General Chat

Good afternoon and apologies for late arrival! :-)


From Everyday Faith

How far ahead do we see when we think about the future? Some will see years, others just a year or two.

In today’s reading, the prayer that the people of Bethlehem pray for Ruth and Boaz is a prayer that the impact of their lives would continue for generations. The prayer is answered. Ruth and Boaz become the great-grandparents of the great King David. And so in turn the direct ancestors of Jesus. God answered their prayer but no one who prayed that prayer would have lived to see David crowned.

This encourages us to pray across the generations – for the great grandchildren we will never see – for the eradication of disease – for the coming of God’s Kingdom.


“Then all the people who were at the gate, along with the elders, said to Boaz, ‘We are witnesses. May the Lord make the woman who is coming into your house like Rachel and Leah, who together built up the house of Israel … through the children that the Lord will give you by this young woman, may your house be like the house of Perez, whom Tamar bore to Judah.’ ”
Ruth 4.11–12

Cx :-)

Hello all

I hope everyone is as well as can be, I'm thinking especially of Cynthia and her husband today.

Love to you and OH, Cyn xxx


As regards the church being long-winded ..... the Anglican church OH goes to is in the process of finding a new vicar.

they're into the second year of "discussions" :-|

Good morning :-)

From Everyday Faith


When we are under pressure and anxious, where do we turn?

There are those who, when the going gets tough, turn to prayer. There are those, like Jehoshaphat in the bible, who are so fearful that they don’t think to cry out to God.

We all face challenges of one type or another and we all encounter people in crisis – we can’t predict when a crisis will happen so we can’t necessarily prepare, but there is always hope.

Life is full of dilemmas and disasters but we need to remember to cry out to God, the one who sees all and knows all – the one who gives us hope.

Lord, as we face the challenges and crisis in our everyday lives, help us to remember that you are always there. Amen.


Cx :-)

Thoughts to you and OH Cynthia and hope this
is a good day, God Bless <3

Good morning :-)

Thanks David - much appreciated.

From Everyday Faith

“The Lord God planted a garden in Eden … and there he put the man whom he had formed … The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to till it and keep it.”
Genesis 2.8, 15


Yesterday we looked at hope, but what about hopelessness? This can come in many forms – grief, betrayal, the despair that things will never improve. Maybe the sense of the things we do each day – work, housework etc., don’t matter to God and, if they don’t matter, am I wasting my time?

We should remember that work is a big part of what God created us to do. His work of creation in Genesis produces order, provides food, generates joy, creates beauty, gives people the opportunity to work with his creation for his glory and the benefit of others. Similarly, our daily work is intended to imitate God’s in contributing to making our bit of the world more like the way God would like it to be. For God’s glory.

So, doing the washing, prevents disease, gives us and our families clean clothes to wear. Vacuuming and dusting keep our homes clean and healthy; repair work keeps our homes safe and comfortable. All these things are not hopeless but are utterly in line with God’s purposes. Our work matters to God – even feeding the dog!


Cx :-)

Good morning :-D <3

Cynthia I'm ever so sorry, truly. Makes my problem nothing in comparison.

Sincere best wishes.

Good morning :-)

Thank you for you lovely comments.....most of you know that my OH has Parkinson's and now vascular dementia - things aren't going to improve sadly, we simply take each day as it comes and live in faith. We have good days and we have not so good days - such is life. :-D <3

From Everyday Faith

Hope in the Bible isn’t wishful thinking. It tells us that that there is the certainty that we have a new heaven and a new earth to look forward to. The certainty of such a glorious future put the present into perspective.

Jesus’ first miracle at the wedding in Cana, where he turns water into wine shows both a generous gift of 900 bottles of wine and a foretaste of the great wedding banquet of Christ and his bride, the Church (a loving relationship between Christ and His people)

The wine Jesus made was better than what had been served before, leading to the fact that if we live with Him, eternity will be better than anything we have ever experienced before. The hope alive in us is a pointer to the people in our everyday lives.

Lord, we live in hope, we pray in hope – help us to share this hope with others. Amen.

READING
"The mother of Jesus said to him, 'They have no wine.' … Jesus said to the servants, 'Fill the jars with water' … When the steward tasted the water that had become wine … he called the bridegroom and said to him, 'Everyone serves the good wine first … But you have kept the good wine until now.'"
John 2.3, 7, 9–10


Cx :-)

Hello all

I agree fully with Vera and Emma that your husband's needs must come first and I hope that he feels better soon.

Thank you Cynthia for all your daily postings, do look after things at home before coming on here.

Cynthia, I echo Emma’s thanks and, as she says, your priority is to look after your husband. You do so much for others but you mustn’t forget to take care of yourself too. I hope your OH starts to improve soon. Keeping you both in my thoughts and sending a gentle (((((hug)))))

Cynthia thank you again for the prayers and readings.

I hope your OH improves, your priority is looking after
him.

My thoughts and prayers to you both <3

Good morning :-)

Belated good morning to you too David.

Another Sunday - they come round rather quickly don't they? My OH is rather poorly at the moment, so if I go missing ………...that's where I will be.



The Collect (special prayer) for today:

Almighty God,
in Christ you make all things new:
transform the poverty of our nature by the riches of your grace,
and in the renewal of our lives
make known your heavenly glory;
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 taken from where John the Baptist gives his testimony about not being the messiah and we have the famous statement ‘I am the voice of one calling in the wilderness’.


