General Chat

Good morning :-)

I know just what you mean Vera - some churches can blow your mind, whilst others leave you feeling absolutely nothing. I do wonder if it has to do with the every day life of the church as in is it well-used, well-loved, cared for? These things can make a difference.

Popping into churches on holiday:

Popping into a church on holiday. Cartmel Priory

There’s a special feeling you get the first moment you enter a church. And with its 800-year-old history, stunning architecture and fascinating heritage, Cartmel Priory gives you a feeling that will last long after you’ve left.

Steeped in culture and rich with history, the Priory is found at the very heart of Cartmel village, surrounded by picturesque English countryside, and gives a warm welcome to everyone who comes to experience it.

Exploring the Priory is different for everyone. Some visitors marvel at the ancient architecture, some discover hidden mysteries within its motifs and carvings, others just sit and absorb the Priory’s peaceful atmosphere.

Over the centuries the Priory has witnessed war, peace, raids and ruin, but still remains a building of greatness and enduring beauty. A story 800 years in the writing, still being written today.

Anyone for the famous sticky toffee pudding?

Cx :-)

Good afternoon

I agree with kandj. It has been another interesting week. Thank you Cynthia. We are great "poppers-in" of churches wherever we are so it is always good to learn about ones that are new to us. I am always amazed at the difference in atmosphere in different churches. Some you walk into and feel uplifted, some are calming and others you feel at home Some are just neutral, nice places to visit but not making any particular impression. Very, very occasionally you may come across one that you find disturbing in some way. I had such an experience many years ago when I visited Sacre Coeur in Paris with OH and my late brother. As soon as I walked in I felt a sadness and as I wandered about I felt more and more oppressed till I had to leave because it was too disturbing. I waited outside for OH and my brother who were in there for some time and felt nothing special. Isn't that odd? Thankfully my experience in different churches is usually the opposite.

At the moment I am feeling very grateful for our NHS. I know the organisation has enormous problems but the front line staff are marvellous. A couple of days ago OH had a problem and from the advisor I spoke to at 111 through the nurses and doctors to the lady who took me to the phone I could use to call a taxi home and stayed with me till she was sure we had got transport back, everyone was so kind and good humoured. Thankfully the problem was not as serious as it first appeared and OH is fine again. I have been saying a few quiet "thank-yous" ever since. God bless all our medical workers.

Hello all

Cynthia, another week of interesting posts. Thank you.

Hard to think that the month of May ends today, another cold day with dark rain clouds all around.
Roll on June, hopefully we will get sunny days.

"Nothing is impossible. The word itself says,
I'm possible!" (Audrey Hepburn).

Good morning :-)

Popping into churches on holiday:

The glorious 'Garden of England' county, Kent, has some incredible churches to visit. How about this one?


All Saints Church, Tudeley

The church is the only one in the world to have all its windows in stained glass designed by Russian-French artist Marc Chagall. Tourists from across the UK and the globe travel all the way to the small village located near Tonbridge to visit the church.

The daughter of Sir Henry and Lady D’avigdor-Godsmid, the owners of nearby Somerhill House, drowned in a sailing accident off Rye in East Sussex almost 60 years ago. Chagall was then commissioned by the couple to design a stained glass window for the church in memory of their lost daughter Sarah. According to Capel United Church, the artist was originally reluctant to take on the commission but was eventually persuaded.

It was revealed that after seeing the church, the artist exclaimed in French: “C’est magnifique! Je les ferai tous”, meaning: “It’s magnificent! I will do them all.”


Cx :-)

Good morning :-)

Popping into churches on holiday..

Popping into churches on holiday.
The Lake District and Cumbria are very popular tourists places and interesting churches abound!
What about St. Catherine’s, Boot?
According to tradition, the first place of worship in this lonely spot dates back to the 6th century when a hermit lived here beside a well. The hermit was said to offer holy water from his well along with healing and prayers to anyone hardy enough to seek out his dwelling.
We are on much firmer historical grounds when it comes to the medieval building we see today. A stone chapel was built here around 1125 by William de Meschines, the lord of Egremont. That 12th-century church was owned by St Bees Priory.

A story!

