Sharing & Writing

One of my RV friends, Donna B McNicol writes a blog called Write4Ten 

and I stumbled upon it in the wee hours of the morning and have decided to follow the blog and use the PROMPTS that are given each day as a topic for a blog post.  Hopefully I can do it every day but if not I know the ones I participate in will a lot of fun.

Today's word is SHARE Think about it, read the definitions below, then sit for ten minutes (minimum) and write. It could be fact or fiction, your choice. The idea is to spark your imagination and get back into enjoying writing.
share ¹  (shâr)

n.

1. A part or portion belonging to, distributed to, contributed by, or owed by a person or group.

2. An equitable portion: do one's share of the work.

3. Any of the equal parts into which the capital stock of a corporation or company is divided.

v. shared, shar·ing, shares

Share, Sharing, Shared, Shares

When I first read the word share this morning my mind immediately went to a memory of sharing my lunch with others while in grade school.  Not really a big deal what kids bring to school for lunch that is until you bring the same boring bologna sandwich on cheap  white bread (it was 29 c ents a loaf back then ~ and yes that is showing my age :) with mayonnaise that had not been refrigerated since the early morning hours and maybe an apple or an orange and once in a while (big while) there might be a cookie or two and then the little carton of milk if I could find the 5 cents to buy it.  Lunches at that time were not pleasant to make, bring to school or even eat.  But once in a while someone would ask if anyone wanted a peanut butter and jelly sandwich?  You bet...I still love peanut butter and jam sandwiches.  Jam more than jelly, especially homemade strawberry or raspberry jam with the seeds...yummy.

Did you ever share your lunch with someone or did someone share their lunch with you.

I still share my lunch or dinner with someone quite often.

When visiting my grandchildren we will often share a peanut butter & jam sandwich or a big bucket of movie popcorn ~ I just love movie popcorn that is a day or two old...it just tastes good and crunches :)

Sometimes at dinner I will share part of my dinner with my sweetie.  It is usually because I get full and ask him if he wants the rest of mine.  And usually he does .

One thing I really enjoy sharing are my thoughts, saying that I read on Facebook or hear from a friend and recipes!  Recipes are so fun.  I was challenged to only share healthy recipes for 30 days...do you know it's hard to find healthy, good looking, hopefully tasty recipes.   Or maybe I am not looking in the right places.

I also love snuggles with my grandchildren.  Max doesn't like sharing snuggles with me much less hugs and kisses but he does humor me and gives me a hug when we part our ways.  I guess I can understand...he is 14 years old y'know.

 I enjoy spending time with people and sharing stories of our lives as well as how the Lord is working in our lives, through the difficult times and easy times.  I enjoy being a part of ladies retreats and get togethers sharing how the Lord has protected me, having faith in difficult times and how He has healed me from some very painful issues I have had to deal with in my life.  And I like to share my story with those who are facing some of the many struggles and hard times I have had in my life.

Along with sharing my stories I like to hear others' stories...baby stories, first word stories, kids going to school or how a parent embarrassed one of their children when they were in middle school.  Oh, that's right I was the parent that embarrassed my younger son when he was in the 7th grade.  Maybe sometime I will share that story here in my blog.  Would you like that?  Let me know.

 Have you shared a story recently?  What about a meal?  Or what about your time with someone who just needed a friend?  Do you like to share with others?  If so, what is your favorite thing to share?  What do you like others to share with you?  Maybe a piece of candy, maybe a joke or ????

God in Action

As I continue my study on Faith

I am thankful for God's protection in our lives.

Last night and today our area has been riddled with lots of storms:

Lots of Thunder & Lightning

And right now we are under a

 

But through it all as long as my eyes are on the Lord and remember He is in control all will be well.

And in 1 Peter 1:5-11 we are told be

 

diligent and intentional in our walk with Jesus Christ.

Faith + Virtue+ Knowledge + Self-control + Perseverance + Godliness + Brotherly Kindness + Love

are the things we need to be focused on in our walk with the Lord.

Along with the above scripture reference there was a story about a man who took a new job away from family who was asked after one year was he really committed to his new job as he had not yet sold his home in his previous location, had not moved his family to the new location and his boss asked him if he was totally committed to his job because his actions weren't expressing that.

