General Chat

Hello all

Watching the disappointments and the joys of all the Olympic contestants is a
part of making Rio 2016 memorable for one reason or another. We are enjoying it.

Heavenly Father
We thank you for the skills of the Olympic sporstmen/women as they try to fulfill
their lifetimes dream.
We pray for the Chaplains and Ministers who work alongside those taking part in
Rio, supporting and encouraging them in a spiritual way.
Amen.

Hello all

Watching the disappointments and the joys of all the Olympic contestants is a
part of making Rio 2016 memorable for one reason or another. We are enjoying it.

Heavenly Father
We thank you for the skills of the Olympic sporstmen/women as they try to fulfill
their lifetimes dream.
We pray for the Chaplains and Ministers who work alongside those taking part in
Rio, supporting and encouraging them in a spiritual way.
Amen.

Good morning :-)


Thank you for those memories Vera - it's always lovely to hear other people's experiences about special places. <3

For today:

What a shame yesterday’s pair missed out on a medal – to come fourth must be so disappointing. Ah well, onwards and upwards.

Let’s take a look at two American men who managed to get a silver….

David Boudia and his diving partner Steele Johnson have won a silver medal in the men’s synchronised 10m platform at Rio.

Both men are practicing Christians. During the London Games in 2012, David was open about his faith as a Christian which he credited with getting himself back on track after several difficult years as a teenager.

David grew up in Indiana but not in a religious household. He puts his faith in Christ down to spending time with his coach Adam and his wife. He was later baptised.

He says… “Through Adam’s faithful friendship in ministering the Word to me, I came to know Christ. I began to be disciplined in my walk with Christ. I also sought out biblical counselling. Slowly and not always consistently, I began to realize from the Word of God that my purpose in life as God’s child was to live for Him and others—not myself. Living for David’s fame and David’s pleasure was one of my biggest problems in the 2008 Beijing Olympics and was the cause of my deepest moments of despair”.

Despite winning his medals, David said he found something even more valuable. “God was completely sovereign throughout this entire journey. He knew how it was going to happen, when it was going to happen, and we know why it happens—to make me more like Christ,” he said.

Lord, help us to be willing to learn more about you. Amen.

Cx :-)

Hello all

Nice for you to share your memories Vera, all really very interesting.
Cynthia, we are finding all the Olympic events very entertaining to watch.

We also loved to look around churches on various holidays years ago now.
The two that really are clear in my mind is a beautiful village church in Malta,
so ornate with amazing statues and awesome altars and painted ceiling.

Another was quite different. This was a grey brick building in the middle of
Harlem and a poor depraved tenement area with iron grids on the doors and
windows and graffiti spray painted on the walls. We were on a guided coach
and even then felt a little uncomfortable in the street, but it was so different inside the building. We sat in the gallery and the atmosphere was electric with happy clappy gospel choirs and the congregation dancing in the aisles, all adults and children dressed in the "Sunday best" clothes. At first we had questioned what the congregation had to be so happy about living in such poor grim surroundings and while sharing in with their worship, it was obvious they all were open to the gift of the Holy Spirit and felt exceedingly rich in church. It was a full church too.

Our Granddaughter is a junior member of her local rowing club and Katie will be glued to the Olympic TV men/women's rowing races today. All very exciting events.

Good morning everyone
I do have a quick read of the new posts each day but have been rather busy lately so haven't had time to absorb them. I've just been going over them again and looking at the links given.

I love seeing the different churches and learning the stories behind them. I only live about an hour's drive from Cambridge so have seen King's College Chapel many times but the other churches were all completely new to me. It set me thinking about other places of worship that we have visited and which I had found the most moving.

I came down to three: a very simple evangelical church in Germany that we just stumbled across, a simple village mosque in Turkey and the Church of St Joan of Arc in Rouen.

The German church was really just a simple white square building but it had such a "spiritual" air about it. In Turkey we had visited the Blue Mosque in Istanbul a few days earlier and that was absolutely stunning. The little village mosque was a complete contrast - small and unadorned, but there was a great feeling of stillness and we just felt it was well used and loved by the village.

The Church of St Joan of Arc in Rouen was built in 1979 and I think we saw it a year or two later. I found it a very beautiful church, full of light and space and as soon as I walked in I felt at home and comfortable. Although it is modern it incorporates some old stained glass windows that were originally in a church there that was destroyed in WW11.

I hope I haven't bored you with my reminiscences. As you can tell, OH and I are great church visitors. When my children were little their endless refrain was "not another church! " :-D

Thinking now of those people whose faith is tested because they live in a part of the world where they do not have freedom to worship as they please.

Good morning :-)


Looking at our faith and the Olympics this week, today is the day when Richard Chambers and his rowing partner Will Fletcher, finally get to take part in the semi final of the double sculls race. This had been postponed due to bad weather. Richard is a double world champion and silver medal winner and he is a Christian.


Richard who comes from Northern Ireland, won silver in London 2012 as part of the men's lightweight fours, and he's aiming to go one better at Rio 2016.

