General Chat

Thoughts to you and OH Cynthia and hope this
is a good day, God Bless <3

Good morning :-)

Thanks David - much appreciated.

From Everyday Faith

“The Lord God planted a garden in Eden … and there he put the man whom he had formed … The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to till it and keep it.”
Genesis 2.8, 15


Yesterday we looked at hope, but what about hopelessness? This can come in many forms – grief, betrayal, the despair that things will never improve. Maybe the sense of the things we do each day – work, housework etc., don’t matter to God and, if they don’t matter, am I wasting my time?

We should remember that work is a big part of what God created us to do. His work of creation in Genesis produces order, provides food, generates joy, creates beauty, gives people the opportunity to work with his creation for his glory and the benefit of others. Similarly, our daily work is intended to imitate God’s in contributing to making our bit of the world more like the way God would like it to be. For God’s glory.

So, doing the washing, prevents disease, gives us and our families clean clothes to wear. Vacuuming and dusting keep our homes clean and healthy; repair work keeps our homes safe and comfortable. All these things are not hopeless but are utterly in line with God’s purposes. Our work matters to God – even feeding the dog!


Cx :-)

Good morning :-D <3

Cynthia I'm ever so sorry, truly. Makes my problem nothing in comparison.

Sincere best wishes.

Good morning :-)

Thank you for you lovely comments.....most of you know that my OH has Parkinson's and now vascular dementia - things aren't going to improve sadly, we simply take each day as it comes and live in faith. We have good days and we have not so good days - such is life. :-D <3

From Everyday Faith

Hope in the Bible isn’t wishful thinking. It tells us that that there is the certainty that we have a new heaven and a new earth to look forward to. The certainty of such a glorious future put the present into perspective.

Jesus’ first miracle at the wedding in Cana, where he turns water into wine shows both a generous gift of 900 bottles of wine and a foretaste of the great wedding banquet of Christ and his bride, the Church (a loving relationship between Christ and His people)

The wine Jesus made was better than what had been served before, leading to the fact that if we live with Him, eternity will be better than anything we have ever experienced before. The hope alive in us is a pointer to the people in our everyday lives.

Lord, we live in hope, we pray in hope – help us to share this hope with others. Amen.

READING
"The mother of Jesus said to him, 'They have no wine.' … Jesus said to the servants, 'Fill the jars with water' … When the steward tasted the water that had become wine … he called the bridegroom and said to him, 'Everyone serves the good wine first … But you have kept the good wine until now.'"
John 2.3, 7, 9–10


Cx :-)

Hello all

I agree fully with Vera and Emma that your husband's needs must come first and I hope that he feels better soon.

Thank you Cynthia for all your daily postings, do look after things at home before coming on here.

Cynthia, I echo Emma’s thanks and, as she says, your priority is to look after your husband. You do so much for others but you mustn’t forget to take care of yourself too. I hope your OH starts to improve soon. Keeping you both in my thoughts and sending a gentle (((((hug)))))

Cynthia thank you again for the prayers and readings.

I hope your OH improves, your priority is looking after
him.

My thoughts and prayers to you both <3

Good morning :-)

Belated good morning to you too David.

Another Sunday - they come round rather quickly don't they? My OH is rather poorly at the moment, so if I go missing ………...that's where I will be.



The Collect (special prayer) for today:

Almighty God,
in Christ you make all things new:
transform the poverty of our nature by the riches of your grace,
and in the renewal of our lives
make known your heavenly glory;
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.

The gospel reading is taken from where John the Baptist gives his testimony about not being the messiah and we have the famous statement ‘I am the voice of one calling in the wilderness’.


Cx :-)

Hello, good morning to you all :-D <3 <3

Good morning :-)



From Everyday Faith

Travelling on public transport can have its advantages and not just if it is concessionary! Being able to travel to new or familiar places is interesting and there are always opportunities to chat to other people.

We can turn these journeys into an adventure – taking God with us. We can exchange a greeting or a smile with others and there is always an openness to talk.
Sometimes we can forget that God is active in the everyday lives of other people and we never know where a conversation may take us.

This can happen on any transport or places where others are living and working. We need to nudge ourselves to take the journey with the Holy Spirit as our guide.

Lord, help us to remember to travel with you through on our journey through our everyday lives. Amen.

“When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth; for he will not speak on his own, but will speak whatever he hears, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.”
John 16.13


Cx :-)

Good morning :-)

Thanks everyone - what a lovely thing to remember Vera <3

Glad the posts are going down okay - the C. of E. can be a bit long-winded at times and I have abbreviated them somewhat. :-D


There is a story of a police officer who was part of a church. She had had a really hard week as part of a team investigating a particularly awful crime. She was pleased to have fellow Christians with which to share how this experience of sin – very real sin – had not only affected the victims of this crime, but her as well. Taking a stand against the wrongs in the world is tough going – even if we are not faced with situations as difficult as this.

When we live faithfully, our trust is that God is in control. Jesus defeated sin when he died on the cross and he sent the Holy Spirit to be our help in difficult times. Following Christ in everyday life involves taking a stand towards making a better world – as God would have it be. Christian writer John Pritchard suggests this will involve “constantly turning our lives towards God as a sunflower constantly turns its face to the sun”.

What has God been showing you recently about how he is working through you? Why not share this with a friend or group. Why not ask them what they think as well.

Father, help me to be brave enough to take a stand against the evil in this world – even in some small way. Amen.


READING
“The spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me; he has sent me to bring good news to the oppressed, to bind up the broken-hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and release to the prisoners; to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour… to provide for those who mourn in Zion – to give them a garland instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning.”
Isaiah 61.1–3



Cx :-)

Thank you indeed for the continued posts Cynthia.

