Good Changes

Well, I know that since we moved I haven't been good about posting on here...I have to admit I haven't been reading my scriptures everyday. However, I think I have been better than I was before I started this blog, and I have decided that my purpose in creating the blog has been fulfilled in that I have been reading on more of a daily basis. I have decided that for now I will discontinue writing here everyday, and instead I will post about my reading on my main blog once in a while. I think it will be easier to keep everything in one place. Thanks for those of you who followed daily and motivated me to read and write when I thought I "didn't have time." I hope you will continue to follow me on A Few of My Favorite Things!

THANKS!

The Little Blessings

Last night I was thinking about my busy week and how I HAD to finish my lesson today. I decided that I definitely needed to pray for help (since I probably have a small case of ADD and have a hard time sitting down and doing something without getting distracted, and since Allie can be pretty needy sometimes.) So, this morning, after getting Allie and myself some breakfast, I sat down and I was done in an hour!!! That never happens. It is amazing to me how Heavenly Father really cares about the small things and will bless us if we just ask!

Family

I am just preparing for my lesson this week and I have an awesome chapter :

Family: The Sweetest Union for Time and for Eternity

I am excited for this lesson.

Can any of you tell me what you like to discuss the most when it comes to family? (ex. being sealed and blessings of the temple, family activities and traditions, parenting, keeping the spirit in the home and the gospel at the center...)

Thanks for your input!

What Matters Most to You?

Last night we had an um...interesting experience. At 11:30 I was on my laptop, Allie playing in the room with me and Trey studying in our bedroom, when I started hearing a few dogs barking outside. We have neighbors with a dog, so I didn't think much of it. A minute later we heard the doorbell and right after some knocks on the door. I yelled to Trey, because I don't like to answer the door late at night without him there, and heard some urgent-sounding conversation from our neighbors. In one second Trey was telling me to get Allie's jacket and get out of the apartment. Our neighbors said there was a fire in the building and to get out NOW. They said NOW a few times, so I thought it must be a really serious fire and we are probably going to lose everything in our apartment. I grabbed Allie, her pants, and her coat, put on my shoes, grabbed my most prized possession (my camera) and looked outside. I could see flames coming up right outside of our stairwell...it looked like the side of our building was on fire. I yelled to Trey to hurry up because I didn't know how close the fire was to the stairwell and didn't know if we were going to be trapped. We ran out and went down the stairs, hearing the sirens of the fire truck not too far away. Then we saw the fire. It was only a car fire, but it was parked right next to the building and we wondered if it would explode. Luckily, just minutes after we got outside the fire truck got there and put it out.

This experience made me think about a lot of things. First, I was thinking we were going to lose everything we owned and we decided renter's insurance was a good idea. But, mostly, it made me realize that our earthly possessions really aren't important. I really wasn't that sad about the fact that we were going to lose everything, I was mostly thinking about my family's safety and that Allie was going to be warm. I also decided that I probably needed to have multiple copies of my family pictures in different places, and that I need to start digitizing my journals and scrapbooks. :)




Here are some scriptures for today that go along with my thought:

“Seek not for riches but for wisdom; and, behold, the mysteries of God shall be unfolded unto you, and then shall you be made rich. Behold, he that hath eternal life is rich.” (D&C 11:7.)

“Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon the earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:

“But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:

“For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” (Matt. 6:19–21.)

My Patriarchal Blessing

Well, Allie has been sick and I missed a day of scriptures, and today she is still pretty needy and things just keep coming up...so I decided to read the first thing I opened to in my scriptures...which was a copy of my patriarchal blessing.

I know that these blessings are very personal and should not be shared with many people, if any. But, there is one thing I wanted to share that I thought of while I was reading mine. I remember that day VERY vividly. I was fourteen years old, and it was in the summer. I remember being SO hungry from fasting all day long. I remember that I was only listening to church music that day and that I was reading scriptures a lot and praying. I remember being excited and nervous while driving to meet with the patriarch and didn't really know what to expect. I remember the overwhelming feeling of love and comfort that came over me when the patriarch started speaking from the Lord. But, the thing I remember the most, the thing that put that huge lump in my throat and brought the tears to my eyes was that the Lord let me know he was pleased with me. It was the best feeling in the world, to know that at that moment my Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ was pleased with the way I was living my life.

There have been a few times I have had this same impression: the day I was sealed to Trey, the early morning Trey and I welcomed Allie into our family for the first time, and sometimes when I am just doing what I should be, like attending the temple and church, or even just at home with Allie. I think that all of us needs to know once in a while that we are exactly where we need to be, doing what we should be doing, and that Heavenly Father is pleased with us.

Alma 27

In the talk I gave on Sunday, one of the things I brought up was the commandment to "pray always." I listed ways that we could do this:

Silently pray
Keep a prayer in our hearts
Include the Lord in everything we do and recognize his hand in everything we do
Thank the Lord for everything we are given and blessed with

I think that Alma 27 shows a good example of how including the Lord in everything we do will bless us in so many ways; both temporally and spiritually.

Preparing for General Conference

Well, after working on my talk all last week and studying about Christ, I thought I would read the Ensign for some of my studying this week to do something different. The funny thing is that the First Presidency message is about obedience and following Christ! I love the way President Monson writes and speaks. I can almost hear him talking when I read his talks. I also read the second article in the Ensign called "Guided by Modern Revelation." It is a good one to read right before General Conference this weekend. I am excited for conference! Every 6 months, when conference is about to come on, I get really excited about it and think "this time I am going to get SO much out if it and listen to every word from every speaker." I always get a lot out of conference, but I always find myself spacing out during some of the talks and not getting as much out of them as I planned (maybe I have a little ADD :) Anyways, I think this time I will be more realistic...I will take notes on some of the talks, not all of them, but the ones that have topics that relate to me best at this time. I think I will get more out of conference if I am focusing more attention on some of the speakers rather than just casually listening to them.

A Variety of Blessings

Isn't it neat how the Lord blesses you in so many different ways? Lately we feel we have been blessed both in HUGE ways ans in small ways. I have been working on my talk this week, but I have been a little stressed since I don't usually get a lot of time to sit and read and study and write. As I have been writing I have been able to organize all of my thoughts so perfectly so that the writing process has been so easy and quick. I know that this is the Lord helping since usually when I write, my thoughts are so scattered and the thing that takes me the longest is just organizing them and making my transitions smooth. This is just one of many examples I have been blessed in a little way lately.

Decision

Okay, so I started reading some conference talks on the Savior and following his example and I definitely want to speak on this. I just really hope that I don't cry a lot during my talk...I swear I have gotten 2x as worse since I've had Allie. So annoying. So, thanks Crystal, for your opinion...I definitely agree with you and sometimes I think we don't hear enough about the Savior in church :)

I Need Your Opinion

So, this week I have been reading from Alma (mostly with Trey) and also trying to figure out what to write my talk on... Trey and I were asked to speak in a branch the last Sunday of the month and we can choose our topics. We just need to talk about a subject from Doctrine and Covenants or something about Christ. I was thinking that I might talk about the characteristics of Christ and how we can become more like him. Has that been spoken about too much? What is everyone's opinion?

Happiness and Knowledge

Ammon glorifies God in chapter 26. He brings up a few great points:

Verse 13 Behold how many thousands of our brethren has he loosed from hell; and they are brought to sing redeeming love, and this because of the power of his word which is in us, therefore have we not great reason to rejoice?

“Happiness comes from what happens on the inside of you, not on the outside.”

