Post 46 – Getting Ready for General Conference

Dear Family and Friends

I have been reviewing conference talks from April of this year, trying to get myself ready for our upcoming general conference this weekend. It’s hard for me to believe it has been six months already.  And it’s another month as well, time seems to be flying by – the older I get the faster it seems to go. Gosh, it has been almost four years since my diagnosis with inflammatory breast cancer.

Guess what? My last few scans have come back clean, so my doctor visits are not as often. I am still receiving my chemo every three weeks – like clockwork😊 and I am glad to be able to go just to the next town for my treatment. I am so very grateful that the treatments for cancer and other diseases and illnesses. I think about all the difficult things that my mom had to endure when she was truly fighting her battle with breast cancer. She struggles so much, there were many days when she didn’t have the strength to get out of bed.

You know, my blog talks a lot about breast cancer, but you can probably understand that because that is my journey or adventure in life right now. I know that you can find anything that you want on the internet – the whole world is at our fingertips, literally. It can also be very scary to look something up and have that information scare yourself half to death. I am hoping that I can save at least one person that feeling by sharing with you good places to search for information about your cancer and your treatment. Even though what I post is directly related to my journey and my type of cancer, the places I have searched can give you information on all types of cancer or a link to that information.

The other things I share with all of you are very dear to my heart – my love of my Savior and of my Heavenly Father! They are so precious to me. I know that I am loved by Them. I know that I am forgiven – a lot, by Them. I wish that I could help some of my family members understand how important my relationship with my Heavenly Father and my Savior are to me so that each of them and possibly each of you might feel the need to embrace your Heavenly Father and your Savior. To realize that you have a need for that relationship as well. Each one of us need to develop a relationship with our Father in heaven and with our Savior, even Jesus Christ.

My children understand, and they have all been so supportive. I remember a time when one of my boys had a run-in with the law and he was on the wrong side of it. He had a job, so the judge allowed him to serve his sentence on the weekends. It became a routine for him to drive up to our house and leave his truck there and I would drive him up to the jail. Before he got out of my car he would hand me a twenty-dollar bill to pay for my gas so that I could go to the Temple.

 It was so nice to be able to attend the Temple so often, where I live now it is about four and a half hours away from the closest Temple and I am not able to go as often as I would like to. It was sad that my son had to go to jail every weekend for a while, but we received blessings from his mistake. One night when I dropped him off and he gave me the twenty- dollar bill, when I thanked him, he said to me, ‘No problem. Mama. I know just how much it means for you to be able to go to the temple. And I believe that it blesses us all whenever you go to the Temple. It was so good to hear him say that to me, it has meant a lot throughout the years. All my children are so good to pitch in funds for me to attend the Temple, they have done this for me and I have always been so appreciative of their help and support.

Here are some quotes about the temple I want to share with you: Daily Messages

Words for You to Ponder Today

---

Temple

• "You are never lost when you can see the temple. The temple will provide direction for you and your family in a world filled with chaos. It is an eternal guidepost which will help you from getting lost in the “mist of darkness.” It is the house of the Lord. It is a place where covenants are made and eternal ordinances are performed."
  —Gary E. Stevenson, "Sacred Homes, Sacred Temples"
  Topics: Temple
  What do you think of this quote? I love it and wanted to share it with each of you.
• 
• "The Lord has provided many avenues by which we may receive this healing influence. I am grateful that the Lord has restored temple work to the earth. It is an important part of the work of salvation for both the living and the dead. Our temples provide a sanctuary where we may go to lay aside many of the anxieties of the world. Our temples are places of peace and tranquillity. In these hallowed sanctuaries God “healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds.”"
  —James E. Faust, "Spiritual Healing"
  Topics: Temple
  I never really thought of the Temple as a place of spiritual healing, but that makes perfect sense that it would be!
• "No work is more of a protection to this Church than temple work and the family history research that supports it."
  —Boyd K. Packer, "The Holy Temple"
  Topics: Temple
  