Cx :-)

Hello, good morning to you all :-D <3 <3

Good morning :-)



From Everyday Faith

Travelling on public transport can have its advantages and not just if it is concessionary! Being able to travel to new or familiar places is interesting and there are always opportunities to chat to other people.

We can turn these journeys into an adventure – taking God with us. We can exchange a greeting or a smile with others and there is always an openness to talk.
Sometimes we can forget that God is active in the everyday lives of other people and we never know where a conversation may take us.

This can happen on any transport or places where others are living and working. We need to nudge ourselves to take the journey with the Holy Spirit as our guide.

Lord, help us to remember to travel with you through on our journey through our everyday lives. Amen.

“When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth; for he will not speak on his own, but will speak whatever he hears, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.”
John 16.13


Cx :-)

Good morning :-)

Thanks everyone - what a lovely thing to remember Vera <3

Glad the posts are going down okay - the C. of E. can be a bit long-winded at times and I have abbreviated them somewhat. :-D


There is a story of a police officer who was part of a church. She had had a really hard week as part of a team investigating a particularly awful crime. She was pleased to have fellow Christians with which to share how this experience of sin – very real sin – had not only affected the victims of this crime, but her as well. Taking a stand against the wrongs in the world is tough going – even if we are not faced with situations as difficult as this.

When we live faithfully, our trust is that God is in control. Jesus defeated sin when he died on the cross and he sent the Holy Spirit to be our help in difficult times. Following Christ in everyday life involves taking a stand towards making a better world – as God would have it be. Christian writer John Pritchard suggests this will involve “constantly turning our lives towards God as a sunflower constantly turns its face to the sun”.

What has God been showing you recently about how he is working through you? Why not share this with a friend or group. Why not ask them what they think as well.

Father, help me to be brave enough to take a stand against the evil in this world – even in some small way. Amen.


READING
“The spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me; he has sent me to bring good news to the oppressed, to bind up the broken-hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and release to the prisoners; to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour… to provide for those who mourn in Zion – to give them a garland instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning.”
Isaiah 61.1–3



Cx :-)

Thank you indeed for the continued posts Cynthia.

Kandj, you took me right back to my early childhood with Jesus Bids Us Shine. My mother had a terrible tuneless voice which I have inherited but every night she sang to me when I went to bed. I had 3 little songs and the last was always Jesus Bids Us Shine. When my mother sang that everything was right with my little world and I went happily to sleep :-)

Morning Cynthia and kandj :-)

Thank you from me also Cynthia for your postings,
much appreciated. <3

Good morning all

Thank you for even more interesting postings Cynthia.

I'm left with a childhood hymn Jesus Bids Us Shine after reading todays words buzzing around my head!

Jesus bids us shine with a clear pure light,
Like a little candle burning in the night,
In this world of darkness, we must shine,
You in your small corner and me in mine.

Good morning :-)


From Everyday Faith

Most of us probably see a policeman every day – even dashing past in their cars. We are grateful for their presence and protection - we’re glad that they are there – doing their duty.

Mike is an armed response officer. A high-pressure role. As a Christian, Mike understands that he needs to fulfil this duty in a manner that reflects his faith. What does this look like for Mike?

Mike’s job – his vocation, maybe – is to keep the peace, but Mike has noticed that his duties are not the only way he is a peacemaker. He is often the person who will calm down an argument at work. He doesn’t hold a grudge. Working this out has helped him to notice God at work through him in his everyday life.

We all have a role to play as service: as a friend, parent or sibling, in the workplace. ... What is it about you, about the way that God is forming you, that really shines?

Lord, help us shine for you in our everyday lives. Amen.


READING
“Jesus said, ‘You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hidden. No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.’ ”
Matthew 5.14–16

Cx :-)

Good morning :-)

From Everyday Faith

The reading for today is from the Old Testament and tells us about Moses seeing a burning bush in the desert. He was busy at the time and it probably wasn’t unusual to see such a thing, but that wasn’t what Moses noticed, it was the curious fact that the bush wasn’t being burned up. That was what woke him up to the fact that God was present in that place at that moment.

I wonder if we ever deny God’s presence in our everyday lives. Maybe we think we have had too much caffeine or we’ve been thinking about ‘more important’ things”. Maybe we should just daydream a little more and wake up to God being around us in our every day.

Perhaps we need a stimulus to wake up to God in our everyday lives – a bit like having a cold shower to shock us awake. For Victoria, the hairdresser, this involved being asked a challenging question on what difference being a Christian makes to washing someone’s hair.

What difference does being a Christian make to us when we go about our normal routines – at work, shopping, hobbies, housework?

Lord, may we be aware of your presence within and around us each and every day. Amen.


READING
“Moses was keeping the flock of his father-in-law Jethro, the priest of Midian; he led his flock beyond the wilderness, and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire out of a bush; he looked, and the bush was blazing, yet it was not consumed. Then Moses said, ‘I must turn aside and look at this great sight and see why the bush is not burned up.’ When the Lord saw that he had turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, ‘Moses, Moses!’ And he said, ‘Here I am.’ ”
Exodus 3.1–4


Cx :-)