Sunday Will Come

I kind of feel like I'm in the middle of my own Friday. I have a list of things weighing me down... I'm glad I saw this video today, because it really put things into perspective. Part of Elder Hale's Conference talk also put things into perspective:

"Our challenges, including those we create by our own decisions, are part of our test in mortality. Let me assure you that your situation is not beyond the reach of our Savior. Through Him, every struggle can be for our experience and our good. Each temptation we overcome is to strengthen us, not destroy us. The Lord will never allow us to suffer beyond what we can endure."

I'm in the middle of a Friday in my life, but it's strengthening me and preparing me for my next Sunday.

We Still Love You, President Hinckley!

It's been a year and a half since his passing, and I still miss President Hinckley. I watched his last talk from General Conference (besides his closing remarks) on Sunday, and I cried just watching it - knowing this is the only way I'll get to hear his voice. Today, on his birthday, I thought I'd post a couple of videos to remember him by. Enjoy looking back at a man - a prophet - who shaped millions of lives, including mine.

Thoughts on Suffering

I looked up a bunch of scriptures on the topic of suffering and here are some things I observed. Suffering should not exist without a purpose. In the midst of suffering, joy can (and should) be had through Christ. If we are suffering and we have no peace, no joy, no purpose, then we have need to repent. If we are just suffering (without purpose), then the suffering we feel is because we are choosing to distance ourselves from Christ. Many scriptures show instances where there is a connection between great suffering and a refusal to look to God. In such cases, there is no joy. Suffering can come as a direct result of sin, however this suffering can be swallowed up in Christ when repentance has been undertaken. Suffering without peace & joy and hope comes from Satan.

Here are some of the scriptures I looked up and a few notes to go along with them.
Mosiah 4:20 repent, have joy
2 Cor. 1: 5-7 suffer, but also have joy in Christ
1 Pet. 2: 19-21, 23 When Christ suffered, he "committed himself to him that judgeth righteously:
Alma 26: 28, 30, 34 as missionaries, they suffered as they were esconced in their goal of saving souls, which would bring them joy
Alma 31: 26, 30-31, 38 they suffered no afflictions save it were "swallowed up in the joy of Christ"
1 Pet. 3: 14, 17-18 suffer for righteousness sake--happy are ye
Alma 14: 11, 23, 26 Alma and Amulek ask for faith unto deliverance from the suffering
Matt. 3: 15 sometimes suffering happens to fulfill a righteous purpose
1 Nephi 16:19-20 Laman & Lemuel have been complaining of all their sufferings, yet Nephi has been seeing angels even though he is in the same living conditions as Laman & Lemuel are.
Alma 26: 28-34 Ammon notes that they had been suffering much, but also, he states that the power and wisdom of the Lord had been with them and the fruits of their labors were not few and "my joy is carried away, even unto boasting"
Moroni 9:7-25 Mormon tells son to not let all the things which he had just told him about sufferings going on weigh him down unto death, but rather may Christ lift him up and let that be in his mind forever.

What thoughts do you have to add?

Good Bread

Today, as the sacrament was being passed, I heard a little boy behind me say, “Daddy, this is good bread! I really like it!”

I thought about what he had said. I know he meant it literally tasted good, but I thought about the fact that it really is good bread. There is, in fact, no better. It is the bread we get to eat to cleanse ourselves again and renew our covenants to be like Christ. It is good bread because it symbolizes the sacrifice Christ made for us. It is good bread because through it we are made whole once again.

I can echo what the little boy said. “It is good bread. I really like it.” Where would I be without it?

Remember by Journal Writing

I have been feeling lately like I ought to spend time in regular journal writing, so I gave myself a challenge. Write for 5 minutes a day. I did it today and was surprised how much I could get written in such a short time. What was the inspiration to get me started today? Watch this video.


I love President Eyring's idea on how he went about doing his writing. I am trying to use the same method. Here is his entire talk on the subject.

This is such a great idea because it fosters gratefulness in our hearts and gets us writing in our journals at the same time. I know that whenever I look back over my old journals, I am glad for the things I wrote down. It is good to be reminded of lessons learned, of hard times and times to treasure.

If you would like start journaling for 5 minutes a day and want a little extra motivation to get it done, join me here where I issue a challenge, complete with a method of accountability and a possibility of a prize. For me, I am hoping that after doing this for the entire month of June that I will have a habit established for life, just like President Eyring.

