Have We Not Reason to Rejoice?

My thoughts on Elder Uchtdorf's talk "Have We Not Reason to Rejoice?"

I’m sort of glad we saved this for the week. As I have spent the week putting up my Christmas decorations I’ve had reason to rejoice!

Like I said in an earlier email, I’ve had to watch this week’s national evening news and it can be a bit depressing. Along with that I’ve been previewing some Shakespeare tragedies. Boy I’m glad Christmas was going up because I would really be depressed. Too much murder and mayhem for my liking. ~smile~

I’m not going to rehash his talk (you read it instead) but I want to talk about two of his points.
1. Enduring to the end.
As I watched my sister physically endure to the end, it was gut wrenching and heart breaking. As I watch my mom endure to the end, it doubles the wrenching and breaking. But those are a physical endurances, what about their spiritual enduring. These two women have every human right to be angry with a God who allowed a physical aliment to ruin their bodies and mind. (My sister passed away after a 5 year battle with brain cancer and my mother is in the throes of Alzheimer’s.) It reminds me of Job. Contrast this with a friend who was in a horrible auto accident (this isn’t me) who was never healed and therefore has decided that the priesthood and the gospel are false because it didn’t heal her. She forgot to endure to the end.
As humans we live in time that ticks and seams long, but God doesn’t and this truly is “but a moment.”
How many of us have had trials that have swallowed us up and then spit us back out? Or did we allow ourselves to “give up” and become digested? I know that is gross, but I live with five sons and that was the analogy we came up with one evening.
Elder Uchtdorf says is perfectly when he says “Enduring to the end implies ‘patient continuance in well doing’, striving to keep the commandments, and doing the works of righteousness.” I think we sometimes forget to finish the fight and just roll over. I know it is hard, but that brings us to point number 2
2. Jesus Christ wants us to succeed
And why wouldn’t he! As parents we want what is best for our children and we want them to succeed. We love them and want to give them the world. We would do it all for them if there was a possibility of us FOR SURE knowing we would outlive them, but we don’t and we would hinder their progression if we did it all. Therefore, just like Christ, we have lessons to learn and trials to solve as we try to succeed in this mortal world. BUT he truly can give us rest. He truly wants us to “come unto him.” Just like we want to do when our children are struggling with physical, emotional and spiritual troubles.
And for that we have every reason to rejoice!!!!
So my challenge is to be more patient in my trials, to go to my Father in prayer and tell him all, and rejoice because He loves me and wants me to succeed.

Claim the Exceeding Great and Precious Promises

My thoughts on Elder Condie's talk "Claim the Exceeding Great and Precious Promises"
Faith!

I was helping a son prepare FHE last night and he made the off comment that we only have a one more time when we get to do the baptism lesson I prepared a long time ago. My heart sank but my reply to him is that since it was the first principle of the gospel we will review it many times over. I guess until the apostles stop talking about it we will be reviewing it over and over. My mom use to tell me to listen for what the apostles and other GA stop talking about; you will know you have perfected that concept or principle. Guess we as a body of saints haven’t perfected too much ~smile~.

Every notice how the first principle isn’t just “faith” but “faith IN THE LORD JESUS CHRIST.” Have you pointed this out to your children? There is a lot of ways to approach faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, but it all starts with a hope in what happened to Joseph Smith was true. I honestly believe that is the key to my faith.

This is where I start to claim my blessings.

Here is something fun for you to read about claiming blessings. Go to the Bible Dictionary and read the entry for Prayer. Better yet, let me copy over the part I want you to read.

“As soon as we learn the true relationship in which we stand toward God (namely, God is our Father, and we are his children), then at once prayer becomes natural and instinctive on our part (Matt. 7: 7-11). Many of the so-called difficulties about prayer arise from forgetting this relationship. Prayer is the act by which the will of the Father and the will of the child are brought into correspondence with each other. 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. Blessings require some work or effort on our part before we can obtain them. Prayer is a form of work, and is an appointed means for obtaining the highest of all blessings.”

We have to work for our blessings! But they are earmarked for us, we just have to ask. That is the hard part. Feeling worthy to receive the blessings my heart wants and do I dare say deserve. We have to look at this as a father-daughter (or son) relationship. Think about our own relationships with our children and then with our parents. Yes, they are human and have flaws (we do too), but it does start us to see that relationship as a parent-child relationship. Being a parent sheds new light on this relationship, but we also can’t forget what it feels like to be that child. I think that is why we are asked to have childlike qualities about us. How many 5 year olds pray with unwavering faith for “things.”