  Have you ever done family history work? It is amazing work to do, and very fulfilling as well. If you haven’t tried it, you really should. Another thing you might want it give a try, if you haven’t already done so, is indexing. Indexing is very helpful and doesn’t take very much time. If you want to give it a try you can check it out here:
  
  https://www.bing.com/search?q=family+search+free&form=EDGNTC&qs=LS&cvid=6f4cf30e7bcd47cb9bef944406a34724&cc=US&setlang=en-US&PC=ACTS
• 
• "The things that endure, the things that are real, the things that are important are those things represented in the temple of God."
  —Ezra Taft Benson, "Chapter 13: Priceless Blessings of the House of the Lord"
  Topics: Temple
• "[The temple is] a constant, visible symbol that God has not left man to grope in darkness. It is a place of revelation."
  —Ezra Taft Benson, "Chapter 13: Priceless Blessings of the House of the Lord"
  Topics: Temple
• "When daughters of God focus on the temple and on their sacred covenants, God is able to send blessings in personal and powerful ways. Like my mother’s example to me, your choice to believe and keep covenants will leave a rich legacy of faith for those who follow you."
  —Jean A. Stevens, "Covenant Daughters of God"
  Topics: Temple
• "Sacred temple work will increase our faith in Christ, and then we can better influence the faith of others. By the nourishing spirit of the temple, we can learn the reality, the power, and the hope of the Savior’s Atonement in our personal life."
  —Neill F. Marriott, "Sharing Your Light"
  Topics: Temple
• 
• "We are reminded in the Bible Dictionary: “Only the home can compare with the temple in sacredness.” Do our homes or apartments fit that description? … It may be worthwhile for us to check ourselves now and then to make sure our homes are places we are prepared to feel the Spirit. As we prepare our homes to be places where the Spirit is welcome, we will be prepared to feel more “at home” when we enter the house of the Lord."
  —Linda K. Burton, "Prepared in a Manner That Never Had Been Known"
  Topics: Temple
  Even if you live with other family members who are not members of the church or they are inactive, you can still create a temple atmosphere in your bedroom or your living spaces: -- just an idea.
• "Think of the effect temples have on their surroundings. They beautify inner cities; they shine from prominent hills. Why do they beautify and shine? Because, as the scriptures say, “Truth shineth,” and temples contain truth and eternal purpose; so do you."
  —Neill F. Marriott, "Sharing Your Light"
  Topics: Temple
• 
• "If we are to receive all the blessings God so generously offers, our earthly path must lead to the temple. Temples are an expression of God’s love. He invites us all to come, learn of Him, feel His love, and receive the priesthood ordinances necessary for eternal life with Him. Each covenant is made one by one. Every mighty change of heart matters to the Lord. And yours will make all the difference to you. For as we go to His holy house, we can be “armed with [His] power, … [His] name … upon [us], … [His] glory … round about [us], and [His] angels have charge over [us].”"
  —Jean A. Stevens, "Covenant Daughters of God"
  Topics: Temple
  I love the temple! I love how loved I feel when I am there. In the temple I can feel so close to my Father in heaven and I feel His love so strong. When I am in the temple, I can shut out the world for a while and just be close to my Heavenly Father for a while and learn from Him. It’s a spiritual feast every time I am able to go to the temple.
• 
  If you are not a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, you probably do not know much about out temples. You can find our more information about temples here: https://www.mormon.org/missionaries the temple is an amazing place, it is so beautiful there, and so peaceful, so spiritual. If you are reading this and you are a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and you have not been to the temple for a while, please consider making it a priority in your life and go back as soon as you can. I promise you that you will not regret any sacrifice you make to attend the temple. And for those of you who are not members, now is a good time to ask questions and find out about what you need to do to have the opportunity to attend the temple someday. It is a very worthwhile goal to have. Well, I am at the end of today’s post. Until my next post, enjoy today and give thanks! I pray that each of you will have a great week!

Post # 45 – Fear Not … in Me Your Joy Is Full

Dear Family and Friends

I have been thinking about the past a lot here lately, so I thought we could take a little adventure through the past again and learn a few things along our way. The other day was the anniversary of the tragedy of 911 and I could not believe that it has been 17 years since it happened. Do you remember where you were when the first plane hit the first tower? The second tower? The pentagon? How about when the third plane was taken down by the passengers? What were your thoughts?

