General Chat

I agree with Emma, today's words are very inspirational.

I came across Amanda Bradley's poems a long time ago when life was throwing many challenges at me. This poem helped me through a bad patch, and I would like to share it today. It is another Amanda Bradley poem.

FOLLOW YOUR DREAM

Follow your dream,
Take one step at a time and don't settle for less,
Just continue to climb,
Follow your dream.
If you stumble, don't stop and lose sight of your dream
Press to the top.
For only on top can we see the whole view,
Can we see what we've done and what we can do;
Can we then have the vision to seek something new,
Press on,
Follow your dream.

Good morning.... :-)


I'm not sure about being 'witty' John, but I can certainly be half-witted at times...... :-D

Rather like our late vicar, I must admit that I always try to diffuse potential 'situations' with a touch of humour. It works well in church life generally I find. :-D

In the meeting room kitchen - which is fully equipped with equipment for serving meals etc., there are several laminated posters on the notice board.....eg

'We are the willing, led by the unknowing,
are doing the impossible for the ungrateful.
We have done so much, with so little, for so long,
that we are now qualified to do anything with nothing'.


'The impossible we can do immediately.
Miracles take a little longer.'


:-) :-)


Anyway, today's thought is about chlldren:


Children Learn What They Live


If a child lives with CRITICISM,
He learns to CONDEMN.

If a child lives with HOSTILITY,
He learns to FIGHT.

If a child lives with RIDICULE,
He learns to be SHY.

If a child lives with SHAME,
He learns to feel GUILTY.

If a child lives with TOLERANCE,
He learns to be PATIENT.

If a child lives with ENCOURAGEMENT,
He learns to be CONFIDENT.

If a child lives with PRAISE,
He learns to APPRECIATE.

If a child lives with FAIRNESS,
He learns JUSTICE.

If a child lives with SECURITY,
He learns to have FAITH.

If a child lives with APPROVAL,
He learns to LIKE HIMSELF.

If a child lives with ACCEPTANCE
and FRIENDSHIP,
He learns to LOVE in the world.

- Anon



Have a lovely day.....Cx :-)

Thankyou, kandj :-) Amanda Bradley's words are new to me.

My mum was v keen on light opera and was a patron of South Staffs Amateur Operatic Society and loved to appear on stage when she was younger. At her funeral, we had the leading soprano from that Society singing "Climb Every Mountain" Nowadays, that seems a normal thing to do in funerals, but was a bit unusual then (1988). Very emotional and lovely service for everyone, and a very full church. Mum was always very fit and well and only 21 years older than me, and I was convinced she would outlive me. We never know why some lovely ones are taken so early, and others who seem to deserve life less hang about for years and years :-S

Verses 5 and 6 of Psalm 139:

Thou hast beset me behind and before, and laid thine hand upon me.

Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain unto it.

Edit. Was writing at same time as you, Cynthia. Half-witted is the best we can hope for, probably:-) Loved that notice for helpers to read. And lovely words too :-) :-)

"Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence?

If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there; if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there."

This is KJV (Ps 139 vs 7-8). In NIV, it is:

"Where can I go from your Spirit?
Where can I flee from your presence?
If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
if I make my bed in the depths, you are there."

Sounds like a plaque I have on my wall John


Bidden or not Bidden God is present :-)

I love those plaques with such simple and yet profound words, Susan :-)

Not sure if you know why I am copying out Psalm 139, 2 verses at a time. We were discussing Celtic Christianity last week and I was looking at what happens during a particular Celtic week of meditation. One part of it was a morning and evening meditation from Monday till Saturday of the 24 verses of Psalm 139 - two verses per meditation period :-) :-)

Good morning. :-)

We have some wall plaques in our home too.........I particularly like the red Celtic openwork cross which has the words ..."The Lord bless you and keep you". Our grandson, when he was learning to read, was very proud to be able to read it to us. :-)



Not What You Want But What God Wills

Do you want what you want when you want it?
Do you pray and expect a reply?
And when it's not instantly answered,
Do you feel that God passed you by?

