General Chat

Good morning :-)

Vera, I certainly don't envy the children taking their exams this week. I hated exams at all times, but after the disruption they have had over the last 2 years, it must be very difficult for them.

Kandj, when I googled hymns with the word 'shepherd' in, I realised just how many there were. That is a lovely hymn which we don't sing often enough.


Lord, as I go through my day, please keep your arm round my shoulder and your hand over my mouth! Amen.


Cx :-)

Good evening all

I had heard yesterday's prayer before but today's Menopause Prayer was new to me. I think there will be a lot of ladies on the boards who can relate to that one.

I've been thinking today of all those youngsters, like my youngest grandchild, who are taking public examinations right now. They have had to cope with so much during this pandemic with missing much of their schooling and having to be taught remotely, with all that requires in the way of hard work and self discipline. I wish them all well.

I am joining kandj in sending a hug to anyone in need of a little comfort right now.

Hello all

I'm just catching up with last week's postings about shepherds and it's reminded me of a traditional hymn sung in school assembly many years ago.

Loving shepherd of thy sheep.
Keep thy lambs in safety keep:
Nothing can they power withstand,
None can pluck me from thy hand.

Sending hugs for all in need just now.

Good morning :-)

Listening to the news can be depressing at times, but one item which has been covered recently ..... is the menopause.

Maybe this will cheer some folk up........

Menopause Prayer

Now I lay me down to sleep
I pray the Lord for no more heat
For if it comes, I’ll be awake
I pray the Lord, don’t make me bake

I’ll even get down on my knees
And pray the Lord “Lord, pretty please”
Please don’t turn my furnace on
My flesh is weak, my patience’s gone

I haven’t had a good night’s sleep
Since menopause turned on the heat
And it’s no good Lord, counting sheep
If into fire, Lord they leap

So Lord, please grant me this request
And take this fire from my chest
Let someone else be thusly blessed
And let me finally get some rest


Cx :-)

Good morning :-)



Dear Lord,
So far I've done all right.
I haven't gossiped,
haven't lost my temper,
haven't been greedy, grumpy, selfish, or overindulgent.
I'm really glad about that.

But in a few minutes, God,
I'm going to get out of bed.
And from then on,
I'm going to need a lot more help.


Cx :-)

Good morning :-)

The Collect (special prayer) for today :

Almighty God,
who through your only-begotten Son Jesus Christ
have overcome death and opened to us the gate of everlasting life:
grant that, as by your grace going before us
you put into our minds good desires,
so by your continual help
we may bring them to good effect;
through Jesus Christ our risen Lord,
who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever. Amen.


The Gospel reading John 13. 31-35
Jesus tells us to love one another


Cx :-)

Good morning :-)


The Supreme Shepherd

He is my Shepherd,
I am His lamb . . .
I know He loves me
just as I am.

I will follow Him,
wherever He goes
for I’m confident
the way He knows.

I’ll never leave Him,
beside Him I’ll stay
I will not from Him
wander off or stray.

I’ll remain by Him,
He’ll be at my side
my steps of faith
I trust He will guide.

Jesus is my Shepherd,
His voice I do hear . . .
as long as I follow Him
I have nothing to fear

Cx :-)

Good morning :-)

Wow! That's stunning Gwyn. Imagine staring out into that view whilst at church. Beautiful. Thank you. <3



Shepherds……and their role.

When anyone thinks of a shepherd, there is one thing that probably springs to mind and that’s the shepherd’s crook.

One of the symbols of authority of bishops are the crooks, known as croziers, which are carried on official occasions. The usual form has been like a shepherd's crook, curved at the top to enable the shepherd to rescue and save the sheep. This is symbolic of the bishops being the shepherds of their "flock" of Christians, reminding us of Christ as the Good Shepherd.

Official croziers can take many forms, ranging from the simple to the elaborate.

Psalm 23:4
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I fear no evil, for You are with me;
Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me..


Cx :-)

Thank you Cynthia for another interesting topic.

Another church with the same name..........

https://www.churchofthegoodshepherd.org.nz/

We visited this little church back in 2008.

Instead of stained glass, they chose to have a plain glass picture window above the altar, which shows the beautiful natural environment.

This can be seen by scrolling down after clicking on the link.

Good morning :-)

There is a church with the same name in our area too Vera. :-D



SHEPHERDS and their role

The priest as shepherd.

The Church of England ordains priests who are called to shepherd and lead people in their worship of God and mission to the world. They do this through a ministry of word and sacrament. Ordained deacons are called to serve and equip the people of God to make Christ known. They assist priests as they share in the task of preaching and offering pastoral care in the church and in the community
The Church of England looks for six qualities in those who are called to ordained ministry. These qualities are:

• Love for God
• Call to ministry
• Love for people
• Wisdom
• Fruitfulness
• Potential

Acts 20:28
Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood.

Cx :-)

I am enjoying this week's posts about shepherds. It has brought back memories of the church I attended as a child and young person. I was also married there and our first child was baptised there. It was the Church of the Good Shepherd. It's silly but just the name always seemed welcoming. It evokes a feeling of calm and being cared for and protected.

Sending a hug to anyone who feels in need of a little comfort tonight <3

Good morning :-)

SHEPHERDS and their role

In some respects, loving parents are like shepherds, as they have the responsibility of raising and caring for their children. They do their best to ensure that their ‘lambs’ are fed, safe and keep to the right path. Parents set an example to their children teaching right from wrong, good manners and respect. Love is unconditional – as our heavenly father loves us.

