Pioneer Family

THEY rise to mastery of wind and snow;

They go like soldiers grimly into strife

To colonize the plain. They plough and sow,

And fertilize the sod with their own life,

As did the Indian and the buffalo.

Hamlin Garland

www.handpaintedloveboxes.etsy.com
#loveboxes #pioneers #LDS #faithineveryfootstep

Pioneer girl...

Days of '47

Faith in Every Footstep

www.handpaitedloveboxes.etsy.com

Establishing True Doctrine

How does one establish what is true doctrine in the LDS church? I think this is an important point to ponder. Many members of the church in different fields have opinions about certain aspects of doctrine, but how do we know what is truth? Here are a few quotes on the topic that may be helpful.

“[We] should [bear] in mind that some of the General Authorities have had assigned to them a special calling; they possess a special gift; they are sustained as prophets, seers, and revelators, which gives them a special spiritual endowment in connection with their teaching of the people. They have the right, the power, and authority to declare the mind and will of God to his people, subject to the over-all power and authority of the President of the Church. Others of the General Authorities are not given this special spiritual endowment and authority covering their teaching; they have a resulting limitation, and the resulting limitation upon their power and authority in teaching applies to every other officer and member of the Church, for none of them is spiritually endowed as a prophet, seer, and revelator. Furthermore, as just indicated, the President of the Church has a further and special spiritual endowment in this respect, for he is the Prophet, Seer, and Revelator for the whole Church.”

J. Reuben Clark Jr., “When Are Church Leaders’ Words Entitled to Claim of Scripture?” Church News July 31, 1954, 9-10

Attempting to understand a doctrine or principle by relying unduly upon a single scripture or prophetic statement in isolation from all else that has been revealed on the subject generally is misguided. True doctrines and principles are emphasized repeatedly in the standard works by the prophets and apostles and through the illuminating and confirming power of the Holy Ghost.  David A. Bednar, Act in Doctrine (2012) p. xvii

Elder Bednar's statement is consistent with scripture where we learn that truth is established by two or three witnesses. Each book of scripture has at least one statement that teaches this principle.

Old Testament: Dueteronomy 19:15
New Testament 2 Corinthians 13:1
Book of Mormon 2 Nephi 11:3
Doctrine and Covenants 6:28

An individual my fall by the wayside, or have views, or give counsel which falls short of what the Lord intends, but the voice of the First Presidency and the united voice of those others who hold with them the keys of the kingdom shall always guide the Saints and the world in those paths where the Lord wants them to be. Joseph Fielding Smith, Ensign July 1972

The Book of Mormon declares the doctrines of the gospel. In his April 2017 conference address, President Thomas S. Monson said:

My dear associates in the work of Lord, I implore each of us to prayerfully study and ponder the Book of Mormon each day. as we do so, we will be in a position to hear the voice of the Spirit, to resist temptation, to overcome doubt and fear, and to receive heaven's help in our lives." Thomas S. Monson, The Power of the Book of Mormon, April 2017

If we really do our homework and approach the Book of Mormon doctrinally, we can expose the errors and find the truths to combat many of the current false theories and philosophies of men. I have noted within the Church a difference in discernment, insight, conviction, and spirit between those who know and love the Book of Mormon and those who do not. That book is a great sifter." - Ezra Taft Benson, Ensign, December 1988

Understanding true doctrine changes behavior.
True doctrine, understood, changes attitudes and behavior... The study of the doctrines of the gospel will improve behavior quicker than a study of behavior will improve behavior. Preoccupation with unworthy behavior can lead to unworthy behavior. That is why we stress so forcefully the study of the doctrines of the gospel. Boyd K. Packer, Little Children, October 1986

If we want to really know, we must do.

John 7:17
If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself.

One could write a book on this topic, but I think the above quotes give solid direction and are helpful when trying to discern truth from error and in the effort to teach true doctrine.

I remember hearing this as a child. I love this story.

In “The Vision of Sir Launfal,” an interesting story is told of a young knight who rode out into the world in search of the Holy Grail (the cup which the Master supposedly drank from at the Last Supper). He had dedicated his life to the quest. He was young, handsome, and strong, clothed in bright and shining armor, mounted on a gallant white charger. As he crossed the drawbridge riding out into the world, a beggar (who was a leper) put up his hand to him, begging alms. The young knight reached into his pouch, took out a gold coin and flung it to the beggar as he rode on, but he really did not give the beggar very much because no one would accept even a gold coin from a leper.

The young man searched for the cup; of course he didn’t find it, although he spent his life in the quest. He did, however, learn a lot, and at the close of his life he was returning to his castle, no longer young. He is now shrunken with age. His armor is no longer bright; his mount is no longer a charger but just a tired old gray horse. As he was about to cross the drawbridge into the castle, once again a beggar put up his hand begging for alms. This time Sir Launfal stopped, got down from his horse, reached into his knapsack and took out the only thing he had—a crust of bread. He then dipped his cup into the stream and gave the crust of bread and one cup of cold water to the beggar.

The wooden cup from which the beggar drank turned into the Holy Grail for which he had searched, and the beggar turned into a Christ and said a very interesting thing. He said:

“Not what we give, but what we share.

For the gift without the giver is bare;

Who gives himself with his alms feeds three,

Himself, his hungering neighbor, and me.”

(“The Vision of Sir Launfal,” James R. Lowell.)

https://www.lds.org/…/1973/10/you-shall-receive-the-spirit.…

Sabbath Scripture Chain

Liberty is synonymous with Christ. Without Christ, there is no liberty.
Unfortunately, the world has this backwards. The world believes that faith is restrictive and commandments make people slaves when nothing could be farther from the truth.

