General Chat

One of the world’s most ethnically & religiously diverse regions is being jeopardised by the forces of radical Islam.

Christianity is in danger of being eliminated from its homelands in the Middle East. In Pakistan & in China, stories of persecution abound. In North Korea there is no religious freedom at all.

What is less well known is that the persecution of Christians, and the denial of religious freedom to others, too, is a worldwide phenomenon, by no means confined to the Middle East or the communist world.

In south-east Asia, hitherto pluralistic nations that prided themselves on religious tolerance, such as Indonesia, Malaysia & Buddhist countries such as Burma, are joining the ranks of the persecutors.

(A short extract from a worrying article by Benedict Rogers, published in this week’s 'Tablet' magazine.)

Good morning :-)

A very concerning article indeed Dermot.......thank you for raising the awareness. Its something we need to be alerted to - and I can see that I will be googling for more information.

Yesterday we had a full house.........a happy morning with 2 baptisms. We are booked for 2 baptisms per month up until June and possibly beyond. Its good that families still want to have their little ones baptised. When I am leading the baptism prep class I always ask, after giving some examples, of the reason why they have brought their child to church. The majority respond that they want their child brought up in the Christian faith......................the thing is, will they keep the promises they make? That is the big question............


Still in the season of Epiphany, let’s take a look at a few thoughts (and there are many) about these ‘three’ famous Kings, also known as Magi.

• After Jesus was born, Wise Men came to look for Him, probably from an area which is now in either Iraq, Iran, Saudi Arabia or the Yemen.

• Although they are often called the 'Three Kings', the Bible does not say how many there were, or that they were kings. One theory is that they might have been Kings of the Yemen, as during this time the Kings of Yemen were Jews.

• Three is only a guess because they brought with them three gifts: but however many there were of them, they probably would have had many more servants with them.

• They were definitely men of learning. Today we'd called them astrologers.

• The magi would have followed the patterns of the stars religiously. They would have also probably been very rich and held high esteem in their own society and by people who weren't from their country or religion.

• There is an Armenian tradition identifying the "Magi of Bethlehem" as Balthasar of Arabia, Melchior of Persia, and Gaspar of India.
Lord, may we be like the Wise Men who were guided to you by a star. Give us the wisdom to seek you, light to guide us to you and courage to search until we find you. Amen.


Love to all Cx :-)

Hello all

Dermot, your article certainly gives us Christians food for thought. Thanks for that.
We are living in troubled times and can only continue to pray for the future.

Cynthia, it is good that parents wish to bring their little ones into church for baptism, but not so good that they rarely come along until their next baby is born. That has been my experience over very many years, perhaps your congregation is different?

A very dark morning here. We have had the first decent night's sleep for months and now I feel worse than ever, how weird is that!

Thank You Lord, for another new day, filled with so many blessings. Amen.

Kandj, I hope you continue to have more restful nights and start to feel better. Thinking of you and your OH.

A lot to think about in Cynthia's posts about resolutions and in Dermot's latest post. Thank you both..

One of my all time favourite poems is T S Eliot's The Journey of the Magi. I was introduced to it by an English teacher when I was about 12. Up until then my idea of the Magi was the primary school nativity play and the Christmas card image of three kings in golden crowns, each with their little present, and it was always a bit story book. But this poem really brought home to me that these were real people, who undertook a difficult journey, driven by something they didn't fully understand, and who were totally changed by their experience.

Thinking of all who are in need of comfort and support tonight

Good morning :-)

How nice to see you both this morning. It's surprising how reading something brings back memories and new insights to situations from childhood. Life is certainly a learning curve.

Poor kandj, a good night's sleep and she feel rotten. It's a bit like when you fall asleep in the afternoon or evening and feel like Dracula's mother when you wake up. You have totally shocked your body kandj and hopefully you will have a few more good nights to balance your metabolism.


It’s always lovely to watch the children process down the aisle dressed as shepherds and Kings. The Three Kings are very carefully carrying a gift each………but what was the significance of those gifts and how do we react?

The gifts were symbolic of the importance of Jesus' birth

The gift of gold represented his royal standing – King of Kings
The gift of frankincense represented his divine birth – his divinity
The gift of myrrh represented his mortality – his eventual death and resurrection

What can I give Him, poor as I am?
If I were a shepherd, I would bring a lamb;
If I were a Wise Man, I would do my part;
Yet what I can I give Him: give my heart.


Cx :-)

Good morning :-)

A prayer for this Epiphany season.......