That was definitely, something, that we would not want to reoccur! Though similar things have happened throughout my life since that time and prior to that time I think this was the worst! It was a very sad day. I was fortunate to be working with some of the Lord’s choicest spirits on that day, so I had a wonderful distraction. Children always amaze me and make me smile – even on my worse days, they just seem to bring out the best in me most of the time😊

I have always wondered how those people managed to get through that great trial when they had families that were in those buildings or they were in the area, of the disaster, or they were emergency responders at the scenes. The only way, for me of course, is to rely on the Lord and allow Him to give me the strength that I need to get through whatever trial, difficulty, struggle, tragedy, disaster, and anything else that happens for me in this mortal life.

Have you ever thought about those people who were involved in that tragedy, did you think to pray? Whenever I know that there is nothing that I know to do, I do know that there is something that I can do, I can pray!  Sometimes it is for those who are hurting and sometimes it is for those who seem to be the cause of the problems. I know that this may sound a little crazy, but it’s what I do.

No, I was not always like this, but I have learned to trust in a higher power for the help that I cannot give to myself or to or for those I love. With the Lord’s help, we can be happy in whatever circumstances we are in, no matter what? Over 2800 people were lost during this tragedy.

This message was given during a devotional on the BYU campus after the events of 9/11/2001.

Hope for Peace   Merrill J. Bateman President of Brigham Young University Sep. 11, 2001 • Devotional--- This morning, as most of you know, one of the greatest tragedies that has occurred on the mainland of the United States took place. Thousands of lives have been lost, and thousands have been injured. The most important counsel that we can give this morning, I believe, is threefold.

The first is there is no reason to fear for our lives or the lives of our loved ones if they weren’t in those towers or the Pentagon. We suspect the terrorists are hoping for panic. With the exception again of the Pentagon and the World Trade Center, we believe there are no other areas of danger.

Second, it is extremely important that we be respectful of all people. When the Oklahoma City federal building was bombed, there was considerable speculation early on as to who might have been responsible. In the end those speculations were incorrect. We ask all of you to be respectful of every single person that you meet and contact here on campus and elsewhere.


Third, the best news of all is the good news. It is the gospel of Jesus Christ. Even though we live in troubled times—and prophets have indicated that there will be turmoil in the last days—it is possible for each of us to feel peace, to have the peace of the gospel in our lives. We believe that is the most important message we have for the world.

We are part of the greatest peaceful mission this earth has ever known. The 60,000 missionaries and 11 million members of the Church have the only message that gives hope for peace. And peace will not come in the lives of people until they have internalized the message of the Master.

I love the advice he give the students on that tragic day, I think it can be applied to each of us, no matter where we ar. No matter what our situation is, we can 1. Don’t fear – trust the Lord, 2. Be respectful of everyone you meet. And 3. Seek out the Gospel of Jesus Christ, embrace it and find the peace that only He can give you.

Let me turn to the words of the Savior. At the Last Supper, after finishing the meal, the Savior and his disciples sang the Hallel. The words of the Hallel are from Psalms 113 to 118. Chapters 113 through 116 are sung before the meal, in which thanks are given to God for the deliverance from Egypt; chapters 117 and 118 are sung after the Passover meal. I invite you today to read those chapters in Psalms. Those chapters talk about being saved from death. They are talking about the Atonement. So, at the Last Supper with His eleven disciples—Judas having left and Jesus knowing where he was going—Jesus is then singing about His own death.

In that setting He went on to talk to His disciples about the most precious gift He had to give them. That gift was the gift of the Holy Ghost. These are His words: “But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you” (John 14:26).

And then He said, “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you” (John 14:27).

He knows where He is going, and there is peace in His heart. He knows He is going to the garden, and He is going to the cross. He is telling them He is leaving them His peace.

“Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid” (John 14:27).

This peace that Brother Bateman is speaking of is possible for all of you who read this post! This peace is not a peace that can be gained from buying things or being with someone, or from having more money than you need, or from being the best at what you do, or having the greatest job, it can and does only come in and through the Holy Ghost from our Savior Jesus Christ. We receive the Holy Ghost once we are baptized a member of His Church here upon the earth, the true and living church, even the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.


