General Chat

Hello all

I can still clearly remember Mrs Shepherd who was a Sunday School teacher.
She was gentle and patient and kind to everyone. I have never forgotten her.

There have been several church Ministers who have shared my journey in faith and we have shared good and not so good times together over very many years.

I also remember a great many church family members who have helped and encouraged me at various points in my life. Most have died now but I will never forget our praise and worship times together and how they all worked hard in church

His lord said unto him, "Well done thou good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things; enter now into the joy of the lord."
Matthew 25;21. King James Version.

Praying now for all who feel upset and lonely this night. xxx

Good morning :-)


Like you kandj, I have known such wonderfully happy times within the church fellowship. Times of laughter and silliness....times of friendship and faith.....times of sadness and care. Church families are like any other family - they have good times and bad - happy and sad - sharing and caring for each other. With the occasional fall out thrown in of course :-D

We have had some snow, so I don't think we will be venturing to church this morning :(

I daren't risk my husband and I doing a 'Torville and Dean' down the path!!


The Collect (special prayer) for today :

Almighty God,
in Christ you make all things new:
transform the poverty of our nature by the riches of your grace,
and in the renewal of our lives make known your heavenly glory;
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.

The gospel reading is that wonderful story of Christ's first miracle - the Wedding at Cana - where he changed water into wine.


Love to all and stay safe in this cold weather.

Hello all

It was snowing last night and we awoke to a covering on the grass and roof tiles.
It made me feel chilly but blessed to have had the boiler renewed and all warm now.

Heavenly Father
Walk through my home and take away all worries and doubts.
Watch over and heal my family and friends.
Bring quiet where there is chaos.
Bring light where there is darkness, and
Put love in our hearts each day.
In Jesus name. Amen.

Remembering the many people who have no warm home today. xxx

Good morning :-)

Thank goodness the snow only lasted for a day! At least we can venture out hopefully. :-)

I thought that this week, we could take a wander through the Beatitudes - those wonderful words from Jesus' Sermon on the Mount.

Blessed are the poor in spirit:
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.


God, help me realize how poor
I am. Poor at loving, poor at discerning,
poor in wisdom, poor at choosing
obedience, poor in generosity,
poor in seeking You. And so you
come to me. To me. Emmanuel.
With your abundance of all I need.
Thank you. Thank you.


Keep warm everyone. Cx :-)

Hello all

Cold and frosty morning which might help to get rid of the many germs around now.

Cynthia's words today have made this traditional hymn come into my mind.

Blessed are the pure in heart
For they shall see our God
The secret of the Lord is theirs
Their heart is Christ's abode.

Lord, we Thy presence seek;
May ours this blessing be;
Give us a pure and lowly heart
A temple meet for Thee.

Praying for all who are coping with pain, anxiety or fear right now. xxx

Good morning :-)


Thank goodness the snow has gone - it wasn't much in comparison with other places and countries but it is so inconvenient to some. We managed to get out yesterday - we took some things to the recycling centre! Can't say we don't have fun :-D :-D


Day two of our look at the Beatitudes.....

"Blessed are they that mourn:
for they shall be comforted."

Gracious God, surround all who mourn this day
with your continuing compassion.
Do not let grief overwhelm your children,
or turn them against you.
When grief seems never-ending,
take them one step at a time
along your road of death and resurrection
in Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.


Now to see what today brings........ Cx :-)

Hello all

Very cold today but more in keeping with the Winter season, and we are in January!

I used to be a part of a Bereavement Group in church which offered support to the bereaved in the parish. I was surprised that many who came for tea and sympathy were not the newly bereaved but an anniversary or some event had triggered the hurt and pain that comes with losing a loved one. Sadly, this service is not offered now.

He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds....... Psalm 147: 3.

Praying for people who feel lost and alone today. xxx

Good morning :-)

Yesterday seemed to be a day of constant food preparation for me....lunch for son and then main meal for daughter and son, plus something for him to take home for the family. Delia Smith I am not. :-D


Day three of our look at the Beatitudes..

Blessed are the meek:
for they shall inherit the earth
.
Lord, help us not to be ruthless with one another, and to eliminate the discord and violence that exists in the world around us. Guide us in the ways of humility;
help us to stand in solidarity with the oppressed and marginalized;
show us your presence in the faces of those the world forgets. Amen.

"Blessed are the meek:
for they shall inherit the earth".


Lord, help us not to be ruthless with one another, and to eliminate the discord and violence that exists in the world around us.
Guide us in the ways of humility;
help us to stand in solidarity with the oppressed and marginalized;
show us your presence in the faces of those the world forgets.
Amen.


Remembering friends in prayer... Cx :-)

Hello all

Thank you Cynthia. The Beatitudes are interesting.

Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
Matthew 5:5.

"Being meek does not mean weakness, but it does mean behaving with
goodness and kindness, showing strength, serenity, healthy self-worth,
and self-control."
(Ulisses Soares).

Thinking of all who will be working throughout this night. xxx

Good morning :-)


Oh my word, it's hard work getting on this site nowadays......... :-(



The fourth day of our journey through the Beatitudes...

"Blessed are they who hunger and thirst after righteousness:
for they shall be filled."


Make us thirsty for you Lord, and hungry to learn more about you. May we read and study the scriptures more and be willing to share your Good News in our private lives and in our community. Amen.



Praying all are keeping well.....Cx :-)

Hello all

Very cold and frosty/icy morning here in Yorkshire this morning...... bbbbrrrrr!!!
How blessed we are to have central heating and a warm comfortable home.

How I live my life does not mean that my life is perfect.
It means I appreciate what I have and what God has
blessed me with.

