Life Springs From Deeper Things

Testimony vs Conversion

2012-02-12T19:32:00.000-08:00

OK this is really interesting to me. I have understood the difference in definition for forever! :) But after this last week, I hadn't thought about it in this way:
Testimony.
I find that I can have a testimony of many principles and many things in this life. I know that certain things are true. I have felt the Spirit tell me. I live these principles the best I can and go through life day in and day out believing that certain things will bring happiness or safety or whatever I can apply that knowledge to.

Conversion.
Until I am converted to that principle and have it written on my heart, I will have a great possibility to sway from that principle at some time. But with real conversion, I have found that I can't deny the truth of that principle.

I understood this best when we were at a RS evening event and talking about VTing:
VTing and having a testimony of it can mean that you make your visits every month and you might even have a lesson every time.
But being Converted to VTing would mean far more. You'd learn to love those you visited and talk to them often to see how they were doing and pray for their well being. You'd have them as friends not just a task to check off once a month but someone to have fun with, invite to be a part of your life.
Big difference, huh? I've done both. There is a huge difference in how well things go in either case.

I have applied this in the past to other principles like repentance, tithing, fasting, prayer, service, fulfilling callings, scripture reading, and on and on. Some of these things I just really know in my heart and can't deny their significance. Now other principles are there in fact and even in testimony for me but I really don't have a full conversion. I don't have them written on my heart like the others.

Life is a process. So I will have opportunities to work on this. Just thought that it was so obvious and so well described last Thursday night. Great job ladies!

2 Chronicles 34:31 "And the king stood in his place, and made a ^acovenant before the Lord, to ^bwalk after the Lord, and to keep his commandments, and his testimonies, and his statutes, with all his heart, and with all his soul. . ."

Helaman 15:7 "And behold, ye do know of yourselves, for ye have witnessed it, that as many of them as are brought to the knowledge of the truth . . . and are led to believe the holy scriptures, yea, the prophecies of the holy prophets, which are written, which leadeth them to faith on the Lord, and unto repentance, which faith and repentance bringeth a ^achange of heart unto them—"

2012-02-12T19:25:00.000-08:00

Two great quotes. My sister sent the first one and my Dad the second:

"For every complex problem there is a simple solution . . .

and it is wrong."

H. L. Mencken

"You cannot bring about prosperity by discouraging thrift.
You cannot strengthen the weak by weakening the strong.
You cannot help the wage earner by pulling down the wage payer.
You cannot further the brotherhood of men by encouraging class hatred.
You cannot help the poor by discouraging the rich.
You cannot establish sound security by spending more than you earn.
You cannot build character and courage by taking away man's initiative and independence.
You cannot help men permanently by doing for them what they can and should do for themselves."
Rev. William J. H. Boetcker, 1916

True Religion-James in the New Testament

2011-11-07T04:52:00.001-08:00

· President Joseph F. Smith: "This may beinterpreted as meaning that a person who is religious is thoughtful to theunfortunate, and has an inner spirit that prompts to deeds of kindness and tothe leading of a blameless life; who is just, truthful; who does not, as Paulsays, think more highly of himself than he ought to think; who is affectionate,patient in tribulation, diligent, cheerful, fervent in spirit, hospitable,merciful; and who abhors evil and cleaves to that which is good. The possessionof such a spirit and feeling is a true sign that a person is naturallyreligious. (Gospel Doctrine, p121)

2011-09-18T19:31:00.000-07:00

“The world today speaks a great deal about love,

and it is sought for by many.

But the pure love of Christ differs greatly from what the world thinks of love.

Charity never seeks selfish gratification.

The pure love of Christ seeks only the eternal growth and joy of others.”

Ezra Taft Benson

This Year For Christmas

2010-11-30T09:20:00.000-08:00

Author Unknown
I skipped the sales after Thanksgiving
The thrill just wasn't there
No pictures taken with Santa Claus
My decorating has no flare
His presents are shirts, shoes and ties
Two suites and socks. . . .no fun.
I've bought him all white clothes because
This year I'm giving Christ my son.
I've spent more time in the temple,
Felt strength come from His words.
I've reread November's Ensign,
And my testimony stirred.
Our family prays more frequently
My tears more freely run.
Abraham seems closer
Because this year I'm giving Christ my son.
I wonder how those Lamanite Mothers
Gave their sons to war?
Or how the pioneers chose Zion
Their sacrafice was so much more
My loss will be his presence
I'll miss his smile a ton.
For two years we will pray for him
I'm giving Christ my son.
I stare at his face when he's not looking.
I memorize his eye, their shine.
He's always hungered for the part of him
That makes his soul divine.
The stories and lessons he always heard
His choice and mine are one.
I'll put my faith in God's hand
This year, I'm giving him my son.
Past gifts have lost their glitter,
I think I finally understand,
Christ's birth should be celebrated
By giving Him a hand.
It's because I know Christ lives and reigns,
That all his packing's done.
My gift has taken years to make.
This year . . . I'm giving Christ my son.

O that thou hadst hearkened

2010-09-28T19:58:00.000-07:00

"Thus saith the Lord, thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Isreal; I am the Lord thy God which teacheth thee to profit, which leadeth thee by the way that thou shouldest go.
O that thou hadst hearkened to my commandments! then had thy peace been as a river, and thy righteousness as the waves of the sea;. . . . "

This scripture is found both in 1 Nephi 20 and in Isaiah 48. It's a great chapter all around. But I was reminded tonight of my constant need for evaluation, for my need to check myself against the goals that the Lord has in mind for my life's success.

First, He lets me know that His interest is in my profitting in life. He wants to see me succeed. And then he is yearning to have seen more from Isreal, and if I'm applying the scriptures to me, and from me.

Then He really wants me to know that there are real blessings that come from obeying or living in line with His ways. If I just walk the walk that is best I'll have great peace. In this life, who doesn't want that?!

I know I fall short. I sure try not to but I'm not quite all of the way there yet. I'm just very grateful for reminders like this that help me to know that the Savior is willing and merciful.

Can He Soften All Hearts?

2010-08-22T15:39:00.000-07:00

Today we were talking about the importance of the scriptures in our lives. The discussion was wonderful. So many great thoughts. Our teacher, Emily, led off with a story from a talk by Elder D. Todd Christofferson entitled: "The Blessing of Scripture". Here is the story that he told:

"On October 6, in the year 1536, a pitiful figure was led from a dungeon in Vilvorde Castle near Brussels, Belgium. For nearly a year and a half, the man had suffered isolation in a dark, damp cell. Now outside the castle wall, the prisoner was fastened to a post. He had time to utter aloud his final prayer, “Lord! open the king of England’s eyes,” and then he was strangled. Immediately, his body was burned at the stake. Who was this man, and what was the offense for which both political and ecclesiastical authorities had condemned him? His name was William Tyndale, and his crime was to have translated and published the Bible in English.

"Tyndale, born in England about the time Columbus sailed to the new world, was educated at Oxford and Cambridge and then became a member of the Catholic clergy. He was fluent in eight languages, including Greek, Hebrew, and Latin. Tyndale was a devoted student of the Bible, and the pervasive ignorance of the scriptures that he observed in both priests and lay people troubled him deeply. In a heated exchange with a cleric who argued against putting scripture in the hands of the common man, Tyndale vowed, “If God spare my life, ere many years I will cause a boy that driveth the plough, shall know more of the Scripture than thou dost!”

"He sought the approval of church authorities to prepare a translation of the Bible in English so that all could read and apply the word of God. It was denied—the prevailing view being that direct access to the scriptures by any but the clergy threatened the authority of the church and was tantamount to casting “pearls before swine” (Matthew 7:6)."

"Tyndale nevertheless undertook the challenging work of translation. In 1524 he traveled to Germany, under an assumed name, where he lived much of the time in hiding, under constant threat of arrest. With the help of committed friends, Tyndale was able to publish English translations of the New Testament and later the Old Testament. The Bibles were smuggled into England, where they were in great demand and much prized by those who could get them. They were shared widely but in secret. The authorities burned all the copies they could find. Nevertheless, within three years of Tyndale’s death, God did indeed open King Henry VIII’s eyes, and with publication of what was called the “Great Bible,” the scriptures in English began to be publicly available. Tyndale’s work became the foundation for almost all future English translations of the Bible, most notably the King James Version.¹

William Tyndale was not the first, nor the last, of those who in many countries and languages have sacrificed, even to the point of death, to bring the word of God out of obscurity. We owe them all a great debt of gratitude. "

First does the point that King Henry the VIII was the kings whose heart was softened? Amazing.

Our discussion really took off when woman after woman spoke of her conversion story. I am amazed by the response that I get when I have religious conversations with others who love the scriptures and the gospel and the Savior but have never been told by their clergy to read and pray for their own answers! This is so shocking to me. Why wouldn't a clergy be willing to encourage anyone desiring for truth to seek it to the fullest?
These women speaking of their own gospel discoveries found that one common denominator was the opportunity to not only read the scriptures for themselves but to ask and know that they would receive answers to their prayers. It's such a liberating way to live the gospel.
Each of us is so different.-each with different personalities, life experiences, cultures, family issues, etc. So why wouldn't we be approaching the Lord in different ways needing a different take on how to maneuver in life?
Yes, many things are a constant-morality, charity, love, the Atonement, the 10 Commandments, etc. The constants are the road signs of life, the speed bumps, the lines in the road. But how we travel on the road with those that we have chosen or maybe not chosen at times to travel with takes asking and answering from someone who really knows us and those around us, no?
So when we say that we have a personal relationship with the Lord, we really need to take a look and see if we are asking Him for the answers that bring our lives to a fullness and help us to be a better person.

Two other thoughts:
If the Lord can soften the heart of a leader like King Henry the VII, then why should we be tentative about Him doing the same in our day with the many wicked or hardened men and women in leadership?

And when reading about faith:
Defin: " And now as I said concerning faith—^afaith is not to have a perfect knowledge of things; therefore if ye have faith ye ^bhope for things which are ^cnot seen, which are true."(Alma 32:21)

When we, in faith, seek for answers and get an answer we know that it's up to us to see that answer through. We act on the answer even if it shakes us a little. If we have enough faith to follow through on the answers we get we can very well come to a point each time where we gain perfect knowledge on that thing we are praying about. A great scripture for this:

"27 But behold, if ye will awake and arouse your faculties, even to an experiment upon my words, and exercise a particle of faith, yea, even if ye can no more than ^adesire 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.

28 Now, we will compare the word unto a ^aseed. Now, if ye give place, that a ^bseed may be planted in your ^cheart, behold, if it be a true seed, or a good seed, if ye do not cast it out by your ^dunbelief, that ye will resist the Spirit of the Lord, behold, it will begin to swell within your breasts; and when you feel these swelling motions, ye will begin to say within yourselves—It must needs be that this is a good seed, or that the word is good, for it beginneth to enlarge my soul; yea, it beginneth to ^eenlighten my ^funderstanding, yea, it beginneth to be delicious to me.

29 Now behold, would not this increase your faith? I say unto you, Yea; nevertheless it hath not grown up to a perfect knowledge.

30 But behold, as the seed swelleth, and sprouteth, and beginneth to grow, then you must needs say that the seed is good; for behold it swelleth, and sprouteth, and beginneth to grow. And now, behold, will not this strengthen your faith? Yea, it will strengthen your faith: for ye will say I know that this is a good seed; for behold it sprouteth and beginneth to grow.

31 And now, behold, are ye sure that this is a good seed? I say unto you, Yea; for every seed bringeth forth unto its own ^alikeness.

32 Therefore, if a seed groweth it is good, but if it groweth not, behold it is not good, therefore it is cast away.

33 And now, behold, because ye have tried the experiment, and planted the seed, and it swelleth and sprouteth, and beginneth to grow, ye must needs know that the seed is good.

34 And now, behold, is your ^aknowledge ^bperfect? Yea, your knowledge is perfect in that thing, and your ^cfaith is dormant; and this because you know, for ye know that the word hath swelled your souls, and ye also know that it hath sprouted up, that your understanding doth begin to be enlightened, and your ^dmind doth begin to expand.

35 O then, is not this real? I say unto you, Yea, because it is ^alight; and whatsoever is light, is ^bgood, because it is discernible, therefore ye must know that it is good; and now behold, after ye have tasted this light is your knowledge perfect?

36 Behold I say unto you, Nay; neither must ye lay aside your faith, for ye have only exercised your faith to plant the seed that ye might try the experiment to know if the seed was good.

37 And behold, as the tree beginneth to grow, ye will say: Let us nourish it with great care, that it may get root, that it may grow up, and bring forth fruit unto us. And now behold, if ye nourish it with much care it will get root, and grow up, and bring forth fruit.

38 But if ye ^aneglect the tree, and take no thought for its nourishment, behold it will not get any root; and when the heat of the sun cometh and scorcheth it, because it hath no root it withers away, and ye pluck it up and cast it out.

39 Now, this is not because the seed was not good, neither is it because the fruit thereof would not be desirable; but it is because your ^aground is ^bbarren, and ye will not nourish the tree, therefore ye cannot have the fruit thereof.

40 And thus, if ye will not nourish the word, looking forward with an eye of faith to the fruit thereof, ye can never pluck of the fruit of the ^atree of life.

41 But if ye will nourish the word, yea, nourish the tree as it beginneth to grow, by your faith with great diligence, and with ^apatience, looking forward to the fruit thereof, it shall take root; and behold it shall be a tree ^bspringing up unto everlasting life.

42 And because of your ^adiligence and your faith and your patience with the word in nourishing it, that it may take root in you, behold, by and by ye shall pluck the ^bfruit thereof, which is most precious, which is sweet above all that is sweet, and which is white above all that is white, yea, and pure above all that is pure; and ye shall feast upon this fruit even until ye are filled, that ye hunger not, neither shall ye thirst.

43 Then, my brethren, ye shall ^areap the ^brewards of your faith, and your diligence, and patience, and long-suffering, waiting for the tree to bring forth ^cfruit unto you." (Alma 32)

Wonderful discussion today on the gift and blessing of having the scriptures and the things we gain from having them in our lives!

2010-06-21T11:32:00.000-07:00

"The day obedience becomes a quest and not an irritation is the day you gain power."

Is My Line of Communication Open?

2010-06-20T15:50:00.000-07:00

In RS today our cool teacher, Sis. P. Heilig, asked us at the end of a great lesson (of a lesson on the life of Christ) to do some word association. She said "My Beloved Son" and asked,"what does this make you think of?"
I thought of something that I've learned lately. Throughout the last 20+ years of raising our 5 children, I've noticed that when they are making really good choices, I can "feel" or receive pretty constant promptings as to what they need or how they are doing. I can understand quickly in many instances what to say or do for them to best take care of them in any area of their lives.
But sadly, when a child has made a negative or sinful enough choice to block the Spirit from their lives, it puts up a wall for me, too. I find this devastating. I love the Spirit working in our lives to teach us, build us up, protect us, and nurture us. With one child for almost 6 months I couldn't figure out why we couldn't "connect" in our communications. This son is by nature so kind and good. When on track, he's an amazingly intuitive person, hard working and social. But with his sins came this negative, argumentative, reclusive side that I couldn't work through. For a Mom who has relied with great success on the Spirit working miracles in our home, I really didn't find this fun at all! I did all of the things I could think of. I talked to him, prayed for him, fasted for him and worked to watch closely for hints of what might be wrong.
Once my son took steps to repent, that barrier lifted. I couldn't believe the difference!!! I had never felt this as a parent-the stark contrast of having and not having ability to use the power of the Spirit in our home.
Sadly I thought of a year in my life when I chose out of righteous living. At the time that I went through repentance, I felt my own distance from Heavenly Father and the struggle to enjoy the Spirit again. I felt the rush of peace when I had received forgiveness and the commitment to work from that point on to live in a way to never lose the Spirit again.
I have now felt the pain that my very good parents must have felt. I openly apologized to my Dad when he was in town last week in front of some of my siblings at the temple for creating this kind of a barrier. It pains me now to know that I was capable and selfish enough to do that to such great people (parents of 10 children). I had had no idea the pain that a parent could feel in this way.
So when I heard the words, "My Beloved Son", I immediately thought of the gratitude and overwhelming (if anything for our Father is overwhelming) or fully encompassing joy that our Heavenly Father had to have felt when His Son followed through on the plan from so long ago in the pre-existence. When He could say that everything was done completely on track with all of the covenants and events happening in line with His understanding as our Father. How much more trusting I am now of our Savior's love for us.
He did EVERYTHING "right" thereby not blocking the relationship with our Father in Heaven. We can trust everything that he did because he never lost the Spirit. By so doing, He really was one with the Father. He knew exactly what was needed and acted completely in tune with The Great Plan of Happiness.
What a glorious Brother we have. What a great example. How he loves us to be so unselfish for 33 years of mortal living as well as in the time before and after his earthly life.
It's motivating for me to try to do better and to learn from the scriptures more of what Heavenly Father would like for me to learn and be.

