General Chat

Hello all

I'm exercising by walking around the streets for twenty minutes a day and quietly praying as I pass the homes. Some neighbours I know and others I don't, but the Lord knows the concerns of us all.

It's meant to be a warm day tomorrow. More gardening for me. Stay at home and enjoy the sunshine, and take care everyone.

Good morning :-)


Today is Palm Sunday - the day we celebrate the arrival of Jesus into Jerusalem.
My little homemade palm cross is gently sellotaped onto my front window. It reminds me of when the early Christians left secret symbols.....a Christian was here, sort of thing.

The Collect (special prayer) for Palm Sunday

Almighty and everliving God, in your tender love for the human race you sent your Son our Savior Jesus Christ to take upon him our nature, and to suffer death upon the cross, giving us the example of his great humility: Mercifully grant that we may walk in the way of his suffering, and also share in his resurrection; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.


Love to all

Cx :-)

Hello all
Cynthia, I also have a Palm Sunday Cross which I drew, coloured and then cut out to put into my front window. Just soooo very different to how it normally is, but we all recognize our lives are no longer "normal" any more.

The Bend in the Road
Sometimes we come to life's crossroads
And we view is what we think is the end.
But God has a much wider vision
And He knows that it's only a bend........
The road will go an and get smoother
And after we've stopped for a rest.
The path that lies hidden beyond us,
Is often the path that is best.
So rest and relax and grow stronger,
Let go and let God share your load
And have faith in a brighter tomorrow
You've come to the bend in the road.
Helen Steiner Rice.

The above is especially for lovely Emma X

Good afternoon :-)

Sorry to be a bit late, but got side-tracked with one thing and another.

Today is Holy Monday when we remember how Jesus threw the money changers out of the temple with the words "It is written, 'my house shall be called a house of prayer', but you have made it a den of thieves!"


The last week of the Lent Course.

Genesis 1.24-25
24 And God said, ‘Let the earth bring forth living creatures of every kind: cattle and creeping things and wild animals of the earth of every kind.’ And it was so. 25 God made the wild animals of the earth of every kind, and the cattle of every kind, and everything that creeps upon the ground of every kind. And God saw that it was good.

The Bible shows us a God deeply concerned for creation, not least for animals.

Genesis 1 depicts God creating all land animals – including humans – on the sixth day. We will see later this week that humans are given particular qualities and responsibilities by God. But we also share so much with other creatures. God declares animals to be “good” and gives to them (as well as to us) the earth and the plants it contains for food.

Give thanks to God today for the animals with whom we share a common home, and for making such an abundance of life.

Cx :-)

We can use the lockdown to “rediscover that life is of no use if not used to serve others”, Pope Francis said on Palm Sunday.

Thank you kandj,
One of my favourites from her and am hoping
that the bend in the road is coming into view
for us all. <3

Thank you for the poem Kandj. Just what i needed today.

This thread always comes up with something appropriate at the times its needed.

Keep safe

Hello all

Thank you Emma and Tabitha, I'm pleased you liked the HSR poem, her words seem appropriate now.

I'm finding it interesting walking around the streets to see different posters and drawings in people's windows. All done to encourage us at a difficult time.

Prayers now for Prime Minister Boris Johnson whose condition has worsened and he has been moved into the Intensive Care Unit.

Sending ((hugs)) out to those in need today.

Good morning :-)

Lovely to hear from people on here....... <3

We remember in prayer our Prime Minister as he battles this awful illness.....


Today is known as Holy Tuesday. There are various thoughts on what happened on that day - this is one of them. Jesus curses the fig tree.

Seeing a fig tree by the road, he went up to it but found nothing on it except leaves. Then he said to it, “May you never bear fruit again!” Immediately the tree withered.
When the disciples saw this, they were amazed. “How did the fig tree wither so quickly?” they asked.
Jesus replied, “Truly I tell you, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and it will be done. If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.”

Continuing towards the end of the Lent course.....

Genesis 1.26-31
26 Then God said, ‘Let us make humankind in our image, according to our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the wild animals of the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth.’

27 So God created humankind in his image,
in the image of God he created them;
male and female he created them.

28 God blessed them, and God said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over every living thing that moves upon the earth.’ 29 God said, ‘See, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit; you shall have them for food. 30 And to every beast of the earth, and to every bird of the air, and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.’ And it was so. 31 God saw everything that he had made, and indeed, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.


While the other animals created on the sixth day are made “according to their kind”, humans are made “in God’s image”.

Humans are chosen by God to bear his image and be his representatives. Being God’s image-bearers equips us for the job of being God’s caretakers and gardeners, caring for the land and our fellow creatures. That gives humans a particular place before God. But the whole created order is caught up in God’s plans for redemption, not humans alone.

Reflect today on these words of Pope Francis: “Human beings, endowed with intelligence and love, and drawn by the fullness of Christ, are called to lead all creatures back to their Creator.”


Cx :-)

Hello all

A beautiful sunny day for Holy Tuesday, let's enjoy it.

I don't know about tomorrow,
I just live from day to day,
I don't borrow from it's sunshine,
For its skies may turn to grey.
I don't worry o'er the future,
For I know what Jesus said
And today I'll walk beside Him
For He knows what lies ahead.
Many things about tomorrow,
I don't seem to understand,
But I know who holds tomorrow
And I know who holds my hand.

Amazing words by Alison Krauss which inspire me and I hope that they may help to inspire you too.

Keep well, stay safe today everyone.

Hello all

A beautiful sunny day for Holy Tuesday, let's enjoy it.

I don't know about tomorrow,
I just live from day to day,
I don't borrow from it's sunshine,
For its skies may turn to grey.
I don't worry o'er the future,
For I know what Jesus said
And today I'll walk beside Him
For He knows what lies ahead.
Many things about tomorrow,
I don't seem to understand,
But I know who holds tomorrow
And I know who holds my hand.

