General Chat

Hello all

That link was interesting Cynthia, so thank you for sharing it on here.

Lots to think about and organise with talk of opening churches for private prayer next week.

Have a Happy Monday and stay safe everyone x

Good morning :-)


Thanks for your lovely words Tabitha - much appreciated.

Sylvia, let me know how things go with the church. There is so much dissent in churches over here about whether or not to return - some clergy are getting quite ratty - on both sides of the debate. :-(

I had something else planned for today but a friend sent me this link last night and I thought I would share it.

Yesterday was Trinity Sunday and, over the years, many of us will have heard clergy trying to explain the concept of what Trinity means. They have used illustrations such as apples (peel, flesh seeds), clover leaves (3 leaves from one stem) and the water/ice/steam thought. This cleric has put it over rather differently.....enjoy!

https://www.facebook.com/stjamessussexgardens/videos/906804163078124/

Cx :-)

Signs of life today at the Canadian Baptist Church across the street.

The Filipino congregation that shares the church with the original congregation were out in force, cleaning inside and outside. A couple of younger men have been 3 or 4 times over the last 3½ months to cut the grass, they have a very large area to look after, with the last time on Friday. But the grass has been cut again and really tidied up.

There is now a huge sign on the door advising that one keep to spatial distancing, with diagrams to indicate what that means.

I guess at least one of the congregations will be meeting next Sunday ..... allowed as long as no more than 50 people are in the church, and distancing is kept..

Hello all

Very worrying scenes on tv showing the masses gathering in London and Bristol following the death of George Floyd. I pray for his family and his friends.

I pray for the whole situation in USA - for wisdom and compassion, and that those who are protesting will have a voice that will be heard. Let's pray for the wider issue of racism which also affects us here in this country too.

Cynthia - I love your posts - first time i have seen that one and i have been in a lot of different churches/Sunday schools/missionary huddles/evening groups & classes as well as theology sessions over the years.

Had a lot of thought and decided - depending on the subject I am the following an awful lot of the time - is that why I often get called on to prepare or research "Sermons/Classes" for others and get asked for ideas.


1. Wheelbarrows – need to be pushed.
4. Footballs – you never know where they will bounce next.
8. Puppies - happy when patted on the back.
Many are like the North Star - there when you need them, dependable, and loyal.

Too loyal in some cases as per something I was told by a very wise Chinese man once - Your Chinese Horoscope sign is a Pig - Very loyal to people but in the wrong hands can become a doormat for people to walk on and be used. Do not allow yourself to become a mug, do not believe all people have the same morals and loyalty as you.

I fall into that trap so many times - I never seem to learn - only recently it happened again & I was deeply hurt by 3 people I thought were friends and I was very let down.

< <3 <3 <3 Thank you all once again for being my virtual friends and keeping me going I value your beautiful thoughts and try and pop in daily keep up the good work <3 <3 <3

Good morning :-)

I think I've hopped about on each one over time kandju :-D


I overslept today.......just catching up.......doh

TODAY IS KNOWN AS TRINITY SUNDAY

The Collect (special prayer) for today

Almighty and everlasting God,
you have given us your servants grace,
by the confession of a true faith,
to acknowledge the glory of the eternal Trinity
and in the power of the divine majesty to worship the Unity:
keep us steadfast in this faith,
that we may evermore be defended from all adversities;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.


The gospel reading for today:

Matthew 28:16-20
Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, into a mountain where Jesus had appointed them. And when they saw him, they worshipped him: but some doubted.
And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.


Cx :-)

Cynthia, just to let you know I am not ignoring you, this is my 3rd post on here tonight and they keep disappearing into the ether so I am now giving up for today.

I hope you all have a peaceful night and a blessed day tomorrow

Hello all

Dull and wet here again so no gardening for me.

Not sure where I fit in with your list Cynthia?

A short prayer for Holy Trinity weekend.

Our Father, help me to live this day being true to you.
Lord Jesus, help me to be kind to all I speak to today.
Holy Spirit, help me to support others, always.
In the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Amen.

Good morning :-)

Thanks for those interesting reads......and its so sad how nothing much seems to have changed :-(



With thoughts of the Holy Spirit in mind, this caught my eye and reminded me that we are all different personalities and are all at different stages, but we are united in Christ.

