General Chat

So to give Cynthia, even more to read in the morning :-)

Something I re-read last night, Jerome K Jerome 'My life and Times'


"I remember a conversation I once had with Zangwill. We were sitting in a wood upon a fallen tree. My little dog was with us. A cute little fellow. He sat between us, looking intently from one to the other as we talked. Zangwill thought that, as a dog is able to conceive of certain attributes of man, so man is able to grasp and understand a little part of God. A portion of man's nature is shared by the dog. So far, my dog, looking up into my eyes, knows me—can translate my wishes and commands. But for the rest, I remain a mystery to him. His earnest eyes look up at me, wondering, troubled. Till a rabbit crosses his path, and he scampers off.

A part of God's nature man shares. To that extent, he apprehends God—can be the friend, the helper of God. But God Himself, man's finite mind cannot conceive. For knowledge of God, we must be content to wait. But, meanwhile, our business is to seek Him, lest we lose touch with Him. "

Good morning all :-D <3 Well my 6025 wasn't far out in the scheme of

things, t'was a guess from this old man's memory.

There are many "creationists" employed in high offices, our governors.

Good morning :-)

Will you excuse me for a while, I think I need to go and buy some aspirin and lie down in a darkened room!!!! :-D :-D :-D

Rambling, there is a lot to be said for that quote from Jerome K. Jerome <3

Before I post for today, I want to ask you all a question. If you are/were a regular church attender and had fallen sick and, maybe, in hospital, who would you prefer a visit from......a cleric or a trained member of the congregation? Its just to do with a conversation I have been having elsewhere :-D

Right, for today!

In the sermon yesterday – we were encouraged to ‘grow in Godliness’. I had a little look around and came across several schools of thought on the matter, but the one which caught my eye was entitled….’How to get Godly (if you’ve got the guts)’. So let’s see what it says…(abbreviated)

God listens carefully to all our prayers, but we usually can’t predict how He will choose to answer them. There is one prayer that God always answers “yes” to, though: praying for spiritual growth.

Here’s how we can pray for spiritual growth and work with God to mature us in our faith:

Firstly, recognize the three different levels of spiritual maturity.

1. Christians start as spiritual children, getting acquainted with Jesus as their Saviour but not yet developing much of His character.

2. Then Christians progress to spiritual 'young men and women' who are growing in their knowledge of Jesus and the Bible.

3. Finally, Christians mature into spiritual 'mothers and fathers', who have developed intimate friendships with Jesus and have learned how to live in ways that help them fulfil His purposes for their lives.

Continued tomorrow…..

Lord, help me to recognise where I am in my maturing life with you. Help me to recognise where I need to grow, how I need to improve and guide me in the right direction. Lord, in your mercy, hear my prayer.


Cx :-)

In reply Cynthia, During 2013 I had a lengthy stay in Hospital, several surgical operations, caught a serious Healthcare Acquired Disease, on a drip every day,
very serious, days turned into weeks.In all that time I'd never had a motion.
A Priest came on the ward and asked "any last rites or confessions" I mentioned my "problem" as he was leaving the ward.At 3.00 pm that same afternoon I couldn't
get to bathroon quick enough on one arthritic knee using walking frame.Just got there in time.Coincidence ?

Cynthia ................

to answer your question, at least in part.

As you know I am not a churchgoer, OH is (although he is not going as regularly now because of some "church politics").

He was in hospital back in 2005 for colon cancer, the priest at that time was a truly religious but also "common" man, who could talk on many topics. I really liked him .......... he never tried to talk religion to me but we had long conversations in the coffee shop (somewhat like one of your friends, I think).

Anyway, he visited OH several times in the hospital, talked about anything under the sun that would seem to divert or interest OH, and then offered a short prayer before he left.

OH always enjoyed his visits, as much for the conversation as the prayer.

I'm almost certain that none of the parishioners at his church would have been welcome at OH's bedside at that time. But that says more about them, than about your "trained" member of the congregation.

Cynthia, also not a church goer as you know, but from a general point of view I'd say it depends on the seriousness/nature of the illness and whether the cleric is also a friend ie known and liked, and the same for the member of the congregation?

Really depends on the individual and their wishes.

Am also not a church goer Cynthia.
I didn't know if they still visited hospitals as
have not heard anyone who has had a long stay
mention a visit from either.

That Priest who saw me on ward 23 RVI 2013 heard my first confession.

I must have been ill, or feared my destiny.

Cynthia, I am also no longer a regular church goer but, to answer your question, I think it would have to depend on individual circumstances. If you were unwell for a time you might just want a friendly chat to cheer you up and let you know you weren't forgotten and that could be your priest, or a member of the congregation. If you were nearing the end of life you might find it a comfort if a cleric visited. You mentioned a "trained" member of the congregation. What sort of training is envisaged?