Kandj, you took me right back to my early childhood with Jesus Bids Us Shine. My mother had a terrible tuneless voice which I have inherited but every night she sang to me when I went to bed. I had 3 little songs and the last was always Jesus Bids Us Shine. When my mother sang that everything was right with my little world and I went happily to sleep :-)

Morning Cynthia and kandj :-)

Thank you from me also Cynthia for your postings,
much appreciated. <3

Good morning all

Thank you for even more interesting postings Cynthia.

I'm left with a childhood hymn Jesus Bids Us Shine after reading todays words buzzing around my head!

Jesus bids us shine with a clear pure light,
Like a little candle burning in the night,
In this world of darkness, we must shine,
You in your small corner and me in mine.

Good morning :-)


From Everyday Faith

Most of us probably see a policeman every day – even dashing past in their cars. We are grateful for their presence and protection - we’re glad that they are there – doing their duty.

Mike is an armed response officer. A high-pressure role. As a Christian, Mike understands that he needs to fulfil this duty in a manner that reflects his faith. What does this look like for Mike?

Mike’s job – his vocation, maybe – is to keep the peace, but Mike has noticed that his duties are not the only way he is a peacemaker. He is often the person who will calm down an argument at work. He doesn’t hold a grudge. Working this out has helped him to notice God at work through him in his everyday life.

We all have a role to play as service: as a friend, parent or sibling, in the workplace. ... What is it about you, about the way that God is forming you, that really shines?

Lord, help us shine for you in our everyday lives. Amen.


READING
“Jesus said, ‘You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hidden. No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.’ ”
Matthew 5.14–16

Cx :-)

Good morning :-)

From Everyday Faith

The reading for today is from the Old Testament and tells us about Moses seeing a burning bush in the desert. He was busy at the time and it probably wasn’t unusual to see such a thing, but that wasn’t what Moses noticed, it was the curious fact that the bush wasn’t being burned up. That was what woke him up to the fact that God was present in that place at that moment.

I wonder if we ever deny God’s presence in our everyday lives. Maybe we think we have had too much caffeine or we’ve been thinking about ‘more important’ things”. Maybe we should just daydream a little more and wake up to God being around us in our every day.

Perhaps we need a stimulus to wake up to God in our everyday lives – a bit like having a cold shower to shock us awake. For Victoria, the hairdresser, this involved being asked a challenging question on what difference being a Christian makes to washing someone’s hair.

What difference does being a Christian make to us when we go about our normal routines – at work, shopping, hobbies, housework?

Lord, may we be aware of your presence within and around us each and every day. Amen.


READING
“Moses was keeping the flock of his father-in-law Jethro, the priest of Midian; he led his flock beyond the wilderness, and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire out of a bush; he looked, and the bush was blazing, yet it was not consumed. Then Moses said, ‘I must turn aside and look at this great sight and see why the bush is not burned up.’ When the Lord saw that he had turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, ‘Moses, Moses!’ And he said, ‘Here I am.’ ”
Exodus 3.1–4


Cx :-)

Good morning :-)


Everyday faith :

Our first story of everyday faith is about Victoria. Victoria is a hairdresser and sees this as a vocation. She cuts hair not just for the money, not only for the satisfaction of being creative, not even for the genuine pride found in using her skills to help people feel good; but because she sees how God can work through her to bless others. Victoria believes in prayer.

We all have a variety of roles to fulfil and maybe we feel that one of our roles is our vocation. Sometimes people think that a vocation is just for being a priest, a doctor or a special type of job where one is ‘called’ or specially chosen, but ALL Christians are called to serve God in God’s world and the many roles we already have can be part of this. This is what Victoria found in her role at work. That’s her secret, not just praying blessings on the people she serves.

Lord, make me a blessing to those around me today. Amen.

Cx :-)

Good morning :-)


Continuing prayers indeed kandj - <3

The C of E is running another course…..so I thought we could run alongside with a slightly shortened version. (Run in the metaphorical sense of course) :-D

Many people lead really busy lives – places to go, people to see and jobs to do, whilst others have less hectic lives and have time to dream.

How do we find God in our various lifestyles and how often do we feel that life is full and blessed?

We’ll think about how much God means to us and how we can live this out in our lives. We all know that there are times when we rely on God, especially when things go wrong, but the good news is that God is with us all the time, not just when there is a crisis.

Suggested reading….Colossians 1. Vs. 15-17 (Let me know if anyone would like the readings printed here).

This reading shows us how important our faith in God is – through Jesus, and how He holds all things together. Our faith is found in our happiness and in our sadness - in the challenges and conflicts we face, and we lean on God’s presence and help. Our faith keeps us going as we work out how God is helping us and using us in His work. Faith is our everyday existence with God who holds all things together.

Dear Lord, help me - every single morning - to find faith in the midst of the chaos. Give me the desire and ability to see You, hear You, talk to You, and give thanks to You. Amen.

Cx :-)

Hello all

Continuing to remember all who are coping with the devastating Australian fires and also the family and friends who are grieving the loss of loved ones who lost their lives in the Ukrainian plane shot down in Tehran.

Good morning :-)

Thank you for your comment LaGooner - appreciated <3

David, if you google, there are lots of answers to your query about the rosary and it s purpose. I can understand most of it, especially where the simple act of passing it through your fingers quietens the mind and helps you to meditate on other things. Mary is of great significance and importance in both Roman Catholic and Protestant beliefs - it is right that she should be held in high esteem.


Today we remember the Baptism of Jesus in the River Jordan.

The Collect (special prayer) for today.
Eternal Father,
who at the baptism of Jesus
revealed him to be your Son,
anointing him with the Holy Spirit:
grant to us, who are born again by water and the Spirit,
that we may be faithful to our calling as your adopted children;
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.


The gospel tells the story of Jesus’ Baptism by his cousin John.

Cx :-)