Final journey on the corpse trail
Before St Olaf’s in Wasdale received its licence to bury the dead, bodies were carried by pony and cart over the mountains and along the coffin route to St Catherine’s. On one such journey, the pony transporting a young man’s body bolted. A search was made, but neither the pony nor body was found. A few months later the young man’s mother died and she too was taken along the coffin path. The pony pulling her coffin bolted at the same location. A pony and coffin was found, but it wasn’t the mother’s; it was the son’s, lost months before. The mother’s body was never found.

Cx :-)

Good morning :-)


Popping into churches on holiday

Somerset and Exmoor in particular, gives us the beautiful church of All Saints at Selworthy. Built onto the side of a hill in the rolling landscape of Exmoor National Park, the church at Selworthy is a deeply elegant and graceful place to visit. Built in the 15th century, it is still periodically coated in the mixture of lime and tallow that was once common in churches of the area. Inside, you'll find a fascinating 15th-century clock and a beautiful 18th-century wooden gallery. Still a well-used parish church, you can attend services here every Sunday.


‘Welcome to this outstanding Parish Church, which, thanks to its distinctive white appearance stands as a beacon on the hills of Exmoor. For centuries Selworthy Church has been a focus for residents and visitors as a place to experience the power and presence of God. We hope you find peace of God here and leave uplifted, refreshed and inspired.’

Cx :-)

Good morning :-)

The holiday season is fast approaching – some will be going abroad, others will be travelling around this country. Many often say that, wherever they go, home or away, they like to pop into the local church. Some of these churches can be exotic or plain and unadorned, but all are generally atmospheric, beautiful in their own way and often mysterious.

Is anyone travelling to Cornwall this summer? Why not pop into what is called ‘An Extraordinary Space’,

St Just in Roseland Church. A place of Christian presence, prayer, and worship since the sixth century. Hallowed by such a long history of prayer and settled by the creek in glorious grounds, you will never forget you have visited St Just in Roseland Church. This church is an active parish church for the local community and a place of respite and prayer for all people who enter our door.
St Just in Roseland | St Just in Roseland & St Mawes (stjustandstmawes.org.uk)

Cx :-)

Hello all

So pleased that yesterday's opening hymn has brought back happy memories for you Cynthia.

Thunder and lightning with hailstones yesterday, more heavy rain today, so no weeding for me.

Happy Bank Holiday Monday wishes to everyone.

Good morning :-)


Aw....kandj, that's the hymn I entered church to when we were married.

The Holy Trinity
In the name of The Father and of The Son and of The Holy Spirit. Amen.


An Ancient Irish Poem
Three folds of the cloth, yet only one napkin is there,
Three joints of the finger, but still only one finger fair,
Three leaves of the shamrock, yet no more than one shamrock to wear,
Frost, snow-flakes and ice, all water their origin share,
Three Persons in God; to one God alone we make our prayer.


Happy Bank Holiday.

Cx :-)

Hello all

Cynthia, I hope your back is less painful today?
I agree with Vera, do try to step back and delegate.

Holy, holy, holy, Lord God almighty,
Early in the morning our song shall rise to Thee,
Holy, holy, holy, merciful and mighty,
God in three persons, blessed Trinity.

Happy Trinity Sunday to everyone looking in.

Good morning :-)

Today is Trinity Sunday when we remember the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.


Almighty and everlasting God,
you have given us your servants grace,
by the confession of a true faith,
to acknowledge the glory of the eternal Trinity
and in the power of the divine majesty to worship the Unity:
keep us steadfast in this faith,
that we may evermore be defended from all adversities;
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.

Cx :-)

Good morning :-)

Thank you Vera - I have tried to cut back on a few things (but not a lot) :-D A lot of church work is on the computer so that's not too bad. When I was younger, I used to lay flat on the floor but these days I would need to hire a JCB to get me back up again! I am trying to behave but it's really difficult. :-D Sending love <3

When G. Campbell Morgan was a young man he visited two elderly ladies each week to read the Bible to them. When he read Matthew 28:20, “Lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.” He said, “Isn’t that a wonderful promise?” One of the ladies quickly replied, “Young man, that is not a promise. It is a fact!”
All of God’s promises are fact.