Most of us complain about aches and pains if only to ourselves.

On Friday evening, a happy healthy 10 year old girl was killed by a reckless

driver just three miles from here :-0 :-0

We never know.

Good morning :-)


Thanks for your responses. Tradition has it that when a member of a priest's 'flock' is poorly, bereaved or near death etc, the priest visited - it was taken for granted and part of his role as 'shepherd'. Pastoral care was important and woe betide the priest who missed someone out.

Times, they are a'changing, and many of the modern day priests tend to put visiting way down the agenda - if they visit at all. Presumably, there is so much paperwork to do and so many meetings to attend!

So, to counteract this, there are various training schemes available from the diocese on how to be a church visitor (no idea what they are like). I think this is supposed to be more than a neighbourly chat, and more of a 'faith' visit but, the majority of the church folk still prefer a 'collar'. As you can imagine, there is some friction across the church :-D

Now, for today and growing in Godliness......sorry to exhaust you all :-D

We are advised...

Pray for the passion you need to devote yourself wholeheartedly to Jesus. Ask God to spark passion within you to set you on fire for pursuing spiritual growth.

Make your relationship with Jesus your top priority in life, basing all your decisions on it. As you do, you’ll gradually get to know Jesus more, which will cause you fall in love with Him more and motivate you to keep growing closer to Him.

Keep in mind that God’s ultimate goal for your spiritual growth is for you to become more like Jesus.

Lord, help us to focus more on you as we go about our daily lives. Amen.

Cx :-)

Good evening :-D <3 In a City as close as Belfast, it's nearer than London there

exists bitter hatred between Catholics and Protestants. The Catholics are in the

majority but concerning Politics and employment prospects they are a minority.

The division goes back to 1690 when William of Orange sorted out a problem

that exists to this day. He was financed by the Pope. What's all that about ?

Are they not all Christians ?

Anyone who could encapsulate the history of conflict in Ireland in a few sentences would as they say "be a better man than I am Gunga din".

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_the_Boyne

Memories are long of many wrongs done over many centuries, both sides have moved mountains in trying to make a lasting peace in the last couple of decades. It will take longer.

I'd like to say I pray for peace, but I only hope for it, and try not to be too hasty ;-)

The Prayer of St. Francis

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace,
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
Where there is injury, pardon;
Where there is doubt, faith;
Where there is despair, hope;
Where there is darkness, light;
Where there is sadness, joy;

O Divine Master,
Grant that I may not so much seek
To be consoled as to console;
To be understood as to understand;
To be loved as to love.

For it is in giving that we receive;
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
And it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.

Amen

Thank you for that Rose <3 In the 60's scores of people were murdered and bars

and homes blown up. The Loyalist march through Belfast on July 12th does

nothing but incite riots. The children grow up witnessing it and it continues. :-(

It's a topic that brings out a lot of different views David and very strong feelings. As someone with both English and Irish ancestry I try to keep a balance in my views on the history and what it has led to in terms of various atrocities on all sides.

In general it is important I think to keep moving on in life, be open to new things , try and see solutions rather than regurgitate the past injuries, of course that's not always easy, but it has to be reached for if we want a peaceful world?

David ..............

Please ................ the Christian thread is not the place to try to understand or rehash the Irish troubles.

We're none of us experts in Ireland, but there is still a lot of bad feeling over there as we found when we visited and stayed with people in both the North and South.


Please do try to understand where to post what, and what to post.

Good morning :-)

I am taking a very wide berth around the Irish issue and pressing on with thinking about Godliness :-D

Pray for the wisdom you need to follow the right path. Ask the Holy Spirit to renew your mind regularly so you can think about everything from God’s perspective, which will empower you to avoid wrong religious paths and focus on the right path that leads you closer to Jesus.

Lord, help me to choose the right path in life and to follow you all the days of my life. Amen.

Cx :-)

Good morning :-) This poster only mentioned Northern Ireland BECAUSE its

problems are opponents within Christianity. Not to annoy, upset or disrupt.

Wrong thread again David, when will you learn?

Words of wisdom Cynthia, thank you :-)

David, you asked "what's that all about" re Catholic/Protestant conflict , you may want to consider that through all history no religion or major branch thereof has acquitted itself well regarding "Thou shalt not kill".

Just a suggestion, perhaps you could start a thread for thoughts on History ( you're obviously interested and this is a genealogy site lol) and then you could add all the things that don't entirely 'fit' on this thread, eg the history of Ireland ( very complex ), and ancient Egypt etc.

That way you would get the benefit of more responses from a wider audience, and no doubt a thoroughly good history lesson from one or two posters...who might not ever venture on this thread or who do not wish to detract from the general flow of prayer that Cynthia manages to keep going. :-)