Stand fast in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free... Galatians 5:1

Baptism & The Gift of the Holy Ghost...

D&C 18:22 And as many as repent and are baptized in my name, which is Jesus Christ, and endure to the end, the same shall be saved.

SAVE, verb transitive [Latin salvo. As salve is used inn Latin for salutation or wishing health, as hail is in English, I suspect this word to be from the root of heal or hail, the first letter being changed. Gr. See Salt]

1. To preserve from injury, destruction or evil of any kind; to rescue from danger; as, to save a house from the flames; to save a man from drowning; to save a family from ruin; to save a state from war.

He cried, saying Lord, save me. Matthew 14:30. Genesis 45:7

2. To preserve from final and everlasting destruction; to rescue from eternal death. Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. 1 Timothy 1:15.

3. To deliver; to rescue from the power and pollution of sin.

He shall save his people from their sins. Matthew 1:21

Romans 6:14-18
14 For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.
15 What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid.
16 Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?
17 But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you.
18 Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness.

Romans 6:23
23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Who is qualified to be baptized?

D&C 20:37
37 And again, by way of commandment to the church concerning the manner of baptism—All those who humble themselves before God, and desire to be baptized, and come forth with broken hearts and contrite spirits, and witness before the church that they have truly repented of all their sins, and are willing to take upon them the name of  Jesus Christ, having a determination to serve him to the end, and truly manifest by their works that they have received of  the Spirit of Christ unto the remission of their sins, shall be received by baptism into his church.

What does the act of Baptism represent?

Romans 6:3-5
3 Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?
4 Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we should walk in the newness of life.
5 For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection.

What covenants are we making when we are baptized?

Mosiah 18:8-10
8 And it came to pass that he said unto them; Behold, here are the waters of Mormon (for thus were they called) and now, as ye are desirous to come into the fold of God, and to be called his people, and are willing to bear one another's burdens, that they may be light;
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 may be in, even until death, that ye may be redeemed of God, and be numbered with those of the first resurrection, that ye may have eternal life--
10 Now I say unto you, if this be he 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?

Baptism is precede by faith in Jesus Christ (faith strong enough to act) and by repentance. It must be followed by the Gift of the Holy Ghost to be complete.

2 Nephi 31:13-14
13 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, I know that if ye shall follow the Son, with full purpose of heart, acting no hypocrisy and not deception before God, but with real intent, repenting of your sins, witnessing unto the Father that ye are willing to take upon you the name of Christ, by baptism-- yea, by following your Lord and your Savior down into the water, according to his work behold, then shall ye receive the Holy ghost; yea, then cometh the baptism of fire and of the Holy Ghost; and then can ye speak with the tongue of angels, and shout praises unto the Holy One of Israel.
14 But, behold, my beloved brethren, thus came of the voice of the Son unto me, saying; After ye have repented of your sins, and witnessed unto the Father that ye are willing to keep my commandments, by the baptism of water, and have received the baptism of fire and of the Holy Ghost and can speak with a new tongues, yea even the tongue of angels, after this should deny me, it would have been better for you that ye had not known me.


How do we recognize the promptings of the Holy Ghost?

1. I will tell you in your mind and heart D&C 8:2-3
2. The Holy Ghost will speak peace D&C 6:23
3. The Lord will give us a spirit of courage 2 Tim 1:7
4. The mysteries of God are unfolded unto them 1 Nephi 10:17-19
5. The Holy Ghost will show us what to do 2 Nephi 32:5
6. The Spirit leadeth to do good D&C 11:12
7. The Holy Ghost beareth record of the Father and the Son D&C 46:13
8. The Holy Ghost can teach the truth of ALL things Moroni 10:5, John 14:26

Nurture

The Proclamation on the Family makes a powerful statement about mothers...

Mothers are primarily responsible for the nurture of her children. 

What does it mean to nurture?

Webster 1828

NUR'TURE, noun

1. That which nourishes; food; diet.

2. That which promotes growth; education; instruction. (Ephesians 6:4)

NUR'TURE, verb transitive

1. To feed; to nourish.

2. To educate; to bring or train up.

Sheri Dew taught: The word motherhood defines women's eternal roles; it describes their nature as nurturers. Nurture is a rich word. It means to train, to teach, to educate, to foster development, to promote growth, and to nourish or feed. Women have been given the great privilege and responsibility to nurture in all these sense of the word...
Sheri Dew, "Are We Not All Mothers?" Ensign, Nov. 2001, 97.

You are the guardians of the hearth. You are the bearers of the children. You are they who nurture them and establish within them the habits of their lives. No other work reaches so close to divinity as does the nurturing of the sons and daughters of God.
President Gordon B. Hinckley, "Stand Strong Against the Wiles of the World," 101.

Proverbs 22:6 Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.

Nephi 22:13 And all thy children shall be taught of the Lord; and great shall be the peace of thy children. 

Doctrine & Covenants 93:39-40 And that wicked one cometh and taketh away light and truth, through disobedience, from the children of men, and because of the tradition of their fathers. 
But, I have commanded you to bring up your children in light and truth.
Mosiah 4:14-15  And ye will not suffer your children that they go hungry, or naked; neither will ye suffer that they transgress the laws of God, and fight and quarrel one with another, and serve the devil who is the master of sin, or who is the evil spirit which hath been spoken of by our fathers, he being an enemy to all righteousness.
But ye will teach them to walk in the ways of truth and soberness; ye will teach them to love one another, and to serve one another.

