Power

I was impressed with the power Ammon had in the Book of Alma. I forgot sometimes how much power we have available to us as members of the church. If we are endowed we are endowed with power. If we have the Holy Ghost, by living worthy, we are empowered and constantly guided. We also have the priesthood which blesses us with power. Why then do we or more importantly I not access this power that we have available to us? I think it's great that King Lamoni thinks Ammon is the "Great Spirit" because that demonstrates to me that we can accomplish all with this power from Heavenly Father.

Some great verses in chapter 18 are:

3 And they answered the king, and said: Whether he be the Great Spirit or a man, we know not; but this much we do know, that he cannot be slain by the enemies of the king; neither can they scatter the king’s flocks when he is with us, because of his expertness and great strength; therefore, we know that he is a friend to the king. And now, O king, we do not believe that a man has such great power, for we know he cannot be slain.

34 Ammon said unto him: I am a man; and man in the beginning was created after the image of God, and I am called by his Holy spirit to teach these things unto this people, that they may be brought to a knowledge of that which is just and true;
35 And a portion of that spirit dwelleth in me, which giveth me knowledge, and also power according to my faith and desires which are in God.

I also found this great article I would highly recommend
http://maxwellinstitute.byu.edu/publications/jbms/?vol=8&num=1&id=183

Men of Faith

This morning I was reading in Alma 8 and 9 and was impressed by the faith of Alma and Amulek.  I was also grateful for their example of being in tune with the Spirit.  Doing the work of the Lord is not always easy, but the Lord knows the thoughts and intents of our heart; that is why I loved verse 14-15...

"And it came to pass that while he was journeying thither, being weighed down with sorrow, wading through much tribulation and anguish of soul, because of the wickedness of the people who were in the city of Ammonihah, it came to pass while Alma was thus weighed down with sorrow, behold an angel of the Lord appeared unto him, saying: Blessed art thou, Alma; therefore, lift up thy head and rejoice, for thou hast great cause to rejoice; for thou hast been faithful in keeping the commandments of God from the time which thou receivedst thy first message from him. Behold, I am he that delivered it unto you."

I love that the Lord is aware of our needs!  Alma was a faithful servant and followed the counsel of the angel immediately by returning to the city of Ammonihah.  Well the fact of the matter is he had been fasting for several days and was physically weak, although spiritually strong.  I love that Amulek was also in tune with the spirit as we read in verses 19-21.

"And as he entered the city he was an hungered, and he said to a man: Will ye give to an humble servant of God something to eat?  And the man said unto him: I am a Nephite, and I know that thou art a holy prophet of God, for thou art the man whom an angel said in a vision: Thou shalt receive. Therefore, go with me into my house and I will impart unto thee of my food; and I know that thou wilt be a blessing unto me and my house.  And it came to pass that the man received him into his house; and the man was called Amulek; and he brought forth bread and meat and set before Alma."

The best part of the whole story is not only was Alma obedient, and Amulek in tune, but then in chapter 9 they went into the city together to preach the word of God to a scary group of people.  Nothing is better than having a companion to help you through the struggles in life!  I am so grateful for their examples and have great cause to rejoice also.  I only hope that I can have a part of the faith that they had and strive to be in tune with the spirit everyday! 

4 Cornerstones a Home should be built on

The last while I have noticed some cute family scene's and realized how important family is.  I loved seeing a little one year old play in the sand in Arches National Park with her family.  I watched in awe when I was at Costco as a Dad snuggled with a baby and kept kissing him.  Many more scenes come to mind, but the point is I want that!

How can I be a good wife and mother when I have no experience?  I want to be the best I can, so I am really working on improving myself now.  I may not have a lot to offer, but I will always love to the best of my abilities.  I read a great talk today called "Except the Lord Build the House," by President Hinckley.  I love the four cornerstones that President Hinckley suggests a home is built upon.

1-Respect for One Another
2-The Soft Answer
3-Honesty with God and with One Another
4-Family Prayer

I love these suggestions, although I think that they are musts!  I see so many families struggling because they are lacking one of these simple things.  I say that now, but I haven't walked in the shoes of a married person or been a Mom.  Hopefully I can learn through example, trial and error, and doing the best I can.  Go read the talk! 

Draw closer to God

Recently I picked up the book by Elder Henry B. Eyring, "Draw closer to God."  I started it a few years ago and somehow got sidetracked, which I have no idea why because it is an amazing book.  I have always tried to be closer to my Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost, but this year it has become much more important to me.  I realized after the hard year I had in 2011 that it was ESSENTIAL!

With that being said I taught (well hopefully the spirit taught) a lesson on Heavenly Father this past Sunday.  It is the first lesson in the Gospel Principles Manual and so simple!  My favorite part of the lesson was the section titled "Coming to know God."  It is as simple as 4 things that have been on my mind since.

1. Believe that He exists and that He loves us (see Mosiah 4:9).
2. Study the scriptures (see 2 Timothy 3:14–17).
3. Pray to Him (see James 1:5).
4. Obey all His commandments as best we can (see John 14:21–23).

