General Chat

Good morning :-)

Today is St. George's Day - an interesting saint to say the least.

Saint George is the patron saint of England. He's popularly identified with England and English ideals of honour, bravery and gallantry - but actually he wasn't English at all. Very little, if anything, is known about the real Saint George. Pope Gelasius said that George is one of the saints "whose names are rightly reverenced among us, but whose actions are known only to God."

Facts in brief:

Everything about Saint George is dubious, so the information below should be taken as mythical rather than real.

• Born in Cappadocia, an area which is now in Turkey
• Lived in 3rd century AD
• His parents were Christian
• Later lived in Palestine
• Became a Roman soldier
• Protested against Rome's persecution of Christians
• Imprisoned and tortured, but stayed true to his faith
• Beheaded at Lydda in Palestine
• 23rd April was named as Saint George's day in 1222

He is patron saint not only of England but also of Aragon, Catalonia, Georgia, Lithuania, Palestine, Portugal, Germany and Greece; and of Moscow, Istanbul, Genoa and Venice (second to Saint Mark).

He's also patron saint of soldiers, archers, cavalry and chivalry, farmers and field workers, riders and saddlers, and he helps those suffering from leprosy, plague and syphilis.

In recent years he has been adopted as patron saint of Scouts.


Praying for all unknown 'saints' who are serving Christ in their everyday lives.

Cx :-)

Hello all

Her Majesty clearly enjoyed her very special birthday yesterday. God bless her.

One more step long the world I go
One more step along the world I go
from the old things to the new
keep me travelling along with you:
And it's from the old I travel to the new
Keep me travelling along with you.

Remembering all who work in various methods of transport. xxx

Good morning :-)

Her Majesty seemed to be thoroughly enjoying herself yesterday and it was lovely to see her looking so wonderful on such a special day. Prince Philip looked good too....what an amazing couple for their years <3


Resuming our journey with God.....


Our walk with God
is never a lonely walk,
it is a family occasion,
if taken in the company
of God's children.
If we lag behind,
there are those who will turn
and offer words of encouragement,
hold out a hand and offer assistance
over stiles and other obstacles,
share refreshment,
help us from our knees
when we stumble.

- John Birch



Cx :-)

Hello all........ very special greetings to our Queen on her 90th birthday today.

Happy birthday to you
May this day bring everything new
May you keep smiling as you do,
Hope you don't feel too blue.
Keep smiling and enjoy today.
With laughter and blessings anew.
(Unknown)

Many happy returns to our Queen. A real inspiration to us all.
Happy 90th birthday Ma'am.

Good wishes to all who have 21st April as their birthday. xxx

Good morning :-)

A break from our journeying this morning as we celebrate the Queen's 90th birthday.


Heavenly Father,
as we celebrate the ninetieth birthday of Her Majesty the Queen,
receive our heartfelt thanks
for all that you have given her in these ninety years
and for all that she has given to her people.
Continue, we pray, your loving purposes in her,
and as you gather us together in celebration,
unite us also in love and service to one another;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.



Sending birthday prayers and good wishes to all celebrating their birthday today.

Cx :-)

Hello all

A Wednesday Blessing:

We walk by faith and not by sight. (2 Corinthians 5:7).

Happy Wednesday wishes to one and all. xxx

Good morning :-)



I have found some of the photos in the file but haven't had much time to continue looking to be honest. Ah well......no doubt it will turn up... :-D


Continuing our journey with God

In all our travelling
May your footsteps guide us

In our journeying to work and returning
May your footsteps guide us

Within our homes and families
May your footsteps guide us

In our leisure time together
May your footsteps guide us

In difficult situations and conflict
May your footsteps guide us

As we stumble on the way
May your footsteps guide us

In the travelling of our faith
May your footsteps guide us

As we place our trust in you
May your footsteps guide us

In all our travelling. Lord,
may it be your footsteps
in which we place our feet.
Amen.

- John Birch


May we be led in His footsteps today and every day. Cx :-)

Hello all

Cynthia I hope that you have managed to find your lost file by now.

Poor memory is better than bad memories.
(A Swedish proverb).

Remembering all in need of prayerful support today. xxx

Good morning :-)


Am feeling quite frustrated as I have 'lost' a file on my computer which contains many photographs of our church and various events......arrrrrghhhhh......

For today's journey with God...



Lord,

Your light is the only light I need
as I travel through life's mystery.
Your word the only voice I hear,
that still small voice that leads me
to the place where I should be.
Your presence is the only company I need,
as I walk this narrow road.
Your fellowship the warmth I crave
to help me on my way. Amen

- John Birch


Love to all Cx :-)

Hello all

Cynthia, that call from God must have amused the congregation yesterday.

Here is God's number for everyone. It is easy to remember.
Jeremiah 33:3.
Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things
that you do not know. (NIV).

Thinking of all who will be hospital visiting today. xxx

Good morning :-)

A good service with the youngsters yesterday - especially when our Lay Reader received a 'phone call from God' during his talk :-D

This week we will be looking at journeying with God.

Lord,
In my journeying with you,
may I never lose my sense of direction,
never lose sight of the landmark
towards which I travel.
And should cloud or rain obscure my vision,
may I draw closer to you,
so that my feet may tread
in your footsteps,
your words be my encouragement,
and your love my protection
against the storms that assail me. Amen.

-John Birch.

Praying for all embarking on a journey today. Cx :-)

Hello all

Amen to your Collect this morning Cynthia. Modern technology is good when you
can see the happy pictures of your Granddaughter's 18th birthday party. I think
there may be a few more weary youngsters still asleep this morning.

