Christian Coffee House - Prayer/Chat thread. No rubbish church coffee allowed.

[Madhairday]

With the latest prayer thread coming to an end, we thought we would create a new thread for prayer and general chat too - we had chat threads running for years alongside prayer threads, and we thought it would be great to combine them. I try and collate some of the prayer requests from the last thread in the next few days. In the meantime, dive in! Lurkers/newbies - you are welcome to post. Feel free to start any chat subject about Christianity, church, worship etc, and do share any prayer needs.
Would love to hear from those who were on previous threads and haven't been around for a while, too. Come and let us know how you are.

Hi MHD, I’m a long time lurker. Generally I don’t post but I check on the thread every day to see if anyone needs prayers. I’ve been lurking for years so I feel like I know you all! Which is a bit weird since you don’t know I’m there!
If it’s okay, I would really appreciate your prayers for my dsister. She is really suffering with mental health at the moment and is very low at times. She is very fragile and has no mental strength of her own (and no faith) so it can be very draining trying to hold her together. Thank you. And thank you for the new thread.

Thanks MHD.. I think i have seen you around Donhill. So sad for your dsister, is she able to be at home or does she have to be in hospital? She will certainly be in my prayers.

Thanks MHD. Hope your lungs are doing much better.

Hi Donhill. I’ll keep you and her in my prayers.

Welcome Donill. So sorry to hear about the struggles your sister is facing. Praying that she may find peace and rest in her soul and mind.

Hello Oma and Rafa :)

Thanks. Lungs are better after the IVs but recovery hampered by other medical issues. Back to doctor tomorrow. Can hardly stay upright with tiredness.

Hey @blackeyedsusan - how are you?

Thanks for asking MHD. Snotty... Got the lurgy. Not too bad though, thank God.

Hiding from the wind. Opted out of church.

Hello can I join in? Im not good with chat threads as I dont always see in time to reply. I tend to lurk around the religion board in case anything interesting comes up. Mumsnet not the place for religious chat really but I dont post on or frequent other forums.

Sorry to hear you still suffering MHD. Doesn't seem to be letting up.

I always wonder if prayers hit the mark if you dont know someones full name or can't identify them very well.

I got to church early today, got soaked coming home, and now holed up at home with no intention of going back out.

I went, honking I’d have coffee after then lunch and the worst of the weather would have been done by the time I’d finished. Now I’m sat in the library while it’s still blowing a gale and hammering down.

I pray anyway and hope they hit the mark zen.

We seem to be praying a lot for people with depression/anxiety/invisible illnesses during the prayers of intercession at the moment anyway so I’m pretty sure that counts.

Welcome Zenudist I’m sure our prayers reach the mark, because God knows everything and can join up the dots. I’m sure that no love is ever lost and prayer is the best way of expressing love..

You might not know, but God does.

I was supposed to get some jobs done but have sat around like a pudding.

I hope it was nice pudding BES

Thanks everyone for your prayer. And I will pray for all of you too.

Hi there please can I ask you to pray for me please I hope you don't mind me asking... had a severe mental breakdown over Christmas for no obvious reason resulting in with me being diagnosed with major depression and anxiety.... I pray everyday for healing and I was thinking maybe extra prayers might help Xx

Praying for you Arielle. Mental health is so important, and I know how hard it can be when you are suffering. I pray that you start to feel better.

Thank you so much xx

Hello, signing in.
I pretty much lurked on the previous threads.
I'm not very good at the prayer thing, but I'll do my best!

Praying for you Arielle. I’m always saying this, but if you find that your prayers get you nowhere, give it up for a while and praise God for all His mercies. Once you start counting your blessings, you take your mind off yourself and put it onto God.
isittheholidaysyet this thread is not all about prayer, come and join us for a coffee, it’s all Fair Trade you know. If you want to tell us a bit about yourself, just do.