That being said I do feel near to all three members of the Godhead, but only when I am striving to does those 4 things.  It seems like I can do 2-3 at a time, but struggle with doing all 4 all the time.  I am so grateful that Christ walked the earth so he knows exactly how I feel!

Stand in Sacred Places

Oh my goodness I cannot say enough good things about Elder Marlin K. Jensen's CES address from this past week. I want to watch it again and can here. I felt the spirit so strongly and loved the lessons he taught about the Sacred Grove. The Sacred Grove is special to me for so many reasons...It is were Joseph Smith met God the Father and Jesus Christ in answer to his prayer. It is also the last vacation I went on with my Mother before she passed away. It is where Elder Scott from the Quorum of the 12 apostles proposed to his wife and it is where I have felt the spirit so strongly! I wish I lived closer to the site, but the good news is I can stand in sacred places or feel the Spirit daily!

Elder Jensen talked about what we can learn from the Sacred Grove. He said, "A careful observer of nature ... can learn some significant lessons from the ecosystem that exists there," he said. "I wish to briefly share four of those lessons with you tonight."
Those 4 lessons are:
Lesson No.1: Trees always grow toward the light.
Lesson No. 2: Trees require opposition to fulfill the measure of their creation.
Lesson No. 3: Trees are best grown in forests, not in isolation.
Lesson No. 4: Trees draw strength from the nutrients created by previous generations of trees.

He applied this tree analogy to each of our lives.  I don't even know what else to share with you from him because every word inspired me!  If you want to read some of the talk (but not the full text) you can at ldschurchnews.com

Debt

I have been thinking a lot lately about the service member's in our church render. There are no paid members in our church. The 1st Presidency, Stake Presidency and Bishopric definitely put in more time then anyone I know who voluntarily gives of their time.  There is also the Elder's Quorum and Relief Society Presidency's. 

I never knew how much time these people really contributed until I was old enough to see my Dad gone a lot serving others.  I have always known of the scripture in Mosiah 2:17 that says "...when ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God, " but it was not until today when I read verse 34 did I receive an answer to my prayers. "...ye are eternally indebted to your heavenly Father, to render to him all that you have and are."

We are eternally indebted to our Heavenly Father because we cannot even comprehend what he has done for us.  I am pretty blessed to be served by the above mentioned people on a daily basis, but even more blessed that I have a Heavenly Father and Savior who love me so much.  I know that they love me because of their sacrifices.  So thank you President Monson, my Bishop, my Dad, and especially my Father in Heaven.

The Church of JESUS CHRIST of Latter Day Saints

I realized today how many people around the world are reading this blog and I thought I would tell you about my church. I belong to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. We have approximatley 14 million members around the world. We are Christian and strive to emulate Jesus Christ. We believe in continuing revelation and I know that God answers my prayers. We also believe that we have the restored Priesthood here on the earth. We study and read from the Book of Mormon, which I KNOW is true because I have prayed about it and received my own personal answer about the truthfulness therein.

We have 13 Articles of Faith that include our basic beliefs:

"1 We believe in God, the Eternal Father, and in His Son, Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Ghost.

2 We believe that men will be punished for their own sins, and not for Adam’s transgression.

3 We believe that through the Atonement of Christ, all mankind may be saved, by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel.

4 We believe that the first principles and ordinances of the Gospel are: first, Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ; second, Repentance; third, Baptism by immersion for the remission of sins; fourth, Laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost.

5 We believe that a man must be called of God, by prophecy, and by the laying on of hands by those who are in authority, to preach the Gospel and administer in the ordinances thereof.

6 We believe in the same organization that existed in the Primitive Church, namely, apostles, prophets, pastors, teachers, evangelists, and so forth.

7 We believe in the gift of tongues, prophecy, revelation, visions, healing, interpretation of tongues, and so forth.

8 We believe the Bible to be the word of God as far as it is translated correctly; we also believe the Book of Mormon to be the word of God.

9 We believe all that God has revealed, all that He does now reveal, and we believe that He will yet reveal many great and important things pertaining to the Kingdom of God.

10 We believe in the literal gathering of Israel and in the restoration of the Ten Tribes; that Zion (the New Jerusalem) will be built upon the American continent; that Christ will reign personally upon the earth; and, that the earth will be renewed and receive its paradisiacal glory.

11 We claim the privilege of worshiping Almighty God according to the dictates of our own conscience, and allow all men the same privilege, let them worship how, where, or what they may.

12 We believe in being subject to kings, presidents, rulers, and magistrates, in obeying, honoring, and sustaining the law.

13 We believe in being honest, true, chaste, benevolent, virtuous, and in doing egood to all men; indeed, we may say that we follow the admonition of Paul—We believe all things, we hope all things, we have endured many things, and hope to be able to endure all things. If there is anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy, we seek after these things."

I am so grateful to be a member of this church and am priveldged to share it with others in hopes of bring them unto Christ!