General Chat

I have occasionally wondered HOW God spoke to
the writers of the books of the Bible.

It says in the NT All Scripture is inspired of God
and beneficial for teaching, reproving, setting matters straight,
that the man of God may be perfectly equipped for every good work.

Good morning :-)

God speaks in many ways David.....through thoughts, conscience, readings, prayers....
etc.


The Final plague............Death of firstborn

The tenth and final plague was the death of the firstborn male children. Every first born Egyptian male child and livestock were afflicted, including the Pharaoh's oldest son. Before the plague, God commanded Moses to tell all Israelites to mark their doorposts with lamb's blood, so that the angel of death will pass over them and spare their firstborns. One may wonder why the Jews were asked to mark their doors with blood, to which the sages explain that only the Israelites with faith and trust in God were spared.

The show of faith was rewarded that night, as death passed over the homes of the faithful. Hence the name of that special time...... Passover.

Why the decree of death of the firstborn?
As in all other plagues, this plague too was to showcase the absolute power of the God of the Hebrews. This plague was a dismissal of "all of the gods of Egypt." It was the final blow and brought the Pharaoh to surrender. He urges Moses to leave town with all his fellow Jews, their families, and all their worldly possessions. The Jews were ready, and promptly upon Moses' direction were on their way. The exodus from Egypt was underway.


Cx :-)

Good morning :-)


And the sun is shining.......yay! :-D


The Collect (special prayer) for today:

Collect
Merciful God, you have prepared
for those who love you such good
things as pass our understanding:
pour into our hearts such love
toward you that we, loving you in
all things and above all things, may
obtain your promises, which exceed
all that we can desire; 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 READING:
Matthew 13. 24 – 30, 36 - 43



Cx :-)

Hello all

First time wearing face masks in church this morning.
I found it claustrophobic and had to take deep breaths not wanting to have a panic attack.

Didn't help as the Vicar and Curate wore masks and I found it really difficult understanding what they said.

A warm day to help us all enjoy this happy Sunday.

Keep safe everyone.

Thank you Cynthia for another week of interesting posts

kandj
We have been told that the congregation will be asked to wear masks from next Sunday.
I doubt very much that I would be able to understand anything eg a sermon, that is not part of the usual service format,as I have poor hearing, at the best of times.

Good morning :-)


I've just glimpsed a service from Liverpool cathedral and the officiant wasn't wearing a mask as far as I could tell. Also, a friend was married at the week end and the vicar didn't wear a mask - I wonder if it is personal choice or a direction from 'on high'? :-D They are awful sweaty things I do agree. x



Just between you and me, Lord, I'd like to say
It's not always easy to follow Your way.
I understand what you mean by the Golden Rule--
To create a good life, there is no better tool.

Still, what if you've been taught to look down on others?
Do we want to believe that we are all sisters and brothers?
It's hard not to resent the neighbour next door
Who does so little work, yet has so much more.

There are so many tragedies that happen worldwide.
It brings much unhappiness - that can't be denied.
I sit here complaining when I know it is true
That all of those troubles were not caused by you.

Yes, it just seems to me, if I remember it right,
You did give instructions that could shed lots of light
On the way life could be if Your rules were obeyed.
What a wonderful world it could be if all prayed.

I'm glad of the chance to discuss this with You.
I'll try not to forget what I know I should do.
You gave me free will, so it's now plain to see
I will need Your help often, just between You and me.

- Alora M. Knight


Cx :-)

Good morning :-)


There was this Christian who saw a scorpion floundering around in the water. He decided to save it by stretching out his finger, but the scorpion stung him. The man still tried to get the scorpion out of the water, but the scorpion stung him again.
A man nearby told him to stop trying to save the scorpion that kept stinging him.

But the Christian said: "It is the nature of the scorpion to sting. It is my nature to love. Why should I give up my nature to love just because it is the nature of the scorpion to sting?"

Don't give up loving. Don't give up your goodness. Even if people around you sting.



Cx :-)

Good morning :-)


A bit quiet round here these days? Hope everyone is okay. <3


The U in JesUs


Before U were thought of or time had begun,
God had stuck U in the name of His Son.
And each time U pray, you'll see it's true,
You can't spell out JesUs and not include U.

You're a pretty big part of His wonderful name,
For U, he was born; that's why He came.
And His great love for U is the reason that he died,
It even takes U to spell crUcified.

Isn't it thrilling and splendidly grand,
He rose from the dead with U in His plan.
The stones split away, the gold trUmpet blew,
and this word resUrrection is spelled with a U.

When Jesus left the earth at His upward ascension,
He felt there was one thing He just had to mention.
"Go into the world and tell them it's true,
That I love them all-Just like I love U.

So many great people are spelled with a U,
Don't they have the right to know JesUs too?
It all depends now on what U will do,
He'd like them to know, but it all starts with U.


Cx :-)

Good morning :-)


The bible in 50 words

God made.
Adam bit.
Noah arked.
Abraham split.
Jacob fooled.
Joseph ruled.
Bush talked.
Moses balked.

Pharaoh plagued.
People walked.
Sea divided.
Tablets guided.

Promise landed.
Saul freaked.
David peeked.

Prophets warned.
Jesus born.
God walked.
Love talked.

Anger crucified.
Hope died.
Love rose.

Spirit flamed.
Word spread.
God remained.


Cx :-)

Hello all

Those few words say it all. Thank you Cynthia.