It is a bright sunny God-given morning. Looking out of the window we can see lots of colourful Spring flowers and pretty blossoms on the trees, a reminder of God's creation for all to enjoy.

New every morning is the love
Our waking and uprising prove;
Through sleep and darkness, safely brought,
Restored to life and power and thought.............. tra la la la la

Hoping everyone will have some brightness in their lives today. xxx

Good morning :-)


Judging by the photos on FB, our granddaughter had a very good time last night - I doubt she will be awake right now though :-D

Today is Parade Service at church, where all our youth organisations join with us for the morning service. It is always good to see these youngsters and their families in church - chaotic but good. :-)

The gospel reading tells of Jesus walking in Solomon's portico and explaining to the Jews that He and the father are one.

The Collect (special prayer) for today :
Almighty God,
whose Son Jesus Christ is the resurrection and the life:
raise us, who trust in him,
from the death of sin to the life of righteousness,
that we may seek those things which are above,
where he reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever. Amen.


Praying for all those who give up their time and energies leading youth groups.


Cx :-)

Hello all

Cynthia, It is good to be able to treat our grandchildren, we do and it gives pleasure.

"An investment in knowledge pays the best interest".
(Benjamin Franklin)

Hope you all will sleep well tonight. xxx

Good morning :-)

It wasn't a mega amount kandj, just more than we usually give her - as a one off!


Over the last few days, we have been looking at how easy it is to read the bible on line. The bible is the book of our faith. We need to read the bible because it is God's word to us and will help us to develop our relationship with him. It helps us to understand what we believe and what our faith is all about. This prayer from Thomas Cranmer says it all...

“Blessed Lord, who hast caused all holy Scriptures to be written for our learning: Grant that we may in such wise hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them, that by patience and comfort of thy holy Word we may embrace, and ever hold fast, the blessed hope of everlasting life, which thou hast given us in our Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.”

- Thomas Cranmer, The Book of Common Prayer (1549), Collect for the second Sunday in Advent.


Love to all Cx :-)

Hello all

Well that sounds like a very generous amount for your Granddaughter's 18th Cynthia
She was surprised and really grateful too, bless her. I'm sure she will enjoy spending it.

Happy Friday everyone. It has come around quickly once again.

Wishing you all a great weekend, filled with smiles, happiness and joy. xxx

Good morning :-)

Seeing our granddaughter open some of her presents was very special indeed. Apart from some fun items, we decided to give her some money instead of buying something she may not want. She is such a sweetie.....she opened the envelope, did a double take, and then said "No, you can't.......really, you can't". Of course, our response was......"Yes we can!" :-D She had a lovely day and has a party to look forward to tomorrow night. Thank you for your good wishes. <3



As we have looked at just a few of the online bible reading resources, we find that the bible is a fascinating book - take a look at these facts.....


1. The Bible contains 66 books, divided among the Old and New Testaments - 39 in the Old Testament and 27 in the New Testament. Testament means “covenant” or “contract.”

2. The Bible was written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit by over 40 different authors from all walks of life: shepherds, farmers, tent-makers, physicians, fishermen, priests, philosophers and kings. Moses wrote the first five books of the Bible, referred to as the Pentateuch; the foundation of the Bible. The Apostle Paul wrote 14 books (over half) of the New Testament.

3. It was written over a period of some 1,500 years, from around 1450 B.C. (the time of Moses) to about 100 A.D. (following the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ).

4. The Bible was written in three languages: Hebrew, Aramaic, and Koine Greek. It was first translated into English in 1382 A.D., by John Wycliffe.

5. It was printed in 1454 A.D. by Johannes Gutenberg who invented the “type mold” for the printing press. It was the first book ever printed.

6. The oldest almost-complete manuscript of the Bible now in existence is The Codex Vaticanus, which dates from the first half of the fourth Century. It is located in the library of the Vatican in Rome. There are older fragments of the Bible that are still preserved however– the oldest being a tiny scrap of the Gospel of John was found in Egypt, dating back to the beginning of the second century. (It is currently in the Ryland’s Library in Manchester.

7. The longest book in the Bible is The book of Psalms. The shortest book is 2 John.

8. The longest verse is Esther 8:9 and the shortest is John 11:35

9. The Holy Bible has been translated into 2,018 languages. (This is an enormous amount of translations. In comparison, Shakespeare, considered by many to be the master writer of the English language, has only been translated into 50 languages.)

10. Is the Bible still the best-selling book in the world? Yes, indeed!


Cx :-)

Hello all

Happy Birthday wishes for your Granddaughter Cynthia. How special it must have been for you and your husband to go and join in the family celebrations today.

Church AGM don't seem to have the same importance now as in previous years, which is sad to say the least. Times change, and not always for the best imho.

Thinking of all who will be working throughout this night. xxx

Congratulations and happy birthday to your granddaughter Cynthia. I hope she has a great day and has a happy and blessed life ahead of her. <3

Good morning :-)


Feeling happy this morning......our beautiful granddaughter is 18 today and we are going up to see her later this morning. She is having a party on Saturday night, but we oldies have been advised to give it a miss :-D

Last night was our church's AGM - the meeting that only the committed seem to attend. Fortunately, it was over and done with in about an hour, and all very peaceable too. The future remains a mystery as we face another interregnum at our church and also at two neighbouring churches. We can do nothing but place the situation into God's hands.


Now to a well known name who offers a daily bible reading and prayer.......Christian Aid. Please click on the link and then on today's date to find a story which we heard about recently.

http://www.christianaid.org.uk/resources/churches/daily-readings/



Love to all Cx :-)