What Belongs to You When You Die

2010-05-05T21:47:00.000-07:00

From my Dad:

I bought a used church book and between a couple of the pages was a clipping from what looks like a newspaper, newsprint paper anyway, that said:

"Today's Thought: Remember that what you possess in this world will be found on the day of your death to belong to somebody else. But what you are will be yours forever. Henry Van Dyke

Glenn Beck - Current Events & Politics - Pledge of Nonviolence

2010-04-24T17:57:00.000-07:00

Glenn Beck - Current Events & Politics - Pledge of Nonviolence

2010-04-20T22:33:00.000-07:00

Some of the greatest battles will be fought
within the silent chambers
of your own soul.
Ezra Taft Benson

Lifeline

2010-03-30T20:18:00.000-07:00

I have been "reading with our daughter. She has had me tell her the stories about the life of Jesus Christ as we turn the pages of the gospel art book that I purchased. Each picture is wonderful and so artistic. One particular painting has put an indelible stamp on my mind. In the picture that I am referring to, is a water scene. The waters are choppy and the sky, stormy gray. Several men are in a boat but the central subjects of the story are not. To the right and standing on the water is the Savior. In the water is Peter reaching for the Savior. Most are familiar with this stunning recorded event. Most are aware of the soon to be Apostles seeing the Savior walk on water and Peter wanting so badly to try it out. In his efforts he succeeded, for a moment, then noticing the impossible, he sank. He asked for the Savior's assistance in his moment of failure and the Savior reached out and saved Peter(Matthew 14:22-32).

I, personally, have always loved this story. I love that the Savior could walk on water. I love that Peter was able to walk some, too. That just seemed so great and brought it to a place that made me think that I could try it out someday (with Jesus' help).

But right now for me, this story has more dimensions.

The Savior asked the disciples to head on out on the water.

They were very familiar with water having been fishermen.

The Lord took the time to go to a mountain to pray after spending the day preaching the gospel.

After quite a while (what looks like between 3 and 6am) He came down from the mountain and saw the disciples.

They were obedient and were working hard to get to where the Lord had requested that they go. He saw their struggle with the elements and walked to them.

In the pressure of dealing with the storm at sea, the disciples didn't know who the Savior was. They thought that he was a spirit on the water.

When the Savior declared that it was Him, Peter asked the Lord to essentially prove it by allowing Peter to walk on the water, too.

It was still stormy.

It was, in our mortal knowledge and experience, a very awkward and strange thing to even walk on water. Would it ever occur to you to consider doing it? No one else does this. I've never seen anyone do it. I wouldn't think it something normal to consider doing.

Yet, here was Jesus walking, for what sounds like quite a distance, to His Disciples in the storm.

How many times have we been told by the Spirit that we needed to do something and we turned away from the prompting dismissing it because it seemed so illogical, strange, out of date, uncomfortable, etc? How many times have our trials been impossible in our eyes? Isn't it in the scriptures that we read that we won't receive a trial that we can't handle? And yet we reason our way out of doing things the Lord's way in order to fit in or keep cool or not make waves with our families and friends. Were we put here to go with the flow of society? Did the Lord go with the flow of society?

now one might want to say that with the storm others wouldn't see this all happening but the Lord saw His disciples from where He was on the shore. So we might assume that others would, if awake, be able to see the whole event unfold.

Well, not only did Jesus do such a strange thing (he could have procured a boat for himself), but then Peter asked to do the same thing!

Now let's talk about Peter.

Here he is seeing something ridiculous and he says that he wants to do it, too.

This should indicate that he's pretty bold and daring in nature.

Peter indicates that he knows that if it is indeed the Savior that the Savior would have the power to make it possible for Peter to walk on water.

So Peter has a lot of faith to start with.

Peter is ok with doing this during a storm so he's not easily deterred from a challenge.

And if anyone was watching, he didn't seem to care either.

The Savior was totally fine with giving Peter this unexplainable experience of walking on water. He didn't lecture him on asking for a sign. He didn't tell Peter that Peter wasn't capable.

So there must have been a reason for the event.

Just in my mind,

I wonder if the Lord thought that it was important to let Peter and the disciples see the real power that He had over the elements.

I wonder if the Lord, knowing Peter's future roll in the church as the head after He would be gone, thought it wise to allow Peter to exercise his faith. Peter, like a child, did so well! And then. . .

Like a normal human being realized the implications of what he was doing.

Notice that I say, "what he was doing". It was Peter walking on water. He made a conscious choice. Peter was exercising his faith successfully. Peter in the midst of a storm at sea, WALKED ON WATER.

This is stunning. It is not normal for anyone to even consider it and yet Peter actually did it.

Well, like I said also, like a normal human being, Peter looked around and considered this event and faltered.

This is what really has been on my mind lately.

I face real challenges that are seemingly completely out of my control. There is a huge storm in the world. This storm is a perfect storm of lacking morality, empty of faith, destitute of personal responsibility, full of the strength of anger, lacking in hope, wavering in the characteristics of charity, and burdened with pride.

Men on every continent live to enslave humankind.

Humankind is complacent in general to the onslaught.

It's a terrible storm. There aren't many willing to fight or weather it.

There aren't many with faith to WALK ON WATER.

When Peter questioned, he began to sink. As President Thomas S. Monson said, "Your future is as bright as your faith."

Do we have the options at this point to question? Do we have time? Can we afford to sink? (well we always have the choice)

Many of us are working with all that we have (for some it's a lot and for some it's a little) to defend our God, our Families, our Freedoms and the same blessings for others. We sit in our homes, go out in public, type on the computer, get on the phones and faxes. We work really hard to educate ourselves. We are trying to walk but I'm afraid that each one of us at various times has a bad night or discouraging events. Each one of us struggles to know the next step and if it's even possible in the raging, stormy sea. Many of our friends think we're crazy. They look from the shore and shake their heads. "Give up. What you're doing is nuts!", we hear.

Some won't give up.

Some can't give up.

Some love their God and their Families and their Freedoms more than the storm.

These are those that the Lord can lift up.

The Lord said to Peter, "Oh thou of little faith wherefore didst thou doubt?" but he was just making a statement of fact. An evaluation for the moment. In fact the Savior knew where Peter's faith would take him and who can deny the strength we read about and are inspired by further on. Peter was labeled a rock for a reason. Peter led so many to the Savior's gospel. Peter lifted people up then and still does with his writings. Peter not only traveled and taught among the Jews, he did even more with the "Gentiles" as a free man in the Roman Empire.

If we liken the scriptures unto us, we'll be able to see that we can and should exercise our faith no matter how goofy the prompting is to us. Each of us has a life to live. Each of us is here to help another and to make a difference. All roads are a little different but can get to the same place.

We, like Peter, might "check it out" so to speak and walk for a little bit and then get bombarded by the storm. It might really worry us to the point that we think we can't make it.

But as He always will, when we cry out for Jesus Christ to save us, He will.

And not only will he save us when we make the effort to turn to Him . . .

He will calm the storm.

"And now, O my son Helaman, behold, thou art in thy youth, and therefore, I beseech of the that thou wilt hear my words and learn of me; for I do know that whosoever shall put their trust in God shall be supported in their trials, and their troubles, and their afflictions, and shall be lifted up at the last day." (Alma 36:3)

Inspiration Anytime Anywhere

2010-03-25T07:56:00.000-07:00

"Most of us, most of the time, speak of the facility at Liberty as a 'jail' or a 'prison'—and certainly it was that. But Elder Brigham H. Roberts (1857–1933) of the First Council of the Seventy, in recording the history of the Church, spoke of the facility as a temple, or, more accurately, a 'prison-temple.' Elder Neal A. Maxwell (1926–2004) used the same phrasing in some of his writings. Certainly this prison-temple lacked the purity, beauty, comfort, and cleanliness of our modern temples. The speech and behavior of the guards and criminals who came there were anything but temple-like. In fact, the restricting brutality and injustice of this experience at Liberty would make it seem the very antithesis of the liberating, merciful spirit of our temples and the ordinances performed in them."So in what sense could Liberty Jail be called a 'temple,' and what does such a title tell us about God's love and teachings, including where and when that love and those teachings are made manifest? In precisely this sense: that you can have sacred, revelatory, profoundly instructive experiences with the Lord in any situation you are in. Indeed, you can have sacred, revelatory, profoundly instructive experiences with the Lord in the most miserable experiences of your life—in the worst settings, while enduring the most painful injustices, when facing the most insurmountable odds and opposition you have ever faced."

Jeffrey R. Holland, "Lessons from Liberty Jail," Ensign, Sept. 2009, 28

Provoke Not Your Children

2010-03-08T20:01:00.000-08:00

Ephesians 6:1-4
"Children Obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right.
Honour thy father and mother;
(which is the first commandment with promise;)
That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth,
And ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath:
but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord."

I have read this passage several times and came across it accidentally about 3 years ago. It starts off familiar but notice the last 2 lines. Those are verse 4. It took me back a little and then I thought that this was a very wise finish to a very important commandment.

First let's be clear. To honour you parents means to be respectful and work hard to make a good name for them and for and through your posterity. For those who have toxic, selfish, addictive, abusive, etc. parents, you have your hands full. You still have to honour your parents but you don't have to live by them, spend time with them at your own peril, expose your family to their behavior, etc. These decisions should be made prayerfully and on behalf of you and your own family.
To honour our parents even if they've passed on or aren't near us for one reason or another really means to raise our children well and carry the family name, so-to-speak, well-doing as well or, in the worst circumstances, much better. We need to do this without vindictiveness or thoughts of obsessive revenge and such. We do this with love and with the spirit of peace. This can be so hard but it's possible.
Back to that last part. Isn't it interesting that the burden isn't all on the children. It's not really fair is it to put the honoring just on children?
Here's what's seems to be really happening here.
A chain of anger, vengence, revenge, hate is stopped when the parent behaves-to not provoking his/her children to anger. We are the examples and we are responsible for passing or not passing along bad habits. So if I have a temper about certain things, it's important for me to work on keeping that to myself as my own challenge and not enjoy watching my children get worked up about similar things. This doesn't mean that we don't share news or facts. But there is a responsibility to learn to discuss things without making a mock of others or ridiculing to raise everyone's blood pressure or cause cocky laughter about others.
I really think that my Dad is a great example of this. He usually doesn't really react to much. Smart man. He has a lot of children. We all have tempers to one degree or another. What upsets him is almost a complete mystery to me. I mean I know what sports teams he likes to watch and I know what things bring him joy or bring some sadness to him but what riles him up, not so sure. That leaves me all to myself to look at my own weaknesses and own them as my own to work on.
Look at the world around us. In cultures there are heated and dangerous beliefs that reinforce beatings and killings from father to son to daughter to grandchildren. This purpetual riling up just never allows for calm or peace.
So, yes, we children have a huge responsibility to honor our parents both living and dead with our actions and lives. And as Parents, we also have the responsibility to promote peace and the nurturing of our children in the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
(Characteristics that will help us all in Moroni 7:45-47)

2010-02-23T06:17:00.001-08:00

"Think of the purest, most all-consuming love you can imagine. Now multiply that love by an infinite amount—that is the measure of God's love for you."God does not look on the outward appearance (see 1 Samuel 16:7). I believe that He doesn't care one bit if we live in a castle or a cottage, if we are handsome or homely, if we are famous or forgotten. Though we are incomplete, God loves us completely. Though we are imperfect, He love us perfectly, Though we may feel lost and without compass, God's love encompasses us completely."

Dieter F. Uchtdorf, "The Love of God," Ensign, Nov. 2009, 22

2010-02-22T13:38:00.000-08:00

"An individual with foundation standards and an enduring commitment to obey them is not easily led astray. Someone who is increasingly repulsed by grievous sin and who exercises self-restraint outside human influence has character. Repentance will be more efficacious for such an individual. A feeling of remorse after a mistake is a fertile soil wherein repentance can flower."

Richard G. Scott, "To Acquire Spiritual Guidance," Ensign, Nov. 2009, 9

The Final Battle

2010-02-19T08:53:00.000-08:00

I am sure that I'm not the first to consider the last battle-the ultimate good vs evil. I am sure that there are lots of theories out there on how this will all look. So I'll just add my small idea into the mix.

I was reading the scriptures about the last days. I thought about the millennium, the 1000 years of peace after the terrible trials that finish out this dispensation. And then I found myself thinking about the final battle we read about in Revelations 20:7-11 where it says, "And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea. And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them. And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever. And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the whole earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them."

Have you ever thought about that last battle? I thought about trying to fight with Jesus in a kind of hand to hand combat as a youth. I thought that that would be just great because even then I knew in my heart that if I was on the Lord's side, everything would turn out well.

But as I've started to really look at the Lord's ways and ponder more about how He does battle, I have noticed quite a different battle technique.

The one thing that seems constant is that there is a power used whenever the Savior, or anyone who is a follower of the Savior, encounters Satan or a devil or devils are present.

In Mark Chapter 5 the Savior right after getting off the boat at Gadarenes was met by a man possessed by devils, He first asked how many were present and then cast devils out and into the swine which in turn jumped into the ocean.

And when Moses who had already experienced the beauty and power of Jesus Christ, was confronted by Satan who tried to convince Moses that he, Satan, was the Son of God, Moses casts him out in the name of Jesus Christ(Moses 1:12-23).

In Luke 4:33-35 there's the story about a man in the synagogue who was possessed by a devil. Listen to what he says to the Savior. ". . . Let us alone; what have we to do with thee, thou Jesus of Nazareth? art thou some to destroy us? I know thee who thou art; the Holy One of God." Isn't it interesting that even devils were compelled to acknowledge the Savior, the Son of God? At this point Jesus Christ said, "Hold thy peace, and come out of him." The devil possessing this man threw the man's body and came out.

Here we read (in Matthew 8:16 of the New Testament) "when the even was come, they brought unto him many that were possessed with devils: and he cast out the spirits with his word, and healed all that were sick:" (bold added)

And again in Matthew 9:32 and 33 it says, "As they went out, behold, they brought to him a dumb man possessed with a devil. And when the devil was cast out, the dumb spake: and the multitudes marvelled, saying, It was never so seen in Israel."

In Matthew 4:1-11 we read about probably the most personal confrontation between Satan and Jesus Christ. Here the Savior, in the interest of intensely preparing for His official ministry, had been fasting for 40 days. The Savior was "led up" by the Spirit to face the temptations of the Devil, Satan, himself. After the three particular temptations the Savior merely said, "Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve." It was done. Satan left and angels came to minister to Jesus.

In these few examples that show the power used to rid each person of the presence of Satan, we can see some common things. First it was not uncommon for the devil and devils to actually recognize who the Savior was, the Son of God and speak of it. Second, all that was needed was faith in the Savior and the use of His name to send these devils and Satan away. Third every time Satan or devils are told to depart, they put up a fight, pitch a fit, throw a tantrum. . . but leave.

It's more apparent than ever that this last battle will be a battle of faith and priesthood power. I think that as with Moses, even if we are all so frightened by the amount on Satan's side and the depth of evil we encounter, we will still need to be able to call on the Savior and in His name cast all evil away from us and from off of this earth forever. Yes, I did say that WE, using his name should be able to cast evil, in fact devils, away from us.

What does the Savior keep trying to tell us? He says to be perfect in Him, to have faith, hope and charity, to continually be on guard. He's telling us continually work on strengthening our testimonies of Him and the truths of the gospel and of gospel living. Do you think that He knows how hard the final battle will be? Does love us so much that he wants us to succeed with Him?