Verse 27 Now when our hearts were depressed, and we were about to turn back, behold, the Lord comforted us, and said: Go amongst thy brethren, the Lamanites, and bear with patience thine afflictions, and I will give unto you success.

Rather than being depressed, be patient!

Verse 22 talks about what we need to do to know the mysteries of God:

1. Repent
2. Exercise Faith
3. Good Works
4. Pray continually

Cross-reference D&C 76:6-10

Prophecy and Promises Fulfilled

In Alma 25:1-12 Abinadi's prophecy about the priests of Noah was fulfilled.

In Alma 25:17 the promise from the Lord to King Mosiah was fulfilled. The Lord had told King Mosiah that many would believe his sons' teachings and that he would deliver them "out of the hands of the Lamanites."

Joseph Smith's POV

These last 2 days I have been reading out of Alma 22 & 23. For some reason I have been thinking about Joseph Smith while reading them. I was thinking about how he must have felt while he was translating the scriptures...how amazing it must have been to be the first one to read them. There were a few parts in these scriptures that talked about the sufferings of the Sons of Mosiah as they were trying to preach the gospel to the Lamanites. I was thinking about how a lot of Joseph Smith's strength must have come from the Book of Mormon and reading these stories. Of course, as Latter-day Saints, we should also be using the Book of Mormon as a source of our strength to get through trials and tribulations.

A Lot Like Today

While I was reading in Alma 21 I noticed a scripture that sounded a lot like the people in our world today...

5 Therefore as Aaron entered into one of their synagogues to preach unto the people, and as he was speaking unto them, behold there arose an Amalekite and began to contend with him, saying: What is that thou hast testified? Hast thou seen an angel? Why do not angels appear unto us? Behold, are not this people as good as thy people?
6 Thou also sayest, except ye repent ye shall perish. How knowest thou the thought and intent of our hearts? How knowest thou that we have cause to repent? How knowest thou that we are not a righteous people? Behold we have built sanctuaries, and we do assemble ourselves together to worship God. We do believe that God will save all men.

Doesn't that sound familiar? Aaron has a good response we can all learn from:

"Believest thou that the Son of God shall come to redeem mankind from their sins?"

The man said "We do not believe that thou knowest any such thing. We do not believe in these foolish traditions. We do not believe that thou knowest things to come..."

Now Aaron began to open the scriptures unto them concerning the coming of Christ, and also concerning the resurrection of the dead, and that there could be no redemption for mankind save it were through the death and sufferings of Christ, and the atonement of his blood.

Tsk tsk

I have been so bad about updating my scripture blog, but I promise I have been reading. Lately I have been continuing the story of Aaron and King Lamoni and the other sons of Mosiah. I am just getting into the story of the other brothers so I am excited. For some reason reading it this time around it is SO interesting to me. The story seems so real to me - I can picture it perfectly in my head like a movie. That doesn't always happen when I read my scriptures, although I guess it should...

Ensign Reading

Yesterday Trey and I read the First Presidency Message in the Ensign together. "The Influence of Righteous Women" by Dieter Uchtdorf. I just love all of the talks I have heard him give and everything I have read of his. This message was a great one and just emphasizes the important roles women have, especially in the church. Read it for yourself and see!!!

The Temple

I have been studying a lot about temples this past month. Today I read the article in the Ensign called "The Steps to the Temple" by Cheryl C. Lant (Primary General President.) Here are the main points she makes:

"Each step in our personal journey to the temple is essential, and it is important that we not get discouraged or distracted by the world along the way. Each step prepares us and strengthens us."

Faith- its "not only the first step but also the foundation of all other principles of the gospel."

Repentance - "is essential to worthiness"

Baptism, Gift of the Holy Ghost - "worthiness to enter the temple depends on how faithfully we keep this covenant"

Obedience - Ezra Taft Benson said "When obedience ceases to be an irritant and becomes our quest, in that moment God will endow us with power."

Random Reading on Vacation

Well, I am back from our summer vacations and back to everyday life...I didn't do as well as I should have on my scripture study while I was away, but still got some study in here and there. Trey and I read about King Benjamin's address to his people. I like the part where it talks about the people opening their tent doors and facing them towards the temple. It reminded me of a (conference talk?) that used that as an analogy and talked something about how we need to be facing our families towards the temple, tent open. I can't remember the exact analogy... I also read out of some of the notes I have taken in my religion classes at BYU. There was one thing my professor mentioned that I really liked. He was talking about how people look at LD Saints and think that we aren't free to make our own decisions because of our commandments and standards. He said "Bad decisions limit our future decisions, but good decisions increase our future freedom." I really liked that.

Alma 18 & 19

Yesterday I read chapter 18 and today 19...The story of Ammon and King Lamoni. For those of you who haven't read it in a while, you should! It is such a cool story. What stumps me is how people seeing all these amazing things taking place still didn't believe in the gospel. How could you not?!!!

I am leaving to go to Seattle tomorrow and will be there for a week. Then, the day after I get back from Seattle I am going to Jackson Hole. Needless to say, I probably won't be writing on my blog for the next couple weeks. My plan: bring my Ensign from August along with me and try to read that every day instead. I might have to bring July's Ensign too now that I think of it...

Brave Men

So, the last 2 days I just finished up chapter 17 in Alma. Can I just say how brave the sons of Mosiah were?!!! First they travel through the wilderness (weapons in hand to kill animals for food) for many days, fasting and praying all the way. Then, they gain courage in the Lord's answer to their prayers, in which he told them to be "patient in long-suffering and afflictions." So, they knew they were in for some trials and tribulation. Then they get to the land of the Lamanites (who were by the way a "ferocious people...who delighted in murdering the Nephites...who did worship idols...") and they separated and went out alone! Here begins the story of Ammon and his example to the King Lamoni by his service and slaying many men to protect his sheep...we all know this story well.

Wild People

In Alma 17:13-16 it talks about how the Lamanites were "a wild and a hardened and a ferocious people." My manual gives more examples to show how true this really was...

Nephi reported that the Lamanites became "idle people, full of mischief and subtlety."

Enos said " they became wild, and ferocious, and a blood-thirsty people, full of idolatry and filthiness"

Jarom said they "loved murder and would drink the blood of beasts"

Scary. But, what was interesting was that the Lord prepared them for the sons of Mosiah. They began to have interaction with different groups of Nephites (Zeniff's colony, apostate groups like the wicked priests of Noah known as Amulonites) and were taught things like the Nephite language. Pretty cool.

Successful Missionaries

Mormon explained how the sons of Mosiah became successful missionaries in Alma 17:1-8:

1. "They had waxed strong in the knowledge of the truth" because "they had searched the scriptures diligently" to know the word of God" (verse 2)
2. They had prayed and fasted much (verse 3)
3. They had willingly served the Lord under difficult and trying circumstances (verses 4-5)

Makes me think about how I can be a better missionary...

Chapter 16, intro to 17

Today I read chapter 16 in Alma. It is a pretty interesting chapter, and a quick read. I also read the beginning of 17. Starting in 17 will start "an account of the sons of Mosiah, who rejected their rights to the kingdom for the word of God, and went up to the land of Nephi to preach to the Lamanites." What a great example to latter-day missionaries that have a difficult time putting their life on hold for two years to go on a mission! I hope that my boys (if I have any) will be excited to go on missions and that it won't be something they struggle with. I am excited to read these next few chapters.

Ensign Article

Since we were camping the last 2 days, I brought the Ensign with me and was able to read the First Presidency Message, "That He May Write upon Our Hearts" by Henry B. Eyring.