Thank you Cynthia. What a clever précis that is, with God as the beginning and the end.

Good morning :-)


Calling God
Hello God, I called last night
To talk a little while.
I need a friend who'll listen
To my anxiety and trial.

You see, I can't quite make it
Through a day just on my own.
I need your love to guide me,
So I'll never feel alone.

I want to ask you please to keep
My family safe and sound.
Come and fill their lives with confidence
For whatever fate they're bound.

Give me faith, dear God, to face
Each hour throughout the day
And not to worry over things
I can't change in any way.

I thank you God for being home
And listening to my call,
For giving me such good advice
When I stumble and fall.

Your number, God, is the only one
That answers every time.
I never get a busy signal,
Never had to pay a dime.

So thank you, God, for listening
To my troubles and my sorrow.
Good night, God, I love You too,
And I'll call again tomorrow!


Cx :-)

Cynthia - lovely!

Hello all

Jeremiah ch 33 v 3 is God's number.........

"Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great
and unsearchable things that you do not know." NIV

Stay well and keep safe everybody.

Good morning :-)


Thanks Dermot and kandj <3


From: God
To: All His Children

Dear Children,

I am God.

Today, I will be handling all of your problems. Please remember that you have no need to worry and I do not need your help.

If life happens to deliver a situation to you that you cannot handle, do not attempt to resolve it. Kindly put it in the SFGTD (something for God to do) box. All situations will be resolved in My time, not yours. Once the matter is placed into the box, do not hold onto it by worrying about it. Instead, focus on all the wonderful things that are present in your life now.

If you find yourself stuck in traffic, don't despair. There are people in this world for whom driving is an unheard of privilege.

Should you have a bad day at work, think of the man who has been out of work for years.

Should you despair over a relationship gone bad, think of the person who has never known what it's like to love and be loved in return.

Should you grieve the passing of another weekend, think of the woman in dire straits, working twelve hours a day, seven days a week to feed her children.

Should your car break down, leaving you miles away from assistance; think of the paraplegic who would love the opportunity to take that walk.

Should you notice a new grey hair in the mirror, think of the cancer patients in chemo who wish they had hair to examine.

Should you find yourself at a loss and pondering what is life all about, asking what is my purpose? Be thankful. There are those who didn't live long enough to get the opportunity.

Should you find yourself the victim of other people's bitterness, ignorance, smallness or insecurities; remember, things could be worse. You could be one of them!

Your everloving Father. God.

Cx :-)

Good morning :-)


The Collect (special prayer) for today :

Generous God,
you give us gifts and make them grow:
though our faith is small as mustard seed,
make it grow to your glory
and the flourishing of your kingdom;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.


Cx :-)

Hello all

Matthew ch 13 v 31-33 (NIV) says

"The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed , which a man took and planted in his field . Though it is the smallest of all seeds , yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds come and perch in its branches."

Even now, this is still a fundamental truth about nature and it is still really amazing.

Good morning :-)


During lockdown, I found myself taking more interest in the birds coming to the bird table. So much so, I even went out and bought mealworms (ugh). It made me think about birds in the bible and what they represent after all, Jesus said “Consider the birds of the air.”

Today : The raven

The raven is the first bird to be mentioned in the bible and there are about 11 references to ravens all told. In the Book of Genesis, the raven was the first bird Noah released from the ark after the great flood to test whether the waters had receded.

While ravens were considered an unclean bird, they make an appearance in the Bible not only as examples of God's provision but also as messengers with God's provision. ... God illustrates His care and provision for us as He takes care of the ravens. Jesus uses the raven as a lesson to be studied. He states that the raven is just like us, the raven isn’t pure or innocent — it fails, it blunders, it’s noble, it’s shifty — much like us.

Interesting fact: The common raven is closely related to the crow and is the largest of the perching birds: it reaches a length of up to 66 cm (26 inches) and has a wingspan of more than 1.3 metres (4 feet). If captured as a nestling, a raven may make an interesting pet capable of learning to mimic a few words. One captive bird on record lived 69 years.


Cx :-)

I love the idea of a bird week. Thank you Cynthia.

During the past months I have really enjoyed sitting in our conservatory watching the birds on the feeders, particularly the goldfinches and blue and great tits. Between them they cost me a fortune in sunflower hearts, meal worms and peanuts. OH says they eat better than he does :-) I have had so much pleasure from them. Now we are enjoying watching solitary bees flying in and out of the bee box we put up last year. I think they are mostly mason bees and leaf cutter bees but they are fascinating to watch.

Amidst all the gloom we do have much to be thankful for.

Good afternoon :-)

The Sparrow

Quite a few of these at the bird table, a cheerful little bird who can be quite noisy and seem to enjoy poking about in all sorts of things. Whilst they are known throughout most of the world, monitoring suggests a severe decline in the UK house sparrow population. House sparrows measure about 14-18cms and have a life span of approximately 3 years.

In the bible the Sparrow is mentioned numerous times and have several important symbolic meanings. These birds are tiny and dull bland colouring. In the Scriptures, this physical insignificance represents the size and importance of each soul relative to the immense expanse of the universe. The sparrow is just a bird… but the bible indicates that we are worth more than many sparrows to the Lord. So, if His eye is on the little sparrow, then you can know without a doubt that HE watches you. He loves you. He is going to take care of you!


Cx :-)