Thinking today of the refugee crisis and praying for people who
are fleeing their homes and facing and uncertain future. xxx

Good morning :-)


Rain and more rain.......I can't wait till we get a succession of days where I can hang the washing out and watch it dry. One of the simple joys of life. :-)


Day 5 of our look at the Beatitudes....

“Blessed are the merciful:
for they shall obtain mercy.”

Help me, O Lord, that my eyes may be merciful, so that I may never suspect or judge from appearances, but look for what is beautiful in my neighbours’ souls and come to their rescue.

Help me, O Lord, that my ears may be merciful, so that I may give heed to my neighbours’ needs and not be indifferent to their pains and moanings.

Help me, O Lord, that my tongue may be merciful, so that I should never speak negatively of my neighbour, but have a word of comfort and forgiveness for all.

Help me, O Lord, that my hands may be merciful and filled with good deeds, so that I may do only good to my neighbours and take upon myself the most difficult and toilsome tasks.

Help me, O Lord, that my feet may be merciful, so that I may hurry to assist my neighbour, overcoming my own fatigue and weariness

Help me, O Lord, that my heart may be merciful so that I myself may feel all the sufferings of my neighbour.

Grant that we may be quick to forgive and slow to condemn.

Amen.


Think of all those who are undergoing any form of trauma today. Cx :-)

Hello all

Amen to your posting Cynthia.

Love life, engage in it, give it all you've got.
Love it with a passion, because life truly does give back,
Many times over, what you put into it.
Maya Angelou.

Thinking of all volunteer workers today. xxx

Good morning :-)


I am so pleased that I actually dried my towels outside yesterday! It doesn't take much to make me happy does it? :-D


On the downside, I had a disturbed night with my OH so am feeling a little delicate....sigh.


For today and continuing through the Beatitudes....

"Blessed are the pure in heart:
for they shall see God".


Lord, I want to have clean hands and a pure heart.
Please expose the darkness in my life so that I may clean out the dirt and come to you in repentance for forgiveness and cleansing.
In Jesus’ Name,
Amen.


Thinking of all those in America who are about to experience the severe storm.

Cx :-)

Hello all

We have many disturbed nights sleep here Cynthia. I hope that you and your husband will have a restful day today and a better night sleep tonight.

Reading this mornings Beatitude, Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God from Matthew 5:8, has me now singing the familiar hymn......... tra la la la la

Blest are the pure in heart,
For they shall see our God.
The secret of the Lord is theirs
Their soul is Christ's abode.

The Lord who left the heavens
Our life and peace to bring,
To dwell in loneliness with men.
Their pattern and their king.

Still to the lowly soul,
He doth himself impart
and for his dwelling and his throne,
Chooseth the pure in heart.

Lord, we thy presence seek;
May ours this blessing be:
Give us a pure and lowly heart,
A temple meet for thee.

On a bright dry day today, my prayers are for the flood victims who are still
trying to make good the damage to their homes. xxx

Good morning :-)


A much better night thank goodness.....I can cope if I get my sleep, otherwise I get a bit narky :-D

We had some good news about a member of our congregation yesterday, an ex churchwarden in fact, he has been made Deputy Director of Nursing for the hospital trust in our area. Well done to him.



The Collect (special reading) for today:

Almighty God,
whose Son revealed in signs and miracles
the wonder of your saving presence:
renew your people with your heavenly grace,
and in all our weakness sustain us by your mighty power;
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.



The gospel reading set for today tells of how Jesus, after he had finished reading the Holy Scripture in the synagogue, told the congregation that those scriptures which they had just heard, had been fulfilled.


Love to all Cx :-)

Hello all

Not a peaceful night here Cynthia. I got the cramp in my foot in early hours!!!

Congratulations to your church friend on his promotion. He will be pleased.

At the start of each new day I have a "jobs to do" list which consist of general household tasks. Today, it is Sunday and my "jobs to do" list is very different.

1. Count my blessings.
2. Be kind and share smiles.
3. Let go of what I can't control.
4. Share a smile with all today.
5. Give thanks for a brand new day.

Happy Sunday blessings to you all. Relax and enjoy this God-given day. xxx

Good morning :-)

Cramp is horrible - I hope it soon passed kandj. Are you still drinking tonic water?

I've had 2 reasonable nights plus a daytime nap - it makes all the difference.

Yesterday was Education Sunday and Y3 from our church school led the service. They were very good and talked about 'vocations'. Some excellent little readers too.

We continue with our look at the Beatitudes for two more days...

"Blessed are the peacemakers:
for they shall be called the children of God".

God of Justice, God of Peace,
May we be peacemakers by
feeding the hungry,
tending to the sick,
planting good will, and
sowing justice,
always and everywhere.
Amen.


Cx :-)

Hello all

Thanks for the reminder about the tonic water Cynthia, I will get some in (perhaps the gin might be better at helping me sleep ha ha).

I don't remember hearing about Education Sunday, I will have a quick Google now.

PEACE..........It does not mean to be in a place where there is no noise or trouble.
It means being in the midst of those things and still calm in your heart.

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children on God.
Matthew 5 v 9.

Good morning :-)


Picked up some new specs yesterday - for driving and reading - I don't wear them all the time. No problem with those for driving, but those for reading are taking some getting used to....I hope they settle down soon or I will be going back to make sure the correct lens have been put in :-D

We will finish our look at the Beatitudes today :


"Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake:
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."

Almighty God,
who has taught us through your Son Jesus Christ
that those who follow Him may be persecuted;
strengthen, comfort and encourage all those who suffer harassment, violence, imprisonment and even death for being followers of Jesus.

We pray for those who persecute your people; may their hearts
be turned towards you through the faithful witness of those they persecute.

Protect members of the families and church communities of those who are persecuted and bless the work and ministry of those working in difficult and dangerous circumstances.

Amen.


Remembering those who have asked for prayer Cx :-)