General Chat

Good morning :-)

Many churches will be saying 'thank you' in the form of a Harvest Festival service tomorrow or very soon. Ours is tomorrow and I know that the school children have been donating tins of food which will be passed on to the local Foodbank and more will be received tomorrow. There won't be as much of the usual fresh fruit and vegetables which we used to see as children, but it is a case of catering for today's needs.

For today:

We confess to the Lord of the harvest
that we are people who are
eager to improve our lives,
but slow to improve our world;
eager to enjoy the comforts of the world's resources,
but slow to stop the suffering of the world's poorest;
eager to do well,
but slow to do good.
We pray to God to forgive us,
To change us,
And to show us a better way.
O Lord of the rich and poor,
Have mercy on us we pray.
Amen.


Cx :-)

A dry quite sunny day today which is a joy after so many dark cold rainy days.
A good reason to Give Thanks in all things.

Give thanks for the sunshine
Give thanks for the rain
Don't mumble or grumble
Give thanks, don't complain.
THANK YOU, THANK YOU.

Give thanks for the daytime
Give thanks for the night
Don't mumble or grumble
Give thanks, don't complain.
THANK YOU, THANK YOU.

Remembering all in need of prayerful support today. xxx

Good morning :-)

We don't have 'confessions' as such (although all Anglican clergy are available should the need arise), but there is a confession within the Holy Communion services and, quite often, a gentle one in other services too.

In the new baptism service which we used last Sunday, the confession came with the simple words...."God, we are sorry.....we want to do things differently".

Seeing a news item this week about robots..........

For today:

The earth is the Lord's, and the fulness thereof ...
He gave it to man as a gift of His love
So all men might live as He hoped they would,
Sharing together all things that were good.

But man only destroyed the good earth of God.
He polluted the air and ravished the sod,
He cut down the forests with ruthless disdain.
And the earth's natural beauty he perverted for gain.

And now in an age filled with violent dissent,
Man finds he's imprisoned in his own discontent.
He has taken the earth that God placed in his care
And built his own hell without being aware

That the future we face was fashioned by man,
Who in ignorance resisted God's beautiful plan;
And what God created to be paradise
Became by man's lust and perversion and vice.

A cauldron of chaos in a fog of pollution
To which man can find no cure or solution.
How far man will go to complete his destruction
Is beyond a computer's robot deduction.

~ Helen Steiner Rice



Love and prayers to all Cx :-D

Hello All

How lovely Cynthia that little boy recognized you from his church.......... ahhh, sweet.

Our village parish church doesn't have confession, but this is offered regulary in the Catholic church.
However, I used to visit a local "high" Anglican church and the Priest included weekly confession before Friday evening service of Holy Communion.

I can remember the saying that confession is good for the Soul.

Psalm 119 v 26 states:-
I have declared my ways. Open confession is good for the soul.
Nothing brings more ease and more life to a man than a frank acknowledgement of the evil that has caused the sorrow and the lethargy. Such a declaration proves that the man knows his own condition, and it is no longer blinded by pride. Our confessions are not meant to make God know our sins, but to make us know them.

Good morning :-)


One of the things I help out with at church is liaising between church and school. Yesterday I popped into school to see the new intake of tinies. One little lad eyed me up and down and said "Don't I know you from my church?" :-D


Each week in church, there is always a confession within the service. It's a time when we recall the things which we really ought not to have done and when we have done things that we shouldn't. The point of having a confession is to rid ourselves of the negative things in our life and begin anew - with God's help.


Merciful God,
we have sinned in what we have thought and said,
in the wrong we have done
and in the good we have not done.
We have sinned in ignorance :we have sinned in weakness:
we have sinned through our own deliberate fault.
We are truly sorry. We repent and turn to you.
Forgive us, for our Saviour Christ's sake,
and renew our lives to the glory of your name.
Amen.


Cx :-)

Hello All

Your posting had me smiling Cynthia, so thank you for that.

The years go far too quickly when children are growing up and as parents we have wished for the patience of a Saint to cope with noise and clutter and arguing
Then before we can turn around our children are off to Uni and the home becomes too big and too empty and too quiet. Nothing lasts forever but we feel blessed to have been given the gift of our children here.

A Mothers Prayer

Give me patience when little hands tug at me
with ceaseless small demands.
Give me gentle words and smiling eyes
and keep my lips from hasty sharp replies.
Let me not in weariness, confusion or noise
Obscure my vision from life's fleeting joys.
That when in years to come our home is still,
Beautiful memories it's rooms may fill.

