Christian prayer thread

[Dutchoma]

Just starting a new thread without any embellishments so it doesn't run out.
Please add any concerns/witterings/names to it.
Love to you all.

Happy Christmas and best wishes to all.

I was a bit ill yesterday (stomach, not bad though), so we had part of our Christmas dinner and we'll have the rest today. Managed to get to church (went to the new one and DH agreed the DCs running around randomly was better tolerated), and the DCs love their presents.
Now setting up the Wise Men to travel round the dining room - more Christmas story. I'm pretty pleased that even the 2yo knows there's more than Father Christmas. Though she may not realise that the Baby Jesus is not just another doll!
She has really awful nappy rash by the way (I have another thread on her potty training). We need to take her to the HV later in the week. A bit minor but worrying and painful for her.

drspouse, have you tried metanium? That was the best barrier cream for DS (yellow tube). But I do remember having to get a prescription one from the GP once, maybe you can ask over the counter if you can't get a GP appointment. Good that consensus may be approaching on the Church issue, will pray for positive resolution.

Prayers all around this morning .

She has a history of this and we've had about 3 different ones on prescription, we are currently using Metanium but it's very drying, we have also been through at least 4 other different creams.

Wouldn't be thrush, would it? Drspouse

My Dr recommended lashings of sudocreme as a barrier when we had the nappy rash problem.

Hope your tummy is feeling better.

She gets thrush but this isn't it AFAICS. Will have to ask the HV. Sudocrem also not helping. Neither are Waitrose Bottom Butter, coconut oil, or Weleda.

Prayers for all here I made it through Christmas and thought of this thread and many kindnesses (was on my own) and hope I have the bravery to take action to hopefully move my life forwards in the New Year.

Bloomed, I will pray for bravery for you, and for all those who need courage and strength (as I do). I pray that you go from strength to strength knowing there is kindness and love in the world and that God will not have given you a greater task than you can meet.

I also add my prayers for everyone else

Something occurred to me reading what Bloomed and Cocoax* said about 'bravery'.
So often it can seem as if everything depends on us and if we are not 'brave' it is 'our fault'.
What came into my mind was what St Paul says in 2 Corinthians 12:10:
'When I am weak, then I am strong'. He talks about being weak so that God's purpose can be shown in him and I wonder if it would help to look at it like: this is what I need to do, it is the right thing to do, but I am scared of doing it. If I still do it, it will be God doing it in and for me. I do it in the strength of the Lord.

Thank you DutchOma I think that one of my main fears is the fear of not being able to cope (not just the difficult situations themselves). That passage helps a great deal.

The fear of failure can absolutely cripple us Bloomed. But it is self perpetuating and I think that so long as you have thought long and hard about the best course to follow, and have clearly identified what you want to achieve, you cannot really fail. You may not quite get to the point where you wanted to be, but you have made a courageous try and that is all anybody (including you) can expect.

I am just about to leave my mums, which meand a foggy frosty journey home arriving late.

I hope you have arrived safely now BES. Praying you will find everything ok when you got home.

just got back and unloaded the car. took a while. it is very slippery outside and foggy here. carrying the presents back up the stairs and thinking... they will not fit in the flat. some are going ot have to go to thier dad's. they have not go t much there anyway.

the water is back on. the tray catching from the radiator was full but not overflowing.

Thanking God for your safe return home, BES. We got back last night, before it turned too frosty, thankfully. Thanking God, too, for the wonderful Oma's thoughtful and helpful words. Particularly timely at this time of year, when we remember how Jesus made himself weak, literally as weak as a tiny baby, in order to know and understand our weakness, and in order to stand alongside us when we feel that we lack strength for ourselves.

Praying for Bloomed and for Cocoa and for Orchid and for everyone for whom Christmas has been (wholly or in parts) a struggle.

Also praying for drspouse - for a more settled church 'home' in the new year. And for an end to nappy rash. (Savlon worked for my DDs, IIRC - though it was some time ago now!)

Today, as we remember the Holy Innocents, I pray also for all children in our own time affected by war or threatened by violence, for those who are refugees, for those who don't have enough to eat or a safe, warm place to sleep, for those who have lost their parents, for those who are ill. And I pray for all parents who have known the horror of the loss of a child and for those who can only watch and support their children (and grandchildren) in times of illness. Praying especially for Trazzle and for PA's baby grandson (and for her DD, his mum).

today I need to get minecraft. please pray that I will know which one to buy.

Hope you all had a fantastic Christmas and the new year brings you love and peace.

I can't believe that today our TV broke. Dh tried to fix it but it is beyond repair. It is almost 6 years old so perhaps we should be expecting it. However having just replaced our 20 year old sofa it's not a good time. I suppose that I should be grateful for the sales and that it broke now. Still doesn't help my anxiety as I worry so much about money. I know money isn't everything but it causes me anxiety and worry and sometimes I think, depression. I am so careful with money. I didn't choose any gift for myself from the dh at Christmas, I did receive small meaningful gifts from the family which are much nicer such a pictures in frames etc. So glad I did now with this unplanned expense.

Today I must admit to being so angry. A few years ago my dd had trouble at school with an aggressive girl from an aggressive home, masquerading as the perfect family. Anyway she attacked dd resulting in dd having a seizure and now epilepsy. Dd didn't fight back or defend herself.

