Yesterday was 

Forever Friends...we are a group of ladies who gather together each week for a time of fellowship and food and then a time of sharing prayer requests, needs, and then prayer.  We meet on Monday's at 11 AM at Golden Corral here in Branson.  The group was begun many years ago by my friend, Barbara Fairchild to that women could meet and make friends.  All women are invited to attend.  We do take an offering most weeks so that we can help those in time of need: we have helped with electric, groceries, car repairs, etc.

I have not been able to go very often since we changed the day of the meeting (we used to meet on Tuesday's) but while working on Sunday afternoon I did the stuff that usually bogs me down on Monday mornings so that I could go...I have been missing my FF and connecting with the ladies.  I was glad that I was able to attend.  It was just what I needed ~ to be with other Christian ladies and being encouraged.

If any of you ladies are in the Branson area and would like to attend, just give me a call at the campground, 417.338.1038.  I would be happy to have you come and share in this special time.

As I have shared on here and yesterday at FF that I have been struggling with getting things done, getting myself back on track with exercising and eating right.  And was encouraged with words and hugs.  Well that encouragement continued this morning as I rolled out of bed at 5:51...the alarm had gone off at 5:45...I heard someone say..."you can do it" and so I made my way to the bike...oh how my legs were hurting and it would have been so easy to just give up and crawl back into bed...but I didn't...I told myself

and I did...I did 30 minutes on the bike...5.91 miles and burned 307 calories...better than yesterday ~ that is a good thing right?  I also drank my first of 3 bottles of water for the day.

After exercising I gathered my Bible, devotional book and journal...glanced outside at the beautiful sunrise and made my way to the sunroom...it is so peaceful in there and I am so thankful for the peaceful setting to study God's word, learn and reflect.

Something I struggle with is falling back into old habits/thinking patterns and over the past couple of days I have found myself asking "why is it so much easier to do the things that I don't want to do?  why is it so much easier to be the victim and not the conqueror?  why do I let the old negative tapes rewind and play over and over in my mind?"  and so this morning I asked the Lord to help me and was reminded of 

and was reminded that

Christ loves me, there is no doubt about it...HE Love Me!!!  I am his daughter, I am the daughter of the King.  Yes I have been hurt in some horrible ways BUT I have been healed in my heart.  And even though I have been healed it does not mean I won't forget what has happened to me...BUT I can take the love that others have shown me, given me and SHARE that love with others...just because I have been hurt in the past doesn't mean I have to live in the hurt today...I can be free of the pain and share my healing with others, to be an encouragement to others.  

Further reading this morning I came across a quote from Lori Swindoll:  Each of us have something broken in our lives: a broken promise, a broken dream, a broken marriage, a broken heart.  And we must each decide how we are going to deal with our own brokenness.

Wow!  Wow! Wow...thank you Lord for showing me that it is okay to be healthy, to be loved and to love others.  And to use the pain from my past to encourage others and to let others know that the past is in the past and it does not define who we are today.    Yesterday Barbara shared from 

(I am reading it right now) and you can check it out here, and the one thing that struck me was "I am not the abuse of my past" and Jesus confirmed with me this morning that I am not my past...yes I am who I am due to my past but my past does not define me.

As I was getting ready to end this post I was reminded of something that I talked with Marla & Charles about often...how my life is like a spiral graph

we start life in the center of the circle and as we go through life and move through the circle we may come to the same situation or a memory come back up but how I dealt with it the first time is different then the second time, the third time...and that is where I am today...for who knows why, lots of the issues of the abuse from my past keeps coming to the surface right now but how I deal with it is different from the times before...that is how my healing has been...each time IT comes up I deal with it differently...I no longer let anger control how I deal with things, now I turn to God, asking Him to help me through these rough waters ( or as Charles used to say "get those wild horses back under control")  I respond differently and the hurt and the pain doesn't surround me like it used to.

I don't know if that is making any sense but it does to me.