Prayers now for all who find parenting hard work. xxx

Good morning... :-)

The faces on some of the refugee mothers are haunting and I doubt any of us can really imagine what they must be feeling as they trudge along. So sad.


In the midst of the sadness which is always on the news, maybe a smile about mothers may brighten us up and remind us of how fortunate we are :-)

Dear Lord,

I pray the caffeine drip does not run dry.

I pray my children will be able to entertain themselves

I pray my computer will work. My internet will be faster than

usual. And my cell phone does not ring.

I pray Facebook does not suck all of my time.

I pray dinner makes itself and gives me credit.

(Please let the laundry fold on its own and the dishes put them-

selves away while we are at it!)

I pray all of my work will be completed before prime time.

I pray I get to bed before the next day begins.

Despite my aching hands, overheated laptop and messy house I

thank you for it all!

-Amen



Praying for mothers everywhere.......Cx :-)

Yes Cynthia, the brain is a wonderful computer to store years and years of info for us.

Today is the Feast Day of Our Lady of Sorrow, there is a Catholic church and primary school locally with this name and they are sure to be celebrating this special date.

The picture of Mary, the Mother of Jesus bowed down with sorrow by the cross on Calvary is a reminder that pain is the opposite to the feeling of love on earth.

I am thinking now of all the weary refugee Mothers with frighten children to care for.

Holy Mother,
Hear the prayers of all Mothers, especially those wearied by life circumstances who are overcome by the burdens that they are suffering for their children
Holy Mother, come to their assistance, make haste to help them, bring them comfort and give them peace. In your son Jesus' name. Amen.

Good morning :-)


I have the greatest respect for those who are called to serve as nuns....and your two friends sound like amazing women kandj. I once went on a retreat which was led by a nun - I can't remember which order she was from, but she still comes to mind which I hold a bible. She would not lay her bible on the floor, nor put anything on top of it because the word of God is so precious. Funny the things you remember isn't it? :-)

For today:

You are the glorious morning,
You are refreshment and peace.
You are the sounds as the dawn breaks,
You are the rose that smells sweet.

You are the Lord, my creator,
You are the wonder of life.
You are the great words of wisdom,
I read them and fill up inside.

You are the wonderful sunrise,
You are restorer of hope.
You are the air that we breathe now,
You are the warm winter coat.

You are the Lord, my creator,
You are a love without end.
You are all grace and forgiveness,
I stand loved and free as your friend.


Cx :-)

Cynthia, sounds like it was a good day in more ways than one for you yesterday.

Emma, a beautiful Avatar of gt grandson Ollie.

Several years ago in our village we had two Catholic nuns who belonged to the Order of the Holy Cross. They were both angels on earth and worked tirelessly each day to strengthen links between our parish church, the Methodist chapel and the Catholic church.
They are now enjoying retirement in Bucks Convent and I still am in contact.
They continue to visit the sick and attend assembly in schools and support trainee priests, as well as hospital visiting and other work within the community. They are a real inspiration as Sr. C is 84 and Sr. E is 92 years young!
It is my privilege to have shared my journey in faith with two spiritual nuns.

The Sisters of the Holy Cross Order of Nuns was founded by Mother Bernarda Heimgartner in Switzerland in 1844. The founding Sisters order set out to transform society by means of education and the Gospel.
They made a contribution to the improved standing of women and helped raise the standard of education in their society.

Remembering all who feel lonely and upset this night. xxx

My daughter's favourite hymn Cynthia x

Remembering all who are in need of prayer.

Good morning :-)


Yesterday turned out to be a good day.......the new service went well and people seemed attentive. The two babies were as good as gold and my husband made it to church in pretty good form too! :-D

Today is Holy Cross Day. It's not a day I am very familiar with, so I had to do some research, and this is what I found :

.
"The cross on which our Lord was crucified has become the universal symbol for Christianity, replacing the fish symbol of the early church, though the latter has been revived in recent times. After the end of the persecution era, early in the fourth century, pilgrims began to travel to Jerusalem to visit and pray at the places associated with the life of Jesus.

Helena, the mother of the emperor, was a Christian and, whilst overseeing excavations in the city, is said to have uncovered a cross, which many believed to be the Cross of Christ. A basilica was built on the site of the Holy Sepulchre and dedicated on this day in the year 335."