I don't know what my deal is lately, but I almost cried when I read it. Probably because lately I have been worried that I don't know what I need to be teaching Allie as she is becoming older and more aware and understands more. I have been worried that I am not ready for more than just a baby (who's needs are mostly physical because they don't understand a lot) Reading this article helped me figure out the most important things I need to teach my kids. Here is what I decided:

1. How important prayer is (teach by example)
2. Jesus Christ's atonement
3. The Plan of Salvation (that we are children of our Heavenly Father)
4. We can be together forever as a family if we are obedient and live the gospel.

This article talks about a lot more, and gives good advice for parents with children who have strayed. I hope that my kids will love the gospel and live it. That is the most important thing to me. I don't care if they don't do well in school or don't have any great talents, I just care that they are righteous and caring people who treat others with respect and have a strong testimony.

A Divided People

These last 2 days I finished up chapter 14 and 15. For chapter 14, there was one other topic in the manual I thought was interesting. It talks about verses 1-5 and "a divided people." This is what Brigham Young said about this:

"The Gospel of salvation in perfectly calculated to cause division. It strikes at the root of the very existence of mankind in their wickedness, evil designs, passions, and wicked calculations. There is no evil among the human family, but at the foundation of which it strikes effectually, and it comes in contact with every evil passion that rises in the heart of man. It is opposed to every evil practice of men, and consequently it disturbs them in the wicked courses they are pursuing."

There is so much I want to say about this and about the world we live in today, but I can't figure out how I want to put it...I will say this, I think that all of us that truly believe in the gospel principles and the standards of the church should stand up for them more often. I am definitely a non-confrontational person so I am speaking to myself when I say this too. :)

The Suffering of the Righteous

Well, I am finally back to my everyday scripture study, after weeks of weird schedules on vacation and preparing for my lesson last week. Today I am reading Alma chapter 14...


I am a little worried. Yesterday there was a comment made during the lesson about how sometimes when you attend the temple your family may not be safe and it doesn't mean you are a bad person. Then, today the first thing that jumped out to me from my manual on chapter 14 was the section about how bad things happen to good people ("The Suffering of the Righteous.")


I really hope that the Lord isn't trying to prepare me for something...


Alma 14:8-11 Talks about how Alma and Amulek had the power to bring down punishment on the men who killed the believers of God, but didn't because he said that God permits the righteous to suffer for a purpose.


It says this in my manual:


"...if all sick were healed, if all the righteous were protected and the wicked destroyed, the whole program of the Father would be annulled and the basic principle of the gospel, free agency, would be ended. If pain, sorrow, and total punishment immediately followed the doing of evil, no soul would repeat a misdeed. If joy and peace and rewards were instantaneously given the doer of good, there could be no evil-all would do good and not because of the rightness of doing good. There would be no test of strength, no development of character, no growth of powers, no free agency, no Satanic controls...no suffering, sorrow, disappointment, or death...an absence of joy, success, resurrection, eternal life. and godhood.

Fire of the Covenant

I often wonder how the early Saints did it. How did they go through everything they did? Today while reading more for my lesson I came across this:

Brigham Young counseled to the Saints, "Now is the time for labor. Let the fire of the covenant which you made in the House of the Lord, burn in your hearts, like flame unquenchable"

David A. Bednar said "What was it that gave those early Saints such strength? It was the fire of the temple covenant that burned in their hearts. It was their commitment to worship and honorably hold a name and standing in the house of the Lord."

I just recently went to the Joseph Smith movie at temple square and have a renewed appreciation for the early Saints and all of their numerous sacrifices. I simply can't even believe the faith these members had and their strength and courage to do what they did. I hope that I will learn from them and gain more strength to do what is right through the fire of the covenant.

Home Improvement

Lately I have been rearranging things in my apartment, just because I get bored easily and needed to mix things up a little bit. While studying for my lesson I was reading Gary E. Stevenson's conference talk from this last conference "Sacred Homes, Sacred Temples." He lists questions we should be asking ourselves about our own homes. I decided I should probably focus more on these and less on how my apartment looks.

Is your home a place of love, peace, and refuge from the world?

Clean and orderly?

Are there uplifting images which include pics of the Savior and temple?

Is your bedroom a place for personal prayer?

Is the kitchen and living area a place where food is prepared and enjoyed, allowing uplifting conversation and family time?

Are scriptures found in a room where the family can study, pray, and learn together?

Does the music you hear or entertainment you see offend the Spirit?

Is the conversation uplifting and without contention?

He then said that hopefully we just need a little home improvement rather than an extreme home makeover :)

I'm Back!

Well, my family left this weekend and now I have to get back to real life... I am doing the lesson in Relief Society this Sunday so I started on that today. It is on the blessings and ordinances of the temple. I am using the manual along with some conference talks and the visiting teaching message from this month. I will be updating this week on that and my progress...

Alma 13

In this chapter Alma talks about the holy Order of God, the high priesthood, and Melchizedek. Here are a few facts about the man they name the high priesthood after:
1. Melchizedek lived about 2000 B.C. (BD)
2. He was righteous even from his youth and received divine protection (JST, Genesis 14:26-40)
3. The Church in ancient days called the holy priesthood after his name (D&C 107:2-4)
4. Abraham received the priesthood from Melchizedek (D&C 84:14)

In the last part of the chapter I saw how important it is for us to love all of our brothers and sisters unconditionally. In verses 27-31 Alma talks about how he had "anxiety even unto pain" because he ws concerned about the people.

Also, in verse 29 it talks about "...having the love of God always in your hearts, that ye may be lifted up at the last day and enter into his rest."

I probably won't be posting very often the next 2 weeks. My family is getting in town today and they are staying in Provo, so I will be down there most everyday. I will see how good my scripture study is without having the blog to keep me responsible :) It will be a good test.

More about the Fall...

I just finished Alma 12 today. There was a lot about Adam and Eve and the Fall that was interesting to me...I'll let you do the reading to find your own interesting points...verses 21-37 specifically.

More about Alma 12:7-11

I noticed there was a section in my manual for the scriptures I talked about yesterday. This talks more about knowing the mysteries of God by being faithful and believing, rather than talking about gaining knowledge. Here is some of the quotations:

"Men receive assurance and knowledge due to their faithfulness and adherence to the commandments of Jesus Christ. Those who reject their Redeemer and refuse to keep His commandments cannot know and comprehend these eternal truths...They cannot understand them because they are a 'fallen' man, and without the enlightening influence of the Holy Spirit, they are as the Lord expressed it, 'carnal, sensual, and devilish.'"

It goes on to talk about why the Lord spoke in parables, which we all know was so those that were not ready for the true meaning of the analogies would not be accountable for them.

Temporal and Spiritual Knowledge

Alma 12:10 "...he that will harden his heart, the same receiveth the lesser portion of the word; and he that will not harden his heart, to him it is given the greater portion of the word, until it is given unto him to know the mysteries of God until he know them in full."

I had cross referenced D&C 130:18-19

"Whatever principle of intelligence we attain unto this life, it will rise with us in the resurrection. And if a person gains more knowledge and intelligence in this life through his diligence and obedience than another, he will have so much the advantage in the world to come."

I have been wondering about this lately...with my limited amount of time to study, I am sometimes torn between reading to increase my temporal knowledge and reading the scriptures. I searched "knowledge" on lds.org for some answers. The first 24 articles about knowledge were spiritually related, here is what #25 said (New Era > February 1972 Q&A's):

“Is religious education more important than academic education?”

