Joycelyn's Ponderings

Renewing our Covenants

2011-10-05T09:24:00.000-07:00

Simple and plain truths can have profound significance that are able to penetrate our souls to the core. Here is one such truth that has sunk a little bit deeper for me.

In Doctrine and Covenants 43:16 it states (emphasis added) --

And ye are to be taught from on high. Sanctify yourselves and ye shall be endowed with power, that ye may give even as I have spoken.

In my notes my professor said the following in regards to this scripture --

Once again the promis of a future endowment which would occur as a part of the events surrounding the dedication of the Kirtland Temple.

At first when I read this, I thought to myself what a great and noble goal it is to try to be sanctified so we can be endowed with power. And then I realized from my professor's notes that it not only has happened before but this goal is readily attainable for everyone today. I guess I knew that when we were baptized or take out our own endowments we are forgiven of our sins but perhaps I never connected that with the word "sanctified". My next thought was that as we renew our covenants made at baptism every week during the Sacrament, it is by our church attendance and partaking of the Sacrament that "sanctifies" us and "endows" us with power and protection. This is exactly what the brethren have told us in this last conference. One of the main themes I heard were "iffy" blessings and a promise they gave us if we followed the Lord's commandments was being "endowed with power" or protection!!! The Lord promises us this!!

The feelings inside from knowing and understanding this simple and plain truth are of great happiness. My feelings are expressed in the hymnal 136 I know that My Redeemer Lives...

Oh, sweet the joy this sentence gives:

I know that My Redeemer lives!

If you were to read this hymn, you can also see how merciful and loving our Lord is to us. You can see that he is always mindful of us. You can feel of His love wrap around you with the words. He does so many things for us. We are truly blessed to be children of God!

Celestial Marriage

2011-10-04T05:18:00.001-07:00

What I am Getting Out of General Conference

2011-10-02T07:19:00.000-07:00

One theme that I am hearing throughout all of the conference talks is that we will be blessed with protection from the Adversary and his temptations IF we will but follow His commandments. We are being given "iffy" blessings as was James Covill in the Doctrine and Covenants 39. If we obey, we will be blessed.

[To see more General Conference today, October 2nd -- go to http://www.byu.tv/ to see the live sessions at 12:00 EST and 4:00pm EST (10am MST/2pm MST)

[SATURDAY OCTOBER 1ST MORNING/AFTERNOON SESSIONS]

Elder Richard G. Scott
He repeated the invitation given to us at the General Relief Society Session to pray to be filled with charity. He wants us to love our neighbor like unto ourselves. We will be blessed with His Spirit to have a stronger conviction to be righteous IF we cleave unto charity and are consistently reading the Book of Mormom.
Sister Barbara Thompson
IF we want to receive our own personal revelation, we need to be humble and soften our hearts. Then as we read the scriptures and live righteously, the Lord will then bless us with revelation. As we are seeking to know His will, remember that we need to seek for wisdom, not power. Our testimonies will grow in strength that can fill in the holes and gaps in our lives only IF we keep nourishing it through church attendance, praying, renewing our covenants, etc.

Elder L. Whitney Clayton
Testified that there is a Savior and claims so with authority that he is Jesus Christ. Growth of the church is expanding throughout the world bc we can claim authority that he is our Savior.

President Thomas S. Monson
Building of temples is the most important of building bc it is where we can build eternal relationships through the sealing power of the Priesthood. How wonderful it is that we can now help others attend the temple through the General Temple Patron Fund!!!

Elder Jose L Alonso
We need to be doing the right thing at the right time without delay! We need to go out and seek for those lost sheep. Some of them may not even know that they are lost! The Lord doesn't ever lose sight of His children! What does Heavenly Father expect from us? Our thinking, actions, testimonies and devotions to be directed towards the building up of His kingdom. We can do this by bringing back those lost sheep to the fold, to strengthen them, to help them.

President Boyd K. Packer
To our youth of the church -- who are more faithful, more knowledgeable of the Gospel. Some warnings and counsel to you: We need to remember the importance of the power of procreation is only permitted within the bounds of lawful matrimony between a husband and wife lawfully wedded. We can be given our own "iffy" blessings through our patriarchal blessings given to us by the Patriarch. He has the spirit of revelation and prophecy given to him with authority of the Priesthood. We must listen for the voice of the Spirit as he whispers to us. Learn how to hear it and feel it! His spiritual voice will and can correct our actions. IF if we listen to the Spirit, he will protect us as we are being raised up in enemy territory.

President Dieter F. Uchtdorf
We need to retain the importance of the greatness of God and our own nothingness. The Lord made this universe for our benefit. Satan wants to deceive us, puff us up and prey on our pride. He will try to discourage us and tell us we have no worth. What matters? Doing your best in the situation we are in, not where we are and what our rank is in the world. The Lord uses a different scale for determining the worth of our souls.
1. God loves the humble and meek.
2. Lord entrusts his work to his servants, the weak ones.
3. No matter how little you have, you are not invisible to Heavenly Father!
4. What you experience now is not for forever.
HOLD ON. YOU MATTER TO HIM!

Elder David A. Bednar
We need to be turning our hearts to our fathers through family history and genealogy. We can become "Saviors on Mount Zion" as we attend the temple and do proxy work for our ancestors. As we are doing the work on family history, the Lord promises us protection. We are the Lord's agents and it is our duty and privilege to do this work!

Elder Neil. L. Andersen
Concerning the area of if and when and how many children to have -- answer this question by prayer and faith. Motherhood is what God gave us time for. Where is our faith?

Elder Ian. S Ardern
We need to be using our time wisely. Love is really spelled T.I.M.E.! Don't let technology overtake your time from prayer, scripture studying, etc. Don't let them become addictions. We need to master them by balancing our time with the Lord, Family, Work and Wholesome Recreational Activities.

Elder Carl. B. Cook
Prophets redirect our focus heavenward. "It is better to look up!" (President Thomas S. Monson)

[Sadly, my kids started acting up right about this talk so I didn't get to take notes after this. But wow...what amazing instruction! I love General Conference!]

Suggestions from President Hinckley

2011-08-07T06:01:00.000-07:00

In Doctrine & Covenants 25 the Lord gives callings, counsel or warnings and promises to Emma Smith in this revelation. Here is a breakdown of each of these:

Callings

Comforter to her husband
Scribe to her husband
Called to exhort the scriptures
Write and learn
Comprise the first Church hymnal

Counsel or Warnings

Don't complain
Use consoling words
Seek for the higher things in life rather than worldly things
Beware of pride
Follow the commandments

Promises

Receive the Holy Ghost
Husband will support you in your temporal needs
Singing praises from the hymns will receive answers
A crown of righteousness given

In my class study course material it gives several quotes from President Gordon B. Hinckley. Here are his suggestions concerning the main responsibilities the Lord outlines for all women in this revelation:

Suggestions

Don't complain bc we don't understand the Lord's work
Speak consoling words in the spirit of meekness -- stop arguing and yelling in our homes
Keep a journal for the benefit of our future, families and others
Don't be obsessed with worldly things but set our thoughts on higher things that are eternal like love, charity, service
Read and reflect on this revelation to us

When singing we need not just sing bc we enjoy it or are good at it. The Lord tells us in this revelation that we need to sing with purpose and have "the song of the heart" and "the song of the righteous". This meaning that we need to be singing with a prayer in our hearts, singing with the Spirit to our Lord as we praise and supplicate our gratitude, needs and remembrances. This Sunday try to sing with your heart and not just your voice. The Spirit will come upon us as we do so and we can feel our Savior's love surround us when we do this. That is a promise!

Holiness To The Lord

2011-07-29T20:25:00.000-07:00

On all temples it has the writing "Holiness To The Lord".

Delbert L. Stapley said that "Holiness is religious principles put into action -- it is faith gone to work -- it is love coined into conduct -- devotion helping human suffering, and going up in intercession to the great source of all good." (Improvement Era, Dec. 1968, p. 55 or Conference Report, Oct. 1968, p. 29.)

Now reread that quote while thinking of the work we do inside the temple for not only ourselves but those that can't do it for themselves. Pretty cool. :-)

What the Sacrament Can Do For Us

2011-07-29T18:59:00.000-07:00

Some really thought provoking words from previous prophets and disciples of Christ.

Doctrine and Coventants 20:75

"Remembrance of the Lord Jesus"

...thoughts of Jesus...ought...to be far more frequent and much more constant in all times and season of our lives.
How much of a normal day, a working week, or a fleeting month is devoted to "Jesus, the very thought of thee?"
(Howard W. Hunter, Ensign, May 1993, p.64; or Conference Report, April 1993, p. 79)

"Partake of the bread and wine"

It is just as necessary, for our spiritual body, that we should partake of this sacrament, and by it obtain spiritual food for our souls. If we were given our physical food only on stated occasions and at specified places, we would all be on hand...
...The road to the sacrament table is the path of safety for Latter-Day Saints.
(Melvin J. Ballard, Crusader of Righteousness, p. 134. Italics added)

Whisperings of the Spirit

2011-07-28T21:23:00.000-07:00

Tonight we headed to church for my oldest child's Baptismal Interview with our Bishop. It was special for him bc as our newly appointed bishop (as of Sunday) this was his FIRST baptismal interview that he has performed. He told her that he wouldn't ever forget it and who he gave it to.

I felt prompted to drive next door to the temple to take a picture of KJ in front of the temple bc I wanted to remember tonight. It seemed the last 8 years flew by and...what?! I have a daughter at the age of accountability already?

Something that I saw while we made a quick stop to see the temple grounds and take this picture tonight: I saw someone drive into the parking lot and park next to us. As we climbed intro the car and were buckling in, I looked over and the ...man was leaning up against his steering wheel with his chin...just staring at the temple. Then he closed his eyes and just remained there. I turned to look at the temple and it was just breathtaking with the sunset in the background. Definitely an amazing place to just go, to sit and pray to our Heavenly Father. I pray that man received an answer and peace to whatever was troubling him that made him drive all the way to the temple parking lot and talk to our Father in Heaven.

When I came home, I posted this above story on my FB profile. I then started having a convo with my niece's step mom about the temple. It is refreshing to see, feel, connect and talk about something that is so precious to me with someone else and feel it being reciprocated even though we are of different faiths. As we were talking, I plugged into my piano Pandora station and began studying in my Doctrine and Covenants class for my studying tonight. As I re-read my story, I began to remember more tidbit details about the man. His lips werent' moving but you could tell he was saying a heavy prayer in his heart. He looked tired, drained and so (I know, this word is kind of old but it's what came to mind) forlorn.

What would bring someone to the point to where you sought after the Spirit of the Lord, His peace at the footsteps of His temple? What situation or choices made this man hunger for the companionship of the Comforter? Reminds me of the lady that lady that touched Jesus' robes...if she could just touch his clothes, she knew He could heal her whole. It was as if this man could find the peace and assurance just by being that close to His temple where He dwells here on Earth.

I love the feeling it brings thinking about it. What a humble, strong man that knows exactly who to turn to while in uncertain times. A man humble and strong enough to know when he needs to seek for assistance from someone mightier than he is. A humble and strong man who may not even know he is strengthening the testimony of strangers surrounding him just by his example.

It was just a small moment in time. It all happened within a moment. But when you slow down and start to reflect on things beyond yourself, a funny thing happens; the Spirit begins to whisper to you and your mind can be enlightened with truth. Small things that begin to shine brighter in your mind as your testimony and understanding begin to expand line upon line and precept upon precept. It is like a creeping of the sun in the morning as layers of understanding unfold to you. Thoughts on how it unfolds is like the truth is literally sinking in deeper, you find a little bit of deeper understanding, the truth expands just a little in all directions. It touches your spirit so that you remember all the things about it as you continue to pass it on your daily path.

I had to write these feelings down. As I continue to ponder about that man at the temple parking lot, I see how much God has a hand in our lives. He is gracious, loving and full of compassion as He sends us little miracles and blessings to help lift us up. Through Him all things are possible bc He won't give us anything without giving us the tools to help us along the way to accomplish it. He embraces us with His love whenever we come before him on bended knee.

A thought that has been in my mind as of late is something I heard at an EFY class in my youth. I believe it was by Jon Bytheway where he said "Satan trembles when the weakest Saint is on his knees in prayer." How mind blowing is that? Can you imagine how much of an affect we can have on him if ALL of us were on bended knee? How comforting it is that we can have that amount of power over the Adversary when we are even at our weakest...OUR WEAKEST!

The Lord is good. The Lord is great. May we all be able to be answers to each other's prayers.

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Overcoming the Natural Man

2011-07-17T17:07:00.001-07:00

In Mosiah 3:19 it tells us the natural man is an enemy to God. We are commanded to repent. So will we be passive repentant (turning from evil) or active repentant (doing that which we ought to do)? Either way, we have to change our nature in order to follow God's commandment. Just by following His commandments we are showing an outward commitment to change our natural ways of carnal, sensual and devilish.

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Doctrine and Covenants 10:28

2011-07-03T18:12:00.000-07:00

"Verily, verily, I say unto you, wo be unto him that lieth to deceive because he supposeth that another lieth to deceive, for such are not exempt from the justice of God."

In other words...

...two wrongs don't make a right!

Purpose of Sacrament

2011-06-19T12:20:00.001-07:00

A moment of clarity hit me as I was reading the scriptures while the sacrament was being passed. Earlier this week we had discussed the Sacrament in FHE and what the symbolism is for those that partake of it by those who are baptized and those who are not.

What stuck out to me today is in the scriptures 3 Nephi 18:7, 10 where it directly and bluntly states WHY we baptized members take it and what we get in return for our obedience to do it.

V.7-- And this shall ye do in remembrance of my body, which I have shown unto you. And it shall be a testimony unto the Father that ye do always remember me. And if ye do always remember me ye shall have my Spirit to be with you.

(I never thought of it as a physical testimony to Him that we are remembering what He has done for us. Normally we use symbolism more...it just hit me more today)

V.10-- ...Blessed are ye for this thing which ye have done, for this is fulfilling my commandments, and this doth witness unto the Father that ye are willing to do that which I have commanded you.

(Yet another physical witness or testimony that we remember Him and are willing to obey.)

Both testimony and witness of us taking of the bread and water can shower the blessing of always having His spirit with us. How much more is it important for us to partake of it so we can always have His Spirit? As imperfect people we are in need of weekly help to be forgiven and to ask continually for His Spirit.

I was pondering on other acts that can help bring His Spirit into our lives and I again see and understand the great importance of family prayers over dinner, morning it night family prayers, fhe and reading the scriptures together. How can we have room for contention if we try to fill our life with the Spirit?

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Realities Of A Stay At Home Mom: "Chose Your Love...Love Your Choice"

2011-05-04T06:48:00.000-07:00

rRealities Of A Stay At Home Mom: "Chose Your Love...Love Your Choice": "...The Christ centered relationship that should exist between a man and a woman... I recently got the chance to go to a fireside for coupl..."

Read this post. You won't regret it! Excellent thoughts on what your marriage and your parents' marriage mean to you.

God's Post It Notes

2011-03-30T15:08:00.000-07:00

I think they speak for themselves. :-)

Filling my lamp with oil

2011-03-13T20:17:00.000-07:00

Intro--line upon line, precept upon precept. At first it puzzled me why Joseph would be visited 3 times and have the same thing said repeatedly. But each successing time the angel added to what he previously said. What are the Lord's servants repeating to us? And what lines and precepts are they adding to their pleas to help us progress and grow?

Nephi 1 -- When you learn or grow a testimony of something of the Lord, don't you also want to share it with others, spread it out so others can feel the peace, love and happiness it brings into your life?

Nephi 2 -- Even in Lehi's trial of faith he remembered to stop and take time to thank the Lord for His hand in their lives. He was obedient, he remembered, and gave thanks. Will I be like unto Lehi, Nephi and Sam who believed and were faithful OR will I be like Laman and Lemuel who doubted, continually murmured (whined) and were rebellious? Decide today which kind of person you will be. Do you want to be blessed and become prosperous OR rebel and be cut off from His presence, His Spirit? Believe me, if you choose the latter, you will be a much more grouchier version of you.

Nephi 3 -- Anything worth doing is worth its efforts. The Lord asks and commands, He gives us the tools to accomplish the things asked of us, will we have the faith that we can do it with the Lord's help? Or whine about how hard it is?

Nephi 4 -- Sometimes we need to take that leap of faith that the Lord knows what He is doing and that we can accomplish what is put before us. Are we living a life where our wordis worth its mettle?

Let's Read it Together

2011-01-03T02:08:00.001-08:00

Book of Mormon 60 Day Reading Schedule

Jan 3--Nephi 1-4

Jan 4--Nephi 5-10

Jan 5--Nephi 11-13

Jan 6--Nephi 14-16

Jan 7--Nephi 17-18

Jan 8—Nephi 19-22

Jan 9--2Nephi 1-3

Jan 10--2Nephi 4-7

Jan 11--2Nephi 8-9

Jan 12--2Nephi 10-15

Jan 13--2Nephi 16-23

Jan 14--2Nephi 24-26

Jan 15--2Nephi 27-30

Jan 16--2Nephi 31-33

Jan 17--Jacob 1-4

Jan 18--Jacob 5-7

Jan 19--Enos & W. of Mormon

Jan 20--Mosiah 1-3

Jan 21--Mosiah 4-8

Jan 22--Mosiah 9-12

Jan 23--Mosiah 13-17

Jan 24--Mosiah 18-21

Jan 25--Mosiah 22-26

Jan 26--Mosiah 27-29

Jan 27--Alma 1-4

Jan 28--Alma 5-7

Jan 29--Alma 8-10

Jan 30--Alma 11-13

Jan 31--Alma 14-17

Feb 1--Alma18-21

Feb 2--Alma 22-25

Feb 3--Alma 26-29

Feb 4--Alma 30-32

Feb 5--Alma 33-36

Feb 6--Alma 37-40

Feb 7--Alma 41-44

Feb 8--Alma 45-48

Feb 9--Alma 49-51

Feb 10--Alma 52-56

Feb 11--Alma 57-59

Feb 12--Alma 60-63

Feb 13--Helaman 1-4

Feb 14--Helaman 5-7

Feb 15--Helaman 8-12

Feb 16--Helaman 13-16

Feb 17--3Nephi 1-4

Feb 18--3Nephi 5-8

Feb 19--3Nephi 9-12

Feb 20--3Nephi 13-17

Feb 21--3Nephi 18-20

Feb 22--3Nephi 21-26

Feb 23--3Nephi 27-30

Feb 24--4 Ne– Mormon 2

Feb 25--Mormon 3-7

Feb 26--Mormon 8-9

Feb 27--Ether 1-5

Feb 28--Ether 6-10

March 1--Ether 11-15

March 2--Moroni 1-7

March 3--Moroni 8-10

Activating the Power of the Priesthood

2010-12-08T06:56:00.000-08:00

I finished rereading this article today. What impressed me the most about what Elder Packard had to say were these particular paragraphs:

The authority of the priesthood is with us. After all that we have correlated and organized, it is now our responsibility to activate the power of the priesthood in the Church. Authority in the priesthood comes by way of ordination; power in the priesthood comes through faithful and obedient living in honoring covenants. It is increased by exercising and using the priesthood in righteousness.

