My sister in law and my wife have sparked a new craze in our house.
"If thou art merry, praise the Lord with singing, with music, with dancing, and with a prayer of praise and thanksgiving." D&C 136:28
Out of Pocket
7 months ago
Personal Online Journal
Many voices from the world in which we live tell us we should live at a frantic pace. There is always more to do and more to accomplish. Yet deep inside each of us is a need to have a place of refuge where peace and serenity prevail, a place where we can reset, regroup, and reenergize to prepare for future pressures....
The ideal place for that peace is within the walls of our own homes, where we have done all we can to make the Lord Jesus Christ the centerpiece.
Weight-bearing beams in a Christ-centered home...
- daily personal and family prayer
- daily personal and family scripture study
- weekly family home evening
"Without these regular practices it will be difficult to find the desired and much-needed peace and refuge from the world."
many of us have a personal electronic device that fits into our pocket. We are seldom without its company; we may refer to it many times a day. Unfortunately, these devices can be a source of filth and wasted time. But, used with discipline, this technology can be a tool of protection from the worst of society.
There are those whose marriages are not as happy as they would wish, as well as those who have never married, are divorced, are single parents, or for various reasons are not in a position to marry. These circumstances can be full of challenge and heartbreak, but they need not be eternal. To those of you in such situations who nevertheless “cheerfully do all things that lie in [your] power”11 to persevere, may heaven bless you richly. Seek after the ideal of forming an eternal marriage, including by striving or preparing to be a worthy spouse. Keep the commandments, and trust the Lord and His perfect love for you. One day every promised blessing concerning marriage will be yours."Obedience to Law is Liberty"
"Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief" Mark 9:22-24
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I wish to speak directly to the young people of the Church—young in years of age or young in years of membership or young in years of faith. One way or another, that should include just about all of us.
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When those moments come and issues surface, the resolution of which is not immediately forthcoming, hold fast to what you already know and stand strong until additional knowledge comes.
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Be as candid about your questions as you need to be; life is full of them on one subject or another. But if you and your family want to be healed, don’t let those questions stand in the way of faith working its miracle.
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don’t hyperventilate
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fan the flame of your faithChristoffel Golden Jr, The Father and the Son, Apr 2013
President Ezra Taft Benson with prophetic insight said, “Nothing is going to startle us more when we pass through the veil to the other side than to realize how well we know our Father [in Heaven] and how familiar his face is to us.” (Jesus Christ--Gifts and Expectations, BYU Devotional Dec 10, 1974)"When our only desire is to please Him, we will be blessed with a deep inner peace" (Bruce D. Porter, Beautiful Mornings, Apr 2013)
‘Forget not, never forget that you have promised me to use this silver to become an honest man.’ Jean Valjean, who had no recollection of this promise, stood confounded. The bishop … continued, solemnly: ‘Jean Valjean, my brother: you belong no longer to evil, but to good. It is your soul that I am buying for you. I withdraw it from dark thoughts and from the spirit of perdition, and I give it to God!’"I will be merciful unto your weakness" D&C 38:14 (referred to by Craig A. Cardon, The Savior Wants to Forgive, Apr 2013
In the sacramental prayers, God promises to send the Holy Ghost to be with us (see Moroni 4:3; 5:2; D&C 20:77, 79). I have found in that moment that God can give me what feels like a personal interview. He brings to my attention what I have done that pleases Him, my need for repentance and forgiveness, and the names and faces of people He would have me serve for Him.
Over the years, that repeated experience has turned hope into feelings of charity and brought an assurance that mercy was unlocked for me by the Savior’s Atonement and Resurrection.
Now, brethren, do not expect perfection in your choice of a mate. Do not be so particular that you overlook her most important qualities of having a strong testimony, living the principles of the gospel, loving home, wanting to be a mother in Zion, and supporting you in your priesthood responsibilities.
Of course, she should be attractive to you, but do not just date one girl after another for the sole pleasure of dating without seeking the Lord’s confirmation in your choice of your eternal companion.
And one good yardstick as to whether a person might be the right one for you is this: in her presence, do you think your noblest thoughts, do you aspire to your finest deeds, do you wish you were better than you are?
Have you ever wondered why the Lord, in the garden of Eden, gave Adam and Eve two commandments that couldn't both be kept at the same time?...
"What compelled them to turn to the Savior?"...
"Their transgression of the law", Michael nodded "Their brokenness under the law awakened them to their need for a Savior. A Savior who could then take them far beyond where they had been."
When we like the people of King Benjamin and Adam and Eve before them, become awakened to our brokenness under the law and throw ourselves contritely at the Lord's feet, He will make our scarlet sins as snow and purify our broken hearts that we too might be changed by the Spirit into beings that "have no more disposition to do evil, but to do good continually' (Mosiah 5:2)-
Which brings us to the central, contrition-inviting hub of the commandments, the sin-exposing commandment of the Sabbath...