General Chat

Good morning :-)


The Collect (special prayer) for today:

Almighty Lord and everlasting God,
we beseech you to direct, sanctify and govern
both our hearts and bodies
in the ways of your laws
and the works of your commandments;
that through your most mighty protection, both here and ever,
we may be preserved in body and soul;
through our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ,
who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever.

The Gospel reading is from St. Luke 12 32-40 - Jesus tells us to be ready.

Cx :-)

Hello all

Cynthia your daily posts are uplifting, inspirational and thought provoking. Thank you.

I'm thinking of the family and friends of Archie Battersbee who are coping with a heartbreaking day today.

Good morning :-)



Thank You Lord
Thank you, Lord, for simple things
that brighten every day
like sunshine in the morning
and daffodils in May.

Thank you, too, for friends who care
when tears begin to fall
and thank you, too, for answered prayer...
the greatest gift of all!

Thank you for each spring bouquet
and for the summer rose,
for rainbows in the meadow
and every stream that flows.

Thank you, Lord, for simple things
which really are quite grand
for each one is a miracle
wrought by the Master's hand!
by Clay Harrison


Cx :-)

Good morning :-)

There was this Christian who saw a scorpion floundering around in the water. He decided to save it by stretching out his finger, but the scorpion stung him. The man still tried to get the scorpion out of the water, but the scorpion stung him again.

A man nearby told him to stop trying to save the scorpion that kept stinging him.
But the Christian said: "It is the nature of the scorpion to sting. It is my nature to love. Why should I give up my nature to love just because it is the nature of the scorpion to sting?"

Don't give up loving. Don't give up your goodness. Even if people around you sting.

Cx :-)

Good afternoon :-)

I read this:

Whenever I'm disappointed with my spot in life, I stop and think about little Jamie Scott. Jamie was trying out for a part in a school play. His mother told me that he'd set his heart on being in it, though she feared he would not be chosen. On the day the parts were awarded, I went with her to collect him after school. Jamie rushed up to her, eyes shining with pride and excitement. "Guess what Mom," he shouted, and then said those words that will remain a lesson to me: "I've been chosen to clap and cheer."

Cx :-)

Good morning :-)

Thank you both <3

All of the versions have 'something going for them' probably and everyone has their own preferences.

However, I am finding more and more that at both baptisms and funerals, the response to the Lord's prayer is poor - despite the fact that people are invited to say whichever version they are familiar with. It's pretty obvious that this timeless prayer is unknown to a high proportion of young people unless they have had a grounding in the Christian faith. Sad really.

I spotted this quiz the other day.

1. Name the five wealthiest people in the world.
2. Name the last five Wimbledon trophy winners.
3. Name the last five winners of the Miss World.
4. Name ten people who have won the Nobel Prize.
5. Name the last half dozen Academy Award winners for best actor and actress.
6. Name the last decade's worth of World Series winners.

How did you do?

The thing is, none of us will remember all the awards and trophies which we read about in the news - they soon get forgotten.

Try this:

1. List a few teachers who aided your journey through school.
2. Name three friends who have helped you through a difficult time.
3. Name five people who have taught you something worthwhile.
4. Think of a few people who have made you feel appreciated and special.
5. Think of five people you enjoy spending time with.

Easier?

We learn that the people who make a difference in our lives are not the ones with the most credentials, the most money, or the most awards. They are the ones that care, and we are thankful for them.

Cx :-)

I rather like the New Zealand version, and the child's version would be easier for a young child to understand. But, even though we know it by heart and it may become over familiar so we repeat by rote. It is at least a prayer that most people know/are familiar with.

Interesting posts as usual Cynthia. Thank you.

It was good to read other versions of the Lord’s Prayer as it makes us think of the meaning a bit more. When you’ve known something from childhood it’s easy to just say the words without thinking about the meaning but other generations and cultures might respond better to other versions of the Prayer. I think I’ll be sticking to the traditional words :-)

Good morning :-)


A four-year-old was at the paediatrician for a check-up. As the doctor looked down her ears with an otoscope, he asked, "Do you think I'll find Big Bird in here?" The little girl stayed silent. Next, the doctor took a tongue depressor and looked down her throat. He asked, "Do you think I'll find the Cookie Monster down there?" Again, the little girl was silent. Then the doctor put a stethoscope to her chest. As he listened to her heartbeat, he asked, "Do you think I'll hear Barney in there?" "Oh, no!" the little girl replied. "Jesus is in my heart, Barney's on my underpants."


Cx :-)

Good morning :-)


Take time to claim your strength; this is a gift from God.
Take time to have fun; it is God’s way of teaching you your
strengths.
Take time to grow yourself; you are precious.
Take time to trust yourself; God trusts you.
Take time to be self-reliant; it is better than being dependent.
Take time to share with others; they will bless you and you
will bless them.
Take time to have hope; you are a child of God.