Now, fathers, I would remind you of the sacred nature of your calling. You have the power of the priesthood directly from the Lord to protect your home. There will be times when all that stands as a shield between your family and the adversary’s mischief will be that power. You will receive direction from the Lord by way of the gift of the Holy Ghost.

With my husband having the authority of the priesthood and being worthy to exercise that authority, I was thinking of ways that we as a family can help him activate that power in our home to help shield us from the world. Before the school year starts, we have him give our children father's blessings to help them take on their new load of school work. When our kids aren't feeling well and are very sick, we have him give them healing blessings. When they are struggling with certain feelings or situations, they can turn to him for council and he can give them comfort blessings (of couse, me too!). Every time we sit down at the table to eat or when we kneel together as a family at night, he asks different family members to say the prayer on our behalf. Now that we are literally within minutes of a temple (instead of hours!), we try to attend the temple a couple times a month or more to perform ordinances for our family names. When we have a dificult decision to make that affects our whole family, we sit down to discuss it, pray about it and listen to what he has to say about what he feels is best for the family. If my husband is living righteously and aligning his will with the Lord's will, then the promptings of the Spirit he receives concerning our family decisions will be what is right for our family. As he listens to the Lord, we can be assured that following his council will be right.

The Lord promises us that as we follow His commandments, that He will bless us abundantly. Here is our church leaders asking us to activate the power of the Priesthood in all homes. What can we do for our fellow brothers and sisters to help them activate this power as well??? By asking our Home Teachers to come regularly every month. To encourage our husbands to do the same and visit all their families each month, making sure that their spiritual needs are being met. Encouraging the youth who are old enough to be worthy and to participate in blessing and passing the Sacrament bread and water. What are you doing in your life to help activate this power and all the blessings that come from the Priesthood?

A House Of Order

2010-12-04T07:32:00.000-08:00

Doctrine and Covenants 88:119
Organize yourselves; prepare every needful thing; and establish a house, even a house of prayer, a house of fasting, a house of faith, a house of learning, a house of glory, a house of order, a house of God;

Doctrine and Covenants 90:18
Set in order your houses; keep slothfulness and uncleanness far from you.

Doctrine and Covenants 109:8
Organize yourselves; prepare every needful thing, and establish a house, even a house of prayer, a house of fasting, a house of faith, a house of learning, a house of glory, a house of order, a house of God;

Doctrine and Covenants 132:8
Behold, mine house is a house of order, saith the Lord God, and not a house of confusion.
-------------------------------

Some days I wake up and think, "I need to clean this house!"

I know I get this from my mother. I remember a many Saturdays where we would spend the ENTIRE day cleaning our home. Every room. Every bathroom. Every floor. Every corner. Why on Saturday??? Bc we were preparing for the Sabbath, our day of rest.

Earlier this week I did something like that for my upstairs. I had all 3 bedrooms, kitchen and dining room and living rooms cleaned before Connor and I left for the day. And we came home later??? It was so nice to come home to a clean, organized and uncluttered home. Seriously the best feeling ever.

I can understand my mother's insistance on always cleaning every Saturday. It helped us be able to relax and actually rest on Sunday like we are commanded to do.

Today I looked at my house and thought...now the downstairs needs my help! LOL.

One room at a time, one floor at a time, one bathroom at a time...but my house, my home...will become a House Of Order.

My friend said it best

2010-11-24T09:06:00.000-08:00

If you don't run into Lucipher, you may quite possibly be going in the same direction.

Amen to that!

Men Are That They Might Have JOY.

2010-11-07T09:32:00.000-08:00

Am grateful for a husband willing to sacrifice for his God and country. Am grateful that he has come home to me every time from deployments. Am grateful for the support I always find from family, friends and neighbors...despite our differences. Thank you to all my soldier friends and their spouses for sacrificing your soldier's time, too. Listened to this today on the way home from church-a feeling of peace to listen to.

Today in Relief Soceity we had a lesson on Joy. We talked about how sometimes we feel inadequate or lack the self-confidance, but that we shouldn't let these feelings overpower us like the Adversary would want. We need to focus on the better things in life, keep a positive outlook and turn to our Saviour in PRAYER when we feel like we've done all we could to rid ourselves of these feelings. I know the Lord will help us, instill in us the love and confidance that we are in need of.

There have been so many manisfestations to me in the last week -- so many people that have been answers to my unsaid prayers. The Lord truly does bless you in your time of need as you try to live the gospel He has laid out for us. Temple attendance blessings, doing genealogy blessings, attending church blessings, performing your calling blessings, studying your scriptures and/or conference talks blessings. Loving your children like they should be blessings. What we lack the Lord will provide as he does not ask us to do things that we don't have the tools or the means to do. He will provide.

Not Letting the Gloom Set In

2010-10-27T10:21:00.000-07:00

Sometimes we feel like everything we try to do...or not do...is not good enough. And it is times like this that I try to turn my perspective around so I can understand why I feel this way. Am I truly a failure in everything? Lately it is feeling like a failure in how I manage my time. I haven't had the motivation to do much around the house or with my schooling. I guess it has finally clicked in my head that my DH is really gone for 2 months. I am in that "funk" and am trying to escape it...quickly! I knew this would happen, it always does...when he leaves. So what am I going to do about it?

I am thinking back on what I've done today and how bad really was my time management?

0715: Get out of bed, start laundry, take care of dog's needs
0730: Workout on treadmill
0815: Take shower
0830: Feed and dress kids
0850: Drive KJ to school
1000: Go Visiting Teaching
1130: Eat lunch
1200: Watch an episode of Care Bears with Connor, snuggle up to some books and put him down for a nap
1300: Blog, start to study my school work, text my DH to see how his day has been going

Seems like a pretty productive day so far. Complete 180 of what my day was on Monday -- of just lounging on the couch and watching episodes on hulu.com all day, missing my DH. I can at least see that I am changing. And that is the point! I think I have my hubby and my loving Heavenly Father to thank for that. I was praying that I could get out of this funk, that I could find some motivation to just get up and do something...anything! My DH was texting me and for a couple days, hounding me if I had touched my school work at all. Finally, yesterday I told him I was thinking about doing that after the kids went down instead of watching episodes....and I did! I studied for a few hours reading 1/2 my chapter and making an outline for it.

It feels so good to be learning and studying again. I know I can always count on my HF answering my prayers when I need them and also for my DH to be one who pushes me so that I can reach my full potential.

Doing My Family History

2010-10-23T16:55:00.000-07:00

My MIL sent me some names ready to be done in the temple. I was able to get my visiting teacher to babysit my kids this morning so I could go today. My body must've known I needed a good night's rest before going bc I fell asleep around 8:30pm...no joke. Which is odd for me bc I usually stay up until midnight or so. I woke up wide awake before my alarm went off around 6:30am.

You always hear of stories that make it hard for people to get to the temple. Mine wasn't hard, it just made my schedule late. I live about 12 minutes away from the temple but I had to drop my kids off first. When I went to plug in my VT's address in my GPS, it couldn't find the address or the street. I used multiple city names...nada. I went back inside to Mapquest it...that website couldn't find the address either! I googled the metro station stop where she lives near and found the exact address for that...the GPS couldn't find that address either. I was able to finally mapquest near the station so I hand wrote down the directions. I still got lost getting there but after a few phone calls to her I finally made it to the Kiss & Ride where she picked up my kids. This made me about 30 minutes later than I wanted to be but no rush since the temple in DC runs every 30 minutes on Saturdays.

I made it to the 9:30am session. I really tried hard to listen and I feel this was a great session for me personally. I did better on the things I needed to do and can't wait to come back to do the daughter. It'll be even more amazing to do their sealings when my hubby can come help do the husbands.

My goal for this year (what's left of it anyways) is to print out the names that are ready on my mother's side. We have moved several times and somehow in one of the moves I found the Lorge Family History notebook that Grandma Lorge was working on. How did it get into my belongings????? I have NO IDEA! But I've already looked up some of the names in it on ONE PAGE and half of the work has been done. And I have hundreds of pages in this book. I think that I will be busy this next year!

I Need to be Grateful

2010-10-21T07:43:00.000-07:00

We all have our good days and our bad days. Today just might be one of those bad days. I remember in seminary how we were encouraged to keep a "Thankful" journal -- that we should write at least 5 things in it everyday. I know that when I do this it helps me keep perspective on how good things are and not dwell so much on the negative.

So, here it goes. I'm grateful for -->

my little family
the smiles my children give
a daughter that is excited to do her homework
children who like to be active, who love to read and love to snuggle
children who are quick to forgive me of my short comings
my scriptures and the calming peace that come from studying them
inspired church leaders
my calling as a nursery chorister
cell phones and the internet so we can call, hear and/or see my husband when he is away
a husband who has a strong work ethic and tries to excel in his job no matter what is thrown at him
a husband who loves to play with our children
a husband who takes a 5 minute break from studying to say goodnight to our kids over the phone
a working van to get us places
a warm roof over our heads now that it is getting cold
a husband who thinks ahead by getting me my own car charger...which I used this last week
family and other people who are willing to give hand me downs to my children
food storage and the knowledge/peace it gives me in having it, the $ it saves me when we need to tighten our budget
the opportunity to visit teach other sisters so I can get to know other women in the ward -- I tend to be shy at first so this helps me get out of my bubble
family and friends who encourage better eating habits and also support me in keeping to it
fruit...even though you are my nemesis you still give me energy and strength when I eat you :-p
recipes from others who help me know how to cook
the opportunity to celebrate 9 years of marriage next month

Duties as a Parent

2010-10-17T18:41:00.000-07:00

For sunday school I'm attending the Marriage and Family Relations class offered in our ward. The first couple of lessons we've discussed The Family: A Proclamation to the World and how we are applying it to our lives. Today we discussed the duties as a parent on what and how we are to each our children. In Relief Society we had a lesson on Repentance. Here are my thoughts during these discussions.

Our children belong to us under our stewardship as we live here on Earth.
We are to teach them the principles of the Gospel that can bring eternal happiness. We do this by example.
We are to Love them, care for them, provide for physical/spiritual needs, teach them, serve them, observe the Commandments and abide the laws of the land.
These attributes help me see my children as the Lord sees them -- precious spirits who deserve our unconditional love
"Happiness in family life is most likely to be achieved when founded upon the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ. Successful marriages and families are established and maintained on principles of faith, prayer, repentance, forgiveness, respect, love, compassion, work, and wholesome recreational activities. "
As I ponder back on this week, I can remember when I've lost my temper a couple times with them. I hear myself raising my voice, I see my children tearing up, I hear myself disciplining and teaching the correct way to do something. But as I ponder about what my duties are to them, I see how much the yelling hurts them. Such tender and innocent feelings don't need to be hurt by unnecessary yelling bc I was too short on patience.
Coincidentally, the Relief Society lesson today was on the steps of repentance. First one being recognize. I recognize that I need to be more patient with my kids. After all, they are just kids being kids. Albeit clumsy, selective hearing and curious...I must love them unconditionally like our Heavenly Father loves us.
I talked with my daughter about this today. I told her about the lesson and the different steps of repentance. We discussed how when we ask for forgiveness and try to forsake the sin, that we cannot always do it by ourselves. That sometimes we need to ask for help. I told her that I was praying for help from Heavenly Father that I can use a more calming voice and that I also needed her help. I asked her to help remind me. She then replied that we needed a new rule: We must use inside voices...except on birthdays! (Her words: Then we can shout for joy). So we agreed that we would only use inside voices towards each other.
That is my goal this week -- to improve on my patience and use a more calming voice when I try to discipline my children. A comment in Relief Society helped me better understand what forsaking means. It means you try to not repeat that sin. I don't know about you, but NOT ever repeating the same sin (forsaking it completely) just seems impossible. The thought that helped me was this: We inherently are not perfect so we will make mistakes. Although if we make the same mistake what matters is how much progress we are making in 100% forsaking the sin. Perhaps last week I had only 5% patience for my kids, but this week I managed to have 10% patience for them. Even though I may not be perfect at patience, I am diligently seeking to improve on it. That made me feel better about myself. Making small improvements on it until I can conquer patience...now that is possible...a journey to master it. That seems more realistic.
Even though I haven't blogged about my reading the BOM, I am reading it. And I am seeing it in a whole new light. It is weird to have this experience every time. It seems that each time I read it, the words are more and more urgent in their pleadings for us to REMEMBER, to be THANKFUL/GRATEFUL, to REPENT.

His Hand Outstretched Still

2010-10-01T18:47:00.000-07:00

Reason why the prophets write the scriptures is stated in 2 Nephi 6:12 --

...if it so be that they shall repent and fight not against Zion, and do not unite themselves to that great and abominable church, they shall be saved; for the Lord God will fulfil his covenants which he has made unto his children...
2 Nephi 25:3, 23

Between 2 Nephi 8-29, the Lord tells us that we shouldn't rely in arm of men but in Him and that his hand is continually outstretched towards us.

...fear ye not the reproach of men, neither be ye afraid of their revilings... (2 Nephi 8:7)
Talking about resisting peer influence and instead trusting in the Lord.
This is hard to do at times. I look at the "epidemic" that is rising among our school-aged kids with bullying/teasing that is leading some children to believe that the only way to overcome this is to take their lives. How tragic. Kind of scares me as my daughter just had to deal with the whole "teasing" thing at school. With a lot of parent/teacher conferences, child/counselor conferences and discussing it with the classes it was taken care of, but my child is only 7 years old and she is already facing crud like this? It is our jobs as parents to protect our children physically, emotionally and spiritually. Am I doing all that I can to help my children wear the Armor of God? This makes Family Home Evening, family prayers and family scripture reading, attending church and being better examples that much more important.
As in the RS Conference we just had, it is true what Sister Beck said that knowing who we are will make a difference in how well we can be steadfast and immovable. Luckily, my daughter was able to realize her worth and stand up for herself against those bullies at school.

There will always be opposition in all things (2 Nephi 9:25-26), but these experiences we have can help us enjoy the better times.
There are a lot of warnings in these chapters of 2 Nephi. (2 Nephi 9:24-38, 48, 13:18-24, 25:9,
Continues to ask us to REMEMBER. (2 Nephi 9:39-41, 44, 51-52, 10:4,
He gives us promises. (2 Nephi 10:7, 9-19, 23:22,
The Lord asks us to put Him before our own wants (2 Nephi 15:11-12).
The Lord reminds us that the glamour the world promises us does not last when coming from the world. (2 Nephi 15:24)
Prophecies given to us in 2 Nephi 25:4-19, 26:14
When we listen and do what the Lord asks us to do, He promises us that we shall not perish. Are we going to give our time to the Lord this weekend and listen to what He has to say through our church leaders during General Conference? (2 Nephi 26:8)

General Relief Society Conference Notes

2010-09-26T16:56:00.000-07:00

Between the 4 different talks, I found that the message given last night was that as sisters in Relief Society and daughters of God, we need to live faithfully and be steadfast and immovable. As we do so we can likewise strengthen and uplift our other struggling sisters through service as we show the pure love of Christ towards them. We must also be careful as not to judge those that we serve. We must love them as Christ loves all.

1. [Sister Beck's Talk]

This meeting is a gift for those seeking His will and want to know how to align their will with his
Main Topic: How To Live Faithfully and To Be Strong

Remember who we are --> We are daughters of God
Stay watchful and prayerful -- Pray, read our scriptures -- Let us not be "silly women"
Understand the history of the Relief Society so that we may learn who we are, apply the history in our lives, and learn the ways to prepare and receive our covenants in the temple.
Our work as sisters is to further the salvation of our families
We shouldn't be spending our time or money on things that are of no worth
History helps us learn how to change, to be united
Knowing who we are removes doubt and fear by replacing it with hope and faith.

2. [Sister Allred's Talk]

Main Topic: What Helps You To Be Steadfast and Immovable?

Knowing that my Heavenly Father knows me, loves me and knows what I am feeling
Birthing and rearing children is our vital role -- to raise a family and bring salvation to them.

Jesus continually has our disappointments before Him upon his palms. He knows how to succur to our needs.

Prayer, Scripture Reading, Obedience, Service

Pray morning and night for protection [Invites Spirit into our lives]
Read the scriptures to find answers [Invites Spirit into our lives]
Obedience shows our commitment to our covenants and it brings blessings
Our service to others is to help them with their spirital and physical needs

Those who are strong need to help strengthen the weak

3. [Sister Thompson's Talk]

Main Topic: The Lord Has Aksed Us To Do What He Has Done Through Visiting Teaching: Serve Others with Love and Compassion

Blessings we give: show compassion, we are answers to their prayers
Blessings we receive: personal revelation, relief of our own burdens as we do service to others, increase in unity and love
We are the Lord's hands here on this earth

4. [President Monson's Talk]

Main Topic: What Do We See When We Look At Others? What Kind of Judgement Do We Pass?

Appearances can be deceiving. Don't judge on appearances
"If you judge people, you have no time to love them" (Mother Teresa)
Charity: tolerant of others, forgives, merciful, compassionate, patient
Charity is love in action -- the pure love of Christ
We should wear the mantle of Charity -- Charity Never Faileth

------------------------------------
Today the Relief Society lesson was on "Turning to the Lord" and "Forgiveness". Some of the things we talked about corresponded with last night's message and also what I have reading in the scriptures this last week. In 2 Nephi as Nephi and Jacob talk to the people, they emphasize that we must turn to the Lord, be thankful for what He has done for us and still praise Him during our trials. We shouldn't murmur or complain but know that these trials our for our own good. We can learn from them, grow character and spiritually progress as we live through them. I felt like this message was reminding us to not dwell so much on the negative that is happening in our lives and that as we turn to the Lord when going through trials we can be uplifted by Him and our burdens lightened as we do what He has counseled us. We can lose ourselves through service. It is like an eternal round. We suffer, we turn to the Lord, we are strengthened by Him, we now can serve and uplift others, then more trials come and we are then uplifted by those that are stronger. Just as the Bible and the Book of Mormon have the Happiness/Corruption/Destruction/Repentance/Happiness cycle, we also have the cycle described above.