Nephi 25:26 We talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we teach of Christ, we prophesy of Christ, and we write according to our prophesies, that our children may know to what source they may look for a remission of their sins.

It's not that important to have a mother in the home to change diapers, make meals, and clean bathrooms because a maid, even a government program can do those things. But, mothers are needed to nurture and no amount of tax-funded boondoggles can repair and replace a missing mother. Too often mothers feel they are relegated to drudgery, they are not. In thinking this way, they miss the mark entirely and miss out on the most creative, challenging, and rewarding work there is; the work of preparing a child in every way for their earthly work while leading them on the path toward their heavenly home, pointing out every glorious vista and star along the way. 

Noah Webster 1828

How we define words is so important.

Education (Oxford Dictionaries):
The process of receiving or giving systematic instruction, especially at a school or university:
a new system of public education
The theory and practice of teaching:
colleges of education
A body of knowledge acquired while being educated:
his education is encyclopedic and eclectic
Information about or training in a particular field or subject...

Education (Noah Webster 1828):
The bringing up, as of a child; to instruction; formation of manners. Education comprehends all that series of instruction and discipline which is intended to enlighten the understanding, correct the temper, and form the manners and habits of youth, and fit them for usefulness in their future stations. To give children a good education in manners, arts and science, is important; to give them a religious education is indispensable; and an immense responsibility rests on parents and guardians who neglect these duties.

I Resolve... 2013

I have been sick and missed most of the three hour block today ( I couldn't manage to stay away from my class, but I went heavily drugged and didn't cough on anyone). I spent the other hours catching up on blog reading that I never get around to between September and Christmas. I also read through my blog. I was interested to find any of my past New Year's Resolutions and see if any have stuck and if the process is at all worthwhile. I was surprised.
I think it was in 2007 that I resolved to be better about the shopping. I have historically been terrible about keeping food in the house. I would so much rather buy restaurant food than real food, at least that is how I used to be. I cook a lot more now. I have a collection of recipes that I like and that my family likes. I try to follow an old habit that my MIL had of always having, "bread, fruit, milk and cheese" in the house. If someone was hungry, she always ran down this list, which reminds me that having "NO FOOD", which is a frequent complaint of my teenager does not mean that we literally have "No food" it just means that we might be out of potato chips, which "you shouldn't be eating anyway... refer to the list above".
Daily scripture study has historically been a problem for me. I go along really well for awhile and then get swamped and quit for awhile. But, the constant resolve has finally changed something. In the past year, I have turned a corner and I have learned to "feast on the word of God". I have always loved the scriptures, the beauty of the language and I've had a testimony of the gospel since I was ten, but this is different. I really want to know. I have questions that I need answered and I get an incredible amount of comfort from gospel study.  I am still not a daily student, but I'm almost a daily student. I hate to miss.. not out of guilt, but desire to read and to listen to the voice of prophets and apostles both ancient and modern.
My daily habits of health and exercise are almost a complete wash, but not entirely. I still eat too much junk and I have a start and mostly stop exercise plan that really needs to change, but even here I can't honestly say that my efforts are worthless. I have lost 7 pounds since the first of November... slow going, but at least it's in the right direction and I didn't put on the holiday 5 so that has to count for something!
So I resolve to keep resolving.
Every year, I've also made a goal of spending more one on one time with my spouse and it's never happened until this past year, when it did. We did a lot of fun things. We love music and we saw some great performances, the highlight of which was seeing Lang Lang at Abravenel Hall. We went to a couple of plays with good friends. Our friends, Ally & John starred in Little Shop of Horrors and they were WONDERFUL! C even took me Christmas shopping, twice! That was a first. We had regular date nights. Can we keep it up if I don't add it to the list? I think we got this one.

So for 2013
1. End Common Core in Utah
Failure here is very possible, but a friend told me that if this is truly what I believe needs to happen, then I should try. I feel very strongly about it so I am about to make myself a huge pain, which seems to come pretty naturally.. at least something does!
2. Spend quality time with my children every day.
I did this last year and I did pretty well, just not as well as I want to so... I'm not good at playing games, taking walks or sitting on the floor playing toys. When I do those things, I often wish I were somewhere else. So, I am going to achieve this goal by reading good literature to my children and spending time discussing those things that I want them to learn and know. I wish I was the kind of mom who builds snowmen, but I'm not.
3. Scripture study & Family Night
Just to be ever more faithful and take the time to teach the gospel. What is more important to me in the end? Nothing.
4. Lose 60 pounds by the time of my anniversary.
I always make small goals in this direction, maybe try a big one.
5. Keep up with cooking 5 nights a week making the meals ever more healthy.

6. Be Grateful!
Finally, since I just finished A Simple Act of Gratitude, I am going to try saying "Thank You" 365 times. Hopefully, this will be fun. Great book BTW.

That's it. See you on the flip side :)

Shattered Glass...

Shattered Glass: The Traditions of Mormon Same-Sex Marriage Advocates Encounter

Boyd K. Packerwritten by Gregory L. Smith

Excerpt:

Once we have accepted that we are fundamentally dis-eased in that nothing in this life will ever fully complete us, we need then give up our messianic expectations and demands. Hence, we must stop expecting that somewhere, sometime, in some place, we will meet just the right person, the right situation, or the right combination of circumstances so that we can be completely happy. We will stop demanding that our spouses, families, friends, and jobs give us what only God can give us, clear-cut pure joy. . . 

