Eaton Ford - Small and great

< 18th February 2011 | Index | 21st April 2003 >

There were only two of us tonight, but Father is so gracious. Yahshua told us that he'd be there where two or three are gathered together - and so it proved to be.

The meeting was just as blessed as usual, with plenty of encouragement and a sense of his close, caring presence. Praise him!

We heard that the tiny stonecrop and the great cedar, and the mighty oak tree were all planted by his hand. The important thing is not to be big or stong, but to be planted by the master.

He reminded us that two or three is enough, that he cares for us and we are precious in his sight.

There was another mention of the boat in the storm, if we have faith we will make it across to the shore. And we have faith, not because we are strong or able, but because he has told us we'll arrive safely on the other side.

He showed us once again that he has provided a banquet for us and we can enjoy everything he has provided, even in the sight of our enemies.

< 18th February 2011 | Index | 21st April 2003 >

Eaton Ford - Perfection

< 20th January 2003 | Index | 17th March 2003 >

This was another good meeting, though rather 'busier' than previous ones - not a lot of silence! For me, the main message was that we can't do it, but he can! He won't leave his people to flounder, he'll be there for us when we need him.

We don't need to be perfect because he'll use us just as we are.The pictures and prophecies included these...

A stuffy room in which the air was heavy, he told us that he wanted to throw open the doors and windows so that the light, fresh air could flow in.

We heard that walls will be broken down.

Someone saw Yahshua's footprints and noticed that they were filled with flowers.

There was a sculptor working on a huge tree trunk that was full of knotholes and splits. Because he was a very skilled sculptor the imperfections didn't prevent him using the wood, he was able to incorporate them cleverly in the design.

At the end of the meeting we all seemed to open our eyes at the same moment, it was clear to everyone that Father had said what he wanted us to hear and it was time to continue with a drink and a chat.

< 20th January 2003 | Index | 17th March 2003 >

Eaton Ford - His work, not ours

< 18th December 2002 | Index | 18th February 2003 >

Our meeting was very encouraging and supporting, I feel it's absolutely right to keep meeting and keep listening! (And keep being still!).

There was a clear theme and I'm certain the meeting was directed by the Holy Spirit, not by us. To me, the take-home message was that Father wants us to relax, to trust him, not to be anxious, and not to do anything on our own but to wait for him to do it.

We had a picture of a mountain and were told that climbing it will take real effort so we'll need to take it step by step. But unlike a normal mountain which comes to a peak, this one seemed somehow wider at the top than it was at the bottom. So the top of the mountain was very large.

We heard that we were like a crumbling wall with big cracks. A wall in danger of falling down. A bad builder would plaster over the cracks, take our money, and leave; and the wall would still fall down. But Yahshua is the good builder, he takes the wall apart stone by stone, and rebuilds it fresh and new and strong.

We were also given an image of great waves crashing onto the shore; as the water ran back into the sea another huge wave would reach the shore and flood the beach again, time after time. This was quite a contrast with the picture of still water when we last met. But Father told us that we can (and should) step into the water whether it's still or crashing in as huge waves. There's no need to be afraid, we're quite safe, but we need to take the risk. This is a bit like Peter when Yahshua called to him across the water and he stepped out of the boat. When he started to sink, the Master reached out and grabbed him and he was safe.

Rachael wrote afterwards, 'The one phrase that keeps coming back to me is 'it's not for us to do but for Him to do in us'. Also the crumbling wall was also a very powerful image. It's so astonishing the way He speaks to us. Amen to that!'

< 18th December 2002 | Index | 18th February 2003 >

Eaton Ford - Reflections

< No earlier items | Index | 20th January 2003 >

Our meeting reminded me of the seventh day of creation, when He rested. Even God desires quiet times!

The other bit I particularly remembered was 'it's not for us to do, but for Him to do in us' (RK)

Four of us met and the Holy Spirit led us very gently. We felt encouraged and uplifted, it was a peaceful and quiet time with a variety of words and pictures.

There was a wonderful picture of still water, with a reflection of the Almighty's glory clearly visible in it; the water also reflected images of us towards him. Our feet were in the water; and he said that we should be careful not to make disturbances as this would spoil the reflection, only if we stayed quiet and very still would we be able to see his reflected glory.

We also had a word that the easy things he wants done are overlooked by the great and the learned, while the difficult things are only ever attempted by the weak and foolish.

Thinking about this afterwards I realised that the great doubly miss out, they miss the easy things because they think they're not worth doing, and they miss the hard things because they realise they're too difficult to attempt. But the weak are doubly rewarded, they're glad to do the easy things and by their childlike faith and trust achieve the hard things too!

We came away encouraged and strengthened - it was a great evening!

< No earlier items | Index | 20th January 2003 >

Where does the time go?

It seems I haven't done much here for ages, where has the summer gone? I suppose one excuse is the massive effort that's gone into scanning, organising and storing a massive pile of family photos. Back in 1961 my Dad was taking colour slides of the family, local events, people and places; and the B&W record goes back a good deal further.

Another activity involves my life as a believer, I've been pulling back from formal, organised Christianity and getting more deeply into sharing time with others when the opportunity arises. This involves a certain amount of meeting (obviously), thinking, prayer, reading, and (not least) e-mailing. There's such a lot going on out there and I want to be involved. In the end it comes down to the fact that the Almighty is doing stuff with his people, and if only we will pay attention we find that he means to include us. If we're not listening we end up being busy doing things for him when we'd be better off letting him do things for us instead!

Family photos

Old family photos - fantastic things. Karen brought some in and was showing them to us over a cup of tea. She has a photo of her great-great grandmother holding a baby, the baby is her grandmother!

I'm so glad photography was invented by the 1830s, it means we can see images of people, places and events from 180 years ago. But just consider, there was no technical reason the photographic process couldn't have been invented 150 years earlier, around 1700. If only someone had done so we could now be looking at 300-year-old images. Now that would be something!