Lord,
Bless our households and families
And make our homes shelters of peace and health.
Inspire each of us to develop
our individual talents
and to contribute wisdom and good works
for the benefit of the whole family.

Make our homes a haven for us all,
and a place of warmth and caring
for all our friends who come to visit us.

Help us to see the brightness
of your Epiphany star,
so that, as we go into the world,
we might clearly see our way to You
and discover You in our work and play.
This we ask to your glory
and in the power of your kingship.
Amen.


Cx :-)

François Fillon, the conservative front-runner in the campaign for the French presidency, has prompted indignation across the political spectrum by proclaiming himself a Christian.

Invoking personal faith may be routine for politicians across most of the democratic world, but not in France, where religion was banished from public life after centuries of conflict & 19th century interference by the Catholic church. A decade ago, France erased a line on Europe’s Christian roots from the draft EU constitution, which was killed that year by French voters in a referendum.

Mr Fillon, a practising Catholic, decided to breach the taboo to shore up his already-strong support from churchgoers.

*(The Times 11.01.17).

Good morning :-)


Thanks Dermot........interesting to see that a politician is brave enough to stand up for his faith and that he has such support. It will be fascinating to see the outcome.


Whilst I was looking through the holy days of January, I came across the name of Mary Slessor who was commemorated yesterday. This was a long forgotten name from my childhood, so I decided to do some reminiscing and share her story with you.

Mary Slessor was a hard working Scottish mill girl and an unorthodox Sunday school teacher, who, inspired by David Livingstone, became a missionary in Calabar, Nigeria, an area where no European had set foot before.

Despite several bouts of illness and constant danger, she lived with the tribes, learned their language, and tradi-tions, earning their respect and putting an end to some barbaric practices, such as the killing of twins.

She adopted many Nigerian children (particularly twins) who had been left to die.
When Southern Nigeria became a British Protectorate, she became the first ever female Magistrate in the Brit-ish Empire and a skillful diplomatic emissary.

Mary died in 1915, aged 67, with great mourning amongst the tribes to whom she had dedicated her whole life.

"Lord, the task is impossible for me but not for thee. Lead the way and I will follow." – Mary Slessor


What an inspiring woman.

Cx :-)

Hello all

The decent night's sleep hasn't continued, hubby's cough seemed to have returned??
The Community Nurse was coughing while taking his blood sample, so I m blaming her. It is a dark morning and we have the lights on, so it could seem like a long day.

However, this is a brand new day and full of blessings from our Lord. We just have to open our eyes, look around and then be thankful for small mercies (I do try!).

Sending out gentle hugs to all those in need right now xx

Good morning :-)

Lovely to see kandj's post this morning but so sorry that things aren't improving very much......sending gentle hugs......x <3


Friday 13th……….Unlucky for some?

Where did the idea surrounding this superstition come from and should a Christian be superstitious?

There are various thoughts on why Friday 13th is considered unlucky, and one of the most common ideas is that it stems from Good Friday and the fact that there were 13 disciples at the Last Supper – Judas the Betrayer being the last to arrive. Whatever the truth, should a Christian actually be superstitious? We’ll take a look at that next week.

Lord, help me to remember that nothing is going to happen to me today that you and I together can’t handle. Amen.


Please take care in this treacherous weather.

Cx :-)

Good morning :-)

Lord, I trust in your unfailing love, in your promises.
I give this day and all that it holds to you.

May I walk in your goodness,
knowing your gentle hand will guide me,
and keep me.
Amen.



Cx :-)

Good morning :-)



Today is Parade Sunday at church when we will be joined by the members of our youth organisations. We give thanks for these organisations and for their leaders throughout the world.
.
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 from St. John and tells of how John speaks about the greatness of Jesus as the Lamb of God.

Cx :-)

Good morning :-)


Following on from Friday 13th......................Should a Christian be superstitious?

Looking for thoughts on this, I came across the following……

“Superstition is based on the ignorant faith of an object having magical powers. Another word for superstition is “idolatry.” The Bible does not support the idea of things occurring by chance, but nothing is done outside of God’s sovereign control.
We should get our faith not from objects or rituals of man-made origin, but from the one true God who gives eternal life.

There are many types of superstitions in the world, ranging from the familiar—such as not walk-ing under a ladder—to the occult practices of astrology, black magic, divination, voodoo and sorcery.”


All of these are condemned by Scripture – we’ll see why in the next few days.

Lord, help us to be true to you every day. Amen.