My God Hath Been My Support

2010-09-20T18:54:00.000-07:00

In 2 Nephi 4, Nephi talks about his self doubt, temptations, discouragement and anger in regards to his sins. And then he turns around and says I know in whom I have trusted. My God hath been my support. (4:19-20) He sees his imperfections, almost drowns in all of it but rises above it bc he knows who is he, what he is worth and who stands behind him. We are all children of God, He loves every one of us despite our imperfections and His arm is and ever will be outstretched to help us if we but turn towards Him.
In vs.26-29 he talks about why or why not to linger on past sins. We shouldn't dwell upon our past bc it is not healthy nor does it matter if the Lord has forgiven persons of that matter, what matters is if we know if we have been forgiven. It is up to the Lord to forgive who He will and up to us to forgive all. Forgive and move forward.
2 Nephi 5:32 talks about what we should be writing in our journals -- things pleasing unto God. I find it interesting that he says if people like the things of God, then they will be pleased with mine engravings. So my grandkids should be pleased with my journals if they are things pleasing unto God. I think it is vitally important that we have evidence that not just ancient people had faith through trials and endured to the end, but that people not too distant from us did also. If I can read about my close relatives holding tight to the iron rod and striving to live righteous lives, I think it would be another testimony that it can be done. Perhaps my words will be what someone needs later on.
Tonight we had FHE on what the "Ultimate Treasure" is that Heavenly Father has for us. I used a great site to help me with the short lesson (for younger kids) HERE. We talked about how the Lord gave us a map to find our way to this ultimate gift -- scriptures, prophets, parents, etc. All these things can help point us in the right direction in how to live our lives in such a way that we can obtain this great treasure -- being eternal life and living again with our Heavenly Father. My daughter really enjoyed it and participated in the discussion (7 yrs old), my son (2 yrs old) roamed the room. I think he was oblivious to what we were doing but he did pray with us so at least he knows what that is. He loves to pray. He does great with folding his arms and he can string 2-3 words at a time if we help him say the prayer. I think right now I am really enjoying see my children grow in the gospel and make it a natural part of their lives.

Remember Remember

2010-09-17T13:46:00.000-07:00

Nephi gives his thesis statement if you will in the last chapter of 1 Nephi, 1 Nephi 30-31. The purpose of his writings in the plastes of brass --

...they testify that a man must be obedient to the commandments of God.
...Wherefore, if ye shall be obedient to the commandments, and endure to the end, ye shall be saved at the last day...

I remember how in Seminary class, my teacher would drill into us that it was so important for us to REMEMBER the Lord and his commandments bc it is when we forget and forsake the Lord that we lose his blessings and promises from keeping the commandments. So every time in the scriptures when it has the phrase "if you keep my commandments, you shall prosper" I think REMEMBER in my head.

Throughout this first book, each story shows the consequences of either following the commandments or disboeying them. When I think of my kids, I can't seem to understand why they would do something they know will get them into trouble. Most of the time, their answer is "I don't know, bc it was fun?" I'm sure Heavenly Father feels the same way about us. Just follow these rules and I will bless you!!! We're basically throwing away blessings when we choose to not follow his commandments. I know it is easier said than done but logically it seems right.
In Lehi's dying words, he instructs his children on 3 things in 2 Nephi 1-2:

Exhorts his sons to repent, obey and put on the armor of righteousness
Testifies of the Atonement
Teaches the importance of opposition and freedom to choose

I see a repeated promise in his words in 2 Nephi 1:7, 9

...And if it so be that they shall serve him according to the commandments which he hath given, it shall be a land of liberty unto them;
...inasmuch as those who the Lord God shall bring out of the land of Jerusalem shall keep his commandments, they shall prosper upon the face of this land...and if it so be they shall keep his commandments they shall be blessed upon the face of this land...

Ok, keep his commandments, we'll prosper and be blessed. Got it!

In 2 Nephi 1:21, it seems like Lehi is basically telling his children to grow up, act like adults and get along and the way to do that is to be united together.

...arise from the dust, my sons, and be men, and be determined in one mind and in one heart, united in all things...

Trials are here to help us grow and progress. The Lord shall consecrate thine afflictions for they gain. (2 Nephi 2:2)
Lehi says in 2 Nephi 2:14 I speak unto you these things for your profit and learning. He is trying to leave some words of wisdom before he dies. He then starts to talk about how God gave us our free agency (...the Lord God gave unto man that he should act for himself... 2 Nephi 2:16) He had previously spoken about there is opposition in all things.

Funny that this should be read now. This last week I had to watch my daughter go through a tough experience at school. There was a boy teasing her, who egg'd on others to tease her as well. It made her cry and she was so hurt that this boy would spread lies about her. She was too scared to tell her teacher. As my husband and I talked with her, we told her that telling her teacher is the right choice bc she doesn't have to put up with this, that as a daughter of God, she deserves more respect. We told her we should include her in our prayers to be given the courage and strength to get through this situation. We tried telling her that it doesn't matter what those kids think, it matters what she thinks but it didn't make her hurt feelings feel any better. I told her I would talk to her teacher the next day after school if they kept it up. Although when I went to get her, the teacher told me that KJ had spoken to her already and they fixed the problem (the boy's parents were notified and he wrote an apology note). She found the courage to speak up for herself and I was so happy that she did. That was yesterday and today I read about how we have to have opposition in all things so that we may know good from evil, joy from sorrow, happiness from pain. My daughter can't learn unless she experiences herself first hand, not me fixing her problems for her.

Words of Isaiah

2010-09-15T06:41:00.000-07:00

I've never been able to understand the words of Isaiah. As plain and simple as the Book of Mormon is, 1 Nephi 20 & 21are not! I remember my husband telling me how he relished in reading Isaiah in the Book of Mormom bc if Nephi thought that those words were important enough to talk about again in his writings then we better pay better attention to them!
It just seems like he is talking to the lost tribes of Israel or the broken branch of the olive tree that needs to be grafted back in. And I wonder, is that me? Or am I the Gentile and he is speaking to others?
When his brothers asked about them (bc it seems they were just as confused as I was!), Nephi said Isaiah was talking about things both temporal and spiritual.
In 1 Nephi 22:10, it says that all the kindreds of the earth cannot be blessed unless he shall make bare his arm in the eyes of the nations. In Isaiah 52:10, the footnotes say "to make bare his arm" also means the power of God. I'm wondering if that means in order for us to be blessed, we must show our faith in the power of God. This would make sense as things of God are being trampled on so readily. Like taking down the 10 Commandments inside government buildings or ceasing any pryaers in schools and what not. Why would we want to revoke any blessings that the Lord would readily give us if we showed our faith in Him?

Not Remembering

2010-09-14T16:36:00.000-07:00

On Sunday when our Home Teachers came to visit us, we somehow got on the topic of electronics and I was explaining to them how we always get the warranties. I gave a bunch of examples of why buying it came in handy. One of them commented, "You have a lot of bad luck with electronics!" And I replied that no, it all didn't happen at the same time, this is over an 8 year span. Then this morning I was reading about AGAIN Nephi's older brethren forgot the Lord, were merry and rude on the boat and tied up Nephi bc of what they had to go through. It just seems that each story is time and time again Laman and Lemuel forgetting the Lord, punishing Nephi, then given another sign that the Lord is indeed using Lehi/Nephi to lead them. I mean...how many times can they make this mistake over and over? And then I thought of what I told my home teachers. Perhaps this was over a longer period of time? And he was just highlighting the times that his brothers followed the pattern.
Pattern:

Obey the Lord's commandments by starting to do what He asks
Murmur/complain while doing it
Get angry and take it out on Nephi
Called to repentance and given a sign that showed Heavenly Father was truly guiding them
They repent and ask forgiveness

It makes me wonder what commandments am I not following that the Lord has asked of us?

One easy one that not a lot of people do is food storage. We are just now starting to as our circumstances let us. We have always had a lot more food in our pantry than others around us but surely not the year's worth our church leaders have asked of us.
Another one is temple attendance. 3-4 hour drives just to get to one was hard but now? What is our excuse? Not planning it into our week. A 15 minute drive is all we have between us and the temple right now.
One that I want to start doing is my genealogy. Get my family file at the temple. I have my grandmother's entire genealogy book that she worked on her whole life...not sure how I got it, but I do. Now I need to carry on her work.

Lack of Gratitude

2010-09-13T05:30:00.000-07:00

In the latter half of 1 Nephi 17 all Nephi's brothers do is complain and desire to destroy Nephi's life bc of the trials they've had to endure in the wilderness. In vs. 41-44 Nephi tells of the many blessings and mercies the Lord has placed on their people. In the next verses 45-48 Nephi speaks with such power (he is a little bit angry at this point) as he calls them to repentance asking how could they NOT believe anything is possible with God when they've been witnesses to so many miracles. Even as I read this, I can feel how urgent Nephi is in trying to convince his brethren.
In 17:53, the Lord sees fit to give Nephi's brethren yet another sign to show them that the Lord is able to help them accomplish what needs to be done. So now they have seen an angel, heard the Lord's voice as a whisper and as thunder, felt the Spirit of the Lord in Nephi as he speaks to them AND now he shocks them with Nephi's touch. How much will the Lord have to show the unbelievers until they finally have a strong enough testimony that it will stick?

Attitude of Gratitude

2010-09-12T18:23:00.000-07:00

The longer that we procrastinate our repentance, the harder it is to hear the truth. 1 Nephi 16:2 states the guilty taketh the truth to be hard, for it cutteth them to the very center. It is not that we don't understand the truth, it is just that we don't have enough motivation (or any at all) to adhere to it. We know we should change but if we are too prideful/stubborn then we'll just try to ignore it so we don't have that nagging feeling that we need to make changes in our lives.
Tonight during scripture reading, my daughter read that scripture about learning line upon line, precept upon precept. That made me think of the scriptures in 1 Nephi 16: 8-11 where after Lehi did bring his family out of Jerusalem and into the wilderness, the Lord then gave Lehi new instructions and the Liahona to guide them to where the promised land was. As we follow and finish what the Lord commands us we can progress and follow new commandments. He always provides ways to do what He asks of us.
As He directs us through our life, the Lord's ways can help us grow the most and find the most of what we are in need of. 1 Nephi 16:16 And we did follow the directions of the ball, which led us in the more fertile parts of the wilderness.
When facing trials, we have two choices. We can be like Ishmael's daughters (1 Nephi 16:20) and complain OR we can be like Nephi (1 Nephi 16:23) who armed himself with tools to get the job done and turned to the Lord for directions on where to use them. The point? Murmuring/complaining never got anyone anywhere. Action is needed! [This is a pattern as I will show in later verses]
1 Nephi 16: 29 -- ...And thus we see that by small means the Lord can bring about great things. In my family I see this as we live the small things the Lord asks us to do. By always reading our scriptures as a family, doing family prayer at night and attending church every Sunday, our daughter has learned and reminds us (if we don't do it) that we need to do it. It is part of our routine. If we haven't taught her anything, at least she knows that she needs the scriptures, prayer and church attendance in her life and that it is important.
I am seeing the pattern again in 1 Nephi 16: 32 of:

Following His commandments
Being blessed with the means to accomplish those commandments
Remembering the Lord and seeing His hand in our lives bc of those blessings
Thanking the Lord for what He has done for us.

(1 Nephi 16:35) Sometimes our old ways may entice us bc they are easier even if we know it will tear us down. (1 Nephi 16:37-38) We must realize that these thoughts are from the adversary and not of God. (1 Nephi 16: 39) As we hearken to the voice of the Lord thru General Conference, if we repent and act upon His words, he will bless us.
The Lord gives us promises if we follow His commandments. 1 Nephi 17:3 --

...And if it so be that the children of men keep the commandments of God he doth nourish them, and strengthen them, and provide means whereby they can accomplish the things which he has commanded them...

The story of Nephi arming himself with a new bow and arrow and then asking his father Lehi to ask the Lord where he should hunt to obtain food so they won't perish -- this reiterates how we should arm ourselves with the tools we need and then turn to the Lord as to how or where to use them in order to accomplish what is asked of us. Again -- ACTION! We must first have action on our part to show the Lord that we really mean to do what He asks of us. And then turn to Him and ask where are we needed to the most to accomplish our task as hand. (1 Nephi 17:9)

Some Thoughts

2010-09-11T05:51:00.000-07:00

When we first have a desire to know the truth, we must believe our Heavenly Father will answer us of its truthfulness and then ponder it in our minds. At this time we will be ready and open to listen to the Spirit.
In 1 Nephi 14:10 it states that there are save two churches only. The church of the Lamb of God and the other is the church of the devil. Which church am I following and letting influence me?
Whenever instruction is given to us as a people, whether it is in General/Stake/Ward conferences or over the pulpit by our church leaders on ward "missions", if we find it hard to understand WHY we need to do these things, we should inquire of the Lord to open our eyes to understanding. We cannot find the answers through inaction. We must act! Ponder, ask and listen!!! In 1 Nephi 15:11 is says it clearly:

If ye will not harden your hearts, and ask me in faith, believing that ye shall receive, with diligence in keeping my commandments, surely these things shall be made known unto you.

In 1 Nephi 15:15 it says that the word of God can help us receive the strength and nourishment. We can find the strength we need to endure our trials well as we fill our lamps with oil from living the gospel of Jesus Christ.
As we strive to live the gospel, we are promised blessings in 1 Nephi 15:24.

...whoso would hearken unto the word of God, and would hold fast unto it, they would never perish; neighter could the temptations and the fiery darts of the adversary overpower them unto blindness, to lead them away to destruction.

I love the peace that is coming into my life as I am studying the words of God. The scriptures somehow bring a calming effect on my life. I find it is helping me think twice before I speak, that I am taking better hold of my temper. The Lord's promises are sure and if we study his Word you, too, can find blessings coming into your life where you are in need of them.

Quoting my Friend

2010-09-08T13:30:00.000-07:00

A long time friend of mine that I met on ldslinkup over 5 years ago shared a very thought provoking idea today on her FB page (Thanks, Shabang!). I am stealing it to post on here because it seems ironic (perhaps a better word is CRITICAL) to read the point of it just the day after I started the BOM challenge.

Every time you declare yourself to be or do something, everything unlike it will show up to test you.*meaning: when you decide to make real changes in your life, things will come your way that will interfere with your desire to change. It then becomes your divine opportunity to determine if you are serious about making those changes. Show the Lord you ARE serious.*

One word: WOW!

Some questions you may have as you begin reading your scriptures are

Why am I here on earth?
Why am I here in this family?
What can I be doing to make me a better wife? Mother? Daughter? Friend?
What is it that the Lord wants of me?
What message should I be bringing to my sisters who I visit teach?
How am I supposed to get through this difficult situation and "endure well" as they say it?
What kind of example do I need to be so that others can see His light through me?
Who needs to feel the love of the Lord today through me?

I always have one or two questions in mind before I begin reading so that I may better focus on the words and the meaning they can give to me. As our questions change, so will the answers and enlightenment...even though it is the same scripture passages that we may be reading.

Thing that stuck out to me today:

1 Nephi 5:9 -- And it came to pass that they did rejoice exceedingly, and did offer sacrifice and burnt offerings unto the Lord; and they gave thanks unto the God of Israel.

The Lord asks of us only a few things: Endure our trials, Remember Him, give thanks to the Lord. Of course there are a lot of other principles surrounding these, but they pretty much sum it up.

1 Nephi 7: 8-15 -- (found here)

His brothers and their wives wanted to rebel against their father and not leave Jerusalem to go back into the wilderness. But Nephi knew in his heart that that was exactly what the Lord and his father Lehi had asked of them. He knew it was the right thing to do in order to save them. What he did next seems very "drama-inducing". He very bluntly told them what was what in a very matter of fact way. No icing or smoothing over the edges...just how it was. You stay here, you perish. You come back, you will prosper. As a parent, I pondered whether this approach would work on my own kids. For Laman and Lemuel it worked this time. But will it always work to be so blunt? Perhaps Nephi knew his brothers so well and he was close enough to the Spirit that he would know how to handle them? He was such a spiritual man. We MUST strive to be as close to the Spirit if we are going to be able to know how to "bluntly" tell our children..."hey, you are a little bit of course. You need to stay in this direction." Of course, all children are different and you handle situations in different ways. The only thing I can think of is to be open to the Spirit to let us know exactly what each child is in need of to hear to help them soften their own hearts and turn towards the Lord.

1 Nephi 7:17 -- But it came to pass that I prayed unto the Lord, saying: O Lord, according to my faith which is in thee, wilt thou deliver me from the hands of my brethren; yea, even give me strength that I may burst these bands with which I am bound.

We must always turn towards the Lord in our time of need. This one scripture reminds me when I am dealing with my children. At that split second when a decision needs to be made -- am I going to get mad and accuse or will I calmly assess the situation and tenderly give direction to what needs to be done instead of the mistakes being made. If we always have a prayer in our heart that we may handle our children like Christ would, I know that we can get instant promptings on how to better handle situations. I know this to be true because it happens all the time! I am not a perfect mother. No way. But the Lord does refine me and steer me in better ways to raise my children.

1 Nephi 7:21 -- And it came to pass that I did frankly forgive them all that they had done, and I did exhort them that they would pray unto the Lord their God for forgiveness. And it came to pass that they did so. And after they had done praying unto the Lord we did again travel on our journey towards the tent of our father.

His brothers just beat him to a pulp to leave him to the animals to devour, then he stood up to them, called them to repentance and then forgave them of it all when they did repent and asked for forgiveness. I know in primary, seminary and sunday school that we are taught that we must forgive all. And that it is up to the Lord to decide whether to forgive everyone. It is not up to us whether they deserve it or not. It is our duty to forgive. We must always forgive tresspasses against us. It is way more harder to do that, but I know that it is definitely worth it in the end. I read a book about the Atonement once and it enlightened my look on the purposes of the Atonement. What I realized was that the Atonement is not just for those of us that need to repent of our sins, but that it is there to help us that need to forgive others. It took me a while to ponder this through and accept it but is it not true? Does it not speak and ring of truth? I think so.

