Mumsnet Christian prayer thread for July

[DutchOma]

Mumsnet prayer thread for July

Since the last prayer update there have been three bereavements on this thread alone Onlyjoking's Steve, MartianBishop's husband (who had been presented with his MBE just days before his death) and Evenstar's husband who died very suddenly while away from home.
Our prayers are with them. Special prayers for OJ as she battles with difficult relations. Praying that she will be able to get everything done before she goes away on holiday to Lanzarote to scatter Steve's ashes in a place where they have been very happy.

Praying for CaptainCaveman and MyJobismum as they expect their babies. Praying that there may soon be a positive, acceptable offer on CC's house.

Health problems:- CaptainDippy with a persistent cough. Things are not easy for our Dippy at the moment, please, if you can, concentrate your prayers on her and her family for a wee while.

Podmog can be in a hard place from time to time. Things are looking up, but it's going to take time and patience.

Swaliswan will receive treatment for a longstanding problem, but no problems have been discovered after extensive blood tests.

I haven't heard how PandaG's mum is doing after her lung operation.

We also pray for Nicole, Mary's friend who was taken ill with meningitis while in Cyprus. Her life hung by a thread, but over the past few days she has held her own.
Continuing prayers for Mary's friend Marg who suffered three grievous bereavements in a very short time.

We pray for Suzy that she may be delivered from Trojan Horses. Lord what did we do before we had computers?

We pray for Amber, that she may find the right way to communicate .

We pray for Mary in her studies, giving thanks for recent successes. Also for Weegiemum and Weegiedad, who passed exams at the end of the academic year.

We pray for Notsofarnow and FAQ for wisdom in newly developing relationships.

Welcome to newbies bealcain (and her friend), justabout and PurpleLostPrincess. Hoping to hear more from Bottersnike whose dh40 posted to ask for prayers in a very sudden difficult illness, which fortunately resolved itself quickly.
We give thanks for all on the board who pray for us Notquitegrownup who 'flies by', Jentlydoesit (Podglet), Mufti, Roseylea and Astrophe

And we pray for all of us that we may be true servants of the one living God in the care we give to each other in prayer and practical help.

Prayers continuing for all here.

Alas, DutchOma, there may be a quiet 8am service I could attend, but for me it still involves the sort of planning that makes a military operation look like a sunday stroll. It's less "the quietness" that is a concern for me, and more "Where do I park? How do I get in? How will I know which books to take? Who will speak to me, and if I'm stressed will I remember what to say? Where will I sit if there's hundreds of seats to choose from (yup, we often find that difficult), how do I know what to do, and what not to do during the service? Will I get the responses wrong? Will I stand up when everyone else is sitting down (it matters to me - other people's opinions aren't the key thing). Will there be flickering fluroescent lighting, will there be machinery noises or sudden clanging from bells/people moving things about, will there be incense to cope with? Will I be expected to shake hands with people, will I forget to make eye contact so they end up thinking I'm rude, will I forget to say thank you and goodbye if I'm stressed, will someone invite me to do something or join something and then I have to work out what the right response is... What happens if I don't cope - will I be able to get out ok and get home ok? Will I remember to act totally 'normally' so that not a soul knows I'm on the autistic spectrum?".

Getting the strength together to cope with that lot is one thing. I can just about manage it with planning. Actually hearing the service and listening to God and praying are then absolutely impossible for me. I just fall out of it exhausted beyond words. "Oh God, help!" is about the level of prayer I can manage. So difficult to explain to people. Even more difficult to explain that I still feel this way after weeks of attending, because subtle things can change which others miss and which we don't. And then, of course, after a few weeks people expect me to recognise them and I won't have a clue who they are. That's mighty embarrassing if people don't realise why.

It's why I'm so worried about starting all over again with a new vicar every week, who'll do things differently in each service. Small changes often aren't small to us, they're huge.

Oh amber Don't know what to say expect that my thoughts & prayers are with you. I think you do so amazingly well. xx

Right, thank you very much, that gives so much insight in the difficulties you face.
It makes me realise how little I know and how hard it is to even stretch out a finger to help, let alone a hand.
Hope you feel you can go on talking

oh Amber honey I don't know what to say. You really need your support team round you don't you. Praying that the right people will be put in place for you.

I need to get my backside into gear go and do some food shopping, buy some paint, decorate dd's bedroom hmmm but I could always do nothing now which will make me feel better.

I know nsfn .... so much to doooooo but no wil to do any of it

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Some prayers please to make the right choice today.

I have a wasps nest above my back door - some are getting into the house (despite all windows and doors having been closed for the last week) , and the DS's are unable to go out into the garden. I can get rid of it today for £48

However, we're due to go away on holiday in 1 1/2 weeks time (week on Saturday) and I have £54 saved ready for spending money - don't know if I'll be able to get any more together between now and then.

Need to decide whether to use the holiday money to get rid of the wasps or not........

Hi Podmog! How's it going sweetie?

FAQ - argh, dilemma!! I think you should get rid of the next; but you need your hol too Praying for a solution to arise. Couldn't XH help you out? Any friend / family? xx

Message withdrawn

Dilemma sorted - either H or (if H can't pay the amount it'll cost - he's going to get back to me later) is going to give me the money back for getting rid of the wasps - so I'll have no wasps - and spending money

Oh and the "wasp man" (as DS2 is calling him) should be here in the next 1/2hr!

Good morning all.

Amber, your post is a real education. There must be so many people who either don't ever make it into church or who come once or twice and just can't keep it up.

