep the thread going. Thank you.

Like Kandj, I had not heard of Storge love and I can relate to it as I am lucky enough to come from a very inclusive, close knit, extended family, at least on my father's side.

Kandj, you must take very gentle care of yourself. Sending you a hug <3

Good morning :-)


Awww a very gentle hug for you today kandj <3


Our ‘love’ for today is ‘Philia’ love……

Philia or philia love, is the love between friends as close as siblings in strength and duration. The friendship is the strong bond existing between people who share common values, interests or activities.

It refers to an affectionate, warm and tender platonic love. It makes you desire friendship with someone. It's the kind of love which livens up the Agape love. ... It is a committed and chosen love.

Also known as ‘brotherly love’, the city of Philadelphia was thus named by William Penn the Quaker in 1681.


Cx :-)

Hello all

Cynthia I don't remember hearing of STORGE love before, so thank you for explaining it today. I am blessed to have a loving marriage and be a part of a loving family too.

I have somehow managed to pull my side muscle with all the constant coughing. I am
trying not to cough, but this isn't working and it is very painful.... hey ho. It goes on!!

Sending hugs for those in need today. Gentle ones, if you have a painful side too. xx

Good morning :-)


Today we take a look at another form of love….STORGE (Stor-jay)

Storge is family love, the bond among mothers, fathers, sons, daughters, sisters, and brothers.

When we become followers of Jesus Christ, we enter into the family of God. Our lives are bound together by something stronger than physical ties—the bonds of the Spirit. We are related by something more powerful than human blood—the blood of Jesus Christ. God calls his family to love one another with the deep affection of storge love.

As with any family, we may not always agree, but we should work hard to restore a loving and honest harmony amongst the members.



Cx :-)

In case you have missed it, today is St. Valentine’s Day – a day associated with romance and love…..but what sort of love?

Yesterday we looked at the unconditional Agape type of love, today we look at the love which is based on Eros.

In fact, there is no actual reference to Eros in the Bible, but Eros – or erotic love – IS portrayed in the Old Testament as the physical, sensual love between a husband and wife and that sex outside of marriage is forbidden.

As for the saint himself………..

The Legend of Saint Valentine

The story of Saint Valentine
Is a legend, it is true.
But legends are delightful
and very lovely, too.
The legend says Saint Valentine,
imprisoned in a cell,
Was thinking of his little flock
he had always loved so well.
He wanted to assure them
of his friendship and his love,
So he picked a bunch of violets
and sent them by a dove.
And on the violet's velvet leaves
he pierced these lines divine...
They simply said "I LOVE YOU
and I'm your Valentine."
So through the years that followed
from that day unto this,
Folks still send messages of love
and seal them with a kiss.
Because a Saint in prison
Reached outside his bars one day
And picked a bunch of violets
and sent them out to say
That Faith and Love can triumph
no matter where you are,
For Faith and Love are greater
than the strongest prison bar.
author

~ Helen Steiner Rice


Cx :-)

Good morning :-)


My word it was perishing in church yesterday.......hopefully it is going to be sorted this week. I don't know how the lady in the bare shoulder dress coped :-D It really was one of those mornings. Despite the cold, the organist was poorly, the printer was broken and the vicar had dragged herself from her sick bed to be with us. She sounded like a walrus with croup poor thing. However, we all rallied round and the baptism went off well - the family were very happy with things. :-)


For today.....

This week brings us St. Valentine’s Day……..red roses, chocolates and proposals of marriage…..very much a day based on romantic love.

The word LOVE is everywhere this month, but it is not always used to mean the same thing. We LOVE pizza and we LOVE our children and we LOVE our spouse and we LOVE the new dress our friend is wearing. Love gets used a lot, so we have a responsibility to understand the different forms this takes – from a Christian perspective.

AGAPE (Ag-apay)
There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. ~John 15:13
Agape love is not based on any circumstances or feelings. It is unconditional love, acted upon on a regular basis, with no expectation of love in return. Love in action. Agape love is how God loves each and every one of us and it is how He wants us to love one another.

Lord, help us to love each other as you want us to. Amen.


Cx :-)