💐 May
Fast: for an increased understanding and utilization of the redemptive and ENABLING power of our Savior in our lives.
Phil. 4:13 I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.
Do things, not for the Lord, but with the Him. Allow him to work his miracles.
Happiness and peace come into our lives in direct proportion to our faith and focus on our Savior. -Bishop Brown
“The joy we feel has little to do with the circumstances of our lives and everything do to with the focus of our lives.”—Elder Russell M. Nelson
“Life offers you two precious gifts. One is time, the other, freedom of choice--the freedom to buy with your time what you will. You are free to exchange your allotment of time for thrills. You may trade it for base desires. You may invest it in greed. You may purchase with it vanity; you may spend your time in pursuit of material things. Yours is the freedom to choose. But these are not bargains, for in them you find no lasting satisfaction” -RL Evans
“Why is it that you don’t know how to teach by the spirit?” D&C 84:85 -GR Cook
“I asked each (missionary) what virtue he or she saw in his or her companion and would like to put into his or her own life.” -Hickley
Women’s Conference:
The Lord loves us in all of our varieties.” -Eubank
Reverence may be defined as a profound respect mingled with love and awe.
...gratitude, honor, veneration, and admiration. ...attitude of profound respect and love with a desire to honor and show gratitude, with a fear of breaking faith or offending. Russell Ballard
They did not take baptism and the Sacrament for granted.
“We must come unto Him and allow Him to work His miracles.” -Bingham
“Jesus is the center of my universe. I love Him.” V. Pearce
“It will not be possible to survive spiritually without the guiding, directing, comforting, and constant influence of the Holy Ghost... I plead with you to increase your spiritual capacity to receive revelation. ” -Nelson
our problems seem just a little bit smaller as we serve others.
“Each of us can experience the ecstasy of divine potential unfolding within us” Christofferson
Sandy’s funeral:
“I never heard my parents yell at each other.”
“Homemaker; always had meals for us.”
Mike home taught the Jones family faithfully, we had them over for dinner, and Daniel did puzzles with her... but, without being hard on us and being grateful for what we did, I wish we had maximized the opportunity to get to know her and that our boys and family had spent more time with her.
I want it said, repeated, and emphasized at my funeral that Robin loved and adored the savior.
- “The earth has received the blessings and beauty of the restoration. Have I?” -Robin
“The happiest marriages both the husband and wife consider their relationship to be a pearl beyond price, a treasure of infinite worth... the best marriage partners regard their marriages as priceless.”
“Marriage is a gift from God to us; the quality of our marriages is a gift from us to Him.“-Clayton
“Plan of consistency” (scripture, prayer, temple, FHE, etc)
5/6 Trust Mike’s parenting abilities. Last night I left James’s upcoming talk to Mike and he not only exceeded my abilities, but also my expectations from the way he presented the invitation to speak, to the way he collaborated with James on how to write it, to the way he encouraged James to take ownership of it. He’s got great leadership skill that I underestimate.
5/7 Tonight, while tucking James in bed and talking about his desire (and need) to play with friends more, the thought came to my mind: “I will make him whole too.” I very well know that it is only through Christ that I am strengthened and enabled to be more than what I currently am. Likewise, my boys, in their hard times and shortcomings can be whole and complete while hand-in-hand with our savior.
Alma 34: “plan of Redemption”
- “To truly love someone is to love their 20%” (Challenging the 80/20 rule)
Temple:
Pure and honest heart.
Clean. Every whit.
After putting a lot of study, prayer, scripture study, prayer, pondering, observing the world around you, and paying attention to live, stories, illustrations, and examples in the basket for him to use then Trust in the Lord. Believe that he will be there when you need him.
Be extremely observant of life around you. Of the blessings, lessons, truths, and stories.
We don’t need a back up plan with the Lord. -Cook
Often I read the story of the talents and think: yeah, I’m the 3 talents girl. Mediocre at best... but while listening to a BYU address, I feel like I’ve been given 4 talents in the gospel. The Lord has blessed my so very abundantly and I pray that I can both expand upon what I’ve been blessed with and develop many more Christlike attributes and qualities.