[In Gethsemane] we see the necessary connection between suffering and faith, the necessary connection between sweating blood in a garden and keeping our commitments and our integrity. Nobody will ever remain faithful in a marriage, a vocation, a friendship, a family, a job, or just to his or her own integrity without sometimes sweating blood in a garden.

THIS

article is long, but is well worth your time. If you start reading it though, commit to reading it all the way through.

Elder Maxwell: The Prohibitive Costs of a Value Free Society

"Decrease the belief in God, and you increase the numbers of those who wish to play at being God by being “society’s supervisors.” Such “supervisors” deny the existence of divine standards, but are very serious about imposing their own standards on society.

It is no accident that the lessening, or loss, of belief in certain absolute truths, such as the existence of God and the reality of immortality has occurred at the same time there has been a sharp gain in the size and power of governments in many portions of the world." Elder Neal A. Maxwell

It was difficult to choose a small portion to share here. The whole talk is truth and full of things it would be wise of us to consider this election season. Read the rest HERE...

Pioneer Day!

This is my portait of my Great, Great, Great Grandfather Lars who came across the sea from Denmank and then across the plains to Utah. He made bricks and played the violin. He gave up his homeland, his comfortable job and home to give his posterity the gospel for which I am forever grateful. Happy Pioneer Day! ♥

Pioneers
They cut desire into short lengths
And fed it to the hungry fires of courage,
Long after-- when the flames died
Moulten gold gleamed in the ashes.
They gathered it into bruised palms
And handed it to their children,
And their children's children.
Vilate Raile

King Nebuchadnezzar's Dream...

Daniel Chapter 2 Reading
　
Narrator: And in the second year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar Nebuchadnezzar dreamed dreams, wherewith his spirit was troubled, and his sleep brake from him.

Narrator: Then the king commanded to call the magicians, and the astrologers and the sorcerers, and the Chaldeans for the shew the king his dreams. So they came and stood before the king. And the king said unto them:

King Nebuchadnezzar: I have dreamed a dream, and my spirit was troubled to know the dream.

Narrator: Then spake the Chaldeans unto the king:

Chaldean #1: O king, live forever: tell they servants the dreams and we will shew the interpretation.

King Nebuchadnezzar: The thing is gone from me: if ye will not make known unto me the dream, with the interpretation thereof, ye shall be cut in pieces, and your houses shall be made a dunghill. But if ye shew the dream, and the interpretation thereof, ye shall receive of me gifts and rewards and great honour: therefore shew me the dream, and the interpretation thereof.

Chaldean #2: Let the king tell his servants the dream, and we will shew the interpretation of it.

King Nebuchadnezzar: I know of certainty that ye would gain the time, because ye see the thing is gone from me. If ye will not make known unto me the dream, there is but one decree for you: for ye have prepared lying and corrupt words to speak before me, till the time be changed: therefore tell me the dream, and I shall know that ye can shew me the interpretation thereof.

Chaldean #3: There is not a man upon the earth that can shew the king's matter... And it is a rare thing that the king requireth, and there is none other that can shew it before the king, except the gods, whose dwelling is not with flesh.

Narrator: For this cause the king was angry and very furious, and commanded to destroy all the wise men of Babylon. And the decree went forth that the wise men should be slain; and they sought Daniel and his fellows to be slain. Then Daniel said to the king’s captain:

Daniel: Why is the decree so hasty from the king? Then Arioch made the thing known to Daniel.

Narrator: The captain made the thing known to Daniel and Daniel asked the king for time and he would show the king the dream and its interpretation. And Daniel asked his companions, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego:

Daniel: Pray for the tender mercies of the God of heaven concerning this secret; that we will no perish with the rest of the wise men of Babylon.

Narrator: Then was the secret revealed unto Daniel in a night vision. And, Daniel said:

Daniel: Blessed be the name of God forever and ever; for wisdom and might are His. I thank thee and praise thee, O though God of my fathers, who hast given me wisdom and might, and has made known unto me now what we desired of thee.

Narrator: Then Daniel was brought before the king who asked: Art thou able to make known unto me the dream which I have seen, and the interpretation thereof?

Daniel: Thou, O king, sawest, and behold a great image. This great image, whose brightness was excellent, stood before thee; and the form thereof was terrible. This image's head was of fine gold, his breast and his arms of silver, his belly and his thighs of brass, his legs of iron, his feet part of iron and part of clay.
Thou sawest till that a stone was cut out without hands, which smote the image upon his feet that were of iron and clay, and brake them to pieces. Then was the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold, broken to pieces together, and became like the chaff of the summer threshing floors; and the wind carried them away, that no place was found for them: and the stone that smote the image became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth.

King Nebuchadnezzar: And what is the interpretation of the dream?

Daniel: Thou, O king, art a king of kings: for the God of heaven hath given thee a kingdom, power, and strength, and glory. Thou art this head of gold. And after thee shall arise another kingdom (silver) inferior to thee, and another third kingdom of brass, which shall bear rule over all the earth. And the fourth kingdom shall be strong as iron. The feet and toes, part clay and part iron, are the fourth kingdom divided.
And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever.


**Note: My friend Laura put this reading together and it was a hit in our Sunday School Class & in Family Night! So, I thought I would share.

We pointed out to the kids that President Obama lives in the White House, that the White House is a symbol of kingdom. It is interesting to discuss other examples of Kingdoms living and dead... Then, explain the symbolism of the stone cut without hands (made by God). Point out that the temples of God are covering the earth and that this revelation given by Daniel 600 years before the birth of Christ is coming true in their (the children's) lifetime.