1 Nephi 7:22 -- And it came to pass that we did come down unto the tent of our father. And after I and my brethren and all the house of Ishmael had come down unto the tent of my father, they did give thanks unto the Lord their God; and they did offer sacrifice and burnt offerings unto him.

Here again is the trial/remember/give thanks pattern. They remembered the Lord after fulfilling a commandment. They endured through it (not so well, but they did it), and now they are giving thanks.

1 Nephi 8:8 -- And after I had traveled for the space of many hours in darkness, I begain to pray unto the Lord that he would have mercy on me, according to the multitude of his tender mercies.

The phrase "tender mercies" will always remind me of one of Elder Bednar's first talks! :-) When we feel lost and/or feel like our life does not have any clear direction, we should turn to the Lord in prayer. He will answer us and show us the way. We must be reading and delving into the scriptures to try to understand His ways. And I know that as we do this, that the Lord will prompt us as we are studying His words. Although, everyone is different on how and when they get those answers. My visiting teacher and I were discussing how the Lord answers us. For her, she never feels He answers her. But down the road 6 months she would get an affirmation that she was on the right path. For me, it's not a strong yes or no answer. I have to calm myself, listen to the VERY small voice of the Spirit. I always have a feeling of calmness and rightness of a situation. Like when I had the decision of going to China for a semester to teach English, going on a mission or continuing my education, marrying my husband, when we were ready to start growing our family, joining the military and leaving behind the union. All of these answers were immediate..."Yeah, this is a good thing to do. Ok. Let's do it!" Some, I was given options. Like going on a mission or doing more education -- I felt like both were right and that the Lord would be pleased with either decision, that the Lord could use me in either capacities. I pondered it on my own. Randy (who was on his mission at the time) told me that if I wanted to go on a mission, too, he would wait for me. So, was I willing to do that in hopes that he would still be waiting for me after? Of course, all that know me knows that I decided to start my life with Randy sooner than later. I did another semester at BYU and then got married 4 months after he returned home from his mission. Point being is that sometimes the Lord gives us options and we need to decide for ourselves which path we want to take. It may not be a "Yes, go this way and not that way" but a "Which part of your life do you want to grow in at this time?"

1 Nephi 8:25 -- And after they had partaken of the fruit of the tree they did cast their eyes about as if they were ashamed.

Am I ashamed to share the gospel? I shouldn't be. I should be praying for opportunities to share the Light of Christ with others. And it doesn't need to be a "missionary" moment where they eventually join the church. Sometimes it is joyful to just share in the warmth of His light. Perhaps someone just needs to feel His love for them through our kindness and charity.

1 Nephi 8:33 -- And great was the multitude that did enter into that strange building. And after they did enter into that building they did point the finger of scorn at me and those that were partaking of the fruit also; but we heeded them not.

How will I react to any form of persecution?

1 Nephi 8:37 -- And he did exhort them then whith all the feeling of a tender parent, that they would hearken to his words, that perhaps the Lord would be merciful to them, and not cast them off; yea, my father did preach unto them.

Lovingly correct our family who make wrong choices. I asked my DH about his childhood. He had a rebellious kick in him. I asked what his parents did when trying to handle him and all he said there was a lot of arguing. My children are still young, ages 2 and 7. If you have had experiences with older children, what have you done to keep the peace while trying to correct wrong behavior?

1 Nephi 9:6 -- But the Lord knoweth all things from the beginning; wherefore, he prepareth a way to accomplish all his works among the children of men; for behold, he hath all power unto the fulfilling of all his words. And thus it is. Amen.

I already had this scripture underlined from a previous reading. I learned a long time ago that if I am called to do part of His work, whether that is through a church calling or growing my family, that Heavenly Father will provide the means in order to accomplish it. Both my DH and I feel strongly that you should never turn down a calling. There is a reason why the Lord called you and there is strength in performing service to others.

1 Nephi 10:17 -- And it came to pass after I, Nephi, having heard all the words of my father...was desirous also that I might see, and hear, and know of these thing, by the power of the Holy Ghost...

After hearing the words of a prophet, apostle, bishop or other church leader, we should pray and seek out if the words are true through prayer and fasting.

1 Nephi 10:21 -- Wherefore, if ye have sought to do wickedly in the days of your probation, then ye are found unclean before the judgement-seat of God; and no unclean thing can dwell with God; wherefore, ye must be cast off forever.

In our combined Relief Society/Priesthood meeting with the Bishop, he talked about how we should try harder to attend the temple as often as we can. Especially since we have it so readily available next door from our church (I attend the stake center on the DC temple grounds). What was interesting was what is keeping us from going. 1) Inconvenience to actually get there, find babysitters, get off of work early, etc. 2) We feel unworthy to go. But the Bishop told us if we can honestly answer yes and no(where applicable) to all the questions for a temple interview...then we are worthy to go. Do we make mistakes? Like not read our scriptures everyday or forget some prayers or struggling to pay tithing, etc. He said that is what the Atonement is for -- to repent of these sins and strive to not to do them again.

Feast Upon the Words

2010-09-07T15:50:00.000-07:00

Sometimes in life, you are searching to bring more of Christ's Light into your daily doings. You aren't sure when it ebbed out as much as it had, but the importaint point is that you noticed it not as bright. Whenever that happens to me and I genuinely try to seek to bring more of it into my life, I find that I am truly starving for his Spirit to be with me. That I hadn't even realized how starving I was for it. I rejoice and relax in the warmth it brings into my life. Isn't it funny, though, that right when you start seeking for it, it is that light and strength given to us that makes any struggles at the time seem easier to deal with?

Case in point: Today I started reading my scriptures...correction...starting studying my scriptures, again. I am not just reading them, but reading with a purpose. With questions for the Lord to answer through my seeking and feasting upon his words. After school was released, it usually gets crazy at my house. Chaos is the right word. Katie Jo is trying to do her homework and Connor is trying to grab, rip and throw her homework everywhere. They were eating some apples for a snack while I was getting dinner ready. When they were finished, KJ put her bowl in the sink and tried to take Connor's. Now, she was trying to be helpful, but Connor screamed at the top of his lungs bc he wanted that bowl for HIM. He was actually wanting to put it in the sink himself, but KJ didn't see that. I grabbed KJ's arm after she took it...counted and breathed in before I said (with a very firm voice...in so many words): "Are you the Mom? Give the bowl back to Connor. Do you think it is right to take the bowl when he is screaming at the top of his lungs?" What I really felt like doing is screaming back at both of them...Connor for screaming...KJ for making him scream. But I just held her arm and tried to calmly tell her what he was trying to do...which was exactly what she was doing.

I felt like the Spirit helped me keep calmer than I usually can be and not hurt KJ's tender feelings with my screaming. I pointed out to KJ that I appreciated her trying to be the big sister and help him with clearing their dishes. I think I should do that more often. Point out to her the good she is doing. But then also lovingly tell how better she could have handled it. Now that last part is not as easy but it is possible.

Randy and I were able to go to the temple together last week on Thursday. It was the first time since the beginning of July. How peaceful it is to be in the Lord's house with your eternal companion, knowing you both are striving to live righteous lives...not just for yourself, but so that you can be an eternal family and live with Christ again if we do live righteously. I had noted on my Facebook status that we had gone. In turn, one of my friends posted a link to this acapello quartet of the song "How Great Thou Art". When I hear this song, I can truly feel my feelings and testimony being sung through the words. I can feel the Spirit testify to me that Jesus is my Savior, that my Heavenly Father knows me and what I'm going through. And he knows I am trying to be more like him. It brings me peace. I can't get enough of it. I want to listen to it on playback for hours.

On Saturday when I got in the car, I wanted to keep that feelings I had of listening to this song. So I put in a church CD to listen to the beautiful praises being sung by the MoTab. It was a good thing, too, bc it was rush hour and there were CRAZY drivers out. I know I needed to be calmed down by these songs otherwise I would've gotten so mad at the other drivers. Seriously...city driving is the WORST!

I am just so grateful for how much the Spirit of God can change your life, your actions and your thoughts. It brings peace, happiness and unity to families that no other thing can do. It expands your love for one another and reaches in to your soul.

While I was doing dishes last night, I started singing the child primary song "I Feel My Savior's Love". I had memorized it since I have been the Nursery Singing Time lady. This is another song that warms my soul and helps me feel His love for me.

When you are looking for the touch of the Master's Hand in your life, it seems you can find a long list of how much He has had an influence in your life (see novella above!). Unmistakeable on how much He loves you when you truly try to see how He has steered you and directed you without you knowing.

Book of Mormon Challenge

2010-09-07T11:11:00.000-07:00

A good ole' friend from Springfield is starting a Book of Mormon challenge to finish reading it by the end of this year. Starting a couple days ago, that means reading 4.5 pages a day. Not too shabby. I've done these challenges before and they always help me to see beyond just reading and to really try to understand and study out the words to see how they can apply to my life. I'm trying to have a couple personal questions in my head as I'm reading. I say a short pray before I read asking that I may find answers to my questions and that my eyes may be opened to what He wants me to learn.

(You can find the full scriptures here -- 1 Nephi CH1, CH2, CH3, CH4)

A few things that stuck out to me today:

1 Nephi 1:12 -- And it came to pass that as he read, he was filled with the Spirit of the Lord.

I remember in Seminary classes for high school, a seminary teacher once said that just the very act of opening up our scriptures invited the Spirit into our hearts. I must admit that feeling the Spirit is a little harder to perceive right now than it has been in the past. Anything to help me "fine tune" my ears to listen and hear the Spirit more is welcomed. So, thank you Jessica for challenging me to read the scriptures better to draw closer to my Heavenly Father.

1 Nephi 1:19 -- And it came to pass that the Jews did mock him because of the things which he testified of them; for he truly testified of their wickedness and their abominations...

When I am called to repentance, am I like these people...mocking, rolling my eyes and full of pride? Or do I humble myself, listen to the positive criticism and strive to change my ways to better please the Lord?

1 Nephi 1:20 -- I, Nephi, will show unto you that the tender mercies of the Lord are over all those whom he hath chosen, because of their faith, to make them mighty even unto the power of deliverance.

This seems like the thesis of why Nephi is writing this book to us; to help us know that the Lord is merciful if we but have faith in him and follow his commandments.

1 Nephi 2:7 -- And it came to pass that he built an altar of stones, and made an offering unto the Lord, and gave thanks unto the Lord our God.

When the Lord gives us guidance in our lives, spiritual or for important decisions in our lives, we should remember to thank Him.

1 Nephi 2:11 -- Now this he spake because of the stiffneckedness of Laman and Lemuel; for behold they did murmur in many things against their father, because he was a visionary man, and had led them out of the land of Jerusalem, to leave the land of their inheritance, and their gold, and their silver, and their precious things, to perish in the wilderness. And this they said he had done because of the foolish imaginations of his heart.

Do I murmur in my trials or afflictions? Or do I trust in the Lord and give thanks? Trials are here to strengthen us so that we may be better people or that we may better sympathize to others going thru similar situations.

1 Nephi 2:16 -- And it came to pass I, Nephi, being exceedlingly young, nevertheless being large in stature, and also having great desires to know of the mysteries of God, wherefore, I did cry unto the Lord; and behold he did visit me, and did soften my heart that I did believe all the words which had been spoken by my father; wherefore, I did not rebel against him like unto my brothers.

When turning to the Lord, He will speak to our hearts, to let us know the truth. Will we humble ourselves to hear His whisperings of the Spirit?

1 Nephi 2:18 -- But, behold, Laman and Lemuel would not hearken unto my words; and being grieved because of the hardness of their hearts i cried unto the Lord for them.

Pray for our loved ones that have turned away from the Lord. Pray for our enemies that they may feel the love of the Lord.

1 Nephi 3:7 -- And it came to pass that I, Nephi, said unto my father: I will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded, for I know that they Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them.

The Lord provides the means to accomplish what He puts before us. i.e. callings in the church, trials, words of our church leaders.

1 Nephi 3:31 -- And after the angel had departed, Laman and Lemuel again began to murmur, saying: how is it possible that the Lord will deliver Laban into our hands? Behold, he is a mighty man, and he can command fifty, yea, even he can slay fifty; then why not us?

Laban and Lemuel exercised no faith, but murmur'd against the Lord's words. They refused to soften their hearts to the Spirit even after being visited by an angel! As the saying goes, "anything is possible through God."

1 Nephi 4:3 -- Now behold ye know that this is true; and ye also know that an angel hath spoken unto you; wherefore can ye doubt? Let us go up; the Lord is able to deliver us, even as our fathers, and to destroy Laban, even as the Egyptians.

Such faith in knowing that anything is possible through God. If Nephi was filled with such a testimony, how could his rebellious brothers NOT be touched by the Spirit of his testimony? They must've been so stubborn or blindsided by the things of the world to ignore the promptings of the Spirit.

Happy Mother's Day, Mom

2010-05-09T09:43:00.000-07:00

I had the opportunity to give a talk today in Sacrament meeting for church. Both Randy and I spoke. He spoke on "Charity" and I spoke on "Qualities of my mother that I try to Emulate." My mother requested that she have a copy of my talk. I only had an outline so I'll try to write down exactly what I said. So here is your "Happy Mother's Day Letter." :-) Thank you, Mom, for being such a great example to me, and for giving me the skills and knowledge I have needed to help my family. Love you tons, Joycelyn.
__________________

Brother Haymore gave me the topic of qualities of my mother that I try to emulate. Growing up we lived by the saying "It takes a village to raise a child." I had many influential women in my life that helped me find my moral compass and taught me the things I needed to live a righteous life. My grandma, great-grandma, aunts, the mothers of my friends, my YW leaders and my seminary teachers were among them. In Elder M. Russel Ballard's recent talk in General Conference, he said,

Throughout the history of the world, women have always been teachers of moral values. That instruction begins in the cradle and continues throughout the lives
of their children.

Most of all, it was my mother that influenced me the most. As I pondered this topic, I thought of many qualities about my mother, but here are a few that I want to focus on. My mother was a woman of unwavering faith, she gave a lifetime of service and generosity and she was always strengthening our family unity.

UNWAVERING FAITH

In raising our children, I feel that my mother and I have had somewhat of similar trials during this time. When we were still pretty young, our father became ill. A series of strokes left him unable to remember us and he had short term memory. Not only did my mom have to raise us kids, but she had to take care of our father as well. In the 5 years that we lived at Fort Polk, Randy was gone 1/3 of the time due to 3 deployments, 3 NCO schools, in-field training and some construction projects for his unit, leaving me to raise our young family. I feel that what sustained us through these situations that were placed before us was that of unwavering faith.

My mother always listened to the prophet's counsel. I remember that half of our basement was filled with food storage and my parents tried to set money aside for a rainy day. Once all of us kids were in school, my mother felt prompted to go back to work. Dad was only a few years away from retiring, so it wasn't needed. But after prayerful consideration, they decided that this was a wise choice to make. A few years after she started working is when Dad first became ill. Along with that came the hospital bills. Because my parents had listened to the Spirit, our family was prepared to take on this challenge. My mother's income was able to help us pay those bills, we were able to sell our house and move into a smaller home closer to family.

One of the things I remember about mom working is how no matter how tired she was after working a graveyard shift Saturday night, she always got my dad dressed and took us to church. We would get onto her about going back home bc she would just fall asleep during sacrament meeting. Her reply was that our family needed to be here at church. This is where we belonged on Sunday.

During our last deployment of 15 months, there were many Sundays where I felt it would just be easier to stay home with the kids than to go to church. We could just relax at home. As I would lay in bed on Sunday mornings, I always could here my mom saying that our family needed to be at church and that was where we belonged on Sundays. So I would get myself out of bed, get my children ready and we would go to church. The blessings that came from going to church was that every time I did go on those Sundays, even when I really didn't want to be there or felt I didn't have the strength to go, the messages that were given were exactly what I needed to hear to buoy me up for a little bit longer. In 1 Chronicles 20:28 it says,

And David said to Solomon his son, Be Strong and of good courage, and do it: fear not, nor be dismayed: for the Lord God, even my God, will be with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee, until thou hast finished all the work for the service of the house of the Lord.

LIFETIME OF SERVICE AND GENEROSITY

Usually the best way to ease your stresses is to lose yourself in service to others. That is what my mother tried to do. My mother became a caretaker for Dad when he was ill. A few months after he passed away, her parents became ill and came to live with us. My mother took care of her mom for 9 months until she succombed to her bone marrow cancer. And then she took care of her dad for another 5 years as he suffered the same health problems as my father had. During this time, my two brothers went to serve missions. Through prayerful decision, my mom accepted the calling as a counselor in the Stake Young Women's Presidency. I remembered that we always, without fail, fed the missionaries every month. Some people would tell her, "You work full time, you are trying to raise your kids, take care of your parents, you have two sons on missions...we should be bringing you meals." Yet my mother's response to them was that if she could do this one service for the missionaries and meet this one need, she knew that the Lord would bless my brothers and that the members of the church in Japan and Brazil would take care of their needs while serving their missions.

During this last deployment, Randy was gone for 15 months. I tried to do what my mother had and involved myself in many ways to serve others. I tried to magnify my callings and attend and be involved in the Enrichment meetings. The thing that took up most of my time was volunteering with my husband's unit Family Readiness Group. This group is for the spouses and family members of the soldiers where we can find out information and have activities to help the family members. If they had a committee, I was involved. I was on the welcoming committee, the activities committee, the fundraising committee and I also became a point of contact for my husband's platoon of soldiers. In Mosiah 2:17 it states,

And behold, I tell you these things that ye may learn wisdom; that ye may learn that when ye are in the service of your fellow bings ye are only in the service of your God.

STRENGTHENING THE FAMILY UNITY

As kids at home, in college or as adults getting married and starting our own family, Mom was always trying to keep us close together. She knew that if we didn't try to keep the family strong, that we could fall apart during the challenges we faced as a young family. She is always telling us that we need to not hold grudges, to forgive each other, to nurture our relationships because family is all we have. And that these relationships will be our treasures stored up in heaven. In the Proclamation to the Family it says,

Successful marriages and families are established and maintained on principles of faith, prayer, repentance, forgiveness, respect, love, compassion, work, and wholesome recreational activities.

