General Chat

Good morning... :-)


We did, indeed, sing 'Will your anchor hold' - and with great gusto too :-)


The BB is a Christian Youth organisation where faith and church attendance play a major role. It is so encouraging to see these young men standing proudly in their uniforms at church parades. The younger ones - Anchor Boys - are just as keen and I admire those adults who give up their time and energy in order to run these groups.

On their website, the words....'the adventure begins here......' is very true. They get up to some wonderful things and our brigade has just returned from camp. The pictures show that they had a great time!


The Boys Brigade Prayer

Bless, O God, The Boys’ Brigade, and give
to it greater power to advance Your
kingdom throughout the world.
Grant in mercy, that every member, past and
present, may prove steadfast in his fight
against evil, and true in his allegiance to You.
Help us in times of temptation; make
us strong where we are weak, give us
courage in difficulty, faithfulness in duty,
loyalty in friendship; and finally, by Your
mercy, bring us into Your everlasting
kingdom, through Jesus Christ, our Lord,

AMEN


Enjoy your day ..... Cx :-)

Good morning... :-)


We did, indeed, sing 'Will your anchor hold' - and with great gusto too :-)


The BB is a Christian Youth organisation where faith and church attendance play a major role. It is so encouraging to see these young men standing proudly in their uniforms at church parades. The younger ones - Anchor Boys - are just as keen and I admire those adults who give up their time and energy in order to run these groups.

On their website, the words....'the adventure begins here......' is very true. They get up to some wonderful things and our brigade has just returned from camp. The pictures show that they had a great time!


The Boys Brigade Prayer

Bless, O God, The Boys’ Brigade, and give
to it greater power to advance Your
kingdom throughout the world.
Grant in mercy, that every member, past and
present, may prove steadfast in his fight
against evil, and true in his allegiance to You.
Help us in times of temptation; make
us strong where we are weak, give us
courage in difficulty, faithfulness in duty,
loyalty in friendship; and finally, by Your
mercy, bring us into Your everlasting
kingdom, through Jesus Christ, our Lord,

AMEN


Enjoy your day ..... Cx :-)

So good you sent it twice eh Cynthia lol.

Found in an old church magazine, hope you all will find it interesting!

JUST ASK:

The man says, "Lord, how long is a million years?"
The Lord says, "To me it's about a minute".

The man says, "Lord how much is a million pounds?"
The Lord says, "To me, it is just a penny".

The man says, "Lord can I have a penny?"
The Lord replies, "Of course you can my son, just wait a minute".

Praying for those who are newly bereaved this day.

Good morning :-)


Hahaha...I didn't realise I had posted twice yesterday......doh! :-D


Your story made me smile kandj - thank you.

Very wet and windy conditions today, so a prayer for those who are out and about:



O God, our heavenly Father, whose glory fills the whole
creation, and whose presence we find wherever we go:
Preserve those who are travelling;
surround them with your loving care;
protect them from every danger;
and bring them in safety to their journey's end;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.

Cx :-)

Good morning :-)


It was certainly wild and windy around this area yesterday but things have calmed down now thank goodness. I hope everyone has stayed safe.


A return to some Celtic words



I arise today
in your strength to uplift me,
in your power to direct me,
in your love to enfold me,
in your wisdom to guide me,
in your way to lead me
this day and every day.


King of brightness,
you turn darkness into light
and open the shutters on a new day.
You refresh our bodies with sleep
and waken us to face
the challenges of a new dawn.
Help us to live this day to your glory.


Continuing to keep the prayer requests in mind.......love to you all Cx :-)

Thank you Cynthia :-)

Keeping everyone in my thoughts and prayers <3

Our young friend is coming along nicely and is now being
moved about in a wheelchair much to her enjoyment.
More things to see and take notice of.

xx

Very wet but not as windy here in Yorkshire Cynthia. Lovely words today and such good and positive news about your young friend Emma. The power of prayer is so amazing!