"...we cannot neglect our academic learning if we are to follow the counsel of the Lord...The academic knowledge we gain will benefit us in our temporal pursuits but the knowledge we gain of spiritual and eternal truths will prepare us to live happily in this life and throughout eternity in the kingdom of God. Our eventual goal is to gain all knowledge necessary to be like our Eternal Father. We can move in that direction only if we devote our energies and abilities to gaining knowledge of God and his laws and incorporating into our lives eternal truth wherever it is found."

So, from this I am feeling that I should use most the time I have gaining spiritual knowledge, but when I can I should also try to gain more temporal knowledge, especially that will benefit me and my family in this life.

Participate in Sincere Prayer

I am embarrassed to say that, yes, I am an end-of-the-month visiting teacher. And, that I procrastinated until today to read the Visiting Teaching Message from the Ensign. It isn't that I don't like to do visiting teaching, because I really do, especially since the girls I visit I consider good friends. But, I just don't make it a huge priority until I really need to do it to make it count :)

Sincere Prayer:

I LOVED the quote in here from Bruce R. McConkie:

"Prayer changes our lives. Through it we draw near to the Lord, and he reaches out his finger and touches us, so we never again are the same. Prayer is a great tower of strength, a pillar of unending righteousness, a mighty force that moves mountains and saves souls."

I LOVE this quote! I know that my life has been changed many times because of prayer. I would not be where I am right now if it weren't for the power of prayer. I am SO grateful that we are able to pray to our Heavenly Father and that he can answer our prayers!

James E. Faust lists five things that prayer entails:

1. acknowledgment that God is our father, that Jesus is our redeemer

2. confession of sin

3. recognition that we need help

4. opportunity to express thanksgiving and gratitude

5. privilege to ask for blessings

A Little Bit About Satan

Alma 12:3-4

He uses lying and "craftiness"...very "subtle plans" to deceive people...

Alma 12:5-6:

He uses "snares" to "catch" the people, "that he might bring you into subjection unto him, that he might encircle you about with his chains, that he might chain you down to everlasting destruction, according to the power of his captivity"

In my footnotes I had written "Discouragement is the tool of the Devil"

I cross referenced Moses 4:

Satan's Goals: Verses 3-4
-sought to destroy the agency of man
-wanted all the power
-deceive and blind men
-lead them captive at his will

Lesson

I've been looking over my lesson...I'm a little nervous about it so I hope if any of you are there you will comment and answer some of the questions I ask!!! Tomorrow I won't be writing because I am photographing a wedding and will be gone most of the day...Also Father's Day will be a crazy day so Happy Father's Day - and good luck to all the Mother's who are trying to do something special for their husbands! I hope it's a good day for everyone!

"Restored to Its Proper Frame"

Alma 11:42-44 talks about resurrection and the state of our bodies after. In my manual there is a long quote from Joseph Fielding Smith about this.

"Deformity will be removed; defects will be eliminated, and men and women shall attain to the perfection of their spirits, to the perfection that God designed in the beginning. It is his purpose that men and women, his children, born to become heirs of God, and joint heirs of Jesus Christ, shall be made perfect, physically as well and spiritually, through obedience to the law by which he has provided the means that perfection shall come to all his children..."

My mom and I were talking about gaining knowledge in this life...we were wondering if maybe after you are resurrected gaining knowledge is easier? Anyone have any insight on this?

Forgiving Others Cont.

After 3 days of stressing about his lesson and hours of preparation later...I think I finally put it all together and feel good about it.

Here is a quick summary for those of you that won't be there on Sunday:

This chapter focuses on 3 main topics:
1. Exercise the principle of mercy and forgive our brothers and sisters
Mercy: compassionate or kindly forbearance shown toward an offender, enemy, or other person in one's power
Points to make: Our frame of mind has a lot to do with taking offense, truth is the cure to our negative emotions, selflessness helps us forgive and not take offense in the first place.

2. Forgiving restores unity of feeling
Points to make: The effects of kindness and tenderness, no one is perfect, avoid gossip.

3. By showing long-suffering, patience, and mercy to the repentant, we can help bring them into "the liberty of God's dear children"
Points to make: It does not show weakness to forgive quickly, follow Christ's example.

Forgiving Others Cont.

So, I've been reading some conference talks and rereading the Joseph Smith manual...I found a couple more quotes that I think I will use out of the manual and Gordon B Hinckley wrote an excellent talk on forgiving that I definitely want to use. I think that what I am trying to get across is that forgiving isn't just important when in comes to the big things (people backstabbing or turning against you.) There are many little everyday things that we need to be forgiving of. These little things can completely change our outlook on life and on others if we are forgiving. I am going to use the book "Bonds That Make us Free" written by a member to show examples of the little things. I am excited about it, now it is just a matter of organizing the discussion and coming up with some good open-ended questions.

Forgiving Others

I am still working on this lesson...I haven't really found very many quotes from the manual I want to use...

Usually I like all of the quotes from the Joseph Smith teachings manual, but this lesson's quotes I haven't been that excited about.

Would it be bad to base my lesson off of other conference talks?

Anyone's opinions on this would be helpful!

Working on Next Weeks Lesson

This weekend I have been studying from "Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: Joseph Smith" for my lesson in Relief Society next week.

We are on Chapter 34: The Power of Forgiving.

Does anyone have any insights or ideas about this topic?

Anything at all will help me in my preparation!

Heritage Park

Today Cindy (my mom-in-law) took me and Allie to Heritage Park (This is the Place Memorial) and we walked through the Pioneer Village and such...It was really neat! You can really feel the spirit there and it really opens your eyes to the way people lived back then. We walked into most of the homes (which were mostly replicated) and talked to the people reinacting to learn more about the early settlers of Salt Lake Valley down to just past Nephi.

The best house we went into was the house of ancestors of Marjorie Hinkley's (Cindy knew this because she knows a lot about church and family history.) There was a cute old lady sitting inside that told us to come in and she would tell us more about the house. She was excited to tell us that her father was born inside the house and that her family had helped rebuild it after they transported the remains from a town outside of Nephi. So of course we asked her if she was related to Marjorie Hinckley and she is her sister! She goes up to the park just on Fridays to tell people about the house and because she loves being there. She was so sweet and told us some of the stories of the family that traveled to the Valley.

At the front of the park is where the big statue is there is a scripture from Isaiah that is also found in Nephi 12:2 "And it shall come to pass in the last days, when the mountain of the Lord's house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills, and all nations shall flow unto it..."

I always wondered if that was talking about the Salt Lake Temple, and I think that it is...this, in a way, confirmed it for me. When I read that and thought about the pioneers and all they went through to get to Utah and build the temple I just wondered what they would think if they saw Utah right now. Would they be excited and happy about how many people are here now and how the church has grown? Would they see all the wickedness here and wonder how it got so bad? I just wonder, and I hope that they can see all the good and growth that has come from the sacrifices they made. I have a real appreciation for the early members of the church, and I hope that I am living my life the way they hoped their future generation would.

Alma 8

Okay, so I am finally sitting down to write about what I'm reading... Chapter 8 is pretty cool - you should read it if you haven't in a while. :) It is basically introducing Alma and Amulek to talk about their experiences preaching the gospel together from chapters 9-14.

Verse 11 talks about the people rejecting Alma because of his "foolish traditions." I thought that was interesting, especially because we see people use that excuse a lot even now. "America isn't a Christian nation" stated by our current president illustrates the point that people see our Christian values as foolish traditions of our forefathers.

