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.

Thanks MHD

Can I just say how nice it was to stumble across this thread. I've never discussed my faith on MN before and I tend to let myself get too sucked into some of the toxicity I am seeing around the web atm. Just reading the posts in this thread has had a calming effect on me. I am struggling with my MH at the moment and this has been heightened by CV, I'm sure I'm far from being the only one. I will pray that we all come through this strange and frightening time.

brigincrazyback welcome. What would you like to drink? Somehow there are new biscuits in the tin, help yourself. I am glad you are bringin crazy back, we are crazy enough as it is here.

There’s tea, coffee, squash and juice as well as the new biscuits in the tin, so take your pick.

Cardinal Nichols video message has just about finished me off today.

brigincrazyback welcome. What would you like to drink? Somehow there are new biscuits in the tin, help yourself. I am glad you are bringin crazy back, we are crazy enough as it is here.

Just to be difficult, I would like anything but coffee as I don't drink it. Nor tea. Those biscuits are sounding good, though... thanks for the welcome!

I met up with the very lovely Oma at the recent woolly hugs Hugathon and told her I'd been lurking on this thread. She advised me to bite the bullet and post and in light of recent world events I think I need to follow her sage advice.

I'm a tea drinker - Earl Grey preferably.
Hymns definitely
I love organ music
I'm a recently lapsed Catholic
After church snacks, what are they? I'm used to going to Mass having fasted from the night before and then racing home for a bacon sandwich.

My faith has recently been tested during my mum's final illness. I'm struggling with having watched her suffer and die - refusing her medication and offering up her pain for the souls in Purgatory followed by an issue with the religious community at my old parish leaving me a bit rejected. I moved house at about the same time and feel lost in the new parish.

We are currently self isolating as three out of the five of us have coughs. No other symptoms and we are well in ourselves so I hope we are just being prudent. I've got a big stash of wool and I'm working away. I'm doing a blanket for the Chernobyl children and then I'm going to do a couple of nativities - just because I can.

Keep well MHD and lovely Oma and everyone else. Off to find the Cardinal's message Rafa. I'm originally from Liverpool and had a couple of trips to Lourdes in my teens when he travelled with the pilgrimage. He has a lovely speaking voice.

m.youtube.com/watch?v=vbZ0_x__Cxc

I’ll post it to save you the trouble. I think there are probably things in there we can all take from it regardless of denomination.

Thank you Rafa. That's very kind of you.

I feel the same about this thread bringincrazyback - really uplifting when the world feels very different today. Thank you for all the lovely verses and links.

I was feeling a bit sorry for myself earlier (day 7 of isolation) and then I saw some news footage about refugees desperately trying to cross into Europe despite this unfolding health crisis. It made me properly think about something that I push away a lot of the time - that for so many people the worst has already happened. It's happening every single day; families torn apart by wars and disasters, desperate to find somewhere safe to protect those they love. This virus is just more of the same to them - possibly even less of a threat.

I'm not brave at all - I still feel really scared for my family and community, and myself to be honest, (and really just want to wake up and coronavirus to have disappeared) but it did make me think about how flipping lucky I am to be in a stable and affluent country, which despite all its shortcomings, has a good health service and decent infrastructure to deal with this crisis, or at least have a good shot at it. If the worst happens, however terrible and unimaginable on a personal level that would be, my family and I would still be luckier than most of the planet.

MadHairDay - the blog post is really insightful. I think it does feel like a kind of exile from 'normality' - everything feels out of time and place. I guess living with daily uncertainty is the new reality for many of us for the foreseeable future - which feels pretty alien when you've had the benefit of stable and fairly predictable routines. I think like many of us I'm just trying to cling onto God when everything else is shifting!

Sorry I keep forgetting to do the most important bit!

Tea drinker (peppermint for sore throat/cough at moment!)
Like hymns mainly - enjoy the worship style at my local C of E cathedral but enjoy just sitting in silence too!
Not too keen on the organ

Attend a house church with friends (the group has a very evangelical flavour, although I'm actually a very woolly liberal!)

I've had a very on and off relationship with God for 20 years - found my way back last year! Phew!

TheWoollybacksWife welcome - you’d have loved one parish I was in in London. They had an inclusive mass with some adults and children with additional needs about once a term with everyone welcome, a raffle (most everyone won) and bacon rolls with the tea and coffee.

