I read 1 Nephi 4:20 - chapter 5:6 today. This is the part of Nephi's story where he obtained the plates of brass from Laban and then traveled back with this brothers to their parents' tent in the wilderness. I have always wondered why God did not make this task easier for them. Wouldn't it have been much easier if He would have said; "Before you head out into the wilderness, stop by Laban's house and get the brass plates from him? And then swing by Ishmael's house, take his daughters as wives for your sons and bring them with you." It would have been easier, but what would they have missed out on if He did that? The experiences that provided trials and blessings for building patience; trust in the Lord; humility; trust in their father and husband, Lehi; determination; working together, etc. The talk that I read today is found in the Liahona, entitled Enduring Well, by Elder Neil A. Maxwell. "Rather than simply passing through trials, we must allow trials to pass through us in ways that sanctify us." He said.
"Trying to comprehend the trials and meaning of this life without understanding Heavenly Father’s marvelously encompassing plan of salvation is like trying to understand a three-act play while seeing only the second act. Fortunately, our knowledge of the Savior, Jesus Christ, and His Atonement helps us to endure our trials and to see purpose in suffering and to trust God for what we cannot comprehend.
Revealed truths reassure us that we are enclosed in divine empathy. As Enoch witnessed, we worship a God who wept over needless human misery and wickedness (see Moses 7:28–29, 33, 37). Jesus’ perfect empathy was ensured when, along with His Atonement for our sins, He took upon Himself our sicknesses, sorrows, griefs, and infirmities and came to know these “according to the flesh” (Alma 7:11–12).
He did this in order that He might be filled with perfect, personal mercy and empathy and thereby know how to succor us in our infirmities. He thus fully comprehends human suffering. Truly Christ “descended below all things, in that he comprehended all things” (D&C 88:6)." Knowing this allows me to endure the trials that I am asked to bear. I know that Christ is right there beside me, watching me, empathizing with me and pulling for me to make it through gracefully and graciously, like He did. In all of my aloneness, the suffering that I experience that no one else understands, Christ is there with all wisdom and all understanding. Every pain that I feel, every fear that I experience that causes my heart to ache unnoticed by others, He knows! Click this link to hear a song that inspires the testimony that is in me, sung by Jeremy Camp.
Wednesday, February 3, 2016
Tuesday, February 2, 2016
Day 5 - Blessings from keeping the commandments
1 Nephi 4 1-19: What great blessings have you seen in your life as you have been obedient and were faithful in keeping the commandments of The Lord?
- The blessing of always having my temporal needs met, from obeying the law of Tithing.
- The blessing of having the Spirit guide me in my every day decisions; large and small.
- The blessing of seeing God's hand in my life; His tender mercies, the love notes that he leaves for me everywhere I look. I think of Him, I pray to Him, I know he's there and I witness His love for me and everyone else around me.
- The blessing of peace and happiness regardless of what is going on around me.
- The blessings of whatever it is that I need to help me make it through tough times. Sometimes I need confidence, sometimes humility, other times courage, patience, charity or hope. He blesses me with what I need to help His purposes get accomplished.
- Peace of mind
- Love For Him. Love for myself and love for others with that same love.
- Freedom from regret or other painful consequences
I know there's more, but right now I need to put it on hold and take care of my little one...
Saturday, January 30, 2016
Tell Me The Stories Of Jesus
I am starting a new Book of Mormon reading schedule. I have been reading since January 1st (like everyone else does on January 1st of every year), but now I want some study helps. I want to get more out of reading the Book of Mormon than I ever have and gain a testimony of Christ and His gospel more than I have to this point in my life.
My mom told me about BOM365, an app for Instagram. I started yesterday and will either try to catch up to their schedule or go at my own pace. I will use this blog as a way to journal about my journey.
DAY 1 (01-30-16) How can we teach our children to have faith in Christ?
When my daughter feels overwhelmed with a problem, sad about something that seems hopeless, or worried about something that she can’t get over, I remind her to pray. The Savior can do ANYTHING and He will help us do what we need to do when we ask Him. I remind her that He will help us to be happy, help us find something that is lost, help us feel love for someone when they hurt us and help us to forgive. He will help us, guide us, and love us. We can turn to Him in any moment every day. I sing songs of faith and praise and turn to Christ myself when I feel down. I love the scriptures, I tell her stories to help instill faith in her and I turn to prayer myself. She hears me pray, she knows I believe in Him and His omnipotent power. She follows my lead. She does what I do and believes what I believe. BUT for some reason I feel like most of my efforts are in teaching her. I want to instill these things in her. I want her to make a right choice because it is the right thing to do; not because I say so, but because she wants to.
