General Chat

Good morning :-)


Yes it was indeed Palm Sunday yesterday. Many people will have left their churches clutching a small cross made of palm leaves - to remind them of that special day. We usually wedge ours gently behind a picture in the hall, where they can be seen for the rest of the year - as a reminder of our Lord's journey.



During this Holy Week, we will trace that journey, day by day.

MONDAY Jesus returned with his disciples to Jerusalem.

Along the way, Jesus cursed a fig tree because it had failed to bear fruit. Some scholars believe this cursing of the fig tree represented God's judgment on the spiritually dead religious leaders of Israel. Others believe the symbolism extended to all believers, demonstrating that genuine, living faith is more than just outward religiosity. True faith must bear spiritual fruit in a person's life.


When Jesus arrived at the Temple he found the courts full of corrupt money changers. He began overturning their tables and clearing the Temple, saying, "The Scriptures declare, 'My Temple will be a house of prayer,' but you have turned it into a den of thieves." (Luke 19:46)


On Monday evening Jesus stayed in Bethany again, probably in the home of his friends, Mary, Martha, and Lazarus.


We will continue the journey tomorrow............................. Cx :-)

Hello to you all. Palm Sunday here again. A very important day in the Christian calendar marking the beginning of Holy Week. My very favourite Palm Sunday hymn is All Glory Lord and Honour.......

All Glory Lord and honour, to thee Redeemer King
To whom the lips of children may sweet hosannas ring.
Thou art the King of Israel thou David's royal son
Who in the Lord's name comest, The King and blessed one.

The company of angels are praising thee on high,
And mortal men and all things, created make reply.
The people of the Hebrews, with palms before thee went;
Our praise and love and anthems, before thee we present.

To thee before thy passion, they sang their hymns of praise;
To thee now high exalted, our melody we raise.
Thou didst accept their praises, accept the love we bring
Who in all good delightest, thou good and gracious King.

Sending blessing to all for a restful peaceful night. x

Thank you everyone for your recent posts.

Kandj, I had never heard the whole of the serenity prayer so it was good to see it in its entirety.

Thoughts for all those in need of strength and support today

My thoughts and prayers for friends and family
who need support at this time <3

Good morning :-)

Thank you for that kandj - I love the words of the Serenity Prayer - they say so much so well.


The Collect for today:


The Collect

Almighty and everlasting God,
who in your tender love towards the human race
sent your Son our Saviour Jesus Christ
to take upon him our flesh and to suffer death upon the cross:
grant that we may follow the example of his patience and humility,
and also be made partakers of his resurrection;
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.


Love to all Cx :-)

Thank you Cynthia for your kind words. Life here is still very challenging, but compared to the tragedies in our world, we have little to complain about. I often think of the wise words of the Serenity Prayer which is known to very many people.

Serenity Prayer

God grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change,
courage to change the things I can,
and the wisdom to know the difference.

Living one day at a time,
enjoying one moment at a time,
Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace.
Taking, as Jesus did, this sinful world
as it is and not as I would have it;
Trusting that He will make all things right
if I surrender to His will;
That I may be reasonable happy in this life
and supremely happy with Him
Forever and ever in the next.
Amen.

Amazing words written by Reinhold Nieburh in 1951 which are surely familiar to many people and meant to help keep us calm and focused during troubled times.
Sending out positive prayers to all in need today. xx

Good morning :-)


Thank you for those words kandj - you and your husband remain in our prayers <3


For today:

Dear God, grant me this day to live a simple, sincere and serene life,
Letting go every thought of anxiety, discouragement, self-seeing,
Cultivating joy, generosity, love, and the habit of holy silence.
Grant me to be faithful in the habits of prayer, work, study, exercise,
eating and sleeping.
As I cannot by my own strength do this,
nor even with the hope of success attempt it,
I look to you, O Lord my Father, in Jesus Christ my Saviour
and ask for the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.


Praying for those who mourn the loss of family and friends; those in need of strength and those who are finding life difficult at the moment. We place them into God's loving arms.

Cx :-)

An interesting and thought provoking posting Cynthia. Thank you.

A collect for today the 5th Friday in Lent:

Pardon the offenses of your peoples we pray, Oh Lord,
and in your goodness set us free from the bonds
of the sins we have committed in our weakness.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son
who lives and reigns with You in the unity of
the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever
Amen.

Remembering all who are in need of prayerful support today. xx

Good morning :-)


As we draw ever closer to Holy Week, I find these words touch a spot.


What to give up for Lent
Give up watching television one evening a week
Visit some lonely or sick person instead
Give up looking at other people’s worst points
Concentrate on their strong points and positive attributes

Give up speaking unkindly
Let your speech be generous and understanding

Give up your worries
Trust God with your problems and frustrations

Give up hatred or dislike of anyone
Learn to love instead

Give up the fear which presents Christian witness
Seek courage to speak about your faith with others

Give up spending so much time with newspapers and magazines
Use some of that time to study your Bible

Give up grumbling
Learn to give thanks in everything

Give up ten to fifteen minutes each day
Use that time in prayer

Give up buying anything but essentials for yourself
Give that money to God’s work or someone in need

Give up judging by appearance and by the standards of the world
Learn to give up yourself to God


- Author Unknown



Words to ponder indeed.


Cx :-)

Amen indeed to your words Cynthia. Such a traumatic and distressing event for family and friends of all those on board to have to come to terms with. It is made so much worse that this act by the co-pilot is being deemed as deliberate.... unbelievable!
Blessed are they that mourn, for they shall be comforted. Matthew 5v4.

Good morning :-)


The news of yet another air crash is dreadful and our thoughts and prayers go out to those who have lost loved ones.


