General Chat

Good morning :-)

ASH WEDNESDAY

Today, many Christians will arrive at work with a black cross smudged on their foreheads; countless more will slip into a church or a chapel during their lunch break or after work or tonight, to receive the sign that tells the arrival of the traditional start of the Christian season Lent.

Lent. That 40-day period of reflection and preparation that leads up to Easter. Christians observe Lent by fasting, praying, donating, and reflecting on their actions.

People talk about ‘giving something up’ for Lent and one of the most common things is……..chocolate and sweets, but Lent is about more than that.

Cx :-)

Good morning :-)


It's Pancake Day!
The thing is, many people tend to either overlook or simply don’t know that many of our traditions have a religious background.

Take Pancake Day or, as Christians know it, Shrove Tuesday. On that day, according to tradition, people would use up all their rich, fatty foods in preparation for Lent, the season which prepares us for Easter. During Lent, they would fast, pray and give.

The word ‘Shrove’ comes from ‘Shrive’, meaning ‘absolution from sin’. People would go to church on the day before Ash Wednesday to confess their sins and be absolved, ready to begin Lent and so prepare for Easter.

These are traditions which are still carried on by many people today.

When we are enjoying our pancakes, let’s remember these traditions and what they symbolise. ??

Cx :-)

Good morning :-)

This week we begin our journey through Lent – 40 days of prayer, fasting and giving. A solemn time, when we remember Jesus spending time in the desert, leading up to Holy Week with His trial and crucifixion. However, before we embark on that journey on Wednesday…………………….

Everyone loves to laugh… even in church! The Lord created humour, so the church should be a place that is full of joy and laughter. Hopefully, a smile for today……


What did the classmate say when asked why they kept walking next to the same person at school?
“I was told I’m supposed to walk by Faith!”

Which Bible character was super-fit?
ABSalom.

Why didn’t Noah go fishing?
He only had two worms.

What is the best way to study the Bible?
You Luke into it.

What do you call a priest who becomes a lawyer?
A father-in-law.

Why did the sponge go to church?
It was hole-y.

Why didn’t anyone want to fight Goliath?
It seemed like a giant ordeal.

What do you call a prophet who’s also a chef?
HabakKUK

How do clergy make orange juice?
They PULPit.


Cx :-)

Good morning :-)

The Collect (special prayer for today)
Almighty God,
you have created the heavens and the earth
and made us in your own image:
teach us to discern your hand in all your works
and your likeness in all your children;
through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,
who with you and the Holy Spirit reigns supreme over all things,
now and for ever.

Amen.

Cx :-)

Good morning :-)


A very Happy St. David's Day to all those from that glorious country. <3


The Lord of All
by Samuel Longfellow

Sing forth his high eternal name
Who holds all powers in thrall,
Through endless ages still the same,—
The mighty Lord of all.

His goodness, strong and measureless,
Upholds us lest we fall,
His hand is still outstretched to bless,—
The loving Lord of all.

His perfect law sets metes and bounds,
Our strong defense and wall;
His providence our life surrounds,—
The saving Lord of all.

He every thought and every deed
Doth to his judgment call;
Oh, may our hearts obedient heed
The righteous God of all.

When, turning from forbidden ways,
Low at his feet we fall,
His strong and tender arms upraise,—
The pardoning Lord of all.

Unwearied he is working still,
Unspent his blessings fall,
Almighty, Loving, Righteous One,
The only Lord of all.



Cx :-)

Hello all


Once again thank you Cynthia, this week's posting has been interesting and thought provoking.

It's hard to think that it's the first day of March tomorrow.The was a hard frost overnight, but at least the days are getting longer.

Good morning :-)

James Hudson Taylor………continued

In 1858, Taylor married Maria Jane Dyer, the orphaned daughter of the Rev. Samuel Dyer of the London Missionary Society, who had been a pioneer missionary to the Chinese in Penang, Malaysia. Hudson met Maria in Ningbo where she lived and worked at a school for girls which was run by one of the first female missionaries to the Chinese, Mary Ann Aldersey.

As a married couple, the Taylors cared for an adopted boy named Tianxi while living in Ningbo. They had a baby of their own that died late in 1858. Their first surviving child, Grace, was born in 1859. Shortly after she was born, the Taylors took over all of the operations at the hospital in Ningbo that had been run by William Parker. In a letter to his sister Amelia Hudson Taylor, he wrote on 14 February 1860,

“If I had a thousand pounds China should have it—if I had a thousand lives, China should have them. No! Not China, but Christ. Can we do too much for Him? Can we do enough for such a precious Saviour?