Mom, I remember when monster was really long and you had it on top of the cupboards.
No one ever told James about monster or the set up of our last kitchen in the Ranches. Unless he’s super observant, the only way he’d have that picture in his mind is from before he was born.
“Each of my boys is my very favorite. “
I’m ashamed to admit that many times in my life, as a parent, are usually have one or two favorites and or there’s usually one that’s especially hard for me at the time. This morning I woke up and thought to myself, each of my four boys is my very favorite. It’s such a great feeling i’ve always loved them the same, but right now I just love those knots out of every single one of them. They each and everyone of them is so darling and so many amazing and glorious features about them. James is this most tender, warm, and caring love bug who I just couldn’t love him anymore than I do. Daniel is this adorable, sweet, cuddly little friend. Andrew is just my cameras, adoration buddy. And Derek is just a cute, darling, happy little pat. I love them. I’m so grateful for the gift of each one of our boys and their influence in our family. Every day is like Christmas as I get up and more of their packaging and get to know them.
This is a spiritual gift from heavenly father.
I owe the most beautiful gift of the membership in this church not only to my heavenly father, but to my parents. A few months ago on conference, President Nelson said “I adore my parents dearly. “I feel that way about my parents right now. By coming to earth before us, they chose the harder path so that we can have an easier one. I will be forever grateful and indebted to them for that. They are far from perfect, but they did the absolute very best that they could for us, and our family through the generations will be eternally blessed for it. They are my heroes and I owe them some of the purest feelings from my heart.
Amongst friends
Julie Spencer’s House. I wanted to visit with most of the sisters there. I love them.
Love is a gift.
In all humility. Heavenly father has given me not just five talents, but hundreds of them. And through him, they can we multiplied.
- “Do I freely extend forgiveness to Mike’s parents?”
Robin I thought you might like this. The thought that righteous children are born in to our families. Our example and guidance is enough. That's the joy of raising kids in the gospel. Some are a little tougher. For those kids we pray and receive guidance. -Tamara
What can I do to add to this person’s earthly journey? ‘Ministering to the soul.’
"You are the gift," she said. "You yourself are the gift. It’s not the clothing, it isn’t hygiene kits or school desks or wells. It’s you. What would it look like if each of us was our own well-stocked humanitarian organization, but instead of giving out tangible goods in foreign locations, we had the richness of dispensing healing and friendship and respect and peaceful dialogue and sincere interest and protective listening of children and birthday remembrances and talking to the stranger? What if that were what your humanitarian organization did?” -Eubank
God makes everything beautiful for us.
The Lord makes up for my lack consistency.
Grace: A camp of refuge. A beautiful place where things can grow and flourish.
Live close to spirit. Receive promptings. And have faith to act upon promptings. Read BoM for answers and guidance. They know there’s nothing they can do that’s more powerful than your love. He helps us handle what we’ve been given. Faith+Works+grace
Divine roles: 1st Leader. Wife. Mother.
-bishop Brown
Mike: Daniel, will you please nicely go upstairs and wake up Mom?
Daniel: quietly walks into our room, walks up to me and gives me sweet little kiss on my cheek.
“I love being in Webelos with James. If I were James’s Mom, I would be so proud of him. He is kind. Happy. Helpful. He answers all the questions and they’re all right. And that thick hair. Your gene pool plus Mike’s make beautiful children.” -Lucy
“Whatever Jesus lays his hands upon lives. If Jesus lays his hands upon a marriage, it lives. If he is allowed to lay his hands on the family, it lives” Hunter
“Might” have joy. Joy must be earned.
Pleasure is temporary. Joy is long and lasting.
Joy is conditional upon our willingness to follow the plan of salvation: obedience, forgiveness, thinking of others.
Christ-centered marriage
“Home is the place you act the worst and are loved the most.”
Weekly FHE: I KNEW what was important to my parents.