I felt the Lord was challenging me about my attitude about committing to a church body, getting involved with others in the different locations we have lived in over the past 2 1/2 years and what I realized was I was enjoying some of the benefits of being involved with some I wasn't totally committed to being a part of the group.  

As we contemplate accepting a new position in the next few weeks I find that I am asking God to show me where to be involved and how to use my talents wherever God lands me.

Thank you Lord for this awareness and now as Tom used to say

help me to take my AWARENESS and add some CONTACT and see how God CHANGES me :)

Faith ~ the Size of a Mustard Seed

 

The focus of my scripture readings and study's for the month of May have been on the topic of Faith.

The verse above is one that I have claimed for many years as a reminder that no matter what God is in control.  And that all I need is faith the size of a mustard seed.

Have you ever looked at the size of a mustard seed?

 

It is very tiny and as long as I have faith, just a speck of faith, I can trust God's word is always right. 

And as we are told in 1 Peter 1:6-9

by following and trusting in God we can be joyful in all things!

And we can do that with holding onto our faith even if it is only the size of a mustard seed.

It is amazing to see how God continues to work in our lives.  Specifically seeing His handiwork as we continue to seek Him and follow His leading.

My Body is not Mine Alone

Woke up this morning to the motor home rockin' and a rollin' as we were experiencing wind gusts up to 40 mph ~ whew!

As I was reading 

 

I was reminded that my body is not my own but a temple of the Lords and I need to take care of it like it was the most precious thing around BECAUSE it is a temple of the Lord!!

I weighed this morning and I was back where I was two Monday's ago...what a reminder that getting healthy is not done once in a while but needs to be part of my focus each and every day.

And in my devotional I was reminded

 

Faith is believing in what I cannot see but to be committed to walk in Christ's footsteps 

even though I don't know what is ahead of me. 

Faith calls us to live not by our feelings but by what we know is TRUTH!!

 

I am not to worry about tomorrow as I don't know what it will bring.

Instead I need to focus on today and and see God's blessings now!

And how special friendships are as talked about in Proverbs 27:9

 

Today I give thanks for the many friendships I am blessed with.  I have many friends, some I speak to every day, sometimes once a week or even once a month.  I have friends I have spent time with, sometimes even six hours in a coffee shop as God healed our relationship.  And I have friends I have never met in person but who have blessed me with a card, a phone call, an email or even placing flowers on our little Royce's grave as they passed through Las Vegas.  I have friends who I have only seen a few times over the past 35 years and yet I know that at any given moment I could reach out to any one of my friends and know that just as God is with me and I am never alone that my friends are with me to hold my hand, listen to me cry, share in my joys and even help me to see the humor in a tire that refuses to come loose so we can continue our journey.

Thank you Lord for being my friend and blessing me with friends around the world.

And the little reminder from Proverbs 27:23 to be diligent, to know the state of your flock (household) and to attend to your herds (what it is that needs to be done).

 

For me, this was a reminder of paying attention to the little things and the big things that need to be done each day like balancing the checkbook, paying the bills, preparing healthy meals, taking care of my health, loving my hubby, my children and grandchildren, to keep my focus on the Lord and follow where He leads.

Sunday School & Worship Service Reflections

Interesting Sunday School class this week ~ the lesson came from Deuteronomy 21:18-21

 

And how even though the ways of discipline is different today ~ we don't stone our children or others who are disobedient ~ it is still important to address disobedience.

I reflected a lot during the lesson about how we parented our boys at different times and how we had to use "Tough Love" even when it was very hard.  And that we were able to stand and hold onto our values with the strength of the Lord and the love and support of other parents who had walked a similar road as we were at the time.  

One thing Pastor Daniel shared was that in the case of this rebellious son his rebelliousness did not happen over night but over a period of time and I thought about one of my personal struggles ~ being overweight and the struggles I face as I change my lifestyle of poor eating and lack of exercise to making healthy choices and moving more.  I know, some of you are laughing as it seems we are always moving :), in this case I am thinking of moving my body, getting exercise.  I did not gain all this weight over night but over many years and I can't expect that making a few changes will immediately show great results of a new healthy me.  