Anyway most decent parents would be ashamed of their childs behaviour and want to put things right. Not them. We endured aggressive harrassment from the father who explained he was under pressure from his wife to get us to drop our complaint with school and get his daughter off the hook. They said they didn't care about my dd being hospitalised as their daughter was in trouble with school cos I reported the assault. Anyway I know that I should find a way to forgive them but I can't. I hate them. Anyway today I was pulling on the drive at home as this aggressive girl was walking past our house. I wasn't entirely sure if this was her so as I got out of the car I looked over. She stared back as if to out stare me and started laughing. I glared at her and she laughed even more. I don't know how she had the gaul. She is so vile. The day she left high school for college, all form tutors gave a speech about their students in a leavers assembly. My dd was described as little miss quiet by her form tutor, a pleasure to have around etc. Her form tutor could not find anything nice to say, other than he won't miss her rudeness and answering back!!!

I just can't get over the whole family. They look immaculate. Think that they are the perfect family. Yet behave like wild animals. If my child had attacked another child I would be ashamed. I would be feeling like I had failed as a mum, make dd apologise and sort out the behaviour with punishments too. I would worry about what other people would think about the behaviour and the home life etc. Not them. The girls dad shoved me as he passed me down a dark path leading to guides and then tried to fight my dh. In view of other parents. He said I was the problem as I had made a complaint to school. Anyway I am so, so angry. Angry with myself for letting her get to me with her cheek and lack of knowing how to behave. I am sad that I actually hate the family. I am sad that I can't forgive her. Once she tried to block my way to a cash machine I was queuing for as she came out of a corner shop. Deliberately blocked my path laughing and knowing that I can't do anything. I can't push her out of the way etc, she's a child. Her mother had a rule that no other person was allowed to tell her daughter off. Even for violence when she was around 7 years old. She would be straight on the phone ranting. I really hope that I can stop feeling so angry. I probably sound like a loon but it's the mother lion in me.

I am so sorry for ranting on about it but I needed to vent as dh said to let it go and dd was worried that me looking at her and glaring might cause a reprisal.....cue more rage from me. I am not frightened to look at her and who does she think she is etc. So I had to get it out of my system and I am sorry that it was here. I just feel that you would listen and understand me x

We sertainly do understand Dont. This sort of rage is understandable and it is good that you could let it go here. How is your daughter now? Is the epilepsy still bothering her? Is the complaint still live?
In a small community like yours it is difficult to avoid people nd the continuing contact makes it even harder to avoid them.
Feeling that you 'should' forgive them because you are a Christian is not going to deal with the problem. You are rightfully angry. Your anger is also a rod for your own back. It is not hurting the other people, it is hurting only you.
Anger like this is like taking poison and expecting the other person to die. I don't know who said that, but it is true. The only way to deal with it is to look to Jesus and see Him suffering for you, so that you can be forgiven. Don't look at the objects of your anger, righteous as it is, look at Jesus and His love for you. Spend some time standing in the sunlight of His love - love just for you, because He loves you. And He understands too.

life is livable without a tv. ex pressed the wrong button and retuned about 3 years ago now. no tv for three years. (we have a cathode ray tube portable dust collector inthe corner of the room.)

oh dear, they are horrible. no wonder you have trouble forgiving. I suppose you need to get to a place where they no longer hurt you for your benefit. but calling the police is certainly appropriate in some of those circumstances.

Oh dont your anger is understandable and I know how it feels to have rage you cannot express. It eats you up. Generally I try to think what is underneath the anger, and it is fear - fear for those i love, fear of me and them being harmed, fear of the situation never ending and of not finding peace. The fear needs tenderness and understanding not red hot thoughts. Be gentle on yourself .

Thank you Tuo for the prayers.

I am extremely tired - at the moment I have peace and I thank God for that. It is temporary. I am praying for God to hold us safe and for my mind to quiet. And for all those in need of comfort

Praying for peace for you tonight, lovely dont, and for your DD too. What a horrible thing for you all to have had to go through... and to keep dealing with even now. Praying that you find a way to reach some sort of equilibrium.

Praying for you too, Cocoa.

These are the opening words of tonight's Northumbria compline, and they are very apposite for both of you, and others (Orchid, Bloomed, BES et al) on this thread, so I leave them hear as a prayer for all who need them tonight.

Find rest, O my soul, in God alone:
my hope comes from Him.

May we all know the peace, hope, and rest that comes from God alone. Amen.

Dont they sound awful and your response is quite rational and normal. I am praying for you now, to find a way of coping with them that doesn't eat away at you.

cocoa bes and everyone else, prayers and blessings for a peaceful night and a calm end to the year.

I am with my DM trying to help her understand that she is moving house in 2 weeks, and clearing shed loads of stuff for sale, charity shops and skip. It's pretty hard because she forgets all the time and then sobs because 'no-one told me I was going to have to move'. We've talked of nothing else for weeks. DDad is exhausted and getting short-tempered. He's overwhelmed by it all too. They have nowhere to go yet and are moving in with me for now. Which is pretty daunting too!
Meanwhile my fragile ceasefire with DP for the sake of the DC's Xmas is being tested by it all, and by imminent NYE. But we will survive the next month or two at least because there simply isn't time to do anything other than cope with the parents (and somehow keep up with work).