General Chat

Good morning :-)


Today is a bit of a heavyweight due to a calendar collision of two events!

Yes, it's Valentine's Day, that fixed annual celebration of love and friendship, marked with romantic messages, hearts, flowers and chocolates.

However, it also happens to be Ash Wednesday, that solemn day of fasting and reflection that signals the start of Christianity's most penitent season. Ash Wednesday is not a fixed date. Its timing is tied to Easter Sunday, which moves annually because it is based on a calendar calculation involving the moon.

So how does it all work for the Christian? It really depends on how people view these things.

On Valentine’s Day, many couples will celebrate with a romantic meal out, but those who mark Lent will be at an Ash Wednesday service where the priest draws a cross of ashes on their forehead. This symbolises our human mortality as we prepare to enter the season of Lent. Not a flower or chocolate in sight!

Cx :-)

Good morning :-)

Shrove Tuesday to some, Pancake Day to others.

It’s always good to be reminded of what this day actually means and where the name comes from and it’s also interesting for those who have little knowledge of the Christian faith.

Shrove Tuesday (Pancake Day) is a Christian festival celebrated in many countries across the globe. It falls on the Tuesday before the beginning of Lent – around six weeks leading up to Easter. During Lent, many Christians give up luxuries to remember when Jesus went into the desert for 40 days to fast and pray.

2) The exact date of Shrove Tuesday changes from year to year. But one thing stays the same — it’s always 47 days before Easter Sunday. And yes, you guessed it, it’s always on a Tuesday!

3) The name comes from the old word ‘shriving’, which means to listen to someone’s sins and forgive them. In olden times, Christians would go to church on Shrove Tuesday to confess their sins and clean their soul. In other words, they would be ‘shriven’.

Traditionally during Lent, Christians would give up rich, tasty foods such as butter, eggs, sugar and fat (some Christians continue to do so, in fact). Shrove Tuesday was the last chance to eat them – and what better way to do so than with a delicious pancake!

On this Shrove Tuesday, Lord help us to enjoy and give thanks to
you for the bounty you provide for us and remind us to share your gifts with others. And as Lent begins tomorrow, prepare our hearts and minds to reflect upon the temptation of Jesus for 40 days and nights and what that means for us. Amen

Cx :-)

Good morning :-)


May you always have enough happiness to keep you sweet,
Enough trials to keep you strong,
Enough success to keep you eager,
Enough faith to give you courage,
And enough determination to make each day a good day.
~ Anonymous


Cx :-)

Good morning :-)



The Collect (special prayer) 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.

Cx :-)

Good morning :-)


The Small Beautitudes by Joseph Folliet

Blessed are those who can laugh at themselves; they will have no end of fun.
Blessed are those who can tell a mountain from a molehill; they will be saved a lot of bother.
Blessed are those who know how to relax without looking for excuses; they are on their way to becoming wise.
Blessed are those who are sane enough not to take themselves too seriously; they will be valued most by those about them.

Happy are you if you can take small things seriously and face serious things calmly; you will go far in life.
Happy are you if you can appreciate a smile and forget a frown;
you will walk on the sunny side of the street.
Happy are you if you can be kind in understanding the attitudes of others even when the signs are unfavourable; you may be taken for a fool, but this is the price of charity.

Blessed are those who think before acting and pray before thinking; they will avoid many blunders.
Happy are you if you know how to hold your tongue and smile,
even when people interrupt and contradict you or tread on your toes; the Gospel has begun to seep into your heart.

Above all, blessed are you who recognise the Lord in all whom you meet; the light of truth shines in your life for you have found true wisdom.



Cx :-)

Good morning :-)

A wise man once faced a group of people who were complaining about the same issues over and over again. One day, instead of listening to the complaints, he told them a joke and everyone cracked up laughing.

Then, the man repeated the joke. A few people smiled.

Finally, the man repeated the joke a third time–but no one reacted.
The man smiled and said, “You won’t laugh at the same joke more than once. So what are you getting from continuing to complain about the same problem?”