Brothers and sisters, that is our message this morning. Fortunately, this is only the second act of a three-act play. Even when death comes to those we love, we know what lies ahead. We know they are fine. It is those of us who are left behind who are sad. We know we will see them again, and we know we will be with them. When death comes to someone who has the peace of the Holy Ghost inside, it can be sweet, not bitter.

Do you understand why you young people hold the power of peace for the world in your hands? The world depends on you.

Many of you have just returned from missions; many of you will go next year. The world’s peace is on your shoulders because you have the only message that gives hope for eternal peace. I say this in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Merrill J. Bateman was the president of Brigham Young University when this devotional address was given at a special prayer meeting on 11 September 2001.

Finding Hope                      Description --- A man describes his journey from the tragedy and trauma of 9/11 to hope, healing, and renewal through Jesus Christ. https://www.mormonchannel.org/watch/series/mormon-messages/finding-hope-2

Victor Guzman - 9/11 Survivor, Father, Mormon   Description -- For years, Victor worked tirelessly as an attorney in the World Trade Center. Out of the house before his family woke up, home after they went to bed. On Sept 11th, 2001, all that changed. https://www.mormonchannel.org/watch/series/im-a-mormon/victor-guzman-911-survivor-father-mormon

I would like to share a message given at a Devotional 15 years after the events of 9/11/2001. I found this article one that is full of hope and peace – the peace that can be found only in our Savior Jesus Christ. This article is a bit lengthy so I am only including a few quotes from it: this Devotional was also addressed to the young adults who attended, but I think the message and insight can be applied to each of us. I have added italics and underlined some phrases that stood out to me, I hope you don’t mind that I that did?

“The world literally seems to be in commotion.¹ There is a level of contention that is unprecedented. Peace of mind and feelings of security can seem elusive and even unobtainable. My message to you this evening is that we should not have fear even in a dangerous and troubled world. The scriptures assure us that we can have complete joy because of the Savior.”

He tells how we have certain things in our lives that we remember every detail of and that these “kinds of cherished events bring not only a rewarding but lasting joy” and happiness.

"It is interesting that individual events that in any way relate to the Savior are usually the ones that bring the greatest joy.” If you really and truly think about this – any activity that involves or brings us closer to or is related “to the Savior are usually the ones that bring the greatest joy” --it is so very true!!!

Then he spoke of those event that are so shocking and tragic and how they affect us in a profound way; his examples were of the fall of the Berlin Wall, the assignation of President John F. Kennedy, and the terrorist attacks on 9/11. Next, he told of what happened what happened his son and his family during the attack, who lived only three blocks from the World Trade Center.so this event had great significance to him and his wife.

 ‘Our oldest son and his wife were expecting their first child and lived three blocks from the World Trade Center in New York City when the first plane, hijacked by terrorists, crashed into the North Tower. They went to the roof of their apartment building and were horrified as they watched the consequences of what they thought was a terrible accident. As they witnessed the second hijacked plane crash into the South Tower, they realized that this was no accident and believed lower Manhattan was under continuing attack. When the South Tower collapsed, their apartment building was engulfed in the debris that rained down over lower Manhattan.’

‘‘Confused and terrified at what they had witnessed, and concerned about further attacks, they made their way to a safer area and then to the Manhattan Stake church building at Lincoln Center. When they arrived, they found that dozens of other members in lower Manhattan had made the same decision to gather at the stake center. We were relieved when they called to let us know where they were and that they were safe. We were not surprised at their location because modern revelation teaches that the stakes of Zion are “a defense, and … a refuge from the storm, and from wrath when it shall be poured out without mixture upon the whole earth.”³ They were not allowed to return to their apartment for over a week and were devastated by the loss of innocent lives, but they personally suffered no permanent physical damage.

‘I had to quote him there because his words are much better than mine. The place where this devotional address was given was near where plane crashed into the Pentagon Building in Washington D.C. It was also a terrorist suicide mission with similar devastating results as the two planes that were flown into the World Trade Center in New York City.

