An email worth reading.

I got this in an email. Its good to know at least some of our youth's brains are working.

WRITTEN BY A 15 yr. old SCHOOL KID IN ARIZONA
Since the Pledge of Allegiance and The Lord's Prayer are not allowed in most public schools anymore because the word 'God' is mentioned.... A kid in Arizona wrote the following


Now I sit me down in school

Where praying is against the rule

For this great nation under God

Finds mention of Him very odd.

If Scripture now the class recites,

It violates the Bill of Rights.

And anytime my head I bow

Becomes a Federal matter now.

Our hair can be purple, orange or green,

That's no offense; it's a freedom scene.

The law is specific, the law is precise.

Prayers spoken aloud are a serious vice.

For praying in a public hall

Might offend someone with no faith at all.

In silence alone we must meditate,

God's name is prohibited by the state.

We're allowed to cuss and dress like freaks,

And pierce our noses, tongues and cheeks.

They've outlawed guns, but FIRST the Bible.

To quote the Good Book makes me liable.

We can elect a pregnant Senior Queen,

And the 'unwed daddy,' our Senior King.

It's 'inappropriate' to teach right from wrong,

We're taught that such 'judgments' do not belong.

We can get our condoms and birth controls,

Study witchcraft, vampires and totem poles.

But the Ten Commandments are not allowed,

No word of God must reach this crowd.

It's scary here I must confess,

When chaos reigns the school's a mess.

So, Lord, this silent plea I make:

Should I be shot; My soul please take!

Amen

In-laws and Outlaws

YAY!!! Praise the Lord my family is at peace!!! Somehow, through Gods good grace and many many many prayers.... my family has reconciled!!! It is as it was before.

Lord, I thank thee for the blessing of family that thou hast given me, that everything is turned right in thine eyes and that I may enjoy this newfound peace. I ask that thou please continue these days of peace and I say these things in the name of the son Jesus Christ, Amen.

"Home is where the heart is"

There really is no place in the world like home. Wherever you call it, that is your spot. Your home is your sanctuary, the one place where whether it is quiet or not, you can still find a quiet spot in your heart for. Its the place after a long day you can flop on the couch and finally breathe, knowing that there will not be any more multi-line phone calls and no deadlines to meet. It is the place where your family, your greatest allies, live and support you. It is the only place you really feel comfortable having a good cry.

I am so thankful for my husband and the place we call home. Yes it gets cluttered and sometimes messy, but it is still that place that I look forward to going every day after work and the place that I hate to leave in the morning to go to work. There are plenty of places in the world I would love to see and even live, but it doesnt matter where we live...wherever my husband and my cat are, that is truly my home.

Speak well of others...

As Christians, we are implored to not speak ill of others. " A man who bears false witness against his neighbor is like a club, a sword, and a sharp arrow." Proverbs 25:18. For some reason, this seems an impossible feat to most people (women more so, but I've heard men do it too). I will admit that in my younger days and up until about 6 months ago I was rarin' to go anytime someone brought up the faults of others. Looking back I can honestly say that it made me feel better that someone else was miserable. Sadistic? Slightly...

I think we all have a natural tendency to focus on the negative aspects of things and people. How often are you inclined to dish out a compliment rather than focus on the humongous zit on their forehead or the 10 pounds they might have gained? As Christians, we would be hypocrites if we said the first negative thing that came to mind about someone and then went to church on Sunday and sang the Lord's praises. Isn't that a bit counter-productive? Once I realized that being a Christian wasnt just about going to church, it was about trying to emulate Jesus and get back to His kingdom, it seemed to make it easier to see how nice Sister so-and-so did her hair that day instead of focusing on why she couldnt keep her kids quiet in Sacrament Meeting.

While studying, I found this quote from Johnathon Edwards on "A Wise Woman Builds her Home" blog http://proverbs14verse1.blogspot.com/ (also linked at the right) which says everything I was looking for. Please take it to heart!!!

"Proud people tend to speak of other's sins, the miserable delusion of hypocrites, the deadness of some saints with bitterness, or the opposition to holiness of many believers. Pure Christian humility, however, is silent about the sins of others, or speaks of them with grief and pity. The spiritually proud person finds fault with other saints for their lack of progress in grace, while the humble Christian sees so much evil in his own heart, and is so concerned about it, that he is not apt to be very busy with other hearts. He complains most of himself and his own spiritual coldness and readily hopes that most everybody has more love and thankfulness to God than he.""One under the influence of spiritual pride is more apt to instruct others than to ask questions. Such a person naturally puts on the airs of a master. The eminently humble Christian thinks he needs help from everybody, whereas the spiritually proud person thinks everybody needs his help. Christian humility, under a sense of others’ misery, entreats and beseeches, but spiritual pride commands and warns with authority."-Jonathan Edwards- Spiritual Pride

The Focus of Faith

I read this in this months Ensign, and had to share. It puts it in great context.

