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Cynthia
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15 Sep 2024 08:36 |
Good morning :-)
Apologies for yesterday and thanks for posting kandj. A busy Harvest time for me and today we celebrate that traditional festival at my church. The church looks lovely!
Loving God, Thank you for the many ways you provide for us: Food, family, friendship, Housing, health, happiness, And ways to use our time and talents. We lift to you too how we remain in need of these things.
We pray for people in our community and beyond who are facing unemployment, ill health, isolation or money worries, especially for those who cannot afford enough to eat. We pray for supportive relationships, practical provision and real hope. God of compassion, may your kingdom come. Amen.
Cx :-)
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kandj
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14 Sep 2024 21:19 |
Hello all
The nights are drawing in very fast.
"Only in the darkness can you see the stars."Martin Luther King.
Goodnight, God bless, sweet dreams.
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kandj
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13 Sep 2024 11:57 |
Hello all
I love the Harvest Festival service, even though it's so very different to the one of long ago.
"..... God our Maker does provide For our wants to be supplied. Come to God's own temple come..... Raise the song of harvest home."
Friday 13th.... take care everyone.
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Cynthia
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13 Sep 2024 08:56 |
Good morning :-)
Harvest - a time to be generous in so many ways
Lord, In your boundless compassion, grant me the gift of empathy. Help me feel the pain and joy of others as deeply as if it were my own. Guide my actions so I may understand their needs and extend a helping hand with a heart wide open. I thank you for the privilege of sharing in the beauty of empathy and pray that you fill me with the strength to be a source of solace to those in need.Amen.
Cx :-)
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Cynthia
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12 Sep 2024 10:21 |
Good morning :-)
Loving God, Thank you for the many ways in which you provide for us: Food, family, friendship, Housing, health, happiness, And ways to use our time and talents. We lift to you too the ways in which we remain in need of these things. God of generosity, May your kingdom come. Amen.
Cx :-)
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Cynthia
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11 Sep 2024 09:11 |
Good morning :-)
A Handful of Rice – concluded.
How much do we need to be as generous as the people of Mizoram?
When will we be so grateful for what God has given us, that we will become as generous as the people of Mizoram?
How is the best way to express our thanksgiving to God?
It is best expressed through our generosity.
It is time for us to show our gratitude to God through our generosity, and to share what we have, however great or small, with others.
Lord, I thank you for all you have given to me I pray that you will give me, a generous heart, a giving heart and a grateful heart Always willing to share what I have with others. Amen.
Cx :-)
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Cynthia
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10 Sep 2024 08:50 |
Good morning :-)
Continued from yesterday :
A Handful of Rice
Mizo people say, “As long as we have something to eat every day, we have something to give to God every day.”
Imagine putting a handful of rice aside at mealtimes on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. Then not having any food at all to eat on a Saturday! How tempting would it be to just cook that rice and not go to church, or go and not give the rice at the offering?
How often do we say……… We will give later. We will give when we have more money. We will give when we have what WE need.
To be continued......
Cx :-)
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Cynthia
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9 Sep 2024 08:56 |
Good morning :-)
Next Sunday, our church celebrates Harvest Festival, that special day where we remember and give thanks for our food and for those who provide it. We ask for donations to help us to help others. Once again, the diocese has produced ideas for us to share at this harvest time:
OVERFLOWING GENEROSITY A story: A Handful of Rice
A Christian community in Mizoram in NE India began this tradition in 1910. It is a practice where each family puts aside a handful of rice every time they cook a meal. At the end of the week, they gather it together and offer it to the church. The church sells the rice, which generates income to support its work.
Over time, the amount of rice given has increased and people have also started to give other things including firewood, vegetables and other produce. The result is the churches in Mizoram are now self-sufficient.
‘If everyone gives a little each day, great things can be achieved’.
Cx :-)
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Cynthia
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8 Sep 2024 08:23 |
Good morning :-)
Collect (special prayer) for today: God, who in generous mercy sent the Holy Spirit upon your Church in the burning fire of your love: grant that your people may be fervent in the fellowship of the gospel that, always abiding in you, they may be found steadfast in faith and active in service; 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.
Cx :-)
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Cynthia
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7 Sep 2024 10:00 |
Good morning :-)
To make you smile!
“Sick” by Shel Silverstein
"I cannot go to school today!" Said little Peggy Ann McKay "I have the measles and the mumps A gash, a rash, and purple bumps My mouth is wet, my throat is dry I'm going blind in my right eye My tonsils are as big as rocks I've counted sixteen chicken pox And there's one more, that's seventeen And don't you think my face looks green? My leg is cut, my eyes are blue It might be instamatic flu I cough and sneeze and gasp and choke I'm sure that my left leg is broke My hip hurts when I move my chin My belly button's caving in My back is wrenched, my ankle's sprained My 'pendix pains each time it rains My nose is cold, my toes are numb I have a sliver in my thumb My neck is stiff, my spine is weak I hardly whisper when I speak My tongue is filling up my mouth I think my hair is falling out My elbow's bent, my spine ain't straight My temperature is 108 My brain is shrunk, I cannot hear There's a hole inside my ear I have a hangnail, and my heart is... what? What's that? What's that you say? You say today is Saturday? Ha-ha G'bye, I'm goin' out to play"
Cx :-)
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kandj
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6 Sep 2024 16:18 |
Hello all
Starting back in school after the Summer break is often difficult for the pupil, parents and teachers. Hopefully after the weekend it will be much easier.