In Ephesians chapter 6 verse 11 we are told to, "Put on the whole armour of God" why? "that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil". It sounds like Jesus Christ tells us how we can succeed in this final battle. As most know from the rest of this scripture, the armour of God consists of: "having your lions girt about with truth and having on the breastplate of righteousness; and your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, where with ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: Praying always with all prayer and supplication"

Doesn't this scripture alone give great insight as to the great love he has for us and the determination He has to tell us how it really is? Giving us the understanding of what is needed to succeed in battle is true love and devotion. This isn't just to get ready for the final battle. But this is to do battle every day with real evil in our lives. Just like with everything else good for us we have to exercise, to train, to build our spiritual muscles. In the same chapter of Ephesians we also continue to read in vs 12, "For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places." This is for our day to day application of the building of our armour. We have to make our armour impenetrable! We have to seal up all soft spots all possible weak areas so that the Devil has no power currently in our lives. And then we have to keep on building our defenses and patching our wounds every day so that we can discern the strategies of Satan in our lives and beat back the darkness. Remember the story of Moroni? He taught the people to fortify their cities. They didn't take for granted where their cities were located in the land. They built up high walls with great defenses they prepared by storing food and making armour. The were ready for the enemy-the enemy that was determined to take them captive. Satan would have ALL to be his captives. He thinks that this will bring him the glory he sought so long ago in the pre-existence. He is in an all out man to man, if not more like a double and triple teaming strategy with each one of us until his time is up and that final bell rings to say the game is over! If you want to talk a little more basketball, we are in March Madness. We are in the final four if not the Championship game. Both sides have come to win. One side will surely play dirty and foul out many players but their bench is deep! We need to pick the winning side. This one has classic ball strategies that have been proven since the beginning of time. It's one that doesn't require dirty playing. In fact the strength comes from loving the game and clean play. The Coach has been there before us. He's THE best coach and we just need to follow every game plan, every move, every empowering pep talk He gives us.

The constant pep talk we get is to follow His example. What was He like, this being with all power? In Moroni 7:45 we read of the characteristics that we are told will bring about the win. Here's the list: we should be able to suffer at length, be kind, no be envious, not be puffed up/proud, not seek our own, not easily provoked, not think evil things, should not rejoice in evil things but rejoice in the truth, bear all things, believe all things, have hope, and endure all things.

He, our loving Savior wants us to be triumphant with him. He wants us to have the opportunities that He enjoys, He wants our lives to be eternally filled with joy and growth and peace and love and so much more that we can comprehend. Part of his game plan is to give us a playbook-the many examples in the scriptures. We have examples of prophets, disciples, and apostles. They all faced their challenges and we have examples of their successes to motivate us. People like Daniel, Joseph, Abraham, Paul, Peter, Job, Ruth, Mary, Moroni, Helaman, Ammon and so many more.
When we are working to be like Jesus Christ, successful in our life's journey, and ultimately triumphant, we need to have and idea of what makes the Savior as powerful as He is. With the list of characteristics in Moroni 7:45, we have a fighting chance. It's a list that keeps me, personally, evaluating. It's a list that has a promise attached. In verse 46 and 47, the promise is that if we have these characteristics, we will not fail. HE HAS PROMISED THIS. I have tried this out in my life and it has worked in my darkest hours. I am still working on it, though and will until I die. It reads, "Wherefore, my beloved bretheren, if ye have not charity, ye are nothing, for charity never faileth. Wherefore, cleave unto charity, which is the greatest of all, for all things must fail. But charity is the pure love of Christ, and it endureth forever, and whoso is found possessed of it at the last day, it shall be well with him."

Remember a trial of Peter's faith when the Jesus walked on water and Peter was told he could, too, and did. What happened. Peter's faith faltered. Let's go to the list. He fell short in believing all things. It's a great example to us that we in small and big things need to keep our eyes on the prize. We need to have hope (the energy source) and the faith to do the things that Jesus tells us we can do. He tells us we can win-every day and in the end.

If in fact we are proven in this life and we find ourselves standing with our best foot forward with the Savior in that final battle and all hell unleashes, will we be able to stand tall and command this great legion of evil to cease and depart or will we shrink and doubt as the example of Peter's quick lack of faith in the account of walking on water?

This whole thought makes us look deep into our souls. It takes us to the point of the reality of the power of faith. It brings us to the real strength of the Savior. Like the story of the 2000 stripling warriors led by Helaman, if in fact, we have faith in the Savior that He will stand with us and protect us, we too will prevail. We can choose to stand with Him forever.

Did the Savior not create this earth? His power has created and destroyed at will all of this world and anything in it!

So really is that last battle a battle of metal swords, guns, tanks, and bombs? I can't find anywhere that even leads to this level of combat. As with the examples recorded for us to see, it looks like the battle will be ugly because evil is terrible and dark and powerful but the battle will be overcome by faith and the power of the priesthood and with the Savior and in His name. Ultimately as when Satan has been cast out before, we will see the huge tantrum but at the command of our Lord, Satan and his legions will DEPART.

The Little Red Hen

2010-01-05T08:00:00.000-08:00

Said the big white rooster, “Gosh all hemlock, things are really tough,
Seems that worms are getting scarce and I cannot find enough.
What’s become of all those fat ones is a mystery to me;
There were thousands through the rainy spell, but now where can they be?”

The little red hen who heard him didn’t grumble or complain,
She had been through lots of dry spells, she had lived through floods of rain;
So she flew up on the grindstone and she gave her claws a whet,
And she said, “I’ve never seen the time there were no worms to get.”

She picked a new and undug spot; the earth was hard and firm.
The big white rooster jeered, “New ground! That’s no place for a worm.”
The little red hen spread her feet, she dug both fast and free,
“I must go to the worms,” she said, “the worms won’t come to me.”

The rooster vainly spent his day, through habit by the ways,
Where fat worms have passed in squads, back in the rainy days.
When nightfall found him supperless, he growled in accents rough,
“I’m as hungry as a fowl can be―conditions sure are tough.”

He turned to the little red hen and said, “It’s worse with you,
For you’re not only hungry, but you must be tired too.”
I rested while I watched for worms, so I feel fairly perk.
But how are you? Without worms too? And after all that work?”

The little red hen hopped to her perch and drooped her eyes to sleep,
And murmured in a drowsy tone, “Young man, hear this and weep.
I’m full of worms and happy, for I’ve dined both long and well.
The worms were there as always―but I had to dig like h---!”

Oh, here and there, white roosters are still holding sales positions,
They cannot do much business now, because of poor conditions.
But as soon as things get right again, they’ll sell a hundred firms―
Meanwhile the little red hens are out a-gobbling up the worms.
[“The Little Red Hen,” author unknown]

2009-12-04T22:23:00.000-08:00

"The “good life” is not a “pleasure hunt.” If we want to be happy we must pursue happiness, not pleasure. The measure of a happy person is his ability to be tough with himself and tender with others.” (David O. McKay, Man May Know for Himself, pg. 246)

2009-10-31T05:50:00.000-07:00

My family was having fun with an email thread about keeping a journal and the different ways to do it. My sister, Becky, has a lesson on Sunday and was asking for input. Another sister, Emily, sent us some journal entries from our Grandfather. It is really great to read the journal entries from him. They are a log of costs of things and actual events. Everyone keeps journals or family histories a little differently.
Some ideas from our emails:
Keep a steno pad by your bed for each child so that you can write down the events for them or your thoughts about them.
Keep photo albums and add some comments about the pictures and events.
Keep a family blog.
Take your pictures and entries from your blog and publish them in a family book.
Make videos of events and then put them on disks or keep them for the family.
Keep your own journal and record things in there about family events and your feelings and thoughts about the people in your life.
Make mini photo albums for children to see their grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, siblings, etc. You can take that in the car or to church or wherever and you have a great memory maker for them early on.
Keep a journal next to your scriptures and books you're reading so that you can record your thoughts as you read certain things that influence your life and impress you.
Our brother, Jonathan, got into the terms "journaling" and "scrapbooking" and stuff so we had some fun with the words. I loved the play on Journaling that they did in the emails. It made the word "Journey" come to my mind. Now I think I have a whole new perspective. I think that the word must come from keeping track of journeys. So that being the case or at least for me, I can see that keeping a record of my journey (including events and opinions, feelings and inspirations) and the early journeys of my kids is worth a lot to someone, even if it's my children and their children and not me. I really find a huge amount of value in the journal entries that my Mom and Grandparents had. It shows their style of writing and their thoughts and exposes their character traits. I'd do that for my children and theirs out of love and respect for them and their need for an understanding of where they came from and who they are. I know it's a priceless gift because these things are priceless to me.
New saying:
Record the journey. . . the treasure of time.

2009-10-15T20:58:00.000-07:00

There are many kinds of ways that we can be brought into captivity or bondage. One is the captivity from leaders of lands. There are many who would like to have the power over a group of people just for the sole purpose of exercising control and gaining accolades even if they come fraudulently because they are demanded.

The two groups that handled similar situations of captivity almost simultaneously were the people of Limhi and the people of Alma in the Book of Mormon. Their stories are very interesting and leave some real room for thought.

Mosiah sent 16 men, one of which was Ammon to try to find the people of Zeniff that had left Zerahemla, the capitol, in search of the original land where Nephi and Lehi and their families has been. Because the people of Zarahemla hadn't seen or heard from the people that went with Zeniff, they pressed to have some answers.

Ammon found Limhi and his people who were from the group that left with Zeniff. Here is a little background:
"21 And ye all are witnesses this day, that Zeniff, who was made king over this people, he being ^aover-zealous to inherit the land of his fathers, therefore being deceived by the cunning and craftiness of king Laman, who having entered into a treaty with king Zeniff, and having yielded up into his hands the possessions of a part of the land, or even the city of Lehi-Nephi, and the city of Shilom; and the land round about—

22 And all this he did, for the sole purpose of ^abringing this people into subjection or into bondage. And behold, we at this time do pay ^btribute to the king of the Lamanites, to the amount of one half of our corn, and our barley, and even all our grain of every kind, and one half of the increase of our flocks and our herds; and even one half of all we have or possess the king of the Lamanites doth exact of us, or our lives.

23 And now, is not this grievous to be borne? And is not this, our affliction, great? Now behold, how great reason we have to ^amourn." (Mosaih 7:21-23)

What happened in Mosiah 9-18 tells us that Zeniff ruled well and battled the Lamanites with success and then passed the leadership to his son, Noah, who was all about the party and the money and the power and not about ruling the people righteously. He sent his armies to battle because they (Noah's Nephites) were attacked on the outskirts by Lamanites and killed. That battle was won by the Nephites. They got really proud. This is where we have the split and we have the two examples of how to handle our challenges, in this case, bondage or captivity.

Abinadi, the prophet came to warn the people. Noah and all but one of his priests had Abinadi burned to death for teaching about the Savior and calling on them to repent. Alma, the one priest who listened and believed Abinadi, fled for his life and then started to teach whoever was interested about the gospel.

"1 And now, it came to pass that Alma, who had fled from the servants of king Noah, ^arepented of his sins and iniquities, and went about privately among the people, and began to teach the words of Abinadi—

2 Yea, concerning that which was to come, and also concerning the resurrection of the dead, and the ^aredemption of the people, which was to be brought to pass through the power, and sufferings, and ^bdeath of Christ, and his resurrection and ascension into heaven.

3 And as many as would hear his word he did teach. And he taught them privately, that it might not come to the knowledge of the king. And many did believe his words.

4 And it came to pass that as many as did believe him did go forth to a ^aplace which was called Mormon, having received its name from the king, being in the ^bborders of the land having been infested, by times or at seasons, by wild beasts.

5 Now, there was in Mormon a fountain of pure water, and Alma resorted thither, there being near the water a thicket of small trees, where he did hide himself in the daytime from the searches of the king.

6 And it came to pass that as many as believed him went thither to hear his words.

7 And it came to pass *after many days there were a goodly number gathered together at the place of Mormon, to hear the words of Alma. Yea, all were gathered together that believed on his word, to hear him. And he did ^ateach them, and did preach unto them repentance, and redemption, and faith on the Lord" (Mosiah 18:1-7)

Once the King caught wind of the things that Alma was doing, he was very angry and ordered that he be killed:

"32 But behold, it came to pass that the king, having discovered a movement among the people, sent his servants to watch them. Therefore on the day that they were assembling themselves together to hear the word of the Lord they were discovered unto the king.

33 And now the king said that Alma was stirring up the people to rebellion against him; therefore he sent his ^aarmy to destroy them.

34 And it came to pass that Alma and the people of the Lord were ^aapprised of the coming of the king’s army; therefore they took their tents and their families and ^bdeparted into the wilderness.

35 And they were in number about ^afour hundred and fifty souls."(Mosiah 18:32-35)

So there goes that first group. They were with Alma, a former leader and now believer in Jesus Christ.

The second group is actually led by King Noah's son, Limhi. King Noah was killed by some of his own people for his cowardess while in battle against the Lamanites.

"25 And it came to pass that the king of the Lamanites made an ^aoath unto them, that his people should not slay them.

26 And also Limhi, being the son of the king, having the kingdom conferred upon him ^aby the people, made ^boath unto the king of the Lamanites that his people should pay ^ctribute unto him, even one half of all they possessed.

27 And it came to pass that Limhi began to establish the kingdom and to establish ^apeace among his people.

28 And the king of the Lamanites set ^aguards round about the land, that he might ^bkeep the people of Limhi in the land, that they might not depart into the wilderness; and he did support his guards out of the tribute which he did receive from the Nephites.

29 And now king Limhi did have continual peace in his kingdom for the space of two years, that the Lamanites did not molest them nor seek to destroy them." (Mosiah 19: 25-29)

For a little while but really not long, the Nephites of Limhi were able to pay their taxes/tributes and all was well. But there were some real problems because the Lamanites inherently hated the Nephite because of the relationship dating all of the way back to Nephi's relationship with his brothers, Laman and Lemuel. Things started to be really difficult:

"3 Now they [Lamanites] durst not slay them, because of the ^aoath which their king had made unto Limhi; but they would smite them on their ^bcheeks, and exercise authority over them; and began to put heavy ^cburdens upon their backs, and drive them as they would a dumb ass—

4 Yea, all this was done that the ^aword of the Lord might be ^bfulfilled.

5 And now the afflictions of the Nephites were great, and there was no way that they could deliver themselves out of their hands, for the Lamanites had ^asurrounded them on every side." (Mosiah 21:3-5)

Here is a very tough situation. Limhi's people, as you read further, really get angry and put on their armor to go fight the Lamanites. The Lamanites are so numerous that Limhi's people are driven back and things just get worse. Limhi's people went to war 3 times! They wouldn't back down. They were evidently so feisty and angry that they thought that they could fight their way free. The Lord had other plans.

Finally they became humble.

"13 And they did humble themselves even to the dust, subjecting themselves to the ^ayoke of bondage, ^bsubmitting themselves to be smitten, and to be driven to and fro, and burdened, according to the desires of their enemies.

14 And they did ^ahumble themselves even in the depths of humility; and they did cry mightily to God; yea, even all the day long did they cry unto their God that he would ^bdeliver them out of their afflictions.

15 And now the Lord was slow to ^ahear their cry because of their iniquities; nevertheless the Lord did hear their ^bcries, and began to soften the hearts of the Lamanites that they began to ease their burdens; yet the Lord did not see fit to deliver them out of bondage.

16 And it came to pass that they began to prosper by degrees in the land, and began to raise grain more abundantly, and flocks, and herds, that they did not suffer with hunger.

17 Now there was a great number of women, more than there was of men; therefore king Limhi commanded that every man should ^aimpart to the support of the ^bwidows and their children, that they might not perish with hunger; and this they did because of the greatness of their number that had been slain.

18 Now the people of Limhi kept together in a body as much as it was possible, and secured their grain and their flocks;

19 And the king himself did not trust his person without the walls of the city, unless he took his guards with him, fearing that he might by some means fall into the hands of the Lamanites." (Mosiah 21:13-19)

This is about the time that Ammon came into the picture. Remember, he was sent to see what he could find out for the people of Zarahemla in regards to Zeniff and the people that left with him.

Once Limhi and his people found out who Ammon was, they were so happy "And now all the study of Ammon and ^ahis people, and king Limhi and his people, was to deliver themselves out of the hands of the Lamanites and from ^bbondage." (Mosiah 21:35) The people were able to come up with a plan, Gideon being the one who devised it, and were able to escape from the Lamanites' control.

Alma and his people faced bondage from the Lamanites, too. They had fled from their own people in order to exercise their religious freedoms and found a place that they thought would be a good place to settle and live a place that they called, Helem. The people, being accustomed to kings, asked Alma to be their king. He refused. He said that it wasn't right to have a king because a king could influence the wickedness or righteousness of the people too much. The wrong king would be horrible like King Noah-issuing high taxes, causing the people to forget their God, and making it impossible to live freely without persecution. So Alma was the High Priest and helped the people spiritually.
When looking back at the story of King Noah, we remember that King Noah and his priests had to flee for their lives because the Nephites were angry with their leaders. Well, King Noah was captured and burned to death (fulfilling Abinadi's prophecy) and the other priests got away. These wicked men saw some of the Lamanite daughters, captured them and then took them to wife in the wilderness. The Lamanites then found them all and didn't kill the priests because they saw that the women were with them at that point.
The problem is that Amulon, the leader of these priests, and former associate of Alma, was with the Lamanites when they, the Lamanites, found the city of Helem in their search for Limhi's people. Amulon (Mosiah 24:9) hated Alma and so things got very trying when "the Lamanites promised unto Alma and his brethren, that if they would show them the ^away which led to the land of Nephi that they would grant unto them their lives and their liberty.