Cx :-)

Good morning :-)


Having seen what Wiki tells the world about Jesus, the question remains – what do WE think about Jesus?

With Jesus, there is no middle ground or halfway. Jesus is either Lord of all in our lives or not at all.

Someone who used this quote was James Hudson Taylor who was born in 1832 and founder of the China Inland Mission (CIM), one of the largest Christian movements in the world. This organisation, which became the Overseas Missionary Fellowship and which continues today as OMF International, was responsible for taking over 800 missionaries to China.

Hudson Taylor spent his early years in Barnsley, the son of a pharmacist and lay preacher. He lost his faith for a time during his youth, but by 1849 had not only re-found his faith but had also decided he would travel to China as a missionary.
To be continued…………………

Cx :-)

Good morning :-)

In church yesterday, we were asked an interesting question

Who do you think Jesus is?

Wiki is good at telling us things like this……..

Jesus, also known as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth, was a 1st-century Jewish preacher and religious leader. He is the central figure of Christianity, regarded by most Christians as the Incarnation of God. His life, message, and ministry are chronicled in the four Gospels of the New Testament. According to the Bible, Jesus is the Son of God who came to Earth, lived a sinless life, died for the sins of humanity, and rose again, accomplishing salvation for those who believe in him.

The thing is, who do WE think that he is?

Cx :-)

Good morning :-)

Today, we hear readings about the Throne of God and also of how Jesus calmed the storm.


The Collect (special prayer) for today:
Almighty God,
you have created the heavens and the earth
and made us in your own image:
teach us to discern your hand in all your works
and your likeness in all your children;
through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,
who with you and the Holy Spirit reigns supreme over all things,
now and for ever. Amen

Cx :-)

Good morning :-)

Dear God, we come before You asking for wisdom for all those in leadership positions.. Grant them the understanding to make decisions that benefit the people they lead.

May they seek Your guidance in every step they take and listen to Your voice in all matters of leadership. Let their hearts be open to Your truth and may they lead with integrity, clarity and truth. Amen.

Cx :-)

Good morning :-)

Leadership in the Bible.

Not all the leaders in the Bible were male, several women held a position of influence in their society.

Deborah
The Bible mentions one female judge - Deborah. We read Deborah’s story in Judges 4-5. Deborah’s assignment was to instruct Barak to go into battle against Sisera, commander of the Canaanite army. For whatever reason, Barak wasn’t willing to answer the call unless Deborah was by his side.

She accepted his challenge and went to battle with him. And her work wasn’t done. In the battle, she had to encourage Barak to do the work God had called him to do.

From Deborah, we learn to go boldly into the battle to do God’s work. We learn to walk beside those we lead and to encourage them when they falter.

Cx :-)

Good morning :-)


Leadership in the Bible.

Nehemiah
Not a chap we may be very familiar with but Nehemiah rises from his position as the king’s cupbearer to be the governor of Jerusalem.

The book of Nehemiah starts with a conversation between Nehemiah and his brother. When Nehemiah learns about the conditions in Jerusalem, he’s disheartened for his people.

From the first chapter to the last, Nehemiah brought his requests to God. The man was always praying. Sometimes, his prayers were long and eloquent, other times, they were short and to the point.

From Nehemiah, we learn how to respond to trials and adversaries. We learn to pray through our problems and to choose prayer as our first response.

We can learn a lot from this chap!

Cx :-)

Good morning :-)

The Bible is full of leaders. Good leaders and bad leaders!

One of the greatest leaders was Moses

This man came from humble beginnings. The son of slaves, he should have been thrown into the River Nile, but God had a plan for him. Moses grew up in Pharoah’s household as a prince (yes, the same Pharoah who’d ordered his death and that of the sons of Moses’s people).

Moses would become one of the greatest leaders in the Bible. A man the Jews still revered when Jesus was on earth. But Moses didn’t step into his role as the leader of God’s people easily. His first attempt at helping his people resulted in him killing a man and then 40 years in the desert.

How did this man go from cowering in the desert to challenging Pharoah? How did he become the man who the Israelites spoke of with such reverence and awe?

It started with humility and a desire to do the will of God. The Bible calls Moses the “humblest man who ever lived” and also the man God talked to as a friend. From this leader in the Bible, we learn to humble ourselves before God and He will exalt us.