Ok, the hardest part I have with this definition is the aligning my will. Nuf said—WORK ON IT! If we go back to Elder Condie’s talk he said it well with these words:

“The Lord also promised that “whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, which is right, believing that ye shall receive, behold it shall be given unto you” (3 Nephi 18:20). We are promised that the Holy Ghost will be our constant companion when we “let virtue garnish [our] thoughts unceasingly” (see D&C 121:45–46). We can claim the spiritually liberating promise of fasting, which will “loose the bands of wickedness,” undo our “heavy burdens,” and “break every yoke” (Isaiah 58:6).”

“…which is right…” I think is code words for “aligning your will, my lovely daughter, with mine.” Guess this child has a lot to learn. (When do you stop beating your head against a brick wall? My mom use to say, “When you notice that he replaced the bricks with pillows.”

My hardest part of life right now is “seeing the promises afar off.” When we constantly struggle with family prayer and scripture and other commandment driven habits, I wonder where the blessings are. How can a family who has faithfully read the scriptures now for 18 plus years and added family prayer before and/or after struggle as we do? How can that same family who consistently holds FHE still have the level of contention that we do? HOW? Where are my blessings for giving up so much of my time and effort? Well, my annuity hasn’t fully vested yet. I honestly believe we have to look through celestial eyes to see/reap the blessings of our hard work. That makes it very hard because we live in a here and now society! OH SO HARD! Especially when you deal with it daily. That takes faith. Faith in the promises and blessings. Faith to wake up and face the music again. Faith to deal with a child who doesn’t want to scripture study, “You can’t make me.” Faith to stick to your guns when it would be easier to turn Monday Night Football on and just slip into a hot bath with a good book!

Why Are We Members of the Only True Church?"

My thoughts on Elder Falabella's talk "Why Are We Members of the Only True Church?"
Elder Falabella asks a very important question.

Have you ever sat down and figured out why you are a Mormon? What about your children? Why do you? Why do they?
Have you ever had your children sit down and figure out why they keep going to church? (this is different than being a Mormon)
That might be an interesting FHE.

Here are some of my reasons:
My week goes better when I recharge my spiritual batteries.
Partake of the sacrament because I’m a covenant keeper.
I have a job to fulfill.
I have a need to great my friends and speak to them at least once a week in person.
I need the blessings.
I believe.

Here are some reasons I would skip going to church:
I want to sleep in.
Too much stuff to do at home and I could use those three hours very productively at home.
Hate the fight with kids on the bench.
Don’t want to.
Didn’t do my job and don’t want to face the music.

Why I have a testimony:
(BTW—there won’t be a why I don’t have a testimony)
One day when I asked, I was told it was true. And I’m a person of conviction.
I have a testimony of prayer, fasting, restoration, priesthood power, tithing, Joseph Smith, Pres. Hinckley.
That burning in my bosom really happened.
I have felt His love for me and know that I’m a daughter of God.
Because when I was a little girl my mom took me to church and taught me how to find my own testimony.

Strengthen Home and Family

My thoughts on Sister Cook's talk "Strengthen Home and Family"

There is someone out there who is fighting against my home and my family. He does it in such subtle ways that I don’t even know when he is doing it. Other times it is obvious and I still get snuckered!

Sister Cook points out four ways for us all (children included) to combat this bad guy!
1. Pray. I’m going to start asking myself “Who in my family could benefit from my personal prayers?” and I’m going to ask that question before it is my turn to prayer during family prayers. I have a strong testimony of prayer, but it was great to be reminded again.
2. Study! We not only need to study the scriptures (oh, I love the Duty to God stuff) but we also need to study the words of modern Prophets. We also need to be aware of the tools Satan is using today so that we can defend our families. We need to use the tools the world and the spirit has given us. Use the rating systems and then search online to see if movies are appropriate for you and your children. Even PG rated movies are full of filth. Book reviews and other such things help us pick the best of books to read. Knowing the fashion trends helps us pick clothing that will be in fashion today as well as tomorrow AND be modest. Knowing how to use your net nanny to block the ugliness of the internet. Having other electronic safe guards in place on tv’s and computer. Yes, it takes some time, but so does polishing weapons when going to war. And as my mom use to say, “You can either spend the time to do it right the first time or twice the time to clean up and do it right the first time. I have a dear friend who thought she had all the safe guards on but a friend’s son showed her son how to go around them and now her “clean up” time is spent visiting him in a detention home. We either fight now or spend forever trying to fix damage that is very hard to repair. It isn’t impossible, but doing it right the first time is best!
3. Pay your Tithing. AMEN! The Lord’s math sure doesn’t add up and I don’t think any mortal brain has been able to figure out how everything gets paid when you sit down to write the checks and before you figure out what tithing is, every cent is accounted for but there is always just enough to pay it!
4. Attend your meetings. How else can we “endure together” and endure to the end if we don’t have support and love from those around us! This is very important for our children to see. I know Sister Cook was sort of speaking to the youth, so she didn’t say “temple” but we as parents need to set that example. While I was growing up the nearest temple was 800 miles away, but every time we went to Utah, my parents attended a session. Now I live with a temple 15 minutes away and I have a hard time finding 3 hours to go. Maybe I need to fix that!
Yes, one can make the difference—BE THAT ONE TODAY!