This devotional was given fifteen years after these attacks on our country. He said that he did not bring up the horrific events for us to dwell on them. One of his purposes was to emphasize the great things in our lives. I believe especially those things of eternal value. Another purpose was that he wanted to help each of us to think about all if the trials, difficulties, and dangers that we will either face or are afraid we will face in our individual lives. These things may involve and be very personal to you, or they could involve many people.

Although the types of things we might face are numerous, he chose to address only three -- those that would involve physical dangers, special challenges – specific to our day; and spiritual dangers and challenges that we might face.

’Physical Dangers or Challenges --- Physical dangers are the easiest to see and identify. Regardless of how or where you access your daily news, physical dangers, violence, and tragedy are the first reported—particularly on television and the Internet. One reason for this is that violence and death are very dramatic and usually are easy to portray visually as well as in writing. Violence and death, whether near or far away, capture our attention and can destroy our peace and tranquility. When we do not feel safe physically, we feel personally vulnerable.  

We see this almost every time we look at a newspaper or turn on the news on the television or radio, and now on our computers, phones, tablets, and the internet – we access the news. It seems as if every day there is some violent act somewhere, a missing child or person, a huge fire, tornado, tsunami, flooding, heat wave, drought… there is always something in the news that can make us sad or distraught if we let it. We need the peace only our Savior can give us!

Last March 22nd, a terrorist detonated a suicide bomb in the Brussels, Belgium, airport. Four of our missionaries were at the Delta checkout counter. All of them suffered significant injuries; some were very serious. A senior missionary, Elder Richard Norby’s injuries were very serious. Recently he indicated that while life will never be quite the same, “he has chosen to rely on the Lord and not fear.” He further said, “I’m going to live my life, and I’m going to teach my children and grandchildren that we [must] put our trust in God.”⁴     

Most people may think that because the missionaries are serving the Lord that nothing bad could ever happen to them during that time. This is not so, because people still have their agency and most always the use of one’s agency affects those around them – sometimes in a positive way and sometimes in a very negative way, like the terrorist attack of 9/11/2001.

I suppose we do not think of our using our agency, that it really does affect those around us in so many ways. Therefore, we should probably really ponder our actions before we make them. Because even though it our choice to make – the choices that we make truly do affect others either in a positive way, which is great! Or in a negative way, which sometimes cannot be corrected, no matter what we do. That is why I recommend that you and I should take our choices to the Lord in prayer before we make them. If we have the Lord’s approval we will be so much the better for it, this is something that I have learned over my years of experiences.

So, dear Family and Friends, please have a good month and remember to take some time to review our choices of the past and let them help us to make better choices in the future. The Lord and Hos servants will never lead us astray. And th words of the Lord will tell us all things which we should do, but we must know those words in order to follow them – right? So we should really study the scriptures and pray about our choices and the decisions that we should make😊 Until my next post, stay positive, help someone around you and make some really good choices for the good of your lives and the lives of those you love.

Post 44 – Reflections

Dear Family and Friends

  Have you ever had one of those days (or weeks), when your whole world is shaken clear down to the very foundation and you wonder how you have messed things up so badly?  If you haven’t please stop right now and give much thanks to your Heavenly Father, for He truly does provide you with all of the blessings in your life😊 And if you have, still give thanks for your trials as well as you blessings, because we can receive many blessings through our trials.

You know, I have recently had some of those days when there seems to be nothing that I do that seems to be right☹ Or even worse yet is to figure out  through someone else, that throughout your life so far you did not do nearly as good as you thought you had done with the things in your life ---especially in the child rearing area.  Well this week has been one of those reminders --- very loud and clear!!!

Which leads me to some questions that I thought about after my prayer for some guidance. And yes, even though I may doubt myself – I have no doubt in my Father in heaven or in His glorious abilities or in His Son, Jesus Christ. I know that They love me. This knowledge has been so wonderful to have for these past years and I am so grateful for this knowledge it has been a huge blessing for me. Their love is there for me when the love of those I love do not reciprocate for one reason or another. I hope that these reflection questions are helpful to some of you as well.  I think they could be good questions to ask ourselves on a regular basis to find our if  we are still heading down the path to our heavenly home.