He says that his faith doesn't always make his life as an athlete easy, but he's resolutely committed to it anyway:

"I'm a Christian in the rowing team and that's how I want to be recognised. Being a Christian in Team GB has its difficulties but knowing God is always there supporting and helping me is great."

Lord, may we always know that you are there, loving and guiding us. Amen.


Cx :-)

Hello all

I can remember the Chariots of Fire film from the 1980s when Eric Liddell a devout Christian and Harold Abrahams an English Jew, competed in the 1924 Olympics.
An absolutely classic film. They don't make them like this any more.

Our drive and patio are all sorted now and despite the extra work we are happy again.
I hadn't expected to be working alongside the man, but it made him work quicker!

"Teamwork divides the task and multiplies the success". (Anon)

Good morning :-)


And now for a story which may be familiar to many folk.......


Going back in Olympic history, many of us will have either seen or heard of the film 'Chariots of Fire.'

This story was based on the life of Eric H. Liddell (1902-1945) who was a Scottish athlete, rugby union international player and a missionary.

At the 1924 Games, he chose between his religious beliefs and competing in his favoured 100 metre Olympic race because it was held on a Sunday. He chose instead, the 400 metres which was held on another day. He won the gold medal.

Many aspects of the film Chariots of Fire were mythologised: Liddell knew that the 100m heats would be on a Sunday six months before the race, and he spent that Sunday preaching at a church in Paris.

However, this should not detract from Liddell's achievement - to win in a race at a distance you are not familiar with is no mean feat, to do it to win Olympic Gold something else again, and to set a world record in the process raises the feat to the incredible day.

Liddell returned to China to serve as a missionary

In 1941, the advancing Japanese army pressed Liddell and his family to flee to a rural mission station. Liddell was kept very busy dealing with the stream of locals who came to the station for medical treatment and food.

In 1943, the Japanese reached the mission station and Liddell was interned. Aggravated by the shortage of food and medical treatment, Liddell developed a brain tumour and died five months before liberation in 1945.



Lord, what can we say about this amazing Olympian champion who was a true servant for Christ? We pray that his story will enthuse and encourage us to continue on our own Christian journeys – wherever they lead. Amen.



Cx :-)

Hello all

That is a truly amazing/humbling story Cynthia. Congratulations to Yusra Mardini.

"Believe you can, and you're halfway there".
(T. Roosevelt).

Good morning :-)

Thank you for those words Susan and its nice to see you back on here again :-)


Keeping with the theme of the Olympics, one heartwarming story which has emerged, is that of Yusra Mardini, a Christian refugee from Syria who won her heat in the 100 metre butterfly race.

Almost a year ago, she swam pulling a boat full of 20 people in the ocean between Turkey and Greece. After the motor on the boat failed, Yusra and her sister Sarah jumped into the water with another woman and swam for three and a half hours, pulling the boat and stopping it from capsizing.

After arriving on the island of Lesbos, they continued their journey, finally arriving in Germany. Yusra was given asylum in Berlin where her swimming talents were spotted which lead to her being the first member of a 10 strong refugee team to compete in Brazil.

Although her time of one minute 09.21 seconds was not enough to see her through to the semi-finals, she has won hearts in Rio and has become one of the most celebrated stories of the Games.

Father, we pray for those athletes who have overcome many obstacles and hardships to fulfil their dream of being part of an Olympic team.


Cx :-)

Hello all

Wonderful words Susan and an amazing link too from Randy Travis.. I had his
CD and seemed to have mislaid it. Above All is a great favourite of mine.Thank you.

Aww Cynthia, what a meaningful gesture having the retired Honorary Curate bless the twins Little things do indeed mean a lot. A simple but profound act of worship.
It is hardly surprising that your congregation welcome the lady priest at your church.

Hubby is enjoying the Olympics and we both admire their dedication and stamina.

An athlete who runs in a race cannot win the prize unless he obeys the rules.
(2 Timothy 2:5)

https://youtu.be/Hh0ShiPrns0


I will not drown in shallow water
Not with your love within my reach
I did not come this far to falter
And will not rest until I'm free
You are the sun, you are the flower
You are the wind across the sea
And I will kneel here at your altar
And pray you'll take my soul to keep
Oh, precious one, you are the mountain
You are the earth beneath my feet
In you we're one now and forever
In you I find the love in me
Through your love my eyes are open
Through your love I'll learn to see
And in your name my bread is broken
By your grace I'll rest in peace
I will not drown in shallow water
Not with your love within my reach
I did not come this far to falter
And will not rest until I'm free
Through your love my eyes are open
Through your love I'll learn to see
And in your name my bread is broken
By your grace I'll rest in peace
I will not drown in shallow water
Not with your love within my reach
I did not come this far to falter
And will not rest until I'm free
I will not rest until I'm free
Until I'm free

Good morning :-)


The baptism went very well I have to say. The lady priest who led the service always does an excellent job as it were. After she had baptised each twin, she carried the little girl round the congregation so that we could all see her and then, as she passed the pew where our retired Honorary Curate was sitting, she took the child for a blessing from him. There were lumps in a lot of throats at that simple but so meaningful gesture. <3


One would have to be living under a stone not to realise that the Olympics are taking place, but where does faith come into things?

