Canticles, charisma and chat (Religion thread number 2)

[BaroqueAroundTheClock]

the first one is nearly full.

Anyone welcome, it's basically a "what happened in church/spiritual life/anything else you want to chat about that's vaguely related (or not) to churchy stuff.

(hope I don't get nominated for the CW vacancy in my absence!!!!)

no, you won't - don't worry!
that's the one position you have to agree to first!

We have our normal 1st Sunday family service tomorrow - all the women (mothers or not) are given a little bunch of daffodils. They are very mindful of those who are not mothers or who may have lost their mothers too.

I took a peek at the music being used for the monthly Tots Praise service we went to yesterday - they use a book called "Stand up if you're wearing red" but it seems to be out of print. I think I'll have a look next time I go to a christian bookshop rather than order online.

Just popping my head in the door to say helllllooooooo!!

Just returned from a ladies retreat, which was a little bit special.

Hope those feeling poorly, for good reasons or not, feel better soon.

. Phew, we've got a candidate for CW that I can work with (was worried that someone I found difficult was going to stand...)

That's good Mary.

What happened at the women's retreat, PA?

Having a nice Mothering sunday - croissants for brekkie, church then out to the carvery for lunch, now slobbing :)

Sounds like a lovely day MHD.

Glad you have a CW Mary, I suppose that is the equivalent of the baptist Secretary, maybe?? How is the job going, by the way?

I have typed out so many times what happened at the retreat, but words just dont convey what I want to say. In very basic terms a promise I was given on January 5th 2004, which has guided my life since that minute, was drummed home once again.
That sounds so pathetic, but it was really powerful and this is something that I have clung to through some incredibly tough times over the past 7 years. Immediately after this we also sang the song that God used to confirm it all to me on that date in 2004.
Very encouraged for the future.

Hope you are all having lovely a Mothers day.

Sounds lovely PA :) Sometimes it's impossible to put these things into words. Glad you've been encouraged.

Had a lovely day but dh and dd are being grumpy. Huh, it's Mother's Day, get with it people!!

That sounds fantastic PA.

I've had a lovely day. DH and I have both managed to see our mums, which doesn't usually happen as we come from different parts of the country. The DSs were very sweet first thing this morning too.

Sounds like everyone has had lovely Mothers' Days Mothering Sundays!
Nickel - just think, this time next year, you'll be getting a card and a present :)

Good day here although similar to MHD, DH and DS weren't in the best of moods. DH was doing a good job putting his new greenhouse together and DS has his last molars coming through and clung to me like a limpet most of the day. Maybe he thought it was a special day to literally be attached to mummy?!

Lovely service this morning with a bit of a focus on my RCIA peeps who are being received at Easter. I'm Godmother for one of them which will be a fantastic experience to be Godmother for a young mum in her 20s who has chosen to be baptised :)

PA - your retreat sounds amazing. I'd love to go on one again.
Really pleased you've had some affirmation.

Mary - great news about your CW :)

Hello Newlark, jaffacakes and Baroque :)

Anyone else watching Louis Theroux's programme this evening? The family members that are featured make me feel sick. I can't quite believe what I am seeing on tv.

No - I'm watching Lewis :)
What's so awful about the family members?

Just seen another thread about that programme, jaffa. What side was it on, I will have to watch it on the internet, it sounds terrible.

It was on BBC2. The family are described as "America's most hated family" and belong to an extreme Christian group. They spend a lot of their time out demonstrating outside other churches, high schools and the funerals of soldiers who have died in Afghanistan. Their placards have offensive messages on them such as "God hates fags". Others suggest that deaths in the military occur due to homosexuality. I felt so desperately sorry for the families of soldiers that have died that have to pass these placards on the way to the funeral of their son/father/brother etc. They didn't seem to preach any message of love or forgiveness. So sad.

I wanted to watch it, but DH didn't. I saw the original programme though. I read an article about it yesterday which said that after his first visit, a number of those involved had left the cult/family BECAUSE of what he'd said to them, which is part of the reason why he made the return visit. That gave me hope! I'll watch it on iplayer when I get chance... I couldn't record it because I was already recording the docufilm "Temple Grandin" which was showing on Sky Atlantic.

Haven't started the job yet. Agreed I'd start after my knee op, but I've been sick ever since. My first task is to put together an Eastertide order of service for the Eucharist :).

Morning!

PA Your retreat experience sounds amazing.

Mary Are you feeling better?

I didn't see Louis Theroux yesterday but did see a little bit of the first programme and it was so very very sad.

Quick update on dd1. She was reluctant to come with me yesterday and was blaming me for volunteering her to read , but she came and read beautifully, managed to pal up with a little girl her own age, and so on, so I am ignoring the whingeing and focusing on the behaviour instead.

Feeling a lot better than I did, thanks, although a little drained and washed out, and a bit dizzy still. More "normal" anyhow, or what approaches normality for me!

essence -"Nickel - just think, this time next year, you'll be getting a card and a present" - I got a present this year! I told DH I wanted a mother-to-be present, so he bought me some choccies from Thornton's (I ruined it a little bit though, because I saw them in the bag, assumed they were for his mum, said that I didn't like Thornton's chocolates (don't know why I even mentioned it!), and he got all shifty then admitted they were for me! (they were wrapped up))
Anyway, they weren't too bad - a little truffle fillin,g but not the nasty one.
There were 4 individual choccies I (heart) M U & M
And he put "to my gorgeous wife and mum-to-be" on the label.

At church, CW was handing out the baskets to flowers to "volunteers" to help hand out the posies. She handed a basket each to two girls in the congregation, then she came up to me with the last basket. So I grabbed hold of it. No, she wasn't giving me the basket, it was just I was the first to be given a posie! Blame my PG brain- it doesn't know what's going on these days!

Aw nickel that's so sweet of dh! :)
TUO glad dd1 was ok yesterday.

Haven't heard of this programme but sounds dire. Such a dreadful representation of Christianity. Think Jesus may have some choice words. :(

The Phelps family, as featured in the programme, are well known for their hate campaigns. On Ship of Fools, they even have this ongoing thread called "Phelps-watch", where people report their latest bigotry. They give Christians a bad name!

I've just watched it on the iplayer. :(

It is quiet on here today! I've been mulling over the programme from last night. Some of the people interviewed were children and there were obviously children that took part in the demonstrations. The church made special child sized placards for this purpose. One of the children seemed genuinely frightened that he may be weak and fall away from the church as others had done. He said they would go to hell. It made me wonder, could this constitute child abuse? On what grounds? I don't work in that field but it did make me wonder. Is it mental abuse to subject a child to such a firebrand version of Christianity? If so, at what point does it become child abuse? I don't know the answers, there probably aren't any, but it did make me think.

I've just watched it on iplayer too :(

the children were just reciting what they had been told - if you listened to their reasoning, it wasn't thought out, it was just recited parrot-fashion.

Hopefully, if they go to mainstream schools, they'll learn tolerance.
it is a shame that they're being made to believe that if they don't toe the line they'll go to hell. Wish someone could show them what it's like to live for this life...

How sad :(

Morning everyone. We may be going to see another house today, waiting to hear, otherwise I have odds and sods to be getting on with, then helping run the PTA Disco tonight, oh joy.