General Chat

Good morning :-)

We are almost in Lent……today is Shrove Tuesday also known as Pancake Day! (I adore pancakes ??) But what does Shrove mean?

'Shriving' is a ritual that Christians used to go through in the past where they confess their sins and receive absolution for them. The absolution frees the person from the guilt and pain that their sins have been causing them. So there is more to this day than pancakes - it is the day before the beginning of Lent.

Years ago, there were many foods that observant Christians would not eat during Lent eg eggs, and milky foods. To avoid wastage, families would have a feast on the shriving Tuesday, and eat up all the foods that wouldn't last the forty days of Lent without going off – hence pancakes.

Lent is traditionally associated with fasting and giving things up
Fasting or giving things up in Lent should be an optional discipline. If it helps you concentrate your mind on God, overcome your weakness of will then it is a fine thing to do, and follows the example of Jesus himself. Otherwise, it is pointless—or even spiritually dangerous.

Some Christians prefer not to fast or give things up, but to use Lent as an opportunity to revive their Christian life, or to seek grace to overcome some sin or weakness in their lives, in the hope that habits learned in Lent will continue with God’s help throughout the year. (Actually, this is something which all Christians need to do, whether they give things up or not!)

Lord, help us to seek you more closely this Lent. Amen.


Cx :-)

HSR never disappoints me, comforting words for all x

Good morning :-)


It's taken me SO long to get here that I am now in a rush......hey ho.

LOOK ON THE SUNNY SIDE
by:
Helen Steiner Rice

There are always two sides the good and the bad,
The dark and the light, the sad and the glad.
But in looking back over the good and the bad,
We're aware of the number of good things we've had,

And in counting our blessings, we find when we're through,
We've no reason at all to complain or be blue.
So thank God for the good things He has already done,
And be grateful to Him for the battles you've won,

And know that the same God who helped you before,
Is ready and willing to help you once more.
Then with faith in your hearts,
reach out for God's Hand
and accept what He sends,
though you can't understand.

For our Father in Heaven always knows what is best,
And if you trust in His wisdom, your life will be blessed.
So always remember that whatever betide you,
you are never alone, for God is beside you.


Cx :-)

Good morning :-)


Hello kandj how lovely to hear from you and what a lovely gesture by your nieces and their little ones. <3

*Waves* to Pat.......good to see you have rejoined us again. How are the bells? :-D


The Collect (special prayer) set for today…..

Almighty Father,
whose Son was revealed in majesty
before he suffered death upon the cross:
give us grace to perceive his glory,
that we may be strengthened to suffer with him
and be changed into his likeness, from glory to glory;
who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever. Amen.

The reading set for today tells of the Transfiguration of Jesus on the mountain.

I think we have a forecast for snow today.................. :-(

At church, we have the baptism of three little ones. I do hope the female Godparents are not wearing backless, topless mini dresses as per usual - they will freeze big style ...... :-D

Love to all. Cx :-)

Hello all

So very sad to read that lovely Fly's husband had passed away too. ((hugs to Fly)).

Welcome back Pat..... can you send a little warmth to us all from Cyprus please?

Been to join my two nieces and their little children aged 7, two 4 year olds and a 2 year old sweetie and they had written messages to great uncle and let helium balloons fly high into the sky....... I had to swallow hard as all the little ones shouted, "Goodbye Uncle, we love you sooo much"... Oh dear, I had to quickly wipe the tears away but it was so lovely being with the children and seeing their excited faces.

I was surprised when a beautiful arrangement of flowers was delivered in a box so I don't have to put them in a vase. These were sent by our family in Durham with love and hugs from them all. Martin is bringing Katie here for a couple of nights as it is half term next week, so they will come and keep me company. How blessed I am!!

Thank you Cynthia for your ongoing support and to everyone else for your kind words and prayers which are also a great blessing to me at such a sad time. xxx

Hi, am back.

Thinking especially of Fly and Kandj at the moment (((((hug))))) <3 <3 <3

Good morning :-)


Sorry to hear about the death of your friend's husband Emma - I recall the name 'Fly'. May he rest in peace.


The Lonely Ember

A member of a certain church, who previously had been attending services regular-ly, stopped going.

After a few weeks, the pastor decided to visit him. It was a chilly evening. The pas-tor found the man at home alone, sitting before a blazing fire.

