General Chat

Good morning :-)

Let’s have a ‘lovely’ week – even a ‘love fest’.

Today is dear old St. Valentine’s Day once again, and all the romantics will be busy exchanging gifts and sentimental cards with their beloved. We have often heard the story of this Christian saint and how he was martyred for the faith, but let’s think about love!

Some tend to think love occurs solely between romantic partners, but this isn’t true. Humans can experience several types of love in various relationships, such as with romantic partners, friends, family and even strangers on the street.

Today’s love theme centres on Eros — Romantic Love. Eros is a primal love that comes as a natural instinct for most people. It’s a passionate love displayed through physical affection. Even the bible has its romantic verses , especially from the Song of Solomon…….
“Your love delights me,
my treasure, my bride.
Your love is better than wine,
your perfume more fragrant than spices.”

Happy St. Valentine’s Day everyone.

Cx :-)

Hello all

"We love because God first loved us."
(1 John ch 4 v 19). NIV

Happy St.Valentine's Day everyone.

Good morning :-)

Having a ‘lovely’ week

Affectionate love – called Philia, is a love without romantic attraction and is the love shared between friends or family members. It occurs when both people share the same values and respect each other — it’s commonly referred to as “brotherly love.” This is where the city Philadelphia gets its name from. How do we show brotherly love?

• Engage in deep conversation with a friend.
• Be open and trustworthy.
• Be supportive in hard times.

In the bible we read (from Peter) “Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind.”

Cx :-)

I am enjoying this week’s love theme and it has reminded me of my old school motto which was Amor Vincit Omnia - love conquers all.

Good morning :-)


Having a ‘lovely’ week….

An unfamiliar word…..’Storge’

Storge (pronounced storjay) refers to “familial love,” a “deep and caring bond that develops naturally between parent and children, husbands and wives, siblings” and also others who are close enough to be called “family.” Storge love is a protective love that can withstand hardships and trials.
This kind of love is steady and sure.

Matthew 12:50
For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.”

Cx :-)

Good morning :-)


Having a ‘lovely’ week

Pragma — “Enduring Love”

Pragma is the sort of love you settle down to in a long lasting marriage and its where we get the English word pragmatic. It’s a practical kind of love that stands the test of time. It’s the kind of love a husband and wife have after fifty years of marriage, and they still want to kiss and hold hands. As the opposite of Eros where the passion burns white hot and fades quickly, pragma is like fine wine. It matures and grows over time into something truly special.

We can see evidence of it in the bible when we read about Abraham and Sarah.
They had been married for decades before God finally blessed them with a son. It takes pragma for a couple to last that long enduring life’s ups and downs while waiting for God’s promise to come true. Eventually, God did keep His promise to them and Isaac was born.

Cx :-)

Good morning :-)

Having a ‘lovely’ week……Agape

Agape is almost always used to describe the love that is of and from God. God does not merely love; He IS love. Everything God does comes from His love. Agape is also used to describe our love for God, a servant’s faithful respect to his master.

The type of love that characterizes God is not a soppy, sentimental thing. God loves because that is His nature. He loves the unlovable and the unlovely, not because we deserve to be loved, but because it is His nature to love and He must be true to His nature. Agape love involves faithfulness, commitment, and an act of the will. Because of God’s love for us, we are able to love one another.

“And now abide in faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.”

Cx :-)

Good morning :-)

At the end of a 'lovely' week........


"And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love."

Cx :-)

Hello all

Many thanks for this week's love postings Cynthia.

"The second commandment is this: 'You shall love your neighbour as yourself.' There is no other greater commandment than this." (Mark 12:v 31).

Take care during the stormy weather. Stay safe all.

Good morning :-)

The Collect (special prayer) for today:

Almighty God,
you have created the heavens and the earth
and made us in your own image:
teach us to discern your hand in all your works
and your likeness in all your children;
through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,
who with you and the Holy Spirit reigns supreme over all things,
now and for ever.

The Gospel reading Luke 8:22-25
Jesus calms the storm.

Cx :-)

Good morning :-)

Yesterday’s Gospel reading was the story of Jesus calming the storm. Storm? High winds? Noise? Sounds a bit familiar after we have endured storm Eunice the last few days. Funnily enough, the name Eunice appears in the bible – she was the mother of Timothy, the young evangelist and St. Paul’s protégé, but more about her another time. Back to Jesus and the storm. we had an excellent sermon yesterday when we were reminded of that familiar hymn much loved by the Boys’ Brigade…. “Will your anchor hold in the storms of life”. Many of us left church uplifted and strengthened.

Trust in the Lord
by Anonymous

The wind's not always at our back,
The sky is not always blue.
Sometimes we crave the things we lack,
And don't know what to do.

Sometimes life's an uphill ride,
With mountains we must climb.
At times the river's deep and wide,
And crossing takes some time.

No one said that life is easy,
There are no guarantees.
So Trust in the Lord continually,
On calm or stormy seas.

The challenges we face today,
Prepares us for tomorrow.
For faith takes our fears away,
And peace replaces sorrow.

Cx :-)

Good morning :-)

A few weeks ago on Twitter, I spotted a comment from a young clergyman about his hymn (song) list for the following Sunday. Quite a few people responded and said they didn’t know any of them. His response was… “Really? Wow. Two of them are over 25 years old, so I see them as pretty retro”. How to feel old without trying!