Well, prayers that are prayed in this manner
Are really not prayers at all,
For you can't go to God in a hurry
And expect Him to answer your call.

Prayers are not meant for obtaining
What we selfishly wish to acquire,
For God in His wisdom refuses
The things that we wrongly desire.

And don't pray for freedom from trouble
Or pray that life's trials pass you by,
Instead pray for strength and for courage
To meet life's dark hours and not cry .....

...That God was not there when you called Him
And He turned a deaf ear to your prayer
And just when you needed Him most of all
He left you alone in despair.

Wake up! You are missing completely
The reason and purpose of prayer,
Which is really to keep us contented
That God holds us safe in His care.

And God only answers our pleadings
When He knows that our wants fill a need,
And whenever our will becomes His will
There is no prayer that God does not heed.

~Helen Steiner Rice ~


Have a good day. Cx :-)

If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea;

Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me.

(Psalm 139 verses 9-10)

And the evening meditation on Wednesday from Psalm 139 (vv 11-12) is even more relevant to your words from HSR about prayer this morning, Cynthia :-) :-)

"If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me; even the night shall be light about me.

Yea, the darkness hideth not from thee; but the night shineth as the day. The darkness and the light are both alike to thee."

Wednesday evening's thought (verses 11 and 12 of Psalm 139). How deep are the thoughts of King David. As I look across my valley this evening and see the twinkling lights everywhere, it is amazing to think that God sees all that panorama as clearly as he sees my valley swathed in sunshine in the middle of an August day.

:-) :-)

I really believe that yesterdays words are so very true! Thank you Cynthia

How blessed we are if we have little ones around us. I have these words on my kitchen cork board and love them so much, it reads:-

One never stands as tall as when one kneels to help a child....... how very true this is.

Thank you John, I am following you with the Psalm 139 daily readings....... enlightening.

Good morning all.....I love that saying kandj :-)


It was quite difficult to lead last night's Baptism prep class without our Vicar being there. However, we rallied round and did our best and worked together as a team. :-)
We use a PowerPoint to illustrate the meaning of Baptism and I sometimes find it quite difficult to explain that Baptism is, in fact, a form of death. I just hope the PP picture helps. :-S


For today - I had to smile at these two Scottish blessings :


May those who love us, love us.
And those who don't love us,
May God turn their hearts;
And if He doesn't turn their hearts,
May He turn their ankles,
So we will know them by their limping.



Be ye our angel unawares

If after Kirk ye bide a wee,
There's some would like to speak to ye,
If after Kirk ye rise and flee
We' all seem cauld and still to ye.
The one that's in the seat with ye
Is stranger here than ye, maybe.
All here have got their fears and cares,
Add ye your soul unto our prayers,
Be ye our angel unawares.

— Scottish Blessing


Enjoy your day. Cx :-)

Verses 13 and 14 of Psalm 139 for this morning:

"For thou hast possessed my reins; thou hast covered me in my mother's womb.

I will praise thee. For I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Marvellous are thy works, and that my soul knoweth right well."

The Good News version of Bible renders these verses as:

"You created every part of me;
you put me together in my mother's womb.
I praise you because you are to be feared;
all you do is strange and wonderful.
I know it with all my heart."

As I look into the mirror this morning, it is amazing how even the decaying bits of me have been quite wondrously made. I still have ears that hear, eyes that see, legs that work quite well. And a brain that sort of functions. And even if we lose many of our faculties, there is still so much to be thankful for. And best of all - we will always have a soul that tries to serve our maker.