A prayer for this day

Almighty God, whose Son our Saviour Jesus Christ was lifted
high upon the cross that he might draw the whole world to
himself: Mercifully grant that we, who glory in the mystery
of our redemption, may have grace to take up our cross and
follow him; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy
Spirit, one God, in glory everlasting.
Amen.


The story makes me think of that old hymn.......The Old Rugged Cross.......


Continuing in prayer..... Cx :-)

Good morning :-)



This morning should be interesting at church...we are welcoming two babies, their families and friends into the main service. It's a while since we did this and, as both families are bringing around 100 guests each........................it could be manic. We will also be using the new service, so it could be fun all round! :-D

The Collect for today:

God, who in generous mercy sent the Holy Spirit
upon your Church in the burning fire of your love:
grant that your people may be fervent in the fellowship of the gospel that,
always abiding in you, they may be found steadfast
in faith and active in service;
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.


Cx :-)

Night time and another busy day is done.Hoping for a peaceful, restful night for us both

When you lie down you need not be afraid; when you lie down , your sleep will be sweet.
(proverbs 3 v 24).

The day is done
O God the Son
Look down upon
Thy little one.

O Light of Light
Keep me this night
and shed round
Thy presence bright.

I need not fear
If Thou art near;
Thou art my Saviour
Kind and dear.

Goodnight and sweet dreams to everyone xxx

Good morning :-)


Lovely baby avatar Emma <3


Looking through the window, it is grey, wet and very miserable looking.......and after such a nice day yesterday! We are never bored with our weather are we? :-D


For today:

Failure does not mean I'm a failure ...
It does mean I have not yet succeeded.

Failure does not mean I have accomplished nothing ...
It does mean I have learned something.

Failure does not mean I have been a fool ...
It does mean I had enough faith to experiment.

Failure does not mean I have disgraced ...
It does mean I have dared to try.

Failure does not mean I don't have it ...
It does mean I have something to do in a different way.

Failure does not mean I am inferior ...
It does mean I am not perfect.

Failure does not mean I have wasted my life ...
It does mean that I have an excuse to start over.

Failure does not mean that I should give up ...
It does mean that I should try harder.

Failure does not mean that I will never make it ...
It does mean that I need more practice.

Failure does not mean that God has abandoned me ...
It does mean that He must have a better idea!

~ Author Unknown ~


Remember all in need of prayer. Cx :-)

Amen indeed.

Is it really that long since the 9/11 terrorist attack on the twin towers in New York?

I remember it was my day off work and I was busy with housework and no TV on when my friend phoned and was clearly upset at the TV news coverage. The housework didn't get finished. I went in the car to sit with my friend, we were glued to the TV set for hours on end....... unbelievabe scenes. Hubby and I had visited NY and seen the huge skyscraper twin towers, couldn't believe they crumbled as I watched.. We don't seem to have moved very far into a safer world even now!

Dermot...... don't believe all you read in newsprint.

Remembering all who are affected by terrorists years ago and right now. xxx

Amen.

Today we pray for the families
and remember the victims of 9/11.

Good morning :-)


Today we commemorate the 14th anniversary of the appalling terrorist attack known as '9/11'. I think most people can remember where they were when they heard the dreadful news of the attack on the World Trade Centre.



May all of us remember with love and compassion this day.
May we grieve with those who still mourn,
And share memories with those who cannot forget.
May we draw strength from those who bravely responded,
And gave their lives to save others.
May we stand with strangers who became neighbours that day,
And remember their generosity and hospitality.
Above all God may we remember your faithfulness
And learn to trust in your unfailing love

Amen.


Cx :-)

Just popping by.......


Dear oh dear Dermot.......Matthew 7.15


:-D

'A Wake-Up Call To All Protestants!'

If you attend a "mainline" Protestant church, you have probably noticed that it is shrinking. Why is this happening? What should you be doing about it?

As a former Protestant with many family members still Protestant, I feel compelled to warn you of a soon-coming disaster! Most of the Protestant churches will not even exist a decade or two from right now!

Why?
Because to the vast majority of people in America and the entire English-speaking world, Protestantism is becoming increasingly irrelevant. Millions of Protestant church members are voting with their feet and getting out. They are becoming Roman Catholics.

Many are also simply disheartened, discouraged and confused. These unsettled people often describe themselves as "nones"—meaning they belong to no organized religion. They just try to become "spiritual"- just trying to worship God in their own way.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
*Excerpt from an extensive article by Roderick C Meredith published in the current edition of 'Tomorrow's World' magazine. www.TomorrowsWorld.org