“What your children really want for dinner is YOU!” Pres. Oaks
Family “Pray day” & share what you liked, learned, or apply to your life.
Age 14 read BofM and go to sacred grove with Dad.
“We must learn to judge ourselves not by what we are but by what, under the influence of the Lord, we may become. We do not have to measure our potential for success by our known capabilities alone. We can count on the power of God and its expanding influence on our lives. We can know that our ability and strength can be magnified to meet any challenge that confronts us...
He answers earnest prayer through the Holy Ghost, which brings inspiration, direction, and power into our lives...
We always see the guideposts in our life more clearly after we have passed them and have reached a higher vantage point. If we were more alert to the promptings of the Holy Ghost, we would see them before we reach them and thereby be guided more effectively. This process requires self-mastery, self-control, and a heart willing to accept change...
Salvation is an eternal goal we gain by a process of constant upward change. Doubt is spiritual poison that stunts eternal growth.”
-RG Scott
Gretel: after all of your years of experience, is that really what is best for the kids?
Friend: silence. No, but it’s what the parents want.
- How often do we want things for kids that aren’t best for them?
How often do we want things for ourselves but aren’t the best for us?
How to minister:
- Promptings: Don’t hesitate or think twice
“They straightest left their nets” at the instant
- Use your gifts and your curses. The Lord has more in mind for you than you have for yourself. -Nelson
- Allow others to serve you as well. Woman with expensive oil on his feet. “Somehow when we feed the missionaries, our food seems to multiply.”
- Be more like Christ. As a representative, you can promise things in the name of JC.
2 opportunities at a family: The family you came from and the family you make.
Technology: enhancement to spiritual participation. Smart phone no 8th grade or younger. “Not offending the spirit.”
Anecdote to a sick character is work.
Being a friend to your kids’ friends.
Devil-inspired contamination...
*Satan is no match for the Savior.
Ministering for what purpose? Reunited with God and families.
Doctrine of ministering = Discipleship
Give our lives in the service of others.
Mosiah 23:18
Objective: Save souls. Bring families to the temple and Eternal life (receive and keep). Faithful to covenants.
How precious is on soul— understanding of atonement.
“Ministering” of angels. Strengthening.
Help others turn to the Savior.
Teach them where to turn when they need their needs met. We can’t ‘meet their needs.’ The savior meets their needs. It’s only when we bring someone to Christ is when we truly minister.
Sometimes I look back on the few weeks after Derek was born and think: “I was online a lot. Shopping, Facebook, Instagram when I should’ve just really enjoyed the simplicity of the time.”
... I don’t want to look back on these years with young kids with the same regrets.
“I would rather have my children enjoy the companionship of the Holy Ghost than any other person or individual in this world.” -L. Richards
Elder Kimball had said that success would not be felt in the first generation, but real success would come in the second, third, or fourth.”
We got a free “Alexia” (like Siri). The initial two days were fun and entertaining for our family. She told jokes, played music, answered questions, did math, and occupied the boys so I didn’t have to...
But then it got old and not so pure. She did math for the boys when they should be using their heads. She made noise when I wanted it quiet. They and their friends would ask her to play music of which I wasn’t comfortable. She became a distraction. It wasn’t two weeks later when I unplugged her and said: “alexia, there’s room for one girl this house and it ain’t you.”
Well, fast forward it a year and we pulled her out after inquiries from the boys. Well, this time, not only did she play unpleasant music and bring in an unfamiliar/ disconnected spirit into the home, but she brought contention. As crazy as technology drives me at times,I’ve had to watch the way I talk to Siri because my boys imitate it. Likewise, they would yell, and get super mad at Alexa— which I get. It’s technology and not real. But, enough times of talking to a computer like that eventually transfers to the way that we interact with and treat other people. I’m not OK with my family becoming accustomed to yelling and getting super angry at even an inanimate object...
So again, to the hiding place that usually becomes hiding place for me as well because I forget where I hide things.
We’ll see what Alexia brings next time— as long as we can all behave civilly and use her for good as we need to be mindfully aware of our relations with all avenues of technology.
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