The Wind Blows in the Direction of the Promised Land...

The last few years seem to have been full of troubles for our little family. I don't want to make a list here, but we have been whelmed... not overwhelmed, but whelmed. Over the weekend, I have felt some fear and doubt and I have been a real grouch to be honest. I hate that little "picked on" voice that gets into my head and says things like, "How can this happen? We pay our tithing. We live in a modest home. We save. We try to do everything the prophet asks us to do. We blah, blah, blah...." What an irritating whiner! I hate whining.. This helps me not at all.
When people ask me my favorite scripture story, I never hesitate. I always say that I love the story of the Jaredites in the Book of Ether. I love the Brother of Jared. He has fears too. His country is in upheaval and he must take his friends and family and lead them to some unknown place. And so he asks the Lord what he should do and where he should go and the Lord tells him to gather up everyone and his flocks and other things,

"And when thou has done this thou shalt go at the head of them down into the valley which is northward, And there will I meet thee, and I will go before thee into a land which is choice above all the lands of the earth."

Then, the Lord tells the brother of Jared to build great barges, that he will be leading his friends and family on a great voyage. But, the barges have no provision for light. He goes to the Lord and asks him how he is going to see in the dark in the barges that will set forth upon an uncharted sea. And, the Lord asks the brother of Jared, "Therefore what will ye that I should prepare for you that ye may have light when ye are swallowed up in the depths of the sea?" Interesting. So the brother of Jared makes some 16 small stones or some crystal or something, "and they were white and clear, even as transparent glass..." And, then he asks the Lord to touch the stones. His faith is so great that he sees the finger of the Lord as he reaches out to touch the stones. And then the brother of Jared is transfigured and redeemed and brought into the presence of the Lord. It is such an amazing and beautiful story.
But even though the brother of Jared has had this perfect faith, he still has to lead his people on the scary voyage into the depths of the sea.

"And it came to pass that they were many times buried in the depths of the sea, because of the mountain waves which broke upon them, and also the great and terrible tempests which were caused by the fierceness of the wind.
And in came to pass that when they were buried in the deep there was no water that could hurt them, their vessels being tight like unto a dish, and also they were tight like unto the ark of Noah; therefore when they were encompassed about by many waters they did cry unto the Lord, and he did bring them forth again upon the top of the waters.
And it came to pass that the wind never did cease to blow towards the promised land...

I crave security. I love saving accounts, life insurance, food storage, stable jobs and good health. There are lots of things that we can and should do to preserve all those things. But they are things and things can be flimsy and temperamental and they can be lost. Our faith can be lost too. Sadly, I have seen people suffer all of these losses without the hope of faith.
I am grateful for faith. I love the Lord. I know the He is here for us. I know He will meet us and that with His breath He will blow us toward the Promised Land. We just need a moment to gather our family and our courage so that we can meet Him down in the valley.

Mother's Day...

I wrote this sometime ago.. but, since this is my only real personal history I wanted it included here.

Mother’s Day 2006

Sacrament Meeting Talk

　
Between my sophomore and junior years of high school, I was able to travel to Rome and view in person Michelangelo’s famous sculpture the Pieta’. As many of you know, the sculpture depicts the crucified Christ cradled in the arms of his grieving mother, Mary. I don’t know if the moment depicted in the sculpture could have actually taken place, or if the sculpture is more a representation of emotion. In Luke chapter 2:35 Simeon speaks to Mary and says, "Yea a sword shall pierce through thy own soul also, that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed." How profoundly that verse speaks of motherhood. For when does a mother not pain over every pain and joy with every joy of her child.

As I contemplated this sculpture, I thought of the Christmas story and of the Loving mother" who "laid her baby in a manger filled with hay." The mother who listened to an angel and then, "pondered these things in her heart." Of all the mothers in scripture maybe mother Mary is the one we know most about and that seems so little, yet she is revered around the world and even worshiped in some faiths. As Latter Day Saints we honor her as the chosen mother of the Savior of the world. But, it is her role as mother that I think I most relate to. The swell of happiness she must have felt as she saw the Savior living the life he was meant to live, the pain she must have felt at his pain. The love she must have had for this most precious Son. These are things we know something of as we become parents.
To be a mother, is to know the anxious hours of a long night with a fevered child, the heartache of their mistakes, the worry for their safety, but it is also to know the expanding joy of their laughter, the satisfaction of their achievement and the deep gratitude for their existence.
There are moments in family life that have a quality of perfect bliss. I was raised in a family the oldest of seven children and even in that often chaotic environment, my dear mother once remarked, "I don’t know if I want to go to heaven because I think I will miss this life too much." In reply, my father said, "But this wonderful day is just what heaven will always be like."

Emily Dickinson wrote the lines, "Who has not found the heaven below will fail of it above. God’s residence is next to mine, His furniture is love."

