General Chat

Good morning :-)

I expect the boards will be very quiet over the next few days, but for those of us who will be around - maybe intermittently - I hope you have a very Happy Christmas. :-



Christmas Eve Prayer

Loving God, Help us remember the birth of Jesus,
that we may share in the song of the angels,
the gladness of the shepherds,
and worship of the wise men.

Close the door of hate
and open the door of love all over the world.
Let kindness come with every gift and good desires with every greeting.
Deliver us from evil by the blessing which Christ brings,
and teach us to be merry with clear hearts.

May the Christmas morning make us happy to be thy children,
and Christmas evening bring us to our beds with grateful thoughts,
forgiving and forgiven, for Jesus' sake.

Amen.

- Robert Louis Stevenson

Cx <3

A Merry Christmas to you all and a Happy Healthy New Year <3 <3

Just popped on quickly to say thank you to everyone who posts. I read the contributions with interest.

I wish you all a joyful Christmas and a happy, healthy and peaceful 2014

My very best wishes to all that kept this thread a float for the past year , may you have a joyful and peaceful christimas and a fantastic 2014 <3

We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ,
the only Son of God,
eternally begotten of the Father,
God from God, Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made, one in Being with the Father.
(Nicene Creed - written in 4th century)

"Now that is the first thing to get clear. What God begets is God" (C S Lewis in "Mere Christianity"

The second person of the three in one was there at the beginning. The person or personality of our one God known as the Son of God or Word of God (or indeed, my favourites, Queen of the South and rod of Jesse).

What is amazing is that this person of God was prepared to be born into our world in a virgin womb and suffer the traumas of life and death like sinful mankind. Quite incredible - as we think on that crib and worship baby Jesus this Christmas, he came for me. And for you. To save us from this world and show us what eternal life with him actually meant by defeating death a short 33 years later.

Have a very happy and joyous Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

Our thoughts and prayers for the nurses, care staff, police, train drivers and others who have to work. And for those alone, friendless and without money

Day 24 of my Advent calendar

For unto us a child is born. Isaiah 9:6

I have to brave the strong winds and also the frenzy that will abound in the supermarket today, that's if I can find a parking space! Then at 4pm there is a Christingle service which is a little bit of magic amongst the mayhem of today.

Thanks to everyone for good Christmas wishes and I return them to you all and wish you Peace, Joy and Love in abundance wherever you are this Christmas.

This Christmas Gift suggestions poem is interesting (imho).

CHRISTMAS GIFT SUGGESTIONS

To your enemy: forgiveness.
To an opponent; tolerance.
To a friend; your heart.
To a customer; your service.
To all; charity.
To every child; a good example.
To yourself; respect.

I wish you all you wish yourself at this time

Merry Christmas and a Happy, Healthy New Year. <3

Emma :-)

Thank you Emma, I hope that your shingles pain has lessened.and that you are feeling much more comfortable now, I have also suffered with this condition very many ears ago My hubby suffered with three shingles sessions last year which was a debilitationg conncidion to him which lasted many months and made him extremely ill as his immune systome was flast yearsession which made him really debilited for several months and it wasn't nice at all.

JOY TO THE WORLD
THE SAVIOURS COME
The Savour promised long.
Let every joy receive
LlET EVERY HEART REJOICE and Heavan and angels sing. and angels sing,
and heavean and angels sing
And Heavens and Angels sing,
And Heaven and angels sing to Christ the King.

Good morning and a very Happy Christmas to all friends who pop in here :-)


I thought that a prayer from a favourite writer would be apt for today.


A Christmas Prayer

Bless us, Lord, this Christmas
With quietness of mind;
Teach us to be patient
And always to be kind;
Give us reassurance
When everything goes wrong,
So our faith remains unfaltering,
Our hope and courage strong-
And show us that in quietness
We can feel your presence near,
Filling us with joy and peace
All seasons of the year.

- Helen Steiner Rice.


Wherever you are and whatever you are doing today, I pray that you will all be blessed with joy and peace this Christmas Day.


My love to you all......Cx

<3

Amen!

Merry christmas ,Cynthiia
Dermont
and not forgetting Just John
Have a lovely day :-) :-) :-)

We are off soon to be pampered and have VIP treatment by our family and won't be around until the weekend.

I hope everyone has had a happy Christmas day today and wish you very many blessings for the New Year.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sChB8_NRpNM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KcE5IlUL_fo

Good morning everyone and I hope you all had a good day yesterday. :-)


After church in the morning, where the children showed off their toys to the congregation, we went over to our son's for Christmas lunch. I do so enjoy someone else doing the cooking :-D

There were 17 of us gathered around the table(s), aged from 4 to 77, so a very mixed crowd indeed. I am happy when with my family, despite the fact that we had to leave in the afternoon because of my husband's Parkinson's. He gets embarrassed when his mobility decreases during the day.