I would like to ask that as you think of me, say a prayer for me to be open to how God wants to use the pains of my past to bring Glory to His Name!!!

As I have thought about my time with the Lord this morning I have reflected on a few things...first off this is how I think God was reacting to me this morning

as I opened my devotional...oops let me first back up

I had set my alarm for 5:45 AM but since it was almost 11:30 when I went to crawl into bed I changed it to 6:45 AM  but alas God woke me up at 5:31 AM...umm remember me telling God he needs to wake me up if I am going to exercise and spend time with Him...well he did this morning.  And it was okay...I felt good.  So I got dressed in my exercise clothes (today a Dutton t-shirt and shorts) and headed to the activity room and the bike...boy am I out of shape...I did 30 minutes on the bike, rode 5.68 miles burning 297 calories...not the best I have done but hey...30 minutes on the bike today was 30 minutes more than yesterday :)

And then I came out to the living room, the sun was shining bright and the room looked so inviting and peaceful...and then I opened my devotional book...the little pink one I showed y'all yesterday.  

The title "Honor God with Your Body"...the scripture reference

 

just got me laughing...I know the scriptrue is in reference to sexual immorality but if you think about it it really does encompass our whole body...our physical body and how God bought each of us with the death of Jesus on the Cross and then His resurrection.  Our bodies are temples for the Holy Spirit to reside in us...and so we need  must take care of our bodies each and every day.

That means physically, spiritually, emotionally and since for the past few days I found myself planting the seeds of getting back on track...I am so thankful Jesus met me right where I was at this morning!!!

And so as I have gone throughout the day making good food choices (planning what I was going to eat before I got to Golden Corral and Forever Friends), purposefully drinking water instead of soda pop...still haven't had a cup of coffee since I started the Elimination Diet on May 26...I love coffee with creamer...and since I have found out dairy is not my friend I just haven't drank any...water has become my drink of choice...with lemon or strawberries or blue berries...yummie!!!

Also walking to the cabin instead of riding the gator and going for a swim in the evening after working all day and spending time with my hubby in the pool...

...being intentional in what I do, say, eat and drink.

Do you do things just because or intentionally?

What little tricks do you use to make good eating/drinking choices?

I would love it if you would share in the comments.

Good morning from Branson, MO!!!

This was the view off our back deck at 5:45 this morning 

Isn't God's beauty amazing!!!

Yesterday I told Ron "I need to go to church."  He wasn't able to attend as he and Ronnie were busy cutting down trees, trimming trees and replacing lights so I went by myself...I don't like to go by myself but I KNEW that I needed to be in church...so I went to 

And God met me there...as I have said in recent posts, I have been struggling with getting back on track and that is in all areas of my life...one being my relationship with the Lord.  Well, just as He always does, He met me right there.  I like to sit in the front row (Ron does not) so since Ron was not with me I walked right up to the front row and sat down and just listened to the music that was playing and talking to God in my heart.  Some sweet friends came in that I hadn't seen in months so we gave each other hugs...so good to connect with friends...that's another thing I deal with...missing my friends from home (Blaine, WA) and though we meet a lot of people sometimes a hug from a good friend is so welcome.

Barbara spoke on Acts 2:14-39...not exactly clear on all she shared but a couple of things jumped out at me "get over yourself" and "give all of me to Jesus"  and I KNEW that Jesus was talking to me...I get so wrapped up in me, my issues, my needs, my WANTS...me..me...me...myself and I...and I need to be shaken up a bit and reminded that life is not all about me...I am not saying it is wrong to think about yourself or take care of yourself...but it is wrong to always be focused on yourself.  I was feeling chastised and humbled at the same time...yet I felt glued to my seat...that Jesus was sitting right there with his arm around me holding me still to listen. 