THE FOCUS OF OUR FAITH

We know not all that lies ahead of us. We live in a world of uncertainty. For some, there will be great accomplishment. For others, disappointment. For some, much of rejoicing and gladness, good health, and gracious living. For others, perhaps sickness and a measure of sorrow. We do not know. But one thing we do know. Like the Polar Star in the heavens, regardless of what the future holds, there stands the Redeemer of the world, the Son of God, certain and sure as the anchor of our immortal lives. He is the rock of our salvation, our strength, our comfort, the very focus of our faith.
In sunshine and in shadow we look to Him, and He is there to assure and smile upon us.
He is the central focus of our worship. He is the Son of the living God, the Firstborn of the Father, the Only Begotten in the flesh. He is “risen from the dead, … the firstfruits of them that slept” (1 Corinthians 15:20). He is the Lord who shall come again “to reign on the earth over his people” (D&C 76:63; see also Micah 4:7; Revelation 11:15).
None so great has ever walked the earth. None other has made a comparable sacrifice or granted a comparable blessing. He is the Savior and the Redeemer of the world. I believe in Him. I declare His divinity without equivocation or compromise. I love Him. I speak the name of Jesus Christ in reverence and wonder. He is our King, our Lord, our Master, the living Christ, who stands on the right hand of His Father. He lives! He lives, resplendent and wonderful, the living Son of the living God.
He Is Risen, by Greg K. Olsen; border © Dover Publications

A Tangent on Self Worth

I feel like I need to say some more words on self worth, partly because it is an ongoing battle that I personally am fighting, and partly because of a recent event that took place. I teach classical ballet at my old studio where I grew up dancing and I teach the beginner and intermediate pointe classes. (think nutcracker suite) In my intermediate class, in the dance we are preparing, I have the girls paired up, one to be a support while the other does a turn into a sort of "fall". I'd like you to keep in mind the age range in the intermediates is 12-17. Most of them are 13-14. So we are practicing and I assign the partners according to where they stand in the formation. Ive got one girl that publicly said that she couldn't be the one turning cuz she was to big and would crush her partner.

Let me tell you about this girl: she is 14 years old about 5'4 and no body fat on her whatsoever. Now I didn't thin-out until late high school, but her insecurity hit me like a ton of bricks. It was like I was looking at myself for a split second. Half of me wanted to sympathize with her, but the other (mature) half who decided she needed hips, looked at it like "That is so sad." But I feel like I cant do or say anything to make a difference because I am still struggling with it myself.

So what to do?? I figured that the only thing I can do is to stay out of it unless she comes directly to me about it. I remember being her age and at that point no matter what anyone said it went in one ear and out the other. Since going back to church and studying the scriptures, I am slowly getting better. Now I am slowly coming to realize that God made me in His image, therefore I am perfect in His eyes, so to not be happy with what He gave me is to disrespect Him in a way. Right now my mind knows this principle, but it is slow going getting to my heart. I'm working on it, and it is slowly getting better. I still would sometimes like to change things esthetically.

It is just irritating that I cant get over it, mostly because I feel like a hypocrite trying to help this girl who thinks she's fat when she isn't, but here I am still sort of wanting implants because I'm not happy about the top half of me sometimes. As much as I want to help her, I keep telling myself that she is only 14 and this is a normal stage of life for her. I suppose if anyone reads this, any ideas???

BRRRRR!

First it was the water heater that died. Our land lord got that fixed in 5 days. Now as of yesterday, our furnace decided to kick the bucket. The gas company said with the newer furnaces that when the filter gets dirty then it will automatically shut off to minimize the fire hazard. I am hoping our furnace is new enough that it is just that. I would hate to tell my landlord to shell out another couple thousand to replace it. However, it is still getting down to 35 degrees at night and ony about 50 sometimes in the day time. I love sweater weather but only when I have the choice to either wear a sweater or turn the heat up and pretend its summer inside.

I am happy we have a house at the very least to protect us from the elements, and for our little electric "fireplace" heater... but man its cold in the mornings! Our shower is in our basement (make that cement basement) and even when the heat works, it does not work in the basement. So showers are either reeeaally short because you just want to get back upstairs to get warm, or reeeallly long because you arent moving out of the steam and hotness until you've drained your water heater. No middle ground here.

And yet amidst all my griping I will have you know that I do give thanks for having a house and a shower and that we are provided for and that it could be much much worse. I got to thinking that this "on demand heat" is a rather new (chronologically speaking) invention. The entire bible just had shelters and open fires and yet God never forsake them or let them freeze to death. He always provided and in this day and age when things are readily avaliable, it gives me comfort that He is still there to provide for us. I really do have much to be thankful for despite my whineing.

Thank [God in everything no matter what the circumstances may be, be thankful and give thanks, for this is the will of God for you who are in Christ Jesus the Revealer and Mediator of that will. -1 Thessalonians 5: 18

Goin in circles...

Ever had that feeling that you've been through it all before? No, not deja vu... that irritating feeling of routine. I've done the same thing (job) for 2 years now... and while I do thank the Lord that I am employed and it is still a very nice place to work, I keep finding myself having to bite my tongue quite more often than I used to. I find that I am always tired and instead of being indifferent about waking up each morning at 6am, I am starting to feel those great negative thoughts creep into my head while being stuck in the routine 1-hour traffic jam with sun glare down the freeway. I am finding that I am stressed more often than not and getting the beginning of a migraine is just part of the daily routine. It seems as though people are nagging me, however I am aware that it could and probably is just my state of mind that is percieving it as nagging.

I realize I need to give this to God, but dang it...im tired and would very much like to end this circle-going, but the only thing that would keep me from not working is a million dollars so my husband and I both didnt have to work, or kids. We decided I need to be a stay at home mom when the time comes.

Right now I suppose I just need to pray for strength and probably go to bed earlier.

However I do give my thanks to Him that he has given me this job as means of providing for my family as well as giving me something to do. I am very greatful that I am able to be in a place where the staff is awesome and the rest of it isnt nearly as bad as my last job. And yes I do have a migraine while writing this.

Self-Worth

I think that one of the hardest things for a human being is the art of having faith in ourselves. It seems to me that most us seem to want to hold on to the negative all the time. When someone hurts us, we call every other person we know to call and complain about it. (Yes I am guilty as charged...)We say how awful that person is, and how much you hate them and that they should die, yada yada.... If you think about it, does anyone ever call every person they know to tell them that so-and-so gave you a compliment?

