Just a little lighthearted post

Whilst in the town on thursday with my daughter Amanda Hughes a young man leapt out at us and said "Oh you two, must be sisters" yer right, I said he must definately be buttering me up for some reason. Well, he said yes, I am, proceeding with his sales spill. Anyway we decided to purchase a book of puzzle jokes between us, to support his cause. I read the jokes and decided not to share, until my grandson Callum Hughes read and found them very funny, so I will share a couple here with you all. Q. why can't an american blonde dial 911? A. She cant find the eleven. - It was an emotional wedding even the cake was in tiers. - Always trust a glue salesman. They tend to stick to their word.

My Prayers in church 7.2.16.

Never good with balance, I perhaps found too many words for these prayers last Sunday.

Dear God,  Father, Son and Holy Spirit, we come before you today in adoration and thanksgiving, for a Heavenly Father's love.  Abba Father let me be yours and yours alone, may my will for ever be, evermore your own. The gift of salvation and love through Jesus, died He for me, who caused his pain, and the direction and outworking in our lives of the Holy Spirit.  We recognize we are all sinners in need of grace and want to say sorry now for way we have sinned and let you down this week. 

Lord thank you for the many ways, you speak to us, through other christians, through words of spiritual songs, through pictures, where we see you the great artist at work, thank you for rainbows which speak of your promises.  Mostly you speak through the Bible your word, your living word.

Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives. Teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom he gives. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts. 

Lord you are our Lighthouse   In my wrestling and in my doubts

In my failures You won’t walk out
You’re great love will lead me through
You are the peace in my troubled sea
You are the peace in my troubled sea

In the silence You won’t let go
In the questions Your truth will hold
Your great love will lead me through

You are the peace in my troubled sea 

We, our lives, are perhaps a jigsaw, in the master's hands.  We are a broken people, in a broken world.  Some with frayed edges, square points trying to fit into round holes.  Increase our faith that you will fit all the pieces together. Make us pliable clay in the potter's hands.   Help us not to be surprised at the fiery trials, storms, raging in and around us.  To know it is happening to God's people everywhere and one day we will reach that paradise promised to us. You  tell us in your word, that you alone know the plans you have for us, plans for prosperity not disaster.  

Father of all mercies, we pray for those in all kinds of distress.  Please Lord, be the peace in their troubled sea, speak your word into their doubts. 

We think of those grieving, mourning for relatives, feeling lost, alone and maybe puzzled, wondering what the future holds.  We pray for the homesick, missing family and friends and for the family and friends missing their loved ones.  As they walk round empty rooms, or look back on old photographs, help them to remember the special times, if only moments sometimes and find comfort. 

We pray for those mourning the loss of career, hopes and dreams, loss of health and vitality.  A failed marriage or other close relationship.   

We pray for the sick in body, mind or spirit or maybe all three.  Those in constant physical pain , those who are under a constant black cloud with depression.  The young person at school who suffers a sudden attack of panic, maybe for no  reason they understand, or the older  person at work who suffers the same panic, anxiety and distress.  The retired person at home alone, also feeling panic and anxiety.  Lord convict them that your great love will lead them through, you will be the peace in their troubled sea.  This may not mean they will be healed in this life, you don't promise to take all suffering away, but to walk through the valley of the shadow of death with us.

Lord we bring before you all those who are angry, who perhaps don't quite understand what they are angry about.  Those of us who are sensitive and all too easily throw pity parties.  Those who recognize wrong attitudes in others, but not in ourselves and so don't seek your help to correct them. Lord thank you that you do help us in our wrestling and struggles over different issues in our lives if we only but seek you to do so. 

We think of teachers who sometimes have to be all things to all pupils, who without any formal training seek to counsel and help their pupils through all kinds of difficulties.  Of pastors and church workers who have sometimes to put their own family lives and problems on hold to help those they serve in the flock.

So great shepherd of the sheep, this morning we seek you collectively, recognizing the power of the holy spirit working in our midst, the grace and love extended to us, by Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

As we do so, we recognize that our prayers in this section have been mainly Longmeadow, surrounding area and U.K.   focused.  Although many of these things will apply worldwide.  We know there are many additional problems and challenges faced by many in many parts of the world.  The problems and hardships are many and are heartbreaking, frightening far reaching and complex.   A very apt time to say yet again Teach us, teach me Lord how to pray. 

O Jesus I have promised to serve Thee to the end.  Be thou forever near me, My Master and my friend. I shall not fear the battle if thou art by my side, nor wander from the pathway if thou wilt be my guide.  We acknowledge words, we often sing Here in the Power of Christ I Stand. 

In His Victorious Name we pray.  Amen 

We, our lives, are perhaps a jigsaw, in the master's hands.  We are a broken people, in a broken world.  Some with frayed edges, square points trying to fit into round holes.  Increase our faith that you will fit all the pieces together. Make us pliable clay in the potter's hands.   Help us not to be surprised at the fiery trials, storms, raging in and around us.  To know it is happening to God's people everywhere and one day we will reach that paradise promised to us. You  tell us in your word, that you alone know the plans you have for us, plans for prosperity not disaster.  

This section in particular was very heart felt and is tonight as I sit there, thinking how hard it must be for young people to fit all the pieces together.  I as an older person, find it very difficult sometimes to make sense of life and my fellow human beings.  Life is hard, but I cannot help feeling we sometimes make it much harder than it need be.