John Milton's sonnet on his blindness:
"When I consider how my light is spent
Ere half my days
In this dark world and wide
And that one talent which is death to hide
Lodged with me useless, though my Soul more bent
To serve therewith my Maker, and present
My true account, least he returning chide,
Doth God exact day-labour, light denied,
I fondly ask; But patience to prevent
That murmur, soon replies, God doth not need
Either man's work or his own gifts, who best
Bear his milde yoke, they serve him best, his State
Is Kingly. Thousands at his bidding speed
And post o'er Land and Ocean without rest:
They also serve who only stand and wait." :-) :-)

Cynthia, your church family will find it all very strange without your vicar, but the good thing is that you are all pulling together and working as a team to continue to provide the church services for all who need them, so well done to you all. It is not easy during an interregnum but it is a challenging path now and a good way to help and support one another.Your vicar would be pleased at how well he has taught you all.

John, a slightly different wording in New Living Translation bible
Psalm 139 v 13-14.

You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body
and knit me together in my mother's womb

Thank you for making me so
wonderfully complex!
Your workmanship is marvelous-
how well I know it.

kandj That NLB translation is really nice. So intersting to see all the different translations. There were 54 scholars who compiled the KJV (Authorised). And probably quite a few compiled each of the others. And they can each see a verse slightly differently. And, of course, our Bibles can be from 17th century right through to today.

I really chuckled (went limp) at the first of the blessings this morning, Cynthia. And I have never been in church in Scotland, but I do remember going to a Welsh service in Holywell in N Wales. I said a quiet prayer at end of service, lifted my head and all congegation (about 30) had left chapel and were wallking home!!! And Minister had gone through to the back to tidy up and count the offering!! I shuffled out.

Anyway, evening verses today from Psalm 139 vv 15-16) are:

"My substance was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.

Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them"

And a bit easier to understand in The Message (MSG) Translation:

"You know exactly how I was made, bit by bit,
how I was sculpted from nothing into something.
Like an open book, you watched me grow from conception to birth;
all the stages of my life were spread out before you,
The days of my life all prepared
before I’d even lived one day." :-)

Good morning all.... :-)



I love the reality in the Scottish blessings John - they make me smile :-)


I have never seen the following poem before, but I think that, although it has a sadness about it, the words are extremely meaningful:


If Tomorrow Never Comes

If I knew it would be the last time
That I'd see you fall asleep,
I would tuck you in more tightly,
And pray the Lord your soul to keep.

If I knew it would be the last time
That I'd see you walk out the door,
I would give you a hug and kiss,
And call you back for just one more.

If I knew it would be the last time
I'd hear your voice lifted up in praise,
I would tape each word and action,
And play them back throughout my days.

If I knew it would be the last time,
I would spare an extra minute or two,
To stop and say "I love you,"
Instead of assuming you know I do.

So just in case tomorrow never comes,
And today is all I get,
I'd like to say how much I love you,
And I hope we never will forget,

Tomorrow is not promised to anyone,
Young or old alike,
And today may be the last chance
You get to hold your loved one tight.

So if you're waiting for tomorrow,
Why not do it today?
For if tomorrow never comes,
You'll surely regret the day,

That you didn't take that extra time
For a smile, a hug, or a kiss,
And you were too busy to grant someone,
What turned out to be their one last wish.

So hold your loved ones close today,
And whisper in their ear,
That you love them very much and
You'll always hold them dear.

Take time to say "I'm sorry,"
"Please forgive me," "Thank you," or "It's okay",
And if tomorrow never comes,
You'll have no regrets about today.

~ Norma Cornett Marek ~



Something for everyone to think about...... Cx :-)

Thankyou Cynthia. That is exactly how I felt when my dad was gravely ill 35 years ago. He had always been there, always strong. Suddenly he was very frail and I stuttered the words I had never said - "I love you". He had had a heart attack and I thought he would recover - only just celebrated his 60th birthday and he had always had good health and never been to a doctor. But he had another massive heart attack a few hours later and was dead. Each person seems so permanent in our lives. My mother in law was born 2 days before dad in January 1918 and she is still fairly well at nearly 96!!!