Some Christians are like:

1. Wheelbarrows – need to be pushed.
2. Canoes – need to be paddled.
3. Kites – need to be kept on a string
4. Footballs – you never know where they will bounce next.
5. Balloons – full of hot air.
6. Trailers - have to be pulled along.
7. Lights – can go on and off
8. Puppies - happy when patted on the back.
Many are like the North Star - there when you need them, dependable, and loyal. We thank God for everyone.


Cx :-)

Tabitha ..............

Riding the bus was exactly the same in Austin in 1967/68. OH had done it for several months before buying a car a couple of months before I arrived, and said he hadn't noticed anything.

But I was very well aware of the looks when I did it the few times that he was out of town. I had to take 2 buses, one from our apartment into town and another out to the university .......... you'd think pretty normal routes.

But I was better dressed than the other riders, mainly coloured or poor white going to domestic jobs.

Those looks could almost stab you in the back! Fortunately, our close friend would drive me home after work, the last bus from downtown to our apartment was at 5 pm, finishing time for me! Downtown became a no-go area after that.

It was intriguing going back to Austin in 2007 for a meeting and staying in a hotel right downtown .............. the fancy hotel was in what had been a no-go area 40 years before! Our apartment block was still there, right opposite one of the most favoured parks in the city, but never really noticed or visited bath "then".


kandj ....... that is the really sad thing. That nothing has really changed!

Hello all

Sylvia/Tabitha your stories have brought back memories of when hubby and I were on holiday in New York and we strayed off the beaten track and were like "innocents abroad", very naive and totally unaware that we could have been in real danger, our guardian angels were definitely by our side back then
That was back in 1994...sadly not a lot has changed.

Something a bit like Sylvia's message - Hope its appropriate.

I spent some time in Texas (Dallas & Fort Worth ) in 1986 - things were not too bad. There were still places you didnt go if you were a different colour to the people there. There was still some segregation & I was very young and naive.

Being from the UK and living in an area not use to that sort of thing it was very alien, everyone used the same transport, went to the same places together and so on..

Having no car i used the bus a lot. When the friend i was staying with heard that she was so shocked she looked like a ghost. She said to me "In future if you want to go to the cities i will take you by car or one of the family will, Only hired help, maids and B****s use the bus not well brought up W**** people" Which really shocked me. I had noticed a few reactions on the bus but just put i down to me being English with a funny accent and no suntan yet.

I was wandering around Fort Worth one day on my own looking for small book shops. I saw several book shops on the other side of a wide road, so just wandered across on the crossing and into the alleyways. Spent at least an hour going in and out the bookshops. Didn't notice anything in particular.

Unknown to me I managed to just stroll into a part of town I should not have been in. When i emerged from this lovely little bookshop, when i manged to find a few out of print books i wanted. I was met by 4 very large B**** men who didnt really look that friendly.

"What you doing down here, you looking for trouble"
I said no, sorry i was just looking for some books.
They huddled together muttering - one came even closer, I neraly stepped back in the shop.
"You foreign" "Yes i am here on holiday staying with some friends "
Back into the huddle They all came towards me again "dont you knwo you shouldnt be down her - No Whites allowed here, you come to poke fun at us"

I said no certainly not i jsut wanted some books. "We going to take you back to your own area" Your sort dont come thsi side unless to make trouble"

They sort of escorted me back to the road - then he said "we cant cross thats not our area -

They stood watching me as i walked across the road.

A shopkeeper came out of a clothes shop and asked me if i need the police as he was going to report trouble. I said no its ok - they were only sending me back. He then gave me a map of the safe areas & told me where not to go.

I certainly learnt a lesson that day. I hope its changed now and everyone can walk where they want. One day I will go back there, I loved it so much..

Good afternoon.... :-)

Sorry, I got carried away...................... :-D


The work of the Holy Spirit...

Think of a glove. The glove cannot do anything by itself, but when we put our hand in it, the glove can do many things. Actually though, it is not the glove, it is our hand in the glove that makes it work. The Christian is like a glove. It is the Holy Spirit (the hand) who does the work. We need to make room in our lives for the Holy Spirit so that we can do God’s work.

Lord, help us to be open to your Holy Spirit.

