1 John 1:9

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness

Hangin' out

Spend some time with God each day, just hangin'.

Remember, with your best and closest friends, sometimes, words aren't necessary.

Welcome?

I don't feel welcome in my church.

I should add: my Anglican church.

I visit many different churches, almost all of them more welcoming and inclusive than my Anglican church, of which we have three in my town.

Three!

Not enough congregation to fill one, and not a child in sight on a Sunday. No Sunday schools in the entire benefice of 9 churches.

A church without children is a dead church.

...and I wonder: does anyone feel welcome in these churches?

Henllan

I met up with the local 3rd Order Franciscans last Thursday, and together with Tenby Townswomens' Guild, we visited Henllan POW Camp, near Newcastle Emlyn in Ceredigion.

A fascinating place, we were taken to The Church of the Sacred Heart, a church built by the Italian prisoners of war and decorated inside with paintings done by Mario Ferlino.

We were told the history of the place by Jon Meirion Jones, who is incredibly knowledgeable, and has written a book (currently only in welsh) about the subject.

I highly recommend a visit to this wonderful place if you can. It's on privately owned land, and they accept requests for visits from groups of 12 or more. If you don't have a group of 12, they'll tell you when other groups are attending so you can come at the same time. They do not charge a fee for this, but you can leave donations at the church.

The son of a POW has set up a very nice Italian restaurant a few miles down the road.

Healing Prayer Request

I received an email during half term to pray for Juliette. She is a colleague who works at the local school, and had been rushed into hospital with suspected Septicemia. She was very poorly.

I immediately emailed this around my prayer friends, and we have continued to pray for Juliette.

Today, while cycling the Tour of Pembrokeshire, I "chanced" upon her mother-in-law, a very good friend. I was in the middle of a 60 mile cycle ride. She was, I presume, walking home from her new village church, brolly up against the heavy driving rain. What were the odds on us both being in that place at the same time?

Juliette is recovering slowly "one day at a time", and it will take some time before she is fully recovered. Your prayers, please.

The (worldwide) Moment of Peace

 

Third Order

On Wednesday evening I was blessed to be taken along to a meeting of "Third Order Franciscans" or "Tertiaries". I forget how I first heard about them, even though it was relatively recently, but my vicar lent me a book "Franciscan Spirituality" by Brother Ramon, and as I started reading it, I felt I was reading a personal letter to me. A couple of local Tertiaries visted our church to provide the music for a Taize service, and when we were introduced, I could feel a chage of electricity in the air. I was given some literature on the third order and invited along to their meeting as an "enquirer".

We met in a rural church where the vicar, Sarah, is a Tertiary. There were about 15 of us, and one of the first things I noticed was just how much laughter punctuated the conversations and chatter as we gathered together like birds on a wire. I was also briefly aware of how unselfconscious I felt. I normally find joing in with a new group of people quite a nerve-wracking time, but there was none of that here.

I won't go into detail about what happened - there's nothing secret about it, it just wouldn't serve much purpose. We sat in a circle and went through the liturgy, punctuated by silences and Taize chants. We worshipped and prayed.

Afterwards, we cleared the chairs away and were led in a couple of sacred dances. I cannot tell you how far out of my comfort zone dancing usually takes me! I simply don't dance. I felt that not taking part would be harder than joining in, though. 

When we'd done in the church we put everything back as it was, then adjourned to the church hall for tea and cakes and lots of chat.

No-one asked me "what do you do?" or any of those other socially awkward questions.

It was all very easy.

KEEPING QUIET

Keeping Quiet, a Poem by Pablo Neruda:

 

Now we will count to twelve
and we will all keep still.

This one time upon the earth,
let's not speak any language,
let's stop for one second,
and not move our arms so much.

It would be a delicious moment,
without hurry, without locomotives,
all of us would be together
in a sudden uneasiness.

The fishermen in the cold sea
would do no harm to the whales
and the peasant gathering salt
would look at his torn hands.

Those who prepare green wars,
wars of gas, wars of fire,
victories without survivors,
would put on clean clothing
and would walk alongside their brothers
in the shade, without doing a thing.

What I want shouldn't be confused
with final inactivity:
life alone is what matters,
I want nothing to do with death.

