General Chat

"What a world," the president of the UN Security Council said late last night as the world reacted with horror and condemnation to the brutal murder of British aid worker Alan Henning. (Comment copied from the Net).

What can we mere citizens of the UK do today other than pray for his family in the midst of their unimaginable distress.

Good morning :-)


I hope you get your path sorted out soon kandj.........it reminded me of keeping on the 'straight and narrow path'. :-D


The collect for today:

The Collect

O Lord, we beseech you mercifully to hear the prayers
of your people who call upon you;
and grant that they may both perceive and know
what things they ought to do,
and also may have grace and power faithfully to fulfil them;
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 was hoping my husband may come to church with me this morning but it isn't looking too likely at the moment....one can but try.


Love to all.....Cx :-)

Also thoughts and prayers for those in need of comfort.

Emma x

Seems like you are "on a mission" of a practical type Cynthia. One job does indeed lead to another, so Good Luck with your drains and with your other improvements.

All I can say to your prayer today is AMEN and remind others who are facing challenging times that they are all in my thoughts and prayers.

A very wet blustery morning here in Yorkshire. Yesterday, we were meant to have a builder to relay a crumbled broken path but his car wouldn't start and so that didn't happen. He did offer to borrow a mates van for today, but I had seen the heavy rain weather forecast and we have rearranged this work to be done on Monday...... fingers crossed for a dry day then, before I fall over on the uneven path.... ?!!

Good morning :-)


My drain repair has been moved forward to Monday now - even better. I even dreamt about them last night.....dear oh dear..... :-)


I am also arranging to have our gas/electricity meters moved outside - where they are means I have to clamber up on a stool to read one and grovel under the stairs for the other. Seems there's no stopping me once I get going......... :-)


Our prayer today is for loneliness - something anyone can suffer from, even in the midst of a crowd.....


Dear Heavenly Father,

Help me to feel your presence.

My heart aches and I feel so alone.

I miss a human touch, someone to take my hand or give me a hug.

I long for someone to tell me everything will be alright.

Please send your Comforter to me and take this loneliness away.

Help me instead of feeling empty, to feel full of the love you have for me.

Help me to know in my heart and remember that according to your Word; I am never alone because you are with me.

Your love and peace is with me, right now, in this moment. I feel it and I am not alone.

Amen


Remembering our friends in prayer.....Cx :-)

Hope all goes well with the drain work on Tuesday Cynthia so that you can think about having the downstairs bathroom that will make life easier for your husband and for you too.

Your postings today reminded me of the Celtic prayer which a vicar always used as a blessing at the end of every Sunday morning service very many years ago.

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

Good morning :-)


I hope everyone is well. Part one of my drain repair works begins on Tuesday - thanks to our insurance company. Hopefully, I will soon be able to ask for the work on our downstairs bathroom to begin. (Just thought you may like to know that) :-D


Some blessings from our Celtic friends.......



"May God grant you many years to live,
For sure he must be knowing,
The earth has angels all too few,
And heaven is overflowing"


"May your troubles be less,
And your blessing be more.
And nothing but happiness,
Come through your door."


"Whenever there is happiness
Hope you'll be there too,
Wherever there are friendly smiles
Hope they'll smile on you,
Whenever there is sunshine,
Hope it shine especially for you to make each day
for you as bright as it can be."


"These things, I warmly wish for you-
Someone to love, some work to do,
A bit of o' sun, a bit o' cheer.
And a guardian angel always near."


"He who loses money, loses much;
He who loses a friend, loses more;
He who loses faith, loses all."


"May the friendships you make,
Be those which endure,
And all of your grey clouds
Be small ones for sure.
And trusting in Him
To Whom we all pray,
May a song fill your heart,
Every step of the way."


"May joy and peace surround you,
Contentment latch your door,
And happiness be with you now,
And bless you evermore."


"May the raindrops fall lightly on your brow.
May the soft winds freshen your spirit.
May the sunshine brighten your heart
May the burdens of the day rest lightly upon you.
And may God enfold you in the mantle of His love."


Love to all....Cx :-)

Good morning.. :-)


Some thoughts for today:



FEARS

I feared being alone ....... Until I learned to like myself.

I feared people's opinions ....... Until I learned that people would have opinions about me anyway.

I feared failure ......Until I realized that they are only the stepping stones to success.

I feared rejection ..... Until I learned to have faith in myself.

I feared pain ..... Until I learned that it is necessary for growth.

I feared the truth ..... Until I saw the ugliness in lies.

I feared life ..... Until I experienced that it depends solely on my attitude.

I feared death .... Until I realized that it is only a beginning.

I feared hate ..... Until I saw that it was nothing more than ignorance.

I feared love ... Until I realized that I do need the other person to love me back.

I feared ridicule ... Until I learned how to laugh at myself.

I feared success .... Until I learned that it is okay to be the best I can.

I feared the dark ... Until I saw the beauty of the stars and moonlight.

I feared light ... Until I learned that the truth would give me strength.

I feared growing old ... Until I realized that I gained the beauty of wisdom every day.

I feared the past ... Until I realized that it can only hurt me if I allow it to.

I feared the future ... Until I realized that it is only this moment that matters.

I feared change ... Until I saw that even the most beautiful butterfly had to undergo a metamorphosis before it could fly.



~ Author Unknown


Remembering our friends in prayer. Cx :-)

Thanks too Cynthia, for such an appropriate prayer today. following on from Vera's interesting post yesterday.

Thank you Cynthia

Good morning... :-)


Good friends are, indeed, a blessing and there are times when all of us have been grateful for the care shown by others.


With your words in mind Vera, I offer this prayer for today - especially with the news headlines.....


Interfaith Prayer for Peace

O God, you are the source of life and peace.
Praised be your name forever.
We know it is you who turns our minds to thoughts of peace.
Hear our prayer in this time of crisis.
Your power changes hearts.