Psalm 139 meditation (verses 17-18) for this morning (Friday) brings us to where we started last week. I found the last verses very difficult, so will quote them from MSG version of Bible:

"Your thoughts—how rare, how beautiful!
God, I’ll never comprehend them!
I couldn’t even begin to count them—
any more than I could count the sand of the sea.
Oh, let me rise in the morning and live always with you!"


The final verses for Friday evening and Saturday thoughts are:

"And please, God, do away with wickedness for good!
And you murderers—out of here!—
all the men and women who belittle you, God,
infatuated with cheap god-imitations.
See how I hate those who hate you, God,
see how I loathe all this godless arrogance;
I hate it with pure, unadulterated hatred.
Your enemies are my enemies!

Investigate my life, O God,
find out everything about me;
Cross-examine and test me,
get a clear picture of what I’m about;
See for yourself whether I’ve done anything wrong—
then guide me on the road to eternal life."

Good morning......we seem a bit quiet at the moment. Hope everyone is okay. :-)



Thank you for those words John...... :-)



A smile for today...

Heaven's Grocery Store


I was walking down life's highway
A long long time ago.
One day I saw a sign that read
"HEAVEN'S GROCERY STORE."
As I got a little closer,
The door came open wide,
And when I came to myself,
I was standing inside.

I saw a host of Angels,
They were standing everywhere.
One handed me a basket and said,
"My child, shop with care.
Everything a Christian needs
Is in that grocery store,
And all you can't carry ...
Come back the next day for more."

First I got some PATIENCE,
LOVE was in the same row.
Further down was UNDERSTANDING,
Needed everywhere you go.
I got a box or two of WISDOM ,
A bag or two of FAITH,
I just couldn't miss the Holy Ghost,
For He was all over the place.

I stopped to get some STRENGTH and
COURAGE to help me run this race;
But then my basket was getting full,
And I remembered I needed GRACE.
I didn't forget SALVATION ,
Which like the others was free,
So I tried to get enough of that
To save both you and me.

Then I started to the counter
To pay my grocery bill,
For I thought I had everything
To do my Master's will.
As I went up the aisle,
I saw PRAYER and I had to put it in,
For I knew when I stepped outside,
I would run right into SIN.

PEACE and JOY were plentiful,
They were on the last shelf.
SONG and PRAISES were hanging near,
So I just helped myself.
Then I said to the Angel,
"How much do I owe?"
The Angel smiled and said,
"Just take them everywhere you go!"

Again I politely asked,
"How much do I really owe?"
The Angel smiled again and said,

"MY CHILD ...
JESUS PAID YOUR BILL A
LONG TIME AGO!"


~ Ron De Marco and Friend ~



Love to you all.....Cx :-)

Cynthia how lovely is Heaven's Grocery Store,
never seen it before, thank you <3

Emma :-)

Cynthia, I haven't come across today's poem before but enjoyed reading it,
the punch-line gives real food for thought! Thank you.

John, Thank you for sharing your thoughts on Psalm 139 verses.

Emma, I also agree that Heaven's Grocery Store is so lovely to read.

Good morning all......I thought the Grocery Store words were really good too.....very thought provoking. :-)


As I prepare to set off to church and to face another morning where no-one is quite sure what is going to happen, I offer this little prayer:


Dear Lord, as I arise
And bend my knee to pray
I ask please place your guiding hand
Upon this busy day

All my yesterdays are said and done
Tomorrow may never be
But I give you full reign over this day
To make the best of me

May each little word I speak
Be filtered through your love
May all my thoughts be connected
To the heavenly courts above

And use my feet to take me
To where you want me to be
Guard my eyes that they would only
See what you want me to see

Give me a heart that longs to show
Others the way back home
And with these two hands help me
Fashion glory for your throne

From the great expanse of eternity
One day is all I can borrow
So help me Lord to take care of today
And we’ll talk again tomorrow

By Anita Humbertson



So let's see how we get on..........with love, Cx :-)