Cx :-)

A bishop has expressed regret after a row erupted over the Scottish Episcopal Church’s decision to allow a reading from the Koran in a Glasgow cathedral.

The move, which was aimed at improving interfaith relations in the city, led to abuse directed at the clergy of St Mary’s Cathedral who had made the decision. The Most Rev David Chillingworth, Bishop of St Andrews, Dunkeld and Dunblane, promised a review of the cathedral’s work. The police have been called in to investigate obscene messages.

“The Scottish Episcopal Church is deeply distressed at the widespread offence which has been caused,” the bishop said. “We also deeply regret the widespread abuse which has been received by the cathedral community.”

(The Times 16.01.17). {Not too sure what the perceived 'distress' was!}.

Good morning :-)


I read about that yesterday Dermot.... :-D


Continuing to look at Christians and superstitions and I guess most of us have looked at our horoscope at some stage in our lives but.........

Why is Astrology condemned in the bible? I have done some research…..

“Many Christians are not aware of what is involved. But you will meet people who dabble in it and others who take it seriously. As popular as it is, some in the church will be influenced.

We need to know whether or not we should participate. We need to know how to approach those who are involved to show them what the Bible says., but what is Astrology?

Astrology – horoscope – zodiac, is the ancient art or science diving the fate and future of human beings from indications given by the position of the stars and other heavenly bodies. Historically, it is rooted in pagan idolatory.

By definition, astrology attempts to predict the future but the bible gives many examples – especially in the books of Daniel and Deuteronomy – about how God forbids dabbling in this sort of thing."

Basically, it is saying that if we believe that the God of the bible is the one true God, we should not trust things of the occult, but trust in His Word.



Cx :-)

Good morning :-)


When a child or person is baptised, the parents and Godparents make vows which are important in the Christian life.

One of the questions asked is…………….."Do you turn away from evil?"

In the eyes of the church, this question is not based on superstitious nonsense, but on the fact that evil exists and is anything which is against which God teaches and what he wants from us. How does the dictionary define evil?

noun: evil
profound immorality and wickedness, especially when regarded as a supernatural force.

Think how many times we have said……..”and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from EVIL, for Yours is the kingdom…’

Lord God, we ask that you keep us strong in the faith and that we may be true disciples of your son, Jesus Christ. Amen.

Love to all Cx :-)

Good morning :-)


Good morning everyone..........

So far this week, we have looked at whether or not Christians should be superstitious. The overwhelming evidence says………no.

Christians do not follow cleverly devised superstitions, but instead believe in wonderful things we know to be true.

We don’t worry about the future and consult psychics, because Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow, and our futures are safe with him.

We don’t need psychics, horoscopes, Ouija boards, magical statues, or any other superstition because, as Paul said in 2 Corinthians 12:9, “God’s grace is enough.”


Love to all Cx :-)

Hello all

I have just read back and it is all very interesting and thought provoking. Thank you.

This is my "to do list" for today,

Pray more.

Count my blessings.

Practice patience and kindness.

Let go of what I can't control.

Listen to my inner thoughts.

Just relax and breathe deeply.

So if you are reading this, please wish me luck ha ha.

Sending gentle hugs to those in need today. xxx

Good morning :-)

Lovely to see you popping in kandj - you are still in our thoughts and prayers. <3



For today:

"Lord, may nothing separate me from You today. Teach me how to choose only Your way today so each step will lead me closer to You.

Help me walk by the Word and not my feelings. Help me to keep my heart pure and undivided.

Protect me from my own careless thoughts, words, and actions. And keep me from being distracted by MY wants, MY desires, MY thoughts on how things should be.

Help me to embrace what comes my way as an opportunity... rather than a personal inconvenience. And finally, help me to rest in the truth of Psalm 86:13, 'Great is your love toward me.'

Amen.


Cx :-)

Good to see you Kandj. Your 'to do' list certainly rang some bells with me, particularly a couple of items on the list. Every day I get up meaning to exercise some patience and be a little kinder and then find myself snapping at my poor OH who bears the brunt of it. Oh well, if at first you don't succeed............

Today I am going to visit two acquaintances, both in very poor health, but what different personalities they are. The first , even when fit and well, has always been a glass half empty sort of person and I really have to make an effort to be patient and kind. The other is just the opposite and I leave her feeling she has cheered me up rather than the other way around.

Thank you for this week's thoughts Cynthia. I know you have a busy life but you always take time to post and it is appreciated.

Sending a cyber hug to anyone whose life is stressful at the moment <3