Those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.
(Isaiah 40 v 31)

Good morning :-)

Such fantastic news about your young friend Emma - so very delighted for both her and for her family. <3


I was sorry to see, on another thread, that Margee's husband has died. Our thoughts and prayers go to her and to her family at this sad time.


Some words for today:

God Gave Man The Earth

The earth is the Lord's, and the fullness thereof ...
He gave it to man as a gift of His love
So all men might live as He hoped they would,
Sharing together all things that were good.

But man only destroyed the good earth of God.
He polluted the air and ravished the sod,
He cut down the forests with ruthless disdain.
And the earth's natural beauty he perverted for gain.

And now in an age filled with violent dissent,
Man finds he's imprisoned in his own discontent.
He has taken the earth that God placed in his care
And built his own hell without being aware

That the future we face was fashioned by man,
Who in ignorance resisted God's beautiful plan;
And what God created to be paradise
Became by man's lust and perversion and vice.

A cauldron of chaos in a fog of pollution
To which man can find no cure or solution.
How far man will go to complete his destruction
Is beyond a computer's robot deduction.

~ Helen Steiner Rice


Love to all Cx :-)

In his weekly address for the Wednesday general audience, Pope Francis offered advice on fighting those tendencies which “dismember” the Body of Christ, such as jealousy and feelings of superiority.

“A jealous heart is a bitter heart, a heart that instead of blood seems to have vinegar, eh! It is a heart that is never happy, it is a heart that disrupts the community,” he told tens of thousands of pilgrims gathered in Saint Peter's Square on Oct. 22, according to a Vatican Radio translation.

“When I am jealous, I must say to the Lord: 'Thank you, Lord, for you have given this to that person'.”

Pope Francis stressed the importance of “expressing gratitude for everything,” saying that we are sometimes “held back” from saying “thank you” because of jealousy.

He also warned against feelings of superiority over others. “This is bad, do not do that! When you are tempted to this, remember your sins, those no one knows, shame yourself before God and say, 'You, Lord, you know who is superior, I close my mouth'.”

The Holy Father’s general audience address focused largely on how the Church, drawn together by the Holy Spirit, is truly the Body of Christ.

Beginning with St. Paul, the Pope said, the image of the body as “applied to the Church” has become “recognized as its deepest and most beautiful distinguishing feature.” The question we ask ourselves, then is: “in what sense does the Church form a body? And why is called the 'body of Christ'?”

Turning to the Book of Ezekiel, Pope Francis highlighted the unique and “shocking” scene – one which, nonetheless, “instils confidence and hope in our hearts” – in which the prophet has a vision of a field of broken and dried-up bones.

“Imagine: an entire plain full of bones,” he said. “God asks [Ezekiel], then, to invoke the Spirit upon them. At that point, the bones move, they begin to draw closer to each other and join together, nerves begin to grow and then flesh and thus the body is formed, whole and full of life.”

The Holy Father advised the faithful to go home and read this passage from Ezekiel 37, explaining: “This is the Church... the masterpiece of the Spirit, which instils in each of us new life of the Risen Christ and places us next to each other, to help and support each other, thus making all us one body, built in the communion and love.”

The Church is not merely a body which has been built by the Spirit, he continued. Rather, “the Church is the Body of Christ!” This is the “great gift” we received in Baptism, for in this Sacrament, “Christ makes us His, welcoming us into the heart of the mystery of the Cross, the supreme mystery of His love for us, to make us rise again with Him as new creatures.”

“Baptism is truly a rebirth,” the Holy Father continued, “which regenerates us in Christ, making us a part of Him, and unites us intimately among each other, as members of the same body, of which He is the head” (cf. Rom 12.5, 1 Cor 12, 12-13).

“What emerges from this, then, is a profound communion of love.”

Recalling the words of St. Paul, in which the Apostle exhorts husbands to 'love their wives as their own bodies,' as 'Christ does the Church', the Pope remarked how good it would be to remember that we are Jesus' body which “nothing and no one can snatch from Him and which he covers with all His passion and all His love, just like a bridegroom with his bride.”

