General Chat

I must come to confess this morning that I did imbibe yesterday of a small glass of the devil's buttermilk to toast our Irish friends. And I did really enjoy it pulled from the draught in a local hostelry.

There, I have said it. Now back to coffee and Pepsi max :-) :-)

That quiet prayer of reflection this morning is very moving, Cynthia. I am sitting here quietly and in contemplative mood.

Is there a nice quiet hymn coming to me. No, it is a loud and noisy one:

Lord, the light of your love is shining
In the midst of the darkness, shining
Jesus, Light of the world, shine upon us
Set us free by the truth you now bring us
Shine on me, shine on me

Shine, Jesus, shine
Fill this land with the Father's glory
Blaze, Spirit, blaze
Set our hearts on fire
Flow, river, flow
Flood the nations with grace and mercy
Send forth your word
Lord, and let there be light

Good morning..... :-)


I hope our Irish friends enjoyed their special day yesterday......... :-)



A short prayer for today :


Loving, living Lord,
in Jesus you come into this world in love,
light shining in our darkness.
So we dare to hope,
for in your love and light, hope, too, is born,
hope which is real,
for this world and all its people, for me.
So help me to live this day in hope,
your gift in Jesus, in whose name I pray. Amen.

- James Booth



Love to everyone..... Cx :-)

Happy St Patrick's Day to all the Paddy's on this thread. May the luck of the Irish stay with you always.

Beannachtaí na Féile Pádraig oraibh

I knew last two bits of "Breastplate Prayer", Cynthia - but had never seen whole thing before. Wonderful and deep-meaning words that make us all think deeply, aren't they.

St Patrick seems to have come from a Christian family who served in Roman Britain. His grandfather lived in a place called Banna Venta Berniae, which scholars think may have been Glannaventa in Cumbria (Ravenglass today).

He was taken by Irish pirates at age of 16 and forced to work as a shepherd in County Antrim in a place called Slemish for several years. He escaped slavery and returned to Britain where he studied theology and met a Bishop from Rome who persuaded him to return to Ireland as a missionary.

And the rest of the story, as they say, is history.

A dedicated Christian in a dark and heathen place who brought light and succour to generations of Irish Christian converts. :-) :-) And is still well remembered on this date that commemmorates his death.

Good morning.....and I do hope that Emma had a lovely birthday..... :-)



A very Happy St. Patrick's Day to all of our friends......

I have been exploring the prayer attributed to St. Patrick and find that the most famous part is only part of the whole. I thought it would be fitting to see the complete prayer in context:


Saint Patrick's "Breastplate" Prayer - "...and having on the breastplate of righteousness;” -Ephesians 6:14


I bind unto myself today
The strong Name of the Trinity,
By invocation of the same,
The Three in One and One in Three.

I bind this day to me for ever.
By power of faith, Christ's incarnation;
His baptism in the Jordan river;
His death on Cross for my salvation;
His bursting from the spicèd tomb;
His riding up the heavenly way;
His coming at the day of doom;*
I bind unto myself today.

I bind unto myself the power
Of the great love of the cherubim;
The sweet 'well done' in judgment hour,
The service of the seraphim,
Confessors' faith, Apostles' word,
The Patriarchs' prayers, the Prophets' scrolls,
All good deeds done unto the Lord,
And purity of virgin souls.

I bind unto myself today
The virtues of the starlit heaven,
The glorious sun's life-giving ray,
The whiteness of the moon at even,
The flashing of the lightning free,
The whirling wind's tempestuous shocks,
The stable earth, the deep salt sea,
Around the old eternal rocks.

I bind unto myself today
The power of God to hold and lead,
His eye to watch, His might to stay,
His ear to hearken to my need.
The wisdom of my God to teach,
His hand to guide, His shield to ward,
The word of God to give me speech,
His heavenly host to be my guard.

Against the demon snares of sin,
The vice that gives temptation force,
The natural lusts that war within,
The hostile men that mar my course;
Or few or many, far or nigh,
In every place and in all hours,
Against their fierce hostility,
I bind to me these holy powers.

Against all Satan's spells and wiles,
Against false words of heresy,
Against the knowledge that defiles,
Against the heart's idolatry,
Against the wizard's evil craft,
Against the death wound and the burning,
The choking wave and the poisoned shaft,
Protect me, Christ, till Thy returning.

Christ be with me, Christ within me,
Christ behind me, Christ before me,
Christ beside me, Christ to win me,
Christ to comfort and restore me.
Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ in quiet, Christ in danger,
Christ in hearts of all that love me,
Christ in mouth of friend and stranger.

I bind unto myself the Name,
The strong Name of the Trinity;
By invocation of the same.
The Three in One, and One in Three,
Of Whom all nature hath creation,
Eternal Father, Spirit, Word:
Praise to the Lord of my salvation,
Salvation is of Christ the Lord.



Soul stirring words indeed. Cx :-)

<3 <3 Thank you, am truly grateful for my family and friends
who have thought of me today and showered me with flowers
and gifts, and kind words from my friends on GR.