 

Am I living my life in such a way that the Holy Ghost can dwell with me every day?  Am I making the effort to align my life with God’s commandments in order to be directed by Him? Am I keeping the commandments of God?  Is my receiver properly tuned into heaven’s frequency? Am I obedient? Do I have the Spiritual confidence necessary to pray for and receive specific guidance from the Holy Ghost? Am I worthy to receive heaven’s signal? Are there things that I need to repent of so that I can receive clear communication again?

Are you familiar with the story of when Jesus walks on the water out to the boat where His disciples were?  Jesus had gone upon a mountain to pray after He had fed the five thousand people. His disciples went in a boat to go across the Sea of Galilee. It was night time and the waves came up as a storm came in and the water began to toss their boat about.

It was late into the night when Jesus came to them in the boat. He was walking across the water. When they see Him walking on the water they can’t believe what they are seeing. At first, they were afraid as they thought it might be an evil spirit. Jesus knew their fear and called to them: “It is I; be not afraid.” Peter asks, if can walk on the water? Jesus tells Peter to come to Him. Peter begins walking out to Jesus, I imagine just like you or I might walk across a field to a friend.

Then when the wind blows harder and realizes that he far from where Jesus is, and he looks down at the water and is afraid. He loses sight of Jesus and he begins to sink into the sea. He cries out to Jesus to save him because he is afraid he will drown in the sea.

It is when we take our focus off Jesus Christ and our Heavenly Father and let something else take Their place – even for a little while that Satan sneaks those fiery darts of doubt into our minds and hearts. It is then that Satan begins to build a wedge if we do not do something to refocus ourselves back on our Savior and our Father in heaven, it is then that we begin to sink into the mist of darkness, as in Lehi’s dream or vision.

 Whenever we are feeling like we are far away from God we must ask ourselves what we are doing that has caused us to move away from Him, because He is always there with outstretched arms waiting for us to repent, to make a decision to turn our lives around and turn back to Him and our Savior Jesus Christ. I know that He isn’t the one who moves away from us – we are the ones that put the distance between us. So therefore, we are the ones who, like Peter need to refocus ourselves back on our Savior and our Father in heaven and Their teachings -are wee heeding them.

 I had even more questions to ask myself in the quiet of my room. They may be helpful to you as well. Am I asking the Lord to solve my problems for me? Do I ask what I can do to be a part of the solution as the Brother of Jared did when he needed light and air in the boats? Am I seeking more proactive ways of receiving help from the Lord?

Do I commit to act according to the Spirit’s guidance? Have I received previous guidance from the Spirit often enough that I can pray with a calm assurance that I will receive the guidance that I need? Am I following a pattern that I have previously set in my life, and used many times before the storms come?

You know just as Peter needed to have the comfort of knowing that Jesus was there to rescue him, we to have His Comforter here with us – even the Holy Ghost. You know we all have the Spirit of Christ with us in our life to help us know right from wrong, but when we are baptized a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints we can receive the Holy Ghost who can be our constant companion if we live worthy of His companionship – by keeping our baptismal covenants and keeping His commandments.

When His disciples were caught in the storm Jesus was asleep on the ship. He was tired after a hard, probably long day of walking, and helping, and heling, and teaching the multitude. Even though a great storm raged all about Him and His disciples He slept peacefully on. Though Jesus slept His disciples they were afraid their boat would be swallowed up by the sea. They were deeply afraid of what might happen to them. They went and woke Him, crying out: “Master, Master, we perish.”

The disciples knew who to turn to for the help that they needed when the storm came and so must we -- each one of us must know whom to call on when we are in times of peace or in our calm waters, as well as when our storms rage all about us.  We must have enough experience when our waters are calm in calling on the Holy Ghost and listening to, and responding to and acting upon what direction He gives us so that we know without a doubt whom we should call on and hear over the raging storm even during a tempest, a terrible storm

Have I learned to seek my own direction in personal matters from the Lord? Have I really learned how to receive personal revelation? I often have days where I question myself – especially where my children are concerned. Did I teach them well enough so that they would know whom to go to on a daily basis and which voice they should listen to.

