Diana's Blurb
This week one of the rabbits decided not to eat or drink. I have no idea why and nor does the veterinarian. To justify her existence however she gave him three expensive injections and dispensed some powdered food to be dissolved in his water. Well the powders do not dissolve but form clumps in the dispenser, they smell disgusting and the rabbit thinks they make better decoration for my clothes than a food substitute!
I was brought up with two adages (mutually contradictory as these things usually are), “You can take a horse to water but you cannot make it drink” and “There are more ways of killing a cat than choking it with butter”. In this case the first is wrong and the second right. I made that rabbit drink by wrapping it in a blanket so it could not get away and putting a needleless syringe into its mouth so hat it had to swallow. Secondly I used strawberry yoghurt drink and pureed carrot baby food instead of the expensive gunk. Incidentally, if you want a useless fact to drop into conversation sometime, rabbits have no gagging reflex and cannot vomit.
We all need food (probably a little less in my case) but we also need to be fed spiritually by the Word of God and in this instance both my previous adages can be right. We can provide all the opportunities and information for people to come to the Lord but they have to want to do this and only the Holy Spirit can open their hearts to accept Him. This does not mean we should stop supplying many different opportunities nor that we stop witnessing.
We pray that the Lord can use us in His work and will give us directions as to what we should do next. This is what we have been discussing over the last few months and we are gradually being shown the many ways it is possible. Firstly, we need to consolidate the present situation and support our current members and, secondly, we need to build on that foundation to work in the surrounding area. We need to take action, but what is the right first move? Remember what the Lord said to his people once before: "For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. In those days when you pray, I will listen." Jer 29:11-12 NLT
Those of you present last week will know that Bob M intends to have a meeting to consider creating at least one new Elder on 11 May, after the service and lunch. To this end he has asked for nominations in writing. We need to pray about this. It is not just a question of our favourite person getting preferment. Mark and Bob have preached on all the criteria that make a man suitable, listed in the Bible. He may have the best will in the world but just not be the right man for this particular job.
Today Mark and Tatjana are talking about praying. An easy enough thing to do you might think, after all even non-believers do it instinctively in time of crisis, but again the Bible tells us how to do it effectively and to listen to the answer rather than talk over God’s reply, repeating our own ideas. Let us try and be good pupils and hear what He has in store for NMEFC – I’ll bet it will be worth it.
For anyone interested in the rabbit, he is currently tucking into dandelion leaves and dried food and has been drinking water this morning. He just likes to worry me and cost me money. Most people suggested a stew would have been cheaper than the vet' – but they do not live with Mark!
