General Chat

Hello All

I do hope that all goes well at the baptism prep Cynthia.

Baptism is a special event and a happy time for family and friends to come together in church. Baptism means different things to different people, but I'm sure that everyone will want the occasion to be a special time for the baby, parents and godparents

A child is a very special gift from God
Baptism is God's gift-wrapping
Delightfully wrapped in love
Safe and sound in the arms of the divine.

Do Mum's still ask for the churching prayers Cynthia... or is that something else that is no longer performed in church any more?

Good morning.. :-)


An amazing couple indeed and, like any family, there are those members whose behaviour, at times, can leave a lot to be desired. :-D


Three families for baptism prep last night and we had babies crawling all over the place! Hopefully, the new service will go well on Sunday.


For today:

My days are so crowded and my hours so few
And I can no longer work fast like I used to do.
But I know I must learn to be satisfied,
That God has not completely denied
The joy of working -- at a much slower pace--
For as long as He gives me a little place
To work with Him in His vineyard of love,
Just to know that He's helping me from above
Gives me strength to meet each day
As I travel along life's changing way.

- Helen Steiner Rice


Remembering those in need of prayer. Cx :-)

We watched the news and saw the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh in Scotland. They are an amazing couple and work so hard for people of their ages. Becoming Britain's longest serving Monarch is a wonderful achievement and I admire the Queen and Prince Philip even though he often opens his mouth and puts his foot in it!
Sadly, I don't feel the same about many other members of the Royal family.

Remembering all in need of prayerful support tonight. xxx

Good morning :-)


Today, our Queen becomes Britain's longest reigning monarch.
The official photographs have her seated at her desk. How many people, at the age of 89, still work at a desk....? :-D


From the Church of England.......of which Her Majesty is the Supreme Governor...

Almighty God,
whose Son Jesus Christ exchanged the glory of a heavenly throne for the form of a servant,
we thank you that you have given Elizabeth our Queen a heart to serve her people,
and have kept her devoted in this service beyond all who were before her:
encourage us by her example to serve one another, and to seek the common good,
until you call us all to reign with Christ in your eternal kingdom.
Amen.



Cx :-)

Hello All

Quite a few years ago we had a vicar who would end all services with
this Irish blessing.

May the road rise up to meet you
May the wind be always at your back
May the sun shine warm upon your face
The rain fall soft upon your fields, and
Until we meet again
May God hold you in the palm of His hand.

I can never hear these words now without thinking of John and
the years of work he did so wonderfully in our village church.

Thinking of all in need of an Irish blessing this night. xxx

Good morning :-)


Sometimes, at baptisms and weddings, the behaviour of people who are not used to going to church is pretty bad. There can be total disrespect and a lack of interest with what is happening, but we still welcome them and try to set a good example.

I must admit to a certain frustration when folk are given books which they never pick up, or when they remain seated even during hymns, playing on their phones. I do sometimes wonder what their manners are like in the world outside. I saw something yesterday about pubs complaining about the unruly children spoiling things for other folk..........yes, well........I know exactly what they mean! :-D


For today:

To cheer us on our way.......


Celtic Blessing
(An ancient prayer for happiness and joy)

May flowers always line your path and sunshine light your day.
May songbirds serenade you every step along the way.
May a rainbow run beside you in a sky that's always blue.
And may happiness fill your heart each day your whole life through.



Cx :-)

Hello All

Thanks Emma for the Audrey Hepburn quote.

Cynthia, it will be interesting to see if the baptism families will find the new format more to their liking. I have not too good memories of a total disrespect whilst in church for a baptism where famies attending were not in the least interested in being there and in fact were very noisy and rude throughout the whole service.

Watching TV coverage showing the plight of so many refugees and migrants I have been thinking.... "There but for the grace of God, go I" (John Bradford 1510-1555)
I can remember my Mum saying this out loud on more than one occasion when I was growing up. I have googled these words and they make for interesting reading.

I have much to be thankful for, and it's good to look around and feel grateful daily.

"If the only prayer you said was 'Thank you', that would be enough.
(Meister Eckhart).

Wonderful news Vera, congratulations to all.

I'm with kandj, I'm going to be happy on this Monday.

I believe in pink.
I believe that laughing is the best calorie burner.
I believe in kissing, kissing a lot.
I believe in being strong when everything seems to be going wrong.
I believe that happy girls are the prettiest girls.
I believe that tomorrow is another day and I believe in miracles.

Audrey Hepburn

Good morning :-)


What lovely news Vera.....your family is having a wonderful time at the moment. So pleased for you all.

As you have mentioned the new baby, I will say that, next week, we are introducing a new baptism service at church. It is for a trial period of three months and is aimed at making young families feel welcome. The language is very simple and there is not a lot of 'upping and downing'. Naturally, there are some 'mutterings' from the older folk but, as I have said, we can only try and, if it doesn't work well, we can go back to what we are used to. It will be interesting to see how it works.......watch this space! :-D


For today:

Father, dear Father,

I am so grateful for everything that you have given me.
Thank you so much for the loved ones in my life,
For the many ways in which I am cared for and supported.
Thank you for the many ways I can serve and give to others.
Thank you for the rich tapestry of colours in creation,
For the beauty which is all around me,
For the skies and the ever changing cloud formations,
For the breathtaking sunsets and early morning mists.
My heart is so grateful and brimming with thanks.
I could write a thousand books about your great goodness,
And still have many stories to tell.
I thank you from the bottom of my heart.
I thank you with everything I am.
All my being cries thank you Lord!

Amen.


Continuing to pray for those in need. Cx :-)

Hello All
It is always a pleasure to hear of good, happy and genuine news in our sad world so very many thanks Vera your family is indeed truly blessed.