Enduring Together

My thoughts from Bishop Edgley's talk "Endurign Together"

I’ve always thought the call of “Presiding Bishop” was a funny calling, but as I’ve gotten older I have noticed what kinds of talks members of the Presiding Bishopric give. They give talks like any bishop would. They tell us as members of the church how to act and behave in our ward families. Bishop Edgley gave such a talk.

I don’t live in Utah, but understand how geographically small some of the wards can be. I remember living in Orem just after I got married and our ward was about three square blocks. We don’t have that luxury here. We visit teach people a few miles away. I do have a friend in Montana who visit teaches someone who lives in the next county and it takes her 90 minutes to get to her house. They do a lot of phone visiting teaching. ~smile~

I have been the recipient of such service. (boy this is hard!) It has been almost exactly five years ago when I was in such an auto accident that rallied the ward members around my family. It happened in the very early hours of the morning: 5:30 and when my husband got the call he called one member of the ward to come be with the kids when they woke up and found no parents there because one was in the hospital and the other was with her. Because it was the start of the day, he called a seminary teacher. She came long enough for Steve to leave and the next sister to get there before she headed off to do her duty. By the time I got home about five hours later, I think I had five sisters walk through my home, picking things up, getting kids ready for the day (their ages were 2-11), hold family prayer (my kids reported that every sister who came made them say a prayer for me) and then within five minutes of the car pulling up I had two Priesthood holders at my home to give me a blessing.

For the next three months, meals were delivered magically, sisters showed up when I had to run to doctor appointments and somehow the house stayed clean. I know the insurance company paid for maid service, but they only came once a week and still my house stayed clean.

I wish I hadn’t had a concussion so I could have sent all those sisters thank you cards, but I honestly don’t remember much from the accident to new year’s Eve six weeks later. But I don’t know who brought dinner or cleaned my house.

It was a year ago this month that I got a phone call from a dear friend, my visiting teacher and she told me that her mother had just been killed in an auto accident. Of course the wheels were set in motion and dinner was brought over (my kids LOVE taking dinner over!) and her home was taken care of. Of course many of the travel arrangements she had to make, but she knew that what was left at home would be taken care of (dog, food that will spoil, dirty clothes piled in heaps, etc.) We literally stole the front door key from her and took care of her home while she was away.

Enduring together is a very good way of bonding a ward. When I was a young girl my best friend was in and out of the hospital a lot with cystic fibrosis and I remember how the ward would rally around the family. I remember when a family was in a horrible auto accident and two of their children were killed, how we rallied around them.

Here is a thought from someone who is constantly asked, “Is there anything I can do for you.” My answer will be no, even if my heart says, “yes.” Don’t ask if you can do the laundry, just do it. Don’t ask if you can do the dishes, just come and do them. I will not ask you to do my jobs. In a time of need, I won’t ask for help. I’m in too much shock or embarrassment, or will let pride stand in my way of accepting help. Just bring the dinner, bring the willing hands and endure with me. I don’t need to suffer in silence but I will turn you away because I do not know how to ask for help.

The Weak and Simple of the Church

My thoughts from President Pakcers, "The Weak and Simple of the Church"

I remember listening to this one because it was right after President Eyring was put in the First Presidency and Elder Cook was put in as an apostle. And I was digesting the information when President Packer in his unique and distinctive voice stood up and spoke.
My first thought was, “why not President Eyring be the next speaker?” Then I thought, “No, the acting President of the of the Quorum needs to give this talk.” Of course I didn’t think that until I knew what the talk was about.

One of my favorite quotes about men being called to high positions in the church was asked of a prophet’s wife (I want to say, Sister Kimball, but I can’t be positive). The question was, “How does it feel to be married to the Prophet?” Her reply was so profound, “When I married him he was an Elder.”