We have a brief glimpse of the heart of our Heavenly Father when we can look at a child and love them just because they are. My heart has filled with joy and peace as I have looked into the sleeping face of my sweet Charity and felt that she was attended by the angels. In turn, I know that it is my duty to her to teach her where she has come from, knowing that the greatest self-esteem comes not from any special talent or gift she might have, but from her divine inheritance as a daughter of God.
My daughter Charity has a rich and beautiful heritage. She has many ancestors who have paved the way and have given her lasting legacy in the gospel of Jesus Christ and I hope that she will emulate as many of their good qualities as she can. As President Hinckley has put it, I hope she won’t ‘drop the ball’. However, mortals are mortal and none of them perfect. A friend of mine once wrote that it is good to revere our progenitors, but we can’t get too entangled with that because ‘for every one that died gloriously in battle, there is sure to be one that was hung as a horse thief’. While in Charity’s case, I am sure that is an overstatement, it is her Heavenly parents, I want most for her to be like.
In the 1959, October issue of the Children’s Friend, Anna Johnson wrote just a few precious words, "I am a child of royal birth My Father is King of heaven and earth. My spirit was born in the courts on high, a child beloved, a princess am I."
These words could not be more true. I know that I have a princess in my home. And, I believe that when we get to know each other well enough, when we learn to love each other, when we see each other and our children as our Heavenly Father sees us we truly can see the royal lineage of our Father in Heaven all about us.

Knowing this teaches us to be less judgmental of each other. I shouldn’t judge another parent because I know how hard I’m trying and how often I think, "What will my actions today cost me in psychotherapy bills tomorrow?"
A good bishop once counseled, "Mothers should be trusted. Heavenly Father is aware of which child goes to which mother."
Mothers are different.
In my own family my two Grandmothers could not have been more different.
One graduated with a degree in nursing, had ten children, seven of them boys, was an avid sports fan and a great cook of large portions of good Mormon cooking all the while working outside the home as a labor and delivery nurse by necessity to help support her large family. I never saw her with makeup or any other form of feminine adornments but she always knew the scores of all the games.
My other Grandmother graduated from Utah State with a degree in clothing and textiles. She is fancy! She is the mother of six children 3 girls and 3 boys. I have seen many pictures of her in glamourous dresses she made with high heels and red lipstick. She was a homemaker by trade, artistic in every way and a relief society president many times over. She is also a great cook of small portions of gourmet food.
　
Both of my Grandmothers were good mothers. Both of them were faithful Latter Day Saints who served tirelessly in the church and were wonderful examples to their children and Grandchildren. Both of them were missionaries. Both of them shared their love, talents and testimonies with as many people as they could, but especially with their families.
I don’t think it matters what style of mother we are as long as we are the kind that has the company of the Holy Spirit.
I have learned as a parent that it is my great desire to be led by the Holy Spirit and to know when our child needs us, when she needs our special attention, our prayers on her behalf, our presence, our teaching.
It is my desire as a parent to feel that I have done what Heavenly Father has asked of me.
Several years ago, I attended the marriage of a cousin in the Salt Lake Temple. The temple sealer gave some advice when he said to the couple, "One of these days, you’ll have a teenage child leaving the home for the evening in a car. How much more peace you will feel on that occasion if from now until that time you have faithfully held family home evening, family prayer and scripture study in your home?"
A friend pointed out to me recently that her nine-year-old daughter is coming to her with a great many gospel questions. She said, I am trying to patiently answer all of them and find joy in the process as my child searches for the testimony she will most desperately need.
In our April General Conference, Elder Henry B. Eyring said, "the prophets of God have foreseen the times in which we live... Anyone with eyes to see the signs of the times and ears to hear the words of prophets know that the peril is great . The peril comes from the forces of wickedness. Those forces are increasing... For those of us who are concerned about such a future for ourselves and those we love... there is hope in the promise the Lord has given us of a place of safety in the storms ahead."
Then Elder Eyring quotes Helamen5:12
"And now, my sons, remember, remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation... whereon if men build they cannot fall."

The sculpture of the Pieta carries so much of the sorrow that we can sometimes feel as mothers, the concerns and the hurts that trouble. Would that Michelangelo had created another sculpture, one in which the Mother Mary would greet the risen Lord. For this is what we hope for as mothers, that our children will come and do what they were meant to do. That we will be able to teach them well and then that they will follow the example of their Savior rising above the filth and grief and trouble of this life to a glorious eternity.
I am so grateful and so awed by the blessing it is to be Charity’s mother. I love her so very much.
I am so grateful this day for my own dear mother whose gifts and talents are many. Who taught me to awe and reverence the creation that our Heavenly Father has made for our happiness. I love to go on drives with her so that she can point out and name every special tree and flower and bush and so she can remind me not to forget how beautiful our mountains are today with either green grass, autumn leaves or snow. She loves the beauty of every season and celebrates every holiday and occasion with exuberance and real joy. I am so grateful for her quiet faith and her extraordinary acts of service and for her great loyalty and love for her family.
I am grateful for a husband who doesn’t criticize and who encourages me and tries to give me confidence in all that I attempt to do. I love him so much.
I am grateful for this gospel, for the blessing it is in my life. For the blessing it is to have its rock not just to build faith, but also to build a family. I am grateful for my Savior and know that he is real and love him very much.

He is Risen...

He is Risen! Happy Easter.

To Repent...

Patrick Page & Monica Bell play Macbeth & Lady Macbeth

Utah Shakespearean Festival 1989

This week I am teaching the twelve-year-old Sunday school class about Repentence. .. heavy stuff. For some reason, I keep thinking about the time when I was a laurel and my dad who was the bishop at the time allowed our group to skip Stake Girls Camp and attend the Utah Shakespearen Festival instead where we saw Macbeth. I have since learned that Macbeth can be played many different ways. Some people read the text and say that Macbeth has no regret for what he has done, he just regrets the consequences. But, Patrick Page played Macbeth differently.

He knelt on one knee as a single spotlight captured his tears that splashed upon the stage.

