General Chat

Hello all

We had the Harvest Festival Service in church today. Only a few of us present but we brought lots of packet and tin foods which will be distributed to the local food banks
We Plough the Fields and Scatter was the first hymn. I have been singing the chorus all day long....... All good gifts around us are sent from heaven above,
So thank the Lord, oh thank the Lord, for all His love.

Glad that Ellen is home as she will be much more comfortable and I hope that you will be able to relax together and take it easy now David after a worrying time.

Vera, how very sad about your neighbour and his bereavement poor man. I'll join you and Emma and pray for this gentleman who will find life so hard to cope with.

Good morning :-)

Oh that poor gentleman.....how sad and lonely he must be. Yes, of course we will pray for him Vera - and hope that social services and neighbours will rally to his aid.

We had our Harvest a couple of weeks or so ago Kandj. I have to admit that it's not as 'aromatic' as it used to be. I used to love going into church on Harvest Sunday and smelling the good earthy scent of fresh fruit and veg. Like you, most of our gifts are now tins and packets for food banks - but I do miss that rustic touch! :-D

Worry and stress are exhausting David, hopefully, you will soon be back to your former self. We await the next comment with bated breath! :-D


All of us have things that we struggle with and things that at times seem to overwhelm us. These are the areas of our lives where we can ask the Lord to come into our lives and help us through the difficult times.

Dear Lord,
I come before you and ask for Your strength within me. A strength not of the world but of Your kingdom.
To refrain from judgement and feast on love.
To push out greed and hold tight to joy.
To dispel pride and rise with humility.
To quell anger and rest in self control.
To shun greed and rest in giving.
To turn from power and embrace service.
To let go of resentment and rest in peace.
To push through fear and walk forwards in grace.
To run with faith, soar with forgiveness, and allow your eternal strength to abide with me. Amen.

Cx :-)

Amen to today’s prayer Cynthia. It could have been written for me.

Thank you everyone for your prayers for our acquaintance who has just lost his wife. As a couple they “kept themselves to themselves” so I can’t see neighbours helping much and I don’t think he has had much to do with social services but we will help if we can. OH has rung him this morning to see how he is and found him confused about what he has to do so OH stayed on the phone for an hour explaining things to him and pointing him towards the right people to assist him. I hope he is going to be OK.

Hello all

A cold dark day, I'm feeling thankful that I can put the central heating back on again

David, I hope that Ellen is feeling a little better and that you are less worried now.

Vera, having lost my lovely husband last year I do feel so sorry for this gentleman. There is so much red-tape to deal with, but I was blessed when our daughter came to stay and drove me to all the places I needed to visit. Perhaps the Care Home staff will offer to help guide him through all that he has to do in the next few weeks. Prayerful support and positive vibes going his way right now.

During his ministry Jesus would have told his Disciples more than the people

he was preaching to. The Council of Nicea was necessary to have all the Bishops

come to an agreement as to what the off teaching of the Church was / is.

1700 years later there are still divisions.

But back in the day Matthew wrote the following,

MATTHEW 24 : 3 as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?

MATTHEW 24:34 Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.

So Jesus and them are up there with them, and we are down here waiting for it ?

Good morning :-)

Yes David, Christians are waiting for 2nd Coming. It's not part of everyday conversation but there are Sundays in the year when we are reminded about the 'end days' in the bible readings. Each week, when congregations across the world stand to say the Creed, we utter the words

"For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate;
he suffered death and was buried.
On the third day he rose again
in accordance with the Scriptures;
he ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.

He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead,
and his kingdom will have no end."


Now for today :-D :-D :-D

Sometimes on cars we see a badge of a simple outline of a fish:

It is a symbol that was used as a secret sign when Christians were persecuted in the time of the Roman Empire. Greek was one of the languages spoken throughout the Roman Empire, and the Greek word for FISH ??T?S is pronounced “ik-thus”. The 5 letters of the Greek word can stand for the first letters of 5 other words: “Jesus Christ, God’s Son (and our) Saviour”.

Today, the outline of a fish seen on the back of cars means nothing to those who are not Christian but is a sign of recognition and encouragement to other Christians.

Lord, help us to be recognised as followers of you. Amen.

Cx :-)

It is in the scriptures that while his Disciples slept in the garden, Jesus prayed.

He was so overcome with feat of what lay in store he sweated blood.

Good morning :-)

Yes, that's a well known fact David......I quote "Hematidrosis is a rare, but very real, medical condition where one’s sweat will contain blood. The sweat glands are surrounded by tiny blood vessels. These vessels can constrict and then dilate to the point of rupture where the blood will then effuse into the sweat glands. Its cause—extreme anguish."

Ancient Christian symbols

Today, the peacock

Christians adopted the symbol of the peacock to represent immortality. This came from an ancient legend that the flesh of the peacock did not decay. It is also associated with the resurrection of Christ because it sheds it old feathers every year and grows, newer, brighter ones each year. If the peacock is portrayed drinking from a vase it symbolizes a Christian drinking the waters of eternal life. In addition the "multitude of eyes" upon its stunningly beautiful fan tail, suggested the all seeing eye of God.