As mortals, we are constantly bombarded by negative. I admit that I am guilty of falling into theses traps and getting down about myself when I see someone or something that I'm told I should be, I am getting better, but it is a slow process. We constantly see images telling us that we just aren't pretty enough so we need to shop at this store, or were not a good wife if we use a 10-year old washer set instead of the brand-new-front-loading-high-efficiency-comes-in-25-different-colors set that will REALLY clean your family's clothes and therefore make you life complete. We just don't seem to be good enough for anything, do we? Not according to the world...

Well, I figure, if I cant be good enough for the world, I at least take solace in knowing that God made me in His image and that I am perfect in his eyes. Luke 16:15 - He said to them, "You are the ones who justify yourselves in the eyes of men, but God knows your hearts. What is highly valued among men is detestable in God's sight." When we have Faith in ourselves, our faith in God grows stronger. We no longer complain about o-why-me-God? We come to accept things as His will. For Him, I don't need things, just to love Him back as much as He loves me. God destroyed the world the first time in Noah's day to get rid of all this negativity that seems to keep coming back stronger and stronger. I don't blame Him. I would have too. After that flood though, He made a covenant with Noah that He would never destroy His people again which gave quite a doorway to Satan to come on back with his wicked ways that have been going on for centuries up until even now. However, we all can have peace of mind knowing that when the resurrection comes, that the people and things fueling this your-just-not-good-enough state of mind will not be able to follow and we will be rid of it.

It is important however that up until then we keep in the front of our minds that we are good enough for our Father who made us and that His kingdom is the only thing we should be worried about. Ive found that with that as my focus, all the world wilts as petals off a rose.Isaiah 40:29 - He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak

Fiddlestix.

God is with me, and us, and them. His will be done how he sees fit. Im just hoping I like the outcome.

Little 'bout moi

Got this emailed to me by a good friend... figured I'd share.

1. Do you like cheese? Bring it on.
2. Have you ever been arrested? Thankfully no.
3. Have you ever shot a gun? Yes, they are fun up until you lose your shoulder
4. Your favorite song? At the moment “Anyone else but you” by The Moldy Peaches
5. Do you get nervous before doctor appointments? Gyno, yes. Everything else, no.
6. What do you think of when you eat hot dogs? I wish this was a Costco hotdog…
7. What's your favorite Christmas song? The Christmas Song by the Carpenters
8. What do you prefer to drink in the morning? Caffeine. I don’t care what.
9. Can you do push ups? 20! Take that!
10. Is your bathroom clean? Ha ha ha.
11. What's your favorite piece of jewelry? My wedding ring
12. Favorite Hobby? Losing at chess with my husband.
13. What are you listening to right now? Trisha Yearwood – X’s & O’s
14. What is the last thing you ate? Some kind of hamburger casserole with fat free cheese. (blech.)
15. Whats one trait do you hate about yourself? My brain wont shut off when I want it to.
16. Middle Name? The name of the 80’s - Marie
17. Name 3 thoughts at this exact moment? I hope my kid doesn’t talk this much, shouldn’t have eaten that, im in a shopping mood dangit.
18. Name the last 3 things you have bought. A gargantuan burrito, Myst/Riven/Myst3 all in 1, Port of Subs pastrami & swiss
19. Name 3 drinks you regularly drink. Tea, water and sprite if I can get my hands on it.
20. Current worry right now? That we may move to Nampa
21. Current hate? That food prices went up again
22. Favorite place to be? Sitka, McCall...anywhere but here.
23. How did you bring in the New Year? The Richin’s annual new years party.
24. What is your quirkiest habit? I must have our blinds facing downwards and pulled tight. Facing up just bothers me.
25. Name three people who will complete this and return? Linda and my sis maybe… otherwise no clue
26. How many siblings do you have? 1
27. Do you own slippers? Id have to shoot myself if I didnt
28. What shirt are you wearing? Im not wearing a shirt. (lol Im wearing a dress)
29. What shampoo do you use? Bed Head or my husbands Paul Mitchell
30. Favorite colors? I really like white. And greens, and browns and fall reds
31. Would you like to be a pirate? Was once a dream of mine…
32. What songs do you sing in the shower? So far its been that dang one line from The Moldy Peaches. “were sure cute for two ugly people…”
33. Favorite girl name? Evelyn Mary
34. Favorite male name? Roman Lee
35. What's in your pockets right now? I dont own pockets today, ask me whats in my purse…
36. Last thing that made you laugh? My husband playing chess
37. Best bed sheets as a child? MOOSE!!! Oh man, flannel with mooses and trees and ahhhhh…
38. Worst injury you've ever had? Hernia, surgery is fun.
39. When's your birthday? The best day in the world – Sept 5
40. How many TVs do you have in your house? 1 and we dont hardly use it.
41. Who is your loudest friend? My sister
42. There is no such thing as: too much chocolate especially when it comes to Cecelias Chocolate Decadence.
43. Does someone have a crush on you? My hubby
44. Do you wish on shooting stars? When I get to see them. I seem to miss entire meteor showers, so far Im not doing to well…
45.What is your favorite book ? Toss up between “The First King” and “Catherine called Birdy”
46.What is your favorite age? 4
47. What song do/did you want played at your wedding? Pachabel Canon
48. What song do you want played at your funeral? Funeral? Goonies never say die!!
49. What were you doing at 12 am this morning? Being attacked in my sleep by a furball with teeth
50. What was the first thing you thought of when you woke up? Waaaaahhh… its 6:30 already.