Cx :-)

Oh dear, poor you Cynthia. I think the quickest cure would be for you to stop doing the work of 10 people and get some rest but I suspect that won't happen. Heat pads can soothe muscular problems but I don't suppose they would be much help for disc troubles. You probably need plenty of rest with a little gentle movement. Would it be possible for you to offload some of your duties temporarily? Sending you best wishes with the very gentlest of (((hugs))) <3

Good morning :-)

Any cures for a bad back? My 'dodgy' disc has 'dodged' and it is so painful.......arrghhh. Hopefully, painkillers and time will ease it back into place. :-( :-)


A father and son arrived in a small western town looking for an uncle whom they had never seen. Suddenly, the father, pointing across the square to a man who was walking away from them, exclaimed, “There goes my uncle!”
His son asked, “How do you know when you have not seen him before?”
“Son, I know him because he walks exactly like my father.”

If we walk in the Spirit, the world should know us by our walk.


Cx :-)

Good morning :-)

Pentecost - The Holy Spirit

Speaking to a large audience, D.L. Moody (an evangelist) held up a glass and asked, “How can I get the air out of this glass?” One man shouted, “Suck it out with a pump!” Moody replied, “That would create a vacuum and shatter the glass.” After numerous other suggestions Moody smiled, picked up a pitcher of water, and filled the glass. “There,” he said, “all the air is now removed.”

He then went on to explain that victory in the Christian life is not accomplished by “sucking out a sin here and there,” but by being filled with the Holy Spirit.

Cx :-)

Good morning :-)

Pentecost and the coming of The Holy Spirit.

The story is told about a little boy who was flying a kite. It was a windy day, and the kite kept going higher and higher. Finally it got so high that it was out of sight. A man passed by and saw the little boy holding onto the string. The man could not see the kite, and he asked the boy, “How do you even know you have a kite up there?” The boy replied, “Because I can feel it.”
Although we cannot see the Holy Spirit, we should be able to sense His work in our lives changing us into the image of Christ.

Cx :-)

Good morning :-)


Thinking of the hymn you both mentioned on Sunday - it is certainly one which has stood the test of time........here it is in all its glory! <3

Gracious Spirit, Holy Ghost,
taught by thee we covet most,
of thy gifts at Pentecost,
holy heavenly, love.

Love is kind and suffers long,
love is meek and thinks no wrong,
love than death itself more strong;
therefore, give us love.

Prophecy will fade away,
melting in the light of day;
love will ever with us stay;
therefore, give us love.

Faith will vanish into sight;
hope be emptied in delight;
love in heaven will shine more bight;
therefore give us love.

Faith and hope and love we see,
joining hand in hand agree,
but the greatest of the three,
and the best, is love.

From the overshadowing
of thy gold and silver wing
shed on us, who to thee sing,
holy, heavenly love.

Cx :-)

Good morning :-)

Oh for heaven's sake! Don't tell me I forgot to pop over on Pentecost Sunday of all days :-0 :-0

So sorry but yes, kandj - it's still so busy at the moment. I seem to have grown more heads and need more hats to wear on them. I joked with someone yesterday "and with my left foot, I make cakes!" :-D :-D

Love both of those hymns by the way.

Pentecost
Spirit of God
put love in my life.
Spirit of God
put joy in my life.
Spirit of God
put peace in my life.
Spirit of God
make me patient.
Spirit of God
make me kind.
Spirit of God
make me good.
Spirit of God
give me faithfulness.
Spirit of God
give me humility.
Spirit of God
give me self-control.
From Galatians 5:22–23

Cx :-)

Hello again

Vera, I remember singing your hymn in school assembly, I can also remember the tune and the
2nd verse.

Love is kind and suffers long,
Love is meek and thinks no wrong,
Love than death itself more strong;
Therefore give us love.

I'm sure that there are other verses too.

A favourite hymn of mine was sung today.

Spirit of the Living God, fall afresh on me,
Spirit of the Living God, fall afresh on me.
Break me,
Melt me,
Mold me,
Fill me,
Spirit of the Living God, fall afresh on me.

Another interesting week Cynthia. Thank you.

It is indeed a blessed Sunday kandj. The sun is shining, bees are buzzing round the flowers, there are lots of birds fluttering about and chirruping with one singing his little heart out, and I have had a lovely telephone chat with both my children. What could be better?

My old school hymn, sung at the beginning and end of every term, is appropriate for today.

Gracious Spirit, Holy Ghost
Taught by Thee we covet most
Of thy gifts at Pentecost
Holy, heavenly love.