General Chat

Good morning :-)

Dear Lord

Quietly, we come remembering the dreadful events of twenty years ago.
We come in sadness.
We come in pain.

We come in hope,
not in ourselves, but in you.

Lord, in your mercy hear our prayer.

Cx : <3

Good morning Cynthia and all ~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I wish you all a calm and peaceful day.

Take care <3

Good morning :-)

It's so easy to get caught up
With the trappings of wealth in this life.
Grant, O Lord, that I may be free
From greed and selfishness.
Remind me that the best things in life are free.
Love, laughter, caring and sharing. Amen.

Cx :-)

Good morning :-)

The more we call on God.
The more we can feel God's presence.
Day by day we are drawn closer
To the loving heart of God.

Cx :-)

Good morning :-)

Having to use my phone today as the telegraph pole outside has been knocked down yet again, so no Internet or landline. Fortunately no-one was hurt.

Jesus, you are always there waiting for me.
Grant that I may be still more often.
That I may always desire to spend time in Your presence.
To know Your peace, Your love. Amen.

CX :-)

Good morning :-)

Time for children to return to school.......

A teacher's prayer:


I want to teach my students how
To live this life on Earth.
To face it’s struggles and it’s strife
And to improve their worth.
Not just the lesson in a book
Or how the rivers flow,
But how to choose the proper path
Wherever they may go.
To understand eternal truth
And know the right from wrong,
And gather all the beauty of
A flower and a song.
For if I help the world to grow
In wisdom and in grace,
Then I shall feel that I have won
And I have filled my place.
And so I ask your guidance, God,
That I may do my part.
For character and confidence
And happiness of heart.


Cx :-)

Good morning :-) :

The Collect (special prayer) for today:

Almighty God,
whose only Son has opened for us
a new and living way into your presence:
give us pure hearts and steadfast wills
to worship you in spirit and in truth;
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.


Gospel
Mark 7.24–37


Cx :-)

Hello all

Another challenging week. I have this Serenity Prayer card pinned on my kitchen notice board.

God grant me the serenity to accept the things
I cannot change.
Courage to change the things I can, and
The wisdom to know the difference.

Gentle hugs for all who are hurting today.

Good morning :-)

'
'This and That'

A sick man turned to his doctor as he was preparing to leave the examination room and said, ‘Doctor, I am afraid to die. Tell me what lies on the other side.’

Very quietly, the doctor said, ‘I don’t know.’

‘You don’t know? You’re, a Christian man, and don’t know what’s on the other side?’

The doctor was holding the handle of the door. On the other side came a sound of scratching and whining.

And as he opened the door, a dog sprang into the room and leaped up on him with an eager show of gladness.

Turning to the patient, the doctor said, ‘Did you notice my dog? He’s never been in this room before. He didn’t know what was inside.

He knew nothing except that his master was here. And when the door opened, he sprang in without fear.

I know little of what is on the other side of death, but I do know one thing…

I know my Master is there and that is enough for me.’

Author unknown

Cx :-)

Good Morning :-)


Does anyone remember the children’s hymn ‘Jesus Loves Me’?

Well, here is the senior version!

Jesus loves me, this I know,
Though my hair is white as snow
Though my sight is growing dim,
Still He bids me trust in Him.
(CHORUS)
YES, JESUS LOVES ME… YES, JESUS LOVES ME…
YES, JESUS LOVES ME, THE BIBLE TELLS ME SO.

Though my steps are oh, so slow,
With my hand in His I’ll go
On through life, let come what may,
He’ll be there to lead the way.
(CHORUS)

When the nights are dark and long,
In my heart He puts a song..
Telling me in words so clear,
“Have no fear, for I am near.”
(CHORUS)

When my work on earth is done,
And life’s victories have been won.
He will take me home above,
Then I’ll understand His love.
(CHORUS)

I love Jesus, does He know?
Have I ever told Him so?
Jesus loves to hear me say,
That I love Him every day.
(CHORUS)

Enjoy! :-D

Cx :-)

Good morning :-)



‘This and that’………..

Looking for interesting snippets, I came across this….

During the coronavirus epidemic, we will be separated. We still have to stick together.

Let’s show who we really are, as Christians in our day. This is our moment.

“Stepping back for a moment, it is worth asking why the Christian church has and is now again called to live in such a sacrificial way. The answer in part is the description of Christians as “citizens of heaven” (Phil. 3:20). That is, our hope is not in this life but in the one to come.

In one famous example, the church historian Eusebius describes a fourth century epidemic that swept through the Roman Empire. Far from fleeing the cities or shutting off their homes from others, Eusebius records that “all day long [Christians] tended to the dying and to the burial, countless numbers with no one to care for them. Others gather together from all parts of the city a multitude of those withered from famine and distributed bread to them all.” As a result, Eusebius concludes, “[the Christians’] deeds were on everyone's lips, and they glorified the god of the Christians.”

Faced with what was likely a far more severe pandemic than our own, 4th century Christians modelled a faith that is truly compelling. That pandemic revealed who Christians really were — this one will probably do so as well.

Cx :-)

Good morning :-)

A week of 'this and that'......

We are all used to churches holding necessary fund raising events. I found this little snippet in one of our church magazines from about the 1950's.

CHURCH ROOF APPEAL
This neat little apron is given to you
And this is what you are asked to do.
Place a tape measure around your middle,
Not too tight, you mustn’t fiddle.
For every inch you measure round
Into the pocket put a penny or pound.
This game is fair, you must admit
You ‘waist’ your money and we ‘pocket’ it.
Mother, Father, kids can measure
Adding to our treasurer’s pleasure.
At least six thousand pounds we need
So measure now and act with speed.
Don’t be shy if you are rotund,
All the more for our roofing fund.
We make no apologies for our verse
We’re only interested in your purse.