This will be the 7th time Ive moved in 4 years

Sigh. Were moving again. I think. Not for sure yet, but theres a 98% chance. Its only the next town over and we will be closer to both our parents and both my jobs... but that means that I have to sort through 2 years of clutter and junk and get a storage shed. Not to mention the cleaning that comes when moving out of a rental. Thats the part Im dreading.

When I'm in the mood I am a Suze-on-top-of-it. Things are boxed and labled and color coded and positioned just so... but lately, its been cold (our basement where all things are stored, is freezing), and time? Whats time? Im about ready to throw myself down our basement stairs of death.

I know it will be good to do it now than later, but still. I hate moving. I cant wait until we can stop renting and get settled into a house where nothing moves.

This is how I feel today. Sums it up quite nicely.

The Crusades are Over People...

Im not hurting anyone. Im not using the name of the Lord in vain. Im not slandering those who oppose my views. Im not taking the law in to my own hands. Im just living my life that just so happens to be a prayerful and reverent one, a spiritual one, loving and peaceful one, and who can say Im a bad person for going to my weekly church services?

I think that you could post the above on any persons website and gain some amount of respect, no matter what denomination. Im all for people being happy in their lives and thier beliefs, and Im not going to push what I believe on someone unless they decide to ask. I believe whether you are Mainstream Christian, Fundamentalist Christian, Mormon(yes beleive it or not we believe and love Christ), Pentecostal, Anglican, what have you... that if you are quite happy in your belief system and it is making you a better you, and that the 1st paragraph applys to you, then I hold the utmost respect for you because you do believe wholeheartedly in your religion. And I see any sort of religion being a good thing.

Unless everything applies to you and you forget that being a Christian means loving thy neighbor. When you get to a point where you will not talk to someone or exclude because they dont believe the same thing you do, that is not being a Christian. God says obviously to love His word, and to follow it. But he doesnt say anything about going on a mini-crusade against people that you disagree with. You dont have to accept the others beliefs let alone understand them, and you may not even like them, but if that other is not in your face telling you all about their religion, then just learn to respect them as people who are doing no harm and that it is a part of THEIR life, not yours. If they are not making a point to make you hear them, if they dont believe in Your God, then at least they are praying and still trying to make the world a better place.

2 years!!

Yesterday was my husband and my 2 year wedding anniversary. We have technically been together for 8 years, but we count the marriage years. We stayed in and had a wonderful candlelight dinner prepared by moi, and then spent the rest of the night cuddling and and reading scriptures and other things I wont disclose. It was a wonderfully romantic night!!!

I love my husband more than anything in the world and last night reminded me (yet again) of just how lucky I am that God put him in my life as my soul mate. I am so thankful for just having him as my loving, caring, supporting husband that it is really hard to express just how I feel. I truly, truly praise the Lord for giving me such a blessing!!!

He who does not love has not become acquainted with God, for God is love. 1 John 4: 8

The gopher wasnt kidding..

Its snowing. Again. 6 more weeks of winter apparently. We just got done with 13 inches of snow in 2 days about 3 weeks ago and have since been enjoying sunshine and warmth (42 degrees!) and I walk out on my front porch to go to work this morning only to find that my cat is a snowball and my car is covered with white stuff. After my initial shock and grumbling over slow commute traffic, I sat at my desk at work and looked out the window and a sense of calm came over me. The flakes are HUGE white puffs and it is so thick, but coming down as if in slow motion. Its the kind where you just want to be wrapped up in a blanket by a fireplace with a good book and a comfortable husband. Snow is truly one of God's serene, graceful, peaceful wonders. The photo is the view from my office at 9am this morning. Doesn't even do it justice!

Fellow Christians, Jesuits, Fundamentalists, etc...

I absolutly love to sit with a cup of tea (Irish breakfast preferably...) in my pyjamas and slippers at my computer and catch up on the recent writings of fellow faithful bloggers. To me, it doesnt matter what belief system you have, when your writing comes from the heart with God at the head of it, it is a beautiful piece and I can definatly respect that even though its not from my particular belief, that they are written in complete earnesty. I am learning so much from reading others blogs regarding God and their culture and what it means to them! One in particular, Domestic Felicity (I have linked over to the side of the page) I am learning more and more about the Jewish religion and not from any media source. I think it is a great deal better, not to mention honest when you hear things from the mouth of fellow worshippers who actually live the life they write about.

I used to live in France and I've got a wonderful friend who is a Muslim from Morocco. At the time the Iraq war was (and still is) going on, and I took the opportunity to ask her if what we all hear on TV or the radio about Islam and their religion was true. It turned out to be a wonderful conversation about the ins and outs of Islam and that what we hear in the media is most of the time just all propaganda or the media focusing on the horrible negative aspects of things and I realized that everything I thought I knew wasnt correct at all!

So I just want to say thanks to all the great God-loving bloggers I have discovered, for opening my eyes to different cultures and for letting me be able to respect them through beautiful writings! God Bless!

Going to the Temple!!!!

I am so excited and I'll tell you why: my husband and I are eligible to go to the Temple!!

So how does this work since my husband and I are already considered married?? Here's an explanation that may make more sense:


Our church views our marriage as a civil union, appointed under the federal government, not God. By being worthy to enter the Temple, our church sees it as being officially married in the name of the Lord.


The things that go on in the Temple are sacred, and therefore before we go in, we know nothing other than what they tell us in the prepratory classes (which is nothing), and then after we go through the ceremony, we rarely if ever speak of it to anyone but our spouse. It is a sacred thing to go through the ceremony with your spouse and it is also something that is important between just the two of you. It is considered the strongest foundation you can have within a marriage, and I wholeheartedly believe it.