And then Jamie from the Statlers Revisited (Roy also sings in this group) came up on stage and sang a couple of songs.  I can't remember the songs he sang but I do remember feeling like God was right there hugging me and saying "yes, yes, yes" 

"Statler Brothers Revisited," The class of "57" and their band reproduces the smooth four-part harmony that made the Statler Brothers. Enjoy songs like Elizabeth, Flowers On The Wall, Do You Remember These, I'll Go To My Grave Loving You and More! Wed & Thurs    @ 8:00 pm (Wed only in July. No Shows in August)

And then there was just quiet and then Roy came up to speak...as soon as he started speaking I knew he was going to sing "The Secret Place"  (if you click on the link and go down about 2/3 of the way and you can click on the song and hear part of it) and I continued to feel God talking to me, saying "come clean ~ you know it is what you need to do"  and He kept talking to me the whole time Roy was singing. And so I visited that Secret Place, shared with Jesus (he knew already) and was reminded by Jesus (through the words that Roy was sharing)...just ask Me, just come and sit with Me and talk with Me.

And so when I got home I found myself sitting with Jesus, just sharing.  Oh what a few minutes with Jesus can do for a person...try it, you might like it.

A friend of mine told me about listening to Christian music on YouTube...I am loving it...I turned on a 4 hour Christian music station yesterday afternoon while I was working...that was about 1:45 and the next thing I knew it was 5:47 PM...where did the time go...I felt so peaceful and accomplished so much and for that I am thankful...lately I have been having a real hard time staying focused on tasks needing to be done...not yesterday....thank you Jesus for sitting with me yesterday afternoon.

After Ron got done working, about 6:30, we went for a swim...we just love being able to go swimming...and so often we are the only ones in it...it is like having our own private pool...we swam a few laps and then we both went to the deeper end of the pool and treaded water, moving our arms and legs, over a half hour...loving getting that kind of exercise...it's fun and refreshing and we have time to talk about our day and what's going on with us.  Another thing I am thankful for - the place where we live and work...it is beautiful and peaceful.

Hope each of you reading have a place just for you, where you can meet with the Lord and also a place of calm and beauty that you can go to just to relax and enjoy the calmness of the day.

Wow...can't believe it has  been over a month since I have written anything....hope all you readers (there really are some out there I think) don't think we totally fell off the earth.

It is amazing to me how I can have all the plans in the world and then one thing leads to another and my days are gone before I know it.

Let me do a little update..after many discussions with multiple doctors I decided to go on a 21 Day Elimination Diet...that meant NO gluten, caffeine, dairy, soy and alcohol with the exception of a glass of red wine in the evening as prescribed by Dr. Steve.  I began that journey on Monday, May 26.  The hardest thing for me to give up was dairy and gluten.  I had a couple of slip ups along the way...one day we were out running errands and I was starving and my blood sugar was going wacky..we stopped at Rocky's down by the Landing..it is a small Italian restaurant and bar...they brought us a basket of French bread and butter...I was shaking so bad I scarfed down 3 slices of bread & butter, drank lots of water w/lemon (my beverage of choice whenever we go out) and then had a grilled chicken & spinach salad with a raspberry vinaigrette dressing..tasted great but not 20 minutes after leaving the restaurant...not so good.  Umm was it the gluten or the dairy?  Not sure but definitely need to be more careful.

Another day I really wanted a chili burger from Billy Gail's Cafe and so we along with Ronnie & Teresa, our Assistant Managers went there for lunch.  I ordered my chili burger minus the cheese.  When it came I took one half the bun (it comes open faced) and set it aside...the other half was under the burger and pile of chili....it tasted so good and I had no problems so that was encouraging.  This is what Ron and Ronnie had~ one giant pancake and Ron had a couple of eggs on top of his.  Those pancakes are huge.  I did sneak a teenie bite of Ron's...it was delicious.  You would think it was like a crepe but no it was a buttermilk pancake...just so big it hangs off the plate.