Can I suggest that you keep a copy of that post, to email to your new vicar when they arrive by adding a simple "Hello, may I introduce myself by email" at the start?

In fact, please may I send it to our vicar too, so that he could put a special section on the church website/in the newsletters saying something like "If you have special needs or are, for example, on the autistic spectrum and need some support in getting to church, we would love to hear from you by telephone or email"? Is that a sensible thing to do? I would just hate to think that some people feel unable to walk into our lovely little church.

God bless all.

Thank you all, as ever.

NWGU, I'd be delighted if you did give that to your vicar. I've certainly given that sort of info to each church I've approached. Most have responded with silence, or saying they're just too busy to respond.

One responded by telling me to '!&%* off'.

Alas, few churches have any disability training or literature at all. It's why I'm helping the churches generally by producing "how to welcome those on the autistic spectrum" guidelines. They'll be available online pretty soon, hopefully.

Podmog, I'm in the central South, Berkshire/Oxfordshire borders.

Dutchoma, you're doing plenty just by listening and praying. It really does help.

Wow amber, I had no idea how difficult it can be for you to even get to church, like nqgu mentioned, informing people/congregation, offering support and e-mails, whatever it takes, it must be so sad and frustrating if you have the need to attend church and can't! prayers for support and unerstanding from your new vicar!!

CD - How are you today?

All good here in the Caveman household -dh took ds to nursery, so after my 6am start with ds I was back in bed asleep by 7.30 and woke up at 11am. Praise the Lord for such a glorious lie-in .

Thank you for you prayers for dizzy, please may I also ask that you pray for our first ante-natal lady and her baby? He was born yesterday by planned cs but has been admitted to scbu with breathing difficulties. Mum is ilanak and her precious little son is called saul. Lord please wrap them up in your loving care and reunite them very soon.

ZipadiSuzy, yes, it is sad and sometimes frustrating.

It's certainly given my lovely local Bishop a few reasons to gnash his teeth and consider putting disability matters further up the agenda for the churches.

It's SO difficult for people to realise why some things are so hard for us, as they can't see what the problem is.

If you have a wheelchair that can't get through the door, that's easy to imagine for people, so they can solve it.

You can't experience our hypersensitive/rule-based world, unfortunately, unless you put yourself in a room with strobe lighting and rock-concert noise levels and fill it with strangers who wave their arms at you in scary ways and grip your hand so tightly that it hurts, and get cross with you for apparently no reason at all because you didn't see the signals on their faces that said they were happy/sad/cross.

We can't change the normal church services, and nor should we, but we can ask that people tell us what the hazards are before we get there, and support us a little, and realise that we're often just SO exhausted by the end of a service.

Eeek! I think I saw my Ex-h this afternoon , after I left work, and I was walking back to the car... He was on a bike, didn't see me... I knew we worked in the same city, but

RU OK Mary? How long is it since you have seen your ExH? It sounds as if it is unlikely you will bump into each other much, if you haven't bumped into him before. Hope it doesn't leave you peering around every corner now.

I've emailed the vicar Amber. I would have thought that he would respond quite positively, but I'll let you know . . .

I haven't seen him since he dropped off the last of my belongings, must be about 15 years ago, when we both lived in Essex. I found out where he was living/working when I checked him out on Friends Reunited (not that I had ANY plans to reunite, in fact quite the opposite!). One of the ladies I am training with actually lives in the same village as him, but fortunately doesn't know him or his family. I don't want to bump into him because it was a verbally abusive marriage, and he cowed me into submission (and I let him )

Lord protect you & watch over you. xx

Glad you are CC.

Gotta buzzzzz .... love & prayers to all. xxxxxxx

Just a quickie - been seen by mw as I've had some headaches which have been waking me up. Long and short of it: I have protein in my wee, coupled with blinding headaches and some rib pain - I have to go up to the maternity assessment unit at 7pm to be checked. Bubs is ok, nice and active. I just have this constant rib pain (which I thought was baby's head pressing on my ribs) and a headache. Praying they don't keep me in but very thankful they are being cautious and checking me out.

Obviously, this is the one night when dh will be home late from work (was in Stockport at 4.50 and it's 2 hours home from there). Praise God for my wonderful friend who has picked ds up from nursery and will entertain him until dh picks him up later.

These babies eh!!

Praying for you and bubsy sweetie. Hope everything is A OK and you're home before you know it. Do update when you can. xxxxxx

Mary, you didn't 'let him'. People who use verbally abusive ways to control someone can always, always win, no matter how expert their opposition. It's like people who say "It's a nice sunny day today, isn't it". 95% of people will say "Yes, isn't it lovely". An abusive partner will say "Who made you the weather forecaster? Do you think I'm so stupid I can't see the weather for myself? Don't you have anything else to do rather than look out of the bleeping window?" And if you argue back, they'll twist every bit of what you say to mean you're even more wrong. You're not wrong, or weak, for losing arguments with these people. The arguments aren't winnable.

CC - prayers for you, praise the lord for good friends.

CD - how are you today?

Well put amber

I am not good today Shooting pains down my arms, sore neck, full of snot, cough bad So I sound like a right moaning old nanny goat I wish I could just curl up in a ball for the rest of the day Going to the farm with K & S later, maaarvellous At least a friend is taking little P for me so it won't be so tough

Do any of you live within striking distance of Arundel by the way? Have a small MN type meet-up there on Sat and any of you who could get thee would be welcome