To be worthy and elegible for a Temple Reccomend (a pass), in our case meaning after being civilly married, means having:

a belief in God the Father, Jesus as the Savior and redeemer of mankind, and the Holy Spirit;
belief in the role of Jesus as the Savior;
belief in the Restoration;
support for the President of the Church and other general authorities and local church leaders;
obedience to the "Law of Chastity" (ie: sex/flirting/relations between husband and wife only no ifs, ands or butts);
refraining from the abuse of family members;
ABSOLUTLEY NO AFFILIATION OR AGREEMENT with polygamists or other people whom the church considers apostates;
making a good faith effort to attend church meetings and obey other church rules;
honesty in dealings with others;
payment of tithing;
following the church's interpretation of the Word of Wisdom;
payment of child support (if applicable);
keeping the solemn oaths one has previously made in the temple;
wearing the temple garment "night and day"; and
confession of all serious sins to Church leaders.
we both had to be members for 1 year, have a testimony, attend church regularly, my husband must have all the proper Priesthood ordinances and we must be in general, decent people in the eyes of the church. So technically we are shoe-ins. Right now we are just waiting for my husband to get his last Priesthood ordinance and then we will be ready to receive our Temple reccomends.

I am excited to go through this and excited to be able to share it with the most wonderful man in the world.

Accept one Another

Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God. -ROMANS 15:7

Christ was sent here to speak the words of God and to help us overcome our human flaws. He did not judge any one person by their faults because He knew that the people were of God's creation and therefore it was necessary to have imperfections. Our ultimate goal in life on this Earth is to become as Christ was. By judging your spouse (as well as others) for their imperfections, no matter how reverent you are on Sundays or how biblicly learned you are, you will come no closer to Christ. God gave us the covenent of marriage that we may learn and be closer to Him. When we have a Godly marriage, we are glorifying God by saying "We as a couple believe and heed your words. Show us what we need to keep a holy union with eachother that we may serve you better."

This is principle is one that should already be implied when getting married or while you are already married. However, it seems that for alot of people it is one of the hardest things to swallow. Your spouse at first may seem to have weird little habits that you are not used to, or perhaps thier way of going about doing things is not exactly the way you prefer. Alot of couples run into this problem and constantly fight about "the right way" of doing things.

Lets face it... if we were all perfect, God would not have put us on this Earth. God set us here because we are imperfect beings that need His guidance to become perfect. God ordained marriage as a covenant and he also kept our imperfections in mind. Let us love one another, for love comes from God. (1 John 4:7)When you marry the spouse God has chosen for you, He sets it up that your flaws will be beneficial to your spouse and vice versa. By that I mean if your spouse has some flaw or annoying habit, God wants you to learn patience by learning how to deal with it. God states in Corinthians that he specifically put you in marriage to your spouse to deal with interesting and sometimes difficult times, but he lets you know that if you believe in Him, your marriage will be a Godly one. But and if thou marry, thou hast not sinned; Nevertheless such shall have trouble in the flesh: but I spare you.1 Corinthians 7:28 (King James Version)

Perhaps it is you that are too uptight and God needed to put that flaw in your life so you may learn to loosen up and relax. Your partner should compliment your abilities and mimic your flaws. What you see as irritating, may just be your insecurity of not ever experiencing what they think is normal and God may see that you need that in your life as a catalyst to coming closer to who He really made you to be. By learning to accept your spouse for who they are and realize that is was your very same God that made them that way, your marriage will be a fruitful one. So perhaps whenever you start to see a fault on thier side, think to yourself that it is a test coming from God. He gave you faults too, and lay blame on your spouse is not what He had intended.

Righteous Woman, Godly Wife

The greatest thing I have ever learned has been how to become the wife my husband deserves and the woman God needs me to become. I have been through trial and error and amazingly (like God always is) the answer hit me like a ton of bricks.


Its not enough to be a good wife, what a woman’s job and life purpose should be is to become a Godly woman and wife. No marriage has any stronger foundation than those who embrace Christ together as a couple and be completely obedient to His word. While men are usually esteemed to be the head of the household and the family unit, the Godly wife has the privilege of keeping the strength of the faith and the light of the Lord within each member of the family unit.

The first and I will say foremost principle that is by far the most important is going to church every Sunday with your family, taking the sacrament and attending most of all of the extra meetings. By attending the Lords services, you as a wife are enabling the Spirit to be with you not only while at your meetings, but throughout the week at home as well. Your husband will benefit from the Godly lessons you learn in being a Woman of the Lord, and your family will reap the solace they find in the comfort of a Spirit filled home.

I am tempted to put this next principle up with the first one just because of the high importance level it has also. It is not enough to go to Church and take the sacrament, that is just going through the motions. What you learn in Church is the most valuable lessons you will ever be subject to. The application of the sermons and the morals and the lessons to your daily life is THE key to becoming a Godly wife. With out the application, you are becoming a cookie-cutter Christian, or in plain terms, a hypocrite. What looks good on the outside does not always reflect what is on the inside. The Lord does not care how you dress to attend His services, he cares not how many people you know or how many responsibilities you take on in the Church. If you do not perform them with the utmost earnesty to serve Him who knows and sees all… how can you expect to be welcomed into the kingdom of God?

It is wise for any wife to bookmark Proverbs 31 in the Holy Bible. Here it is given the account from the Lord himself of what he expects a woman and wife to be in His kingdom. Verses 10-30 is the best manual a married woman can have. This is not to say that a Godly woman lets herself be a doormat. However when applying these principles to your marriage, you most likely will find your husband will respond in a much more positive manner than if they are not applied. I do not expect myself to live up completely to these principles, obviously I dont make my family clothes, we go and buy new clothes if we need them. But you'll get the general idea...