37 But after Alma had shown them the way that led to the land of Nephi the Lamanites would not keep their promise; but they set ^aguards round about the land of Helam, over Alma and his brethren.

38 And the remainder of them went to the land of Nephi; and a part of them returned to the land of Helam, and also brought with them the wives and the children of the guards who had been left in the land.

39 And the king of the Lamanites had granted unto Amulon that he should be a king and a ruler over his people, who were in the land of Helam; nevertheless he should have no power to do anything contrary to the will of the king of the Lamanites."(Mosiah 36-29)

Amulon "exercised authority over them, and put ^btasks upon them, and put ^ctask-masters over them."(Mosiah 24:9)

Things were so hard that the people began to pray and "cry unto the Lord" for help. But Amulon "commanded them that they should stop their cries; and he ^aput guards over them to watch them, that whosoever should be found calling upon God should be put to death.(Mosiah 24:11)

So the people, instead of fighting openly, prayed in their hearts. And the Lord heard their prayers.

We read in Mosiah 24:13-23:

And it ^acame to pass that the voice of the Lord came to them in their afflictions, saying: Lift up your heads and be of good comfort, for I know of the covenant which ye have made unto me; and I will covenant with my people and deliver them out of bondage.

14 And I will also ease the ^aburdens which are put upon your shoulders, that even you cannot feel them upon your backs, even while you are in bondage; and this will I do that ye may stand as ^bwitnesses for me hereafter, and that ye may know of a surety that I, the Lord God, do visit my people in their ^cafflictions.

15 And now it came to pass that the burdens which were laid upon Alma and his brethren were made light; yea, the Lord did ^astrengthen them that they could bear up their ^bburdens with ease, and they did submit cheerfully and with ^cpatience to all the will of the Lord.

16 And it came to pass that so great was their faith and their patience that the voice of the Lord came unto them again, saying: Be of good comfort, for on the morrow I will deliver you out of bondage.

17 And he said unto Alma: Thou shalt go before this people, and I will go ^awith thee and deliver this people out of ^bbondage.

18 Now it came to pass that Alma and his people in the night-time gathered their flocks together, and also of their grain; yea, even all the night-time were they gathering their flocks together.

19 And in the morning the Lord caused a ^adeep sleep to come upon the Lamanites, yea, and all their task-masters were in a profound sleep.

20 And Alma and his people departed into the wilderness; and when they had traveled all day they pitched their tents in a valley, and they called the valley Alma, because he led their way in the wilderness.

21 Yea, and in the valley of Alma they poured out their ^athanks to God because he had been merciful unto them, and eased their ^bburdens, and had delivered them out of bondage; for they were in bondage, and none could deliver them except it were the Lord their God.

22 And they gave ^athanks to God, yea, all their men and all their women and all their children that could speak lifted their voices in the praises of their God.

23 And now the Lord said unto Alma: Haste thee and get thou and this people out of this land, for the Lamanites have awakened and do pursue thee; therefore get thee out of this land, and I will stop the Lamanites in this valley that they come no further in pursuit of this people"

What a huge difference in the two groups of people and their reactions to dealing with unjust captivity. Both were subject to evil, mean groups of people. Both groups had to pay the people that were over them or work for them. Both had the gospel of Jesus Christ. Both wanted their freedom.
Yet one went on the offensive 3 times without the support of the Lord. They were beaten back and compelled to be humble. While the other group, when faced with bondage, went peacefully and prayerfully through their trials and waited on the Lord's time for their certain deliverance.

The contrasts are stark and cause me to stand back and think about my life. I wonder if at times, I am too prone to have "knee jerk" reactions to problems or am I slower and more steady in dealing with them. As my life has gone on, I find that the best way to beat the wickedness out of my life is through fasting and prayer. The power that comes from "being still" and knowing that the Savior is the I AM and will deliver me on His terms, is completely humbling. This knowledge causes deep gratitude.

I know that He knows me. I know that He knows my loved ones and friend. I know that He has only our best interests in mind during our mortal probation. And with this knowledge, I can calm down in the middle of the storms that rage. I think that is what I love about this saying:

"Sometimes the Lord Calms the storm.
Sometime the Lord lets the storm rage
and calms His children"
Author Unknown"

How will we handle our captivity?

2009-10-09T07:59:00.001-07:00

"When you are filled with the Spirit of God, and the Holy Ghost rests upon you . . . do you have any trials? I do not think you do. For that satisfies and fills up every longing of the human heart, and fills up every vacuum. When I am filled with that spirit my soul is satisfied; and I can say in good earnest, that the trifling things of the day do not seem to stand in my way at all. But just let me lose my hold on that spirit and power of the Gospel, and partake of the spirit of the world, in the slightest degree, and trouble comes; there is something wrong . . . And is it not our privilege to so live that we can have this constantly flowing into our souls?" (Eliza R. Snow, September 1873)

2009-09-27T20:38:00.001-07:00

Rooted

Tom Ellsworth

We live in a valley on the coast of Los Angeles County. There is a stream that flows past the north end of our property, makes a wide loop, and then passes on past the south end of our property. Close to the wide loop of that stream there used to be a giant oak tree, probably sixty feet high and about that circumference. The trunk was about eight feet in diameter.

Its giant roots had anchored it in the sandy soil of the valley for hundreds of years. It survived drought and fire, disease and insect pests, and the periodic floods that rose 10 to 15 feet around it.

One year the stream changed course. The new course brought the stream to the edge of the roots of that great tree. There was a little erosion. The next year, when the rains came, there was more erosion. So it continued for about eight years, until, late one night after many hours of rain, there was a loud cracking rumble in the valley, and that might oak fell.

We have often been counseled to sink our own roots deep in the gospel. Securely grounded, the droughts and fires, the pests and floods of life cannot topple us. But, if we allow some of our roots to be exposed, eroded by expediency, selfishness, and lassitude, we put ourselves in peril.

Gospel roots are familiar to us all: faith, obedience, repentance, fidelity at home, following the prophets, activity, service, prayer, and scripture study.

Tom Ellsworth, 9/2009

To Be Like Him

2009-09-06T19:15:00.000-07:00

45 And charity suffereth long, and is kind, and envieth not, and is not puffed up, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil, and rejoiceth not in iniquity but rejoiceth in the truth, beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.

46 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, if ye have not charity, ye are nothing, for charity never faileth. Wherefore, cleave unto charity, which is the greatest of all, for all things must fail

47 But charity is the pure love of Christ, and it endureth forever; and whoso is found possessed of it at the last day, it shall be well with him.

48 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, pray unto the Father with all the energy of heart, that ye may be filled with this love, which he hath bestowed upon all who are true followers of his Son, Jesus Christ; that ye may become the sons of God; that when he shall appear we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is; that we may have this hope; that we may be purified even as he is pure. Amen." (Moroni 7:45-58)

Can Satan Control our Thoughts?

2009-08-29T11:40:00.000-07:00

A friend of mine asked a really good question. I'm not sure if I answered it well enough but it sat in my mind last night. So I looked up a couple of things that might help clarify the idea.

The question was about a comment in class last Sunday. We were discussing some things and I mentioned that Satan doesn't have power over our minds. We are more like the temple than we think. Satan has no power on the Temple grounds. He cannot come there. Likewise, when we are doing things that are right and keep our minds on the Lord's errand, we cannot be influenced or controlled by Satan.

President James E. Faust said, ". . . However, we need not become paralyzed with fear of Satan’s power. He can have no power over us unless we permit it. He is really a coward, and if we stand firm, he will retreat. The Apostle James counseled: “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”27 He cannot know our thoughts unless we speak them. And Nephi states that the devil “hath no power over the hearts” of righteous people.28 We have heard comedians and others justify or explain their misdeeds by saying, “The devil made me do it.” I do not really think the devil can make us do anything. Certainly he can tempt and he can deceive, but he has no authority over us that we do not give him.

The power to resist Satan may be stronger than we realize. The Prophet Joseph Smith taught: “All beings who have bodies have power over those who have not. The devil has no power over us only as we permit him. The moment we revolt at anything which comes from God, the devil takes power.”29

He also stated, “Wicked spirits have their bounds, limits, and laws by which they are governed.”30 So Satan and his angels are not all-powerful."
(James E. Faust, January 2007)

It's interesting how much power we really have. It seems like many of us don't realize the strength within us. When we are under the influence of good things and have been listening to good music of all kinds, reading our scriptures, keeping a prayer in our heart, serving others and fasting on occasion, we find ourselves in a place where we can discern good from evil easily. You might have found this to be true for yourself and maybe even wondered why others you know don't see the evil around like you do. Well, we're all in a different place in our abilities.

I found these scriptures that might help in understanding how important it is to keep a clear and righteous mind. What is very interesting is how important the mind is in all of this.

Serve him with a perfect heart and with a willing mind, 1 Chr. 28: 9. Love the Lord thy God with all thy mind, Matt. 22: 37. To be carnally minded is death; to be spiritually minded is life eternal, 2 Ne. 9: 39. The voice of the Lord came into my mind, Enos 1: 10. The word had a more powerful effect upon the minds of the people than the sword, Alma 31: 5. I will tell you in your mind, D&C 8: 2. Study it out in your mind, D&C 9: 8. Let the solemnities of eternity rest upon your minds, D&C 43: 34. Your minds in times past have been darkened, D&C 84: 54. Retire to thy bed early, arise early that your bodies and minds may be invigorated, D&C 88: 124. Satan knew not the mind of God, Moses 4: 6. The Lord called his people Zion, because they were of one heart and one mind, Moses 7: 18.

The thing that jumps out at me is that the mind is a central concern for our Father in Heaven.
We can communicate through our minds with Him. We don't even have to open our mouths. We can ponder on the things in our lives without disturbance all in our minds. What a great gift and protection.

So when we hear good people around us and at church talking about the importance of good music, good movies, good computer games, good books, good anything that has influence in our lives over our minds, we might take a stronger notice to the truth of these points. We are the ones with the agency to choose. It's evident that we choose our level of progress and the level of blessings and protections. We chose what interferes with the good in our minds.

We are the ones with the power over evil, over Satan. It's the battle we can win every day.

Peace Power

2009-08-28T22:12:00.001-07:00

Isaiah said, “The work of righteousness shall be peace; and the effect of righteousness quietness and assurance for ever” (Isaiah 32:17).
That peace is also promised in the revelations in which the Lord declares, “If ye are prepared ye shall not fear” (D&C 38:30).

I've been watching the news and trying to keep up with the chaos and corruption in the world. I am surprised at the level of anti freedom activities in our country among other things like the growing immorality, increased animalism in our culture and the acceptance of all of this. I've gotten a little worried (or a lot, really) wondering why others don't seem to notice.

So when I read these two scriptures, I thought about the feelings that I was having while thinking about all of the problems that are going on. I have been thinking that it's good to be active in protecting our freedoms like Captain Moroni. It's good to know what is going on and ask questions like Moroni and other great warriors when Pahoran was in trouble. (http://scriptures.lds.org/en/alma/59)

I also realize that nothing is more powerful than righteous "warriors". People who focus on living righteously and seek peace not to hurt or harm or control their fellow human beings, their brothers and sisters.

A description of Moroni: "19 But behold, this was not the desire of Moroni; he did not delight^• in murder or bloodshed, but he delighted in the saving of his people from destruction; and for this cause he might not bring upon him injustice, he would not fall upon the Lamanites and destroy them in their drunkenness."
and more about Moroni: "11 And Moroni was a strong^• and a mighty man; he was a man of a perfect understanding^•; yea, a man that did not delight in bloodshed; a man whose soul did joy in the liberty and the freedom of his country, and his brethren from bondage and slavery;

  12 Yea, a man whose heart did swell with thanksgiving to his God, for the many privileges and blessings which he bestowed upon his people; a man who did labor exceedingly for the welfare• and safety of his people. 

   13  Yea, and he was a man who was firm in the faith of Christ, and he had sworn• with an oath to defend his people, his rights, and his country, and his religion, even to the loss of his blood. 

   14 Now the Nephites were taught to defend themselves against their enemies, even to the shedding of blood if it were necessary; yea, and they were also taught never• to give an offense, yea, and never to raise the sword except it were against an enemy, except it were to preserve their lives. 

   15  And this was their faith•, that by so doing God would prosper• them in the land, or in other words, if they were faithful in keeping the commandments of God that he would prosper them in the land; yea, warn them to flee, or to prepare for war, according to their danger; 

   16  And also, that God would make it known unto them whither• they should go to defend themselves against their enemies, and by so doing, the Lord would deliver them; and this was the faith of Moroni, and his heart did glory in it; not in the shedding• of blood but in doing good, in preserving his people, yea, in keeping the commandments of God, yea, and resisting iniquity. 

   17  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. 

   18  Behold, he was a man like unto Ammon•, the son of Mosiah, yea, and even the other sons of Mosiah, yea, and also Alma and his sons, for they were all men of God. 

   19  Now behold, Helaman and his brethren were no less serviceable• unto the people than was Moroni; for they did preach the word of God, and they did baptize unto repentance all men whosoever would hearken unto their words. 

   20  And thus they went forth, and the people did humble  themselves because of their words, insomuch that they were highly favored• of the Lord, and thus they were free from wars and contentions among themselves. . ."(http://scriptures.lds.org/en/alma/48)

What is the power? Where does the peace come from? Where is their strength? 
Faith, Scripture reading, Prayer
They stay humble and serve others.
They trust the Lord. 
They love their friends AND enemies

The Gospel is peace. It's a way of life. 

And, if we need to be prepared and we study, pray, serve others fast and learn, we'll be prepared for the things ahead. We'll know what to do and we'll be able to do it. After all, the Lord wouldn't give us something we can't handle, right? (Proverbs 3:5-6, 1 Nephi 3:7)

Looks like a great time to dive into the patterns of the Book of Mormon one more time!
 

2009-08-23T14:35:00.000-07:00

As an adult I have always noticed when people around me use God and Lord and Jesus Christ in a profane way. It bothers me. I know it's breaking a commandment. I know it's disrespectful. But I really like what I gained in this thought process through reading this one paragraph from a talk by Pres. Henry B. Eyring, ". . . I had learned from my parents and from the Savior’s teachings that we must address our Heavenly Father in the reverent language of prayer. “Our Father … in heaven, Hallowed be thy name” (Matthew 6:9). I knew that we never profane His sacred name—never. Can you imagine how the prayers of a child are harmed by hearing a parent profane the name of God? There will be terrible consequences for such an offense to the little ones." (President Henry B. Eyring, That They May Write Upon Our Hearts, Liahona, April 2009)

What seems to be important when we first look at the "Lord's Prayer" from the New Testament, is how He spoke of His Father's name. He referred to His Father's name as hallowed. In seeing this I think immediately that this is an important fact. Heavenly Father's name is hallowed so it must be treated with the utmost respect. It means that using the name of God, surely is disrespectful and a very unhallowed act.
Once in my growing up years, someone asked if when I was mad, did I say my sister's name out loud or my brother's or my Dad's name? Of course that would be silly, right? It would sound strange to yell out my sister's name if I stubbed my toe or had someone cut me off in traffic, right? She didn't do anything! I thought so myself. So then, if God the Father is much more important and His name is much more hallowed, how much sense does it make to use his name when cursing in anger or swearing at people? He has nothing to do with our getting cut off in traffic or the door slamming on our finger.
So how about not only worrying about our innocent children and the impact we are making on them in our selfish, disrespectful actions, but let's worry about the statement it makes about us and our characters. We are children of God. He is our Father and loves us more than anyone else ever can or will. He has our sole interests in His heart. In all of the love for us, He just asks for our love and respect to shine through in the things we do and say with our fellow beings every day. It's but a small thing we can do for Him.

More on the Savior:
http://jesuschrist.lds.org/?cid=wpats2

2009-08-14T20:04:00.000-07:00

"Kindness, love, patience, understanding, and unity will increase as we serve, while intolerance, jealousy, envy, greed, and selfishness decrease or disappear. The more we give of ourselves, the more our capacity to serve, understand, and love will grow."
--Carlos H. Amado, "Service, a Divine Quality", Ensign, May 2008, 35–37

Marriage and Divorce

2009-08-02T09:08:00.000-07:00

I have to admit that I am not the perfect spouse and I do not have the perfect marriage. I have never met anyone who is or has either. BUT I have met many many people who work very hard to have or be both.