Cx :-)

Good morning :-)



“If somebody said, give me a summary of Christian faith on the back of an envelope, the best thing to do would be to write Our Lord's Prayer.”
Rowan Williams – former Archbishop of Canterbury


Cx :-)

Good morning :-)


The translations of the Lord’s Prayer never seem to end :

The New Zealand Anglican Lord's Prayer

Eternal Spirit, Earth-maker, Pain-bearer, Life-giver,
Source of all that is and that shall be,
Father and Mother of us all,
Loving God, in whom is heaven:
The hallowing of your name echo through the universe!
The way of your justice be followed by the peoples of the world!
Your heavenly will be done by all created beings!
Your commonwealth of peace and freedom sustain our hope and come on earth.
With the bread we need for today, feed us.
In the hurts we absorb from one another, forgive us.
In times of temptation and test, strengthen us.
From trials too great to endure, spare us.
From the grip of all that is evil, free us.
For you reign in the glory of the power that is love, now and for ever.
Amen.
- The New Zealand Book of Prayer | He Karakia Mihinare o Aotearoa

Cx :-)

Good morning :-)

Jesus’ Prayer From the Big Bible Storybook

Praise you, God.
You are very great in every way!
Please give us the things we need to today.
For You will give us what we need.
We’re sorry that we do wrong things and disobey.
For You forgive us when we say we are truly sorry.
God, help us in everything we do.
Please help us to live for you all through each day.
For You always listen when we talk – help us to listen when You talk, Amen

Cx :-)

Good morning :-)


The Message Bible is a paraphrase from the original languages written by Eugene, H. Peterson. The Message provides a new Bible-reading experience.

Our Father in heaven,
Reveal who you are.
Set the world right;
Do what's best— as above, so below.
Keep us alive with three square meals.
Keep us forgiven with you and forgiving others.
Keep us safe from ourselves and the Devil.
You're in charge!
You can do anything you want!
You're ablaze in beauty!
Yes. Yes. Yes.

Cx :-)

Good morning :-)


A Primary School’s version of The Lord’s Prayer

Our Father in heaven,
you are awesome!
Show us who you are and how you want us to be.
Make earth more like heaven.
Please give us what we need to keep going each day.
Help us when we are wrong and clean us up on the inside.
Help us to let other people off and move on.
Keep us from bad stuff.
You’re in charge!
You’re strong and powerful and always there.
Forever! Amen.

Cx :-)

Good morning :-)


A Priest, a Pentecostal minister, and a Guru were discussing the best position for prayer. Nearby, an electrician was completing work on a telegraph pole.
The Priest said: “The best position in which to pray is on your knees”
The Pentecostal Minister said: “No, no, it’s much better to pray standing with your arms outstretched to heaven”.
The Guru said: “You are both wrong. The best way to pray is by laying on the ground”.
Suddenly, there was a cough from the electrician…..he said “Personally, I found the best way to pray was when I was hanging by one leg from a telegraph pole”.

The Lord’s Prayer is the prayer that Jesus taught his disciples when they asked him how they should pray. Most Christians know the prayer by heart in their own language, and it is used today by every Christian tradition, though there are sometimes minor variations in the wording.
It has a place in every Anglican act of worship, and forms a pattern for prayer for Christians:
• We bless God and pray for our world, our communities, and our lives to be shaped by God’s will;
• We pray for daily needs to be met,
• For forgiveness for wrongdoings, strength to resist temptation, and protection from danger.

There are two versions commonly used in the Church of England – Contemporary and Traditional Language. We are encouraged to use whichever version is most familiar to us.


Cx :-)

Good morning :-)


The Collect (special prayer) for today :

Merciful God, you have prepared for those who love you such good things as pass our understanding: pour into our hearts such love toward you that we, loving you in all things and above all things, may obtain your promises, which exceed all that we can desire; 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 Jesus teaches us how to pray.

Cx :-)

Good morning :-)

A few random thoughts and comparisons about Jesus the SON and the SUN

Jesus, the son, is known as the bright and morning star.

Jesus, the son, had 12 disciples. The sun also has 12 disciples as there are 12 constellations in the zodiac.

Jesus, the son, is the light of the world (John 8:12). The sun is also the light of the world.

Jesus, the son, wore a crown of thorns. The sun has a corona which resembles a crown of thorns during a solar eclipse. It is thought that a solar eclipse is supposed to have happened at the crucifixion.

Jesus, the son, comes from the east and shines to the west (Matthew 24:27). The sun rises in the east and sets in the west.

“This then is the message that we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.”

Cx :-)

Good morning :-)

No sunshine today but, In the bible, in the Old Testament, there are 3 miracles involving the sun or sunlight

A Plague of Darkness – Exodus 10:21
This was the 9th plague and is described as darkness that covered all the land of Egypt but, miraculously, it did not extend to the land of nearby Goshen where the Israelites lived.

A long day – Joshua 10.12-14
The sun and moon stayed in the sky, lengthening the day so that the Israelites could win a crucial battle.

Shadow on the sun-clock reverses 10 steps - 2 Kings 20. 9-11
This happened when Isaiah delivered an important message from God to King Hezekiah in Jerusalem.
'Isaiah said, "This is the sign from the Lord to prove that he will do as he promised. Would you like the shadow on the sundial to go forward ten steps or backward ten steps? " "The shadow always moves forward," Hezekiah replied, "so that would be easy. Make it go ten steps backward instead." So Isaiah the prophet asked the Lord to do this, and He caused the shadow to move ten steps backward on the sundial of Ahaz!'


Cx :-)

Good morning :-)

As the weather still dominates the news......so the sun dominates the nine planets of our solar system and is responsible for holding each one in its course. No collisions are possible, because the speed of each planet as it travels in its orbit, together with the gravitational pull of the sun, makes it maintain a uniform distance at all times.

Who do you think put these heavenly bodies in such a precise pattern? Who set their speed through space and established their travels around the sun so accurately? Only God, who put all this in motion, could have kept them in the same circuits and timetables ever since they were created.

In the Old Testament David, impressed with the majesty of the heavens, referred to the Lord as his sun and shield.


Stay cool.

Cx :-)