Don’t waste time complaining, have faith in God and pray for the courage to improve and bring about a change to the situation.

Cx :-)

Good morning :-)


A speaker held up a £50 note. “Who would like this?! Of course, all the hands went up. He then proceeded to crumple up the £50 note up and said: “Who still wants this £50 note?” All the hands in the room went up again.

With that, he dropped the money on the floor and stood on it. He then asked: “Who wants it now?” Again, every single hand was raised. Little did everyone know the teacher was teaching them a lesson.

It didn’t matter how crumpled or dirty the £50 note got. The value of it never decreased. It was still worth £50.

In life, we will metaphorically be crumpled and stood on and made to feel totally worthless. But…….It doesn’t matter what happens to us or how badly treated we get, God still loves us. We are still valuable to Him and His love continues to surround us and that’s something to remember.

Cx :-)

Hello all

Cynthia, another week of interesting posts, thanks.

Vera I hope you're feeling better and keeping warm.

Such a shock hearing of the King's cancer diagnosis..... thoughts and prayers are with HM as he faces ongoing treatment and also to his family in the days and weeks ahead. God bless them all.

Good morning :-)

Thank you Vera <3

During the gold rush, a man who had been mining in Colorado for several months quit his job, as he hadn’t struck gold yet and the work was becoming tiresome. He sold his equipment to another man who resumed mining where it had been left off.

The new miner was advised by his engineer that there was gold only three feet away from where the first miner stopped digging.
The engineer was right, which means the first miner was a mere three feet away from striking gold before he quit.

When things start to get hard, try to persevere through the adversity.

As Christians, we are commanded to persevere, not in our own might, but in the power of the Spirit. We are called to persevere in faith, in prayer, in fruitful service to Christ, and by spreading the gospel to the whole world.

Cx :-)

I haven’t posted for a while but have been following the thread with interest. The Christian Unity week was particularly interesting to me as from 1972 till 1986 we lived in a village that had an Anglican and a Baptist church and they shared much.and I think learnt a lot from each other.

I love Cynthia’s posts of yesterday and today. Thank you.

Good morning :-)

Take time to work, it is the price of success.
Take time to think, it is the source of power.
Take time to play, it is the secret of perpetual youth.
Take time to read, it is the fountain of wisdom.
Take time to be friendly, it is the road to happiness.
Take tie to dream, it is hitching your wagon to a star.
Take time to look around, it is too short a day to be selfish.
Take time to laugh, it is the music of the soul.
~ Old English Prayer


Cx :-)

Good morning :-)

I AM THANKFUL
For the taxes I pay - it means I am employed.
For the mess after a party - it means I have been surrounded by family and friends.
For the clothes that fit a little too snug - it means I have enough to eat.
For my shadow that watches me work - it means I am out in the sunshine.
For a lawn that needs mowing, windows that need cleaning, and gutters that need fixing - it means I have a home.

I AM THANKFUL
For all the complaining I hear about the government - it means we have freedom of speech.
For the parking spot, I find at the far end of the parking lot - it means I am capable of walking, and I have been blessed with a vehicle.
For my huge heating bill - it means I am warm.
For the lady behind me in church who sings off-key - it means I can hear.
For the pile of laundry and ironing - it means I have clothes to wear.
For the weariness and aching muscles at the end of the day - it means I have been capable of working hard.

I AM THANKFUL
for the alarm that goes off in the early morning hours - it means I am alive.
I am thankful for my loving God who watches over me day and night.
Thank you God.


Cx :-)

Good morning :-)

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.

Today we hear how God became man.

Cx :-)

Hello all.

Amen to your prayer today Cynthia.

May we all have a good night sleep and
wake up tomorrow with new hopes and
a lot of positive energy.

Sweet dreams everybody.

Good morning :-)

Lord, may nothing separate me from You today. Teach me how to choose only Your way today so each step will lead me closer to You. Help me walk by the Word and not my feelings. Help me to keep my heart pure and undivided.