Jeremiah 3:15 15Then I will give you shepherds after my own heart, who will lead you with knowledge and understanding.

Cx :-)

Good morning :-)


SHEPHERDS.........and their role

Many people can remember that one special teacher from their past. The teacher who encouraged and inspired them. The teacher who obviously cared by how they treated their pupil and guided them along the way. The teacher who made a difference to the lives of others.

Most pupils may not have appreciated how much the teacher cared, protected and guided them, but the teacher doesn’t mind. They are just happy to be teachers and all they want is to be good teachers.

Teachers are called to be shepherds of souls. Especially in a church school, they bring Jesus and the Gospel alive for their pupils. For some, they may be the only Gospel that their students will ever read.

Psalms 78:72
And David shepherded them with integrity of heart; with skilful hands he led them.

Cx :-)

Good morning :-)

Yesterday, the service was very much based on shepherds and Jesus being the Good Shepherd – quite interesting people these shepherds and they don’t just look after sheep either!

Apart from the obvious, who is a shepherd?
A clergy person is a shepherd to the people in their church.
Parents are shepherds to their children.
A teacher is a shepherd to the students in their class.
An employer is a shepherd his employees.


What are the responsibilities of a shepherd?

A good shepherd gives the sheep a sense of belonging.
The shepherd should see that the needs of the sheep are met.
The shepherd should feed his sheep


During Old Testament times, a shepherd was often a child. It was their job to protect and guide the sheep to good pastures because this kept the sheep healthy. Families in the Middle East relied upon sheep to provide food, wool, and sheepskin. Because sheep were so valuable, shepherds would stay with the flock to protect them day and night.

Psalm 100:3
Know that the Lord, he is God! It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.


Cx :-)

Good morning :-)


The collect (special prayer) for today:

Risen Christ,
faithful shepherd of your Father’s sheep:
teach us to hear your voice and to follow your command,
that all your people may be gathered into one flock,
to the glory of God the Father.
Amen.

The Gospel reading – John 10 22-30 Jesus talks about being the Good Shepherd.


Cx :-)

Good morning :-)

This and That

The month of May, especially with our Roman Catholic friends, is dedicated to the Virgin Mary.

The tradition of dedicating the month of May to Mary, came about in the 13th century. Some say because it was created to replace various pagan cults. The actual reason is the fact that this month is the time when spring is at the height of its beauty.

Spring is also connected with nature renewing itself. In her way, Mary gave new life to the world when she gave birth to our saviour Jesus Christ. Long standing tradition has it that, during May, parishes and families are encouraged to develop their faith and work on pastoral outreach.

Hail Mary full of Grace, the Lord is with thee.
Blessed are thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb Jesus.
Holy Mary Mother of God,
pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death
Amen.

Cx :-)

Good morning :-)

This and That……..

The wind at North and East
Was never good for man nor beast
So never think to cast a clout
Until the month of May be out.

Most people have heard the old saying 'Ne'er cast a clout till May be out'. It's been in use since at least the 18th century. A clout is an old word for a piece of clothing. In other words, the old saying could mean don't take your warm clothes off until the month of May has ended.

However, some people take it to mean the Mayflower or hawthorn which flowers in late April or early May. So don’t discard clothing until the hawthorn blooms.
Whatever the actual reason, the basic meaning of this is fairly obvious – i.e. we are still likely to experience bad weather, so take care!


Cx :-)

Good morning :-)



This and That…….

We have just celebrated May Day – 1st May but this has nothing to do with the Mayday distress call.

The "mayday" procedure word was conceived as a distress call in the early 1920s by Frederick Stanley Mockford, officer-in-charge of radio at Croydon Airport, England. He had been asked to think of a word that would indicate distress and would easily be understood by all pilots and ground staff in an emergency.

Since much of the air traffic at the time was between Croydon and Le Bourget Airport in Paris, he proposed the term "mayday", the phonetic equivalent of the French m'aidez ("help me") or m'aider (a short form of venez m'aider, "come [and] help me".


'Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand… For I, the Lord your God, will hold your right hand, saying to you, 'Fear not, I will help you. '


Cx :-)

Good morning :-)


This and That……..The Bible and those bloopers!

THE WICKED BIBLE: of 1631 reported the Seventh Commandment as "Thou shalt commit adultery," a mistake that infuriated King Charles. He ordered all copies destroyed and fined all printers whose hands had touched the edition.

MURDER'S BIBLE: This 19th-century faux pas had Mark 7:27 as "Let the children be killed" instead of "filled."

PLACEMAKER BIBLE: a 16th Century printer had Jesus blessing the "place-makers" instead of "peacemakers."

VINEGAR BIBLE: The Vinegar Bible gets its name from the most famous of the errors in the 1717 printing. The headline of Luke 20 reads, “the parable of the vinegar” (instead of vineyard).

Thank you Father for making yourself known to us, showing us the way of salvation through faith in your Son. We ask you now to teach us through your word, so that we may be ready to serve you, for the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

Cx :-)

Hello all

Interesting as always Cynthia. Thank you.

Hard to believe that we are in the month of May!

May this new month of the year bring you joy and
happy times ahead.

Sending hugs out to all who need them.