Very good advice from Oma :)

Great to see you, @Arielle83 and @isittheholidaysyet and @donhill and @ZenNudist and @RafaIsTheKingOfClay - love to hear more about you. We used to do these daft questions on the chat thread:

Coffee or tea?
Hymns or worship songs?
Band or organ?
Flavour/denomination?
What sort of after church snack?

(Etc, feel free to add your own)

Great to hear from you BES. Sorry it's tough. Are you feeling a little better now?

I've written this prayer for Valentine's today so thought I would share it with you all:

A Valentine's Day Prayer

May you find love in unexpected places
Love that fills and fulfils
and fires and inspires
Love that cascades into the depths of you
and sweeps through the agony in you
Love that holds you tight
In your darkest night
Love that floods you in glorious light
Love that is wide and deep
And high and long
Love that soothes your soul
And draws you into the song.

Tea
Both. Lucky to have quite an eclectic selection on a Sunday - traditional hymns, modern hymns, bit of taizé, bit of worship.
Organ for hymns and sung parts of the mass, band for worship. (Bit difficult to manage this one if the mass contains both)
Catholic
Biscuits. Preferably anything homemade, if not chocolate hobnobs.

Having a bit of a losing battle with the anxiety this morning so could do with some prayers. Have made it onto the bus to work now I just need to get through the rest of the day.

Proper coffee. Tea if not
Mixture of music CV and hymns/ worship songs.
CoE. Currently, been to lots of different churches.

Homemade cake.

I am tired and wiped out. Not too snotty anymore, it's just hanging around a bit.

Hello

Decaff either or preferably peppermint tea

Hymns but I dont know any worship songs

Organ or choir or anyone who is prepared to accompany us at church. We dont have a band but sometimes have a couple of guys on guitar.
Hymns and singing one of my favourite things about mass but I find it hard if noone around is singing. I always try if I know the tune.

Im Catholic for 41 years, lapsed for 25 years and took it up seriously again last year. Been about a year since I noticed there really is a God. Still confused, or amazed.

Im greedy so will eat whatever, we have cake from time to time but we dont do much after church socialising. My parish is amalgamating with another and the priest is stretched really thin (hes great though). Its mainly old people plus those like myself attached to the schools.

Thanks for the Valentine's Day Prayer.

Hey there @Arielle83. Ive said a prayer for you. It must be hard to have that come at you out of the blue. Hope you start to mend as the winter turns to spring.

Coffee or tea?
Copious amounts of both. Usually desperately in need of coffee after church!
Hymns or worship songs?
Worship songs is my preference,
I'm leading music in a RC church with a 'greatest hits of the 60's, 70's and 80's' hymn book. Prefer the old hymns to that!
Band or organ?
I prefer band, church uses organ
Flavour/denomination?
RC
What sort of after church snack?
I love a shared table meal, but copious amounts of biscuits will do fine.

Thankyou so much for your prayers xx

I think we might have the same hymn book, isit.

It's great to hear your answers. ZenNudist, I'd love to hear more about your journey - your realization about God over the last year - if you feel comfortable.

Love the greatest hits book. Is it red? On this thread we used to call it the Hideous Book, I think nickelbabe started that but can't remember why!

I guess I should share mine, having started it?

Tea or coffee?
Tea usually but always decaff

Hymns or worship songs?
Well I love both but probably prefer worship songs generally. Nothing like belting out a good hymn though. Love How Great Thou Art.

Band or organ?
Definitely band. Not an organ fan.

Flavour/denomination?
CofE. Married to a vicar so stuck here 😂 love it - mostly!

After church snack:
Well, recently a wonderful family in our church who are from Pakistan have been bringing fresh home made samosas in every Sunday, a whole load of them (have a big congregation!) And they are just the best after church snack ever. Also have fond memories of going to a Vineyard church my kids used to call 'doughnut church' because they served doughnuts before the service and after. Definitely a selling point for small children which they were at the time!
I love it when we have a shared meal as church too.