Protect me from my own careless thoughts, words, and actions. And keep me from being distracted by MY wants, MY desires, MY thoughts on how things should be. Help me to embrace what comes my way as an opportunity... rather than a personal inconvenience. And finally, help me to rest in the truth of Psalm 86:13, 'Great is your love toward me.'

Cx :-)

Good morning :-)

Today, we celebrate Candlemas, the official day of the Presentation of Christ in the Temple.

WHAT CAN WE LEARN FROM ANNA AND SIMEON?

Over the last few days, we have been looking at the story of the Presentation of Christ in the Temple. There is a meme which reads “Wise men still worship Him.” Simeon and Anna were two wonderfully wise saints who recognized the Christ Child when most only saw the infant as another Hebrew child born into poverty.

Through Simeon and Anna, we honour all those elderly Christians who have the light of Jesus shining in their eyes. They still recognize the face of Christ in those they gently serve.

A special prayer for Candlemas
Almighty and ever-living God,
clothed in majesty,
whose beloved Son was this day presented in the Temple,
in substance of our flesh:
grant that we may be presented to you
with pure and clean hearts,
by your Son Jesus Christ 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 :-)


I think I should buy a bed just to be used at church. With all that is going on, I seem to be there every day with one thing or another. May get some of my own housework done soon!!! :-D

The Pensioners in the Temple - Anna

We are told that Anna was a widow, and that she was married only seven years when her husband died. She was living in Jerusalem at the time of Jesus’ birth and was in the Temple courtyards day and night worshipping God through fasting and prayer. She was longing to see the promised Messiah.

She loved the house of God.
She was a woman of great self-denial.
She had known sorrow, but she had not grown bitter.
She was at least 84 years old, but she never ceased to hope.

Anna was faithful in praying for others. Her great age did not deter her from serving the Lord. She told all who would listen that the Messiah had come. Their searching was over! She conveyed this news wherever she could find an interested hearer. She was quite an evangelist!

Cx :-)

Good morning :-)

Jesus was received into the Temple by Simeon and Anna – two very old people, but what was so special about these two people?

Simeon lived in Jerusalem and was known for being "righteous and devout”. He had been promised by the Holy Spirit that he would not die until he had seen the Messiah.
When Mary and Joseph brought the baby Jesus to the Temple for the rite of purification (which was Jewish law and custom), Simeon recognised the baby as the promised Saviour, took him in his arms, and raised this hymn of praise……….., "Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace, according to your word; for my eyes have seen your salvation that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel".

This song is still sung today, especially at evensong and Christian funerals and is known by its Latin name of the Nunc Dimittis.


Cx :-)

Good morning :-)

The Presentation of Christ in the Temple………the baby Jesus was recognised as the Messiah by two pensioners.

A past article in the Church Times continues……..

“Churches should listen more imaginatively to older people's experiences and be ready to learn from them. Older people can provide a longer perspective in a time of change. They know about making mistakes and understand human nature, work, and faith.

Some older people are natural evangelists. They have time for people and for spiritual friendship. Their lives often reflect many of the virtues of discipleship: empathy, patience, and compassion. These are attractive resources for mission.”

We give thanks for our older, faithful Christian friends.

Cx :-)

Good morning :-)

Many thanks to kandji for covering for me while I went to a family gathering in Cambridge. It was a lovely break. :-D



When Jesus was taken to the Temple as an act of thanksgiving by his parents, it was two old people who recognised that this was, indeed, the Lord they had been waiting for. Both Simeon and Anna would have been well into their eighties.

Each generation of churchgoers moves through a state of ‘wanting to attract younger members to church’. It’s an age-old problem and yet, the church is still here. An article in a Mothers’ Union magazine stated that, if younger members could not be found, then the organisation would die out. That article was printed in the 1950’s and the MU. still has many thousands of members spread across 84 countries.

An article in a past copy of the Church Times states……“Too many of us in the Church apologise for our congregation with words such as "I am afraid we are all elderly here. Surely, we should celebrate our older members, not be ashamed of them”.

Yes, we should be grateful and thankful for our older members God bless them.

Cx :-)