Muslims, Christians, and Jews remember, and profoundly affirm,
that they are followers of the one God,
Children of Abraham, brothers and sisters;
enemies begin to speak to one another;
those who were estranged join hands in friendship;
nations seek the way of peace together.

Strengthen our resolve to give witness to these
truths by the way we live.
Give to us:
Understanding that puts an end to strife;
Mercy that quenches hatred, and
Forgiveness that overcomes vengeance.
Empower all people to live in your law of love
Amen.

- Anon


Cx :-)

The simple prayer is lovely and profound, genuine friends are angels in disguise.

Vera, your evening with the your guide sounded really interesting, thanks for sharing his views here.

Ongoing thoughts and prayers to all who are in need of comfort today.

Thank you Cynthia for those words :-)

Also Vera for your thoughts about our friend who
is coming on slowly :-)

Emma x

Thank you Cynthia. Simple but true. Friends are so important, particularly as we get older.

On another subject, we were in Turkey just recently. We had had a slightly problematic holiday with illness and other stresses but we had a wonderful last evening there. The company rep, a young Turkish man, took just 6 of us who had seemed a little more interested in the culture of his country, on a village tour.

One of the things we did was visit a village Mosque. While there we sat down together and discussed Islam and Christianity. Our guide described himself as "a lapsed Muslim" but was extremely knowledgeable. As always when I've been to a group like this I was left wondering why we emphasise our differences instead of celebrating the things we have in common, which are many.

Someone asked this young man about the Islamic State fighters. His reply was "They are terrorists. They pick a few words from the Koran, take them out of context and use them to justify their actions. They are not true Muslims". This thread is not the place for a political discussion but I thought the views of someone brought up in the Islamic faith and living closer than us to the problem were interesting.

I am so pleased that your young friend is making progress Emma. I am keeping in my thoughts others who may need a little extra strength at this time.

Good morning... :-)

Something simple for today:


Prayer for a Friend

Stores don't sell
I must confess
the joys of life
that cheer and bless
but friends and prayers are priceless treasures
beyond all monetary measures -
and so, my friend,
I say a prayer -
that God will keep you in His care.



Cx :-)

Good morning. :-)


I always remember the 'smell' when it was Harvest Festival in church....that lovely aroma of apples and other fruit which decorated church window sills and pulpits. Sadly, that seems to have gone now, to be replaced by serried ranks of tinned goods along with packets of many different kinds of produce.

As I thought, church was packed yesterday and there was so much going on - it was exhausting! :-)

My husband had a good day yesterday and I had hoped he would accompany me to church but, because we guessed it would be very hectic and he would not cope with it very well, I went on my own. Next week - hopefully.

He is very up and down and his mobility is limited. However, we keep plodding on and I am quite good at nagging, or should I say, encouraging him to keep going..... :-D


Today is Michaelmas....and I freely admit to having taken the following information from wiki.....

Michaelmas, the feast of Saint Michael the Archangel (also the Feast of Saints Michael, Gabriel, Uriel and Raphael, the Feast of the Archangels, or the Feast of Saint Michael and All Angels) is a day in the Western Christian liturgical year that occurs on 29 September.

Because it falls near the equinox, it is associated in the northern hemisphere with the beginning of autumn and the shortening of days. In medieval England, Michaelmas marked the ending and beginning of the husbandman's year, George C. Homans observes: "at that time harvest was over, and the bailiff or reeve of the manor would be making out the accounts for the year."

In Christianity, the Archangel Michael is the greatest of all the Archangels and is honoured for defeating Lucifer in the war in heaven. He is one of the principal angelic warriors, seen as a protector against the dark of night, and the administrator of cosmic intelligence.

Michaelmas has also delineated time and seasons for secular purposes as well, particularly in the United Kingdom and Ireland as one of the quarter days.


Saint Michael the Archangel,
defend us in battle, be our protection against the malice and snares of the devil. May God rebuke him we humbly pray;
and do thou, O Prince of the Heavenly host,
by the power of God,
thrust into hell Satan and all evil spirits who wander through the world for the ruin of souls.
Amen.

......and not a mention of M & S. :-D


Remembering our friends in prayer.....Cx :-)

Still a bit of a challenge here Emma but its good to hear that your young friend is improving slowly.

Harvest Festival service in our village church too Cynthia but I didn't make it this year. We do have many lovely memories of Harvest Festival services and the fresh produce we dug up and then distributed around the village to the Old Folk....... we are now the Old Folk, but now its tinned food or cereal donations given for breakfasts for the homeless.

Cynthia, I hope that your husband is feeling a little better now?

Kandj she is progressing slowly but is doing fine.

I hope you and your OH are coping and also Cynthia
and her OH <3

Remembering all those in need.

Emma x

Good morning :-)


It is Harvest Festival for us today so I imagine we will have a full house - so to speak. :-)

Someone is coming from the diocese to give us the Child Friendly Church Award which we were actually awarded last year just before our vicar died. That, of course, threw everything into confusion but, at long last, we have got round to having it presented officially.


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.


Remembering all those who have asked for prayer. Cx :-)

Emma, I hope that your young friend is continuing to improve....I am remembering all who face sickness and worries of any kind today.

Cynthia, one job often leads to another (imho) so Good Luck with the drains!

The quote Corinthians 5:7 reminded me of the words of the worship hymn which is
so full of hope and has a real toe-tapping tune as well. Little ones love to sing and share actions to this modern song.

Be bold, be strong
For the Lord your God is with you.
Be bold, be strong
For the Lord your God is with you.
I am not afraid.... No No No
I am not dismayed... Not Me.
For I'm walking in faith and victory
Come and walk in faith and victory
For the Lord your God is with you.