10A truly good wife
is the most precious treasure
a man can find!
11Her husband depends on her,
and she never
lets him down.
12She is good to him
every day of her life,
13and with her own hands
she gladly makes clothes.
14She is like a sailing ship
that brings food
from across the sea.
15She gets up before daylight
to prepare food
for her family
and for her servants. [
a] 16She knows how to buy land
and how to plant a vineyard,
17and she always works hard
18She knows when to buy or sell,
and she stays busy
until late at night.
19She spins her own cloth,
20and she helps the poor
and the needy.
21Her family has warm clothing,
and so she doesn't worry
when it snows.
22She does her own sewing,
and everything she wears
is beautiful.
23Her husband is a well-known
and respected leader
in the city.
24She makes clothes to sell
to the shop owners.
25She is strong and graceful, [b] as well as cheerful
about the future.
26Her words are sensible,
and her advice
is thoughtful.
27She takes good care
of her family
and is never lazy.
28Her children praise her,
and with great pride
her husband says,
29"There are many good women,
but you are the best!"
30Charm can be deceiving,
and beauty fades away,
but a woman
who honors the LORD
deserves to be praised.

Family Home Evenings

As LDS people, we practice Family Home Evening. Now for those of you non-LDS people, it is basically being with your family at home in the evening. The church standard is every Monday night, we set aside for a definate family dinner, and then a lesson and (if you have kids) an activity. For just that evening there is no TV watching, no computer playing, no video games or friends over. This is a time set aside to be with your family (in our case its just my husband and I) and talk about your day, be together and learn. Family members take turns presenting lessons on specific topics or chapters out of the church Family Home Evening book.

Even though it is just the two of us, we have both found that it sets the mood for the week. We try to keep in mind that lesson and try to apply it to our lives throughout the week.

For instance, one topic I had chosen was the covenants of Abraham in Genesis. The reason I chose that one was because in our Sunday School classes, we had been breifly skimming over it, and we didnt know enough about Abraham to even understand the lesson. So I decided to do some Bible study research and present it as a topic for FHE. Not only did it clue us in to being able to understand our Sunday School lessons, but throughout the week when reading the Book of Mormon, it illuminated points that we would not have necessarily seen or even understood.

Even if you are not LDS, I would encourage this once a week practice to anyone. If you have kids, make it interesting by maybe taking them ice skating and relate how the world we live in is like ice and it is easy to slip up, but the stronger your legs are in Christ, the more balance he brings to your life and the more upright you will stay until you can perform perfectly under Christ. It is a good way to get the family together if anything, especially in these days when all kids are glued to something electronic. If you don't even have a scriptual lesson prepared, even just being with your family is just as important.

The Pearly Gates has received a Saint

For all of you who havent heard, our dear Prophet and President, Gordon B. Hinkley has passed on to see his Lord. I am saddend by this, mainly because I really enjoyed hearing him speak. He seemed like such a grandfatherly old man, just a sweet guy. My heart goes out to his family, however at 97, I think he was looking forward to seeing his wife again. Here is link to the LDS homepage for information on President Hinkley http://newsroom.lds.org/ldsnewsroom/eng/
It looks as though Thomas Monson will succeed him, and I will sustain him as church leader provided he was as good of a soul as Mr. Hinkley.

My prayers are with him and his kin, and I thank the Lord that I was able to be blessed by his words.

Resolution Update

Here is an update of how my new years health regime is turning out: (more for my own benefit, but hopefully it inspires my readers to kickstart a health routine)Since cutting out wheat, gluten and corn;

-I have energy I dont recognize.

-I can keep up with the rest of the world. And have enough energy to workout everyday!!!

-I dont feel sickly and my colour has come back

-My dark circles have lifted I lost my last 5 pounds!! YAY for me!

-I feel like I can turn my attentions to more important thing rather than laying down focusing on a bloated stomach.

I read Eat Right for your Blood Type after I found out about my intolerences, and man.... it is dead on. Apparently my blood type (type O+) cant even handle wheat and such. I would highly highly reccomend it. It is:Eat right 4 your blood type by Dr. Peter D'Adamo. He also wrote Eat Right for your Body type, but I find that using blood type is much more of an individualized approach. Praise the Lord, I found my cure!

Pineapples & Coconuts

I had an epiphic moment. I was in the kitchen cutting, well, trying rather, to cut up a pineapple. They are the darndest things to cut up and it was really starting to grate on my nerves. But just as I was ready to give up it occured to me by the grace of God, that life is like irritating fruit. It is hard and annoying to cut through the skins/rinds but when you have enough patience, you will get to the inside and oh how sweet it is!!! Life is full of trials and hard things, but with enough patience and faith in the Lord, he lets you get through them to the sweet part and all your hard work will pay off. So when life gives you pineapples...get your sharpest knife out and go to town!

Comfort

Today is a comfortable, rainy day. I am content with my life, comfortable in my own skin, and in quite a reverent mood this morning. I would like to be in my sweats on the couch with a cup of tea and my scriptures, but alas... I must be at work. So I still have a cup of tea, but a definate lack of things to work on (hehehe...perfect.) So I am content this morning to sit back at my desk and catch up on my favorite blogs and be still. I love good days especially knowing that God is at the forefront of them.

Couny thy many blessings

I was up late last night just scribbling around in my journal when a memory popped up. At one point several years ago, I had written a list of 100 of my favorite things. So being in a reverent mood, it has inspired me to write a list of all the things I am thankful to be blessed with. I wont do 100, but Im sure I can think of a few things in no particular order aside from the first 2...

