TAKE GOOD CARE OF YOURSELF!--YOU BELONG TO HIM!--Get Out No.4!--Dad's Health Talk on Maria's Birthday!            DO 2028                  7/85

         1. ARMENDRIA'S APPENDICITIS ARMY, ONE OF OUR PRECIOUS TEENS, IS RECOVERING FROM A VERY SERIOUS MAJOR OPERATION. She even had to be fed intravenously for five days afterwards. I had a really strange experience about Army, did I tell you? The very day she got sick was the day I looked at her picture & the Lord laid her on my heart to pray for her! I hope she's really resting now & not carrying anything, because once your appendix is ruptured like that you need to give it time to be completely healed, or you can rip it open again if you strain too much.
         2. I READ HER REPORT TODAY & NEARLY ALL THE THINGS THAT I THOUGHT WERE TRUE. I know what brings on appendicitis because I've had it very bad several times in the past, & all the things that help to bring it on are exactly what she went through--strain, stress, constipation, irregular eating & for about a week she hadn't even had a get-out! Under the stress of Marianne having the baby that day, she was already feeling a little sick & she went on this bouncy, bumpy ride with a lunch of two dry sandwiches, one cheese & one peanut butter!--Almost exactly the same kind of lunch I had riding in a car the day before I had my worst appendicitis attack that nearly killed me down there in Anaheim, California! (See No. 956)
         3. SO SHE WAS CLOGGED UP, SHE HADN'T HAD HER BM, she hadn't had any exercise for a week because of bad weather & a bad cold, she'd been eating irregularly, not eating the right kind of food, she'd violated practically every one of the health rules! I don't know why they let her get away with it, they must not have been watching her very well. Well, Marianne was having her baby right then so you can't blame her, & there was all kinds of excitement going on.
         4. SHE WAS NOT HAVING REGULAR ELIMINATION & NOT EATING THE RIGHT KIND OF FOOD, ENOUGH FRUITS & VEGETABLES & THINGS LIKE THAT. She didn't write much about what she was drinking & not drinking, but I'm sure she must not have been drinking enough liquids, because that's one thing that does it. She was not getting enough exercise, she was under all this stress & strain, she'd had a bad cold & she was about to start her period. But see, if you keep the health rules, in spite of the tests & trials & strains, you're not going to have that happen to you!
         5. AN APPENDIX LIKE THAT GETS INFECTED, PROBABLY PARTLY BECAUSE SHE HAD A COLD. You know, some people get a cold in their heads, some in their throats, some in their muscles, just wherever the infection spreads, whatever your weak spot is. Usually I get it in my bowels.
         6. HAVE REGULAR BMS! SHE SAID HER BMS HAD NEVER BEEN REGULAR--& YOU MUST TRY TO HAVE REGULAR BMS, BELOVED! I've heard from Dr. Koger & other doctors that the most natural time is when you first get up in the morning, & you can encourage that. As Maria knows, when I first get up in the morning I drink about a pint of water first thing. I usually drink about half of it before I even get out of bed & I drink some more when I get into the bathroom. I drink just as much water as I can & that immediately encourages the bowel movement. That's the best time to have it, & if you have it that time always with regularity, you'll get the habit & you'll always have it at that time.
         7. YOU PEOPLE WHO DON'T HAVE A REGULAR HABIT TIME FOR BMS, LET THIS BE A LESSON TO YOU! She said she's almost always had trouble with constipation, straining etc., which is very bad for a weak appendix. You don't need to have constipation, Beloved!
         8. YOU'VE JUST GOT TO KEEP YOUR SYSTEM LUBRICATED & FLUSHED WITH LOTS OF LIQUID! You should drink lots of liquids & you should eat lots of foods which have bulk, something your bowels can get ahold of & make it move along. You should eat lots of vegetables, fruits, juicy things & drink lots of liquids.
         9. GET-OUT! AND DO NOT FAIL TO GET THAT ONE HOUR OUT FOR YOUR GET-OUT EVERY DAY!--OF VIGOROUS EXERCISE! You can get very vigorous exercise playing birdie without it being too strenuous. It's vigorous & there's lots of action & activity! You spend half your time picking up the birdies & bending over, which is good for your back & stomach & everything else, you get a lot of exercise! We felt it was very necessary so that most of you doing sedentary desk work who do not get enough real active vigorous exercise can get the exercise you need.
         10. WHAT YOU NEED IS SOME GOOD BODILY EXERCISE THAT EXERCISES YOUR ARMS & LEGS & YOUR WHOLE BODY & MAKES YOUR HEART POUND! That's good for your heart, it strengthens it & circulates your blood rapidly so you don't get blood clots & whatnot, one of the great enemies of old age. It keeps your blood system open & free & circulating, your heart strong & your lungs flushed out of all that old stale air that you have in there. Most people don't breathe to their full capacity at all unless they exercise vigorously.
         11. YOU NEED TO GET OUT THERE & REALLY WORK AT IT! Determine to get out & play at least half-an-hour a day.--Unless you're one of the busy ones who're on your feet & working all day like shoppers, cooks & house-keepers etc. You people who have office jobs particularly need to make sure you get out & play hard at least once a day for at least half-an-hour. You need to get that exercise!--Then take a swim if it's warm enough!
         12. KEEP ON A REGULAR SCHEDULE! BELOVED, IF YOU WANT TO STAY HEALTHY & STRONG & BE USEFUL TO THE LORD, IT'S VERY IMPORTANT TO TAKE CARE OF YOUR HEALTH! We've told you time & time again that you'll have good health if you'll follow those rules that we gave you, to eat right, sleep right, exercise right, love right & live right! That has to do with your regular habits & a fairly regular schedule.
         13. EVEN THOUGH MY HOURS VARY, I ALWAYS HAVE THAT BM IN THE MORNING & MY EGGNOG AFTERWARD. I do my paperwork until around noon or afternoon, then I usually get out & get my exercise & sexercise! I come in & have my brunch & usually do a little more paperwork, have an afternoon nap--& then have my dinner. I may not always have it the same hour, but it's approximately the same. If the schedule begins late it runs late; if it begins early, it runs a little early. But it's regular & it's well-spaced & it's almost identical daily that I have the same activities at the same time, & it's very important for your health to try to live on such a good schedule.
         14. SO A WORD TO THE WISE IS SUFFICIENT! LET THAT SAD CASE OF ARMENDRIA BE A WARNING & A LESSON TO YOU FOLKS! It's not a matter of option, it's not a matter of choice, I'm telling you, if you want to stay healthy & stay here, do it!--And I mean it! That's the law! That's the rule! And if you violate those rules you are going to pay the penalty whether I know it or not! You're going to suffer for it. Your health is going to suffer for it, & if your health suffers, God's work is going to suffer for it. And if God's work suffers, other people are going to suffer that you could have been a help to! That's what it means.
         15. NOW YOU DON'T WANT SOMEBODY MISSING HEAVEN BECAUSE YOU FAILED TO KEEP A REGULAR SCHEDULE & TAKE CARE OF YOUR BODY, DO YOU?--Knowing that they didn't get the Gospel because you didn't do your job because you couldn't, because you were sick!