Please give your donations to any of the clergy, churchwardens, sidesmen, members of the P.C.C. or any church officers.


£6,000 then, would be worth around £210,254 today. Can you imagine the faith, prayers and commitment which went to raising that amount of money? We thank God for those faithful people who worked so hard to keep both the church as a building and the church as a people, alive and active in the community. Respect.

Cx :-)

Good morning :-)

This and that....



Many people know that they sing ‘Abide With Me’ at every cup FA cup final at Wembley, before the teams appear on the pitch. But why do they do this? And when did it start?

This hymn was written by Henry Francis Lyte, (1793-1847) an Anglican vicar who once visited an old priest who was on the point of death. The dying man kept repeating the words ‘Abide with me’ and this made a deep impression on Lyte.

Unfortunately, Lyte suffered from TB and was hoping that some Mediterranean air would help. Before he left England, he preached his farewell sermon to his congregation and, that afternoon, wrote ‘Abide With Me’ and gave it to his daughter. Sadly the Mediterranean air could not cure him, and he died two weeks later. He was just 54 years old.

The words of ‘Abide With Me’ were paired with various hymn tunes. But in 1861 William Henry Monk was asked to write a new melody. Monk was in deep mourning as his young daughter had recently died and he wrote the tune ‘Eventide’. It has become the inseparable companion of Lyte’s words ever since.

The new hymn soon proved popular and Nurse Edith Cavell sang it on the evening before her execution on 10 October 1915.

As for the FA Cup Final, Sir Alfred Wall, the Secretary of the Football Association, introduced ‘Abide With Me’ in 1927 to replace Alexander’s Ragtime Band, which had been the opening tune for the Cup Final until that time. The initiative was fervently supported by King George V and Queen Mary, who both loved the hymn. So nobody was inclined to disagree. Two years later, the Rugby League followed suit at their Challenge Cup Final. ‘Abide With Me’ is still sung at both matches every year, an annual moment of faith for a people who are not always religious.

Cx :-)

Good morning :-)

A 'this and that' week



A single guy decided life would be more fun if he had a pet. So he went to the pet store and told the owner that he wanted to buy an unusual pet.

After some discussion, he finally bought a talking centipede, (100-legged bug), which came in a little white box to use for his house. He took the box back home, found a good spot for the box, and decided he would start off by taking his new pet to church with him.

So he asked the centipede in the box, "Would you like to go to church with me today? We will have a good time."

But there was no answer from his new pet. This bothered him a bit, but he waited a few minutes and then asked again, "How about going to church with me and receive blessings?"

But again, there was no answer from his new friend and pet. So he waited a
few minutes more, thinking about the situation. The guy decided to invite the centipede one last time.

This time he put his face up against the centipede's house and shouted,
"Hey, in there! Would you like to go to church with me and learn about God?"

This time, a little voice came out of the box, "I heard you the first time! I'm putting my shoes on!"


Cx :-)

Good morning :-)

Flowers are beautiful I agree kandj - but I am a hopeless flower arranger!! :-D


The Collect (special prayer) for today:
Almighty God,
who called your Church to bear witness
that you were in Christ reconciling the world to yourself:
help us to proclaim the good news of your love,
that all who hear it may be drawn to you;
through him who was lifted up on the cross,
and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever. Amen.


Cx :-)

Hello all

Thanks as always for your daily posts Cynthia.

I love seeing flowers in my garden and in my home.
I've planted Cosmos, Pansy, Foxgloves, Petunia and Poppies all from last years seeds and have been rewarded with pretty colourful flowers that have cheer me up daily.

"Life is like a flower when we don't take care of it, it can wither and die." (Davene Taylor).

Gentle hugs for all who feel sad today.

Good morning :-)

Song of Songs 2:12
“Flowers appear on the earth; the season of singing has come, the cooing of doves is heard in our land.”

It talks about when the flowers bloom in Spring, and the smell of life can be felt throughout the land. We can include this in our prayer whenever we have experienced extreme challenges or natural calamities. This verse means that there is life and light after every storm.

Cx :-)

Good morning :-)


What a dreadful situation in Afghanistan.....we send our love and prayers to all involved. <3


Job 14:2
“Like a flower he comes forth and withers. He also flees like a shadow and does not remain.”

The flower described in this verse is a similarity to a man’s lifespan. It is a comparison to an individual who was born, grows, and eventually dies.

Life is indeed fleeting. So, we should spend it by helping others and following the Word of God. Maybe we should spend a time of our day by reflecting on this verse. We could reflect on the actions we have made in the past, and ask ourselves if it is according to God’s teaching. Are we being good followers of Christ?


Cx :-)

Thoughts and prayers tonight for everyone involved in the desperate situation in Afghanistan <3

Good morning :-)

James 1:10-11
“But the rich should take pride in their humiliation–since they will pass away like a wildflower. For the sun rises with scorching heat and withers the plant; its blossom falls and its beauty is destroyed. In the same way, the rich will fade away even while they go about their business.”

Humans are just like flowers. Flowers need sunlight, and a proper amount of water and care to grow. But just like humans, they fade and die. Everything in this world will soon fade and wither away. Whether it is money, beauty, luxury, or any other materialistic things. However, unlike these wild flowers, God and His Word will remain the same. His endless love will shine forever.


Cx :-)