Guessing the reason for his pastor's visit, the man welcomed him, led him to a big chair near the fireplace and waited. The pastor made himself comfortable but said nothing. In the grave silence, he contemplated the play of the flames around the burning logs.

After some minutes, the pastor took the fire tongs, carefully picked up a brightly burning ember and placed it to one side of the hearth all alone. Then he sat back in his chair, still silent. The host watched all this in quiet fascination.

As the one lone ember's flame diminished, there was a momentary glow and then its fire was no more. Soon it was cold and "dead as a doornail."

Not a word had been spoken since the initial greeting.

Just before the pastor was ready to leave, he picked up the cold, dead ember and placed it back in the middle of the fire. Immediately it began to glow once more with the light and warmth of the burning coals around it.

As the pastor reached the door to leave, his host said, "Thank you so much for your visit and especially for the fiery sermon. I shall be back in church next Sunday".


Cx :-)

My thoughts and prayers today for a special friend who's
OH passed away yesterday.

Love and my deepest sympathy on Paul's passing dearest Fly
<3 <3

Good morning :-)

As we near the end of the week looking at ‘You don’t have to go to church to be a Christian’ – I found these quotes.

Roger McGough, poet and broadcaster:
I've had my doubts about religion, but if I don't go to mass on a Sunday I feel as though something is missing. People are often surprised to find out that I'm a Catholic, but there is a real peace and perspective in it for me.

Tom Hollander, actor, describing his research for play the vicar in BBC’s ‘Rev’, 2010:
There's a yearning for there to be something super-real be-yond us ... I went to church in a tiny village in Norfolk. I heard a very old vicar deliver the most beautiful sermon. Just giving us some pointers on how to think about our lives, and come to terms with ourselves. In a beautiful building, full of people who were terribly kind to each other, with the sunlight streaming in. And I thought, 'This is fantastic!'

John Wesley
The Bible knows nothing of solitary religion.

Dwight L. Moody
Church attendance is as vital to a disciple as a transfusion of rich, healthy blood to a sick man.

So there we are then..... Jesus never called us to be "Lone Ranger" Christians. He called us together as the Body of Christ.


Love to all. Cx :-)

Good morning :-)

I had a mad day yesterday........off to Liverpool for a hospital appoint for OH - all was okay thank goodness. Back to prepare an evening meal for the family when wham! I turned to go in another direction but the heal of my boot caught on the floor and down I went clutching a pan of cabbage. :-0 You couldn't make it up could you? :-D
Usually, I change my shoes when I come in, but because I was soon to go to baptism prep class, I had kept my boots on........doh! The cabbage was unharmed.

Hey ho.....such is life.

Still reading about ‘Can you be a Christian and not go to church’?

Believers are encouraged to fellowship as members of the Body of Christ. Without this, it is inevitable that one would grow cold in the faith. We need support and encouragement from fellow believers in order to grow in our faith.

There is no law that says one has to go to church. We are at liberty to worship God in spirit and in truth (read John 4), but if we are truly walking with Him, then His Spirit living in us leads us to do His will. Thus, going to church is not a must, but the true Christian will naturally seek fellowship with other believers. For many, this involves becoming faithful members of a church. Christians are also called to serve the Body of Christ, and church is often a great place to start.

Now I must get some housework done!!


Still thinking of kandj <3


Love to all. Cx :-)

Food for thought Cynthia x

My thoughts and prayers for all in need at this time x

Good morning :-)

I do hope that your daughter's move goes smoothly Vera.....such a stressful time - even in the best of circumstances. Love to you and to your daughter <3


Still thinking of kandj and hoping she is taking care of herself. <3


Some uncomfortable reading for me yesterday.

”I don’t go to church because it is full of hypocrites”.

“It's nice to know that God has rounded up all the hypocrites and put them in church buildings — at least on Sunday morn-ings — so that all the people in the world who have pristine motives and clear consciences don't have to put up with them.” (John Roberts)

What are the reasons behind the accusation?

The words "sinner" and "hypocrite" are frequently confused. A person will observe a Christian sinning, and then label him a hypocrite. The assumption is that a person who claims to be a Christian never sins.

The great thing about the gospel message is that a whole bunch of hypocrites can gather together and find purpose, hope and forgiveness from Jesus!

The church is a work in progress (and so are its members). Like a cathedral that may take decades or centuries to complete, the process is long and arduous, but someday it will be complete and stand as a beautiful testimony to the power of Christ to transform lives for the better.