I did pretty well on the Elimination Diet and since Sunday have tried a few things...one was a pasta salad...it tasted so good I had two helpings...ummm I think one would have been enough...I had a little bit of tummy rumbling but otherwise no problems.  Until yesterday...you know that chili burger I had a while back with only a half bun and no cheese...well yesterday I added the grated cheddar cheese to it...NOT a good idea as I was sick all afternoon and into the evening...yep, dairy may be my enemy...this is SAD...I love my cheese...I will be very careful over the next few days and will then try cheese again...but this lady is thinking dairy and I will be having a parting of the ways.  In the long run it will be worth it though if I stop having lots of tummy issues.

And we have been busy here at Branson View Campground which is a good thing.  We love having lots of campers.  The pool is open and so inviting.  We try to go swimming most afternoons/evenings.  We also had a Father's Day Potluck which was lots of fun...so good to catch up with some of our monthly campers and those visiting for just a few days.  Our next Potluck is June 30 at 6:30 PM...we are having a regular potluck and then game night following...hoping to play a rousing game of Mexican Train...if you are in the area, please come and join us...just bring a dish to share and your own table ware!!!

On another note...I realized yesterday that when one thing slips it is easy to just let it slip completely...and for me that has been my time with the Lord...I have been so exhausted over the last couple of months that I have taken to sleeping as late as I can each morning and that is with going to bed between 8 & 9:30 most nights...so last night I said to myself and God...if I wake up early I will just get up and have my time with You.  Well I woke up at six and rolled back over, woke up again at 7:03 and heard this little voice "you said if you got up early you would spend time with Me"  so I got up and came out to the living room...the sun is shining and it is so quiet and peaceful and the view out the sunroom is gorgeous!!!  And so I picked up my Bible, my devotional book and my journal...and was amazed that I had not opened my Bible since 5.26...oh my gosh...how could I ignore my relationship with the Lord for over three weeks...I would be crushed if my bestie ignored me for that long...and here I have ignored my Bestie, my Abba Father for over three weeks...what must He think of me.

Well I believe God has a great sense of humor...my devotion for today was titled "A New Me" --- 

God is so good and gracious and He reminded me this morning that He loves me for who I am with all my foibles that I am made NEW in Him and that I can turn from my old ways and be made NEW in Him.  

Thank you Jesus for this reminder that yesterday, the last three weeks are in the past and today is a new day and I can start over again today building my relationship with You!!!  And again I was reminded of just that as I turned to John 3:14-21 and read His message to me I am reminded that God loves me and in turn I need to love others.   

And then I realized that this scripture was for yesterday, June 18 and that today is June 19...so I turned to today's reading John 13:31-35 and this is what I found

God commands us to love one another just as He loves us!!!  And the question ??Do we love one another in the gracious, longsuffering, courageous way God loves us???  That is how I want to love...to extend grace and love to all who I come into contact with and to be loved the same way.  And you know what...I am loved and blessed in so many ways by so many people and I am so thankful.

On Father's Day I was an emotional mess.  I have said before how Mother's Day and Father's Day are not always easy for me and this year was no exception...I found myself reading Facebook and getting frustrated with all the posts about the "wonderful and perfect Father's" out there so I got off Facebook...don't get me wrong I am glad so many people have had or have good relationships with their Fathers...mine was not...yes we reconciled before he passed away and I thankful for that but it does not erase the heartache and pain I had as a child/teenager/young adult living with and dealing with a not so nice Dad.  

And again I am reminded over and over again that my Daddy, my Abba Father, loves me more than any one man could and I am so thankful for His love for me and the man who is my husband, dad and grandpa to our boys and grandchildren...Ron has shown me over the years, and yes, it took a long time for me to believe, that Ron loves me for me has demonstrated his love over and over and has been the earthly example of how God loves me...I know it seems I am rambling but this is what I have been reminded of this morning...that God, my Abba Daddy loves me just for me and knows I am not perfect and He will sit right beside me, walking along when I stumble, help me up and let me begin again.

Well my mind is racing and Ron just called me for help in the office so I had better get off here for now.  Hope that each of you reading this has a great day!!!