Lanzarote Relocation

A Message from our Chaplain, the Revd Idris Vaughan:

BE STILL

On the 16th November the Mothers’ Union held their usual Quiet Day at Nazaret.  The setting was ideal, with a beautiful chapel and areas to sit and be quiet or read. But it is not just about being quiet with the absence of talk and noise; it is about “stillness” and being open to the voice of God speaking to us.
Not everyone finds silence easy, especially if you live alone. However, I think there is a difference between “silence” and “stillness”. You can be quiet, and yet have a raging torrent of noise going on in your heart or your head; anxieties, worries, regrets, failures. Often these can come bubbling up to the surface when you are quiet, and so people try to prevent them by constant noise, be it the television or radio.

Offering our concerns to God
These things that concern us are of great concern to God and so we need to bring them to him for his healing and grace. Instead of trying to block them out of your mind, why not make a conscious effort to bring them to God openly and honestly, for he can do something with them.
To do this, decide to have a definite time of “stillness”. Find a comfortable posture and place to relax your body and your breathing. Whatever things come bubbling up to the surface do not suppress them but offer them up to God with a short prayer like “Lord heal this” or “Lord take this away” or “Thank you Lord” for good things.
I always take a week’s Retreat at the beginning of a New Year during which, in my times of silence and stillness, I am open to God and the leading of his Holy Spirit for my life in the coming year. Not everyone can have the luxury of a week in Retreat, but spending a few minutes in a week offering to God this special time of stillness can be so rewarding.
There is an organisation called the Retreats Association who have a very helpful web site for anyone interested in Retreats etc. www.retreats.org.uk

And I leave you with their  PRAYER FOR STILLNESS.

God of stillness and
creative action,
help us to find a space
for quietness today
that we may live
creatively,
discover the inner
meaning of silence,
and learn the wisdom
that heals the world.
Send peace and joy
to each quiet place;
to all who are
waiting and listening.
May your still small
voice be heard
through Christ,
in the love of the Spirit.
Amen
I pray that you will have a Peaceful and Healthy New Year.      Fr Idris

Notices

St Laurence Website.  If you are able, please visit our new website at lanzarotechurch.com.   We would welcome your comments. Please contact David Dowdell at david.dowdell@btinternet.com or  928 834351

Transport to Church Services.  If anyone should wish to attend one of our church services but is unable to do so for lack of transport, please contact Ray Macfarlane-Archer on 928 845818.  Details of the scheme are shown on the website. Volunteers to provide occasional lifts, please contact Ray.

A genuine blooper from another church magazine:
“Remember in prayer the many who are sick of our community.”

You may also enjoy reading the following:

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4. Anglican Church Newsletter – May / June 2010 Father Idris’s Retirement.  As you may know, Fr Idris is retiring in June and we shall have the opportunity to say au revoir to him...
5. Anglican Church Newsletter. July / August 2010 A Message from our Reader, David Dowdell: “When the saints go marching…….” This time of year, here in the Canaries, we experience a succession of...