When we fall in love and "know" that the person we are in a relationship with is THE one that we would like to spend the rest of our life with, we have a level of love that has been developed.
We are very interested in continuing that development. We talk about our goals and watch for characteristics that would be positive or negative and make worthwhile decisions as to whether or not marriage is an option. This life changing decision should never go without sincere prayer by either party.

Prayer. When to start? Yesterday. I remember one time a woman at church teaching a few of us young teenagers that she had been praying for her future spouse for many years before they had met. She had prayed for his well being, for his spiritual development, and for whatever else might need to be happening before they met. She felt strongly that this kept her in the right frame of mind as well as that it blessed him. I took her advise and found myself receiving promptings at times as to my future husband's well being. One time in particular, I didn't feel calm, I had a worried anxious feeling and prayed more for him. I did find out later that he had some things he went through at the time. Interesting, huh?
What did this do for me? It taught me that I had someone that I needed to work on being prepared to meet someday. It taught me that the world didn't/doesn't revolve around me. It gave me an eternal perspective, one that confirmed to me that there was a life plan for me and that I was actively involved in it.

Before we meet. Many people assume that what they do previous to meeting Mr or Mrs Right doesn't have much bearing on the outcome of finding that wonderful person. Wrong. Everything we do from childhood into adulthood has everything to do with being prepared to participate in a healthy marriage and create a loving family. Some things to consider: Learn patience in your home growing up and in college with roommates and on missions with companions. Learn to serve others (for a myriad of reasons). Learn about yourself, your personality, your strengths, your weaknesses. Work on yourself so that you get in the habit of changing you and loving others for being who they are.

When you meet. Communicate with that person. Observe the habits and characteristics that they have. Pray daily or more for a confirmation that they are the Mr or Mrs Right of your life. Have faith that you'll know. And when you have that confirmation, hold on to that moment in your mind and heart for the rest of your life. That confirmation should be your personal scripture on your heart, your "iron rod" of your family helping you to hang on through the good and bad times-they come and go like the ebbing tide of the ocean.

When you Court. Keep positive. Keep Prayerful. Keep learning and growing. This is the time to learn to work together in planning, in praying, in working, etc. There is so much to learn throughout life and this is the exciting beginning of the process. Keeping strong in prayer individually and as a couple will help you have the spirit to know this person better and to have healthy instincts in your relationship develop. Being sexual at this time will interfere with your ability to have the spiritual guide. Be watchful that you protect this most wonderful tool in your developing relationship.

Marriage. Marriage is not just a promise between two people. It is a sacred covenant between the Savior and these two people. This new couple promises the Lord certain things and He also has endless promises for them as they keep this eternal covenant.

After the honeymoon is over. There is a much needed time of joy and rejoicing, of celebrating this life moment. After the glittery dust settles, breath and start your journey! As much as you should have been praying before, you should double your efforts now. This is not about changing your new spouse to fit your demands. This prayer time is for YOU to work on YOU. You need to change. You need to improve. You need to be one with the Lord as you become the best you that you can be in the challenges that will most assuredly come.

Know this. At at least one time in your married life will have to carried what seems like 100% of the family burden. YOU WILL and YOU CAN. A sweet spouse can get laid off of a job, become very ill, get in an accident, go through rigorous schooling, etc. etc. etc. Just because you have to work harder for a short or long time doesn't mean that the other spouse has failed you. I know of a family who's very healthy father had a stroke at a very young age. The mother had to work for years and years and still does! They are a large family and so loving and supportive of each other. No they couldn't have a lot of money but they hung in there and served each other, served others readily, and worked hard together. Many many sacrifices were made. She never gave up on him and he never gave up on her. NEVER. So just because you might not have the "cookie cutter" life now, doesn't give you license to break up your family.

My father once told me in all of his wisdom, "Unless the Lord gives you permission, you don't have permission to break His covenant". Think, like I did, long and hard about this. In the Bible we read in aMatthew 19:7-8 (King James Version) that divorce is not of God, but was given to man because of their hard hearts. When things are so bad that ending a marriage seems like the only way to save the family member from harm, then there is much prayer and fasting that will need to happen as well as some wise counseling to gather. There is always more that just oneself to consider in these serious matters.

Nowadays, our community would tell us that it's ok to start over in a new marriage. Why not? We've grown apart? Hogwash. That's the biggest cop out ever. It's selfish and egotistical to assume that when we don't "feel" the honeymoon excitement that we "deserve" to have someone else.

What has happened? Well, you need to think about it. What are you doing to build up your spouse and family? What are you doing without condition? What are you doing to show your family that YOU are willing to stick out the hard/bad times? What are you doing to show them how it's done? YOU have that responsibility. Don't look to others to teach your loved ones. You promised them that you would carry this "cross" before you even got to this earth. You promised them that you would be their guide and advocate and friend. You promised them that you would be a healer in their life not a destroyer.

The toilet seat won't always be where you want it. The money will not always be there in abundance (and maybe never). The kids won't always pick of their rooms (call me if they do). You won't always feel successful and fulfilled. But when you look back on the hard times from the watchtower of the better times, you will see the growth and the majesty of a developing life. You will have something more valuable that riches to take with you when this life is over. It will be that you will come to know that you are changing, you are strong, you are capable, and that you have the strength of the Lord at your side.

If you have tried the Lord in all your life's activities and decisions, you will find that your path will be His path and His path your path. You will find joy DURING your journey.

None of this is spoken from a perfect spouse nor from a perfect person. But I have and continue to try the Lord in everything in my life. I have and continue to face serious challenges.

His ways are proven. His ways bring the most joy and the most indelible success that can be found.

a. "7 They say unto him, Why did Moses then command to give a ^awriting^• of ^bdivorcement^•, and to put her away?

8 He saith unto them, Moses because of the ^ahardness^• of your hearts suffered you to put away your ^bwives^•: but from the beginning it was not so." Mathew 19:7-8

My Father Dwelt in a Tent

2009-07-26T13:36:00.001-07:00

So many times over the years from my childhood and through my children's youth, this scripture from First Nephi has brought on some pretty good laughter. Mostly the giggles come when we would try to find the shortest scripture we could while being asked to recite a scripture for a devotional or in Family Home Evening on Monday night or in Seminary. The scripture reads: "And my father dwelt in a ^atent." (1 Nephi 2:15). Can you see what I mean? It's short and simple, so simple that you'd wonder why the author, Nephi, would even include it! I have always had that little bit of curiosity in the back of my head.
A little background on the story of Lehi (Nephi's Father) and Nephi and family: First of all, Lehi was a very wealthy business person in Jerusalem. They had silver and gold attractive enough to be chased by King Laban's guards when they brought a lot of it hoping to bargain for the genealogical records of Joseph that King Laban had. King Laban saw it all and sent them away with the intention that the guards would kill and keep the riches. (1 Nephi 3:25)
When Lehi had his dream that we read of in the first chapter of First Nephi(1 Nephi 1:5-15, http://scriptures.lds.org/en/1_ne/1), we read this about his experience in following the Spirit:
"that after the Lord had shown so many marvelous things unto my father, Lehi, yea, concerning the ^adestruction of Jerusalem, behold he went forth among the people, and began to ^bprophesy and to declare unto them concerning the things which he had both seen and heard.

19 And it came to pass that the ^aJews did ^bmock him because of the things which he testified of them; for he truly testified of their ^cwickedness and their abominations; and he testified that the things which he saw and heard, and also the things which he read in the book, manifested plainly of the coming of a ^dMessiah, and also the redemption of the world.

20 And when the Jews heard these things they were angry with him; yea, even as with the prophets of old, whom they had ^acast out, and stoned, and slain; and they also ^bsought his life, that they might take it away. But behold, I, Nephi, will show unto you that the tender ^cmercies of the Lord are over all those whom he hath chosen, because of their faith, to make them mighty even unto the power of ^ddeliverance." (1 Nephi 18-20)
What a difficult moment for Lehi's family. When we read on into the second chapter of Nephi, we find that the Lord told Lehi to take his family and flee Jerusalem because there were people who wanted to kill Lehi. So their family up and left with very little, leaving their riches, that they had enjoyed and worked for for presumably a very long time, behind. All of this because Lehi was willing to follow the Lord. Some people would reason their way out of a big move brought on by following the promptings of the Spirit because they couldn't define a good, solid, tangible reason why the Lord would want them to leave their work, family, connections, wealth and community behind. After all hadn't He blessed them with all of this prosperity in the first place? But Lehi and Sariah were righteous and full of the faith that there was a very good reason to take their family from the forewarned danger and out into the unknown.
We read that they traveled down by the Red Sea where at this point Nephi Says those words, "and my Father dwelt in a tent."
Just recently, maybe a month or two ago (time flies around here), I read this yet one more time in my quest to read the Book of Mormon and enjoy the great feelings and wisdom that I continue to gain in my readings of the scriptures. As a sidebar, my Father and Mother always told me that every time I read any of the scriptures no matter how young or old, I would always have new things inspire me. So when I did read again, something was different. This particular scripture jumped out at me. It wasn't funny, it seemed to have something important to tell me.
And then the light bulb went off. There was real meaning to this one sentence. The one that alluded any real analysis on my part, until now.
Could it be that Nephi was paying his father, Lehi, a highly successful businessman in the very large city/kingdom of Jerusalem who had everything a man at that day and age could want, a wonderful wife, great sons, money, spirituality, comfort and associations, the highest complement that a son could give a righteous father? Remember that living in a tent meant that you had the life of a nomad, wandering from place to place. Home was not as secure neither were your basic necessities. It was for many, the most humbling, modest form of living-really considered my many to be uncivilized. Could it be that without mincing words Nephi was really saying, "My most devoted father as the Patriarch of our family and as a Son of God gave up just about everything to follow the commandments of God"? Could it be that we see the love of a righteous son shining through in 6 words?
In this day and age where many who have had much have lost much and where righteous people everywhere have been asked to do "different" and "strange" things on behalf of the Lord and His work (like obeying the 10 commandments, moving, sharing the gospel, following a living prophet, live in wisdom and sobriety, etc.) with the understanding that they would be mocked, scorned, threatened, and driven out (of their homes, sports teams, community centers, social groups), isn't this most simple of all sentences saturated with deep love and respect actually quite inspirational?
It's like one of those treasured Father's Day cards hand written by a child speaking the simple truth about what their Father means to them and what he's done for them. It's always more priceless than any store-bought gift.
In this sentence we now see Lehi as the man of God that he was. We can also see that his son recognized this and wanted so badly to acknowledge the greatness he saw in his Father, the great Patriarch.
So simple.
So very grand.
So now when this scripture is brought up because it's short and sweet, I will not giggle but swell with respect for great men living great lives who have inspired me so deeply and in yet one more way.

2009-03-15T07:14:00.000-07:00

Be the kind of woman that when your feet hit the floor each morning the devil says, "Oh Crap, She's up!"

-author unknown

2009-03-12T09:10:00.001-07:00

The most important idea for any of us is that this life, with all its advantages and disadvantages, is only temporary. It is part of a larger whole, Our challenge is to develop the perspectives to realize and the strength to act upon the realization that the really important achievements of this life are those that carry enduring, favorable consequences for the eternities to come.

Dallin H. Oaks, "Values." Clark Memorandum, Spring 1991, 10-15.

A Man

2009-02-01T07:19:00.001-08:00

I have read this talk over and over again through the years. It's been so inspiring to me especially in trying to raise 3 great boys into manhood. I hope it's as inspirational for others as it's been for me:

http://www.lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=2354fccf2b7db010VgnVCM1000004d82620aRCRD&locale=0&sourceId=e3aa6a4430c0c010VgnVCM1000004d82620a____&hideNav=1

Our Own Road Block

2008-11-12T05:11:00.000-08:00

I am faced with serious challenges right now and have found myself thinking about things and came to this thought:

In our lives we find that many things demand our attention-many good and important things. We are, in general, a hard working and goal setting people. Some seasons of our lives are so hard and so full that we have to be very careful where we are willing to spend our time and energy.
During these times of stress and difficulty we can find ourselves sinking into depression from dealing with regular demands as well as life's changes. It's a real challenge to make the choices that help us overcome our despair.
One thing that is key in life is to do away with any pride we might have. It sounds a little odd, maybe, that this would be the key to warding off despair and depression. But hear me out on this one. We've heard the term "Pride comes before the fall" or something like that, right? Well, in our hearts and souls there is only so much room for emotions. We only have so much energy within ourselves to handle the things going on in our lives. And everyone is a tad bit different in what they can handle. When we allow pride in this sanctuary of limited resources, we find that our perceptions are limited. We find that we have unwanted and dampening roadblocks that take away from our abilities to discern what our positive and productive moves might be in our day and for our life. We find a murkiness like a muddied body of water in our head. Do we have time for that?
I thought about this over and over. I continue to learn so much from others by talking to them and observing their choices and applying things that seem best for my life and family. I noticed that those of us who allowed pride, even a little bit of it, into our hearts had a darkening in our eyes, a stiffening of our responses, and a more uncertain and questioning countenance in place of the faith that we otherwise had had before.
If we take the energy and time to make the choice to substitute gratitude for pride, viola! We have more energy! Can you believe that it can be that simple? The power of a grateful heart. Wow. I wish I had realized this sooner. Think about it. If our hearts and souls are filled with gratitude instead of pride, our minds are quickened in a real sense. We are able to discern and decide on a higher more productive level free of that cloudy, dismal sense of discouragement, full of life and light. Gratitude therefore is the answer.
If I receive accolades for some accomplishment in my busy life and let pride in, I actually will slow down my abilities. But if I accept the accolades with a grateful heart, things are in perspective, my mind is clear and can continue to function in the things that are most important. I won't have to stop and wonder as much about decisions. I won't have to stop and question and mull over problems as often. I won't let things get to me as much, which is a slowing thing.
If I work at having a grateful heart, problems will have their accurate place. The worst things will have their appropriate level of attention from me and I'll make it through the trials of my life with less scaring. Pain will seem to be more of a learning experience than a moment of victimization. No more poor me. There's only room for capable, learning me.
Changes. Life is FULL of changes. From a spiritual standpoint, in reading the scriptures and you can pick any one of them, there is constant evidence that life is full of change and challenge. The Savior isn't shoving anything down our throats in the solutions that His gospel offers. So there is no pride from Him in His example and explanation of happy living. He offers instead the perfect example of seeking light and understanding, in doing away with the roadblock of pride and taking on the characteristics that bring real joy in this otherwise very challenging existence. (See Moroni 7:45-47 and 1 Corinthians 13:4-8)
I am so grateful for the thoughts that have come to my mind and heart this week on this topic. I really needed the insight. I love the simplicity of real pure solutions. That means that I can work on it, simple me. I hope this helps someone else, too.
Have a wonderful light filled day.
I am grateful for you!
I love you ( 'cause I know that anyone who reads this whole entry is a kind person with a big heart ;) )

Problem Solving

2008-10-15T16:36:00.003-07:00

Two great quotes. My sister sent the first one and my Dad the second:

"You cannot bring about prosperity by discouraging thrift.
You cannot strengthen the weak by weakening the strong.
You cannot help the wage earner by pulling down the wage payer.
You cannot further the brotherhood of men by encouraging class hatred.
You cannot help the poor by discouraging the rich.
You cannot establish sound security by spending more than you earn.
You cannot build character and courage by taking away man's initiative and independence.
You cannot help men permanently by doing for them what they can and should do for themselves."

Rev. William J. H. Boetcker, 1916

"For every complex problem there is a simple solution . . .

and it is wrong."

H. L. Mencken

Self Assured

2008-09-21T14:35:00.000-07:00

Mark was teaching a lesson last Sunday and referred to Hebrews 11:1.

1 "Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen."

As we were discussing faith and applying it, it occurred to me that having faith manifests itself in others when they are self assured (notice the word assurance in the scripture). I'm not talking about proud, cocky, or smug. I am talking about the people who have a pleasant demeanor about them even while dealing with difficult people, circumstances and trials.

I have felt this feeling at times and thought that it was pretty wonderful to have a calm strength like that.

So it seems even more obvious as to why Faith is the first principle of the gospel.

Simply put, I think that the Lord intends for us to get our sleep more often than not and not be panicky about life's challenges. If we go to him in faith and act in faith, we will find that things go better than we might have supposed. At least we will save ourselves from our own panic attacks, our own misgivings and our own lack of knowledge and control.