The hymns most of us were brought up on were often a hundred or more years old when we sang them as tiddlers – we came to no harm. Somehow, I don’t think many of the songs we hear today will stand the test of time.

We heard about the hymn 'Will your Anchor hold' on Sunday. The author of this hymn was Priscilla Owens who was born in Baltimore, USA in 1829. She was a Sunday School teacher and wrote a number of hymns for her pupils.

"Will Your Anchor Hold" was sung outside the door of the dying hymn-writer Mary Fawler Maude (Thine For Ever! God of love). She sent her singers the message, "Tell them that it does not fail - it holds."

The words were inspired by the Epistle to the Hebrews, Chapter 6, Verse 19; “Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast…”. Other Biblical texts are also referenced in the verses of the hymn. What more could we want?

Cx :-)

Good morning :-)

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

Hoping the storms have died down..........stormy weather in the reading last Sunday and stormy weather in our lives but, we have an anchor!

I've heard a saying that's very true.
You have probably heard it too.
"Into each life, some rain must fall."
We'd have a drought with no rain at all.

When it's dry, we pray for the rain
To water the earth for a harvest to gain.
No rain can cause a famine, you know.
For without rain, crops cannot grow.

Storm clouds gather, and how we fret!
We've been through storms hard to forget.
In the midst of a storm, shelter we seek.
Thunder will roar; lightning will streak.

The storm rages, and we long for peace.
We pray for the wind and rain to cease.
Then the sun shines, and skies are clear.
All is calm, and there's nothing to fear.

We go through storms on the sea of life.
We suffer heartaches, sorrow, and strife.
Trust in Jesus, and in Him abide.
All through the storm, He's by your side.


Cx :-)

Hello all

Will your anchor hold.... one of my favourite hymns.

Will your anchor hold in the storms of life,
When the clouds unfold the wings of strife?
When the strong tides lift, and the cables strain,
Will your anchor drift or firm remain.

We have an anchor that keeps the soul
Steadfast and sure while the billows roll:
Fastened to the Rock that cannot move,
Grounded firm and deep in the Saviour's love.

Take care everyone in the storms all around.

Good morning :-)

Did you know that an eagle knows when a storm is approaching long before it breaks?

Apparently, the eagle will fly to some high spot and wait for the winds to come. When the storm hits, it sets its wings so that the wind will pick it up and lift it above the storm. While the storm rages below, the eagle is soaring above it. It doesn’t escape the storm, it simply rises above it.

We all get caught up with the various storms of life ie sickness, tragedy, bereavement, failure, but we can rise above these traumas by looking towards God and allowing his power to lift us above them.

Cx :-)

Good morning :-)

The Tree Who Becomes Stronger Through Life’s Storms

The young tree faced many storms through its young life. The powerful winds, torrential rains, famine, ice, and snow would lie across its branches.

At times the young tree questioned its maker asking, ”Why have you let so many storms come into my life?

His maker whispered, “You will understand one day, stand firm, you will make it through the storms of life.” “The challenges will pass, keep this in mind.”

The tree questioned his master, “If I go through one more winter the snow will surely break my branches, if I face any more powerful wind I will surely be uprooted and moved away.”

His maker whispered, “Stand strong, dig your roots deep into the soil, you will understand someday.”

Somehow the young tree kept the positive thoughts in his mind and managed to survive and make it through even the toughest of storms.

Somehow, even in the toughest of times, when the things it went through should have broken it down, it found a way to stand firm even through the worst of storms.

As the young tree grew taller, stronger, and matured the tree realized the storms of life had made it stronger.

"Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand."

Cx :-)

Hello all

Thank you for your positive post Cynthia. The text brings a favourite scripture passage to mind.

"Fear not, I am with you; do not be dismayed for I am your God. I will strengthen and uphold you with my righteous right hand." Isaiah ch 41 v 10. NIV

We have sunshine here..... and in this troubled world, this morning I'm thankful and feeling blessed.

Hello all

Thoughts and prayers for the people in Ukraine and for all the leaders who are working hard to bring an end to the Russian attacks in Kyiv and beyond.

Thank you as always Cynthia for this week’s posts.

Kandj, I second your thoughts for the people of Ukraine and the world leaders in their efforts. At school we used to say a prayer for peace that included a line that seems relevant now: “Guide with Thy pure and peaceable wisdom those who take counsel for the nations of this earth”. I have also been sparing a thought for the Russian soldiers, many of whom will probably be young conscripts who wouldn’t choose to be there. May this war come to a swift end.

Good morning :-)


Today we celebrate the Feast of the Transfiguration

The Transfiguration is a pivotal moment supporting the identify of Jesus as the Son of God. It also clearly marks Jesus as the messenger and voice of God when God commands them to Listen to him

The Collect (special prayer) for today :

Almighty Father, whose Son was revealed in majesty before he suffered death upon the cross: give us grace to perceive his glory, that we may be strengthened to suffer with him and be changed into his likeness, from glory to glory; who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

The Gospel reading for today : Luke 9 28-36
The story of the Transfiguration of Jesus.

Cx :-)