With Randy deploying, I tried very hard to keep him involved in our daily family activities. When he left on his first deployment back in 2005, I started a family blog. I take a lot of pictures and video clips of any firsts that our children may take so he could see them as well. Another thing we would do is have internet dates. I would burn movies or certain seasons of a tv show and mail it to him. Then whenever he wasn't on a convoy or mission, we would press play at the same time and have a running commentary on a messenger during the show. The biggest blessing we had from technology was when Connor was born. I was 8 months pregnant when he left and only had a few weeks left. A couple weeks later is when I had Connor. Randy was able to get internet in his room. I did most of my labor at home, webcamming and chatting on messeger with him. We could see each other and he would give me words of encouragement during the contractions. When Connor was born, my mother was there to make little video clips of him when they took his apgar test. She then immediately called my sister Jasmine, who in turn got on the computer to instant message Randy to tell him the stats of Connor and that we both were doing alright. He didn't have to wait a whole day to get the message from the American Red Cross.

CONCLUSION

I know that because of my mother's example I have gained a moral compass to guide me and that I can find ways through my Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ to keep going, that I can hopefully endure well, and to also teach my children by example where to turn to in times of happiness and sadness.

I bear you my testimony that I know that as we make every effort to have unwavering faith, give service to others and are always strengthening our families, we will be blessed by our loving Heavenly Father. The Lord promises us this! In 1 Nephi 17:3 it says,

And thus we see that the commandments of God must be fulfilled. And if it so be that the children of men keep the commandments of God he doth nourish them, and strengthen them, and provide means whereby they can accomplish the thing which he has commanded them.

It is my prayer that we can remain strong in our fiath by following the counsel of our church leaders. Our bishop has asked us to become a more Zion-like people and to be more friendly and fellowship those that come here. May we be blessed through our service and kindess to outhers in our church, neighborhoods and work. I pray that we can take heed to our prophet's counsel in the last general conference that we will be more vigilant in keeping our families strong in the gospel.

And I say this in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

GenCon Sunday PM

2010-04-04T12:59:00.000-07:00

Presiding: President Eyring

5th session of 180th Annual GenCon

Choir sings twice.

Fave part about MoTab -- When they sing softly, even with 100's of them, it sounds like they are whispering the words in song. Truly sounds like a chorus of angels.

Speaker: Elder Russell M Nelson

Theme: Families

Attacks on the family are rampant
W/o the Atonement, there would be no further continuation of the family through the ages.
Turning our hearts to our fathers, making family connections through sacred ordinances in the temple
The New Family Search is a program that helps you prepare names for the temple.
Start working on family names to make sure names are prepared in the temple.

Speaker: Elder Robert D Hales

Theme: Duty to God

Starts by parents that live by example
We can't just be in the same room or go to the same church activities. We must plan and use gospel lessons to interact with our children, use the teaching moments.
We need to understand the hearts of our children
It is the family interaction that feeds the soul of children and family members.
Ask them questions and be willing to listen and/or hearken to them.
Not just conversing but doing activities with them.
We need to help them understand who they are and where they came from through Family Home Evenings, family counsels.

Speaker: Elder Bradley D Foster

Theme: Influence of a mother

Nurturing is a spiritual heritage given to mothers
Even if someone strays, we should never give up on them but go back and find our lost ones
Assure them that there is always a home for them
Even Christ looked after his mother after all he went through
The end will be better than the beginning.

Choir and Congregation: I Know That My Redeemer Lives

Speaker: Elder James B Mortino

Theme: Reactions to Trials

The question is not when but how we will face our trials.
Trials help us develop attributes that we need to become more like Christ
Trials require us to humble ourselves before God
1) Sought to do will of our Father -- He knows the end from the beginning
2) When faced with trials, learn to not complain or murmur -- Attempt to correct the problem, find out what to learn or change about yourself
3) When facing challenges, turn to a greater power than us for help -- turn to HF in prayer for answers. Answers may not take trial away but help us get through it easier.
4) Learn to serve and think of others even in our time of trials -- Repent and follow his example of service. Lose ourselves in service to others and find our happiness through services
5) ???

Speaker: Elder Gregory A Schwitzer

Theme: Judgements

The Lord expects us to not judge others but still use excellent judgements in our decisions.
Story of Mary and her sister Martha. Am I Mary or Martha?
Good judgement is needed in judging others and also in making decisions in where the Lord wants me to be
Standards of Morality are eternal and have not changed, clearly aligned with the gospel of Jesus Christ
Listen to the messages of the living prophetsCultivate with the holy spirit a relationship of listening
When facing difficult decisions, following these guidelines will help us make good judgements

Speaker: Francisco

Theme: Replacing fear with faith

Awful death upon the wicked, spiritual death.
Haiti -- mourning with those that mourn, comfort those that are in need of comfort
Help our family members stay away from those things that keep us from living with our HF again
Atonement can help bring those back to Christ and our HF
Parents have a sacred duty to raise their children in love and righteousness.
Read the scriptures daily, pray daily and live the Gospel of Jesus Christ

Speaker: Neil L Andersen

Theme: The Mind and Will of the Lord

Talk more about Jesus Christ in the home to our children
Bear our testimony of JC to them
Our testimony will never leave our children
The Spirit of the Lord will accompany us as we bear testimony to our children

Speaker: President Thomas S Monson

Theme: Conclusion

Live the gospel of the Jesus Christ.
Study the messages in the Ensign (May)
The world has left the harbor of peace
Look to the Lighthouse of the Lord during these times for rescue
Rock, Fortress, Strength, God
Evokes the blessings of heaven upon us as we leave

Behold, the power of prayer!

2010-03-29T06:45:00.001-07:00

I read a status update of Eden's that reminded me of a situation that happened last week. Here is Eden's story:

couldn't find Kaylyn's hearing aid since Saturday, said a silent prayer this morning after giving up the hunt, 30 seconds later the girls both screamed "Found it!" - it was in their bathroom. "Behold, the power of Prayer!"

Last week I had to go to a government building to pick up our medical records. While going through the medical detector spot, they asked if I had the number to the person/clinic I was meeting to call them to the front door to escort me through the building. I could NOT find my phone for the life of me (her to number was in my phone). When I returned to my car to leave, I scoured the car, the stroller, our coats, my purse...could not find my phone at all. Which was very scary to me as I was in the middle of DC with no phone in case of emergencies. I decided to say a prayer to help me look in the right place. As Eden, within 30 seconds I found my phone is a zippered pocket in my purse that I had not looked in.

BEHOLD, THE POWER OF PRAYER!

Not Running Faster than Your Strength

2010-02-09T09:25:00.000-08:00

I was reading in 3 Nephi 18 this today. I picked up the scriptures that were laying on the table during lunch and instead of just opening up to any chapter, I picked this one bc I remembered it talked about the Sacrament's bread and water.

In verse 12 it gives us a promise if we remember to partake of the Sacrament every week:

And I give unto you a commandment that ye shall do these things. And if ye shall always do these things blessed are ye, for ye are built upon my rock.

Every once in a while you wonder if you are on the correct path and doing the things that the Lord would have you do, if your will is aligned with His. Reading this, it reminds me that I am doing what He would want of me. And that I am built upon His rock as I remember Him every week when I partake of the Sacrament. What further gives me comfort is what the verse 13 states next:

But whoso among you shall do more or less than these are not built upon my rock, but are built upon a sandy foundation; and when the rain descends, and the floods come, and the winds blow, and beat upon them, they shall fall, and the gates of hell are ready open to receive them.

I love that he says to not do MORE OR LESS THAN THESE. We want to do everything that He asks of us. I think what this scripture is trying to tell us is that the Gospel of Jesus Christ is simple. He gives commandments, we follow them, and then we are blessed for doing them. We don't need to run faster than we have strength for.

Perfection will always be out of our reach, but all He asks of us is to try. Try to follow His commandments and when we fail in one or the other, pick ourselves up, brush the dirt off and continue on our journey towards perfection.

"On Being Spiritually Prepared

2010-02-06T06:01:00.000-08:00

http://www.lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?locale=0&sourceId=01b90eb116b66210VgnVCM100000176f620a____&vgnextoid=f318118dd536c010VgnVCM1000004d82620aRCRD

I was studying the First Presidency Message this morning. I looked up the scriptures at the end to find what I need to build my "solid foundation" in the Gospel. Here is what I read about:

Repent & have Faith in the gospel of Jesus Christ
Obtain the Holy Ghost to guide you
Listen to the Spirit
Attend Church often
Put on the Armor of God
Have hope in the Atonement
Search the scriptures

Challenges from President Monson

2010-01-31T14:54:00.000-08:00

Today I went to my brother's ward and they were talking about what our Prophet President Monson has asked us to do since he has become our prophet. Below is the list they gave us of those challenges!

Service

Each of us can do something to help someone
Recall with me the familiar words of King Benjamin in the Book of Mormon; "When ye are in the service of the your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God."
We are the Lord's hands here upon the earth, with the mandate to serve and to lift His children. He is dependent upon each of us.
My brothers and sisters, may we ask ourselves the questions which greeted Dr. Jack McConnell and his brothers and sisters each evening at dinner time; "What have I done for someone today?"
May the words of a familiar hymn penetrate our very souls and find lodgment in our hearts; "Have I done any good in the world today. . ."

Prayer

I would ask that your faith and prayers continue to be offered in behalf of those areas where our influence is limited and where we are not allowed to share the gospel freely at this time.
I would ask once again that you would remember me and all of the General Authorities in your prayers.

Refrain from Anger

We must choose to refrain from becoming angry.
May we make a conscious decision, each time such a decision must be made, to refrain from anger and to leave unsaid the harsh and hurtful things we may be tempted to say.
May we ever be exemplary in our homes and faithful in keeping all of the commandments that we may harbor no animosity toward any man but rather be peacemakers, ever remembering the Savior's admonition, "By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another."

Other

May we continue to be faithful in performing [temple] ordinances for those who are unable to do so for themselves.
We call upon all members to befriend the new convert, to reach out to them, to surround them with love, and to help them feel at home.
To those who hold the Melchizedek Priesthood, [the oath and covenant of the priesthood] is a declaration of our requirement to be faithful and obedient to the laws of God and to magnify the callings which come to us...May we be worthy sons of our Heavenly Father.
May we incorporate into our daily lives the truths found [in the General Conference issue of the Ensign].
May every man and woman, boy and girl leave this conference a better person than he or she was when it began two days ago.

No Regrets in 2010!

2010-01-07T05:32:00.001-08:00

Several things will be different this year. Like my good friend's theme for this year, NO REGRETS! I don't want to have any regrets. I am going to do the things that I need to, I'll do them better and I'll strive for happiness more than just passing in thought. Here are some of my goals for this year :

Read my scriptures diligently first thing in the morning before I turn on the computer. I need to think of questions before I read them and try to find the answers as I am reading. I can come up with questions from reading the summary of each chapter.
Go the gym or workout at least 3x's a week to stay in shape.
Learn to control my temper better. I want to be able to not shout at my kids or my husband.
Think of 5 things that I am grateful for everyday.
Dig into my school classes more. I need to get my degree!

-------------

Grateful List

Son slept through the night from 2330 -- 0600 instead of waking up every hour.
I was able to snuggle with Randy this morning before he got up for PT.
Supportive family who are willing to help us out in our transition to moving out East.
I was able to finish 2 chapters in my class yesterday and write a paper for it!
I have a dr's appointment for Connor today so I can find out how to help him be happier and healthier.

Attributes to work on

Be more Optomistic!!!
Faithful and obedient

Faith Without Works Is Dead

2009-05-19T09:49:00.000-07:00

"Increased faith is as vital and necessary today as it was when Jesus walked the earth. Our modern world struggles with insufficient faith. President Gordon B. Hinckley said in a conference talk: “This is my prayer for all of us. … Increase our faith to bridge the chasms of uncertainty and doubt. … Grant us faith to look beyond the problems of the moment to the miracles of the future. … Give us faith to do what is right and let the consequences follow."

--James O. Mason, "Faith in Jesus Christ", April 2001 Ensign pg 22

When I think about this statement, I'm called to remember the word ACTION. It is not enough to have faith w/o any action. That is insufficient faith. Faith without works is dead. I have faith that our family can be prepared for the reintegration of Daddy back into our daily lives, but I must do more than just hope for it. I must pray for it. I must read my scriptures in order to remain close to the Spirit. Inviting the Spirit into our lives and home will help guide us as we try to be a family again.

2009-03-02T19:40:00.000-08:00

"Remember that ofttimes the wisdom of God appears as foolishness to men, but the greatest single lesson we can learn in mortality is that when God speaks and a man obeys, that man will always be right."

--Thomas S. Monson, "Constant Truths for Changing Times", Ensign, May 2005, 19

"Our Heavenly Father loves each one of us and understands that this process of climbing higher takes preparation, time, and commitment. He understands that we will make mistakes at times, that we will stumble, that we will become discouraged and perhaps even wish to give up and say to ourselves it is not worth the struggle. We know it is worth the effort, for the prize, which is eternal life, is “the greatest of all the gifts of God.” And to qualify, we must take one step after another and keep going to gain the spiritual heights we aspire to reach."
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>--Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin, "One Step after Another", Ensign, Nov. 2001, 25

Advice from Elder Busche

2009-02-09T10:40:00.000-08:00

Blessings that come through Temple Attendance

2009-01-26T08:56:00.000-08:00

I had the chance to go to the Baton Rouge temple this weekend bc of a kind sister in our ward. She drove down with me and watched my kids while I went in to do a couple sessions. And she was there in between the sessions so I could nurse Connor. KJ had so much fun bc they went to this sister's son's house who had a son KJ's age. They played and got along so well that I was invited to use them any time I wanted to come down to go to the temple and needed a babysitter. :-) I've been thinking a lot of this visit to the temple and I found this quote that seems to sum up what I took from this visit.

The temple is a house of prayer. We may receive answers to our heart-felt questions if we go to the temple with a sincere desire to obtain them. There, the Holy Ghost may grant us added light and knowledge and the privilege of receiving the answers to the problems and trials the world presents.

Harold Glen Clark, “Four Blessings of the Temple,” Ensign, Oct 1983, 68

The Road to Carmel & Abigail's Gift

2008-12-07T18:54:00.000-08:00

I'm reading this book called The Peacegiver: How Christ Offers to Heal Our Hearts and Homes by James L. Ferrell. My friend, Ann, let me borrow it to read. In this book, the story of these two characters talk about how Abigail (in 1 Samuel Chapter 25) is a Type of Christ. I quote from the book the conversation between Abigail and David (future king of Israel):

"Upon me, my lord, upon me let this iniquity be."
"Upon you be what iniquity, woman?"
"Please my lord, I saw not the young men you sent to Nabal, my husband. But see, I have provided. Please accept of my offering, that this hsall be no grief unto thee."

A few things to point out that the characters pointed out.
Abigail --> Type of Christ
Nabal --> 1st Sinner
David & his men --> victims who were sinned against, 2nd sinner by failing to forgive.

When we feel we have been wronged it is important to remember that Christ is at our door wanting to take upon the sins and burdens placed against or on us. He wants to make up for the "burdens those sins are placing upon [us], or at the very least would include the blessing of having those burdens made light."

Jesus took upon him all the sins of the world. When we feel wronged by someone, Jesus is pleading for us to place the sin upon Him instead of the actual sinner and then also asking us to forgive the sin.

Upon me let this iniquity be. Let me deal with it if there is any dealing to be done. But you, my dear son or dear daughter, let it go. Let me take it, as I already have done. Forgive.

So the real question is how does one let go of any hard feelings or enmity and truly forgive?

Twitter on Elder Wirthlin's Talk

2008-12-07T06:35:00.000-08:00

It's funny that the day after I read Elder Wirthlin's talk, I received a quote from it in my LDS Gems emails. Anywho. A sister in my ward sent me this twitter about that quote:

With the passing of Elder Wirthlin and with challenges we all face in life, this was a timely message for me. I hope it will inspire you all as it did me. May you all have a wonder holiday season. I love you all. The credit goes to some of the mothers with missionary out in the mission field and of course Elder Wirthlin. What a great man. I know that many of you are facing challenging times! Like us, some of you have been layed (laid?) off work, or your husband is out of work, and more layoffs are being announced. Sue Hurt sent this timely quote to one of my email groups:"The Lord compensates the faithful for every loss. That which is taken away from those who love the Lord will be added unto them in His own way. While it may not come at the time we desire, the faithful will know that every tear today will eventually be returned a hundredfold with tears of rejoicing and gratitude." Joseph B Wirthlin, "Come What May, and Love It," Ensign, Nov 2008We are going to miss Elder Wirthlin!Last night during our family scripture study, we read King Benjamin's speech where he said, "For even at this time, my whole frame doth tremble exceedingly while attempting to speak to you; but the Lord God doth support me..." (Mosiah 2:30)We discussed how Elder Wirthlin was held up by Elder Nelson(?) while he was speaking during our last conference. We have watched our leaders speak in Conference and heard their testimonies, even when it was too difficult for them to stand and testify and had to speak while sitting down. What powerful testimonies and examples they are to us!Let us move forward with faith, and hang on to the Iron Rod, the words of God!

Come What May and Love It

2008-12-03T07:22:00.001-08:00

I have a new motto. "Come what may and love it!" Two days ago our oldest Apostle, Elder Wirthlin, passed away and there was a link to his last General Conference talk in the article. He gave an amazing talk on this subject and I really felt it was written for me at this time. :-)

http://lds.org/conference/talk/display/0,5232,23-1-947-9,00.html

What stuck out to me:

The way we react to adversity can be a major factor in how happy and
successful we can be in life.
The next time you’re tempted to groan, you might try to laugh instead. It will extend your life and make the lives of all those around you more enjoyable.
My son, peace be unto thy soul; thine adversity and thine afflictions shall be but a small moment.
And then, if thou endure it well, God shall exalt thee on high; thou shalt triumph over all thy foes
the faithful will know that every tear today will eventually be returned a hundredfold with tears of rejoicing and gratitude.
“God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son.”2 The Lord Jesus Christ is our partner, helper, and advocate. He wants us to be happy. He wants us to be successful. If we do our part, He will step in.

March Challenge

2008-03-11T07:08:00.000-07:00

I've been such a slacker lately. If I could keep this blog up as much as my family blog, I would be doing so much better! :-p I've been procrastinating on a lot of things. Mostly, I just need to step up to the plate, stand a little taller, stop thinking and start DOING! So, here I am stepping up to the plate and finally going to DO something. I think having this blog open to my friends and family will help me stay accountable to a degree.