We thank God for Moses.


Cx :-)

Good morning :-)

Being a leader is not everyone's ideal role. With Christians, Jesus is the leader and what a fantastic leader he was!!

Servant Leadership: Jesus showed servant leadership by putting the needs of others first and leading through service.

Compassion and Love: His leadership focused on deep compassion and a strong commitment to love and forgiveness.

Truth and Selflessness: Jesus always acted with honesty and selflessness, promoting moral integrity in his interactions.

Sacrifice: He demonstrated leadership through sacrifice, showing that true leadership involves putting others ahead of oneself.
Humility: Jesus led with humility, teaching that real greatness comes from serving others. These qualities illustrate how Jesus' leadership style continues to inspire and challenge modern leaders.


Lord, may we follow where you lead. Amen.

Cx :-)

Good morning :-)

Yesterday, our Girl Guiding units gave a presentation at the morning service. They had been 'thinking' - (Thinking Day) about leadership and what it means to them. They gave us a good acrostic example of how they feel about their leaders!


L is for lovely; they’re kind and giving
E is for energy; they make things exciting
A is for activities; they always come up with fun things to do
D is for doing; they are always doing something for somebody else
E is for encouraging; they always cheer us on and say nice things
R is for respect; they are kind and supportive
S is for service; they give their time willingly and lend a hand
H is for helping; they help us to do lots of things like making things,
playing games and learning new skills
I is for inspire; they always have new ideas and make us want to
do our best
P is for progress; they are always learning new things and moving
forwards just like us

The girls are more than happy with their leaders. How lovely.

Cx :-)

Good morning :-)

The Collect (special prayer for today)
Almighty God,
who alone can bring order
to the unruly wills and passions of sinful humanity:
give your people grace
so to love what you command
and to desire what you promise,
that, among the many changes of this world,
our hearts may surely there be fixed
where true joys are to be found;
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.

In today’s gospel reading, we hear Jesus pronouncing blessings on the poor, hungry and persecuted while warning the comfortable and complacent.

Cx :-)

Good morning :-)

Tomorrow, there will be Girl Guiding Groups joining their local church services because it is the nearest Sunday to Thinking Day!

Celebrated since 1926, World Thinking Day is a day of international friendship. It is an opportunity to celebrate the Girl Guiding and Girl Scouting Movement speak out on issues that affect young women and fundraise for 10.8 million Girl Guides and Girl Scouts in 153 countries.

What do they do on World Thinking Day?
• Celebrate World Thinking Day and be one in ten million!
• Be inspired by the history and impact of this global Movement
• Connect with the worldwide sisterhood of Girl Guiding and Girl
Scouting
• Take action and speak out on issues they most care about
• Make a difference by fundraising for projects around the world

We thank God for this organisation, for its members, leaders and supporters.

Cx :-)

Good morning :-)


It’s dear old St. Valentine’s Day once more – the Christian martyr whose name sparked the giving of romantic gifts. There are many stories and legends about St. Valentine, most lost in the mists of time. However, we remember him as a person who encouraged people to know Christ and was persecuted and killed as a result of his faith.

God's Valentine Gift

God's Valentine gift of love to us
Was not a bunch of flowers;
It wasn't candy, or a book
To while away the hours.

His gift was to become a man,
So He could freely give
His sacrificial love for us,
So you and I could live.

He gave us sweet salvation, and
Instruction, good and true--
To love our friends and enemies
And love our Saviour, too.

So as we give our Valentines,
Let's thank our Lord and King;
The reason we have love to give
Is that He gave everything.

By Joanna Fuchs

Cx :-)

Good morning :-)

Fishers of Men and how to be one.

Find where the people are.
We don’t catch fish in a barrel. We have to go to where the fish are. This is true of the gospel as well, we need to go to the people. The good news is that there are people who don’t know Jesus all around us. They may be our neighbours, family, friends or workmates.

Bait the hook/cast the net
We need to engage with them regularly. This daily engagement is the work that it takes to reel in the fish. This is where patience comes into play. People are watching not just our words but our actions, our attitudes and how we interact with other people. These are the things that will bait the hook and draw people to us.

Focus on casting the net not how many fish we catch.
Any good fisherman will tell us that we have no control over the number of fish we catch. The same is true with the gospel. As we go out to be fishers of men and share the gospel we only need to worry about how many nets we throw. When it comes to Christians being fishers of men and sharing the gospel this is what Jesus wants us to focus on.

Cx :-)