Cx :-)

Good morning :-)


No problem Sylvia - it's a dire situation whichever way we look at it. When will we ever learn? :-(



The Walk of the Christian

A father and son arrived in a small western town looking for an uncle whom they had never seen. Suddenly, the father, pointing across the square to a man who was walking away from them, exclaimed, “There goes my uncle!”
His son asked, “How do you know when you have not seen him before?”
“Son, I know him because he walks exactly like my father.”

So, may we walk in the Spirit in the steps of the Father. Amen.


Cx :-)

I have only one thing to say about what is happening below the line at the moment .............

no-one has done anything for far too long.

Personal experience ................... we were warned to keep out of certain areas in Austin back in July 1968 because the Black community would (not COULD but WOULD) explode if the temperatures reached 100F. Rioting would be rampant against the living conditions, and "whities" would be in harm's way. The Greyhound Station just happened to be in the centre of one of those areas, and we had young relations arriving in town by Greyhound. We would not be safe even though we were close friends with a Black couple who were well-known in the community.

Luckily things didn't explode, the relatives arrived safely, and we very gladly left town shortly after. But that was 52 years ago.

Things have gone from bad to worse, with only slight improvements from time to time, and many black people have been killed.

Hopefully, this time MIGHT be different as "whities" are seen front and centre in protests. Unfortunately there is someone in charge who should never have been put in that position, and who is desperate to get re-eleced in November.

Unfortunately his voting base is likely to be cheering current events, and applauding him.

Don't just say how bad it is, try to think of ways that it can be stopped .............. in the US, in Canada, in your own countries, and your towns. It does happen everywhere, and many of us are to blame by basically turning a blind eye to it all, until "next time".

In Canada, it is Blacks and First Nations.



sorry, Cynthia. Rant over!

Good morning :-)


Absolutely David. Dreadful, dreadful things happening over there, and don't even get me started on a certain person outside a church holding a bible. He looked at it as though he had never seen one before!!!


Listening for the Holy Spirit

Before refrigerators, people used icehouses to preserve their food. Icehouses had thick walls, no windows and a tightly fitted door. In winter, when streams and lakes were frozen, large blocks of ice were cut, hauled to the icehouses and covered with sawdust. Often the ice would last well into the summer.

One man lost a valuable watch while working in an icehouse. He searched diligently for it, carefully raking through the sawdust, but didn’t find it. His fellow workers also looked, but their efforts, too, proved futile. A small boy who heard about the fruitless search slipped into the icehouse during the noon hour and soon emerged with the watch.

Amazed, the men asked him how he found it.

‘I closed the door,’ the boy replied, ‘lay down in the sawdust, and kept very still. Soon I heard the watch ticking.’”

Often, we do not hear God speak to us because we do not listen well enough.

Lord help us to learn to listen to you speaking to us. Amen.


Cx :-)

Hello, good morning :-) <3

Dreadful responses in US to the death / murder of George Floyd :-( :-(

Hello all

An interesting little story. Amen to today's posting.

Happy Tuesday blessings everyone. Stay safe

Good morning :-)


Thinking of Pentecost - The Power Must Be Used

Many years ago, a young missionary, Herbert Jackson, was given a car to help him in his work. The car was a major asset, but it had one difficulty—it would not start without a push or a jump-start. Jackson devised a system to cope with the car’s inability to start. When he was ready to leave his home, he went to a nearby school and asked permission to bring some of the children out of class to help him push-start his car.

Throughout the day, he was careful to always park on a hill or to leave his engine running when he stopped for short visits. For two years the young missionary used what he believed was an ingenious method to enable him to use the car.

When poor health forced the Jackson family to leave the field, a new missionary arrived to lead the mission. When Jackson explained to the new missionary his methods for starting the car, the young man opened the hood and began inspecting. “Why, Dr. Jackson,” he interrupted, “I believe the only trouble is a loose cable.” He gave the cable a twist, pushed the switch, and the engine roared to life.

For two years, Dr. Jackson had used his own devices and endured needless trouble. The power to start the car was there all the time—it only needed to be connected.

Lord, help us to be connected to your Holy Spirit in our lives. Amen.


Cx :-)

Hello all

Holy spirit, we welcome you
Holy spirit, we welcome you

Move amongst us with holy fire
As we lay aside our earthly desire
Hands reach out and spirits aspire
Holy spirit, holy spirit, holy spirit
We welcome you.

Have a Happy Monday and stay safe everyone x