The Olympic Games bring people together across nations, faiths and backgrounds. Whether it was ever intended to be or not, the festive competition may just be the largest interfaith gathering in the world.

The Olympic Village houses a multi-faith centre complete with chaplains and prayer spaces.

“Our job is to provide athletes with a place where they can find comfort and spiritual peace, whatever their religion,” Father Leandro Lenin Tavares, a Rio de Janeiro priest coordinating the centre, said in a statement. “We are a symbol of peace, brotherhood and the unity of peoples.”

Athletes come to the chaplains and worship spaces to pray for success, but also to mourn losses, celebrate victories, and receive support for any other concerns present in their lives at the moment. For many religious athletes, their spiritual needs don’t get put on hold when they’re training and competing.

We pray for all those competing in the Games – that there may be a spirit of true sportsmanship within all those who are taking part and a true feeling of fellowship.
Amen.

Cx :-)

Hello all

A double blessing to have twins baptized in your church today. I hope all went well.

Be Prepared.... now that takes me back to my Brownies and Girl Guide days!!

"By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail." Wise words by Benjamin Franklin.

Good morning :-)


The Collect (special prayer) for today :-


O God,
you declare your almighty power most chiefly
in showing mercy and pity:
mercifully grant to us such a measure of your grace,
that we, running the way of your commandments,
may receive your gracious promises,
and be made partakers of your heavenly treasure;
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


Today the gospel warns us to 'Be Prepared' - because the Son of Man is coming as an unexpected hour.

Tiny twin sisters are to be baptised this morning. We pray for them and for their family, as they begin their Christian journey.


Cx :-)

Hello all

Only one day left and everything should be back to some sort of normality, but
despite the ongoing noise and me cleaning up each evening, we are pleased
with the end result. Another project to cross off the list methinks.

Sadly our village church is now the only building to have regular worship.
The Catholic church is minus a Priest at present and parishioners have to
attend at a very early Mass time, or go outside the village for the time being.

The once thriving Methodist Chapel was demolished several years ago and now there are new homes on this site and as their congregation are very elderly, they
are either in a care home or housebound which is a really very sad state of affairs.

"At any given moment, you have the power to say;
This is not how the story is going to end."
(Anon)

Good morning :-)


Clearing up after workmen can be hard work but, hopefully, the finished result will be worth it.

To end our tour of beautiful churches, I would ask you to think of your own church - your parish church.

This year in October, my church will celebrate 150 years of Christian witness to the community. I have been looking back at old parish magazines and seen the work and worship of the church develop over those years. The ups and the downs; the sorrows and the joys; the finances and the lack of finances; the many clergy and the countless people who supported them. That work continues today and it is our responsibility to ensure that it carries on into the future.

The same can be said about ALL churches - they all have a history similar to ours and now the baton is in our hands.

We thank God for our churches and the rich heritage which has been passed down to us. We pray that we will do all we can to ensure to continue this legacy, so that the work and witness of Christ can be passed on to future generations in our communities.

Amen.


Cx :-)

Hello all

Not poor me, I'm just glad that I still have the energy to clean up after him at the
end of each day. We are satisfied with his work BUT, he is just soooo messy!!
Not sure if he is working this weekend. He has flooded the soakaway and has
disappeared for the last hour??? It would help if I were a mind reader perhaps lol.

WOW, what an amazing sight Cynthia. I hadn't expected that! It is just so modern
and inside is as wonderful and thought-out as the outside of this awesome building.

I have been "sitting" and soaking up the still quietness and feel blessed. Thank you.

Good morning :-)

Poor kandj - come and have a look around another building..... :-)


Deep breath and off on another tour to find an amazing church.

How many times can one say “and now for something completely different?” Yesterday we looked at magnificent work dating from the 1400’s – today we will travel to look at some-thing which is very modern.

The Jubilee Church – Rome

The left side of the church (facing the entrance) is formed by the sections of three overlapping fragments of concentric spheres constructed from enormous tiles of white architectural concrete. The right side of the nave is a straight vertical wall, faced with panels of wood slats, dividing the church itself from the office and classroom portion of the complex.

Most people find the interior space very attractive, both simple and spare yet full of visual variety. The soaring concave sections seem light and delicate – like sails – yet massive enough to give mystery to how their dome-like arch can sustain itself without falling. All spaces between the shells and walls are glass-covered, allowing light to enter from all angles while avoiding strong direct sunlight.

Lord we thank you for those who are given the talent for designing buildings which make us look at you in awe. We pray for the people of the community who worship at this church. Amen.


You can see this amazing building by clicking on the link below


http://www.galinsky.com/buildings/jubilee/index.htm


Very peaceful. Cx :-)

Hello all

Feel like disappearing Cynthia. The man was recommended by a neighbour. He is doing a good job but is sooo messy and sooo slow. Might be finished by Christmas??

What a magnificent chapel. I feel calmer already. Thank you.