In verse 15 an angel is talking to Alma and says, "thou hast great cause to rejoice; for thou hast been faithful in keeping the commandments of God from the time which thou receivest thy first message from Him." If we are keeping the commandments we DO have great cause to rejoice. Look at all of the examples of people that have endured great tribulations in the scriptures and in our LDS history. Where are they now? With our Heavenly Father...all of us should rejoice if we are keeping the commandments and working toward our goal of returning to our Father in Heaven.

In verse 18 Alma follows the angel's instructions and "speedily" returned to the city. Not casually, or even the same pace he left...speedily. When I go to general conference and get direction from the Lord's prophets I usually resolve to change little things in my life. We should come home from conference and speedily change those things we need to, as little as they are. Then Alma goes into the city another way...we should try sharing the gospel with different approaches.

Finally, the last 2 verses of the chapter (31-32) talks about the power of God, which will be illustrated in the next couple chapters...they will be good ones!

Alma 8

I have been reading out of chapter 8...I will update on that chapter tomorrow...

Alma 7

I have decided that on the weekends I will read, but just wait to post my readings on Monday...

This weekend I finished up chapter 5 and 6...In chapter 7 there are a couple points that I thought were interesting in my manual.

Alma 7:10: This verse has been one of the favorites for anti-mormon literature. It says that Jesus will be born in the land of Jerusalem. In my manual it talks a lot about the wording. Alma had no intention of declaring that Jesus would be born in the city of Jerusalem. He simply said he would be born "at Jerusalem which is the land of our forefathers." Here Jerusalem is not the city, it is the land. Christ was born about six miles from Jerusalem in the village of Bethlehem. So, technically it WAS in the land of Jerusalem. This makes sense to me, as I always tell people I am from Seattle, when I am actually from Maple Valley (but no one knows where that is) :)

The second point in this chapter is Alma 7:23-24 which lists requirements of a true follower of Christ.

1. Humble

2. Submissive

3. Gentle

4. Easy to be entreated

5. Full of Patience

6. Long-suffering

7. Temperate in all things

8. Diligent

9. Keep commandments

10. Asking for what we need (spiritual & temporal)

11. Returning thanks for those things

12. Faith

13. Hope

14. Charity

15. Good works

The Hard Questions

These questions were ones that I got a little worried about...things I need to work on.

1. Have ye walked, keeping yourselves blameless before God? Could ye say if ye were called to die at this time, within yourselves, that ye have been sufficiently humble? (Could I ever feel ready to die and meet my maker? Daily repentance for small sins and sins of omission, including keeping a constant prayer in my heart are ways to feel more prepared.)

2. Are ye stripped of pride? (Does everyone have a hard time letting people serve them? It is almost uncomfortable for me...)

3. Are ye stripped of envy? (Of course I always look at people and wish I had things, including a house, nice clothes, a boat, etc. that they have. Instead I need to just be happy for them and remember that I am so so so so blessed for what I have.)

4. Do ye mock your brothers and sisters?

5. Will ye persist in the wearing of costly apparel and setting your hearts upon the vain things of the world, upon your riches? (refer back to question 3 and you will see where I need to repent)

6. Will ye persist in supposing that ye are better than one another?

7. Will ye persist in turning your backs upon the poor and the needy, and in withholding your substance from them?

More Questions to Ask Ourselves From Alma 5

Do we put all of our trust in God?

Have we received His image in our countenances?

Can we see ourselves being saved at the last day, with clean hands and a pure heart?

Alma 5:16
"I say unto you, can you imagine yourselves that ye hear the voice of the Lord, saying to you in that day: Come unto me ye blessed, for behold, your works have been works of righteousness upon the face of the earth?"

Doesn't that sound like the best thing ever? To hear the Lord say that to you when all is said and done?

Hard Time

My mother-in-law sent me this video...its really short and made me cry - I hope you'll take a minute to watch it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wz41YxNiHEg

Questions We Need to Ask

Alma, seeing the people become more and more wicked, took himself out of his position as a ruler and went to preach among the people to try to bring them back to Christ. In chapter 5 he asks the people 42 questions that we should ask ourselves. Here are a few:

Have I spiritually been born of God?

Do I set an example of Christ?

Have I lost the desire to go against God's will?

Do I remember that Christ paid for my sins?

Do I look forward with an eye of faith, and have faith that I will be resurrected?

More questions to ponder tomorrow...

Money

So, today has just been one of those days...I'm sure a lot of you, especially the young moms I know, get stressed and frustrated about money. The next six years were starting to look really depressing to me today, with finances just being so super tight and life seeming harder than usual, and I went through most of the day feeling this way; hopeless. Then, after running around all day, I finally got to sit down for a minute and read. I started reading where I left off last - Alma 4:5 and then I started on the next verse...

"the people began to wax proud, because of their exceeding riches...Now this was the cause of much affliction to Alma, yea, and to many of the people whom Alma consecrated to be teachers, and priests, and elders over the church; yea many of them were sorely grieved for the wickedness which they saw had begun to be among their people..."

I almost laughed! In my margins I had written:

wealth=pride=unrighteousness

Set my heart upon God

This is what money will do

I encourage any of you discouraged about money right now (because I know there are a lot of people that are) to read Alma 4:6-9 and you might as well read the rest of the chapter to see how it progresses. :) The Lord really knows us, doesn't He?

Random Reading

Well, this weekend I read some really good articles in the Ensign. There is one in there for young moms that I really needed to read...

Today I am reading from Alma. Chapters 3 and 4...There are lots of little insights I am seeing:

Chapter 3 talks a lot about the Lord's curse on the Lamanites (the dark skin) and that's pretty interesting to read.

3:26-27 Talks about the wages we earn from who we follow - Satan or the Lord.

4:4 The growth of the church

Alma 2

WARNING: If you don't want to hear my view on politics then don't read this post.

This chapter is awesome! It is the story of Amilici and his attempt to reinstate a monarchical government and become king by using his cunningness and wisdom of the world. In the manual it says "this is another example of how wicked men sometimes seek governmental power in order to enforce their will on others. It also teaches that there are times when righteous people must take up arms to defend their laws and liberty."

I know that I shouldn't bring politics into my scripture reading, but I am today...sorry for those of you that don't agree with me, but I have to get this off my chest.

Amilici had intentions to change their government to ways of the world and in a way that would compromise the churches laws and liberties. Now, I know that in America we don't need to worry about our freedom of religion. However, when laws keep being put in place to not use certain religious words or actions in public (including schools) it makes me a little frustrated. You can see numerous examples of this in the last few years especially. America is not the nation our forefathers intended it to become.

Another thing that worries me is the current situation we are in. Right now our leaders are supporting abortion, gay marriage, etc. and we are all going along with it! The media is so liberal and so corrupt that when anyone stands up for their values they are slaughtered!! Look at Miss America. Yes, I know that she is not the best example of a virtuous woman, but at least she stood up for the Christian values she had, after which she was called all sorts of profanities on t.v. I know that a LOT of people LOVE our current president. I just really don't see how you can believe in the gospel and the standards and morals of the church and support him!! Honestly!

Okay, I will move onto more about this chapter. Obama, I mean Amlici got all of his followers together (and there were a lot) and led them to war against the righteous Nephites. The Nephites started out with the upper hand, however, soon the Amlicites joined the Lamanites and had the advantage. But, the Nephites had the Lord on their side and "did pursue them with their might, and did slay them." The remainder of the Lamanites were driven into the wilderness and eaten by wild beasts. :)

I think that we need to learn from the Nephites. We need to pursue righteousness with all our mights. We need to stand up for our values and standards and be the examples. We need to pray mightily for the Lord's direction and help and be strengthened by Him in all of our righteous endeavors.