Father,
God of all consolation,
in your unending love and mercy for us
you turn the darkness of death
into the dawn of new life.

Show compassion to your people in their sorrow.
Be our refuge and our strength
to lift us from the darkness of this grief
to the peace and light of your presence.

Your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ,
by dying for us, conquered death
and by rising again, restored life.

May we then go forward eagerly to meet him,
and after our life on earth
be reunited with our brothers and sisters
where every tear will be wiped away.

We ask this through Christ our Lord.
Amen.



Cx :-)

Praying for the family and friends of everyone involved in the tragic airplane which crashed into the French Alps.

Good morning :-)


We are nearing the end of the Lenten period as next week is Holy Week and all is focused on our Lord's suffering.


For today:


We pray for countries where justice seems far away,
where human rights are ignored.

Let us remind those in power that prisoners are not forgotten.

We pray that the dignity of life is respected
and remember those who have lost that dignity
through age or infirmity or neglect.
We pray for situations

where the sex of a baby may lead to abandonment,
where women are not offered the same opportunities,
or are actively demeaned or mutilated.

May we act to challenge injustice
and seek to affirm your love for all humankind.

God of mercy and love let us serve you in our world.

Amen.


Cx :-)

Thank you Cynthia
I must agree with Emma that your postings are all very interesting. a joy to read.

I am thinking now of all who are troubled or feel anxious and lonely this night.

Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified, for the Lord your God goes with you. He will never leave you or forsake you.
Deuteronomy 31 v 6

I have a bookmark which reads: "Everyday holds the possibility of a miracle"
I hope that we all can find a miracle in waking up tomorrow to a bright new day.

Good morning :-)



Some thoughts for today :


I did not know His love before
The way I know it now
I could not see my need for Him
My pride would not allow.
I had it all, without a care
The “self-sufficient” lie
My path was smooth, my sea was still
Not a cloud was in my sky.
I thought I knew His love for me
I thought I’d seen His grace
I thought I did not need to grow
I thought I’d found my place.
But then the way grew rough and dark
The storm clouds quickly rolled
The waves began to rock my ship
I found I had no hold.

The ship that I had built myself
Was made of foolish pride
It fell apart and left me bare
With nowhere else to hide.
I had no strength or faith to face
The trials that lay ahead
And so I simply spoke His name
And bowed my weary head.

His loving arms enveloped me
And then He helped me stand
He said, “You still must face this storm
But I will hold your hand.”
So through the dark and lonely night
He guided me through pain
I could not see the light of day
Or when I’d smile again.

Yet through the pain and endless tears
My faith began to grow
I could not see it at the time
But my light began to glow.
I saw God’s love in a brand new light
His grace and mercy, too.
For only when all self was gone
Could Jesus’ love shine through.

- Anon


Remembering kandji and all other friends in prayer......x Cx

I love these little snippets you come up with Cynthia :-)

Remembering all friends and their families who need
thoughts and prayers at this time x

Good morning :-)


A few thought provoking quotes to start the working week.........



If God is your co-pilot, swap seats.

In the dark? Follow the Son.

If you can't sleep, don't count sheep. Talk to the Shepherd.

If you don't like the way you were born, try being born again.

If you're headed in the wrong direction, God allows U-turns.

Feed your faith and doubt will starve to death.

Don't go digging where God has buried your sins.

When Satan is knocking at your door, simply say, "Jesus, could you please get that for me."

A clean conscience makes a soft pillow.

Don't wait for the hearse to take you to church.

A family altar can alter a family.

A lot of kneeling will keep you in good standing.

Give God what's right, not what's left.



Happy thinking.... Cx :-)

Good morning :-)


My word kandj, I haven't sung the words in an age and it was so nice to see them again...thank you. x

The Spring fair went well although a little quieter than usual. The total raised was £1500, just slightly down on last year apparently, but there was a good atmosphere. It will all help to keep the church doors open - it costs so much these days. I often wonder, when welcoming people in for the occasional services of baptisms. weddings and funerals, if they realise how much it costs, week by week so that they may pass through our doors for their special events.


The Collect for today:

Most merciful God,
who by the death and resurrection of your Son Jesus Christ
delivered and saved the world:
grant that by faith in him who suffered on the cross
we may triumph in the power of his victory;
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.


With love to all........Cx :-)

Thank you Elizabeth for your kind words. Hope you will have a good weekend too.

Cynthia your posting today reminded me of Acts 20 v 35 where Jesus tells us that it is more blessed to give than receive...... I'm sure we have all experienced the feel-good factor when giving gifts to others. An old Sunday School song comes to mind. I can still remember the actions to this little song even now!

LOVE IS SOMETHING IF YOU GIVE IT AWAY

Love is something if you give it away,
give it away, give it away.
Love is something if you give it away
You'll end up having more.

Love is like a shiny penny
Hold it tight and you won't have any
Lend it, spend it, give it away and
You'll end up having more.

I hope that your church Spring Fair was well supported Cynthia. These events are always hard work but very necessary to hopefully swell your church funds today.

Good morning :-)


Such lovely words to be greeted with this morning.......thank you both <3


It is our Spring Fair at church today - so I will soon be off to add my support.




I got a dozen roses from a friend the other day
But I only have one left, for I gave them all away.

I gave one to my sister, who to me is very dear
In the hopes that it will bring to her a little floral cheer.

I took one to a friend who's not feeling very well
The flower or the visit, which helped more I could not tell.

The rest went to the ones who've helped me in so many ways
They have been a cheerful presence on my dreariest of days.

The roses were so pretty, I just could not keep them all
Except one single rosebud, standing beautiful and tall.

My friend gave me the flowers to help brighten up my day
But the biggest joy I received was giving them away.


--Author Unknown


Continuing in prayer for our friends....Cx :-)