Be crazy, be stupid, be silly, be weird,
Be whatever you like because
life is too short to be anything but happy.

I chose to be happy today and I hope that you all are happy too. xxx

There is so much sorrow and grief in the world at the moment that it is good to be able to report some happy news.

Yesterday we went to the wedding of a really delightful young couple. It was another happy family occasion filled with love and laughter. This was on my side of the family. Early this morning our niece on my husband's side gave birth to a baby girl so two reasons to celebrate this weekend.

While keeping in my thoughts the desperate plight of some of our fellow human beings, I am also thinking of the newly born and those just starting out on a new phase of their life. May they be blessed with a life of peace and joy.

Good morning :-)

Hmmm....."Who should feed the hungry in Hungary?" - maybe a slip of the tongue? An attempt to lighten the mood? Who knows...........reporters can make some classic blunders in their reporting.


The Collect for today:
Almighty God,
whose only Son has opened for us a new and living way into your presence:
give us pure hearts and steadfast wills
to worship you in spirit and in truth;
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.


I've noticed there are some good readings in church today. Faith without good works is dead an encouragement to care for the needy.


Love to all Cx :-)

Hello All

Amen to your morning prayers Cynthia. My neighbour kindly brought us a bottle of tonic water so along with everything else I hope this painful cramp won't return.

Dermot, I doubt that any radio commentator speaking about all the desperate people fleeing war and poverty in Syriah would want to talk in a flippant manner.

It is heartbreaking to see lines of men, women and children.The young, elderly, vulnerable, weary all walking away from horror and hoping for a better life ahead.

But the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and
self-discipline. (2 Timothy 1:7) God bless them all and keep each one safe. xxx

A quip on the radio earlier when a commentator said: "Who should feed the hungry in Hungary"?

I don’t think he was just being flippant about this evolving human tragedy.

Good morning :-)

Memo to kandj................remember that tonic water! :-D



The news is filled with the horror of the current refugee situation.......dreadful sights


A Prayer for the Victims of the Syrian conflict

We pray for those damaged by the fighting in Syria.
To the wounded and injured:
Come Lord Jesus.
To the terrified who are living in shock:
Come Lord Jesus
To the hungry and homeless, refugee and exile:
Come Lord Jesus
To those bringing humanitarian aid:
Give protection Lord Jesus
To those administering medical assistance:
Give protection Lord Jesus.
To those offering counsel and care:
Give protection Lord Jesus.
For all making the sacrifice of love:
Give the strength of your Spirit
and the joy of your comfort.
In the hope of Christ we pray.
Amen.


Cx :-)

Hello All

Confession time Cynthia....... i forgot the tonic water when I called at the village shop.
I did buy extra bananas and encouraging hubby to drink more water and will buy the tonic water when shopping next.... (Senior moment!!).

Another beautiful Avatar Emma. I have no idea how to do that, so my blank picture will have to remain for a long time.

Vera, I am also always counting my blessings having a warm and loving family. We don't live near to one another but are close in the family supportive sense. I hope that your SIL will soon be feeling much better than he was at the weekend.

How heartbreaking to see on TV the devastating plight of the migrants and refugees who are fleeing their war torn homeland. Unbelievably tragic for all concerned.

Heavenly Father
Watch over all refugees and migrants, guide them to a place of safety and
help us always to show goodness and mercy to strangers and all in need.
In Jesus name, Amen.

While half of the world lives Autumn
the other half lives Spring.

Have you noticed how balanced our life always is?

Remembering all our friends at this time x

Good morning :-)


So good to hear of happy family times in this troubled world of ours Vera. I agree that Emma's avatar is simply beautiful but I'm always sorry that we can't enlarge them on here.

Hope you remembered that tonic water kandj and that it helped your OH.

I am still working with the church Facebook page and things are going well. This week I have been sharing the prayers I used on here last week. Next week we will be looking at the new baptism service we are due to have shortly. All good fun!


For today:

Circle me, Lord.
Keep protection near
And danger afar.

Circle me, Lord
Keep hope within.
Keep doubt without.

Circle me, Lord.
Keep light near
And darkness afar.

Circle me, Lord.
Keep peace within.
Keep evil out.

David Adam.


Keeping folk in my prayers. Cx :-)

It's been a hectic few days so I haven't been on the site and am only just catching up.

Your avatar is lovely Emma.

On Saturday we had our annual family get-together. There are always a few rellies who are on holiday or have other commitments that day so can't make it but we still numbered around 40 people. My son-in-law had been off-colour for a couple of days and on the way to the party developed chest pains so my daughter drove him straight to the hospital. The various tests proved negative and he was discharged in the early evening and well enough to join us for a couple of hours. So something else to be thankful for.

The party did make me realise once again how blessed I am to have such a great family, geographically scattered but close in spirit. We all get on so well, the 5 younger ones (under 10s) played happily without any arguing all day, the 4 teenagers actually talked to each other without the aid of a phone and it was a very happy day.

So my thoughts now are with those who are not so fortunate and who may be feeling alone or lonely

Hello All

A beautiful photograph of your Gt Grandchild Emma. Have you had a cuddle yet?

Cynthia, hubby is on medication that reacts with quinine so that's not an option for him but I will buy the tonic water, I had forgotten about this simple remedy. Thanks both.

K, our granddaughter begins school today (year 10!!!). I text this morning as they live far away and she replied "I am SO excited".... ah, bless her. Hardly seems any time at all since she started in secondary school.

Thinking of all the teaching staff and school caretakers ,kitchen and cleaners now. xxx

.