General Chat

Good morning all and thank you for starting my day
so beautifully.

Emma

I was studying my navel last night trying to work out what Sandie thought I had said that was sarcastic. The only possible thing was when I commented about all these baptisms and said "Font of ev'ry blessing" would be a suitable hymn.

If that offended Sandie or anybody else, that was certainly never my intention. Just a light whimsy :-)

Love these Barclay prayers - good Scottish sense. I have followed Selwyn Hughes "Thoughts for the Day" for many years. Example:

"Would you like your life to be free of those potentially frustrating situations that block your way or impede your spiritual development? Then let me say at once, you could be worse off without them. The obstacles and opposition you face can turn out to be prods - prods toward your spiritual growth. A minister friend of mine who was going through a period of great difficulty once asked me to pray with him that God would remove all the obstacles from his ministry. I put my hand lovingly on his shoulder and replied: "If He does, it will make your ministry less effective." He saw the point, and instead asked me to pray that God would help him to die to his own concerns. I did, and from that day to this, his ministry has flourished and become extremely fruitful. And so, my friend, can yours.

Prayer:
O Father, more and more the conviction grows that it is not what happens to me, but what I do with it, that is important. Deepen this conviction within me so that it becomes a controlling one - today and every day. In Jesus' Name. Amen."

Me too.......whatever it was :-S


Never mind.......a new day and a new prayer.......good morning everyone :-)


O God, our Father, we know that the issues of life and death are in your hands, and we know that you are loving us with an everlasting love. If it is your will, grant to us to live in happiness and in peace.

In all our undertakings,
Grant us prosperity and good success.

In all our friendships,
Grant us to find our friends faithful and true.

In all bodily things,
Make us fit and healthy,
Able for the work of the day.

In all the things of the mind,
Make us calm and serene,
Free from anxiety and worry.

In material things,
Save us from poverty and from want.

In spiritual things,
Save us from doubt and from distrust.

Grant us
In our work satisfaction;
In our study true wisdom;
In our pleasure gladness;
In our love loyalty.

And if misfortune does come to us, grant that any trial may only bring us closer to one another and closer to you; and grant that nothing may shake our certainty that you work all things together for good, and that a Father’s hand will never cause his child a needless tear.

Hear this our prayer, through Jesus Christ, our Lord.

Amen.


- William Barclay.

By whom?.....I must have missed it.

Eh? What sarcasm....where?

That was lovely Joy, thank you :-)

I also downloaded the PDF of the prayers.....great introduction I thought.

For Susan with numbers.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BTcQshpC8ZU
What a Friend we Have in Jesus by Ella Fitzgerald



For Cynthia: http://archive.org/details/bookofeverydaypr008788mbp
A Book Of Everyday Prayers (1959)
Author: William Barclay
http://archive.org/stream/bookofeverydaypr008788mbp#page/n7/mode/2up

One of my favourite books: Every Day With William Barclay.

I know that hymn John.....quite a 'jaunty' tune and very fast. :-D

All these baptisms, Cynthia. :-D That famous Robert Robinson hymn must be sung quite frequently: "Come thou font of every blessing" ;-)

I loved our service today and so did all of us oldies. The young man came with his guitar and modern songs and some of us (me particularly) are very very traditional. Any hymn written after 1750 with no thee and thou and praiseth in it is modern to me.

Yet we all sang our hearts out and it was so lovely to see him and his wife (newly married) leading our worship.

One "song" I had never heard before was "Will you come and follow me"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P8lOfMjtxdE

The line in it that really caught me was "Will you kiss the leper clean, and do such as this unseen". That is so powerful, I think. :-) :-)

Yes, sorry......William Barclay again. He has such a way with words I find. :-)



Are there more Sundays than there used to be? They seem to come round pretty quickly.....


Reasonable congregation this morning with a good number in the creche. They have started to come into the service a little earlier than usual in an aid to help them to get used to what is going on.


After the main service, there were 7 baptisms - 2 adults and 5 infants............we needed traffic lights!


Our poor vicar will be exhausted by tonight having had services at 9 am and 11 am. Seven baptisms and then off to the cathedral for a special Queen's Scout award ceremony and back home for the annual Archdeacon's Visitation service.