The evening was peaceful and quiet........ :-)


Today is Boxing Day and also St. Stephen's Day.....I thought I would look something out about this saint who can be overlooked by the festivities of Christmas Day.


Saint Stephen was one of the first deacons of the Christian Church. He was the first Christian martyr.

Stephen is believed to have been a Greek Jew who converted to Christianity. When the number of disciples increased, there was much confusion over the distribution of alms and the serving of the poor. Stephen's trustworthy character marked him out, and he was chosen as one of the seven deacons who would perform this task.

An excellent and well trusted orator, his preaching style was so effective that many Jews became worried about his success. They accused him of blasphemy and he was made to stand trial.

At the supreme Jewish law court, the Sanhedrin, Stephen recounted the many mercies that God had given the children of Israel, and the ungrateful way in which they had repaid Him. He accused them of murdering Jesus, whose coming, he said, had been foretold by Moses.

This angered the crowd and he was dragged out onto the streets. He was then stoned to death according to the law at that time, an event witnessed by St Paul. It is believed he died around the year 34CE.

He is believed to have been initially buried in a grave to the north of Jerusalem, but this body was exhumed and moved to a new grave outside the Damascus Gate. This is where the stoning is believed to have taken place.

Stephen is the patron saint of deacons, headaches, horses, coffin makers, and masons. He is often represented carrying a pile of rocks or with rocks on his head.

St Stephen's Day is 26th December and it is name checked in the Christmas carol Good King Wenceslas.


Collect of the Day: St. Stephen, Deacon and Martyr

We give you thanks, O Lord of glory, for the example of the first martyr Stephen, who looked up to heaven and prayed for his persecutors to your Son Jesus Christ, who stands at your right hand; where he lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, in glory everlasting. Amen.


Cx :-)

Ooooh! Meant to say that I hope you are feeling a lot better kandj and that you enjoy your pampering.

Thank you also, to all the others who popped in over the last couple of days and to BananaNana for the links.....



:-) :-) :-) <3 <3 <3

Good morning everyone on this very blustery morning.......I do hope you are all well.


Just a few words for today:

Christmas is a time for Giving

Christmas is a season,
For gifts of every kind;
All the glittering, pretty things
That Christmas shoppers find;
Baubles, beads, and bangles
Of silver and gold.

Anything and everything
That can be bought or sold,
Is given at this season
To place beneath the tree;
For Christmas is a special time
For giving lavishly.

But there's one rare and priceless gift
That can't be sold or bought,
It's something poor or rich can give
For it's a loving thought.

And loving thoughts are something
For which no one can pay,
And only loving hearts can give
This priceless gift away.

~ Helen Steiner Rice ~


Enjoy your day - wherever you are....Cx :-)

Good morning......it's a lonely little thread this week, but I understand that many are busy or away. :-)

There may be some of our friends who are affected by the stormy weather which has swept across the country over the last few days. It must be dreadful to be flooded and without electricity for so long, and our hearts go out to those who are suffering from the aftermath of the storms. Hopefully, the power will soon be restored, but dealing with the flood water damage is going to be so heartbreaking for folk.


Some words to think about :


The Work of Christmas

When the song of the angels is stilled,
When the star in the sky is gone,
When the kings and the princes are home,
When the shepherds are back with their flocks,
The work of Christmas begins:

To find the lost,
To heal the broken,
To feed the hungry,
To release the prisoner,
To rebuild the nations,
To bring peace among brothers,
To make music in the heart.


- Howard Thurman



Cx :-)

Just had a good read through and many thanks Cynthia for those daily morning posts to fill us with lovely thoughts. I feel sure it was not quite as lonely a vigil as you thought.

Did very little over Christmas. Weather had been pretty atrocious down in Valleys apart from Christmas Day itself when the sun lit up the Beacons in the distance and the local hills too. You felt this really was God's country. Travelled up the Wye valley past Ross on Wye one day and it was lake after lake when we should have seen fields. I cannot imagine what it was like to be flooded out - have no power over the festive season - or no company - or no proper food.

Now 2014 beckons. As a young boy, never thought I would see the year 2000. I would be 54, and that seemed so incredibly old. The idea I would still be around in 2014 was just beyond, yet here I am and still have almost everything working (sort of). So a lot to be happy about, but nothing compares to being in the arms of the Lord and feeling really safe whatever slings and arrows of outrageous fortune wing my way.

So may I wish you all a very happy and blessed New Year. Pob bendith a blwyddyn newydd dda iawn pawb.
:-D :-D

Thank you John and a happy and healthy New Year to you and your family. :-)

Emma :-)