Remember, too, that only some professing Christians act hypocritically. What about all those who do not? What about all those who consistently live out the love of Christ in the world?

Lord, help me to lead my Christian life out in the world. Amen.

Cx :-)

Good morning all ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thank you for the continuing posts Cynthia. They are appreciated.

Thinking, as ever, of Kandj <3 <3

Tomorrow we are helping our dear daughter move house. A very stressful time for her as she faces the break up of her marriage and building a new life in a new home, so special thoughts for anyone in need of support and comfort as they face the difficulties in their lives.

Good morning :-)

Yes, I'm still reading!


If we choose to be a Christian without sharing that experience with others, we risk losing many of the good things that an active relationship with God can bring.

The Christian life was never meant to be lived solo, God has gifted each member of his church to serve one another, you can’t do that solo. It is near impossible to live a Christian life alone, it runs counter to everything God has done for us.

However, some people can’t help but live alone. The thief on the cross could not join a church, he had no choice; but where we have a choice, we really should become a part of God’s church.

It’s like someone who gets married, but never moves in with their partner. It is true that you can be married without living together, and there may be extreme circumstances that you can think of where someone may get married and not live together (if someone is on their death bed for example).

But a real marriage involves relationship. Becoming a Christian means being a part of God’s family.

Lord, help us grow closer to you and to your church. Amen.


Cx :-)

Good afternoon :-)

Yep, Monday afternoon and I have just got round to posting. I gave up this morning because I couldn't get on the site and had jobs to do.

Anyway, better late than never I suppose.....

I've been reading again!

If I had a pound (or even a penny) for each time I have heard the following statement, I guess I would be rather wealthy by now.

“You don’t have to go to church to be a Christian". In some ways that is right but...

If we want to follow Jesus, we need to remember that he went to the synagogue each Sabbath.

The early church leaders led gatherings during which Christians discussed Jesus and His significance in their lives, prayed and read the Bible together, sang songs about God together, and encouraged each other in their faith.

These same reasons are why most Christians today want to participate in a church. To be surrounded with like-minded people who are all pursuing God is actually a big help to one’s faith.

One writer in the Bible states: “Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another.”

Lord, help us to help one another as we search for your truths. Amen


Cx :-)

Thoughts and prayers to all in need of comfort. x

Good morning :-)



The Collect (special prayer) set 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.


The gospel set for today is the wonderful reading we so often hear at Christmas………In the beginning was the Word……



Love to all Cx :-)

Good morning :-)

I was just changing the bed when I realised that I hadn't posted on here :-0

We are waiting for a district nurse to come and dress OH's leg as the cellulitis has flared up again. We are happy and able to go to a clinic but couldn't get an appointment until next week - hence the quick home visit. We were told any time between 8.30 and 5pm........ Suffice it to say that I am now sitting all neat and tidy and waiting for the doorbell to ring. What's the betting it will be at about 4.30pm sigh.

Hi Kandj, lovely to see you posting and we are still holding you in prayer <3

For today and ending our week of looking at angels.......

We praise you, Almighty God, for the heavenly hosts you have created to carry out your will in marvellous ways.

We praise you, Lord, that you created angels to minister to us on earth, a sign of love for us that is beyond our understanding.

We thank you for all the times angels help us resist temptation, for we need all the help we can get.

We give thanks that angels lead and guide us on the right paths, although their ministry is not always evident to us.

We give thanks that angels inspire us as we lift our hearts in worship.

We give thanks for your gift of angels for their presence is a reminder that our loving God notices and cares for us.

For yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.


Cx :-)

<3 kandj <3

Hello all

Feeling lost, lonely and out of sorts with myself. Our family are now back in Durham. They all wanted me to go back with them but I felt that I needed some time to shed tears and get my head around hubby not being here any more well not his physical presence. Seeing his empty chair doesn't feel right and our bungalow is too tidy and too quiet for me now. My legs feel like lead and my brain doesn't want to work at all.

We definitely made the right choice in asking for Fr Paul to officiate on Monday. Everyone (even the village church regulars who came) agreed how spiritual and Christian Fr Paul was and how blessed our family was for hubby to have the Christian service that we had asked for. God is good indeed. Now I must be patient and rest in His loving arms. I have little energy and find I am very weepy. It is early days.
It can (has to) get better. Very many thanks to Cynthia and to all for your kindness xx