If we weren't unanimous
about keeping our lives so much in motion,

if we could do nothing for once,
perhaps a great silence would
interrupt this sadness,
this never understanding ourselves
and threatening ourselves with death,
perhaps the earth is teaching us
when everything seems to be dead
and then everything is alive.

Now I will count to twelve
and you keep quiet and I'll go.

Untitled

I showed great restraint in Emmanuel Christian Bookshop on Thursday; I didn't buy anything for myself! (You have no idea how hard that is!) I was looking through the prayer section, where there are always books without which my life is incomplete. I became aware that I bought a rather substantial book on prayer some weeks ago, which I haven't yet delved into; "Taste and See - adventuring into prayer" by Margaret Silf.

That book "appeared" on the floor at the foot of my bed this morning, peeping out from under some clothes.

I picked it up and opened it "at random".

The first sentence to leap towards me contained the phrase "ten feet down", in quotations, obviously referring to an earlier mention.

Riffling back through the pages (none of this consciously thought about) I came upon a section titled Ten Feet Down and read:

"A friend once told me an interesting fact that if you can imagine yourself in a stormy sea, and then imagine yourself ten feet below the trough of the highest wave, the water would be perfectly calm. The picture appealed to me, and helps me come to prayer.
Like most people, I live my life on the 'surface' of myself..." 

That was enough to cause a lightbulb moment. I'm just noting this now so I can return to it later.

Untitled

I've written about my commute to work in the previous post, and as I've said, it's all good whatever the weather and it sets me up for the day.

The ride home is a different beast.

I work hard. I find it the best way to get through the day.

We have a fleet of around 200 bikes which had never seen a service till I started work. There's a lot to do.

Now the weather is good, I drag a workstand outside and fix bikes in the fresh air all day. As I've said, the bikes were in a sorry state when I got there, most of them needing new chains, new brakeblocks and new cables. As soon as one bike's done, there's another to take its place.

When I commute to work, I travel to a different world. I'm surrounded by beautiful countryside - I have one of the best views of the Preseli hills anywhere. Apart from my work colleagues, I'm surrounded by people on holiday. It's a nice atmosphere to be in, and I don't have to think about anything. I can fix bikes in my sleep, I don't need to think about what I'm doing, in fact the less thought, the better.

I'm on my feet all day and the work can be strenuous.

When 4.00pm comes around, I've usually tired myself out.

But then I have to cycle at least 12 miles home.

Grim determination is the only way.

I start off slow. I try and take the path of least resisitance, but there aren't any, really. The hill on the north side of Creselly has to be avoided at all costs. It's a killer, with a nasty bend in the middle. Even though I'm dropping over 200 feet in altitude, it's all so up and down, you don't really notice. I try and maintain a steady pace, but really I just want the journey over. Invariably I start to push the pace. The A470 trunk road between Carew and the dock is very busy at that time of day, and traffic seems determined to run me off the road. It is no fun.

Phil 4:4-7

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. 

1 CORINTHIANS 13:4-8 KJV; NIV; MESSAGE

King James Version:

Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,

Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil;

Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth;

Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.

Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away.

New International Version:

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away.

The Message:

If I give everything I own to the poor and even go to the stake to be burned as a martyr, but I don't love, I've gotten nowhere. So, no matter what I say, what I believe, and what I do, I'm bankrupt without love.

Love never gives up.

Love cares more for others than for self.

Love doesn't want what it doesn't have.

Love doesn't strut,

Doesn't have a swelled head,

Doesn't force itself on others,

Isn't always "me first,"

Doesn't fly off the handle,

Doesn't keep score of the sins of others,

Doesn't revel when others grovel,

Takes pleasure in the flowering of truth,

Puts up with anything,

Trusts God always,

Always looks for the best,

Never looks back,

But keeps going to the end.

Love never dies. Inspired speech will be over some day; praying in tongues will end; understanding will reach its limit. We know only a portion of the truth, and what we say about God is always incomplete. But when the Complete arrives, our incompletes will be canceled.

Ephesians 6:16-18

In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.

MIDWEEK MEDITATION

Every Wednesday

6.00pm - 7.00pm GMT

Lady Chapel, St John's Church, Pembroke Dock

Week 1: Lectio Divina Matt 5:3-12 The Beatitiudes (NIV; THE MESSAGE; KJV)

1 Chronicles 4:10 The Jabez Prayer

“Oh, that you would bless me and enlarge my territory! Let your hand be with me, and keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain.” 1 Chronicles 4:10 (NIV).