Did I teach them to pray to give thanks to God for all of their blessings? Did I teach them to pray to God for what they are in need of? Have I taught them that they are loved, not only by their father and I, but their Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ?  Did I reach them at all during our rather unique family home evenings? When I read the scriptures to them or when we watched the scripture stories together, did I emphasize the gospel teachings?

Do they know that their Heavenly Father loved them so much that He gave His Only Begotten Son, Jesus Christ to die to pay for their sins and for the sins of every other person who has ever lived or who will ever live upon this earth? Do they know that Jesus willingly gave His life for each of them so that they would not have to suffer even as He did? Do they know how to hear the voice of the Holy Ghost to receive direction in their lives?  Do they remember what their baptismal covenants are and are they keeping them?

For us to even begin to be spiritually self-reliant, as I have spoken of before, we need to be able to hear the voice of the Holy Ghost so well during our times of clam waters that when the storm come at us in tremendous proportions we will still be able to recognize the voice of God when He is speaking to us through the Holy Ghost – even His Spirit?

In Alma 37:37 Alma gives us this advice: ‘Counsel with the Lord in all thy doings, and he will direct thee for good; yea, when thou liest down at night lie down unto the Lord, that he may watch over you in your sleep; and when thou risest in the morning let thy heart be full of thanks unto God; and if ye shall  do these things, ye shall be lifted up at the last day.’

I have struggled an awful lot to listen to the Spirit of the Lord because of having joined the church as an adult it has taken me a long while to figure things our for myself. Maybe that is why I feel like I have failed so miserably. I second guess myself too much and wonder if it is me or if it is the Lord I hear.

I have learned that the Lord speaks to each of us differently at different times and I have felt His love around me as I have been lonely and needing to know that I was loved by someone. I have also experienced the Lord’s voice in a dream when I needed to know what to do regarding my health. I have had the feeling that I have known the will of the Lord through fasting and prayer to know if we should move or not. I knew without a doubt that we should make the move – but I did not want to move. I did not want to give up the security that I had worked so hard to establish and a job I had worked at for 20 years – but I moved my family, because I knew that was the Lord’s will for us as a family at that time.

In thinking seriously about it, I guess I do know when the Holy Ghost is speaking to me!! 😊  Let’s review – the Lord speaks to us through the Holy Ghost: through a still small voice (or even what seems like a loud one) – in a dream, through a strong feeling deep in our hearts, through thought of action in our mind. At least these have been my experiences, throughout the years since I became a member of His Church. Yours may be very different from mine and that’s okay.

Heavenly Father has given us this wonderful gift of first, the Spirit of Christ, and then after being baptized into His Church upon this earth, we have a great opportunity to receive the Holy Ghost and to have Him with us always, if we are worthy and stay worthy to keep Him with us.  

When we are living worthy to have the Holy Ghost as our daily companion, is sometimes called ‘living by the Spirit’  and maybe I am doing better than I have felt lately because I feel such peace within my whole being – a sense of clam throughout this journey with cancer and the trials of being a parent, a grandparent, and a pre-school teacher, sister, and the other roles we play in this life. – you know, just normal everyday life.

In Galatians 5:22 it says: ‘But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,

I was remembering the story of the Tree of Life, when Lehi describes the people coming along the path to the tree and he sees those who are holding tightly to the iron rod. And when the mists of darkness come upon them they are holding tightly to the rod when others lose their grip and fall by the wayside—they lost their way in the darkness, but those who held on firmly to the rod of iron made it safely to the tree and partook of the fruit of the tree.

1 Nephi 8:23-24

23 And it came to pass that there arose a mist of darkness; yea, even an exceedingly great mist of darkness, insomuch that they who had commenced in the path did lose their way, that they wandered off and were lost.

24 And it came to pass that I beheld others pressing forward, and they came forth and caught hold of the end of the rod of iron; and they did press forward through the mist of darkness, clinging to the rod of iron, even until they did come forth and partake of the fruit of the tree.

Then in 1 Nephi 12:17 it explains what the mists of darkness are: And the mists of darkness are the temptations of the devil, which blindeth the eyes, and hardeneth the hearts of the children of men, and leadeth them away into broad roads, that they perish and are lost.

