Pull up a pew (or a fetching plastic chair) Religion Chat Thread No 6

[madhairday]

Helloooooooooo!

A shiny new thread :)

How are we all today?

DS seems to have the beginning of what may be chicken pox so is in bed feeling sorry for himself. My laptop is playing up - a picture fell on it yesterday and killed the b key - it takes ages to make it respond now grrrr - and cracked the screen, so not sure what to do :(

[madhairday]

I thought that might be the case!

[niminypiminy]

Funnily enough we all had a lot of afterwards!

[madhairday]

That's just gorgeous niminy :)

[thegreenheartofmanyroundabouts]

Very, very special. Alleluia!

[Dutchoma]

That must have been an amazing experience for all of you Niminy. Praise God.

[Tuo]

Wow, niminy... that must've been special. Congratulations to them, and alleluia.

[niminypiminy]

(Posted too soon)

My two sons were baptised on Easter Day which was absolutely lovely. I was all teary, what with having been to the sunrise service at 5.30 and the general celebration. It was really, really lovely to see them make this wonderful commitment.

[niminypiminy]

Yay Milly! He's risen! (Still v happy about that!)

How are things with you? How was your Easter?

[thanksamillion]

Hello everyone, and Happy Easter! For once we got to celebrate at the same time as it's one of the rare years when the Orthodox calendar coincides with the Western one

[thegreatestMadHairDayinhistory]

Hello Jayne and happy Easter!

We're still around :) Would be nice to resurrect this thread

Is nickel around at all?

Christ is Risen!

[niminypiminy]

Helloooo Jayne! Good to see you again!

We're mostly all still around (though I haven't seen Nickelbabe here for a while), but mostly either on the prayer thread and the Bible study thread. How are things with you?

[jaynebxl]

Hello, just remembered about this thread today but it seems to have died. Have you all gone somewhere else?

[niminypiminy]

That is so true, DO!

Milly it's great to hear from you, and very good to hear that things are going well with your fellowship group and church. It's an amazing thing you are doing!

I thought things had settled down here, but I am beginning to be very troubled by the group of children DS1 has got in with at school. I had to explain to him today (he's aged 10) what a prostitute was because one of them had been calling another one's mother a prostitute, and there have been more shocking things than that. I feel so powerless -- I've talked to the school and they won't or can't really do anything except say 'don't say that kind of thing', and you can't choose your children's friends for them (alas). Maybe all I can do is to keep the channels of communication open and offer a model of a different way to lead your life. But it's still both and

[Dutchoma]

It's lovely to hear from you Milly. We were praying for the new president elect of Ukraine since we found out he is a Baptist preacher. We'd only found out that morning as it is not widely reported in the media here. Praying that God will be much involved in the Ukraine and in your country too. God can make so much from so little.

[thanksamillion]

We're ok thanks! We do still have snow but it's been a mild winter in general with only about 3 weeks of really cold temps (daytime -10 - that kind of thing!). We're really hoping this is the last of winter and I can see signs of spring - my bulbs are starting to come up and the trees are starting to bud.

We've been watching closely what's been happening in Ukraine as DH is organising a sponsored bike ride that ends up there! Also because the situation isn't all that dissimilar to here and we have elections at the end of the year.

Next week we have lots of concerts at school as it's the first day of spring (1st March) which is a big (if quite pagan!) celebration. Women give each other Martisoare which are little crochet broaches in red and white or flowers, then it's Women's Day on 8th March which is treated kind of like Mother's Day. We have 3 DCs at different schools/kindergarten so they each have a concert and I'm helping with another one at the Community Centre that we're involved in!

Our little fellowship group is still going well. We were 16 including us and children on Sunday which we're really pleased about. We generally have about 8 to 10 on a Thursday afternoon and then all go to visit a local church on a Sunday morning. It's interesting to see people at the very start of their journey of faith and a good reminder about how much we take for granted with new believers.

Sorry that was a long post! I do follow on here even if I don't post all that often and you are all in my prayers

[madhairday]

Hello milly :) How are things over there? I often think of you and remember you in my prayers with the amazing things you're doing.

Oma - how are you today dear one?

Panda - so glad you are coping OK...continued prayers for strength.

I'm struggling a bit with dh away in DRC, but coping.....trying to get together our monthly service without him is hard!! Getting there.

[Dutchoma]

Hello back. How are you doing? Do you still have snow?

[thanksamillion]

Hi all, just popping in to say hello

[PandaG]

thanks MHD. Am doing well tbh, genuinely, but helping Dad sort stuff is hard - he can only manage a bit at a time which is totally fair enough, but I would like to get it all over and done with. Need to do it at his pace though.

Friend from church came round this morning, was good to catch up with her.

[madhairday]

Oh Panda.....no words, just love and prayers...this must all be so very hard. May you know God holding you in the storm.

[PandaG]

just had a weekend with Dad - wierd to be there without mum, and have come home with bagfuls of clothes that may be of use to me. Feels so odd to be contemplatiung wearing her things - used to borrow stuff when she was alive, but emptying her drawer of new packs of pants...

Shrodinger, great testimony. :)

[madhairday]

That's great Shrodinger - I'm so glad you got so much good from MN :) likes flowery dresses but only with leggings and biker boots - it must have been difficult to break away when it was so entrenched, but what freedom to get away from such toxicity :)

[SchrodingersFerret]

Well, I might out myself, tbh if I say. But suffice to say, MN introduced me to different ideas and helped to challenge the homophobia I'd been taught, along with the teaching about women, like only voting as your husband voted, covering your head and wearing flowery dresses and long denim skirts, home educating so your kids would remain 'pure' yada yada yada. Oh there's so much. I could write a book about it!

[madhairday]

That's brilliant, Shrodinger - and in full agreement re toxicity of the more fundie churches. Wow - love hearing stuff like this. How was MN instrumental

[Dutchoma]

That's quite an amazing story Schrodingers. I have long given up trying to 'defend' my faith with self-respecting atheists: there's none so blind as won't see, I think the expression is. It gives me hope that when people do open themselves up to God He does speak into their lives and changes them.