I’m not sure why I love that quote so much, but it has always stuck with me when I look at the men who lead this church. When President Packer told us of how he was called to be an Apostle, I again thought of this quote (probably misquoted knowing me). I too just married an Elder. He too just married an ordinary member in good standing. And since that day some 18 plus years ago we have both grown in testimony and conviction. My testimony is still the same the day I was married to now, it has just grown and become full. It is like a rose. It was once small and beautiful, it is now full and beautiful with the potential to bloom even more as I grown in faith and knowledge.

His talk also explains to me why we send 19 year old young me on missions. As someone who is preparing five (with a six waiting also) to serve missions and one is 3 years away from submitting papers I KNOW that the Lord sends the “weak and simple” to stand before the “kings and rulers” to preach the gospel. There is beauty in that and wisdom. But for a mother it is scary and I have to have faith that the Lord knows what he is doing.

I will admit I do covet one calling in the church and oh, how I wish I had it: primary pianist. I know I shouldn’t but I do. I wish they had YM pianist so that I could go and sit in their meetings and listen there too. I covet it because it is the one job I don’t mind preparing for, but usually don’t have to do much preparing since I play the songs all the time. AND I get to hear what my children are learning and then come home and reinforce it. Oh, how I love that calling!

But that hasn’t been my calling for many, many years. I’ve bounced around from callings and am now the Visiting Teaching supervisor and I don’t like that calling. There is too much work to do. But I humble myself and do it. In fact I today is the day I call everyone and make sure they have done their jobs and then report tonight while waiting for scouts to be over. It is a necessary job and I do it and I need to pray that my attitude will change.

Get this, one calling that shocked me when I was called to it was Activities Director. I’m not a party person and at the time the ward had an activity every first Friday. What a job, but I grew to love it and cried when I was released. Another calling that shocked me when I was called was RS president. That morning I found out I was pregnant with baby #6 which was a TOTAL shock and then to sit in the Bishop’s home that evening with my husband and be asked to be RS president almost made me want to faint.

The scripture Pres. Packer quotes: “The Lord Himself was very plain: ‘And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant’” was NOT this case. I was not chief among the sisters. I was a primary pianist who loved her job and cried so many tears when released to be put in YW. I was a mom to five little boys and didn’t want to be chief. But I was. I served all of one month in YW and then was called to be RS President. I’m not sure how high this frog jumped but I was truly “weak and simple.”

One thing it did let me see what the inner workings of the ward council. I truly came to understand that power of the mantle resting upon those who have callings. I saw it. I felt it. I knew it.

When I got home from the Bishop’s home that January night in 2000 after being asked to fill some pretty big shoes, I called my mom. I remember asking her how to do the calling. She told me something that President Packer is telling us now too. The only qualification you need to fill any job is to be a member with a testimony of the Savior. As she told me that, I remember the interview from the bishop just minutes before. As I sat on his couch, he looked at me and asked me to bear my testimony. I personally thought it odd that he would ask me that question as I thought I was going to be ward choir director which he vacated weeks before to become the Bishop. I just chocked it up to being a new bishop and maybe “going by the book.”

I wrote this post this morning and then had to run my son to seminary, get a workout in and then fix breakfast for the kids. Then comes scriptures and we are reading the account of Ammon in King Lamoni’s land. There was a missionary who was weak and simple and changed a nation!

Goal #3

My thoughts on President Monson's talk "Three Goals to Guide You"

President Monson is so wonderful! I’m being called to repentance in the nicest way!

I’m so weary. I feel all I do is serve. That is the lot of a mother. I’m not sure you believe in the “Love Languages” theory but I do and I’m very strong on service. You want to show me you love me, don’t bring me gifts, don’t tell me, do something for me that makes it one less thing I have to do. Therefore, I show love best by service. I see little things that I can do for others. I see little things that others can do for me. And that my friends is a two edge sword. Why? Because I know how much time and effort goes into serving someone so I tend to deny people the opportunity to serve me.

Just after my auto accident the RS had dinners coming in because I wasn’t able to do them. I stopped them too soon because I know how difficult it was to get people to sign up and then call and remind them. I knew how hard it was on these moms to get dinner to my house, especially with the ward layout. I was so wrong to stop them. I couldn’t cook for my family. That is the awful side of the sword!

On the other side, I made a couple good friends as one sister signed up for every Monday and was a regular at my house Monday afternoon. She then started to come early to talk. How wonderful. I’m just sorry she moved and we have lost touch. That’s the good side.