My Lighthouse and my rock

My grandson Callum with a church friend, taken after his baptism in January.

Words are few still, but thoughts and arrow prayers many.

Blessings to you all.

Repost - written last year

TUESDAY, 17 JUNE 2014

An attempt to share some of my jumbled thoughts. Reposting don't have anything much new to share at the moment.

Okay that is a start, I have put the title.  I want to try and share and break open this writing block.

Just recently things have been more rocky than usual for me.  I have struggled, but I must say at this point, I have all the time felt the presence and help of Our Lord with me.  However He does not promise us an easy time, He promises us Joy in the midst of circumstances and eternal life and a place in Glory with him.

Joy I have learnt, does not mean happiness, everything okay, on top of the world feeling.  No it means looking to Jesus not the circumstances whether they happen to be happy or sad at any given moment.  It means J = Jesus, first - O = others second and Y = yourself last.  Sounds fairly easy, if you read it quickly doesn't it, but I would guess I am not the only one, who finds it anything but easy, especially some days.

I often tell myself and others remember we FIGHT from VICTORY, not to Victory.  I want to encourage myself and them.  But recently I have felt, battle weary, worn out and fed up with fighting.  (anyone relate?)

Yesterday I went to my Zumba class, I almost didn't go, although I do really enjoy it.  I felt so, so tired and I ached all over.  However, I was pleased I pushed myself and made the effort, I had a few smiles and giggles at some of the moves we have to do, I also wondered, about the fact, that standing upright there, I can move, fairly quickly, follow most of the moves, with some slight adaptations :) and stay the course.  However, because of a restriction in my lower back and tendency to frozen shoulders, anything that requires bending, lifting, carrying etc, is a no-no, or if I do it, I suffer and cannot do much at all for a few days.

So, as I danced and jigged about to the music, throwing arms and legs here there and everywhere and wiggling various parts of my anatomy, I day dreamed.  I wonder about many things.  What will I be able to do in heaven, what will that be like, will there be ageism, sexism, will my body be only able to perform some functions and not others.  Until recently, I didn't think too much beyond  this life, I believed the promise of no pain or tears in heaven, but didn't tend to think about how we would recognize one an other and what age we would be, regardless of what age we left this life.   I didn't, I suppose think we would still have a body as such.  It was good to know Jesus had gone ahead and prepared a room for me.

Well, I said my thoughts were jumbled and I know I tend to go off on tangents, I am apt to do that at bible studies in groups.  One tangent I went off on, was, as a member of the Worldwide Body Of Christ, we are all able to perform different functions, whatever age, whatever gender.  Instead of feeling, as I have recently, where do I fit in here, I am older than some, younger than some, have different circumstances, different abilities, "oh poor me" type thoughts.  Perhaps I need to ask God, given my age and my gender and the seeming restrictions and regulations where I am now in my life, what do you want me to do.

I was also thinking, what will it be like in Heaven and how do we or I survive being hurt and hurting others, being misunderstood and misunderstanding others etc.  That is probably enough details for now.  But I am going to try more to look beyond this world to the promises of eternity and to make more of an effort to lead others to Jesus.  In my town this week, we have  Passion for Life events taking place, we are being encouraged to speak to others of Jesus and to bring them along to the various events, this is something I do not find easy at all. I did however go over to a couple of friends at Zumba and invite them to an event tonight our church is holding in the local Costa Coffee, I don't know if they will come or not, but I feel happier than I did, that I have now  extended 3 invitations to different people to different things and it is now in God's Hands, hopefully the seeds have been sown, I may never see the harvest reaped, but guess I may know in Heaven.

Hope all this makes some sense.  Have a blessed week.

Gifts

Haven't read much more of my book today. But have been reflecting on a paragraph that stood out to me near the start of the book. "traditional evangelicals view is that direct divine healing today is carried out by the Lord in answer to the prayers of His people. He no longer uses specially gifted people but deals directly with the sufferer. No promise of certain healing, sometimes God's will is to leave burden of sickness upon His people. Perhaps hard to accept and digest, but does make a lot of sense to me. Guess I am still searching for answers and will continue to read.

Found this saved in my drafts. Not even sure what the book was now, will have to research, but somehow the words about healing spoke to me, as I continue to search for answers.  Okay 2 posts in one night :)  

These words of this chorus seemed apt tonight, for things happening in the world, the country and personally.  Thought although I don't often blog these days I would share this.

Father, I place into Your hands
the things that I can’t do.
Father, I place into Your hands
the times that I’ve been through.
Father, I place into Your hands
the way that I should go,
for I know I always can trust You

Father, I place into Your hands
my friends and family.
Father, I place into Your hands
the things that trouble me.
Father, I place into Your hands
the person I would be,
for I know I always can trust You.

Father, we love to seek Your face,
we love to hear Your voice.
Father, we love to sing Your praise,
and in Your name rejoice.
Father, we love to walk with You
and in Your presence rest,
for we know we always can trust You.

Father, I want to be with You
and do the things You do.
father, I want to speak the words
that You are speaking too.
Father, I want to love the ones

that You will draw to You,

for I know that I am one with You.

©1975  Kingsway’s Thankyou Music