Poem - The day we climbed the mountain
Poem - The day we climbed the mountain
by Colin Smith
The Day we climbed the mountain. This poem was written as a bit of fun to support an All Age worship service. Although the mountain which is referred to is Kinder Scout, in the Peak District of Derbyshire, the name of any local mountain can be used instead. The theme was “Finding…
Poem - Worry (Going to the toilet)
Poem - Worry (Going to the toilet)
by Colin Smith
This comic poem was originally written for children, who are about to leave play school in order to go to “big” school. It deals with an anxiety that they often have. It was subsequently used in All age worship to introduce the points that: No person or matter is too small to be …
Mothering Sunday Gathering and Opening Prayers
Mothering Sunday Gathering and Opening Prayers
by Christine Dutton
Gathering and Opening Prayers for Mothering Sunday Gathering God, We thank you for bringing us together this Mothering Sunday. We thank you that you gather us as your children, We thank you that you provide for us, We thank you that you feed us and nurture us, We thank you that y…
Acts for Everyone part 1 - The New Family
Acts for Everyone part 1 - The New Family
by SPCK - N T Wright
A couple of years ago I took part in a charity walk. It was a sunny day, there were thousands of people taking part, and we went through some breathtaking scenery. We were put in several groups, with a few hundred setting off every few minutes. I was in the first group, and it wa…
Acts for Everyone part 1 - More than He Bargained for
Acts for Everyone part 1 - More than He Bargained for
by SPCK - N T Wright
There was once a young man who sneaked into church hoping nobody would notice him. The only reason he’d come was because he was keen on a girl who sang in the choir, and he hoped that if he was in the service he’d be able to see her at the end of the service and ask her out. He w…
Still Caring - All about clothes
Still Caring - All about clothes
by SPCK - Dorothy M Stewart
19 All about clothes And why do you worry about clothes? ...............................(Matthew 6.28) At first, delegating your loved one’s laundry is a great blessing and a genuine weight off your shoulders. It comes at a price, of course: the necessity of labelling clothes...
Still Caring - Arm's length
Still Caring - Arm's length
by SPCK - Dorothy M Stewart
9 Arm’s length For what do they care about the families they leave behind? .........(Job 21.21) My friend used to drive two hours each way to check on her widowed father, almost blind, pretty shaky but determined to continue living in his own home. The cost to her was not simply …
Still Caring - After the visit
Still Caring - After the visit
by SPCK - Dorothy M Stewart
32 After the visit Dear friends, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come on you . . . , as though something strange were happening to you. (1 Peter 4.12) We know it’s hard to do, sometimes very hard to do. You gird your loins, pray your prayers, fix that smile on yo…
Still Caring - I want to go home
Still Caring - I want to go home
by SPCK - Dorothy M Stewart
22 I want to go home My people will live in peaceful dwelling-places, in secure homes, in undisturbed places of rest. (Isaiah 32.18) Probably the hardest thing to deal with is when your loved one asks, ‘When can I go home?’ Or even worse, says, ‘I want to come home!’ My husband u…
Still Caring - Down with guilt!
Still Caring - Down with guilt!
by SPCK - Dorothy M Stewart
16 Down with guilt Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. (Romans 8.1) When the person you’ve been caring for goes into a residential facility, people often say things like, ‘You can get on with your life now.’ They think that you’ve acquired a…
Still Caring - False impressions
Still Caring - False impressions
by SPCK - Dorothy M Stewart
31 False impressions We who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak and not to please ourselves. (Romans 15.1) We were having our usual weekly outing and stopped in a local shop. It was quite busy and among the customers were two women I knew. One greeted us cheerf…
Still Caring - Finding your peace
Still Caring - Finding your peace
by SPCK - Dorothy M Stewart
15 Finding your peace If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. (Romans 12.18) Not all residents of care homes are loved ones. Old age, dementia and dependency do not suddenly transform people into loving dads mothers or husbands/wives. And inst…
Still Caring - Mrs Fix-it gives up
Still Caring - Mrs Fix-it gives up
by SPCK - Dorothy M Stewart
35 Mrs Fixit gives up Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life? Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest? (Luke 12.25 –26) Are your shoulders, like mine, bent with the burden you are carrying? There is another way, and last week…
Still Caring - Once more on the roller coaster
Still Caring - Once more on the roller coaster
by SPCK - Dorothy M Stewart
27 Once more on the roller coaster I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation . . . I can do all this through him who gives me strength. (Philippians 4.12b, 13) Today’s changeable weather – sunshine then showers then more sunshine – has mirrored our day…
Still Caring - Powerlessness
Still Caring - Powerlessness
by SPCK - Dorothy M Stewart
34 Powerlessness Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it. (Proverbs 4.23) It was one of those days. Maybe it was time for one of those days – we had had a run of good ones. Anyway, I had a plan. It’s always better to have a plan. But today it went ou…
Still Caring - Need a refill?
Still Caring - Need a refill?
by SPCK - Dorothy M Stewart
28 Need a refill? Love one another, for love comes from God. (1 John 4.7) Living on our nerves is exhausting. Squashing our normal reactions, forcing calm and patience and pleasant responses to that question or that comment for the nth time, costs us. Dealing with upsets without …
Still Caring - No more Lone Ranger