CONSTIPATION!

         16. THANK GOD YOU CHILDREN DON'T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT CONSTIPATION AS LONG AS YOU LIVE A REGULAR SCHEDULE, eat right, live right & have your BMs right, daily! Nobody needs to have any problem with constipation, not if you will drink lots of liquids!--I don't care if it's water, coffee, fruit juice or whatnot, if you drink enough liquids, things will keep moving!
         17. AND IF YOU HAVE CONSTIPATION, THERE IS A CAUSE FOR IT, THERE'S A REASON FOR IT!--It's because you're not getting enough liquids & you're not eating the right foods & perhaps you're not even eating enough--that has something to do with it--& you're not getting enough exercise. So if you have that problem, that's your problem, not the constipation!--It's your failure to obey & keep the health rules, & that means an hour of good vigorous exercise every day! If you don't get it all at once, take it in two half-hours, but get it!
         18. --AND DRINK LOTS OF WATER, LOTS OF LIQUIDS! You've just got to keep that liquid there to keep things going & keep your system flushed out & keep everything flowing or you're going to have trouble.--Especially if you sit at a desk or a typewriter all day in a strained position & under the nervous stress of all that.

APPENDICITIS!

         19. IF YOU HAVE A SENSITIVE APPENDIX & YOU'VE HAD A PROBLEM ALONG THAT LINE, THERE ARE CERTAIN FOODS YOU SHOULD STAY AWAY FROM!--Besides foods that clog up your bowels & stop things, which is very bad for your appendix, because then it can't move on & gets in the appendix & it swells up & gets infected.
         20. SOME FOODS MAY BE IN THE RIGHT PLACE IN SOME PEOPLE'S STOMACHS, BUT NOT IN YOURS, & if you have a tendency to appendicitis, you'd better watch out! Dr. Koger told me to avoid anything with rough hulls especially, like beans, some kinds of rice with the hulls on it & some kinds of nuts. You should avoid things that cause gas. If you frequently get pains down there it could be that you have a sensitive appendix, & it may get sore & even get infected if you don't have enough BMs or if you eat harsh foods that irritate it, so you've got to watch it.

TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF!