To-morrow, and to-morrow, and to-morrow,

Creeps in this petty pace from day to day,
To the last syllable of recorded time;
And all our yesterdays have lighted fools
The way to dusty death. Out, out, brief candle!
Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player
That struts and frets his hour upon the stage
And then is heard no more. It is a tale
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury
Signifying nothing. — Macbeth (Act 5, Scene 5, lines 17-28)

I was sobbing as Macbeth came to realize he had wasted his short life strutting and fretting over nothing that really mattered at all. His great efforts had come to nothing but murder and sorrow. And now, at the last hour, it was too late to repent.

I have since wanted to live in such a way that it would never be too late for me. I love Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf's talk called A Matter of a Few Degrees where he references repentence in this way,

"Remember: the heavens will not be filled with those who never made mistakes but with those who recognized that they were off course and who corrected their ways to get back in the light of gospel truth.

The more we treasure the words of the prophets and apply them, the better we will recognize when we are drifting off course—even if only by a matter of a few degrees."

Macbeth was a war hero who had gloriously defended his king in battle. He was loved and respected for his valour. He had been honored by the king. What if he had corrected himself early on? Power and ambition are the sirens that destroy so many. It can be amazing how small the kingdoms are for which we are willing to sacrifice our souls. This is the reason George Washington is such a singular figure in all of history.

In Henry B. Eyring's book, To Draw Closer to God he explains that the word REPENTANCE comes from the Greek word, "to have a NEW mind". As I thought about that, I couldn't help but think of the ad campaign, "This is your brain. This is your brain on drugs." Remember the egg and the fried egg?

According to teen.drugabuse.gov , we don't have to use eggs anymore because now we have brain imaging which shows us what the brain looks like in control and using cocaine.. it's very different.

Brain imaging is now used to study the brain of compulsive gamblers, alcoholics, pornography addicts and those who suffer from any number of vices. This is your brain. This is you brain on sin.

Dr. Donald L. Hinton Jr. is a Neurologist who wrote a famous paper about the affects of pornography on the brain. His thesis.. addiction causes brain damage.

It’s the overuse of the dopamine reward system that causes addiction. When the pathways are used compulsively, a downgrading occurs that actually decreases the amount of dopamine in the pleasure areas available for use, and the dopamine cells themselves start to atrophy, or shrink. The reward cells in the nucleus accumbens are now starved for dopamine and exist in a state of dopamine craving, as a downgrading of dopamine receptors on the pleasure cells occurs as well. This resetting of the “pleasure thermostat” produces a “new normal.” In this addictive state, the person must act out in addiction to boost the dopamine to levels sufficient just to feel normal.

As the desensitization of the reward circuits continues, stronger and stronger stimuli are required to boost the dopamine. In the case of narcotic addiction, the addicted person must increase the amount of the drug to get the same high. In pornography addiction, progressively more shocking images are required to stimulate the person.

Frontal Lobe Damage

As a feedback of sorts, the frontal lobes also atrophy, or shrink. Think of it as a “wearing out of the brake pads.” This physical and functional decline in the judgment center of the brain causes the person to become impaired in his ability to process the consequences of acting out in addiction. Addiction scientists have called this condition hypofrontality, and have noted a similarity in the behavior of addicted persons to the behavior of patients with frontal brain damage. Read more.. HERE

I think any amount of sin, causes some amount of brain damage. Sometimes we don't even know we have brain damage, until we learn better. When we know better, we can do better. We can repent and we can be better.

How many scriptures are there that teach us about a new mind, a new heart, being born again?
THIS section of the Topical Guide contains some of the most beautiful, hopeful scripture we have.

What is a new mind? What is a new heart? What is a new spirit?

When I was little, I remember asking my dad if bad people could really become good. "YES!" Since then, I have seen many people take advantage of the Atonement in their lives. I have seen people change. I have seen some of them change dramatically... not all at once, but over time. I have seen broken people heal; I have seen average people become saints.

President Ezra Taft Benson said:

"For every Paul, for every Enos, and for every King Lamoni, there are hundreds and thousands of people who find the process of repentance much more subtle, much more imperceptible. Day by day they move closer to the Lord, little realizing they are building a godlike life. They live quiet lives of goodness, service, and commitment. They are like the Lamanites, who the lord said, 'were baptized with fire and with the Holy Ghost, and they knew it not.' (3 Nephi 9:20)." Ezra Taft Benson, A Mighty Change of Heart, Ensign, October 1989, p.5

I know that our Heavenly Father has given us this process because he loves us. In the New Testament, my favorite story is one found in Luke. Jesus is followed about by throngs of people. He is teaching in a house, but the crowds are so thick that a man suffering a terrible palsy cannot reach the Savior carried by his friends on a stretcher. However, these friends are determined that their afflicted friend should see the Savior and so they push and pull their friend on to the top of the house where they Savior is teaching and dig their way through the roof tiles until there is a sufficient hole that they can pass their friend in to the Savior.

Luke Chapter 5:17-25

17 And it came to pass on a certain day, as he was teaching, that there were Pharisees and doctors of the law sitting by, which were come out of every town of Galilee, and Judæa, and Jerusalem: and the power of the Lord was present to heal them.

 18 ¶And, behold, men brought in a bed a man which was taken with a palsy: and they sought means to bring him in, and to lay him before him.

 19 And when they could not find by what way they might bring him in because of the multitude, they went upon the housetop, and let him down through the tiling with his couch into the midst before Jesus.