My challenge is to pray with a purpose like my previous post (two down). I want to pray in the morning about what I'll work on during the day and then "report" back in my evening prayer about how I did. I think this will help me see any progress I have done. It'll give me hope in knowing I am moving somewhere and not just staying stagnant in a moat of laziness. Anyone else up for the challenge?

My To-Do List of 2007

2008-02-22T05:49:00.001-08:00

(I'm cleaning up my blog but didn't want to lose this list. )

My To-Do List
1. Take time for breathers
2. Fasting and prayer in times of solemnity
3. Action is required to build testimony
4. Don't get so busy you forget to enjoy the peace
5. Turn to my Heavenly Father for strength and support
6. There is no room for complacency in living the gospel of Jesus Christ
7. Be patient for answers to prayers
8. Humbling yourself is bettern than being compelled to be humble
9. Nourish a particle of faith
10. Don't get caught in the SuperWoman Syndrome
11. Have the Lord shine through my countenance
12. Don't give in or give up fighting for your values/standards!
13. Keep a more positive, productive, and loving attitude
14. Learn to love His law to bring greater peace into my life
15. Maintain my oil in my lamp
16. Strive to be merciful, deal justly, judge righteously and do good continually
17. Find, read, ponder, and act upon the current/recent words of our prophet today

Spirituality

2008-02-22T05:21:00.000-08:00

Spirituality is the consciousness of victory over self and of communion with the
Infinite.

President David O. McKay

1. Desire to change
2. Pray for strength to change
3. In prayer, report on what you are working on that day in the morning and report your progress at night.
4. Post reminders
----------
Write down what FIRST comes to mind when you read the word(s) below:

Home
Smile
Messy
Temple
Your Bedroom
Darkness
Music
Parents

----------

We have the ability to control our attitude in:
1. Physical Environment
2. Attitudes of the Occupants

Righteous vs. Wickedness

2008-02-10T12:27:00.000-08:00

As for the message, have you noticed that when most scripture-reading, church-going people talk about themselves, they consider themselves to be "the righteous" and others to be "the wicked?" I guess it is a natural tendency for all of us. But what kind of criteria does God use to determine if we are righteous or wicked? In 1 Nephi 16:3, Nephi lists several such criteria:
1. If we are willing to listen to the Truth.
2. If we are willing to make changes in our lives.
3. If we do not complain that God's ways are just too hard.

"And now my brethren, if ye were righteous and were willing to hearken to the truth, and give heed unto it, that ye might walk uprightly before God, then ye would not murmur because of the truth, and say: Thou speakest hard things against us. " 1Nephi 16:3

Thoughts given to me on my Birthday that Touched Me

2008-02-10T11:56:00.001-08:00

How to make a Beautiful Life: Reflections for a Daughter on Her Birthday

Love yourself.
MAKE PEACE with who you are
and where you are
at this moment in time.

Listen to your heart.
If you can't hear what it's saying
in this noisy world,
MAKE TIME for yourself.
Enjoy your own company.
Let your mind wander among the stars.

Try.
Take chances.
MAKE MISTAKES.
Life can be messy
and confusing at times.
but it's also full of surprises.
The next rock in your path
might be a stepping-stone.

Be Happy.
When you don't have what you want,
want what you have.
MAKE DO.
That's a well-kept secret of contentment.

There aren't any shortcuts to tomorrow.
You have to MAKE YOUR OWN WAY.
To know where you're going
is only part of it.
You need to know where you've been, too.
And if you ever get lost, don't worry.
The people who love you will find you.
Count on it.

Life isn't days and years.
It's what you do with time
and with all the goodness and grace
that's inside you.
MAKE A BEAUTIFUL LIFE...
The kind of life you deserve.

Fill In the Blank

2008-01-23T08:38:00.000-08:00

Dear Sisters,

O.K. This is a multiple choice test...have fun with it...see if you can fill in the blank correctly:1. _____________will bring upon us the calamities foretold by ancient and modern prophets.

A. Disregard for the legal system
B. Lack of religion
C. Disintegration of the family
D. War and economic problems

So...do you think you know the right answer? It is in "A Proclamation to the World." It reads, "...we warn that the disintegration of the family will bring upon individuals, communities, and nations the calamities foretold by ancient and modern prophets."Wow! The success of the family as a unit of society is more important than our nation's military power, our healthcare, our educational system, our financial position, etc. What can we do as individuals to help ensure strong families? Elder Ballard made three suggestions in the 1995 November Liahona:"1. Be consistent in holding daily family prayer and weekly family home evenings. Both of these invite the Lord’s Spirit, which provides the help and power we need as parents and family leaders. The Church curriculum and magazines have many good ideas for family home evening. Also consider holding a family testimony meeting where parents and children can express their beliefs and feelings to each other in a private and personal setting.2. Teach the gospel and basic values in your home. Establish a love for reading the scriptures together. Too many of our parents are abdicating this responsibility to the Church. While seminary, auxiliaries, and priesthood quorums are important as a supplement to parental gospel instruction, the main responsibility rests in the home. You might want to choose one gospel subject or a family value and then watch for opportunities to teach it. Be wise and do not involve children or yourselves in so many activities out of the home that you are so busy that the Spirit of the Lord cannot be recognized or felt in giving you the promised guidance for yourself and your family.3. Create meaningful family bonds that give your children an identity stronger than what they can find with their peer group or at school or anyplace else. This can be done through family traditions for birthdays, for holidays, for dinnertime, and for Sundays. It can also be done through family policies and rules with natural and well-understood consequences. Have a simple family economy where children have specific chores or household duties and receive praise or other rewards commensurate to how well they do. Teach them the importance of avoiding debt and of earning, saving, and wisely spending money. Help them learn responsibility for their own temporal and spiritual self-reliance."It is exciting that in these troubled times each of us has a great role to play in the most important work that can be done on Earth or in the heavens...the work of building strong families! It is getting harder and harder...but there is One who is on our side...and I believe He will guide us completely as we humble ourselves and listen to His voice.

Love to all,
Sister A. L.
First Counselor Alexandria Stake Relief Society

Standard of Truth

2008-01-23T08:37:00.000-08:00

"You always hold the key of repentance to unlock the prison door. If they throw
the word diversity at you, grab hold of it and say, “I am already diverse, and I
intend to stay diverse.” If the word is tolerance, grab that one, too, saying,
“I expect you to be tolerant of my lifestyle—obedience, integrity, abstinence,
repentance.” If the word is choice, tell them you choose good, old-fashioned
morality."

--Boyd K. Packer, "The Standard of Truth Has Been Erected", Liahona Nov 2003, 24–27
D&C 101:78, True to the Faith, Hymn #254

Hope Grows Out of Faith

2008-01-08T09:54:00.000-08:00

"As we put our faith and trust to work, hope is born. Hope grows out of
faith and gives meaning and purpose to all that we do. It can even give us the
peaceful assurance we need to live happily in a world that is ripe with
iniquity, calamity, and injustice."

--M. Russell Ballard, "The Joy of Hope Fulfilled", Ensign, Nov 1992, 31

As long as I can exercise my faith and trust in my Lord, in my family, and especially in myself...I can bring hope into my life...which is exactly what I need right now.

Food for Thought

2007-12-22T13:53:00.000-08:00

"The only way that we may overcome the world is by coming unto Christ. And coming unto Christ means walking away from the world."

--Sheri L. Dew, "We Are Women of God", Ensign, Nov. 1999, 97

Feeling the Love of the Lord

2007-12-18T08:43:00.000-08:00

This morning as I prayed over my breakfast, I prayed for some specific things in mind. As I logged in my email to check it over eating breakfast I found that my MIL had just sent this to me not even a minute ago. Reading these words was like listening to a response to my prayer. So...thanks McMom for sending this to me. :-)
--------------------------

Daily Gems: Ability to Feel the Lord's Love Depends on our Actions
--------------------------
"As faithful [members] of The Church of Jesus Christ ofLatter-day Saints, we have been blessed with the Holy Ghost. As weinvite the Savior into our lives, the Holy Ghost will bear witness to usofthe love which the Father and His Son, our Savior, have for each of us.Butfeeling Their love is dependent not only on our desire but upon ouractions as well. And the actions we need to take are known to us: genuine prayerthat is specific and humble, followed by quiet listening for the Lord'sanswers; regular scripture study and time to ponder what we read; and,finally, a willingness to be introspective about ourselves and to trustinthe Lord's promise that He will 'make weak things become strongunto [us]' (Ether 12:27)."Topics: Holy Ghost, love,worthiness, prayer
(Kathleen H. Hughes, "Remembering the Lord's Love," Ensign, Nov. 2006,112)

A Letter from my Relief Society Presidency

2007-12-01T06:14:00.001-08:00

Dear Sisters,
I love easy, don't you? I like easy jobs, easy dinner preparation, easy relationships, and so on....so a recent Ensign passage on "easy prayer" really appealed to me. The words came from a child..."Before you start to talk to Heavenly Father, think about the things you want to tell Him....once you've thought of it, tell it to Him! When you finish, wait and see if He has something to tell you." I have put these easy concepts of "think, tell, and wait" into practice for the last few days and the results have amazed me....especially the part about waiting to see what He might want to tell me! I have felt so inspired to be kinder to my family members and have felt the love that the Lord feels for me as His child. It has been profound and life-changing. I thank God for my membership in this great Church and for the never ending flow of instruction we receive from good leaders. Take care.
Love,
Sister L, First Counselor
Alexandria Stake Relief Society

Strenthen Home and Family

2007-10-21T05:50:00.000-07:00

Sister Mary N. Cook:
*"The Lord is depending on you to bring the blessings of the gospel to your family."
*"As you personally study the scriptures, you will come to know the Savior and His teachings. From His example you will know how to love, serve, and forgive members of your family."
*"As you live worthily and renew this covenant weekly [baptism through taking of the Sacrament bread/water], you will qualify for the guidance of the Spirit. The Holy Ghost will guide you and will teach you what you should do to bless your family.
*4-point program to assure my happiness and bless my family, too.
1. Pray
2. Study scriptures
3. Pay your tithing
4. Attend your meetings
----------
I especially liked how she turned it around and asked...how could my prayer or my studying the scriptures, etc help any of my family members? So much food for thought!

Spiritual Earthquakes

2007-10-20T07:19:00.000-07:00

"We don’t know when or how earthquakes will hit us. They likely won’t be literal shakings of the earth, as happened in Peru, but rather quakes of temptations, sin, or trials, such as unemployment or serious sickness. Today is the time to prepare for when that type of quake comes. Today is the time to prepare—not during the crisis. What are we doing today to engraven in our souls the gospel principles that will uphold us in times of adversity?"
--Elder Walter F. González, "Today is the Time", October 2007 General Priesthood Meeting

Enduring Together

2007-10-18T05:22:00.000-07:00

Bishop Edgley: Enduring Together
What happens to one happens to all. Our church ward should be our family ward.
*Mosiah 18: 8-9 --> As ye are desirous to come into the fold of God, and to be called his people, and are willing to bear one another's burdens, that they may be light;...Yea, and are willing to mourn with those that mourn; yea, and comfort those that stand in need of comfort."
*"Adversity can bring us closer to God with a renewed and enlightened appreciation for prayer and the Atonement which covers pain and suffering in all their manifestations."

It seems at times that we need a little nudge in the right direction. I can see when my life gets stuck in that pride cycle (humble, turn to the Lord, blessed with abundance, prideful, fall to humility, etc). I ask myself why I feel so distant from the Lord and then I see I stopped reading my scriptures, stopped doing Family Home Evening, or lost that motivation to do what I know I need to do. I had become complacent in the Gospel. I ask how I got to this point? What matters next is how am I going to get back to where I need to be. How? By studying, pondering, and finding out what the Lord is saying to me/us today in the General Conference talks, what is being written in the Ensign magazine, studying the Sunday School Lesson, making sure I have FHE with my family. After all, family is what is most important to me.

Integrity of Heart

2007-10-17T11:00:00.000-07:00

"We should not be discouraged or depressed by our shortcomings. No one is without weakness. As part of the divine plan, we are tested to see whether we master weakness or let weakness master us. Proper diagnosis is essential to proper treatment. The Lord gave us this remarkable assurance: “Because thou hast seen thy weakness thou shalt be made strong” (Ether 12:37). But wishing for strength won’t make us strong. It takes faith and work to shore up a weakened cord of integrity."

--Russell M. Nelson, "Integrity of Heart", Ensign, Aug. 1995, 19

*Hijacked from http://ablackmormongirl.blogspot.com/. Thanks Shabang!

Conference Thoughts

2007-10-17T09:58:00.000-07:00

Elder Packard: The Weak and the Simple of the Church
I liked how he said that it doesn't matter where we serve but how. I've been in my calling for one year now, and I'm still trying to get into my calling...feel the direction of where I need to bring His young women and where I am supposed to grow.

Elder Wirthlin: The Great Commandment
Without the pure love of Christ, all of our other qualities, gifts or talents are nothing. We must have charity embeded into our actions if we are to be true examples of Jesus Christ. How heartwrenching to see Elder Wirthlin in such a weakened state, but as other friends have stated, what happened in his talk as Elder Nelson helped him steady himself to finish the talk was truly a perfect example of the pure love of Christ.

Audio/Video of conference talks:
http://www.lds.org/conference/sessions/display/0,5239,49-1-775,00.html

Re: General Conference

2007-10-13T05:29:00.001-07:00

Hello Sisters, Oct. 11, 2007
I really enjoyed conference. My sister was at the first seeion on Saturday and said that when Pres. Hinckley told the newly called members of the first presidency and the 12 apostles to take their seats he pulled a prank on Pres. Eyring. When Pres. Hinckly finished speaking and walked back to his chair he tapped Pres. Eyring on the head with his cane! My sister said everyone was laughing. Isn't wonderful to know and love each other so much that we can enjoy our leaders' personalities!
I think the part of conference that moved me the most was Elder Wirthlin's talk on charity. I will never forget the topic of that address because it was so beautifully demonstrated to us during that talk by the actions of Elder Nelson. When Elder Wirthlin started to shake and become unsteady Elder Nelson quietly came and put his hand on Elder Wirthlin's back and arm. He patiently waited and allowed Elder Wirthlin to decide to finish his talk himself or accept assistance. When Elder Wirthlin finished speaking Elder Nelson gently helped him back to his seat. Moroni 7:47 says, "But charity is the pure love of Christ, and it endureth forever and whoso is possesed of it at the last day, it shall be well with him." Certainly it will be well for Elder Nelson! How about us?
Stake R.S. Pres.

Happiness Now and Forever

2007-10-06T06:33:00.000-07:00

"Salvation is an eternal goal we gain by a process of constant upward change. Doubt is spiritual poison that stunts eternal growth. We must first feel our way before we can see it with any clarity. We prove ourselves by making numerous correct decisions without being absolutely sure; then comes a greater knowledge and assurance, not before. Happiness is created. Love is its center. Its principal ingredients are sincere faith, true repentance, full obedience, and selfless service."

--Richard G. Scott, " Happiness Now and Forever", Ensign, Nov. 1979, 70

Be Not Dismayed

2007-10-02T10:38:00.000-07:00

"We should not be discouraged or depressed by our shortcomings. No one is without weakness. As part of the divine plan, we are tested to see whether we master weakness or let weakness master us. Proper diagnosis is essential to proper treatment. The Lord gave us this remarkable assurance: “Because thou hast seen thy weakness thou shalt be made strong” (Ether 12:37). But wishing for strength won’t make us strong. It takes faith and work to shore up a weakened cord of integrity."
--Russell M. Nelson, "Integrity of Heart", Ensign, Aug. 1995, 19

Eternal Choices

2007-09-24T04:38:00.000-07:00

"Now we see coming into focus the responsibility to choose, that inevitable crisis at the crossroads of life. He who would lead you down waits patiently for a dark night, a wavering will, a confused conscience, a mixed-up mind. Are you prepared to make the decisions at the crossroads? I can’t stress too strongly that decisions determine destiny. You can’t make eternal decisions without eternal consequences."
--President Thomas S. Monson, "CES Fireside for Young Adults", November 6, 2005

Sunday Thoughts

2007-09-21T11:07:00.001-07:00

Do we go through times of adversity or do we make those times go through us?

Adversity is like chewing on hard candy; the more you chew on it, the more you savor the sweetness and goodness of it.

A prophet once said that blessings come from our responses to our afflictions.

Godly Sorrow Vs. Worldy Sorrow: Godly sorrow hurts, gives peace, purges us, is not imposed externally, motivates us to change, may hold us back by judging ourselves instead of forgiving ourselves. Satan sows an unforgiving heart. We must forgive in order to progress. If we find it troubesome to forgive or feel we cannot, we must recognize we can't forgive them by ourselves, and pray for our enemies...pray for the help to forgive.

Sunday Will Come

2007-09-06T10:56:00.000-07:00

"Each of us will have our own Fridays—those days when the universe itself seems shattered and the shards of our world lie littered about us in pieces. We all will experience those broken times when it seems we can never be put together again. We will all have our Fridays. But I testify to you in the name of the One who conquered death—Sunday will come. In the darkness of our sorrow, Sunday will come. No matter our desperation, no matter our grief, Sunday will come. In this life or the next, Sunday will come."

--Joseph B. Wirthlin, "Sunday Will Come", Ensign, Nov. 2006, 28

Softly and Tenderly

2007-09-05T10:48:00.000-07:00

This morning I was listening to some music on the WMP while studying my math. This song came on and I've been playing it on repeat since. It has stuck out to me especially with the events that transpired last night (see my family blog for today's post). We've been praying for the mother and her children. It was funny, bc my first choice of words in our morning prayer was "please bless the family we ran into last night." (I know! Bad choice of wording) Afterwards, Randy said it should more be us praying "to bless the family you sent to us last night." Well, it's not exactly the words themselves that make me think of last night, but the thought sequence and where my chain of thoughts have been going through. Here are the lyrics: (Sung by Josh Turner)

Softly and tenderly,Jesus is calling
Calling for you and for me
See,on the portals he's waiting and watching
Watching for you and for me

Come home,come home
Ye who are weary,come home
Earnestly,tenderly,Jesus is calling
Calling,O sinner,come home

Time is now fleeting, the moments are passing,
Passing from you and from me;
Shadows are gathering, deathbeds are coming,
Coming for you and for me.