 

 

LUKE 18:1-8

The Parable of the Persistent Widow

18Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up.a 2He said: “In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared what people thought. 3And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, ‘Grant me justiceb against my adversary.’

4“For some time he refused. But finally he said to himself, ‘Even though I don’t fear God or care what people think, 5yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won’t eventually come and attack me!’” c

6And the Lord d said, “Listen to what the unjust judge says. 7And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out e to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? 8I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man f comes, g will he find faith on the earth?”

REVIEW

Friday 7th January was an inspiring evening for those who went along to the Celtic Crossroads prayer meeting, an event to think and pray about how we as Christians can deepen our prayer life and see things change through prayer. This was a response from people who went along to the amazing Awakeover 24th hour prayer event in St Patricks in September.

  Our Nine editor, Jim, set the prayerful tone of the evening by running a PowerPoint presentation. We sang some songs, led on the recorder by Jim and his daughter Jasmine and then spent some time praying some famous prayers from the Bible, as well as reflecting on the gospel story of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane. It was a particularly special moment when we prayed through the Lord's prayer really slowly, thinking about what every phrase meant. And it was deeply moving to hear Jim's children pray the words of the Caleb prayer for Wales:

  O High King of Heaven, have mercy on our Land.
Revive your Church.
Send your Holy Spirit for the sake of the children.
May your Kingdom come to our nation.
In Jesus' mighty name. Amen.

  We were then especially privileged to have a talk and discussion led by Lindy Morgan, National Co-ordinator for the 24-7 prayer movement in Wales, a lady brimming with God's love. Lindy travelled from Aberystwyth to be with us and it was good to see her again, as she used to be youth worker for St Michael's Church there when I was a student. She led us in some prayer and talked about the world-wide Christian phenomenon called 24-7 prayer, where Christians of all denominations are praying around the clock to see the world changed for God's glory.

  We then had the chance to talk about how we as Christians in our area could go deeper in prayer, especially thinking about links that could be made between Christians together in Pembrokeshire. But crucially, those that went along left the with a vision: a vision to see our chuches and communities changed by God's power through prayer.

ALUN EVANS

St Patrick's Breastplate

I rise today
in the power’s strength,
invoking the Trinity
believing in threeness,
confessing the oneness,
of creation’s Creator. 
I rise today
in the power of Christ’s birth and baptism,
in the power of His crucifixion and burial,
in the power of His rising and ascending,
in the power of His descending and judging. 
I rise today
in the power of the love of cherubim,
in the obedience of angels and service of archangels,
in hope of rising to receive the reward,
in the prayers of patriarchs,
in the predictions of the prophets,
in the preaching of apostles,
in the faith of confessors,
in the innocence of holy virgins,
in the deeds of the righteous. 
I rise today
in heaven’s might,
in sun’s brightness
in moon’s radiance,
in fire’s glory,
in lightning’s quickness,
in wind’s swiftness,
in sea’s depth,
in earth’s stability,
in rock’s fixity. 
I rise today
with the power of God to pilot me,
God’s strength to sustain me,
God’s wisdom to guide me,
God’s eye to look ahead for me,
God’s ear to hear me,
God’s word to speak for me,
God’s hand to protect me,
God’s way before me,
God’s shield to defend me,
God’s host to deliver me, from snares of devils, from evil temptations, from nature’s failing, from all who wish to harm me, far or near, alone and in a crowd. 
Around me I gather today
all these powers against every cruel and merciless force
to attack my body and soul,
against the charms of false prophets,
the black laws of paganism,
the false laws of heretics,
the deceptions of idolatry,
against spells cast by women, smiths, and druids,
and all unlawful knowledge that harms the body and soul. 
May Christ protect me today
against poison and burning,
against drowning and wounding,
so that I may have abundant reward;
Christ with me,
Christ before me,
Christ behind me;
Christ within me,
Christ beneath me,
Christ above me;
Christ to the right of me,
Christ to the left of  me;
Christ in my lying,
Christ in my sitting,
Christ in my rising;
Christ in the heart of all who think of me,
Christ on the tongue of all who speak to me,
Christ in the eye of all  who see me,
Christ in the ear of all who hear me. 
I rise today
in power’s strength,
invoking the Trinity,
believing in threeness,
confessing the oneness,
of creation’s Creator. 
For the Lord belongs to salvation,
and to the Lord belongs salvation
and to Christ belongs salvation. 
May your salvation, Lord, be with us always. 