Pope Francis added that this “must give rise in us the desire to respond to the Lord Jesus and share His love among ourselves, as living members of His own body.”

In the time of Paul, the Pope said, the community of Corinth experienced “divisions, jealousies, misunderstandings and marginalization.” Instead of “building and helping the Church to grow as the Body of Christ,” he said, these difficulties “shatter it into many pieces, they dismember it. And this also happens in our day.”

These same divisions which exist in our own neighbourhoods, he said, work to dismember us. “It is the beginning of war. War does not begin on the battlefield: war, wars begin in the heart, with this misunderstanding, division, envy, with this fighting among each other.”

Citing Paul's “practical advice” to the Corinthians, Pope Francis warned against jealousy, calling instead for an appreciation for “the gifts and the quality of our brothers and sisters in our communities.”

He concluded his address by imploring the Holy Spirit to “help us to really live as the Body of Christ, united as a family, but a family that is the body of Christ, and as a beautiful and visible sign of the love of Christ.”

{*C&P from the Net).

Good morning :-)


My goodness, I am late this morning! I started to post on here over an hour ago but had a panic phone call from my daughter because her drain is blocked. When someone with Asperger's panic, they do it big style! Hopefully I have partway sorted that problem - just waiting for a call to say that the plumber is on his way and I can go down and let him in. It's all go here!

Thank you for that piece Dermot. I have an affection for Pope Francis and his words are very true. The Ezekiel reading is often read at the Easter Vigil when we renew our baptismal vows.


A prayer for jealousy :

Lord Jesus Christ,
I am caught in a web of jealousy that stays with me night and day.

Help me to put away from me this evil which your Word tells us rots bones and even shortens lives .

Bring home to me the further evils to which it leads if it is left unchecked: slander, calumny, hatred, damaged relations, persecutions, and worse things.

Let me dwell constantly on the motives for loving others rather than being jealous of them.

Remind me of the fleeting character of all life's attachments and successes and of the fact that our true happiness lies in being united closely with You and with all others in You.

Amen.


Hope everyone is well Cx :-)

Oh dear Cynthia, your family don't have much luck with drains.... hope the plumber was able to help your daughter and the panic is over now.

Thanks to Dermot for an interesting posting.

Thinking and praying now for all families who have children with special needs.

Good morning :-)


I must admit that I am feeling rather 'drained' this morning :-D

The plumber had it all sorted by early afternoon, so the panic was soon over. However, I launched into another problem when the chemist informed me that they didn't have all of the meds my husband's needs. That has to be sorted this morning. Such a fun life.... :-)


Today is St. Crispin's Day. Whilst I have vaguely heard this name, I knew nothing about him at all, but it's another interesting story and I will leave it as the thought for today.


Crispin and Crispinian, twin brothers who were martyred c. 286.

Born to a noble Roman family in the 3rd century AD, Saints Crispin and Crispinian, fled persecution for their faith, ending up at Soissons, where they preached Christianity to the Gauls whilst making shoes by night.

Their charity, piety, and contempt of material things impressed the locals, and many converted in the years of their ministry. Martyred under emperor Maximian Herculeus, being tried by Rictus Varus, governor of Belgic Gaul and an enemy of Christianity. A great church was built at Soissons in the 6th century in their honour.


October 25th is also most famous for the battles that occurred on it, most notably the Battle of Agincourt in 1415. Because of the St. Crispin's Day Speech in Shakespeare's play Henry V, calling the soldiers who would fight on the day a "band of brothers", other battles fought on Crispin's day have been associated with Shakespeare's words. Other notable battles include the Battle of Balaclava (Charge of the Light Brigade) during the Crimean War in 1854 and the Battle of Leyte Gulf in the Pacific theatre in 1944.



Saints Crispin and Crispinian are the Christian patron saints of cobblers, curriers, tanners, and leather workers.