He intends for us to have self assurance-the product of faith.

Our Own Tormentors

2008-09-21T14:05:00.000-07:00

Back in June I posted this blog: http://lifespringsfromdeeperthings.blogspot.com/2008_06_01_archive.html

I was relaying some thoughts that had occurred to me and found them to be far more reasonable than what the traditions have taught me.

I really do believe that like in this life, when we die, we will be our own hell, our own tormentors. We have that kind of power in this life already to work on our choices, correct them if needed, enjoy the good and keep on living.
The Atonement is such a key aspect of not living in hell. When we repent, really repent, not just say I'm sorry but really focus on our harmful actions and remedy them, we find new hope and new life. Having the atonement is an essential gift that lets us see moments of heaven where we are free from sin and torment. We find that strength in being clean as a whole or in that one area in our lives.
If we are not really done fixing, we will not have an overwhelming peace. We might have comfort but not the strength of purity and the sense of progression.

Here are some quotes that I read this week:
“God has decreed that all who will not obey His voice shall not escape the damnation of hell. What is the damnation of hell? To go with that society who have not obeyed His commands. … I know that all men will be damned if they do not come in the way which He hath opened, and this is the way marked out by the word of the Lord.”12
“The great misery of departed spirits in the world of spirits, where they go after death, is to know that they come short of the glory that others enjoy and that they might have enjoyed themselves, and they are their own accusers.”13
“There is no pain so awful as that of suspense. This is the punishment of the wicked; their doubt, anxiety and suspense cause weeping, wailing and gnashing of teeth.”14
“A man is his own tormentor and his own condemner. Hence the saying, They shall go into the lake that burns with fire and brimstone [see Revelation 21:8]. The torment of disappointment in the mind of man is as exquisite as a lake burning with fire and brimstone. I say, so is the torment of man. …
“… Some shall rise to the everlasting burnings of God, for God dwells in everlasting burnings, and some shall rise to the damnation of their own filthiness, which is as exquisite a torment as the lake of fire and brimstone.”15 (Joseph Smith)

This is the life to prepare to meet God, right? We need to act in faith being self assured (Heb 11:1) as we go that we are one with our Savior's wisdom and love for us and our love ones. We need to repent. We need to grow in the process. If we allow ourselves to live without real repentance and don't make important changes, we will be miserable now and forever. We need to forgive and love and be careful how we act. The Savior knew this and so he gave us all kinds of solid instruction on what consists of loving, pure behavior culminating in 1 Corinthians (http://scriptures.lds.org/en/1_cor/13/1-13#4) with the definition of the characteristics of Charity.

The long and short of it is is that our joy is a choice that we make. We are our own worst enemy. We have the controls on our progression here in this existence and where we are able to go after we're done here. Do we want regrets? Or as others say, do we want our own hell? I don't know that many people do. I have a hope that we all want real happiness and should just keep pushing on working our best to be in "heaven". It seems very difficult at times but if it was impossible, it wouldn't be asked of us.

Happiness is living with no regrets.

In that last paragraph of quotes it says that God dwells in everlasting burnings. I hope that living in the everlasting burnings of purity and love and joy is all that I and my loved ones ever see.

Great Minds don't always think alike!

2008-09-06T12:39:00.000-07:00

“Occasionally we hear something like, ‘Why, we have been married for fifty years, and we have never had a difference of opinion.’ If that is literally the case, then one of the partners is overly dominated by the other or, as someone said, is a stranger to the truth. Any intelligent couple will have differences of opinion. Our challenge is to be sure that we know how to resolve them. That is part of the process of making a good marriage better” (in Conference Report, Apr. 1995, 86; or Ensign, May 1995, 65).

The Higher Road

2008-08-26T20:00:00.000-07:00

Well, this could be partly funny. . . I have two callings/jobs at church. One is to teach in the women's group on Sunday and one is to team teach in Sunday School with Mark the Marriage Relations class. OK after you stop chuckling or laughing out loud for that matter. . . We've taught for 4 weeks already and have had fun. Luckily you don't have to be perfect to teach! Anyway, on Sunday we were talking about a covenant marriage verses a marriage that would easily be thrown to the side once you don't get what you want. We were discussing the characteristics a long-term marriage. During the discussion (which was wonderful) one of the sisters said that 2 years into her 21 year old marriage she and her husband hadn't fought really (she's a very kind, easy going woman so I really believe her). One day her husband was late for something and was really apologetic about the difficulty that it brought them. She was a little miffed. Then she realized that she had this sense of power over him because of his mistake. She said that she really didn't like that feeling of power over her husband. She at the time thought that it was inappropriate to have that kind of a feeling in her marriage. She felt that is was unfair to their relationship to hold something over his head and would hurt the marriage she loved and valued. I had the biggest lightbulb moment!!! Think about it. She could have held this moment over her husband's head for a minute, day or year and gotten this or that from doing it. She would be right, right? And then notice the strength of character she had at her young age to recognize how hurtful her own thoughts and actions could have been. Her potential actions could have become abusive. But she would be allowed in the eyes of many because her husband messed up. Instead, she took the higher more respectable road. Mark and I have been talking about this very thing in a family setting for several months and really over the years. We've tried to hash out how wrong this felt in the relationships in our lives. I now had the opportunity to apply it in my own heart. Anyway, take it however you want but this wonderful, wise pure-of-heart woman hit a major point. Major. I am sooooo grateful to have been there to hear it. Priceless.

I'm Missing You Today

2008-08-07T18:11:00.000-07:00

Dear Lauren,

I came walking in from Michael's Freshman Orientation meeting tonight after checking out the boys' new school and working on all of the paperwork and figuring out the parking permits, etc. and had the impulse like I have time and time again to chat away about all of the logistics, routines, and people that come with a new year at school. I didn't have you to chat with. I miss you.

For all of the 13+ years of schooling that I've watched you go through and helped you with, you'd think I'd feel like I did on your graduation day-like screaming out a big huge scream as if you had won the NCAA championship or World Series. You are a shining star in my heart and I've never been more proud of you.

You faced challenge after challenge, uncomfortable confrontation after uncomfortable confrontation, time and time again. You had the oldest sibling role which included being your siblings' friend and advocate which put you in some very difficult roles. Year after year, we've worked through these things together. And you always have come out having learned something really valuable for you.

Lauren, I am going to miss our day in and day out moments. I already do. But today, I really, really wanted to see you and hug you and chat. I know we chatted on the phone with Kathryn, too, earlier. That was really nice. It's just the back to school routine, you know?

I can't go back in time. You are my bright, beautiful daughter who is now an amazing capable woman. Wow.

I love you dearly. You are a part of me.

I am so grateful.

Did I say that I love you?

I love you. :)

Forever your crazy, loving mother

Mom (or Mumsie, as Grandma Ellsworth would say)

2008-08-06T20:28:00.000-07:00

On Monday, I found myself early in the morning thinking about my mother, my mother who has been gone for over 16 years now. I was 25 when she passed on. I was 3 weeks from having our 3rd baby (and a big, beautiful baby he was), and had just been able to enjoy, with my husband and children a move into our first home.

I was fortunate to have an "adult" relationship with Mom for a short time. Many of my siblings didn't get to have any years like that. Life is what it is. Who would have thought? Not me.

Monday was her birthday.

But that's all just background information now. My thoughts were only simple and so peaceful and sweet to me.

I reflected on how wonderful it was that my mother was born. She was a real light in this life.

I then naturally turned to the deep gratitude that I feel when I think that she brought me into this world. I am grateful it was her that I came to (as well as my wonderful father). I will be ever so grateful that she made that choice and sacrifice for me.

Forever thank you Mom

I love you dearly

2008-08-01T14:06:00.001-07:00

24 This is eternal lives—to know the only wise and true God, and Jesus Christ, whom he hath sent. I am he. Receive ye, therefore, my law. (D&C 132:24) (www.lds.org "scriptures" link)

I noticed the words in this today as I prepared a lesson. Notice the word "lives" and in the next verse the word "deaths" is also in plural. Isn't it interesting that this was changed in the bible. I am not sure that it's of a huge significance but the plural seems deliberate.

I also noticed that the word wise is in this verse as compared to the bible. It seems to make the description of God our Father more well rounded instead of the harsh, judging God that He is portrayed as so often. I can look at this and think of him has my Father who will counsel with me and share His wisdom in my many moments of need.

The term "law" referred to by Jesus in this verse is really important. It shows that there are important guidelines and boundaries for us. More importantly as we read more in these verses, we see the importance of this "law" as being two way covenants that need to be followed and worked on. Isn't is such a beautiful, full, verse? Doesn't is show God our Father and his Son, Jesus' power yet real love and concern for us to understand what is most important?

I am so grateful that our Savior takes so much time and effort on our behalf to work with us at our different stages that we go through in this existence. I am sooooo grateful that He and our Father in Heaven are patient and wise and steady. They are the only ones who are consistently so. How wonderful to know this and use this knowledge to handle everything day to day.

To Be Real

2008-07-05T13:00:00.000-07:00

"For a long time he lived in the toy cupboard or on the nursery floor, and no one thought very much about him. He was naturally shy, and being only made of velveteen, some of the more expensive toys quite snubbed him. The mechanical toys were very superior, and looked down upon every one else; they were full of modern ideas, and pretended they were real. The model boat, who had lived through two seasons and lost most of his paint, caught the tone from them and never missed an opportunity of referring to his rigging in technical terms. The Rabbit could not claim to be a model of anything, for he didn't know that real rabbits existed; he thought they were all stuffed with sawdust like himself, and he understood that sawdust was quite out-of-date and should never be mentioned in modern circles. Even Timothy, the jointed wooden lion, who was made by the disabled soldiers, and should have had broader views, put on airs and pretended he was connected with Government. Between them all the poor little Rabbit was made to feel himself very insignificant and commonplace, and the only person who was kind to him at all was the Skin Horse.
The Skin Horse had lived longer in the nursery than any of the others. He was so old that his brown coat was bald in patches and showed the seams underneath, and most of the hairs in his tail had been pulled out to string bead necklaces. He was wise, for he had seen a long succession of mechanical toys arrive to boast and swagger, and by-and-by break their mainsprings and pass away, and he knew that they were only toys, and would never turn into anything else. For nursery magic is very strange and wonderful, and only those playthings that are old and wise and experienced like the Skin Horse understand all about it.
"What is REAL?" asked the Rabbit one day, when they were lying side by side near the nursery fender, before Nana came to tidy the room. "Does it mean having things that buzz inside you and a stick-out handle?"
"Real isn't how you are made," said the Skin Horse. "It's a thing that happens to you. When a child loves you for a long, long time, not just to play with, but REALLY loves you, then you become Real."
"Does it hurt?" asked the Rabbit.
"Sometimes," said the Skin Horse, for he was always truthful. "When you are Real you don't mind being hurt."
"Does it happen all at once, like being wound up," he asked, "or bit by bit?"
"It doesn't happen all at once," said the Skin Horse. "You become. It takes a long time. That's why it doesn't happen often to people who break easily, or have sharp edges, or who have to be carefully kept. Generally, by the time you are Real, most of your hair has been loved off, and your eyes drop out and you get loose in the joints and very shabby. But these things don't matter at all, because once you are Real you can't be ugly, except to people who don't understand."
"I suppose you are real?" said the Rabbit. And then he wished he had not said it, for he thought the Skin Horse might be sensitive. But the Skin Horse only smiled.
The Skin Horse Tells His Story
"The Boy's Uncle made me Real," he said. "That was a great many years ago; but once you are Real you can't become unreal again. It lasts for always."
The Rabbit sighed. He thought it would be a long time before this magic called Real happened to him. He longed to become Real, to know what it felt like; "(The Velveteen Rabbit, by Margery Williams)

In our Every Day Lives

2008-07-05T00:52:00.000-07:00

Thoughts from my Brother Ben:
I hope that my brother doesn't mind that I'm sharing his thoughts from a week or so ago. I just couldn't help but take these things in and really gain some insight for myself on not just the act of making a covenant but actually living the covenants I make. Sometimes it's hard to put these things into words. But for me, it's not enough to know the facts about the Savior and his gospel, I feel that I should be incorporating the gospel into my daily living. Ben shared some of these ideas in great ways. . .

"Our relationship with others is directly related to the covenants we make with God.

What do I mean by this?
Aside from promising to love our neighbors as ourselves, lift one another’s burdens, worship together, and to share the Gospel, there are other aspects to being part of a covenant people that makes living the Gospel unique.
First is being a covenant person.
When we personally keep our covenants – we dedicate ourselves to this pursuit, repenting often and pushing forward – we change. We start asking interesting questions like, “How do I develop more charity for others?” “I really want to do XYZ, but what would the Lord have me do?” “Is there someone I know who needs help today?” “That kid really is noisy. Wait, I have my own noisy kids too. Perhaps what those parents really need is an understanding smile?”
This is because of the following phenomenon. When we keep our covenants, we gain the companionship of the Spirit, which in turn changes us into peculiar people:
Gal. 5: 22
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
Eph. 5: 9
9 (For [also,] the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth;)
As the spirit works in us, we find that covenant keeping is not a solitary act. It extends to others around us. For example, and I know I’ve told the story before. When I was 13 my mother was extremely ill with cancer. Our house was painted, sprinklers installed, a broken sewer line dug up and replaced by ordinary people who honored they’re covenants and sought to serve someone in need.
Second is being a covenant family.
I learned about the importance of covenants and how they work from my family. My father taught the covenant lessons for FHE, and we talked about each new covenant we would make when growing up in the Church – baptism, Priesthood, marriage. But it was in living those that the beauty of covenant keeping came through in my family.
I come from a family of 10 kids. Now by no means are we a perfect family. But we are very close and we understand our roles with each other. It is one of the many things I look forward to each day to check my email or a family member’s blog to see what is going on in Kentucky, Boston, New York City, Virginia, Maryland, Alaska, Utah, or here in CA. We offer support, friendship, laughs, and advice to each other daily. We understand that not all of us would approach a situation the same and we accept that. We understand that our advice is just that and may be left unheeded. But in the end, when it comes down to the nitty gritty of life, we are family – we’re there to fast and pray for each other when a child is born with a heart defect, praise each others’ kids’ creativity and successes, and generally be a safe haven from the wiles of the world. I hope to carry this on with my children because it has been invaluable to me in my life.
Third is we are a covenant people.
If I were to take the microcosm of my family and extend it out into this Church, I see the same support offered here (minus the emails.) We strive for happiness. We strive for humility, charity, and love. In short we try to emulate the people of Alma who were baptized at the waters of Mormon. We are…
Mosiah 18:8-10
9 Yea, and are willing to mourn with those that mourn; yea, and comfort those that stand in need of comfort, and to stand as witnesses of God at all times and in all things, and in all places that ye [we] may be in, even until death, that ye [we] may be redeemed of God, and be numbered with those of the first resurrection, that ye [we] may have eternal life—
10 Now I say unto you, if this be the desire of your hearts, what have you against being baptized in the name of the Lord, as a witness before him that ye have entered into a covenant with him, that ye will serve him and keep his commandments, that he may pour out his Spirit more abundantly upon you?
In discussing this talk with my wife, we both came to realize how good this ward has been to us and to each other. We feel recharged after each Sunday and we know it comes from the dedication and preparation of each member to contribute to each other’s spiritual well being. As a ward and even as a Stake we do some of the most selfless acts to help lift one another. We take time to visit each other once a month. Some give up a day of work to chaperone youth at a youth conference. Others faithfully fulfill temple assignments to allow those who otherwise would not be able to take on the covenants of the Gospel to do so. When we are sick, the ward unites to support the afflicted with temporal and spiritual service. This list goes on and on."

Aren't these great ideas and examples? Well, I think so. What good is it to be book smart if we don't apply that great knowledge to our life's decisions? So what good is it to know the facts and even go through the motions of covenant making if we have no intention of implementing change in our own lives.

Let's see. The covenants we make talk about us being willing to be like the Savior. Is that so bad? Too boring? Right. They also talk about us being willing to serve others/be kind and helpful. That can't be too much, right? They talk about us being willing to share our thoughts about the Savior, Jesus Christ with other, if they want. I don't know. Hmmm. I can talk about tv shows, books, clothes, hair styles, etc. I guess talking about the creator of this world and the one being who is responsible for my existence day to day also can't be too much to ask.

Anyway, there are so many things that living the gospel covers. So I'll just have to plug away at it and keep my attitude in check. I'll be happier. I know I'm so much happier now than I ever would have been because I was willing to stick to my covenants.