This is a service where all Churchwardens and sidespeople (those who give out books and take the collection etc.) make solemn statements in front of the Archdeacon to undertake their duties properly. I've never been to one but I understand there are certain legalities to be fulfilled.


The vicar's wife went home early to make sure that he did, at least, have one meal today.



A good morning with happy people. :-)

Cynthia. What a powerful prayer!!! Was that Barclay? :-)

I really honed in on: "Grant, O God, that we may never listen to any
teaching which would encourage us to think
sin less serious, vice more attractive."

Amen.

Emma

O God, we thank you for all those in whose words and
in whose writings your truth has come to us.

For the historians, the psalmists and the prophets,
who wrote the Old Testament;
For those who wrote the Gospels and the Letters
of the New Testament.

For all who in every generation
have taught and explained and expounded and
preached the word of Scripture:
We thank you, O God.

Grant, O God, that no false teaching may ever have
any power to deceive us
or to seduce us from the truth.

Grant, O God, that we may never listen to any
teaching which would encourage us to think
sin less serious, vice more attractive.

Grant, O God, that we may never listen to any
teaching which would dethrone
Jesus Christ from the topmost place;

Grant, O God, that we may never listen to any
teaching which for its own purposes perverts the truth.

O God, our Father, establish us immovably in the truth.
Give us minds which can see at once
the difference between the true and the false.

Make us able to test everything,
and to hold fast to that which is good.

Give us such a love of truth,
that no false thing may ever be able to lure us from it.

So grant that all our lives we may know, and love,
and live the truth; through Jesus Christ, our Lord.

Amen.


Cx :-)

That was lovely Susan......the audience looked entranced. Great hymns like that really do inspire and lift your spirits. Thank you. :-)



Hello Emma and welcome Bids...... :-)

Amen


I put this on another thread but just in case it wasn't seen by this threads members..........

How Great thou art by Carrie Underwood who apparently won America's got Talent......and in this case...yes they have......her voice and this rendition of the Hymn goes right to the soul and brings tears to one's eyes......

Please do watch it. I am betting that you will all be inspired :-)


http://m.youtube.com/#/watch?v=pLLMzr3PFgk&feature=related

To me it's a lovely way to start a day.
First thread I go to when I come on to GR.

Emma :-)

Am really looking forward to tomorrow. Am mentoring a young man currently who is training to be a local preacher. And he really inspires me.

Tomorrow we are jointly leading a service in my home chapel. And he is giving the sermon and has shown me what he will be saying and I am really looking forward to it. It will be fresh and I think all my chapel fellow members will be delighted tomorrow. It will certainly keep me fully awake and give me lots of food for thought. Just pray with me that his word will be blessed, please.

Btw, have really enjoyed prayers and video this week. What a truly inspirational thread this is becoming.

I watched it whilst having my breakfast Susan...........lovely indeed. It's a hymn which takes me back to my 'free church' days - it isn't often sung these days unfortunately, but I just love the words. Thank you. :-)




O Lord, my God, give me strength and wisdom to live this day as I ought.

Give me

Strength to conquer every temptation which will come to me;
Strength to do every task which is assigned to me;
Strength to shoulder every responsibility which is laid upon me.

Give me

Wisdom to know when to speak, and when to keep silent;
Wisdom to know when to act, and when to refrain from action;
Wisdom to know when to speak my mind, and when to hold my peace.

So bring me to the end of this day in goodness, in happiness and contentment;

Through Jesus Christ my Lord,

Amen.

- William Barclay.



Cx :-)

Thank You Cynthia



A beautiful rendition of What a friend we have in Jesus

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=cuybnOavOL4&feature=fvwrel

Thank you Cynthia.

Emma

O God,

my Heavenly Father,

make me more appreciative of others.

Help me never to fail to say thanks for everything that is done for me,

and never to take anything for granted,

just because it comes to me unfailingly every day.

Help me always to be ready to speak a word of praise,

whenever a word of praise is possible

and sometimes even when it is not possible.

Help me to be quick to notice things.

Help me to be quick to see

when someone is depressed and discouraged and unhappy.

Help me to be quick to see it

when someone is lonely and shy and is left out of things.

O Lord Jesus,

all through today help me to see people with Your eyes.

This I ask for Your love’s sake.

Amen.


- William Barclay