Location: Rod N Reel, Shell Knob, MO

Website: Rod N Reel

The Henry, Rod N Reel Resort

During Labor Day weekend our family took a trip to Missouri. We dropped our oldest son off at camp and then proceeded to our glamping destination. We stayed at a beautiful resort in Shell Knob, Missouri. Rod N Reel is on the quiet side of the lake. It’s the perfect quiet, peaceful weekend getaway.

Do you ever wonder how people stumble upon amazing resorts!? Well our story is quite funny. It never fails that I always seem to book a room that doesn’t match the description on the website. My husband has officially taken the “hotel, resort booking keys” away from me. A few years ago I planned a trip to the lake for our family and the place I booked did not match the description at all. My husband worked his magic and did a little searching and found the most adorable resort, which led us to Rod N Reel in 2019. We took our children and had the best lake memories. We kept going back every summer, and eventually taking more family.

Every stay at Rod N Reel will always be embedded in my heart. On our last trip, we stayed in one of the glamping tents for the first time. The tent was perfect for our small family. I loved the tent because it even had a fenced in area. I didn’t have to worry about our wild child running off while he was playing. The glamping tent was truly so clean that it made us feel like we were the first ones to ever stay there. Also, the presence of the Lord is just amazing. I always have amazing encounters in this place.

One of my favorite things about weekend getaways is time with the Lord, I love waking up early and getting some time alone with Him before the start of the day. One morning the Lord led me to this verse,

O Lord of Heaven’s Armies, my King and my God, even the sparrows and swallows are welcome to build a nest among your altars to raise their young.

Psalms 84:3.

I knew immediately what the Lord was speaking to me. Upon our arrival at the tent, I noticed that there were pretend owls on the tent to prevent birds from resting in the eaves and building nests. It made complete sense. The tents were made out of canvas and the last thing it needed was bird droppings, nests, etc. The Lord began to speak a Word over me so clearly.

My current season has been full, it has looked like a few years of dreaming big with the Lord and only seeing small steps forward. My recent season has felt so hidden, I know and trust that hidden seasons are good because it is prep time. It can just be SO HARD! It starts to feel as if you are stuck. I have to remind myself often, I am not stuck. I am being equipped. I am in training. The Lord revealed to me that my current season was building a legacy for my family. The Lord is telling me that I can feel like the least of least like the sparrows and yet He wants me to build a nest among His altar. The best place for me and my family is to be under His altar. The safest place for my family is under His altar. When the days get long and the waiting seasons get tough, I can always rest when I know that I am under His altar.

The Lord kept revealing to me, just keep doing what you are doing. Keep dreaming with me, keep being a servant to your family. Keep pressing in. On the days you don’t feel like worshipping, just listen and your joy will be restored. My altar was built for you and your family. I truly believe this is a WORD for you too. We are welcome to build our nests and families under His altar. He WANTS us there and He loves it when we are there.

He then began to reveal to me the owl. The enemy is like the owl. The enemy is just a shadow, his words are pretend. His words do not line up with the truth. It’s crazy to me that if the birds knew the owl was pretend, they would build their nests under the tents. If they only knew that the owl wasn’t even the truth. It’s like that for us, if we only knew the truth. I have to remind myself to read the truth, listen to the truth, stay in the truth. We cannot let ourselves be fooled by the lies of the enemy (owl). WOW!

I will never forget this amazing trip. God spoke to me so clearly and I left with a fresh perspective.

I am welcome under His altar and it’s the best place for my family to be. You are welcome under His altar. Don’t be fooled by the lies. His altar was built for YOU!

– Whitney Neill