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I can't believe how fast this vacation went by...we did miss out on one day at the beginning since we didn't come when it rained, but it was already the last full day Mom and I would have before Dad came!
The run wasn't too bad even after another late night and windy morning. Mom was having more pain with her elbow, so she did about 7 with me out and back in one direction, then let me finish the last little bit on my own. That was actually kind of refreshing for me as a way to break up the run in my mind! I was proud of her, though. She went farther than we had originally planned for her to stay!
This section of the Bible study booklet was getting deeper and more into making personal changes and commitments. In the questions it asked, it was like God really asking me relative to my life. It makes my heart hurt at times thinking about how the world has changed. Life is hard. It's not like it used to be; we all know that. As you get older, there are more responsibilities and more knowledge, but also as the world changes, there is more pressure and more to be burdened about. Society is so demanding. People are working multiple jobs or with a single job, it is asking for way more hours and effort than would be thought to go with it. It is like there is always more to be done, and there is no reason why you can't just drop everything and fix every problem. Every job is your only job. People don't respect each others' personal lives or the need for rest and relaxation and fellowship. If there is money to be made or work to be done, do it! I know kids who were in school all day every day, involved in sports and clubs, take advanced and AP classes, and work several shifts of one or more jobs per week. When do you sleep, eat, see friends and family, spend time in the Bible? I have a lot of trouble with all these things, and I was in class much less than my high school counterparts. The people in charge in these situations have no mercy. You're working for them, what is the rest of your life? They often make others feel inadequate and hopeless by not considering all the stress they are under and other obligations in life, not to mention personal health, hygiene, family, spirit, school, and sports. No matter how young or old you are, these things matter; they have a great place in God's plan, as well. All these distractions and more things "to do" are ways that Satan is at work in the world to pull us away from the peace and joy of life in Christ. We who know how Christ wants us to think and act must stand on these beliefs. When we get pulled in too many directions, we are not able to spend time with God, rest and get energy to do our job(s) well, and if we can't even take time for ourselves, how will we be able to help others? As I have come to find so true, you can't pour from an empty cup. We need to come together, care for one another, have grace and mercy, and remember that our main obligation is to serve the Lord. Finding peace and purpose in Him is more rewarding than success by the world's standards.
**Not all jobs or individual's lives are this hectic or have pressuring circumstances; this is just my general observation.
The second question that really stood out to me was about surrendering habits in order to grow closer and be more useful to the Lord. Wow, habits are what hold me back for sure. I love to plan and get in routines, which can be good! However, they can also be oh, so very bad. Just for some accountability, necessary for growth and connection personally and spiritually, some habits I need to change are simply eating and sleeping more and better. After that, the smaller issues will fade as well.
Finally, hearing and doing...it's so easy to have a great Bible study or hear a great sermon! But "The man who hears My words and puts them into practice is like a man who built his house on the rock..." Matthew 7:24-27. Like I said above, we have to build ourselves up spiritually, but it can't stop there. Then we have to take it out and do something with it! Faith grows when we do. But there is so much we can do! Ask my mom, I have so much stuff, so many "projects" and "things to do" that my part of the house is a mess sometimes. I have things I've wanted to do for years, maybe started, maybe not. As I've gotten older, there are just so many things, and I can't find the time to do much other than the day-to-day. That makes me sad, too, because I used to have time to relax, read, draw, craft, heck I would even get bored! When there are way too many things to do, we have to again remember that God's work is our #1 job. Pray for guidance on what to do with our time. No, we don't always know where to go with our day's agenda, but the most important thing is to go at whatever it is we do with our best effort to use it to make an impact for Christ. If we just do things to do things, not thinking about our purpose for doing so, then we aren't really making progress, only "chasing after the wind" (Ecclesiastes 2:11), and let me tell you, wind is not fun!
So for other things of the day! I enjoyed matching my coffee cup, sunglasses and color!
New beachy snacks! Literally, (chocolate almond coconut) seaweed and tuna.
