Autumn and Encouragement

It's a wet and overcast day here under the wood... Autumn has finally moved in and for a week already the mornings have been chill and damp. Leaves have begun to fall from the cherry tree and a vole has been destroying the lawn in the garden, leaving tunnels and small mounds over a wide area. When we were at my parents' in Scotland, they had a mole which was casting up hills there. We actually watched at breakfast time and saw a mound growing in size. Dad went into the garden with a shovel and gave the ground near the molehill several almighty whacks. Apparently the shock is too much for the mole and it gets a heart attack. Anyway, it seemed to work. Picture the poor mole, dead in its shaft underground... I wonder if it works with voles too? Hmm.

Went to the service yesterday for the first time since July and getting back from England. Things are so quiet here since H and B started at school there and I needed people around me. F stayed at home and worked. It was so good seeing everyone again, but I know that I can't call the Vh. 'club' - (Vh) my 'church' any more. The leading from the front by a few who keep everything under their control, just makes me so sad. The initiative is taken from the LORD who wants to empower His people as a priesthood of ALL believers to praise Father through the Holy Spirit. There we were again, sitting in our well-behaved rows, conforming to the order of service, as it always is. I may go occasionally, just to see friends and to praise the Lord in a larger group, but not more than once a month or so.

Invited two friends home for lunch (F did a lovely roast chicken) and we were so encouraged afterwards. The last few weeks have been difficult - F has had a lot on his plate and he feels bad because he isn't getting through the mountains of work as fast as he feels he ought to. We had felt discouraged at how slowly we seemed to be moving with the folks we met up with from last April until July.

We even wondered if we should move to England and pushed a door to see if there might be any jobs going up in S. Nothing doing at the moment - but we prayed that if it wasn't the right thing, that the Lord would keep the door closed, and He did. So on Saturday we were praying together and asking the Lord again to show us what He wants us to do.

Anyway, after lunch yesterday we talked and we were amazed at how much both J and C have moved on in their thinking. They encouraged us to keep going and to have open house on Sunday afternoons and invite anyone who just wants to meet around the Lord, without any agenda other than that which He gives us, have Him in the centre, seek Jesus and build each other up. They want to be there, anyway.

It just shows me again that our timing is not the Lord's timing and that maybe it has been right to wait these three years, where it seems on the outside that so little has come to fruition. We'll see. Just on Friday, other friends, very dear to us, told us how concerned they were for us, that we weren't 'doing' anything, seemed to have cut ourselves off from fellowship (not quite accurate, actually) and seemed afraid that we would fall away from the Lord. They meant it kindly, but they haven't seen what we've seen and they haven't been where we've been, so how can they really understand? If someone doesn't know where you are, how can they tell you how to get to where you want to go? None of their directions will make any sense.

So yesterday was an enormous boost and we are really thankful. Hey, and it's our 18th wedding anniversary today. God is good.