Thanks, Ben, for the wonderful thoughts! And congrats on your new "little" baby boy!!!

2008-06-23T23:54:00.000-07:00

I actually went to a Book Club!!! Well, we went out for dessert at the Cheesecake Factory afterwards and I'm moving away from these wonderful women so I really wanted to spend some time with them while I could. Looks like I was the benefactor.
We talked about two books that were about Emma Smith. One was, Emma Smith: An Elect Lady by Susan Easton Black and the other that was brought up was Judge Me, Dear Reader by Erwin Wirkus. We had a wonderful discussion on the two books and on Joseph and Emma Smith and their challenges and on what became of Emma after Joseph was killed in Carthage.
Emma, was a strong willed and upright woman and very well educated for the time. She remarried a rough man who was a womanizer and was abusive-the opposite of Joseph. She stayed in Nauvoo after all of the saints were driven out or left to travel west for religious freedoms.
There are a lot of recorded instances where she was very mean and angry and spiteful towards others. She made some very questionable life decisions. Anyway, I thought quite a bit out all of this but I still don't want to judge her too harshly. She faced a lot of very very hard circumstances that could have contributed to her bitterness.
No matter what her life's outcome, I thought long and hard about a quote that came from one of the books.
It reads:
"Brigham Young was absolutely correct in his statement, because Joseph would find her in the hell that she had created for herself, and I firmly believe that, because of his love for her, he would redeem her from that state. I have real sympathy for Emma and see her as a person who became burned-out mentally and therefore spiritually. I believe that she suffered a severe mental breakdown when she saw her dead husband. We must also remember that she had asked Joseph to come back to Nauvoo even though he had said that if he were to return and stand trial he would be killed or 'he was not a prophet of God'."

The thought that really hit me was " in the hell that she had created for herself". I think we all create our own "hells" in this life. We are mean to people, maybe we covet another person, or we put our own wants before the needs of others, or maybe we are even overly judgemental, or we feel the need to be better than everyone, or need attention on a regular basis so we back bite or act innocent while backing up some terrible power struggles, etc. etc. etc. Hell is all about having regrets and living in the sadness of those thoughts. Hell is not forgiving. Hell is not loving unconditionally. Hell is not being loved and not knowing why and wanting it so badly. Hell is not having faith.

Regrets, regrets, regrets.

It kind of backs up another interesting idea someone shared on a program talking about out of body experiences where certain people had died and come back and spoke about it. One guy said that after his spirit left his body he was bombarded by a constant barrage from people who he had hurt or disappointed. They would come at him with questions of why. That stuck in my head at the time as quite possibly more of what I would have thought hell to be like. No rest just sadness and regrets and anxiety.

So, my question is,
do we really want to live in hell?
Then why create it?

Forgive.
Love.
Have faith.
Live a life with ALL of these qualities.
Could it be this simple?
It looks like we get to chose . . .
heaven
or
hell.

The Baptist Preacher

2008-06-22T01:11:00.000-07:00

A day or two ago I had a Baptist Preacher come to my door with a youth from his church. He started chatting with my 17 yr old son about going to heaven and about some Christian ideas. I came to the door and greeted this seemingly nice man from Arkansas. We had some very nice thoughts shared but being that I am in the middle of a huge move, I shared that I wasn't interested in coming to his church but that I appreciated our visit and wished him to have a nice day. He proceeded to tell me that he didn't care if I wanted to come to his church and then asked another question of me quizzing my knowledge of the Bible, specifically the New Testament. At this point I asked, "Are you really going to hold me up from what I am doing to banter with me about the Bible?" He said, "No" and kept it up.
I had to shut the door on him, sadly enough. And as I walked back to packing up our home and taking care of our family, I thought, for a preacher he sure did a couple Non-Christlike things by telling a lie about the fact that he didn't care if I wanted to come to his church (or he would have left on the higher note we had been on). And becoming aggressive in his questions on points that he knew we would differ on. And not being kind and respectful to me and my family during an obviously stressful time.
How many times do we contribute to the internal conflicts that those we go to church with have? How many times are we really just looking out for our own agenda and not applying actual Christ-like behaviors in our lives?
How many times are we more interested in a certain result than the others our actions might affect.
Are we more interested in getting a calling or assignment for the attention it would bring us over the great opportunity it might bring for us to serve others or achieve personal growth?
Now don't get me wrong. As responsible, intelligent people we are responsible for our own emotions and reactions to everything in our lives. I'm not giving an out to anyone.
But don't we have to take the time to consider our own actions and how that affects the world around us.
Consider this:

8 For they saw and beheld with great sorrow that the people of the church began to be lifted up in the pride of their eyes, and to set their hearts upon riches and upon the vain things of the world, that they began to be scornful, one towards another, and they began to persecute those that did not believe according to their own will and pleasure.
9 And thus, in this eighth year of the reign of the judges, there began to be great contentions among the people of the church; yea, there were envyings, and strife, and malice, and persecutions, and pride, even to exceed the pride of those who did not belong to the church of God.
10 And thus ended the eighth year of the reign of the judges; and the wickedness of the church was a great stumbling-block to those who did not belong to the church; and thus the church began to fail in its progress.
11 And it came to pass in the *commencement of the ninth year, Alma saw the wickedness of the church, and he saw also that the example of the church began to lead those who were unbelievers on from one piece of iniquity to another, thus bringing on the destruction of the people.
12 Yea, he saw great inequality among the people, some lifting themselves up with their pride, despising others, turning their backs upon the needy and the naked and those who were hungry, and those who were athirst, and those who were sick and afflicted. (Alma 4:8-10)

Look at verse 8! In the church people began to be hard on each other because some had less than them-not quite the right shoes, hat, dress, tie, calling, set of scriptures, hairdo, etc. You don't think that has an effect on the flow of the good things that can be done? Are you kidding? Do you think that you are building up those around you? Or are you assisting Satan in bringing misery into the lives of others? It's your test. You know your score. And yes, there is a score.
In our ward when one of my daughter's fellow classmates found out that her father was going to be in the Bishopric, it was said that she stated, "Good, now the Bishop with know how bad Lauren is." Abuse of power? yes. Painful for my daughter? yes. A stumbling block for Lauren? More of a refiner's fire. See, I've taught my kids that they have to learn from these kinds of things that happen all of their lives.

How does this look to others outside of the church or group? Well, they sure don't want to be a part of that kind of drama, now, do they? If they do, aren't you worried? I'd be.

BUT we can all fix the problemsand work towards better days fairly easily, if we chose. We can be more patient and tolarant not just on the surface but for real. We can be supportive and kind and listen. Do we REALLY need to be better than someone else at church? Why? What's the reward for that? If you need a medal work towards the Olympics or your local City League Tournament. There's real competition and politics. Enjoy.
The greatest reward we will ever get is the peace that comes with being sincere in our efforts to respect each other equally and in getting along in all circumstances.
Want to know how? There are a lot of great books to chose from. I'd start with the scriptures and go from there, personally. But because I'm a work in progress, I'll defer to other's with more wisdom and experience.

On this Father's Day

2008-06-10T13:53:00.000-07:00

Many times in our lives we are blessed with great people. These people are not great because they have great powers, or have great wealth, or have numerous powerful contacts. These people are great because in their lives they contribute to our lives in positive, constructive ways. They are great because they become people we can trust and relate to. And maybe best of all, they are great because we can learn from them.

I have been blessed with a great Father.

My Father is a great listener.

My Father is a great learner.

My Father is a great teacher.

My Father is a great supporter.

My Father is a great friend.

My Father has assisted me in making changes in my life that have shaped my life into a more fulfilling process. He has not pushed or pulled. He has lightly suggested when asked. He has followed his heart in what he talks about and how he discusses things. He has never let me off the hook when I have been wrong yet he has never condemned me for my own foibles. He is ok with my pace of learning and applying knowledge.

I know that my Father will always want what is best for me not what he thinks I should be.

THAT is why I can trust him and why I say with all sincerity he really is my friend.

I love you with all of my heart, Dad.

2008-06-09T12:18:00.001-07:00

If I have learned anything lately it is the value of a Father who in his own life continues to strive to be better than he was the day before. In that, he finds the strength & wisdom to love & counsel his countless children and grandchildren. Sherry2008

Reflecting

2008-05-30T10:50:00.001-07:00

I have a lot to reflect on these days. We are moving from the city that we've lived in for almost 19 years and we have our first child graduating from high school and going to college shortly.

Where does the time go? I've hear this asked so many times. Now I ask. I actually know where it's gone. It's gone into keeping my family safe and secure. It's gone into educating my children emotionally, spritually, physically, and mentally. It's gone into celebrating the great moments and sorrowing over the terrible ones. It's gone into living and living to the fullest.

My cup runneth o'er. I can only say that I am so grateful for every moment of every day that I can experience life here on earth.

Images of Mother

2008-05-16T00:48:00.000-07:00

The Images of Mother
4 YEARS OF AGE - My Mommy can do anything!
8 YEARS OF AGE - My Mom knows a lot! A whole lot!
12 YEARS OF AGE - My Mother doesn't really know quite everything.
14 YEARS OF AGE - Naturally, Mother doesn't know that, either.
16 YEARS OF AGE - Mother? She's hopelessly old-fashioned.
18 YEARS OF AGE - That old woman? She's way out of date!
25 YEARS OF AGE - Well, she might know a little bit about it.
35 YEARS OF AGE - Before we decide, let's get Mom ' s opinion.
45 YEARS OF AGE - Wonder what Mom would have thought about it?
65 YEARS OF AGE - Wish I could talk it over with Mom.

I got this like many of you, this Mother's Day Season. I can totally relate from both sides. Isn't it funny that we go through natural evolutions? Well, I love and miss my Mom. I know at this point that she's pretty knowledgeable and I'd do almost anything for some great sit-down time with her in person. Luckily I have sisters that remind me at all times of Mom in mannerisms, voices, and characteristics. And just the other day, someone said that my daughter had so many of my mannerisms. I could have cringed but I smiled, even giggled inside, because that means she, too, can remind me of my Mother.

I can do that!

2008-05-08T22:31:00.000-07:00

Pleasure and Pain – The Plan of Salvation

Bishop Richard C. Edgley

"An understanding of Christ's plan of redemption helps put [personal suffering] into perspective. In our preexistent state our Father in Heaven presented His plan for mortality, which Alma described as the 'plan of happiness' (Alma 42:8). I believe we all understood that by coming to earth, we would be exposed to all of the experiences of earth life, including the not-so-pleasant trials of pain, suffering, hopelessness, sin, and death. There would be opposition and adversity. And if that was all we knew about the plan, I doubt if any of us would have embraced it, rejoicing, 'That's what I have always wanted--pain, suffering, hopelessness, sin, and death.' But it all came into focus, and it became acceptable, even desirable, when an Elder Brother stepped forward and offered that He would go down and make it all right. Out of pain and suffering He would bring peace. Out of hopelessness He would bring hope. Out of transgression He would bring repentance and forgiveness. Out of death He would bring the resurrection of lives. And with that explanation and most generous offer, each and every one of us concluded, 'I can do that. That is a risk worth taking.' And so we chose." (Richard C. Edgley, "For Thy Good," Ensign, May 2002, p. 65)

My Dad sent this out. I love the real language. I'm so grateful for our loving Savior.

3900 Saturdays

2008-05-02T08:14:00.000-07:00

3900 Saturdays
The older I get, the more I enjoy Saturday mornings. Perhaps it's the quiet solitude that comes with being the first to rise, or maybe it's the unbounded joy of not having to be at work. Either way, the first few hours of a Saturday morning are most enjoyable.
A few weeks ago, I was shuffling toward the garage with a steaming cup of coffee in one hand and the morning paper in the other. What began as a typical Saturday morning turned into one of those lessons that life seems to hand you from time to time. Let me tell you about it:
I turned the dial up into the phone portion of the band on my ham radio in order to listen to a Saturday morning swap net. Along the way, I came across an older sounding chap, with a tremendous signal and a golden voice. You know the kind; he sounded like he should be in the broadcasting business. He was telling whom-ever he was talking with something about 'a thousand marbles.' I was intrigued and stopped to listen to what he had to say
'Well, Tom, it sure sounds like you're busy with your job. I'm sure they pay you well but it's a shame you have to be away from home and your family so much. Hard to believe a young fellow should have to work sixty or seventy hours a week to make ends meet. It's too bad you missed your daughter's 'dance recital' he continued. ;'Let me tell you something that has helped me keep my own priorities.' And that's when he began to explain his theory of a 'thousand marbles.'
'You see, I sat down one day and did a little arithmetic. The average person lives about seventy-five years. I know, some live more and some live less, but on average, folks live about seventy-five years.
'Now then, I multiplied 75 times 52 and I came up with 3900, which is the number of Saturdays that the average person has in their entire lifetime. Now, stick with me, Tom, I'm getting to the important part.
It took me until I was fifty-five years old to think about all this in any detail', he went on, 'and by that time I had lived through over twenty-eight hundred Saturdays.' 'I got to thinking that if I lived to be seventy-five, I only had about a thousand of them left to enjoy. So I went to a toy store and bought every single marble they had. I ended up having to visit three toy stores to round up 1000 marbles I took them home and put them inside a large, clear plastic container right here in the shack next to my gear.'
'Every Saturday since then, I have taken one marble out and thrown it away. I found that by watching the marbles diminish, I focused more on the really important things in life.
There's nothing like watching your time here on this earth run out to help get your priorities straight.'
'Now let me tell you one last thing before I sign-off with you and take my lovely wife out for breakfast. This morning, I took the very last marble out of the container. I figure that if I make it until next Saturday then I have been given a little extra time. And the one thing we can all use is a little more time.'
'It was nice to meet you Tom, I hope you spend more time with your family, and I hope to meet you again here on the band. This is a 75 Year old Man, K9NZQ, clear and going QRT, good morning!' You could have heard a pin drop on the band when this fellow signed off. I guess he gave us all a lot to think about. I had planned to work on the antenna that morning, and then I was going to meet up with a few hams to work on the next club newsletter.
Instead, I went upstairs and woke my wife up with a kiss. 'C'mon honey, I'm taking you and the kids to breakfast.' 'What brought this on?' she asked with a smile. 'Oh, nothing special, it's just been a long time since we spent a Saturday together with the kids. And hey, can we stop at a toy store while we're out? I need to buy some marbles.

I read this today and loved the thought from the story.

Hinckley Challenge

2008-04-20T11:17:00.000-07:00

Well, I decided to dive into this challenge to read the Book of Mormon in 97 days. The idea being that President Gordon B. Hinckley lived 97 years and to honor him, we could join in and read the Book of Mormon in 97 days. I have pushed myself to do it by reading and when traveling or working to listening to the Book of Mormon. Going fast through the whole book is not my style. I like to soak things in and look at it. Plus, I'm not the best reader anyway, so I read slowly to start with.

Well, I have found that some things have jumped out at me while I was reading this time because I was going quickly.

1) Did you ever really listen to the very beginning of the "Lord's Prayer" as the Savior teaches how the order and attitude of prayer should be? Check this out: "Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven." (3 Nephi 13:9-10)http://scriptures.lds.org/en/3_ne/13
God our Father's will is done in heaven. He is in charge. The Lord, His Son, is acknowledging this in such a simple way. Jesus is also, in one simple phrase, asking for the purest order of things to happen on earth as it does in heaven. If God's will were to be done on earth at all times, what would this life and existence be like? Can you imagine?! And if the Savior is asking that this wonderful way of life exist on earth, and this is the example of prayer for us, how can we chose to live to make it happen?