 In thinking again about those following along the path to the iron rod I found more questions: Am I only following behind in other’s footsteps? Am I putting thought and effort into the path that I am taking in this life and into the next life? Am I becoming spiritually self-reliant? Am I spiritually self-reliant at this time? What do I need to do to become more spiritually self-reliant? When the storms of deception and the mists of falsehood arise without warning will I be prepared to hear the Holy Ghost to give me the guidance that my Father in heaven wants me to hear?

Do I have enough faith and am I doing enough to receive Nephi’s powerful promise found in 1 Nephi 15:24 And I said unto them that it was the word of God; and whoso would hearken unto the word of God, and would hold fast unto it, they would never perish; neither could the temptations and the fiery darts of the adversary overpower them unto blindness, to lead them away to destruction.

So we need to make sure that we are not just following those in front of us along the path.

‘“Following the feet of the people in front of you on the path is not enough. We cannot just do and think what others are doing and thinking; we must lie a guided life. We must each have our own hand on the iron rod. Then we may go to the Lord with humble confidence, knowing that He “shall lead [us[ by the hand, and give [us] answer to our prayers.”’

Doctrine and Covenants 112:10 Be thou humble; and the Lord thy God shall lead thee by the hand, and give thee answer to thy prayers.

 And still more questions for me – for each of us to ponder: Do I always remember the Savior and keep His commandments?  Do I remember His sacrifice and His rising from the tomb as a resurrected being do I choose to open my heart to receive the ministrations of the Spirit over my lifetime – or the part I have left? Because you are never too old to make changes in your life!! Am I choosing to be humble before God?

Do I choose to ask of God in faith believing the God will answer my prayers? Do I obey the inspiration I receive – even when it is hard or difficult? Do I pray with faith in the Lord Jesus Christ? Do I obey exactly – do I move quickly when inspired? – do I prepare when inspired to do so? – do I wait with patience for further inspiration when it doesn’t come right away?” do I pray to know the needs and hearts of others and how to help them for the Lord?

Do I pray, ask for inspiration, receive direction, and then act on the direction that I receive? Do I realize when I receive direction from the Spirit? What can I do to recognize more fully when the Spirit is communicating with me? Do my concerns for others open my heart to receive inspiration? Have I qualified for the Holy Ghost as a nearly constant companion? Have I qualified for the gift of charity, which is the pure love of Christ? Do I follow it or act on those directions immediately? Or do I pass it off as something I don’t have time to do today, or I will get to that later?

John 14:14-21

14 if ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.

15 If ye love me keep my commandments.

16 And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;

17 Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dewlleth with you, and shall be in you.

18 I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.

19 Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more; but ye see me: because I live, ye shall live also.

20 At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you.

21 He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will manifest myself to him.

Heavenly Father is aware of you and of me, He is aware of your feelings and of mine. He is aware of your spiritual and temporal needs, as well as mine and of those of everyone else around you. He will never force us to take His name upon us – it is up to each of us to ask Him to come into our lives.

Revelation 3:20-22

20 Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man [woman, or child] hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him,[or her] and will sup with him, [or her] and he [or she] with me.

21 To him [or her] that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.

22 He [or she] that hath an ear, let him [or her] hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.

You know you try hard to do your very best for each of your children as you are raising them, and when they are growing up you can usually see the good that you have taught them as it shows in their lives. Sometimes you wonder how you could have possible raised them all in the same household as they all make such different choices for their lives, which in turn makes choices for their children as well.

Is it ever too late to change or turn your life around? I tell you NO!!! You most certainly can make good changes in your life and turn yourself around at any point in your life --- you can be forgiven! Well, I have really been rambling in this post – you all have a wonderful week, keep smiling, hold your head up, and if you need to – ask yourself all of my questions, answer them truthfully and do whatever it takes to get yourself focused on God and our Savior, Jesus Christ.

In this very volatile world that we are living in we all need our Savior, we really do. Until my next post – know this, that it’s never too late to turn your life around to Christ😊 Remember also, that your Heavenly Father is always blessing you. Sometimes you may need to stop and think about those blessings in your life and express to Him your gratitude for them – and get in the habit of doing it often. If you make it a practice to write down the way the Lord has blessed you each day or week, you can review your journal when you are having a hard time during your difficult times.