         21. SO PLEASE TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF! LIKE THE OLD SONG SAYS, "TAKE GOOD CARE OF YOURSELF, YOU BELONG TO ME!" Well, you not only belong to me, you belong to the Lord, & He says, "Abuse not your body, the temple of the Holy Ghost." (1Cor.3:16, 6:19,20, 2Cor. 6:16, Eph.2:22) Your body is His house, His instrument, & if you abuse it & don't take good care of it, then you're going to suffer for it, & worst of all, not only you suffer, but we suffer, everybody suffers & His work will suffer, which means souls will suffer! I'm sure you don't want anybody going to Hell because you didn't keep the health laws!
         22. I'M TRYING TO SHAKE YOU UP! I'M TRYING TO SHOCK YOU & TELL YOU THAT'S JUST WHAT IT MEANS, THAT YOU'VE GOT TO TAKE CARE OF YOURSELVES! Now get some exercise! If you don't want to play birdie, all right, then jump rope or do something else that will give you some really vigorous exercise. Now I don't say strenuous exercise because strenuous exercise means straining exercise & you might overdo.
         23. DON'T EVER TELL YOURSELF, "OH, I'M TOO BUSY, I'M IN TOO BIG A HURRY, I CAN'T HAVE A BM RIGHT NOW!"--NEVER! When you feel like it, do it! Because if you don't do it, you're apt to get stopped up. Your bowels get tired of pushing, & then you're going to wind up with constipation, & if you wind up with enough of that you can wind up with a burst appendix! Don't overeat either, if you eat irregularly or overeat, also not eating enough! Overeating one day & then not enough the next day & irregularity, all that sort of thing is really bad! And it's even more important for you to have good elimination than even a regular diet, because elimination is getting rid of the poisons & the wastes. And if you don't get rid of the poisons & the wastes, you're going to be poisoned, & you're going to be eliminated from the battle! And we need you!

KEEP IN SHAPE FOR THE BATTLE!

         24. WE'RE IN A WAR & EVERY SOLDIER IS NEEDED, SO YOU NEED TO KEEP YOURSELF IN GOOD SHAPE FOR THE BATTLE! So let's take care of ourselves & keep on a regular schedule as much as possible with regular eating & sleeping & elimination habits & exercise habits, & eat properly & drink lots of good water. Especially in the hot summer you really need to drink water.--Amen?
         25. I WOULDN'T WANT THE LORD TO HAVE TO TAKE YOU HOME TO TEACH YOU A LESSON, THAT'S TOO LATE! Take good care of yourself now! Don't let anything interfere with your regular schedule of sleep & meals & elimination & exercise & all the things you need to do.
         26. NOW GOD KNOWS IF YOU'RE KEEPING THE RULES WHETHER WE KNOW IT OR NOT, & you're not going to get away with it with Him! Be sure your sins will find you out, & whatsoever you sow, you're going to reap! (Num.32:23; Gal.6:7) I mean it!
         27. MAYBE THIS WARNING WILL HELP YOU: WE CAN'T HAVE ANY SICK SOULS OR SICK SOLDIERS IN THIS ARMY! Thank God, compared to some people we have almost no sicknesses, almost no illness, just a few little light colds & almost nothing compared to all the serious accidents & illnesses that some people have. When you consider how many people we've got in this Family, it's a miracle, absolutely miraculous! Because God knows we can't stand it, we can't have it! We can't have any stretcher cases, invalid cases or hospital cases in this Family! We need you!--And if you prove you can't take it, you'll have to go someplace else where the fight's not so tough. You wouldn't want to lose your place in this army because you disobeyed the rules & didn't take care of yourself, amen?
         28. I KNOW YOU CATCH A LITTLE COLD ONCE IN AWHILE, this, that & the other, & I have my afflictions too, but thank God, so far they haven't kept us from working & getting our jobs done. We may feel knocked-out some days, but usually it's our own fault, we've broken the rules. Let's please try not to so we can stay active, healthy soldiers for the Lord & not have to be sent home wounded or sick from the battle.

MARIA'S BIRTHDAY PRAYER!

         29. (MARIA: WE THANK YOU LORD ESPECIALLY TONIGHT FOR THY LOVE, in not only encouraging us & instructing us, but for Your rebukes & chastenings that show us that You love us, that it may help us to accomplish even more for You & to even save lives! We thank You for it. Thank You for the faithfulness of Thy Servant & his guidance & instruction & counsel that keeps us on the right path, Lord, & gives us Thy Word. Thank You Lord for all Your blessings, You've been so good to us! We know You're going to keep us through another year & until the End! We know You're going to keep us going & keep us in Thy will if we just look to You & we're obedient & yielded to You.)--Amen! GBY!--And please take good care of yourself so you'll have many happy birthdays too!--Amen?