Of the Book of Mormon

If you participated in the Book of Mormon reading challenge, you finished The Book of Mormon yesterday with me! I'm amazed at how many times I have read it, and I still get SO much out of it. There are advantages to each way of reading it, but I've found that when I read it in a short amount of time, I understand the flow of it better - the stories behind the doctrine.

No matter how you read The Book of Mormon, the truth of it will always be felt. I know that The Book of Mormon is true. Without a doubt. I know that the men who wrote it were called of God. I know that Joseph Smith was called to translate it into English. I am so grateful for his righteousness in doing so.

Thanks to those who took on this challenge with me. I know it wasn't easy, but I know you were blessed for it. I'd love to hear your testimonies, as well. Feel free to comment, even if you weren't able to do this reading challenge. I love hearing people's testimonies of The Book of Mormon!

Gratitude Shows Our Faith

I love this passage of scripture:

12 And as he entered into a certain village, there met him ten men that were lepers, which stood afar off:
13 And they lifted up their voices, and said, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.
14 And when he saw them, he said unto them, Go shew yourselves unto the priests. And it came to pass, that, as they went, they were cleansed.
15 And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God,
16 And fell down on his face at his feet, giving him thanks: and he was a Samaritan.
17 And Jesus answering said, Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine?
18 There are not found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger.
19 And he said unto him, Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole.

All ten were healed of their leprosy, but only the one was made whole. To me, this means he was physically and spiritually cleansed. It's interesting to me that Jesus said, "thy faith hath made thee whole." He didn't say his gratitude had made him whole, or his willingness to come back had made him whole. However, these things showed his faith. He believed in Christ, and he came back to make it known by giving Him thanks.

As we express our gratitude to our Heavenly Father, our faith in Him is also expressed. "Coincidence" or "luck" turn into faith as we acknowledge God's hand in all things. They become tender mercies of the Lord. When we give prayers of thanksgiving, we let Heavenly Father know that we know of His love and guidance in our lives. We show Him our faith.

Elder Bednar's Talk is Now Available

I thought I'd write a quick note, letting you know that Elder Bednar's CES talk is now available as text, mp3, and video form. Here's the link to the CES Fireside site.

This is a really great talk. I think anybody who uses the Internet should read it. Enjoy!

Grateful

I just want to say how grateful I am for the Gospel. There are people in my life who are going through a very difficult time right now, and I can't help but think that it would be SO much easier on them (and their kids!) if they only had the Gospel in their lives. If only they knew Who they could go to.

I'm so grateful that I know Who to turn to when times are tough. I know He will always be there, waiting to hear my worries and my concerns. I'm so grateful for that knowledge.

Things As They Really Are

If you didn't catch the CES Broadcast tonight with Elder Bednar, I would definitely watch it or read it, as soon as it's up on the Church Institute website! It was a very interesting talk, based on Jacob 4:13, specifically the line, "things as they really are." Go back and read his talk when it's available, because my notes do not do it justice! However, here are some of the things I wrote down as he was speaking:

~The devil only has power over us if we permit him to.
~Lucifer = confusion and unhappiness
~Satan can't progress, so he seeks to frustrate our progression by enticing us to use our bodies improperly.
~The adversary has us minimize the importance of our bodies.
~We shouldn't put our bodies (gifts from God) at risk just to experience a thrill or to boost our ego. It truly minimizes the importance of our bodies.
~If the adversary cannot entice us to misuse our physical bodies, he can employ some aspects of modern technology to achieve his purpose.
~We should seek things with high fidelity and good purposes. (Fidelity = accurate to real life)
~We need to experience REAL LIFE - not a high fidelity fantasy life (specifically those with bad purposes). They disconnect things from how they really are.
~We also need to have personal fidelity. We need to be the same person online as we are in person.
~Don't destroy real relationships by having fake relationships on the computer.
~You can be anonymous on the Internet, but deceitful acts are always deceitful. The Lord knows who we really are, what we really do.
~Apostasy is apostasy, whether it's in real life or on a computer.
~Study more diligently the doctrines of the gospel.
~Ask ourselves: Does my use of the Internet invite or impede the Holy Ghost? Does my time spent on the computer enlarge or restrict my capacity to live and love?

Again, his actual words are MUCH more powerful than my meager notes. The basic theme I got from it is that we need to focus on living real, fulfilling lives, rather than attempting to simulate sincere relationships through modern technology. He specifically mentioned video games and online gaming, naming Second Life as an example. (I don't even know what that is, but it sounds awful...)

When a prophet of God asks us to do something, we need to do it. Hopefully, you're all living your own lives - not trying to imitate real life and real relationships through video games or the Internet. :)