Looking at photos of these beautiful birds, I am overwhelmed by the amazing range of colours they can be. Wow!

Cx :-)

In the middle east where peacocks and peahens exist naturally they fly
and are not uncommon on people's roofs. They also come in white.

David ...............

peacocks are not uncommon around the world, where they have been introduced. If they the area suitable, they will flourish, and manage to escape from gardens, farms, and wildlife centres.

We have a population of close to 100 in a city near here .......... they are driving the locals mad with their noise, defecation, and general disruption of the neightbourhood. The males in particular screech abominably, especially in the early mornings.


Some cultures consider peacock feathers as unlucky ................. my mother for one would not have a peacock feather in the house!

Meanwhile, a few other residents feed the darned things!

Good morning :-)

I can vouch for the noise they make Sylvia. There used to be one or two in a garden near to where we used to live and the noise could be horrendous. However, the beauty of those birds is absolutely breathtaking.

Ancient Christian symbols

The Ship

The ship (bark or barque, barchetta) was an ancient Christian symbol. It is the Church tossed on the sea of disbelief, worldliness, and persecution but finally reaching safe harbour with its cargo of human souls.

Part of the imagery comes from the ark saving Noah's family during the Flood - Jesus protecting the Peter's boat and the apostles on the stormy Sea of Galilee. It was also a great symbol during times when Christians needed to disguise the cross, since the ship's mast forms a cross in many of its depictions.

In Christian tradition, in which earthly life was seen as a pilgrimage, the ship of the church transports the faithful through the seas of the world to the heavenly home.

Lord, in these turbulent times, help us to cling to the ship of life as we journey homewards. Amen.

Cx :-)

My wife kept an appointment to have her sight tested this morning.
Seems she has a cataract in the making on her left eye.

I have learnt something new this week. I knew about the fish and ship symbolism but not about the peacock. Thank you Cynthia. How do you manage to think up so many new themes for the thread?

David, I am sorry to hear that your wife has a cataract but don't let it worry you. Most people over a certain age have them and I am sure she will manage fine until the time comes to have it removed. Just as an afterthought, do you think that particular post would have been better as a new thread?

Special thoughts for everyone in need of a little extra support today.

Cyn ...............

beautiful to look at, horrible to have to listen to!!

Good morning :-)

Sylvia - an excellent description! :-D

Vera - I love words and searching and exploring. I hate cooking and look at a chicken breast in horror, wondering what on earth I am going to do with it today! :-D :-D

David - hope all goes well with your wife's eyesight - cataracts are so common these days.

Ancient Christian symbols - Chi Rho

Chi Rho Symbol is an ancient Christian symbol, a ‘Christogram’ that is made by overlaying the initial two letters (in capital) of the Greek word ‘Christos’ meaning ‘Christ’. Pronounced as ‘KEE-roe’, the monogram looks to have been formed with the English alphabets X and P. In fact, it is the Greek alphabet ‘chi’ that resembles X and ‘rho’ that looks like P.

The Chi Rho symbol represents both Christ and Christianity and exists today in several variations. It is also behind the practice of abbreviating ‘Christ’ in Christmas to ‘X’.

Lord, we thank you for these ancient symbols which meant so much to your early followers. Help these symbols to be important to us as we tell others of your love. Amen.

Cx :-)

Good morning :-)



Our final look at ancient Christ symbols..

The Alpha and Omega

In the book of Revelation, Jesus says of himself, “I am Alpha and Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.” Alpha is the first letter of the Greek alphabet, and Omega is the last one. Putting the two together, they represent the eternity of Christ as the Son of God.

Lord, we thank you that you are always there for us - whatever our lives may bring. We pray that we may be faithful to you. Amen

Cx :-)

Hello and good morning :-D <3

The alpha and the omega is depicted by the Chi Rho symbol I believe.

Another interesting week Cynthia, some of the symbols
I knew and some I didn't.

My prayers and thoughts today are for a friend
whose son is ill in hospital.x

The Chi-Rho symbol is a diagonal cross with a vertical P. Is that for Peter, Petros
or a sword ?

Good morning :-)


David, as it says in the write up.....;the monogram looks to have been formed with the English alphabets X and P. In fact, it is the Greek alphabet ‘chi’ that resembles X and ‘rho’ that looks like P.' - nothing to do with a sword or Peter.

You must have seen what the Alpha and Omega symbols look like over the years....
a capital A and a sign which looks rather like a horseshoe standing up? Google it - you will recognise it I am sure. This is one of the drawbacks of this site - you can only post pictures in your avatar. I would love to be able to add pictures when doing these posts. :-)

It's a special day for our young folk at church.....this morning is the annual Boys' Brigade enrolment service and then, this afternoon, 31 youngsters from our school are being confirmed.

The Collect (special prayer) for today:
Eternal God, you crown the year with your goodness
and you give us the fruits of the earth in their season:
grant that we may use them to your glory,
for the relief of those in need and for your own well-being;
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 from John and tells of Jesus being the True Vine.

Cx :-)