How do you teach your children to serve because it is the right thing to do? Not because it is fun, but because it is just the thing to do?

I’m sure I don’t paint the best picture for them by example as sometimes I mumble when service isn’t convenient. I know I am sometimes angry and short with them when I ask them to do me a favor and they don’t. I’m not sure I’m doing the best I can. I need to do better.

Gaol #2

My thoughts on President Monson's talk "Three Goals to Guide You"

Pray Earnestly!
I fall way down on this one! I honestly do not believe I’m reaching heaven. I know I have, but right now I’m not feeling it. And like the old saying goes, “if you feel like God has moved away from you, check where you are standing.” I’ve checked and I think I’ve moved away. I need to rededicate my efforts in my evening prayers and REALLY say my morning prayers.
OH! I just remember something; my husband’s birthday is coming up and I have to do a month of only thankful prayers in the evening! I’m sure to repent now!

President Monson calls us all to repentance in such a gentle way. “Perhaps there has never been a time when we had greater need to pray and to teach our family members to pray.” AMEN!

Prayer is by example and I’m not quite sure the example I’m setting and maybe I just have to wait a bit more to set that one. As a child, I too, caught my mother in prayer when I was coming home from dates and other activities. My children aren’t doing that and by the time I go to bed they are supposed to be in bed so they wouldn’t catch me praying. I do need to make it a point of them catching me in prayer.

Of course my children know how important prayer is for me. I have born my testimony about it over and over and over to them. As a child I depended on prayer to make it through awful and scary stuff. My mom always joke that our cars ran on gas and Doreen’s prayers.

I’m very proud to write the next couple of paragraphs, but it isn’t pride in the ugly sense and I think you will agree.

Last year it was my turn to run a little girls carpool to a music class my daughter was in. The class was about a mile from the grocery store and it only lasted about an hour so I was going to get my grocery shopping done while I waited. I dropped the girls off went to the grocery store and found that I didn’t have my purse or my phone. I had an hour and I could have easily gone to the class and parked in the driveway and slept that hour. With early morning seminary and late soccer practices that sounded WONDERFUL! But I thought better of it and went home. As I drove up to the house there was a white van parked across the street with a man in it. He was looking at my house.

Now you need to understand that there had been a few reported child abductions reported in the news and the guy was in a light colored mini-van, just like the one across the street from my house. But, they were always reported to be in the South Sound and I live in the North Sound. But as I put the van into reverse I didn’t feel right. I looked at him and he quickly turned his head away from me. I backed up and jumped out of the car and pretended to go for the mail. Our mail box was directly across the street from the van. As I quickly got up there the van burnt rubber, spit rocks and was out of there and I go that ugly feeling deep in my soul.

As I surveyed where my boys were, one was down in the sport courts (it is in our front side yard) shooting hoops with the music turned up loud. Three were jumping on the trampoline on the other side yard and the other one was in the house with the door wide open. I gathered my children together and told them that we were leaving because I didn’t like the feeling I had. I explained to them about the van and the man. My basketball playing son, Kray, said that he was there just after I left and had been watching the house. He thought he was a work man waiting for his partner. I said that I thought maybe he was an assessor and was taking our houses picture because we recently bought it and the house down the street was just sold. But it still didn’t matter we were all going to leave.

I sent one kid to make sure all the basement doors were locked and windows closed and another upstairs to do the windows. I personally got the back door locked and the front Kray got. As that child came back from locking the front door he said, “mom, let’s say a prayer.”

“DUH!”

I still didn’t feel right, but I felt better.

On our way to Yellowstone this summer we had a tire blow out. Thankfully the Lord was watching over us and on this small little road we blew out near one of the places that would safely allow us to change our tire without being in the traffic. We pulled over and I ran to get our tire out of the middle of the road. As I returned to the van that very same son, greeted me and said that he had dutifully gotten the children out of the car (I know better than to put my husband under a jacked up car with little children in the car moving around—especially a 15 passenger van loaded for a week’s camping trip. He had them standing by the van and said mom, “While you help dad, I’m going to have us say a prayer.”

“DUH!”

President Monson says, “My dear sisters, do not pray for tasks equal to your abilities, but pray for abilities equal to your tasks. Then the performance of you tasks will be no miracle, but you will be the miracle.”

BTW—take a look at the Bible Dictionary heading under Prayer. It is an eye opener. I love the part that goes from the bottom of the page to the top of the next page and talks about the blessings. I need to call upon a couple for me.