Love to all. Cx :-)

I love these snippets that you give us Cynthia,
kandj and Dermot :-)

I see you have not lost your sense of humour whilst
being tested with the drains problem Cynthia :-D

Thoughts and prayers to all seeking comfort and strength
to help them through difficult times.

xx

Cynthia, an interesting write up about St Crispin. I have just Googled and spent far too long reading several links..... fascinating really. Very humbling also to read accounts of Saints and their sufferings for their belief in Christian worship.

Liking your avatar Emma. Hard to believe that it is that time of year once again!

Blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, and whose hope is in the Lord.
(Jeremiah 17 v 7).

Good morning..... :-)


I enjoyed the extra hour's sleep but it has sent my husband's meds a bit haywire...no doubt we will be back on track before too long... :-)


The Collect for today - one of the most well known of all....

Blessed Lord,
who caused all holy Scriptures to be written for our learning:
help us so to hear them, to read, mark, learn and inwardly digest them that,
through patience, and the comfort of your holy word,
we may embrace and for ever hold fast the hope of everlasting life,
which you have given us in our Saviour Jesus Christ,
who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever. Amen.


Continuing to remember our friends in prayer....

Cx :-)

Good morning :-)


I've received a message from kandj to say that she will be unable to post for a time as she is busy caring for her husband. She hopes to be back with us soon though.


For all who need one of these ................



A hug is a wonderful gift to share,
A way to show each other that we care;
There is so much a hug is able to do,
When you feel those arms holding you.

A hug is a place to feel safe and warm,
A comfort for a sad heart that is torn;
An expression of the love in our heart,
For ones who we wish, never to be apart.

A hug is a greeting when we meet to say hello,
Or to say goodbye when we have to go;
It can hold us up when life gets us down,
And makes us smile, instead of frown.

A hug can be given for no reason at all,
And given to those, both big and small;
We're never too old to feel the joy it brings,
As it is one of life's most pleasing things.

And for all of this beauty, a hug is free!
It costs nothing, yet means so much to me;
We should all hug another to show we care,
For to feel a warm hug, nothing can compare.



~ Author Unknown



With love to you all.....Cx :-)

Thank you Cynthia.

Sending a cyber hug to kandj and all in need at this time

Thank you Cynthia.

Thoughts and prayers to kandj and her husband.

xx

Good morning :-)



It's going to be a busy day for me today. As it's half term, my daughter is off work and the grandchildren are looking forward to a brief trip into town. They understand that it all depends on how granddad is, and they are fine with that bless them.

Also had a message from my cousin who lives down south, that he is in my area with work and will drop in later. I may as well leave the door open......come one, come all :-D


For today, the words of an old 'favourite'....


What A Friend We Have In Jesus Hymn

What a friend we have in Jesus,
all our sins and griefs to bear!
What a privilege to carry
everything to God in prayer!
O what peace we often forfeit,
O what needless pain we bear,
all because we do not carry
everything to God in prayer.

Have we trials and temptations?
Is there trouble anywhere?
We should never be discouraged;
take it to the Lord in prayer.
Can we find a friend so faithful
who will all our sorrows share?
Jesus knows our every weakness;
take it to the Lord in prayer.

Are we weak and heavy laden,
cumbered with a load of care?
Precious Saviour, still our refuge;
take it to the Lord in prayer.
Do thy friends despise, forsake thee?
Take it to the Lord in prayer!
In his arms he'll take and shield thee;
thou wilt find a solace there.


One of those hymns which can rattle around in the brain all day.........Cx :-)

Good morning.... :-)


My busy day went well thankfully and it was good to see my 'baby' cousin again. :-)

For the day ahead :

A New day

As I wake from sleep, rouse me,
As I wash, cleanse me,
As I dress, gird me with your power,
As I eat, energise me,
As I journey, protect me,
As I relax, calm me,
As I sleep, surround me.


Remembering those who have asked for prayer..... Cx :-)