*My Lord and Savior

*My Husband - for being with me and putting up with me (wink, wink!)

*My family who has streadfastly stood by me

*The Scriptures

*My home - comfortable rent and a cozy bed

*My job - though I'd rather be a housewife, I am appreciative of the income

*A warm fuzzy kitty that thinks of me as "mom"

*A place to call home when everywhere else is sucking

*Being able to take trips and go places

*That God has blessed our finances that we are stable and happy

*For the Atonement of Christ that myself and all others may be redeemed

*For all the people who have touched my life and my thoughts and have turned them toward Heavenly Father and Godly things.

*For the Temple and the peace that it has brought to our home.

Are we nothing but beggars?

Matthew 6:14 - For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you

I find it funny how ungrateful people can be. Perhaps funny is the wrong word as there is nothing amusing about it. It never ceases to amaze me that you can take a person in off the streets, a person who has nothing to live for, and you feed them, you clothe them, give them rest, and the next thing you know all your good will has been for naught. Circumstances lately has left me griping over this subject today, however in lieu of my grunts and grumbles, I have clarity (thank you Lord). My little pity-party got me to thinking, what must God feel like? He gives freely and abundantly to us, every second of every day. He is there silent when we turn Him away and then right back in our lives the minute we realize we need Him. It occured to me that we are all homeless and hungry at one point, and when we ask for God to bless our lives, He gives us the food and shelter we need. But then all too soon we take our shelter for granted as something we can get at any point in time under any circumstance (which we can) but we start to get so comfortable that we forget it was a gift. How strong God must be to bear every persons lack of appreciation! However, for as much as we are lacking, God comes back to embrace us every time. Why? Because He is the Creator of Forgiveness. He knows us better than we know ourselves. Christ Jesus died on the cross that our trangressions are able to be forgiven by Heavenly Father. But note the scripture above, Heavenly Father chooses not to forgive us if we cant forgive the transgressions of others. That doesnt by any means mean that every little heart stomping should be brushed off. Of course it should be dealt with, but with the means by which God has instructed. God wants us to let things go, but he wants us to let them go to HIM. After all, every persons salvation lies within His hands. When we dont forgive our transgressors, then we are taking the right of judgement out of the hands of God and placing them in the hands of men. The Lord throughout the scriptures states that things in the hands of men are doomed. Rom 14:10 But why dost thou judge thy brother? or why dost thou set at nought thy brother? for we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ.It is not wrong to get emotional and angry against those who have taken us for granted. Jesus himself felt those exact same emotions. (see The Gospel of St Luke) But for Christians who are really trying to walk Christs' path, that anger and emotion should be dealt with in a Godly manner. How you act towards your trangressors is noted in God's mind and will be remembered on that day of Judgement.
For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.—2 Corinthians 5:10

Pity-party anyone? I'll bring the pity...

Hopelessness, despair, exasperation....utter aauugghh....It is days like this that my faith is tested. So is my patience. I seem to have this problem of running away from my problems instead of addressing them with God. I know that should be the first thing I should do when I feel like this, but my first actual action is to sit and cry, wonder what I'm going to do and then get angry at why things arent working the way I want. Dont get me wrong, I trust my Lord, but sometimes my negative emotions get in the way of His positive light. Ever have a good bad mood? I used to love those, but through my studies I have realized there is no point of being and staying in a bad mood because God is there to love us, and to help us through our trials and through our trials we either choose to grow closer or farther away to Him. So why o why does it take me so long to snap out of it? Sometimes it feels like by reading and praying I am holding my anger and sorrow in. I suppose the most important thing is that i need to more fully realize that He is there for me and that I need to remember to be greatful for that. And that things are not supposed to go my way. God has his ways of dealing with situations and I need to just be the spectator. I am learning. Jesus didnt say it would be easy, but I do ask for His mercy. It does uplift my moods listening to songs of praise, just to get back into the frame of a Godly mind. It is comforting to know that kneeling down can take away all your pain. He really is a generous and kind Father and I do owe him my undying thanks. The trials may not be easy and may last a month or maybe just a day, but to have Him as your army as well as commanding officer, no matter what you have already won the war. Psalm 30:2 - O Lord my God, I called to you for help and you healed me

My Dear, Modesty Becomes You

Being a convert to my church, I never went through the Young Womens part of Sunday School. I have come to believe that it has been to my severe disadvantage to not have, but apparently at that point in my life it wasn't meant for me. Now however, delving back into the immersion of all things spiritual, I have been researching/studying my eyes out and have just gotten through the principles taught in Young Womens. Had I known them back then, would it have made a difference? I dont know. I like to think that it would have and maybe some of my regrets would cease to be. One of the key things we practice in church is modesty in dress. It took me up until October of 2007 to figure this one out and why. I never understood what in the world you needed to cover up for. I grew up in short shorts, mini skirts and tube tops (which were always annoying...always hiking them back up.) All my friends competed on who could get the most cleavage out of a roll of duct tape. (yes...thats two big OUCHES!!) Even in the world of highschool danceteam, our workout and dance fashions followed those of Hollywood's chick-flicks (ie: Honey, Bring it on....etc..) So what was the big deal?Since going back to church, Sundays had become "modest-day". I still dressed fairly professional for work, but it still was tanks and minis every other day. And then while purusing LDS.org, I came across an article posed at the Young Women of the church http://lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=f318118dd536c010VgnVCM1000004d82620aRCRD&locale=0&sourceId=0c996169b62fe010VgnVCM100000176f620a____&hideNav=1, and it struck a chord. We all are children of God and so we must think of how we are representing him. The other thing that made sense to me after thinking about it for awhile was, how am I honoring my husband by dressing like this and making an object of myself? Well, I wasnt. There is no honor to either him or HIM in letting everyone in the world oogle over you when you are the sole property of your husband. After all, he doesnt go parading around for the women of the world to see. 1 Corinthians 7:4 - The wife's body does not belong to her alone but also to her husband. In the same way, the husband's body does not belong to him alone but also to his wife. After the covenant of marriage is made, two become one and therefore you must honor and respect one another. So by objectifying yourself, you are dishonoring not only the Lord, but your husband too and that is stated by the Lord to be an abhorment. By dressing yourself in a way that people will respect you, you gain respect in the eyes of the Lord. Think of it this way: if you wear something that would embarass your biological father, how do you think your Father in Heaven would see it?

