Thank you laddies for all your lovely encouragement. Julie you need to connect with Mavis as you are both in Yeovil. Wish I lived closer. Ian and I were only saying over breakfast this morning that we wonder how we meet people here who are on a similar planet to us.
Anyway an interesting thing we discovered over the weekend, that the Sunday just gone, the 1st after Epiphany use to be known as Plough Sunday when the farmers would bring in their ploughs to be bless for the coming season of ploughing the land. They would've also sharpened them and got everything ready. Then Monday would be a holiday, if the weather was right, and everyone would get out and help with the ploughing, because as we should know if you don't plough you can't sow, and if you don't sow you don't get a harvest.
Another interesting thing would be that it is better to plough and then have frost and snow as this breaks the ground up better and will produce a better harvest. And there is something about snow that when it is on the land the water content is different and so again produces a greater harvest!!!
But we were also saying how now that we are no longer so connected with the land we do forget all these things and can miss the season, miss what God wants us to do.
Then it was exciting this morning to open and email from Emerge Wales about responses to the weather to find one from Catch The Fire Ministries which says :
Preparing the Ground for greater harvest
"I woke up yesterday and saw myself flying over UK and Europe and most of it covered in snow instead of seeing the usual green fields. In these days the snow has fallen even in places that don't normally get snow - and has lasted longer than for many of us in our life times - definitely something to be taken notice of. The physical is a sign of the spiritual. I felt the Lord say - though the sins of the nation and nations are as scarlet I am here to make them white as snow. A large gathering of souls. I desire nations to turn to me and I am preparing the ground and warming the hearts. As the blanket of snow covers the ground so there is something happening hidden in the hearts of people across the nations of Europe and the UK today in this season even though they are not aware. They are going to be stopped in their tracks by an encounter with heavenly Snow treatment. This is a season to signify a change in the spiritual atmosphere - the blanket of snow is covering the earth and will bring a cleansing. Following this time people will have increased hunger for the truth of the gospel and will respond to the blood of Jesus salvation - increase of souls being won - people will hear and see and listen and respond to the truth and be drawn to it instead of repelled and even those who wouldn't normally be interested will be. Also as snow melts from underneath and waters the earth - the love of God melts hearts and brings hope and light and truth and the barriers come down and the truth feeds the heart - gradually soaking in deeper and deeper. In a months time the new spring bulbs will be popping up and as the truth of God's word and as the blood of Jesus cleanses and softens hearts so new life will spring forth - beautiful new life of new souls won for Jesus. We have already seen opportunities to share the gospel and warmth of Gods love to those who would not have listened before, this is going to increase and we need to be ready to take the opportunities we are given - they will come suddenly, in the supermarket, talking on facebook, anywhere and anytime - be ready to make the most of them and respond to the promptings of the Holy Spirit. He's preparing the ground for us so keep your eyes and ears open. A season of sowing and harvesting is upon us." Mick & Sue Taylor, Catch the Fire Ministries
I've copied all of it even though some is not quite what I've been saying because I think its really good.
So we are being prepared and as with the building of our chicken run which is on hold now because of the ground being frozen we need to be watching the sky, watching the weather, being in touch with the land so that we can go and do when the time is ready.
Plough Sunday in January seems very odd as I would have thought the ground was frozen. I do know that ploughing is difficult to gauge, wait too long and it will be too late, too early and the ground could be frozen or muddy and ploughing in autumn is normal in the North for the winter frosts to break down the harder soil. Sandy soil takes a different treatment, and that is just some of the stuff I have gleaned over the years and I am no expert. Shows how we have to be sensitive to the soil to know when to plough, even before we sow.
ReplyDeleteMavis and I are spending some of Friday afternoon together!!
ReplyDeleteInteresting that God gave me a picture this week a snowman melting. It wasn't about how the snowman looked, it was about what was happening as he melted, in terms of preparing the land. I then saw a cicle of green where he had been and loads of crocuses coming up in that spot.
Then I had a similar picture of a tall candle melting and the wax spreading over an area, uncontained, both sealing things as it spread, but also with a sense of authority as with wax seals.
I was thinking He was talking about me and my response to Him in 2010, but perhaps it is bigger than that.
I also sensed this year would be about watching/observing and listening, it's about eyes and ears!!! So this piece you have attached is interesting!
Just check to see if I come out as Julie's musings...technophobe, but working on it!
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