Job

Yesterday I read a scripture out of Job 19:25-26:"For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth; And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God."

Ever since my brother, Brian, has gotten to his mission in El Salvador he has been sick. He has been throwing up, weak, and some weeks are worse than others. I thought that once he was used to the food and water he would be getting better. But, he has been out since November and he is still sick. He recently went to a "doctor" who said he has some sort of virus and he gave him some pills to "try out." I caught myself thinking "Why isn't the Lord blessing him with his health so he can do his work?" I think that in situations like these, we need to look at Job.

Job is a perfect example of the Lord trying and teaching us through tribulation. I think that the Lord does everything for a reason, and I think that we can learn from every trial. Maybe Brian will learn patience, perserverence, and have more empathy for people he will bless in the future...I don't know the reason. But, I hope that when I am faced with trials like these I will face them with an attitude of patience and determination, and look for what lessons I can learn through them.

I would like to ask those of you that read my blog if you don't already have something to fast for this upcoming Sunday if you could please fast for Brian. We are trying to get a lot of people to fast and pray for him this Sunday that he can get better and be done with all of this sickness so he can start working hard! Thanks so much!

I just did a quick study today...scripture mastery:

Samuel 16:7 - The Lord looks on the heart

Job 19:25-26 - I know that my redeemer lives

Psalm 24:3-4 - He that hath clean hands and a pure heart

Church & Politics

Alma 1:17-18 : Capital Punishment (also Gen.9:6)

The church's position on capital punishment was delared in 1889 by the first presidency
"...we regard the killing of human beings, except in conformity with the civil law, as a capital crime which should be punished by the shedding of blood of the criminal, after a public trial before a legally constituted court of the land..."


I like that the church tries to stay out of politics, but I like it when they do too. I thought it was really neat when they encouraged members in California to vote against same sex marriage. It just illustrates how strong the church really is when we have influence over things like that.

I think that as members we should be involved in our schools and community. We need to try to keep up at least a little with what's going on in the world, but especially in our community and schools. We need to take a stand when issues come up that compromise our standards.

Today I read an e-mail that reminds me of this. Here is the link:

http://www.snopes.com/politics/soapbox/confessions.asp

Alma 1

The beginning of this chapter talks about Nehor... He was "noted for his much strength (used his strength to get attention, along with "costly apparel") He was teaching false doctrine and making a living off of it. He declared "unto the people that every priest and teacher ought to become popular..." In the footnote under popular it references another scripture in 1 Ne. 22:23:

"For the time speedily shall come that all churches which are built up to get gain, and all those who are built up to become popular in the eyes of the world, and those who seek the lusts of the flesh and the things of the world, and to do all manner of iniquity...are they who need to fear, and tremble, and quake; they are those who must be brought low in the dust; they are those who must be consumed as stubble; and this is according to the words of the prophet."

Sounds like we are living that right now...

Mosiah 28-29

Today I read these chapters...

Points in them to ponder:

The voice of the people (wisdom of mass is greater than wisdom of the individual)

Free agency & responsibility

The new way they recorded their time - the reigh of the judges

"The Marvelous Light of God"

Reading: Mosiah 27

In my manual there is a great quote about Mosiah 27:25 that I wanted to post.

"As far as we degenerate from God, we descend to the devil and lose knowledge, and without knowledge we cannot be saved, and while our hearts are filled with evil, and we are studying evil, there is no room in our hearts for good, or studying good. Is not God good? Then you be good; if he is faithful, then you be faithful. Add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, and seek for every good thing."

"The church must be cleansed, and I proclaim against all iniquity. A man is saved no faster than he gets knowledge, for if he does not get knowledge, he will be brought into captivity by some evil power in the other world, as evil spirits will have more knowledge, and consequently more power than many men who are on earth. Hence it needs revelation to assist us, and give us knowledge of the things of God" (Joseph Smith, Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith p.217)

This quote makes me really want to study and learn more about the gospel...

Scripture Mastery cont...

I wanted to go over the scriptures I've already done and then do a couple more today...

Gen. 1:26-27: God created man in His own image.

Gen. 39:9: Flee from temptation

Exodus 20:3-17: The ten commandments

Exodus 33:11: The Lord spoke to Moses face to face

Leviticus 19:18: Love thy neighbor as thyself

Deut. 7:3-4: Don't marry outside the covenant

Joshua 1:8: Meditate on the scriptures day and night

Joshua 24:15: "And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord."

In the footnotes there are a lot of references I thought were interesting for this scripture:

choose - agency, commitment (we have our free agency to choose and once we do we need to make a commitment to it)

this day - procrastination (don't "procrastinate your day of repentance")

house - family, children, responsibilities toward (it is a major responsibility as parents to teach our children the gospel and mostly teach by example)

serve the Lord - example, loyalty, objectives, service, sustaining church leaders (I thought the sustaining church leaders was an interesting footnote for this scripture)

Born Again

I have always been a little confused about this term - to be born again. I understand what it is implying and understand when I hear conversion stories and experiences. But, what about those of us that don't have a major change, who go throughout their lives living the gospel the best we can and don't need to make major changes to come unto Christ?

Mosiah 27:25 says "...Marvel not that all mankind...must be born again; yea, born of God, changed from their carnal and fallen state, to a state of righteousness, being redeemed of God, becoming his sons and daughters."

When reading Alma the Younger's conversion experience we can compare the state he was in before and after his conversion. Before he was secretive, destructive, in a dark abyss, rejecting the Lord, in exquisite pain, bitter, and sinful. Afterwards he was public, constructive, filled with a marvelous light, testifying of the Lord, filled with exquisite joy, sweet, and forgot his sins. We can also see the kind of thoughts he had in Mosiah 28:3:

"Now they were desirous that salvation should be declared to every creature, for they could not bear that any human soul should perish; yea, even the very thought that any soul should endure endless torment did cause them to quake and tremble."

Bruce R McConkie said "We die as pertaining to the things of this world and we become alive in Christ."

Reading all of this gives me two ideas: One, we need to constantly push away the things of the world and be mostly concerned with the gospel and sharing it with others. Two, maybe I won't be born again unless I can eventually become like Christ. Maybe I won't truly be born again until after this life. Does anyone have any insights on this topic they could share?

Know the Lord

Mosiah 26: This chapter focuses on a couple different topics. I liked reading the scriptures 24-28 and the manual's interpretation of them. It talks about knowing the Lord, which is something that has been hard for me to grasp. I feel like I could never REALLY know the Lord until I meet him and see him. Here is what the manual says:

"The kind of knowing referred to in these scriptures involves obeying the Lord's commandments and becoming like him"

Elder Bruce R. McConkie said "To know God in that full sense which will enable us to gain eternal salvation we must...obey those laws that will enable us to acquire the character, perfections, and attributes that he possesses. And before we can obey those laws, we must learn what they are; we must learn of Christ and his gospel..."

This makes a lot of sense. The only way we can truly know the Lord is by studying His teachings and obeying his commandments. It seems like every time I am wondering what I need to be doing to please the Lord the answer is always those same primary answers: read the scriptures, pray, go to church, love one another, etc. But, they really are the answers! The gospel is simple! We just need to do the things we know we should be doing!

Mosiah 25

Trey and I started reading the scriptures together when we first got married. We would read a chapter a night. Last night I told him I wanted him to read the same scriptures I am reading during the day so we can discuss it later, since we don't always get a chance to read at night with a noisy baby :) He has the scriptures on his Ipod so I am going to just start where we left off last...Mosiah 25.