And I find myself asking the Lord to help me daily to make healthy choices.  Each and every day!

It's like using Tough Love on myself...sometimes it is necessary to be a little tougher/stronger in my journey of getting healthy. 

And I am reminded that

And then the sermon was titled "If it concerns God does it concern me?"

Scripture came from Mark 10:13-16

 Luke 18:15,  2 Samuel 12:23

 

And that ALL things matter to God, not just the big things.

EVERYTHING! matters to God

and if it is important to God it should be important to me.

And the question was asked ~

Are you not only concerned but are you concerned enough?

 

I have often asked "Are you okay?" and have been asked that question by others but I think what needs to be asked is 

 

Lord help me not to just offer words but to DO something for those who you bring into my life.  I may not have much money but I have many blessings that I can share with others.  

Road Trip Reflections

Wow, can't believe two weeks have passed since I last wrote...what have we been doing?

Ron's days off 5/15-18/2013 was spent close to home.  It rained quite a bit so the weather was not conducive to checking out the area.  We did a lot of resting which was kind of nice ~ just reading, spending time together, watching some shows on Netflix.  We are enjoying The Guardian and Cheers!

Ron's days off 5/22-24/2013 was spent on a road trip.  Our blog, The Wandering Workentins will be updated later today about our road trip with lots of pictures...let me share a little bit of our trip and how the Lord spoke to both of us.

Our road trip was from Coffeyville, KS to Bethany, MO and back to Coffeyville, KS in a roundabout way

Tried to put a picture of the map of our route: Coffeyville, KS to Bethany, MO to Jamesport, MO to Leavenworth, KS to Pittsburg, KS to Parsons, KS and back to Coffeyville, KS...I just couldn't figure out how to make the map into a picture...maybe next time.

The reason for our trip was an interview for a full-time, permanent position as campground managers.  We did not apply for this job, the owner came looking for us :)  We agreed to meet with him and so we planned our trip to go meet him in his home town.  He is not only a business man but also a farmer and a pastor.  We looked forward to meeting with him and his wife to see what they were offering, if we could work together, did we have similar goals and especially to see if the Lord was opening an unexpected door and opportunity.

We enjoyed our trip.  Wednesday started out sunny but by the time we arrived in Bethany it was cool and overcast.  We were definitely not dressed for the change in weather as we were both in shorts and tank tops :)  We met at a little Mexican restaurant and talked for almost two hours.  Lots of things were talked about and we feel the Lord is leading us in that direction.  In the evening we were invited to attend church w/D & P and thought it would be fun and see how the Lord would speak to us.  The ladies have their own Bible study and the men meet together.  Once we gathered to return to the hotel we laughed at how the Lord spoke to both of us.  

Alice hearing from the Lord

 

God went before Ron and I to speak to D & P, to ready the discussions ~ am I open to hearing how he is leading and then following him.

 

I felt God asking me the following:  Do I choose to follow Christ?  Are my values His values?  Do I allow "STUFF" to compete for God in my life?  Do I make room for God in my life?  Do I sit in the quiet and wait upon the Lord?  Are God's priorities my priorities?  Do I put God first or is he an after thought?  How can I follow and serve Christ first if I allow things  busyness to fill my life?

And from Philippians 3:1-11

 

God requires repentance and faith in Him.  We don't deserve nor can we earn God's blessings.

To sum up what I (Alice) felt the Lord saying to me: stop all the busyness, trust and walk in Faith with Him and keep trusting that he, GOD, walks before me, opens and closes doors as needed and trust that He will honor my faith in Him!!

And Ron felt the Lord reminding him that just as God used the clouds to show when the Israelites were to move in Egypt (when the cloud moved, the people moved) that as God opens the doors in our lives we need to follow his leading.

 

And so we have said to D & P that as the Lord opens the doors we are interested in going through those doors.  In this case it would mean moving again and managing a campground, working along with like minded Christians to share God's blessings and bounty with others.

So now we wait to see when God actually opens the door and we can move forward.  In the meantime we serve where we can where we are, Ron continues to work at Amazon and we live our lives to the fullest, trusting Him with every aspect of our lives.