Come home,come home
Ye who are weary,come home
Earnestly,tenderly,Jesus is calling
Calling,O sinner,come home

O for the wonderful love he has promised
Promised for you and for me
Though we have sinned,he has mercy and pardon
Pardon for you and for me

Come home,come home
Ye who are weary,come home
Earnestly,tenderly,Jesus is calling
Calling,O sinner,come home

Calling,O sinner,come home

I couldnt find an actual video of Josh Turner singing it, but here is the song over someone's picture slideshow. Just listen to it.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=K3hOg61q7zg

Turn the Other Cheek

2007-08-28T11:01:00.000-07:00

"Not only our eternal salvation depends upon our willingness and capacity to forgive wrongs committed against us. Our joy and satisfaction in this life, and our true freedom, depend upon our doing so. When Christ bade us turn the other cheek, walk the second mile, give our cloak to him who takes our coat, was it to be chiefly out of consideration for the bully, the brute, the thief? Or was it to relieve the one aggrieved of the destructive burden that resentment and anger lay upon us?"

--Marion D. Hanks, "Forgiveness: The Ultimate Form of Love", Ensign, Jan. 1974, 20

If I ask not amiss...

2007-08-27T05:23:00.000-07:00

Another great letter from my Stake RS presidency on how and what to ask for in our prayers.
----------
Dear Sisters,

We are promised by God that when we ask, we shall
receive...
consider 3 Nephi 27: 28-29 ...

"whatsoever things ye shall ask the Father in my name
shall be given you. Therefore, ask, and ye shall
receive; knock, and it shall be opened unto you; for
he that asketh, receiveth; and unto him that knocketh,
it shall be opened."

Now, we should ask ourselves...Do I really believe
that? Do I really believe that God will answer my
prayers every time I pray? I have to admit I was
thinking ....well...sometimes that is true and
sometimes I am just not so sure. So I prayed about
having more understanding.

This is what I learned:

1. When God says something, you can count on it. His
integrity is above reproach and He does everything He
says He will do.

2. I researched several scriptures that clarified my
meaning of asking...

James 4:3 - "Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask
amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts."

2 Nephi 4:35 - "...God will give liberally to him that
asketh. Yea, my God will give me, if I ask not
amiss..."

Helaman 10:5 - "...all things shall be done unto thee
according to thy word, for thou shalt not ask that
which is contrary to my will."

So...now I am beginning to understand. I thought
about my children. I have a great desire to give them
a good education, nutritious meals, good advice, all
of the love in my heart, and anything else I feel
would make them happy and successful. But, that does
not mean that I will give them everything they ask
for...what if they ask to skip school? eat pizza
every night? avoid brushing their teeth? watch TV
until midnight every night? That is what they would
LIKE to do...

Of course I would not grant those foolish requests.
Our loving and omnipotent Father in heaven will not
grant our often short-sighted requests either. He has
a plan for us...it involves getting out of our comfort
zone...experiencing pain, doubt, and discouragement
(just like our kids experience when we require them to
obey our rules and do what they feel are hard things).

So...the key to having every prayer of ours answered
is to ask for the right things. Here are a few things
I found that we should be asking for:
1. Wisdom (James 1:5)
2. Deliverance from enemies (Psalm 143:10)
3. Goodness to those who hate us and have "done us
wrong" (Matt 5:44)
4. Food for the day (Matt 6:11)
5. Forgiveness of our sins (Matt 6:12)
6. Protection from the Evil One; this includes His
evil promptings to
gossip, cheat, lie, steal, avoid praying, be
selfish, etc.(Matt 6:13)
7. A clean heart (Psalm 51:10)
8. A soft heart (1 Nephi 2: 16)
9. Understanding (1 Kings 4:29, Proverbs 2:2)

This list could go on forever! My son and I have
started writing down our request for the day in our
journal first thing in the morning. Then, we offer
our morning prayer and follow up on what happened in
the evening...recording how our prayer was answered
that day. VERY POWERFUL!

What will you ask for today? Father is waiting to
hear from each of us!

Love,
Sister L., First Counselor
Alexandria Stake Relief Society

Eye Single to the Glory of God

2007-08-21T10:43:00.000-07:00

"Generally speaking, “an eye single to the glory of God” means sacrifice. It means that instead of endlessly doing what we want to do, we have to do what the Lord wants us to do, but we have to do it in his way when he wants us to do it."

--Hartman Rector Jr.,, "Sacrifice Still Brings Forth Blessings", Ensign, Dec. 1971, 64

A great letter from a great sister...

2007-08-17T04:24:00.000-07:00

Hello Sisters, August 16, 2007
Recently I was thinking about trying to buy a home. I never had one of my own before and was kind of excited and yet really scared. I even went looking at houses and found one I really liked. Yet, no matter how I went over my finances I just couldn't manage to come up with all of the needed money right now. I was anxious and frustrated. This was not at all the "peacefull feeling from the Holy Ghost I expected to feel. After all, wasn't this a "good thing"? Didn't I do all of my "homework" and make a decision? So why wasn't I feeling that peace? Could it be I wasn't supposed to move yet? But that hardly seemed logical since the longer I wait the more difficult it will be to get a loan and move. I wanted that house. Still I felt unsure and anxious. But was that really the spirit or just the normal I'm going to owe on this for the rest of my life anxiety?
I was perplexed and asked for a blessing. In the blessing I was told that Heavenly Father knew of my desire for a home of my own but that he wanted me to wait for awhile. I seemed to feel some relieve but also disappointment that I would never attain this goal. Why am I telling you all of this? For two reasons 1) we all face every day delimmas in which we are sometimes uncertain if it is the spirit or our own feelings and anxieties. We all want to do what Heavenly Father wants us to do so we must really trust that when we have good calming feelings our answer is yes. The opposite is also true. We must trust that when we have strong anxiety and uncertaintly then we shouldn't do as we planned no matter how much we may think we want to. 2)As I was contemplating this very thing and wondering if some day I would have a home of my own and if so how, I came across a wonderful scripture that can help us all to increase our faith and patience Doctrine Covenants 5:34 "Yea, for this cause I have said: Stop, and stand still until I command thee, and I will provide means whereby thou mayest accomplish the thing I have commanded thee." There it is sisters, all we have to do is be obedient and He not us will provide a way for us to accompish what he commands us to do. This scripture has brought me much relief and hope in my everyday problems. I hope it does the same for you.
Sister H. M.
Stake R.S. pres.

Faith

2007-08-16T09:32:00.001-07:00

Faith is not so much something we believe; faith is something we live.

Dead Duck

2007-08-06T04:11:00.000-07:00

There once was a wealthy man who had a servant named John. This servant was very humble and tried to keepthe commandments and serve others. One day his master said to him, "John, why do you try so hard to be good, go to church and keep the commandments? It doesn't do you any good. You wife is ill, your children poorly clothed and you must work hard every day just to feed them. While I never go to church. I don't worry about others or try to keep the commandments. Yet I have a big fine house, lots of money and my family is healthy. Why does your god allow such things?" John shrugged his shoulders and said, "I can"t answer that right now but let me think about it."

A few days later John was hunting with his master. The master shot two ducks and sent JOhn to retrieve them. One duck was dead and the other wounded. John headed toward the dead duck. His master yelled to him, "No John, leave that one it is dead. It won't go anywhere. Get the one that is wounded before it gets away!" John retrieved both ducks and returned to his master. "I have an answer foryour question you asked the other day. Why is it I have so many trials while you seem to have none. Well sir, you're a dead duck! Satan has to worry about me getting away!"
----------

When it seems like so many things are happening to us or we can't seem to get a break just remember - don't be a DEAD DUCK! Make Satan fight to try and get you!

Trials

2007-08-02T09:56:00.001-07:00

"Rather than simply passing through trials, we must allow trials to pass through us in ways that sanctify us."

--Elder Neil A Maxwell, "Enduring Well", April 1997 Ensign

7 Ways to Mind Your Mind

2007-07-23T05:32:00.001-07:00

"If we can pattern our life after the Master, and take his teachings and example as the supreme pattern for our own, we will not find it difficult to be consistent and loyal in every walk of life, for we will be committed to a
single, sacred standard of conduct and belief."

--Howard W. Hunter, "Standing As Witnesses of God", Ensign, May 1990, 60

Choosing the right isn't always about choosing from right and wrong. Sometimes it can be about choosing the right way and choosing the easier way. Something that someone said in church yesterday has stuck in my head. They said you can really tell what kind of a person someone is by what kind of thinking they do when there is no need for thinking at all. When not engaged in learning, conversation, etc., what do you think about it? There's some food for thought.

One speaker at the youth conference held this past weekend gave a pretty amazing talk about 7 Ways to Mind Your Mind, because a member of our Bishopric that went spoke about it in Sacrament.

Guard your mind in what you see and think
Discipline your mind, aka: No dumping allowed!"
Help discipline your mind by memorization of spiritual thoughts (aka: scriptures, hymns)
Clear your mind of noise (you don't always have to be listening to music, watching tv, or have some type of background noise. Listen for the whisperings of the Spirit to talk to you)
Putting in additional light in your mind
Develop your minds (aka: education)
Don't do anything that would cast out the Spirit or drive the Spirit away.

Moral Agency

2007-07-22T16:03:00.000-07:00

"As we yield our will to His, God will tutor us in the successful use of our moral agency. We will find freedom to be, to feel, and to do."

--Name Elder D Todd Christofferson, "Allegiance to God", Ensign, Jan. 2005, 8

Doctrine & Covenants 101:78 --That every man may act in doctrine and principle pertaining to futurity, according to the moral agency which I have given unto him, that every man may be accountable for his own sins in the day of judgment.

Helaman 14:30-31 -- And now remember, remember, my brethren, that whosoever perisheth, perisheth unto himself; and whosoever doeth iniquity, doeth it unto himself; for behold, ye are free; ye are permitted to act for yourselves; for behold, God hath given unto you a knowledge and he hath made you free. He hath given unto you that ye might know good from evil, and he hath given unto you that ye might choose life or death; and ye can do good and be restored unto that which is good, or have that which is good restored unto you; or ye can do evil, and have that which is evil restored unto you.

---------
Our lesson today in young women's was about agency. We learned about how every choice we make has a consequence, whether that be a positive or negative consequence. Funny that the things I studied today also discussed about agency. :-)

In sacrament the youth that attended the youth conference over this past weekend went to bear their testimonies about attending it. As I listened to them, it brought me back on memory lane remembering the burst of light and being high on life leaving those conferences with the strength, confidence, and the Spirit in me to take on the world and what it might have in store for me. Some of the youth talked about how they felt they (those that attended from our ward) drew closer to one another into a more tight knit circle of friends...bonded...while there. How awesome is that to have our youth draw strength from one another, buoy each other up and walk side by side through life?

And thus were they prepared

2007-06-26T05:45:00.001-07:00

When the Lamanites were wanting to take the city Noah, they were surprised that they couldn't overthrow them. Why? Because the Nephites had obeyed the words of the Lord. They fortified themselves with the things the Lord gave them and hence had "all power over their enemies."

How many years have we been told to be prepared??? One year supply of food storage, keeping enough oil in our lamps, attend the temple often, nurture our family. It's not only to protect us physically, but spiritually as well. How much are we heeding to that counsel?

Scriptures are like a book of answers

2007-06-24T12:10:00.000-07:00

Did you ever have one of those Sundays where you listened to the speakers or teachers and just soaked everything in? Today was one of those Sundays for me. It started off when I woke up early to study the Sunday school lesson...which actually is next week's lesson as I came to find out at church. (woops).

In Doctrine & Covenants 19:23 it says

Learn of me, and listen to my words; walk in the meekness of my Spirit, and you
shall have peace in me.

My question I want to throw out is this: What does it mean to "walk in the meekness of my spirit"? Learn of him is studying, reading, pondering, etc. about his Gospel. Listening to his words, speakers, teachers, etc at church, listening to the promptings of the Spirit. I get that. But how do you walk in the meekness of his Spirit???
----------
As we live our lives here on Earth we try to live by the Holy Ghost. Our actions and examples bear the fruit of our faith. Problems or situations will arise that we may not know the answer to. What is our first response to this? I'll admit that sometimes I want to vent out emotions or I'll run it through my head until my stress level has reached an all time high. :-o Yeah, I know...soooo not healthy!

Today I learned that if you don't know what to pray for, then pray to know what to pray for. We need to be asking specific questions in order to get specific answers. Funny thing is, sometimes Heavenly Father doesn't answer us with an answer, but with lessons that teach us. Now and then when we come to Him in sincere prayer asking in faith, he will test that faith.

If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it
shall be done unto you. (St.John 15:7)

Our discussion turned to how we can abide in Christ. What does it mean to abide in him? How does he abide with us? Keeping the commandments, loving thy neighbor, keeping the word of wisdom, living a life of righteousness that is in keeping with the Spirit, and most importantly, aligning your will with His. When we can do that, the promise given in the scripture above can come to pass.
----------
I heard this today and it stuck out to me.

If you have fear in your heart, get down on your knees.

"...if all men had been,a nd were, and ever would be, like unto Moroni..."

2007-06-23T05:42:00.000-07:00

The Title of Liberty

Behold, whosoever will maintain this title upon the land, let them come forth in the strength of the Lord, and enter into a covenant that they will maintain their rights, and their religion, that the Lord God may bless them. (Alma 46:12)

Yea, verily, verily I say unto you, if all men had been, and were, and ever would be, like unto Moroni, behold, the very powers of hell would have been shaken forever; yea, the devil would never have power over the hearts of the children of men. (Alma 48:17)

When I read these scriptures, I could see the potential that my husband (and all other men) can have. He was not only physically strong, but spiritually strong in his understandings of the Spirit. He yearned for liberty and freedom instead of violence. He had a firm testimony in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. (Alma 48:11-13)

When you read further in this chapter, you see that Helaman and his brethren went out to spread the gospel and their words humbled people insomuch that the Lord blessed them with peace. Because they went out, it helped the others draw closer to Heavenly Father. There are two types of people in this world: those that humble themselves and those that are compelled to be humble. Do we humble ourselves by studying His word or do we wait for someone to come to us and tell us about it in order to become humble?

Recently I changed my msn message to read "he really is my better half" because that is how I feel about him. There are times that I feel I make the right choices not only because I know it's the right thing or that I know the Lord would want me to make the right choice, but because I know Randy would also think it is the right choice. And that is one thing that I love about him...that he brings out the best in me when I need it. :-)

The Best 3 Hours of the Week

2007-06-21T16:07:00.000-07:00

"Service changes people. It refines, purifies, gives a finer perspective, and brings out the best in each one of us. It gets us looking outward instead of inward. Righteous service is the expression of true charity, such
as the Savior showed."

--Derek A. Cuthbert, "The Spirituality of Service", Ensign, May 1990, 12

We watched a really cool video at mutual last night for the Young Women. It was called The Best 3 Hours of the Week by John Bytheway. I would HIGHLY recommend watching it. I love his talks and this one is how we can help ourselves get the most out of Church.

Deseret Bookstore (DVD): 19.95

http://deseretbook.com/store/product?sku=4961129

Ebay (Audiotape): 7.95(buy it now!)

http://cgi.ebay.com/Audio-The-Best-Three-Hours-of-the-Week-John-Bytheway_W0QQitemZ130116210713QQihZ003QQcategoryZ29792QQcmdZViewItem

Wearing the Armour of God

2007-06-12T08:32:00.000-07:00

I was reading about wars in the scriptures. In Alma 43 it talks about how Captain Moroni sought counsel from the prophet Alma to know what the will of the Lord was in this war against the Lamanites. Specifically, he asked Alma to inquire of the Lord where they should go in order to keep themselves and their people protected.

How can we know what to do to keep ourselves protected from today's evils? We can follow Captain Moroni's example and seek the counsel of the prophet to know the will of the Lord. We can do the things needed to wearing the armor of God.

1) What has the prophet spoken about recently? [Last general conference issue of the Ensign --http://www.lds.org/conference/apr2007/archive/0,20920,7545-1,00.html
or the current First Presidency message in this month's Ensign http://www.lds.org/portal/site/LDSOrg/menuitem.b12f9d18fae655bb69095bd3e44916a0/?vgnextoid=2354fccf2b7db010VgnVCM1000004d82620aRCRD&locale=0&sourceId=02303bc909592110VgnVCM100000176f620a____&hideNav=true

2) What are the things needed to do in order to wear the full armor of God? Last night in Family Home Evening (FHE), we discussed the Armor of God in Ephesians 6:11-17.
(http://scriptures.lds.org/en/search?search=Ephesians+6%3A11-17)

Girdle of truth
Breastplate of righteousness
Shoes helping us to walk in gospel truths
Shielf of faith
Helmet of salvation
Sword of the Spirit

As we continue to keep our lamps fill our lamps with drops of oil everyday, we are in the act of wearing the armor of God.
------
"Just as order gave life and beauty to the earth when it was dark and void, so it does to us. Obedience helps us develop the full potential Heavenly Father desires for us in becoming celestial beings worthy some day to live in His presence."

--James E. Faust, "Obedience: The Path to Freedom", May 1999 Ensign

I Love the Sabbath Day

2007-06-10T05:49:00.000-07:00

Especially putting on church music on the computer so we can listen to it while we are getting ready for church. :-) I love this day of rest. I love being able to feel the Spirit as I go to church. I love being able to feel the Spirit when I'm there. I love hearing other peoples' testimonies. I love going to the classes and learning what the teachers have prepared for us.

There's something about going to church every Sunday. It's hard to explain. I come home feeling filled more than I was before. I feel a better person than before. I feel more happy than before. On Sundays like these I know I have filled my lamp with enough oil for the week. At least in that aspect of my life. It is what I am taught at Church that motivates me to do the things I need to. Like the "lamp oil" quiz below. I am so much closer to the Spirit as I have strived to work on the things I'm lacking on. It's the greatest feeling knowing that you have progessed spiritually than from last week...and that you are headed on the right path.

I think another blessing from following the council of the Lord is helping you see your strengths and faults...where you need to work on the most. I know that bc I've tried to keep close to the Spirit, my heart has been opened up to finding out these things about myself. And it's very liberating!! Knowing these things will have a positive ripple effect in life as I change my will over to the will of the Lord.