I love to read with the student manual I got while I was at BYU. It has so many insights I would never see if I didn't read with it. Here is one of the topics in my manual from Mosiah 25:5-11

"Struck with wonder and amazement"

These verses show the importance and value of keeping records. They "enlarge the memory of the people...and convince many of the error of their ways, and bring them to the knowledge of God unto their salvation" (paraphrased)

A couple sundays ago we were talking about things we do to make ourselves happy when we are down. I realized that keeping a journal gives me pages and pages of happy/exciting experiences that definitely make me happy to read. It also reminds me of times when I thought my life couldn't be worse and I can read what I did and how I overcame that feeling. Or, I can just see that I was making a mountain out of a molehill. I also think it is very beneficial to keep a spiritual journal (or just add spiritual experiences in my journal) I am always mad at myself and a little embarrassed when I read my journals and they are mostly about boys rather than spiritual experiences and more of my hopes/dreams/thoughts about life :)

For some reason our internet wasn't working yesterday...

2 Ne. 32:3 - "Angels speak by the power of the Holy Ghost, wherefore they speak the words of Christ. Wherefore I say unto you feast upon the words of Christ, for behold the words of Christ will tell ye all things that ye should do."

This was my scripture to think about yesterday...notice how it says the words of Christ will tell you ALL things that you should do. Not just SOME things or not just the IMPORTANT things. The scriptures really can give us the answers to ALL of our problems, especially with the help of the Holy Ghost and the power of prayer.

Today in church I got little tidbits of each lesson (since I was out in the hall most the time with Allie) But, I noticed that I heard little tidbits of things I had been thinking about a lot lately and things that I needed to be reminded of. In Relief Society I was reminded of how blessed we are in these latter days and that I need to be more grateful for my extremely fortunate circumstances. In Sunday School we learned about temples while reading in D&C a lot about the Kirtland temple...there are around 139? temples now!! I was reminded that I need to go as much as I can to do the ordinances for the dead, but to also bless and strengthen my family. In sacrament meeting we had two really good speakers. The first talked a lot about teaching -knowing what we are teaching and loving those we teach. The second talked about service. He talked about how living the gospel is a lifelong process...the church is like a school. In my ward of the elderly and newleyweds he said some here are almost ready to graduate, while others have just begun. I just thought that was an interesting way to look at it.

Well, I missed a day...so today I am writing the second I get a chance...Allie is watching Wonder Pets. Usually she lasts about ten minutes so hopefully I'll have time to finish. :)

I'll do some more scripture mastery to make it quick:

Deut. 7:3-4: Do not marry outside of the covenant ( I read the Bible Dict. on Marriage too)

Joshua 1:8 - Meditate on the scriptures day and night.

Reading this scripture actually gives me an idea. For days like yesterday, when i just cannot find the time to sit down and study the scriptures, I can just grab them and read one scripture. I don't have to be sitting down, I can be feeding Allie at the same time, and it will literally only take one minute. I figure as long as I have something to be thinking about, I can lengthen my scripture study throughout the day. Scripture study doesn't always have to be sitting down with your scriptures and other books laid out, pen in hand. You can see gospel principles in action if you are looking for them in every day life. Meditating isn't always sitting cross-legged on the floor in silence. It can also happen while you are taking care of a crying baby, with noisy cars driving by and obnoxious toys going off at the same time! Wow Allie has almost watched a full episode of Wonder Pets.

Love Thy Neighbor

To review my scripture mastery...

Moses 7:18 - Zion, Unity

Genesis 39:9 - Flee from wickedness

Exodus 20:3-17 - Ten Commandments

Exodus 33:11 - "And the Lord spake unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend..." (this was Jesus speaking - I always get confused as to who is being referred to in the scriptures as the Lord. I know that it is different in every book so its hard to remember. Does anyone have a good way to determine/remember that?)



Leviticus 19:18 - Love thy neighbor as thyself.

Its funny that I am reading this scripture today. We just got some new downstairs neighbors that aren't from the US (they are from the mid east I think) and they have two toddlers. Everyday since they have moved in they have cooked really smelly food that makes my apartment smell bad and makes me feel sick. Their kids are really loud too and they are always out on their balcony (or at least whenever me and Allie are out on ours) It has been a frustrating couple of days adjusting to the way its going to be from now until they move and I have definitely not been loving my neighbors.

I think that this commandment is definitely hard in the "dog eat dog" world we live in today. There is so much contention and everyone has a strange idea of entitlement to the American dream with no work or effort. It seems like the world is becoming more and more selfish and I think we need to step back and look at how we view our own lives and remember that God has given us everything. I think it is important to not say "what can this country/ward members/neighbors do for me, but what can I do for them?"

Be of Good Cheer

Well, I have been in a bad mood the last 2 days so I decided to read President Monson's conference talk in the ensign today...

2 Tim. 1:7 - "God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind."

2 Ne. 2:25 - "Adam fell that men might be; and men are, that they might have joy."

D&C 68:6 - "Wherefore, be of good cheer, and do not fear, for I the Lord am with you, and will stand by you."

2 ne. 9:18 "Behold the righteous, the saints of the Holy One of Israel, they who have believed in [Him], they who have endured the crosses of the world,...they shall inherit the kingdom of God,...and their joy shall be full forever."

This talk was such an awesome one - I just love to listen to Pres. Monson speak. In it he tells three stories of people that have perservered during difficult times. The last story about a young mother of four children living in Europe, widowed by war and forced to travel during the winter on foot accross Prussia to Western Germany. It made me cry! It is the saddest story, but, like waking up from a nightmare, it gives me perspective on my life and how blessed I am! I don't even deserve to have a bad day or two with how blessed I am!

Anyone with the gospel in their lives should be shouting for joy every day. I need to be doing that and I need to be looking for ways I can share the gospel with more people.

I have been in such a tired, annoyed, and frustrated mood today...I literally had no time to do anything until now...I was feeling like the last thing I wanted to do was read my scriptures. I opened them up and noticed my patriarchal blessing in the front of them. I decided I would read that today as my scripture study since I desperately need a nap and only have a minute...As soon as I started reading it a feeling of peace came over me and I knew that everything that has been frustrating today doesn't matter. Keeping an eternal perspective is the best way to not let the little things get to you. I love the gospel.

Mother's Day

Since today is Mother's Day I wanted to find scripture that related:

When Nephi was delivered from the bondage of his brothers on his ship at sea he a few words of advice (1 Ne. 17:55)

First, they said "We know of a surety that the Lord is with thee, for we know that it is the power of the Lord that has shaken us." And they fell down before Nephi and were about to worship him... Nephi said,

"I am...thy younger brother; wherefore worship the Lord thy God, and honor thy father and thy mother that thy days may be long in the land which the Lord thy God shall give thee."

If I was Nephi I would probably have said "Don't worship me, but please stop being so stiffnecked about the gospel and stop hurting me!!!" The fact that Nephi said first worship the Lord and then honor thy father and mother shows how important it is to show your parents the honor and respect they deserve.

I know most of us have probably had some rough patches with our parents growing up, but I hope that we all let our parents know how much we love them and how grateful we are to them for what they have done for us.

Scripture Mastery cont...