Monday Mumblings

Good morning, wait it is after 2 p.m. so I should say

 

 Can't believe it is Monday already, really our Thursday as tomorrow is  Ron's Friday.  The week goes fast when you work different shifts from others and only work four days instead of five in a row.

Only a tad bit confusing I know.  

This morning kind of got off to a rough start as I woke pretty shaken from a horrible nightmare, did call it a dream but in reality it was a nightmare.  I shared it with my bestie and this is what she wrote back -

"Sounds to me like you are feeling something in your live is out of control and you have no power to stop it and you feel like you are not getting support from the people around you.  I will pray for clarity in figuring out what triggered this.  Know that God has you in the palm of His hand!  Whatever it is, He’s got it. "

   and I think there is lots of truth in what insight she had.  Not the time to share the nightmare but would ask that you do keep us in your prayers as God is cracking open some doors that could be life changing for us.  Enough said.

So I went for my walk ~ one mile in 15 minutes; Saturday will increase to 1 1/2 miles, ate some cottage cheese and fruit for breakfast and then opened my devotional and Bible ~ never a bad thing to do when feeling a bit shaken.  God is so good and meets me right where I am; He never fails me.

Psalm 1:2-3

 

My strength comes from God's Word ~ like water to a tree;

My stability comes from God's Word ~ like good soil to a tree.

When I put my roots (my mind, heart, body and soul) into God's Word ~

I am able to be the strong and stable person God wants me to be and know I can be.

Luke 5:17-26

 

Jesus Forgives and Heals

Sometimes I find myself doing the same thing over and over and not getting the results I want or need.  Sometimes I need to step back and think about is there another way to get the results I want/need?  

For example knowing what I eat and when I eat.  I know I can say "I had "such and such" leaving out the "bad things" who will really know.  BUT if I write down/log on myfitnesspal.com I cannot hide from all the things I have eaten in a given period of time and see what needs to be changed.

As Tom used to say "Awareness + Contact = Change"

and you know what, it is working.  One of my goals this past week was to quit eating when I go to bed at night, Ron hates crumbs in the bed anyway :).  Last night I went to bed and read for awhile and I really wanted a fig newton, but hey I was in bed already.  I could have asked Ron to bring me one, I know he would because he loves me like that.  Wait, told myself and my accountability group "NO MORE EATING IN BED!"  So I got up, walked out to the kitchen, got two of the fig newtons (105 calories) and sat down and watched a comedy show that Ron was watching for about 15 minutes while I enjoyed my two cookies.  Did it put me over my calorie limit ~ yep but as I am learning, one step at a time - this time was not eating in bed!!!  And I only ate two cookies where in the past I would have had four or even six!!  One step at a time.  Acknowledge the good choices - two was much better than six!!

Proverbs 13:16

Learning, knowing, following, making healthy choices will lead to a healthy mind, heart and soul.

If I ignore what I know about making healthy choices I will continue to get FAT! is that what I want? NO!!!!  Again, Tom's formula comes to mind: "Awareness + Contact = Change"

Proverbs 13:20

As one of my health coaches, Monica has told me "post good things, healthy things on Facebook and make healthy things to eat will make my mind desire those healthy foods!  Posting cookies and pretty sweet desserts just leads me to wanting those sweet sugary desserts which will not help me get to my desire of a healthy heart, body, mind and soul.

 I found this picture ~ it is a tool to help me remember I don't want to choose that today!!

Proverbs 13:25  

"The righteous eat to their hearts’ content,
    but the stomach of the wicked goes hungry."

Feed my body healthy foods, drinking lots of water, making healthy choices,

THEN the cravings for those high calorie sweets will disappear :)!!!

WOW is all I can say.  God is so GOOD to meet me right where I am!!

Reinforcing the things I am learning from others, finding new ways to get eat healthier and making good positive choices for a healthier me ~ from the tips of my toes to the top of my head, indwelling in my heart and giving me new excitement for life!!!

How about you ~ what or who encourages you?

Is there something I can encourage you in today?  Leave me a comment if there is.  I would love to lift you up in prayer, that's the least a friend can do!!

One more thing, 

if you would say a prayer for this family as they struggle with some major health issues of their precious baby who is due to be born in three short months.

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Blessed-by-Our-Baby-Angel/509405262453252 

Thanks.