Bummed out at Bojangles. We had been there before, and it was good! A couple locals were even surprised. Service stunk. It took over 5 minutes for the workers to even come to the counter. They just ignored us. Then a guy came from the bathroom and a manager from the back. The people in front of us ordering could not get it straight with the guy. People sitting at a table with only drinks had been waiting on their food long before we got in line, which had now grown much longer. So, most of us left. Now trying to find somewhere to go, Mom and I decided on Olive Garden! No, not at all like Bojangles, but with two of us, we usually get seated and served quickly, and Mom had a giftcard. It was also right next to our next stop, so we went with it. We are sure thankful for that giftcard, because OG is way too pricey. I got a double chicken breast thing with seasonal roasted vegetables and Parmesan zucchini, and Mom got pasta (not as good as Dad's obviously). Tasty, just not our usual!
This night we made another stop that we knew Dad wouldn't want to: The Christmas Mouse at Barefoot Landing! There is so much in there, and it's so wonderful. We could spend hours and hundreds of dollars. I have to restrain myself around Christmas items. So, Mom and I found our favorites and decided to think on them until the next time we come and could then buy what we really thought best.
These were four of my favorites.
It was also a good day to go because it was National Gingerbread Day! Why it is in June, I have no idea. I guess it's to help heal withdrawal symptoms.
We also went in MR Ducks to look at some dog shirts that caught our attention, but again way too expensive. I so would have bought the black lab and jeep shirt, though! I love to get things that express my life.
Finally, back at the room I pulled out some of the desserts that I had gotten at Walmart. Chilly Cow is new just over the summer, and it is delicious! It is one of those aimed at having high-quality ingredients and flavor, and I support it! It is also higher protein from the way the milk is used, and I need more protein! The brown butter salted caramel flavor paired perfectly with a cookie crumble bar from Starbucks downstairs! Quoted from the box, "As sweet as a day on the beach, only way, way cooler." Coordination here made me smile!
I can't believe how fast this vacation went by...we did miss out on one day at the beginning since we didn't come when it rained, but it was already the last full day Mom and I would have before Dad came!
The run wasn't too bad even after another late night and windy morning. Mom was having more pain with her elbow, so she did about 7 with me out and back in one direction, then let me finish the last little bit on my own. That was actually kind of refreshing for me as a way to break up the run in my mind! I was proud of her, though. She went farther than we had originally planned for her to stay!
This section of the Bible study booklet was getting deeper and more into making personal changes and commitments. In the questions it asked, it was like God really asking me relative to my life. It makes my heart hurt at times thinking about how the world has changed. Life is hard. It's not like it used to be; we all know that. As you get older, there are more responsibilities and more knowledge, but also as the world changes, there is more pressure and more to be burdened about. Society is so demanding. People are working multiple jobs or with a single job, it is asking for way more hours and effort than would be thought to go with it. It is like there is always more to be done, and there is no reason why you can't just drop everything and fix every problem. Every job is your only job. People don't respect each others' personal lives or the need for rest and relaxation and fellowship. If there is money to be made or work to be done, do it! I know kids who were in school all day every day, involved in sports and clubs, take advanced and AP classes, and work several shifts of one or more jobs per week. When do you sleep, eat, see friends and family, spend time in the Bible? I have a lot of trouble with all these things, and I was in class much less than my high school counterparts. The people in charge in these situations have no mercy. You're working for them, what is the rest of your life? They often make others feel inadequate and hopeless by not considering all the stress they are under and other obligations in life, not to mention personal health, hygiene, family, spirit, school, and sports. No matter how young or old you are, these things matter; they have a great place in God's plan, as well. All these distractions and more things "to do" are ways that Satan is at work in the world to pull us away from the peace and joy of life in Christ. We who know how Christ wants us to think and act must stand on these beliefs. When we get pulled in too many directions, we are not able to spend time with God, rest and get energy to do our job(s) well, and if we can't even take time for ourselves, how will we be able to help others? As I have come to find so true, you can't pour from an empty cup. We need to come together, care for one another, have grace and mercy, and remember that our main obligation is to serve the Lord. Finding peace and purpose in Him is more rewarding than success by the world's standards.