 20 And when he saw their faith, he said unto him, Man, thy sins are forgiven thee.

 21 And the scribes and the Pharisees began to reason, saying, Who is this which speaketh blasphemies? Who can forgive sins, but God alone?

 22 But when Jesus perceived their thoughts, he answering said unto them, What reason ye in your hearts?

 23 Whether is easier, to say, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Rise up and walk?

 24 But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power upon earth to forgive sins, (he said unto the sick of the palsy,) I say unto thee, Arise, and take up thy couch, and go into thine house.

 25 And immediately he rose up before them, and took up that whereon he lay, and departed to his own house, glorifying God.

I wonder if the Savior wasn't kind to heal the man's spirit first. Going back to Macbeth, there is another interesting speech. Lady Macbeth has descended into madness as she realizes her guilt. She is such a troubled soul that those around her fear for her. The second time Macbeth pleads with the physician to help his wife...

Macbeth:
Canst thou not minister to a mind diseas'd,
Pluck from the memory a rooted sorrow,
Raze out the written troubles of the brain,
And with some sweet oblivious antidote
Cleanse the stuff'd bosom of that perilous stuff
Which weighs upon the heart?
Doctor:
Therein the patient
Must minister to himself.

The third time Macbeth says:

If thou couldst, doctor, cast. The water of my land, find her disease. And purge it to a sound and pristine health .

Very sad.

True repentance takes time. It takes work and it may be painful. After all, we are correcting brain damage. We are changing not just our spirit, but our bodies.. our whole self. We are in the process of being born again.

What sacrifice does the Lord ask of us in order to be clean, new and reborn... only a broken heart and a contrite spirit.

Elder Eyring says:
The Broken heart and contrite spirit that are the requirements for forgiveness are also its fruits. The very humility that is the sign of having been forgiven is protection against future sin. And it is by avoiding future sin that we retain a remission of the sins of the past. (Henry B. Eyring, To Draw Closer to God p.51)

I don't believe that once we truly repent that we have to wear our sins around like those forged by Ebonezer Scrooge and his friend Marley. What I mean is that I don't think you have to go through life being a "recovering addict." The Atonement provides the power for our sins to be swept completely away.

My friend Merrijane wrote this poem about holding a grudge but it can easily speak to harboring sin or even guilt that is painful to us.

Grudge

Like a dragon,
I brood over my false hoard—
sharp, glittering chips
reflect my burning.

Though plated scales armor me,
shattered glass grinds
long, raw gashes
in my soft underbelly.

Guarded and guarding,
I crouch turned in on myself,
chew open old wounds
that should have healed by now.

When will I sweep my tail,
empty this cavern,
and rest on a bare floor
of fresh, clean peace?

Ether 12:27

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.

His grace is sufficient. We don't have to be a recovering anything... we can be a new mind and a new heart.

When we commit sin, there are consequences; sometimes they are terrible. Sometimes even when we repent, we can't escape the consequences of our mistakes in this life. But, for those who truly repent there are many blessings.

Doctrine and Covenants 58:42

42 Behold, he who has repented of his sins, the same is forgiven, and I, the Lord, remember them no more.

I used to think that was a nice thought. No one wants to make a mistake and have it constantly brought up again. "Let sleeping dogs lie." But, as I have studied the scriptures further; as I have learned about being reborn, about having a new spirit and a new heart.. I have realized something about this scripture... The Lord knows all things, if He remembers them no more then they literally didn't happen. The atonement is the power to change history. We are as clean and pure, innocent and new as if we had never made the mistake in the first place.

Christ the Lord is Risen Today

Happy Easter.

In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Christmas Lights at Temple Square...

Our family activity for the 2nd Day of Christmas... 

Doodles...

Baby Great Dane...

We had fun doodling in Stake Conference... We got permission from our Stake President :) Sorry L. spent almost the entire meeting exercising (taking laps around the building) so she didn't submit any art work for this post. It was a great meeting.

Wearing grief... a few thoughts...

I have been noticing these vinyl signs on vehicles everywhere lately. In loving memory of... somebody that someone loves. I found this decal HERE...

It's an interesting phenomenon and I wonder about it because I think about death a lot. I don't think it's morbid. I just think of it as an experience we all face. I'm afraid of it a little bit. I don't want to die before I've done what I need to for my kids. And, I don't want to be left behind by those I deeply love. I don't want it to hurt, but I know that it probably will.

My husband's grandmother was a good friend to me. I went to visit her on her birthday once when she'd been a widow for about six years. She said, "Why am I still here?" I didn't know the answer to that, but I was grateful for her faith and for her courage. I knew she was ready when the time came and I was grateful for her help and wisdom while she was still living.

Some people have a very private grief and some people are more open. Once walking in the cemetery I saw a young woman weeping over the grave of a lost child. My initial reaction was to run over and hug her and have a good cry with her. Would that have been right? You don't know. I felt that I had invaded her private space... I found the depth of her love for a child she had known for such a short time to be sacred and exquisitely beautiful. But, I didn't want to walk there anymore and chance disturbing her again.

When people have these markers on their cars.. to me it says, "my heart is broken and I hurt." As humans the best we can do for each other is to "do unto others as we would have done to us." But, there is a greater comfort. Our Father in Heaven knows how to comfort each of us according to our need. He knows the number of hairs on our heads. He knows the intricacies of our hearts and he knows how they break and he knows how to mend them. The more we seek to become like Him, the greater ability we will have to do unto others as THEY would have done unto them. I know that our Savior has paid the price to heal every mind and body and heart and make it whole.