The True Nature of God

2007-06-07T06:14:00.000-07:00

One of the things we discussed at Sunday school this last week is how we need to know the true nature of Heavenly Father. How can one pray to someone you don't even know? Getting to know Him and his ways can help us draw closer to Him. I was reading in the scriptures where it said,

And now, my son, all men that are in a state of nature, or I would say, in a carnal state, are in the gall of bitterness and in the bonds of iniquity; they are without God in the world, and they have gone contrary to the nature of God; therefore, they are in a state contrary to the nature of happiness (Alma 41:11)

The part that stuck out to me was the nature of God. What is the nature of God? How do we get to know the true nature of God? We sometimes have a saying of "It isn't in his/her nature to do that", so when we are talking about the nature of God we are talking about the ways of his thinking, his actions, his reactions, and how he deals with life. One big things back in high school was wearing the WWJD wrist bands. Growing up in the bible belt of the USA there were a lot of kids at school wearing them. It's a good reminder, bc it makes you think of our Heavenly Father's nature and what he would do.

What boggles my mind is that Jesus was the one perfect being that has lived here on earth. Our human nature (or in other words, our natural man) is to not always do the right things. We can let pride take over us, let ourselves be offended, let the anger inside us boil over, decide to ignore the promptings of the Holy Ghost, choose the easier route instead of the right route.

So, I ask you again...why do we try to get to know the true nature of God? Bc it can help us overcome our natural man tendencies and strive to live righteously. And living righteously can bring the calming peace and happiness we all long for and seek everyday.

Therefore, my son, see that you are merciful unto your brethren; deal justly, judge righteously, and do good continually; and if ye do all these things then shall ye receive your reward; yea, ye shall have mercy restored unto you again; ye shall have justice restored unto you again; ye shall have a righteous judgement restored unto you again; and ye shall have good rewarded unto you again. (Alma 41:14)

Will I have oil in my lamp?

2007-06-04T09:02:00.000-07:00

A. Read Matthew 25:1-13 here

http://scriptures.lds.org/en/matt/25/1-13#1

B. Take this questionnaire to see how much oil you really have in your lamp right now:

1. I read from my copy of the Book of Mormon: (please circle answer)
a. about once a month or less
b. about once a week
c. every few days
d. every day

2. I read from the other scriptures: (please cirlce answer)
a. about once a month or less
b. about once a week
c. every few days
d. every day

3. Do you take notes sometimes when you read the scriptures or any other material?
a.Yes
b. No

4. Generally speaking, do you read your Sunday School lesson before the teacher presents it on Sunday? (Please circle an answer).
a. Almost always
b. Often
c. Sometimes
d. Seldom
e. Never

5. Generally Speaking, do you read RS or Priesthood lesson before the teacher presents it on Sunday? (Please circle an answer).
a. Almost
a. Almost always
b. Often
c. Sometimes
d. Seldom
e. Never

6. Do you do your Visiting Teaching or your Home Teaching regularly? (Please cirlce answer).
a. Almost always
b. Often
c. Sometimes
d. Seldom
e. Never

7. Does your family get together daily for family scripture study? (Please cirlce answer).
a. Almost always
b. Often
c. Sometimes
d. Seldom
e. Never

8. Does your family get together daily for family prayer? (Please cirlce answer).
a. Almost always
b. Often
c. Sometimes
d. Seldom
e. Never

9. Do you keep the Word of Wisdom?
a. Yes
b. No

10.Do you hold regular Family Home Evening?
a. Yes
b. No
c. Irregular

11. Are you "quick to obey" the counsel we are given from our leaders or do you choose not to be strict in keeping the counsel (TV viewing habits, clean music, pornography, etc.)?
a. Quick to obey
b. Like to rationalize my behavior as "not that bad"

12. Do you take your callings in your home and in the Church seriously and strive to be better?
a. Callings are a chore
b. Callings are a chance to improve myself

13.Do you have a current temple recommend?
a. Yes
b. No

14. When is the last time you wen to the temple?

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C. Write down a list of the areas you need to improve on, makes some goals to accomplish those improvements, and Implement them!!

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I was reading in Alma 38 this morning and some verses stuck out to me. Alma 38:2-5
http://scriptures.lds.org/en/search?search=Alma+38%3A2-5

In these verses I felt it expressed Heavenly Father's feelings for me as I've kept my oil filled with oil to be prepared or as I have strived to keep it filled with oil. There is definitely room for improvement!

Choose the better part

2007-05-31T16:36:00.000-07:00

"If our hearts are right before God, adversity will school us, help us overcome our carnal nature, and nurture the divine spark within us. Were it not for adversity, we would not know to “choose the better part.” Adversity helps us see where we need to repent, to bring into subjection baser instincts, to embrace righteousness and enjoy peace of conscience."

--Keith B. McMullin, "Be Prepared … Be Ye Strong from Henceforth", Ensign, Nov. 2005, 10

---
Something that I was reading today that stuck out to me...

Alma 37:43-47

43 And now, my son, I would that ye should understand that these things are not without a shadow; for as our fathers were slothful to give heed to this compass (now these things were temporal) they did not prosper; even so it is with things which are spiritual.
44 For behold, it is as easy to give heed to the word of Christ, which will point to you a straight course to eternal bliss, as it was for our fathers to give heed to this compass, which would point unto them a straight course to the promised land.
45 And now I say, is there not a type in this thing? For just as surely as this director did bring our fathers, by following its course, to the promised land, shall the words of Christ, if we follow their course, carry us beyond this vale of sorrow into a far better land of promise.
46 O my son, do not let us be slothful because of the easiness of the way; for so was it with our fathers; for so was it prepared for them, that if they would look they might live; even so it is with us. The way is prepared, and if we will look we may live forever.
47 And now, my son, see that ye take care of these sacred things, yea, see that ye look to God and live. Go unto this people and declare the word, and be sober. My son, farewell.

---
In the scripture above it gives us a promise if we but follow the word of Christ it will point us a straight course to eternal bliss. The quote above also tells us that there will be bumps along that course. Reflect upon your situation right now? What kind of attitude do you have about it? Are you like Nephi and Samuel that exercise their faith in Jesus Christ? Or are you murmuring like Laman and Lemuel? Are you doing everything to the best of your ability to have the Spirit be in your life to guide you? Are you accepting His will in all things? Are you encouraging the Spirit to be in your life by doing the things that would invite it and being the places that would invite it?

My Testimony is Growing

2007-05-27T17:12:00.000-07:00

"We should be patient in developing and strengthening our testimonies. Rather than expecting immediate or spectacular manifestations, though they will come when needed, we should pray for a testimony, study the scriptures, follow the counsel of our prophet and other Church leaders, and live the principles of the gospel. Our testimonies then will grow and mature naturally, perhaps imperceptibly at times, until they become driving forces in our lives."

--Joseph B. Wirthlin, "Patience, a Key to Happiness", Ensign, May 1987, 30

Only by actions can a testimony grow. I am reminded of the Escalator parable. Your testimony's growth is like being on an escalator; you are never standing still but either going up or going down. If we do not nurture it, it will diminish in strength. So, my question to you is...what are you doing to strengthen your testimony in our Lord Jesus Christ?

Ways of strengthening a testimony

Study the scriptures daily
Live righteously
Repent
Pray
Listen to the testimonies of others
Bear your testimony often

Finding Great Peace

2007-05-26T05:12:00.000-07:00

[RS message] "As I go out and work in the world each day I have really started to notice just how much contention, frustration, anxiety and bitterness there is. I was wondering what the remedy for this ailment of our world could be. What could I personally do to not "buy into" this vicious cycle where everyone blames everyone else and mountains are made out of molehills. I was thinking about this when I decided to look up peace in the topical guide. I chose to look up peace because it was the very thing that seemed so lacking.
I found a wonderful and enlighting scripture in Psalms 119:165. It clearly spells out how to obtain peace. "Great peace have they which love thy law: and nothing shall offend them." If I want peace, and I do, I must first love God's law. How can I love what I don't know (Scripture study) or don't practice? The second thing I think is, at least to me, harder to do - let NOTHING offend us! Sisters, I think when we can do that we are exercising charity and we will surely be blessed with God's great peace no matter what the world chooses to do. We can choose to learn, love and practice God's law and choose not to be offended. The choice is clearly ours - do we want peace or not? What is the price we are willing to pay?"

Having peace in my life can bring happiness and not just the short-term happiness. I'm talking about long-lasting happiness. It's seems too simplistic...just studying His law, loving it, and living it...but the Gospel is supposed to be simple and not complex. More understanding comes from studying and I believe gives us what we need to NOT be offended. We can see a bigger perspective on the situation at hand.

Changing My Attitude

2007-05-23T06:10:00.000-07:00

"Certainly one of our God-given privileges is the right to choose what our attitude will be in any given set of circumstances. We can let the events that surround us determine our actions—or we can personally take charge and rule our lives, using as guidelines the principles of pure religion. Pure religion is learning the gospel of Jesus Christ and then putting it into action. Nothing will ever be of real benefit to us until it is incorporated into our own lives."

--Marvin J. Ashton, "Pure Religion", Ensign, Nov. 1982, 63

This was definitely something that I needed to hear when I read it. Changing my attitude seemed so much easier to do when I was younger. It is very hard for me to change my attitude now once it has taken hold. That can be a good thing and a bad thing, depending on the circumstances. Changing it to a more positive, productive, and loving attitude is my goal here.

2007-05-17T11:10:00.000-07:00

"Instead of dwelling on the wickedness and grief of those who have sinned, I rejoice to read how many have abandoned their sinful practices and are now on the road back to righteousness and happiness...let us...rejoice in the spirit of forgiveness, which is the comforting message of the Atonement."

--Theodore M. Burton, "To Forgive Is Divine", Ensign, May 1983, 70

Giving in and giving up

2007-05-17T02:52:00.000-07:00

Somedays you feel so overwhelmed with all your troubles, stresses, and blah feelings that you tend to just want to run away and hide from it all...give in to them or give up fighting them. There are some few simple things we can do to help us not give in or give up fighting them. They are simple and basic seminary answers, but isn't that what the Gospel is all about? Keeping things simple and remembering the basics? This doesn't encompass all things you can do, but are some things I have done recently to help me:

Remember to never stop praying -- pray for things you are grateful for and the specific things you are in need of
Read and study your scriptures everyday!
Attend all your church meetings

I think I've quoted this before, but here it is again.

If you want to talk to God, pray. If you want God to talk to you, read the
scriptures. (John Bytheway)

When we follow the commandments and do the things given to us to help us progress spiritually as a person, He will bless us for it!!! Yesterday was one of those "not so bad, but could be much worse" kind of days even with doing the things above. It was frustrating to me, bc I felt I was doing all I could to help uplift my somber mood. But things come in due time...well, actually the Lord's time. The answers or blessings we seek in earnest come when we least expect them. Mine came at the end of the day to make it a good and very worth while day. :-)

Refiner's Fire

2007-05-15T12:05:00.000-07:00

Malachi 3:3 says:

“He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver.”

This verse puzzled some women in a Bible Study and they wondered what this statement meant about the character and nature of God.

One of the women offered to find out the process of refining silver and get back to the group at their next Bible Study.

That week, the woman called a silversmith and made an appointment to watch him at work. She didn’t mention anything about the reason for her interest beyond her curiosity about the process of refining Silver.

As she watched the silversmith, he held a piece of silver over the fire and let it heat up.

He explained that in refining silver, one needed to hold the silver in the middle of the

Fire where the flames were hottest to burn away all the impurities

The woman thought about God holding us in such a hot spot; then she thought again

About the verse that says: “He sits as a refiner and purifier of silver.”

She asked the silversmith if it was true that he had to sit there in front of the fire the

Whole time the silver was being refined.

The man answered that yes, he not only had to sit there holding the silver, but he had to keep his eyes on the silver the entire time it was in the fire. If the silver was left

A moment too long in the flames, it would be destroyed.

The woman was silent for a moment. The she asked the silversmith, “How do you know when the silver is fully refined?”

He smiled at her and answered, “Oh, that’s easy – when I see my image in it.”

If today you are feeling the heat of the fire, remember that God has his eye on you and will keep watching you until He sees His image in you.

"May we all be faithful in doing the day to day ordinary things that prove our worthiness, for they will lead us to and qualify us for great things."

--James E. Faust, "Some Great Thing", Ensign, Nov. 2001, 46

Superwoman Syndrome!

2007-05-08T16:16:00.000-07:00

I went to a Deployed Spouses Retreat today in which they talked about:

Superwoman Syndrome: A range of physical, pyschological, and interpersonal stress symptoms experienced by a woman as she attempts perfectly such multiple and conflicting roles as worker or career volunteer, wife, mother, and homemaker.

Delegate but don't expect it to be perfect...it's not going to be.
The only person we have control over regarding a person's happiness is ourselves
Stressors can be life changes, career changes, geographic changes, traumatic events, group of minor changes
Set realistic expectations: superwoman and supermom are fictional characters
Ask others to "share the load"
Prioritize personal and professional responsibilities
Learn the magic in the simple word NO (*MY FAVORITE*)

Listen to Your Inner Voice --How you react to your life circumstances is crucial. You must first acknowledge your role and ask yourself a few questions: "What can I do to change my situation?" It's important you are honest--if you find yourself saying that there is nothing you can do ("I'm too busy") and others can't or won't help, you may be having trouble relinquishing the Superwoman role.

Beat the Superwoman Syndrome -- First, determine the areas of your life you can streamline and where you can ask for help. Do not expect others to read your mind or just "know" what help you need. You can call a family meeting to discuss how everyone can pitch in to help make the household run more smoothly. Ensure you don't set your standards too high. Avoid excessive criticism of others. Potential helpers might get discouraged and avoid their tasks.

Take a hard look at what activities outside the home contribute to your pressured feelings. Even if you enjoy all of your activities, learn to practice saying no to new activities. Remember, you don't owe anyone an explanation. Simply say, "Thanks for thinking of me but I can't take that on right now."

Finally, in order to feel positive about others, you must feel good about yourself. Find something you enjoy, and carve out the time to do it regularly. Taking care of you physically and emotionally is crucial to being able to care for or about others. If you start telling yourself, "I don't have time," remember this is your Superwoman self speaking! Above all, know you aren't alone. You have the tools to tackle it. Use them!

A Particle of Faith

2007-05-08T04:59:00.000-07:00

Does it ever seem that even though you are trying to do your best you are always coming up short? I see a need to work on "A", but then "B" falls by the wayside. I work on "B" and still on "A" but then "C" starts to weaken in me. Okay, to better explain: I am doing really well with keeping my house a house of order. I'm keeping the floors clean, keeping the rooms uncluttered, etc. I then am starting to really hunker down on my school studies bc I want to stay on schedule, but then a lot of Katie Jo's toys end up cluttering the living room where I'm studying. I try to only do school work during the day so that I can still focus on my house and my family. As I'm trying to balance these two sides of my life, I see that I forgot to prepare my lesson for Sunday and it's friday or saturday night. My alarm goes off at 6:30am every morning so that I can take care of my physical and spiritual body...I work out and then read my scriptures while Katie Jo is still in bed and Randy is off to PT. Katie Jo comes downstairs bc she just woke up and is hungry but I'm not done reading or working out. I have to stop one and do the other. :-p

Now, there are easy fixes on all of these...by switching around my schedule...planning better. I'm not saying these situations are what make me frustrated...no, no...these are way too simple. But you can imagine what I'm trying to convey in more complex situations.

That is when I start to bang my head against the wall. I get so frustrated bc I can't do it all.

Yeah, yeah...nobody is perfect, but they tell us try and that is no easy task to do!

"I never said it would be easy, I only said it would be worth it"

"But behold, if ye will awake and around your faculties, even to an experiment
upon my words, and exercise a particle of faith, yea, even if ye can no more
than desire to believe, let this desire work in you, even until ye believe in a
manner that ye can give place for a portion of my words" Alma 32:27

I like experimenting with new things. And it seems easy enough...just have a desire to believe. That desire is like a seed that I nourish into stronger faith and then to knowledge. I want to believe that I can master "A", "B", and "C" plus all those other things. Something that I learned recently is that you can't exercise faith while you have fear at the same time. They contradict each other. I just need to let loose of all those fears of failure and exercise that particle of faith that I can do this, that I can try and succeed. Little by little & eventually I can master it.

Humility in the word of the Lord

2007-05-04T06:49:00.000-07:00

And now as I said concerning faith--faith is not to have a perfect knowledge of things; therefore if he yave faith ye hope for things which are not seen, which are true

Alma 32:21
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Humble yourselves --> Repent --> Endure to the end --> Shall be blessed

Here's my question to you. If people who humble themselves bc of the word will be blessed more so than those that are compelled to be humble...then why not do it?? It seems like a no brainer to be blessed more. Yet people don't always humble themselves. It usually takes a situation or stumbling block for them to do that.

Just some food for thought.

Early hours of the morning

2007-05-03T06:57:00.000-07:00

What I love about reading the scriptures is that sometimes you can be reading and the words will be uttering exactly how you are feeling...things that you were not otherwise able to put into words yourself.

I have found that the time I get the most out of reading my scriptures is in the early hours of the morning when I first wake up. At that time I'm still half dreaming/half thinking about my dreams, thinking about what lays before me for the day, and any problems or issues that I'm facing. It is at this time that thoughts that are not my own flow into my train of thought. When all is still quiet and calm in the house and you can actually hear the silence, that is my favorite time to read and ponder the scriptures.

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Want to know a funny thing? Well, it's not really funny, but interesting and almost ironic. Here I am this morning, all gloomy from the rain, woke up from not-so-good dreams and am just blah to begin my day. :-( I read my scriptures to try to clear my head and had my thoughts read back to me as I did so. I prayed for some understanding regarding a certain situation. Not until tonight did I realize that the answer to my prayer started before I even prayed for it! Everything clicked together like an epiphany, if you will, when I was talking with Randy on the phone. :-) The Lord is aware of me and He knows what I need...it's my needing to ask for things is how that door opens between us.

Are you willing to die AND willing to fully live for your beliefs?

2007-05-01T11:45:00.000-07:00

"Some men are willing to die for their faith but will not fully live for it. Christ both lived and died for us. By walking in his steps and through his atonement we can gain the greatest gift of all--eternal life--which is that kind of life of the great Eternal One, our Father in heaven."

--Ezra Taft Benson, "Jesus Christ--Gifts and Expectations, Byu Devotional", 10 December 1974

Am I willing to die for my beliefs? Better yet, am I willing to fully live for them? If I'm not, then the question should be why not? Like I've said earlier in this blog, there is no room for complacency in living the gospel of Jesus Christ. There is no room for being luke warm.