A Quick Answer To Prayer

I have been very concerned about two issues that have been threatening the peace of my wider family. Both issues so complicated that a human solution was not possible. I decided to ask God for 2 presents one for Christmas and the other for my birthday in the form of answered prayers. In case you are wondering, I don’t usually ask God for Christmas and birthday presents. The last time I asked was on Christmas Day in 2007 when I was so desperate.

Imagine my surprise, when I heard from my brother that same evening that one of the prayers had already been answered. What can I say? Praise the Lord!!!!

I have also heard since then that the second prayer has been answered too

Anglican Church in Nice

We had the great pleasure of worshipping in the Anglican Church in Nice when we were last there in November 2018.  I was absolutely delighted that the service was at 11am instead of 8am. Despite all these years in England, I still struggle to get up for the 8am communion even though that is my preferred service. Why can it not be at 11am??? I prefer the Scottish service time of 11am. Sundays are supposed to be a day of rest!

Anyway I digress…..

I fell in love with the Church and the service the moment I stepped inside. I am not a lover of music but was mesmerised by the gentle music coming from the organ. It wasn’t the heavy handed organ playing that you usually get in Churches in the UK.

For once the organ wasn’t drowning the congregation’s singing neither were we bombarded with questions from the moment we entered. Just a polite hello.

The order of service contained everything we needed and the service reverential. It was wonderful to see everyone dressed in their Sunday best!

However, I did go back to the hotel with bruising on both knees because I had landed heavily at the communion railing without realising they didn’t have cushions!!!!! Arghh!!!

Tale of a retired Vicar

We came to know a retired Vicar who lives near our church. I see him most Sundays but not in church. He is usually going for a walk.

I later learned that he doesn’t go to church. I was quite shocked. The story goes like this… he suffered a heart Attack a few years ago and since then takes his exercises very seriously. It is sad that he takes his physical life so seriously at the expense of his spiritual life. Isn’t it God who gives us life?

2019 Project

My project for 2019 is to learn French. I would love to live in Nice and so it is only right that I start learning as one will never know when the opportunity will come knocking. I am proud to say that I am not monolingual.

Unfortunately, I am not very good with classes so I am going to teach myself.

Wish me well!

Anointing with oil

In Spring 2017, the Mhinisteir and I were attending a Sunday service in a different COE . It was a joint service.

The service was conducted by a Vicar who was at that time teaching at a theological college.

It wasn’t a typical COE service. The Vicar had brought a small jar of anointing oil. He was going to anoint anyone who wished to be anointed immediately after the communion. I wasn’t going to go because I didn’t feel comfortable.

Unfortunately for me, everyone in front of me was going for the anointment and so I felt pressured to go since all eyes were on me and so I went forward to be anointed!

Until today, I still regret that decision for a few days after that, I suddenly became seriously ill with life changing consequences

I cannot help but wonder if this is the result of the oil anointment.

They love the Lord

In Scotland, there are many divisions among Christians. The divisions have been so bad that sadly families sometimes fall out with each other.

Some years ago, we got caught up in something similar. A neighbour few houses down the road will never speak to us. Why? Because we belonged to another Church!!!! It sounds ridiculous but that was the truth.

Anyway, one day we had a visitor staying with us and when he went for a walk, he ended up talking to this neighbour of ours. When our visitor came back, he was full of praise for this neighbour whom he had just met. Our visitor quipped that my neighbour loves the Lord to which I asked if that was the case why does he struggle to love the Lords’s people!

I often wonder what will happen when we get to heaven…….

Same again please…..

Our faithful old car is beginning to struggle. The Mhinisteir is reluctant to let it go – rightly so because it has sentimental value as it was a gift.

The Mhinisteir prefers to keep it and continue repairing it. I on the other hand feel that we will be spending far too much on the repairs and that we would be better off buying a replacement.

As we were discussing the purchase of a new car, the Mhinisteir commented that we will have to buy an inexpensive car to which I replied that I will pray to God with this request – Same again please…..since we are the children of the King!!

2018

The first 9 months continued to be difficult. My health woes continued and I still wasn’t settled in England and also not in the COE. Things looked really bleak. Come September 2018, things were finally beginning to look up. As I welcome in the New Year, I can’t believe how my fortunes have changed in the last few weeks just like in Psalm 126.  Almost unbelievable. As one of my old friend in Scotland used to say, long may it continue!