Oh hello, Woollybackswife I thought you had thought better of it and stayed lurking. Glad you have found your way here. I do hope that you will also find your way back to church, maybe when all this malarkey is over you will feel more able to rejoin.

It's so lovely to see newbies and lurkers here. You're so welcome. These are unprecedented times and we need to support one another more than ever.

Thank you so much, @jamclag - in some ways it is easier for me because I'm used to long periods of isolation, but it still all seems so new and strange.

Ds absolutely devastated about GCSEs 😢

Our church are saying daily offices 3 times a day via FB live so if anyone wants the link DM me. Also love streaming Sunday worship. How we need those things at this time. Makes me think a little of those persecuted Christians and how they cannot meet at all...

Live streaming, though it is with much love!😂❤️

I’m having a huge wobble this morning.

The conflicting ideas of knowing I’m in an at risk group and at the very minimum am supposed to be following stringent social distancing while also having to get public transport into work in the hospital seem to have suddenly collided.

Not feeling selfless or heroic as an NHS worker today. I just want to run away and hide.

Praying for you Rafals. It is a huge difficulty. I do hope and pray that you will feel that God is keeping you safe. You probably know that is the case, but do not FEEL it. Can you take a minute or two to put yourself in a place where you are at peace (I imagine I am a frog on a lily pad in a pond in Kew Gardens believe it or not) and draw the peace of God over yourself like a blanket.

Thank you Oma. Feeling a bit less wobbly now.

Have watched today’s Lent in Isolation video and prayed a rosary. I’d forgotten how calming that is.

Have been thinking a lot about the serenity prayer today.

Rafal saying a prayer for you. I've a doctor friend who has severe asthma who got through Covid-19. She's day 8 now and feeling better.

Hi all - after some help. My DM in her 80s is self isolating. She is heavily involved with her Cof E church - choir, PCC, reader etc and street pastor. She is lost without it. I would be grateful if anyone could post links to websites/FB pages etc where she might be able to access live feeds or recorded services etc. It can't be too technical as we are trying to avoid contact so she needs to be able to do it herself, but she has a PC and a smartphone although downloading apps etc is probably out of the question 🙂 Many thanks

I’ve got a couple to RC stuff but not necessarily CofE. Would that be useful?

Thanks Lisette. That helps. Tbh I think NHS staff have a collective feeling of fear and apprehension this week. So many conflicting feelings and emotions.

I’m just going to offer it up and let Him take the weight. There’s not much else I can do.

@Seeline It rather depends what her local church is doing.

Mine isn’t sorted out yet, but another church local to me has decided to use FB to livestream its services. In the meantime whilst individual churches figure out how to manage the CofE website is producing some resources.

My guess would be that it will be the social connection she is missing most of all, are you able to find out who is leading stuff in her area, and see what is going on? For example if PCC meetings are moving to an online platform she might be able to get connected to those with a bit of legwork or being talked through getting set up by phone.

I am in the same position as your mother and toally lost without the carefully built network.
It may not be a popular view, but I am trying to go out at least once a day just to keep my fitness alive. So long as she is not within ‘spitting distance’ of someone there is little chance of passing on any bugs. The feeling of isolation is worse for your mental health than any infection. Of course hand washing is important and of course if you feel ill, do whatever it is that keeps you comfortable.
We had a virtual choir practice last night, each choosing a favourite bit of music and listening to it. I found it very comforting.

Hello all.

Coffee or tea?
Coffee

Hymns or worship songs?
Worship songs but like classic old hymns

Band or organ?
Band unless organ is playing Bach

Flavour/denomination?
Baptist

What sort of after church snack?
Biscuits

If it's not too cheeky could I ask for prayer?Been diagnosed with Covid but not tested as they are only testing seriously ill people in hospital. I have asthma so I'm a bit worried as my chest is currently very sore.

Thank you

Hello @KayakingOnDown - welcome. So sorry you've got the virus, it must be so worrying with asthma. I am praying for you now. Keep us updated. Are you feeling ok or has it got horrible? Praying for peace especially.

@Seeline the BBC are showing a Sunday service every week, this week the archbishop of Canterbury will be leading that, if that would be any help. lots of local churches like ours are doing FB live feeds.

Oma darling I don't blame you for getting some fresh air. My parents are too. Just keep away from people... 😢

Here if you want to video chat.