Things Inspired

Im not sure what exactly the pull is.. infact I dont know what the force behind our Lord is, but it is one "addiction" I must say I am thrilled to have! After being inactive in our church for 2 years due to quite a few unhealthy circumstances and now coming back into it full swing, I am still in awe about just how much I've missed! And it is funny that when you come back to your senses how amazingly large those little "duh!!" moments are. My husband and I have taken to reading our scriptures everynight almost never fail and then taking turns saying nightly prayers together as a couple before our individual prayers. I feel I am a great candidate for being able to vouch for this particular method of worship! I cannot tell you how much it means to me that my marriage grows stronger with every verse and every prayer and every little spiritual realization and "duh" moment we have together. I think it also makes a difference saying prayers together before personal ones and here is why: We are covenented to our spouses by His word, and the ordination/institution of marriage is the first and foremost important part of the Living Christian Family.“So they are no longer two, but one. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate.” (Matthew 19:6) To be able to pray together as a couple/family is to HONOR our Heavenly Father and give thanks that His presence is within our home. So I suppose I bear you my testimony of my faith that prayer is an important instrument, not only in every area of life, but it can be applied to particular areas, in this case marriage. Also, the occurence of having these realization moments of "oh thats what God meant..." has increased. It still is a foreign idea to me that the more and more study of these things you do the faster and faster answers come and the stronger the Spirit gets within you. The best part for me is seeing my husband change right before my eyes. From rough and tumble to God loving...it makes my heart leap every time I think about it! Night time is perhaps my favorite time of day just for the sheer fact that together as a couple we are doing something pleasing to our Father! (And yes, Sundays do take precedence as the favorite day of the week... )So dear women, I implore you to make the effort to pray with your husbands!! The benefits you will reap by sowing the seeds of the Lord in your heart, home and marriage are boundless! Not only will your piety be noticed by HIM, you are also providing a great example for your husband and your children. “Let us encourage one another —and all the more as you see the day approaching” (Hebrews 10:25) Some principles that Im currently working on: .

• Accept one another. (Romans 15:7).
• Care for one another. (1 Corinthians 12:25).
• Carry each other’s burdens. (Galatians 6:2).
• Forgive one another. (Ephesians 4:32).
• Encourage, build up one another. (1 Thessalonians 5:11).
• Spur one another on to love and good deeds. (Hebrews 10:24).
• Confess your sins to one another. (James 5:16).
• Pray for one another. (James 5:16

Healthy 2008

Praise the Lord this year, I resolve to not go on a diet. Instead I am going to get in the best shape ever and that means my health too! This year, especially this past winter has been a hard and scary one for me in the sick-category. The scary part was that it jsut wasnt your regular cold/flu stuff. It really made me think how I am treating my body and what I am putting in it. (Food wise, not illegal substances)I just recently found out I have a wheat, gluten and corn intolerance. It led me to do some research on the Word of Wisdom and also become a self-proclaimed dietitian & nutritionist. So far I have stuck to a regular exercise routine and have cut out all refined and white sugars, breads and corns. I have switched to tons of veggies and protien. Grains just dont jive very well with my stomach. I bring my food to work and eat throughout the day and turn down offers to go out to lunch with my co-workers. It has only been one week, but in that little amount of time I feel almost like a new person. I feel amazing, the bags and dark circles under my eyes have lifted and I actually am able to sleep for once. NOt to mention I have energy and dont feel like taking naps, AND I lost 5 pounds in 2 days! And Ive noticed, my posture is better and so is my self confidence and esteem. There may be something to all this...Im usually pretty good about staying motivated when it means alot to me, and my health is extremely important! Prayer, I think is the best motivator at all. God knows our dreams and our goals and if they will contribute to a healthy, more rich Spiritual life, then I believe that he is definatly behind you! When weakness hits, pray for strength and ask Him to constantly remind us of why we began the goal in the first place. Even though I love this exercising thing and eating right, my weakness for lazyness and chocolate sometimes creep in right in the middle of the work out! Trying to shut out that little voice in my head telling me Im either too tired or Im close enough to a mile, just quit now is amazingly hard. So I have to do my best to ask Heavenly Father while running to please drive my temptation out of me that I might finish my mile, and go directly to my spinach salad and not to the candy dish. It works and I am forever greatful for that blessing. Praise be to the Savior for giving His strength to me and to all of us! He wants us to suceed in everythign that glorifys Him, and treating your body like the God-given temple it is is to say "Thank You dear Father, for giving me my health and a vessel in which to house my soul. I wish to honor this greatest of gifts in thy name." So take care of yourself, if not for yourself, do it for Him. Amen.

Just Starting...

WOW. I actually am doing something and finishing it. This site was an on-a-whim kind of site...I just woke up one day and decided I was going to make candles and apparel and dang it thats what I'm doing. I am proud of myself for once. Even though I still have many things to finalize outside of this, I am checking this off the list.