For a quick study today, since Saturdays are always busy, I am just going over more of my scripture mastery scriptures:

Genesis 1:26-27 - God created man in His own image

Genesis 39:9 - Fleeing from temptation

I was wondering why this was a scripture mastery scripture...I think probably because we are told many times to "flee from temptation." Not to just stand around and think about it for a minute, not to weigh out our options and decide on what we know will make us happy, but to "flee" from it. How many times would we make better decisions in our lives when, instead of standing around and either following the crowd or just making the easier decision we actually fled the entire situation? I think that sometimes we need to take this literally and get away from places that will influence us to make bad decisions. It is so much easier to make good decisions when we surround ourselves with good people and in good environments!

Know the Scriptures

So, one of my goals in my scripture study (besides actually reading them everyday) is to know my scriptures better. Although I did do my scripture mastery in seminary, for some reason only a few out of the hundred I "mastered" stuck with me :) So, I am going to start with the scripture mastery scriptures and "remaster" them the best I can. This time I am going to learn the reference and topic of the scripture rather than just memorizing it.

Starting from the beginning:

Moses 1:39 - This is my work and my glory...(the plan of salvation)

Moses 7:18 - The Lord called His people Zion...(Zion, Unity in the church)

Abraham 3:22-23 - These I will make my rulers...(Council in Heaven, Intelligences, Foreordination)

If anyone has any good ways of remembering these please share :)

Talents...

I found some notes I had taken about Talents

Talents - responsibility/stewardship
1. Discover (try new things)
2. Willing to spend time & effort
3. Faith that the Lord will help us
4. Faith in ourselves
5. Learn skills necessary
6. Practice our talent
7. Share it

I also looked up some more scriptures:
Ether 12:35 - If Gentiles have not charity, the Lord will take away their talents
D&C 60:2 - the Lord is not pleased with those who hide talents
D&C 82:3 - of him who much is given, much is required
D&C 82:18 - saints to be equal, that every man may improve his talents and gain other talents

The Lord really does give us everything we have - even talents, and we should be looking for ways we can use them to help others, or just share them and lift others. I think that we can be utilizing the talents we already have while we are also gaining other talents. I think that part of sharing our talents is teaching others how to gain the talents we have too.

Weaknesses, Strengths, and Talents

Lately I've been thinking about the parable of the talents (Matthew 25)...I don't really have any areas I am really talented in. I usually can do many things, but I am just okay at them. I was thinking about this today because of the economy and if i were to get a job in the future I was wondering what I would want to do and if I would want to go back to school or not. I also thought of Ether 12:27:

And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them.

Now, I know that this scripture refers mostly to our spiritual weaknesses, but I also think it refers to physical, mental, social, etc. weakness. This scripture comforts me in knowing that the Lord will be there for me and help me in my life. When thinking about this economy and not knowing what my family's future holds, this reassures me that if I did need to get a job at any time the Lord would help me in areas that I am not so strong and things will be okay.

Controlling Our Thoughts

There was an article in the Ensign called "Think About What You Are Thinking" by Bruce K Fordham...here is my quick summary:

Satan wants us to be "miserable like unto himself" (2 Ne 2:27) so he makes us think we cannot control our thoughts.

Alma 50:1-6, 10:
Captain Moroni built fortifications ahead of time to defend his people against their enemies.

We can do the same thing to protect us from evil thoughts... There are two techniques we can use.

1. Treat the thought with indifference, preventing it from developing or becoming engaging to our minds.
2. Replace the thought with a wholesome thought or activity.

He suggests having a go-to hymn to think about when we have a bad thought.

Personally, when I start thinking about something negative or evil I think about my family. I try to remember the last really fun thing I did with family or friends, or I think about my to-do list. And, I try not to watch any movies that would burn any bad images in my brain. :) If there is something that is especially bothering me I ask Heavenly Father to help me not think about it. We can always ask for forgiveness and help daily in prayer!

Feast Upon the Words of Christ

A scripture quoted often:

2 Nephi 32:3

"Feast upon the words of Christ"

This reminds me of a lesson my dad gave in church one Sunday. It was a fast Sunday so his class was especially hungry (I think it was a younger Sunday School class but I can't remember.) He brought in pictures of food - really yummy-looking food. Of course his lesson was about feasting on the words of Christ. He helped them understand the real meaning of feasting when they thought about how much they wanted to eat and how good food would taste to them. He reminded them that we should be studying the scriptures like we feast after fasting on Sunday. We shouldn't just pick at our "food" or just take one bite and call it good. We should be excited to study the scriptures, dive right into them and enjoy every bite until we are full. (These definitely aren't his exact words)

I think that I have been a casual eater lately, and much more picky that I used to be. I hope this blog will help me feast on the scriptures, and hunger for them like I used to.

Sabbath

Today in Sunday School we had a GREAT lesson by Bro. Sanderson - I always really like his lessons... There were a lot of comments about the importance of coming together to worship and partake of the sacrament. There was a scripture I particulary liked in D&C 59:9-14:

"And that thou mayest more fully keep thyself unspotted from the world, thou shalt go to the house of prayer and offer up thy holy sacraments upon my holy day; For verily this is a day appointed unto you to rest from your labors, and to pay thy devotions unto the Most High; Nevertheless thy vows shall be offered up in righteousness on all days and at all times; But remember that on this, the Lord's day, thou shalt offer thine oblations and thy sacraments unto the Most High, confessing thy sins unto thy brethren, and before the Lord..."

The Sabbath is a day to me that should always be different from the rest of the week and a day of rest. I always believed it was important to go to our meetings every Sunday. I think today what i was reminded was that it is the Lord's day. Just like we give back 10% in the money we earn (of course everything we have is already the Lord's) we should give back one day of the week... In a way it is like tithing on our time...

Another thing I thought was interesting was the part about "confessing thy sins unto thy brethren" I see this 2 ways:

1. confessing to the bishop
2. humbling ourselves with the other members of the church and talking about our imperfections in the attitude of looking for ways we can better ourselves. I don't even know how many times I have heard someone comment about one of their imperfections and how they work on it and I have the same imperfection! I ALWAYS get ideas from others on how I can better myself through hearing others examples.

Asking for Blessings

The Bible Dictionary has always been one of my favorite parts of the Bible. You can learn so much from it! I was reading about prayer in the BD and I really liked this part:

"The object of prayer is not to change the will of God, but to secure for ourselves and for others blessings that God is already willing to grant, but that are made conditional on our asking for them."

Why did I never think of it this way before? I knew that Heavenly Father blessed those that humbled themselves and asked for blessings. But, I have been in the mind frame that we should be thanking Him for our blessings more than asking for others. For some reason I never realized that many of our blessings "are made conditional on our asking for them." I am looking back in my life at times where I had needs/wants for blessings and maybe didn't go to the Lord for them. I think that every time I need something now I will evaluate it and if it is a righteous desire I will definitely ask!

Welcome!

I have a confession to make... Ever since I have had my one-year-old daughter, Allie, I have been horrible about doing my daily personal scripture study. I don't know about all of you new moms out there, but scripture study was just one of the many things that I have had to adjust since having another person to take care of. I used to be excellent about reading my scriptures every night, but now that nights are a little crazy, and so are mornings, oh and every other part of the day Allie is awake, I just don't have a set time of the day I read my scriptures and a lot of the time I don't get to them. When Allie takes her naps is usually when I shower and clean up our messy house. So, I thought that maybe if I had other people to hold me accountable (anyone that looks at my blog) I would try a little harder to find the time. Hopefully this blog will help me study my scriptures more regularly (even if its just a short study a day) and will lift others that look at it once in a while too! I hope that it will and I look forward to discussion and insight from anyone who feels the need to! Thanks! Oh, and don't be afraid to get at me if I miss a day or two here or there!