"A new school year means new beginnings and new adventures." (Denise Witmer).
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Cynthia
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6 Sep 2024 10:01 |
Good morning :-)
At the start of the school year, we are beginning something new New things can be exciting New things can be scary New things can be wonderful New things can be confusing God, you are always with us You are with us when things are exciting, or scary, or wonderful, or confusing You are with us every day And all the time God, please help us to feel your presence with us on these first days of school, and every day, Amen
Cx :-)
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Cynthia
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5 Sep 2024 08:53 |
Good morning :-)
There are schools throughout the country that are specially designed for those students who may be facing challenges and difficulties. We pray for the teachers who help and assist their pupils and for those young people. Grant them strength and perseverance to overcome obstacles and continue their educational journey with determination. Fill their hearts with courage and resilience.
Bible Verse: “I can do all things through him who strengthens me.” – Philippians 4:13
Cx :-)
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Cynthia
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4 Sep 2024 10:19 |
Good morning :-)
Today, we think of all the people who help to make our schools run smoothly. We pray for all the office staff, caretakers—cleaning staff and dinner ladies who work to make our schools happy places.
We thank God for their patience and kindness and for their dedication to the work they do. Amen.
Cx :-)
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kandj
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2 Sep 2024 21:36 |
Hello all
Vera, well done to both your granddaughters, and I hope your good friends health improves for them.
Cynthia, Amen to your morning prayer. Our village schools go back tomorrow and the streets will be very quiet then.
"Education is the most powerful weapon you can use to change the world." Nelson Mandela.
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Cynthia
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2 Sep 2024 08:59 |
Good morning :-)
The school holidays are at an end and pupils and staff are returning to the classroom.
Dear God, Thank You for the amazing teachers who have devoted their lives to serve our children. As they navigate this new school year, fill them with strength to lead and thrive in their classroom—whatever it may look like! Protect their bodies from illness and their spirits from weariness as they pour into the next generation through education. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Amen.
Cx :-)
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Cynthia
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1 Sep 2024 07:55 |
Good morning :-)
Thank you for your kind words Vera and I am glad that your life has those wonderful bright spots in it. It makes such a difference to hear good news.
The Collect (special prayer for today)
Almighty God, whose only Son has opened for us a new and living way into your presence: give us pure hearts and steadfast wills to worship you in spirit and in truth; 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.
Cx :-)
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SuffolkVera
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31 Aug 2024 12:35 |
An interesting and thought provoking couple of weeks as always Cynthia. Thank you. The Did You Know section mostly managed to show me how much I did not know which made me smile.
August was another up and down month for us 2 people close to us are very ill and a number of our friends have been dealing with illness and operations. That’s always a sadness but in between we’ve had some good news too. One granddaughter, who has some problems and lacks confidence, has got a new job as a trainee. It’s very good news as this company advertised for 12 traineeships and had over 700 applications and granddaughter had to go through 3 increasingly tough interviews. Her younger sister also brightened our month by getting good A-Level results and being offered various places. She has accepted an offer to read Physics and Astronomy at Nottingham uni.
These things are like beacons of hope in a rather doom laden month and we are so grateful for that and for everything else that’s right in our world. I hope all who read this thread are currently having more ups than downs in their lives.
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Cynthia
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31 Aug 2024 09:36 |
Good morning :-)
God Knows Best by Helen Steiner Rice
Our Father knows what's best for us, So why should we complain We always want the sunshine, But He knows there must be rain We love the sound of laughter And the merriment of cheer, But our hearts would lose their tenderness If we never shed a tear... Our Father tests us often With suffering and with sorrow, He tests us, not to punish us, But to help us meet tomorrow... For growing trees are strengthened When they withstand the storm, And the sharp cut of a chisel Gives the marble grace and form... God never hurts us needlessly, And He never wastes our pain For every loss He send to us Is followed by rich gain... And when we count the blessings That God has so freely sent, We will find no cause for murmuring And no time to lament... For our Father loves His children, And to Him all things are plain, So He never sends us pleasure When the soul's deep need is pain... So whenever we are troubled, And when everything goes wrong, It is just God working in us To make our spirit strong.
Cx :-)
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Cynthia
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30 Aug 2024 09:30 |
Good morning :-)
A rather different version of the 23rd Psalm.
The TV is my shepherd, I shall want. It makes me lie down on the sofa. It leads me away from the Scriptures. It destroys my soul. It leads me in the path of sex and violence, for the sponsor's sake. Yea, though I walk in the shadow of my Christian responsibilities. There will be no interruption, for the TV is with me. It's cable and remote, they control me. It prepares a commercial before me In the presence of worldliness; It anoints my head with Humanism, My coveting runneth over. Surely laziness and ignorance shall follow me all days of my life: And I shall dwell in the house watching TV forever.
Cx :-)
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