Matthew 11:28

• Jesus said:

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest."

Sing repeatedly:

  B       A     B    G

Come be with me

B   A      A       A     G A    G      E

• All you who carry heavy burdens

•  

  G B    A      G    E

• I will give you rest

• G  E    F#   D    E

• I will give you rest

EVENT REMINDER FRIDAY 7TH JAN 2011

CELTIC CROSSROADS MEETING
7pm, St John’s Community Hall
Pembroke Dock
SA72 6AR
A public discussion and prayer meeting about continuous prayer.
Powerpoint presentation featuring prayer, lectio divina, singing,
Special Guest Lindy Morgan – 24/7 prayer coordinator for Wales

NEW ONLINE GROUP

I have set up a new online group, Celtic Crossroads which should make things easier. Please join, you're very welcome. All posts there will be duplicated here and on facebook

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (NIV)

16 Be joyful always;

17 pray continually;

18 give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.

1 Chronicles 4:10

Jabez cried out to the God of Israel, "Oh, that you would bless me and enlarge my territory! Let your hand be with me, and keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain." And God granted his request.

‎2 Corinthians 5:17

This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!" New Living Translation (NLT) Happy New Year one and all!

Isaiah 41:10

‎So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

James 1:22-24

‎"Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like."

Colossians 3:12-14

12 Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.
13 Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.
14 And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.

Matthew 18:19-20

19 “Again, truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven.
20 For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.”

Romans 12:6-8

We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith; if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully

1 Peter 5:7-10

7 Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.
8 Be self- controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.
9 Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings.
10 And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.

Ephesians 5:17-20

‎Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is. Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

APRIL FOOLISHNESS

A 24 hour prayer event is being planned for 1st APRIL 2011 in Pembroke Dock. This has been linked to PRAY WALES 2011

MEETING!

The inaugural meeting of Celtic Crossroads will now take place on Friday 7th January 2011 at 7pm in St John's Community Hall, Pembroke Dock, and as well as featuring the original presentation, will also feature guest speaker LINDY MORGAN, the 24/7 prayer coordinator for the whole of Wales. This will be a VERY interesting and stimulating evening. DON'T MISS IT!

NEW MEETING

The inaugural meeting of Celtic Crossroads will now take place on Friday 7th January 2011 at 7pm in St John's Community Hall, Pembroke Dock, and as well as featuring the original presentation, will also feature guest speaker LINDY MORGAN, the 24/7 prayer coordinator for the whole of Wales. This will be a VERY interesting and stimulating evening. DON'T MISS IT!

MEETING/BEGINNING POSTPONED

The meeting which was due to take place today, 19/11/2010, has been postponed. It will take place on 7th January. Same time, same place.

PRAY FOR PEACE

I forget now where this came from, but I read somewhere that:

"If everyone in the world prayed for peace for just one minute of every day, then there would be Peace on Earth."

If anyone knows who said this, please let us know.

EMAIL ADDRESS

celticrossroads@gmail.com
This is a dedicated email address for the Celtic Crossroads community and should only be used for queries related to the community. No other correspondence will be entered into.
Please feel free to post questions and comments, prayer requests or testimony here on the blog, but the email address is there for more personal matters.

MEETING FRIDAY 19/11/10

A public meeting has been scheduled to discuss Celtic Crossroads. This meeting is open to anyone and everyone who is able to attend.
Where? St John's Community Hall, Pembroke Dock
When? Friday 19th November at 7pm
There will be prayers, a presentation, and refreshments.

LET US PRAY

THE LORD'S PRAYER

Our Father, who art in heaven,

Hallowed be thy name,

Thy Kingdom come,

Thy will be done,

On earth,

As it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread,

And forgive us our trespasses,

As we forgive those who trespass against us.

Lead us not into temptation,

But deliver us from evil,

For thine is the kingdom,

The power and the glory,

For ever and ever,

Amen.

PRAYER HAS CONSEQUENCES

THE JESUS PRAYER

Lord Jesus Christ,

Son of God,

Have mercy on me,

a sinner.