**Not all jobs or individual's lives are this hectic or have pressuring circumstances; this is just my general observation.
The second question that really stood out to me was about surrendering habits in order to grow closer and be more useful to the Lord. Wow, habits are what hold me back for sure. I love to plan and get in routines, which can be good! However, they can also be oh, so very bad. Just for some accountability, necessary for growth and connection personally and spiritually, some habits I need to change are simply eating and sleeping more and better. After that, the smaller issues will fade as well.
Finally, hearing and doing...it's so easy to have a great Bible study or hear a great sermon! But "The man who hears My words and puts them into practice is like a man who built his house on the rock..." Matthew 7:24-27. Like I said above, we have to build ourselves up spiritually, but it can't stop there. Then we have to take it out and do something with it! Faith grows when we do. But there is so much we can do! Ask my mom, I have so much stuff, so many "projects" and "things to do" that my part of the house is a mess sometimes. I have things I've wanted to do for years, maybe started, maybe not. As I've gotten older, there are just so many things, and I can't find the time to do much other than the day-to-day. That makes me sad, too, because I used to have time to relax, read, draw, craft, heck I would even get bored! When there are way too many things to do, we have to again remember that God's work is our #1 job. Pray for guidance on what to do with our time. No, we don't always know where to go with our day's agenda, but the most important thing is to go at whatever it is we do with our best effort to use it to make an impact for Christ. If we just do things to do things, not thinking about our purpose for doing so, then we aren't really making progress, only "chasing after the wind" (Ecclesiastes 2:11), and let me tell you, wind is not fun!
So for other things of the day! I enjoyed matching my coffee cup, sunglasses and color!
New beachy snacks! Literally, (chocolate almond coconut) seaweed and tuna.
Bummed out at Bojangles. We had been there before, and it was good! A couple locals were even surprised. Service stunk. It took over 5 minutes for the workers to even come to the counter. They just ignored us. Then a guy came from the bathroom and a manager from the back. The people in front of us ordering could not get it straight with the guy. People sitting at a table with only drinks had been waiting on their food long before we got in line, which had now grown much longer. So, most of us left. Now trying to find somewhere to go, Mom and I decided on Olive Garden! No, not at all like Bojangles, but with two of us, we usually get seated and served quickly, and Mom had a giftcard. It was also right next to our next stop, so we went with it. We are sure thankful for that giftcard, because OG is way too pricey. I got a double chicken breast thing with seasonal roasted vegetables and Parmesan zucchini, and Mom got pasta (not as good as Dad's obviously). Tasty, just not our usual!
This night we made another stop that we knew Dad wouldn't want to: The Christmas Mouse at Barefoot Landing! There is so much in there, and it's so wonderful. We could spend hours and hundreds of dollars. I have to restrain myself around Christmas items. So, Mom and I found our favorites and decided to think on them until the next time we come and could then buy what we really thought best.
It was also a good day to go because it was National Gingerbread Day! Why it is in June, I have no idea. I guess it's to help heal withdrawal symptoms.
We also went in MR Ducks to look at some dog shirts that caught our attention, but again way too expensive. I so would have bought the black lab and jeep shirt, though! I love to get things that express my life.
Finally, back at the room I pulled out some of the desserts that I had gotten at Walmart. Chilly Cow is new just over the summer, and it is delicious! It is one of those aimed at having high-quality ingredients and flavor, and I support it! It is also higher protein from the way the milk is used, and I need more protein! The brown butter salted caramel flavor paired perfectly with a cookie crumble bar from Starbucks downstairs! Quoted from the box, "As sweet as a day on the beach, only way, way cooler." Coordination here made me smile!
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