Emma :-)

What a start to the week. Such lovely posts and sun streaming through window yet again.

And a happy birthday for a friend full of sunshine in the north of Scotland. Emma, you bring sunshine even on a very cloudy day. So young at heart and full of fun.

:-D :-D

For the joy of human love,
Brother, sister, parent, child,
Friends on earth, and friends above,
Pleasures pure and undefiled:

Gracious God, to thee we raise
This our sacrifice of praise

I notice a posting for Emma's birthday today so Many Happy Returns of the Day to Emma from all who share this Christian thread. We send blessings galore today xx

Emma is sure to have happy birthday gifts, but surely not 10,000,000??

Ten thousand thousand precious gifts
My daily thanks employ:
Nor is the least a cheerful heart,
That tastes those gifts with joy. S.Addison

God who has given so much to us, gives one more thing - a grateful heart.

Good morning..... :-)


Loved the stories of the older folk......there is such a wealth of wisdom to be learned from those who have experienced a long life. As I have grown older myself, I find myself wishing I had listened to older relatives when I was young but, I suppose, that is youth........I was too busy being young. :-)


The Collect for today :

Almighty God, you show to those who are in error the light of your truth, that they may return to the way of righteousness:
grant to all those who are admitted into the fellowship of Christ’s religion, that they may reject those things that are contrary to their profession,
and follow all such things as are agreeable to the same;
through our Lord Jesus Christ,
who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever. Amen.


Cx :-)

Your tales of your visits to local care home and very inspiring, kandj. Many thanks.

I do not treat mil any different now than when I first knew her in 1976. She was then pretty elderly at 58 (aren't all people of that age so elderly when we are young :-0). And she is still elderly to me. Even she has admitted recently that she is elderly.

But I found her full of fun yesterday. Still making plans. Still thrilled with good news of her 7 grandchildren, 8 great grandchildren and 5 gt gt grandchildren. Still worried when they are worried. Recent photo of her and her four children (now 61-70 in age) on mantlepiece. Complaints that photo had made her "look old". Still very much the quiet boss of a large family. My son told his gran all about his heavy metal gigs and visiting a girl friend in Austria and his new sports car and new job. I couldn't follow it all. But she did :-D :-D

Cynthia, it is good to be reminded of heavenly Angels and also other human angels in disguise who are near to help us when we face challenging times.

However little we understand of the Gospel, it is light in our midst in time of worry and sorrow. However little we perceive of the Holy Spirit, He is light for us with many blessings of peace, joy, love, hope, kindness, compassion and strength, which enables us all to reach out and to seek a helping hand at the beginning of each new day. and in the still darkness during the night time as well

However little we grasp of the Eucharist, this is Christ's presence in us, a blessing indeed, and along with the angels and our friends, then a rough road is made so much smoother and the heavy load lightened a little because we are able to share.

The visit with your wife to see her Mother is a true blessing and at 96 it must be a privilege to spend time in her company John. Are you still on your best behaviour in front of your Mother in Law ha ha

Each weekI visit my Catholic friends who are in our village care home now but F at 82 has almost given up on life (so sad) yet and her lovely hubby H of 95 (an absolute inspiration) listens intently as we share our tales. I feel it is a real privilege and so humbling to share this special time with them. Another part of our journey in faith over very many previous years.

A man once fell out with his brother so badly that he had to flee from his town and country, otherwise his brother would kill him.

He was exhausted. So exhausted from his long flight that he put his head on on a solid rock in open air and slept like a log. He had a vivid dream where he saw a ladder of (probably) stone reaching up into the sky. And on this ladder were myriads of angels. Angels who got their orders from above, descended on this ladder to minister to him and all those who needed them.

And they then went back to report and wait for their next mission.

And since Jacob had that dream, many generations of God's believers and unbelievers have had similar visions and practical experiences of the work of angels.

May our many friends who are in desperate need of their own angels at the moment be well blessed.

Have just read posts from Friday. Sorry did not post yesterday. OH and I saw her 96 year old mother in N Wales and took her to Llandudno to have tea. Over 10 hours solid driving when got back after midnight. Waved to my friends across in Merseyside and along North Wales coast :-D ~~~~~~~~~ again this morning.

Good morning everyone.... :-)


So sorry to hear about the worries and concerns of other members kandj. I don't always look at what is going on .... maybe some angels are needed.... :-)


Blessings in Disguise.

God sends His little angels
in many forms and guises.
They come as lovely miracles
that God alone devises,
For He does nothing without purpose –
everything’s a perfect plan
To fulfil in bounteous measure
all He ever promised and…...
Every little angel
with a body bent and broken
Or a little mind unknowing
or little words unspoken
Is just God’s way of trying
to reach out and touch the hands
Of all who do not know Him
and cannot understand...
That often through an angel
whose wings will never fly
The Lord is pointing out
the way to His eternal sky,
Where there will be no handicaps
of body, soul, or mind,
And where all limitations
will be dropped and left behind…
So accept these little angels
as gifts from God above,
And thank Him for this lesson
in faith and hope and love.

