General Chat

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 :-)

Hello all

Like Vera I well remember singing Wide, Wide as the Ocean and also I Will Make You Fishers of Men in Sunday school. I can remember the actions too.

Last Sunday we sang Jesus Bids Us Shine which also reminded me of my Sunday school days.

Jesus Bids Us Shine

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 I in mine.

Beautiful songs and precious memories too.

Good morning :-)


This poem was written by Mary Anne Procter, Queen Victoria’s favourite poet and a contemporary of Charles Dickens. She was born in 1825 and died in 1864.

Fishers of Men

The boats are out, and the storm is high;
We kneel on the shore and pray:
The Star of the Sea shines still in the sky,
And God is our help and stay.

The fishers are weak, and the tide is strong,
And their boat seems slight and frail;
But St. Peter has steered it for them so long,
It would weather a rougher gale.

St. John the Beloved sails with them too,
And his loving words they hear;
So with tender trust the boat's brave crew
Neither doubt, or pause, or fear.

He who sent them fishing is with them still,
And He bids them cast their net;
And He has the power their boat to fill,
So we know He will do it yet.

They have cast their nets again and again,
And now call to us on shore;
If our feeble prayers seem only in vain,
We will pray and pray the more.

Though the storm is loud, and our voice is drowned
By the roar of the wind and sea,
We know that more terrible tempest found
Their Ruler, O Lord, in Thee!

See, they do not pause, they are toiling on,
Yet they cast a loving glance
On the star above, and ever anon
Look up through the blue expanse.

O Mary, listen! for danger is nigh,
And we know thou art near us then;
For thy Son's dear servants to thee we cry,
Sent out as fishers of men.

O, watch, — as of old thou didst watch the boat
On the Galilean lake, —
And grant that the fishers may keep afloat
Till the nets, o'ercharged, shall break.

Cx :-)

Good morning :-)

That made me smile Vera..........and brought back memories of the Christmas hymn which contains the words 'Highly favoured Mary', which children would turn into 'Highly flavoured gravy'!! :-D :-D

Fishers of Men.

There is an inter-denominational Christian charity called Fishers of Men, which ministers, without distinction to those who are homeless, at threat of homelessness, or poor or needy.

This Australian charity was founded by Bobby Mearns who was himself a heroin addict, dealer and Triad member for over 20 years in Hong Kong before he became a Christian in a rehabilitation programme. Bobby lived in their residential service and has been “clean” for over 25 years.

The charity aims to direct people away from their life-controlling behaviours and focus them instead on Christ so that they can be free and, in turn, help others.

We thank God for charities such as this.


Cx :-)

You stirred a few memories with today’s post Cynthia. I well remember Wide, Wide as the Ocean and Fishers of Men from singing them at Sunday School at the age of 7 or 8. We were naughty as we used to think it very funny to sing “I will make you vicious old men” although I don’t think we really understood the meaning of vicious.

Good morning :-)

Yesterday, we heard how Jesus called ordinary, everyday working fishermen to follow him. In our church, we sang the old hymn ‘Wide, wide as the ocean’ complete with actions! ??

We are ordinary, everyday working people – are we serious about following Jesus?

Does anyone remember this other old chorus?

I will make you fishers of men,
Fishers of men, fishers of men,
I will make you fishers of men
If you follow Me;
If you follow Me,
If you follow Me,
I will make you fishers of men
If you follow Me.

https://youtu.be/R0jpyeRpRq4

Dear Lord, thank you for this new day. Please guide me and bless me as I go about my day. Help me to be kind and loving to others, and to always remember to be grateful for the blessings in my life. Amen.

Cx :-)

Good morning :-)

Collect (special prayer) for today:

O God,
you know us to be set
in the midst of so many and great dangers,
that by reason of the frailty of our nature
we cannot always stand upright:
grant to us such strength and protection
as may support us in all dangers
and carry us through all temptations;
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

Today we hear of Jesus calling his first disciples and how he wants us to be ‘fishers of men’.

Cx :-)