Amazing words by Alison Krauss which inspire me and I hope that they may help to inspire you too.

Keep well, stay safe today everyone.

My thoughts and prayers to all affected by this virus. x

Good morning :-)

And what excitement has everyone got planned for today? I may do a jigsaw :-D


Today is Holy Wednesday, also known as ‘Spy Wednesday’. It is remembered as the day Judas Iscariot planned to betray Jesus.

Then Satan entered into Judas called Iscariot, who was one of the twelve; he went away and conferred with the chief priests and officers of the temple police about how he might betray him to them. They were greatly pleased and agreed to give him money. So he consented and began to look for an opportunity to betray him to them when no crowd was present. (Luke 22:3-6)



The Lent Course :

Isaiah 11.6-9
6 The wolf shall live with the lamb,
the leopard shall lie down with the kid,
the calf and the lion and the fatling together,
and a little child shall lead them.
7 The cow and the bear shall graze,
their young shall lie down together;
and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.
8 The nursing child shall play over the hole of the asp,
and the weaned child shall put its hand on the adder’s den.
9 They will not hurt or destroy
on all my holy mountain;
for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord
as the waters cover the sea.

When the crowds cheered as Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey, they were hoping for a king, the Messiah, whose reign would reflect Isaiah’s vision of a peaceable kingdom, with people and animals living together in harmony.

This vision contrasts sharply with our own age when one in four mammals now face extinction. Underlying current unprecedented levels of loss of biodiversity is consumerism. Humans are causing the problems, but humans, as well as other animals, are suffering the consequences.

We need to buy and use less to take better care of the natural world and free up resources for those who need them. Ask yourself: do I need this?

Cx :-)

Snap Cynthia me too, a jigsaw every day for me, I cannot
contain myself :-D

Hello all

I have an unopened jigsaw gathering dust but might be tempted to open this at some point. For now, I keep myself busy crocheting blankets for the homeless and have just passed two over last week.
I enjoy gardening and reading and have recently had a book delivered from Amazon as the library's closed

Thinking of people from the Jewish faith as they aren't allowed to get together with their families to begin the Passover Festival week of celebrations.

Has anyone else noticed the brightness of the
Full Moon at night? Totally awesome in my view.

kandj ............

I'm glad you mentioned the moon.

It has been incredibly bright the last few nights, and the skies are clear over here as we are having lovely sunny warm weather.

Tonight will be the full moon, and it has been said that it will be the largest Supermoon of the year, so it will appear huge.

It is called the Pink Supermoon. I read somewhere the other day that it was called the Pink Moon by First Nations on this side of the Atlantic because some flowers in full bloom at the time were pink.

Unfortunately I don't know what wild flowers were meant.

I went out on Monday for the first time in 3 weeks .......... OH drove me to the local coffee shop, we picked up take-out coffee, tipped it into our travel mugs, and then drove to a small neighbourhood park in the middle of apartment land. It has a small play area which has been closed, and a largish area of grass with just 5 benches very well-spaced around that area. There was hardly anyone there, 3 of the benches were vacant, so we sat in the sun for about half-an-hour.

It was just so nice to be out in the sun.

Yesterday we repeated the experiment, and this time we saw several of our friends near the coffee shop or in the park, and had a little chat with them, making sure that we kept more than 2 m away from them.

Life will go on!!!

Keep safe, stay home, and keep your distance.


I think of the Jewish people celebrating Passover today, the Christians celebrating Easter Sunday, and the Sikhs celebrating Vaisakhi on Monday ............... all having a very different time this year as all normally include celebratory meals with family and friends.

Good morning :-)

I forgot to go and look at the Pink Moon......I had seen about it but........sigh....

Today is Maundy Thursday when we commemorate the Last Supper of Christ with the Apostles.

During the meal Jesus took bread and wine and shared them with his disciples. Christians continue to share bread and wine as part of their worship in church.
The Last Supper was probably a Passover meal – the meal which Jewish people share together to celebrate the time when God delivered Moses and the people from slavery in Egypt.

During the Last Supper, Jesus washed his disciples' feet. This act has sometimes been followed literally in history as a good way of reminding rulers that they are here to serve their subjects.

The night of Maundy Thursday is the night on which Jesus was betrayed by Judas in the Garden of Gethsemane.



Luke 22.14-20
14 When the hour came, he took his place at the table and the apostles with him. 15 He said to them, ‘I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer; 16 for I tell you, I will not eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.’ 17 Then he took a cup, and after giving thanks he said, ‘Take this and divide it among yourselves; 18 for I tell you that from now on I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.’ 19 Then he took a loaf of bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, ‘This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.’ 20 And he did the same with the cup after supper, saying, ‘This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.

Food plays an important role in our humanity. The meals we share not only give our bodies energy but also build community and relationships. At Holy Communion – the heart of Christian worship – we remember the Last Supper Jesus shared with his disciples before he died.


Many of us miss meeting together to take part in our Holy Communion services. :-(


Cx :-)

Matthew 16:24 Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.

25 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.

26 For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?

27 For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works.

28 Verily I say unto you, There be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the Son of man coming in his kingdom.

Has there been any word about whether Maundy money will be distributed to "aged pensioners"?

There obviously will not be a Maundy Thirsday with the Queen or anyone congregating. But I wondered if they had found a way to do it distantly?

Hello all

Just back from the clap for the NHS along with other neighbours. I feel that it is the least I can do.

Sylvia, I read that the Queen has been forced to send the traditional Maunday money by post this year owing to the coronavirus pandemic outbreak.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson has been moved from ICU back to a general ward for close monitoring, which is good news for him and for all his family.