- Cathy Pinto


Cx :-)

A lot of worries and concerns around the GR members, so thought and prayers are with them all today.

O God, our help in ages past
Our hope for years to come
Our shelter from the storm blast
And our eternal home. Isaac Watts.

It takes the storm to prove the real shelter. We are blessed to never be alone.

He gives power to the weak, and to those who have no might He increases strength
(Isaiah 40 v 29)

Good morning. My word, it took me a long time to get on this site this morning...... :-)


I have to go out soon, so just a few thoughts for today:



Dear Jesus, I come to you today
longing for your presence.
I desire to love you as You love me.
May nothing ever separate me from You.


"I am free."
When I look at these words in writing
They seem to create in me a feeling of awe.
Yes, a wonderful feeling of freedom.
Thank You, God.

At this moment Lord I turn my thoughts to You. I will leave aside my chores and preoccupations. I will take rest and refreshment in your presence Lord.


Amen.



Cx :-)

Good morning :-)


Like you (again) kandj, flower arranging is not one of my talents and I so admire those who can make sense of an armful of mixed blooms...

I am much more capable at wielding a duster or a coffee pot and actually enjoy hoovering - yes John, I am a strange person at times... :-)

I love the friendship, chatter and laughter which occurs when one is upended in polishing a pew - sorting plugs out - washing dishes. Our late vicar encouraged everyone so much and led by example - never afraid to be seen doing the most menial of tasks. Mind you, when we had all finished whatever it was we had enjoyed doing, he would cast his eye round and utter the words that we had done an 'average' job. We knew then that he was pleased with our efforts........ :-)


Our prayer for today:

O Lord, the help of the helpless,
The saviour of the storm-tossed,
The harbour of voyagers,
the physician of the sick;
We pray to you.
O Lord you know each of us and our petitions;
You know each house and its needs;
Receive us all into your kingdom;
Make us children of light,
And bestow your peace and love upon us.

- St. Basil, Bishop of Caesarea.



Cx :-)

OFITG has put up a lovely Opening Posts on 18th anniversary of Dunblane shooting tragedy - 16 children and a teacher cold-bloodedly mown down and doubt the wounds have yet healed in that community.

And Aberfan (Oct 1966) remains very raw and the 100 plus children would now be aged late 50's in that little village near Merthyr Tydfil.

Deaths of babies and children affect us all so much. So prayers and thoughts for all those today who have lost young loved ones and carry their grief for so many years.

And particularly those families affected by Dunblane on this sad anniversary.

Heal us, Immanuel! Hear our prayer;
We wait to feel thy touch;
Deep-wounded souls to thee repair,
And, Saviour, we are such.

(William Cowper - pronounced Cooper) :-)

What a lovely little verse, kandj. Two new things I try to meditate about are flowers and classical music. Much as I like Queen and Beach Boys et alia, there is something fantastic about listening to Verdi or Beethoven or my favourite Debussy. And to stare at a flower - well, you see something so beautiful and intricate that you know it has been created by God.

As for polish, I welcome all nationalities into my chapels,Cynthia :-) ;-)

I know my weaknesses, and dusting is one of them. Another is coffee and tea. As a young 19 year old junior bank clerk (back about 1895) my Manager called me over by my surname (no first names or titles then) and asked me to make a milky coffee.

It was a bit of a shock as I had never made tea or coffee of any description up to that point in time. Good job he didn't ask for a skinny latte :-D

In my own experience I discovered that Church cleaning is therapeutic and in days gone by I have been known to have my names down on the rotas of both the parish church and the Roman Catholic church in our village. It is a good simple way to be of service to the Lord and have the opportunity to chatter and get to know Christian like-minded people too.

The flower ladies do an excellent job in both churches and excel themselves for weddings and Easter Day/Christmas and other special events in the church calendar. Flower arranging isn't my forte, however I am never too old to learn new skills (given the time).

I really do love the beauty of fresh flowers in church, so colourful and natural, a true joy to see the beauty amongst the stone and stain glass in our church windows.

A PRAYER OF THE HEART

Of all the living beauty
I may see in my last hour,
O Lord, I would be privileged
To look upon a flower.

What joy and gaiety divine
Encompassed in a span of thine,
A multicoloured song of bliss,
Lord, grant that I may look on this................... written by Terry Funnell

Good morning everyone :-)


I really think you need to nip out and buy yourself a duster and some polish John - volunteers to keep a church clean are always welcome and you could do some of that heavy hoovering for the ladies......... ;-)


A Prayer by St. Anselm of Canterbury

O my God, teach my heart where and how to seek You,
where and how to find You.
You are my God and You are my all and I have never seen You.
You have made me and remade me,
You have bestowed on me all the good things I possess,
Still I do not know You.
I have not yet done that for which I was made.
Teach me to seek You.
I have not yet done that for which I was made.
Teach me to seek You.
I cannot seek You unless You teach me
or find You unless You show Yourself to me.
Let me seek You in my desire,
let me desire You in my seeking.
Let me find You by loving You,
let me love You when I find You.

Amen



Cx :-)