2) Alma 48:17 "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."
So if Moroni is described like this, what were the key characteristics that we read about him in Alma? He doesn't like to fight in war but he sure will if it means that he will be defending the rights and freedoms of his people to live and worship as they desire. He would ask the prophet about their enemies' actions in the field of battle, knowing in faith, that the prophet was a seer and could help as long as their cause was a righteous one. He would honor the oaths even of his enemies. He served the people. He knew the scriptures and the gospel and taught many of this to the people as he lead them and encouraged them.
Now, as I have over time read and reread the stories of Moroni, I have felt the power of his righteousness. Notice that there is a purity in that power. He was only 25 when he started to lead so he must have been wise early on. Now I also don't think that he's the only and best leader and that his ways are out of touch for us to reach. On the contrary, I believe that we have his example to show that it is important to actually follow the Savior and live his gospel. And if it means that we have to fight to defend our country and our freedoms, then that is a righteous thing.
The next two verses help us to see that others are seen to be equal in righteousness and the power of it : "Behold, he was a man like unto Ammon, the son of Mosiah, yea and even the other sons of Mosiah, yea, and also Alma and his sons, for they were all men of God.
Now behold, Helaman and his brethren were no less serviceable unto the people than was Moroni; for they did preach the word of God, and they did baptize unto repentance all men whosoever would hearken unto their words." (Alma 48:18-19)http://scriptures.lds.org/en/alma/48
3) "And thus they went forth, and the people did humble themselves because of their words, insomuch that they were highly favored of the Lord, and thus they were free from wars and contentions among themselves, yea, even for the space of four years." (Alma 48:20)
Notice the next thing that is mentioned here and is all throughout the Book of Mormon that I think we miss on many occasions. It's right after the descriptions of Moroni and the other very righteous leaders, all of whom have different talents that are used at the same time for the blessing of the people.
Helaman and his brethren teach the gospel and help others come to the point that they are willing to make covenants with the Lord and thus there is peace. There is peace because there is righteousness. Again, there is peace BECAUSE there is righteousness. If you ever need a good reason in your life to share the gospel of Jesus Christ, this should be a great catalyst. Don't we all want peace? Don't we all want safe neighborhoods? Well, there we have it. This has been so prominent in my mind this time around in my reading.

There are other things that have really jumped out at me but these are some of the more recent thoughts. Interesting how they all seem to address my own personal desire for peace and joy in this life. I don't just want to wait for it later. It would be nice to enjoy it here, now with my loved ones, friends, and neighbors.

It looks like it can be done.

I'd better work on me and see how things go.

Alone

2008-04-03T12:30:00.000-07:00

About ten years ago I found myself "serving" in a church position which lasted for almost 3 years. It entailed leading a group of women in order to take care of their families, their spiritual development, their temporal needs and social needs. We had activities to oversee, talks to give, lessons to teach, hungry families to feed, dysfunctional homes to try to heal, etc. I found this to be a very challenging time in my personal life because there was so much that needed to be confidential in what I did or why I made the decisions to do the things that I would do for those in need. I felt very alone. I could only share with my husband the surface stuff. I couldn't really talk to family because they wouldn't know the culture and/or circumstances that I was dealing with. I could ultimately turn to the Lord and find sure answers in prayer, scripture reading and fasting. I know that I was criticized and mocked at times. I know that my family was treated differently and sometimes maliciously by the few who were arrogant and jealous. And we had a relatively young family.We had only been married for 10 years and had 4 very young children.

One day while I was trying for a quiet moment to think about by family and my calling and the things of that day and week, I opened a new book by a favorite author of mine, Robert L. Millet, and read about Joseph Smith. These are the words I read and found great comfort in:

"Like his Master, Jesus Christ, Joseph Smith was called upon to endure a life of loneliness. It was a life characterized not only by persecution and suspicion but also by an isolation known only to those who walk in the glorious light of noonday sun, who know with an absolute certainty and yet must minister among others who seem content to walk and talk in the fading rays of dusk, those who struggle with faith, those who doubt, and even those who dare not believe. The farm boy who grew to become a prophet's prophet was also, to some degree at least, "a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief" (Mosiah 14:3), one who knew firsthand the costs of Christian discipleship. "God is my friend," he wrote to his wife, Emma, at a difficult time. "In him I shall find comfort. I have given my life into his hands. I am prepared to go at his call. I desire to be with Christ. I count not my life dear to me, only to do his will." (The Personal Writings of Joseph Smith, p. 239; punctuation modernized.) Such expressions enable us to discern the soul of Joseph Smith, to discover the underlying secret of his success, his humility. But he was the prophet of the Almighty; God knew it, and he knew it."

There wasn't an answer in this to my specific questions. But the comfort I received seeing that a great man who faced severe challenges just as the prophets of old who is well known and often held very high in our church also faced the feeling of aloneness and seclusion that I was facing albeit on a smaller scale.

Who else in their life has had life experiences and more than likely, like myself, more than one where they have their own personal knowledge of the truth or validity of their decisions and no one but God can really know it, too?

". . . God knew it, and he knew it."

Who would have thought that the rebuilding of a trailer for a destitute dysfunctional family would only serve to help them to sell it and make a better life in another place? Who would have thought that a young mother would be given the chance to start over and after great sacrifices by others, would chose to go back to drugs? Who would think that working for a year in a boutique in the heart of Las Vegas, that a young mother would influence a beautiful young woman to leave a life of degradation to go to a full productive joy filled life?

Who do we judge in their day to day and bigger life decisions? Who do we in an arrogant, self-serving moments decide to "counsel"? As my mother often said, "Who do you think you are?" Who do we think we are when we harshly challenge difficult choices of another? We are the grave cause of another's aloneness and pain if we find ourselves doing these things. We add to the trial of another's faith. We add to the darkness.

Sadly, I know both sides. But now I see some things that, for me, are strengthening.

I hope that in the spirit of wisdom that I continue to remember that my life is my life and I am responsible for it. I am responsible for having the kind of relationship with my Savior that entails the blessing of an all-knowing friend as my guide. And in this working for a personal relationship, I hope that I will find that although I might not be understood, supported, or appreciated that I will always remember that I have a Savior who loves me and works with me so that my life is what it is meant to be.

Yes, I still have very alone times when I know that the only one that understands is Jesus Christ. I think instead of feeling sorry for myself, I will bask in His love. He surely understands.

Side note: It is a rare time that I feel so alone.

I have a loving husband and children to share this life with.

I have wonderful parents and siblings and their spouses and children

in great numbers

whom I love spending time with and can turn too, also.

I am very blessed.

My Cup Runneth Over

Small Things

2008-04-02T13:43:00.000-07:00

"But behold I say unto you, that by small and simple things are great things brought to pass; and small means in many instances doth confound the wise." (Almas 37:6)

A Complete Change

2008-03-25T23:28:00.000-07:00

Is the Atonement for you? For me? for everyone?

In the Books of Mosiah and Alma there are some very poinient examples of changed lives.
The one that jumped out at me what the story of the sons of Mosiah (Nephites).
They were really dishing out the dirt against the church members in their area. They were trying to break down the church (strangely, they couldn't just leave people alone in their choice of worship). Their friend was the Son of the Chief High Priest, Alma. His name was also Alma-after his father. Things were so bad that an angel appeared to the group of them which caused them to rethink their lives. They made a complete turn around and made every effort to repair any damages that they did. But it didn't stop there. The sons of Mosiah wanted to go tell their mortal enemies about the Savior and His ways and try to bring more peace to them. Here's part of this story:
"14 And assuredly it was great, for they had undertaken to preach the word of God to a wild and a hardened and a ferocious people; a people who delighted in murdering the Nephites, and robbing and plundering them; and their hearts were set upon riches, or upon gold and silver, and precious stones; yet they sought to obtain these things by murdering and plundering, that they might not labor for them with their own hands.
15 Thus they were a very indolent people, many of whom did worship idols, and the curse of God had fallen upon them because of the traditions of their fathers; notwithstanding the promises of the Lord were extended unto them on the conditions of repentance.
16 Therefore, this was the cause for which the sons of Mosiah had undertaken the work, that perhaps they might bring them unto repentance; that perhaps they might bring them to know of the plan of redemption." (Alma 17:14-16)

This is a stunning turn about of attitudes.

These men were raised in the gospel of Jesus Christ and had willfully rebelled against it. But being humbled so much by the fact that they were given this second chance, they were willing to put their lives out there in order to help others.
When I thought about the shape that they were in to do this, I wondered if besides the faith that they obviously had, if they didn't need to be even stronger to handle this daunting task.
So here's what I read:
"1 And now it came to pass that as Alma was journeying from the land of Gideon southward, away to the land of Manti, behold, to his astonishment, he met with the sons of Mosiah journeying towards the land of Zarahemla.
2 Now these sons of Mosiah were with Alma at the time the angel first appeared unto him; therefore Alma did rejoice exceedingly to see his brethren; and what added more to his joy, they were still his brethren in the Lord; yea, and they had waxed strong in the knowledge of the truth; for they were men of a sound understanding and they had searched the scriptures diligently, that they might know the word of God.
3 But this is not all; they had given themselves to much prayer, and fasting; therefore they had the spirit of prophecy, and the spirit of revelation, and when they taught, they taught with power and authority of God." (Alma 17:1-3)

What jumped out at me? Well, I thought to myself, "Here's the key to a complete change of heart. Here's exactly how I've overcome severe trials in my own life. Here's how these good men became great and still stayed humble therefore even more powerful and good.

What does the key to making the atonement work for every single person? Reading the scriptures, praying and fasting.
These three actions bring about the greatest changes for good. It might seem way too easy. It's a simple concept but easy? I don't think that it's always easy. I know that I have applied these three actions. I have done it over and over and over (see even the toughest students can learn!). I will have to keep it up, too. Because like everyone I know, we're all in this life trying our best to be our best and to help others be the same. And there are a lot of challenges to face.
The atonement is for everyone-everyone who wants the peace and kindness of the Savior to be the guiding power and influence in their lives.

Three steps to being our very best:
Search the Scriptures+Pray to Heavenly Father+Fast=miracles of all sizes and shapes

I promise it works.

Just Another Day

2008-03-25T22:57:00.000-07:00

Well, it's just before bed and I should be closer to getting in bed but I thought I'd jot down a couple thoughts (or just one-I'm tired).

What can the scriptures do?
I started reading my scriptures every day again. I don't read a ton and I don't have a consistant amount that I read. It could be 5 verses or 3 chapters. But what I noticed, again, is how quickly I refocused my energy. I calmed down. I found myself feeling lighter, if that makes any sense. I was also quicker to re-evaluate my priorities.
Evaluating my priorities.
By saying that, I mean where I am putting my emotions and my energy. I have a pretty obvious set of priorities which don't change but what I chose to worry or ponder about while doing laundry, driving carpool, feeding our family, working in the yard, etc., isn't as obvious. It's very internal and personal.
There seem to be a myriad of important things to worry about. I could keep myself up at night worrying about my teenagers, and sometime do. I could stop eating because I put my energy into worrying about the renters and their problems with paying rent. I could make myself sick with worry about work, kids' friends, kids' schools, etc. etc. etc. But almost immediately when reading the inspired words in the scriptures, there is a comfort that begins to shield me from the edginess of all of these valid worries.
What is that powerful effect? Why is it a constant? Why do words matter so much?
All I know is that the words written in the scriptures are obviously more that just random thoughts. They are instructive and supportive. They lift and cheer the soul.
I am so grateful that we have the written words of our Savior and His prophets. What a blessing, indeed, to have preserved records that are life building.

Living After the Manner of Happiness

2008-02-18T09:39:00.000-08:00

For Sunday I had read and thought about a lesson that I was to give at church.
I read these things:

Nephi’s Thoughts
27 And why should I yield to sin, because of my flesh? Yea, why should I give way to temptations, that the evil one have place in my heart to destroy my peace and afflict my soul? Why am I angry because of mine enemy?
28 Awake, my soul! No longer droop in sin. Rejoice, O my heart, and give place no more for the enemy of my soul.
29 Do not anger again because of mine enemies. Do not slacken my strength because of mine afflictions.
30 Rejoice, O my heart, and cry unto the Lord, and say: O Lord, I will praise thee forever; yea, my soul will rejoice in thee, my God, and the rock of my salvation. (2 Nephi 4:27-30)
vs
Laman and Lemuel’s Thoughts
2 But behold, their anger did increase against me, insomuch that they did seek to take away my life.
3 Yea, they did murmur against me, saying: Our younger brother thinks to rule over us; and we have had much trial because of him; wherefore, now let us slay him, that we may not be afflicted more because of his words. For behold, we will not have him to be our ruler; for it belongs unto us, who are the elder brethren, to rule over this people.
4 Now I do not write upon these plates all the words which they murmured against me. But it sufficeth me to say, that they did seek to take away my life. (2 Nephi 5:2-4)

As I read the two comparisons of these brothers' anger management skills, I thought long and hard about the importance of making every effort to not be angry with my enemies. I could feel in my heart that this was a very important topic. When I brought this idea up for discussion in our class, there were fantastic comments and great feedback on the importance of not being angry with one's enemies. Here are a few of the thoughts that were discussed:
First, why is it a practical thing to not be angry with one's enemy?
If we are not angry with our enemy, then we deflate the opportunity for escalating emotions in many cases. Instead of a "tennis match" of angry actions, blame and accusations, you can end up with peace in your heart while the other does whatever they are going to do with their anger.
We remain healthy psycologically and spiritually.
Second, how can we realistically accomplish this?
We can concentrate on building bridges or at least not burning too many with angry indignation.
We can be cordial in all cases.
We can step back in a heated moment, take a break and come back ready to calmly consider the situation.
Don't let one's pride step in when one's character is being challenged or beat up.
Remember, too, that the atonement is for everyone. So that person or people you might consider enemies now, might forgive/repent and make amends so that you can at least be cordial if not completely get along fantastically in the end.

President Howard W. Hunter taught: “We need a more peaceful world, growing out of more peaceful families and neighborhoods and communities. To secure and cultivate such peace, ‘we must love others, even our enemies as well as our friends.’ … We need to extend the hand of friendship. We need to be kinder, more gentle, more forgiving, and slower to anger. We need to love one another with the pure love of Christ. May this be our course and our desire” (in Conference Report, Apr. 1992, 87; or Ensign, May 1992, 63).

As we discussed things further, we talked about the fact that the Lord told Nephi that his brothers were going to kill him. Laman and Lemuel hated Nephi and their excuse for killing him was that they thought that he wanted to be king over them and they were the oldest and should be the rulers (a topic of the 10th commandment -coveting-came up at this point). Nephi took whoever wanted to go with him and went away from his brothers and the people who were with them and began to thrive. Here is what is recorded of what Nephi and his group did in their area:

10 And we did observe to keep the judgments, and the statutes, and the commandments of the Lord in all things, according to the law of Moses.
11 And the Lord was with us; and we did prosper exceedingly; for we did sow seed, and we did reap again in abundance. And we began to raise flocks, and herds, and animals of every kind.
12 And I, Nephi, had also brought the records which were engraven upon the plates of brass; and also the ball, or compass, which was prepared for my father by the hand of the Lord, according to that which is written.
13 And it came to pass that we began to prosper exceedingly, and to multiply in the land.
14 And I, Nephi, did take the sword of Laban, and after the manner of it did make many swords, lest by any means the people who were now called Lamanites should come upon us and destroy us; for I knew their hatred towards me and my children and those who were called my people.
15 And I did teach my people to build buildings, and to work in all manner of wood, and of iron, and of copper, and of brass, and of steel, and of gold, and of silver, and of precious ores, which were in great abundance.
16 And I, Nephi, did build a temple; and I did construct it after the manner of the temple of Solomon save it were not built of so many precious things; for they were not to be found upon the land, wherefore, it could not be built like unto Solomon’s temple. But the manner of the construction was like unto the temple of Solomon; and the workmanship thereof was exceedingly fine. 17 And it came to pass that I, Nephi, did cause my people to be industrious, and to labor with their hands. (2 Nephi 5:10-16)

Living after the Manner of Happiness
One concern that would naturally be brought up is the question, "Do I look weak if I am not angry with my enemies?"
Some answers were:
People who are industrious and prosperous are strong.
If one is happy and hangs on to their self esteem they feel strong.
The person who has let go of the weakening emotion of anger feels strong.
If our energies are turned from blame and revenge, are we more productive and strong?
If God has promised to fight our battles if we turn to Him, are we weak? We can't be.

Instead of being defensive or angry that they had to leave in order to survive, Nephi and his group moved on. It appears that they were happy because they lived the Commandments of God, they had scripture and geneological records, they were hardworking and industrious, they were prepared for danger, and they built a Temple-a place of peace and worship for them. What a distinctive difference from the brothers' attitudes.
The brothers of Nephi, Laman and Lemuel, couldn't leave well enough alone. They claimed to have been worried about Nephi being their ruler and telling them what to do. Yet not long after the split of people, Laman and Lemuel's group came over to battle Nephi's group! So it appears that the anger was just a festering thing for them and as we read further, it doesn't subside much. It actually leads to many wars.

So which way looks like the most productive, happy way to live?

It seems very clear that we have a very good example of how letting go of anger towards our enemies is an essential way to happiness. Many times this takes a great deal of faith in God and his promise to work with us and to help us to accomplish this action. But the example for "living after the manner of happiness" is clear. We need to trust in God and move forward working, loving, serving, and worshipping in order to have the peace in this life that makes it all worthwhile.

http://scriptures.lds.org/2_ne/5/10-17#10