The suggested article for today is “Tell Me The Stories of Jesus” by Neil A. Anderson. I would highlight the parts that spoke to me, but it would be the whole thing! I take them as instructions for me personally of how to instill a testimony in her. It can't be done in Family Home Evenings or simply taking her to church every Sunday, or even reading the scriptures to her on a regular basis, it has to be done over time in every day situations, allowing her to apply these truths to herself in her own life. It has to come from me, from my study of Christ's life and from the way I speak of and live His gospel.
Here it is...
"Have our children visualized the pre-mortal council, where Jesus—the greatest of all—declared, “Here am I, send me”? Do they see their own willingness to serve as following His example? Do they think about His humble birth, the Savior of the world lying in a manger? Do His circumstances help them better understand the proper place of material possessions? Do they know that Jesus often taught, “Ask, and ye shall receive”? Do His prayers of thankfulness and His pleadings to His Father flow through our children’s minds as they kneel in prayer with their own concerns? Have we told them of the love Jesus has for children, how He held them in His arms, prayed for them, and wept?
Do our children know that Jesus stands ready “with open arms to receive [them]”? Do they take strength in the stories of Jesus fasting — as we teach them the law of the fast? In their own loneliness, do our children know the loneliness the Savior felt as His friends deserted Him and as He asked His Apostles, “Will ye also go away?” Have our children felt the power of the Savior’s miracles? Jesus healed the leper, gave sight to the blind. He fed the 5,000, calmed the sea, and raised Lazarus from the dead.
Do our children believe that “it is by faith that miracles are wrought,” and do they pray for miracles in their own lives? Have our children taken courage from the Savior’s words to the ruler of the synagogue: “Be not afraid, only believe”? Do our children know about His perfect life, His selfless ministry, His betrayal and cruel Crucifixion? Have we testified to them of the certainty of His Resurrection, of His visit to the Nephites in the Americas, of His appearance to the Prophet Joseph Smith in the Sacred Grove?
Do they anticipate His majestic return, when all will be made right and every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus is the Christ? Do our children say, “Tell me the stories of Jesus I love to hear”? As you reverently speak about the Savior—in the car, on the bus, at the dinner table, as you kneel in prayer, during scripture study, or in late-night conversations—the Spirit of the Lord will accompany your words. As you do your best, the testimony of Jesus will gently distill upon your children’s hearts. They will go to their Heavenly Father in humble prayer and feel His influence through the power of the Holy Ghost. A stronger personal faith in Jesus Christ will prepare them for the challenges they will most surely face."
Scripture to memorize: "And now (Sheri) remember, remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation; that when the devil shall send his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall. " Helaman 5:12
My mom told me about BOM365, an app for Instagram. I started yesterday and will either try to catch up to their schedule or go at my own pace. I will use this blog as a way to journal about my journey.
DAY 1 (01-30-16) How can we teach our children to have faith in Christ?
When my daughter feels overwhelmed with a problem, sad about something that seems hopeless, or worried about something that she can’t get over, I remind her to pray. The Savior can do ANYTHING and He will help us do what we need to do when we ask Him. I remind her that He will help us to be happy, help us find something that is lost, help us feel love for someone when they hurt us and help us to forgive. He will help us, guide us, and love us. We can turn to Him in any moment every day. I sing songs of faith and praise and turn to Christ myself when I feel down. I love the scriptures, I tell her stories to help instill faith in her and I turn to prayer myself. She hears me pray, she knows I believe in Him and His omnipotent power. She follows my lead. She does what I do and believes what I believe. BUT for some reason I feel like most of my efforts are in teaching her. I want to instill these things in her. I want her to make a right choice because it is the right thing to do; not because I say so, but because she wants to.
The suggested article for today is “Tell Me The Stories of Jesus” by Neil A. Anderson. I would highlight the parts that spoke to me, but it would be the whole thing! I take them as instructions for me personally of how to instill a testimony in her. It can't be done in Family Home Evenings or simply taking her to church every Sunday, or even reading the scriptures to her on a regular basis, it has to be done over time in every day situations, allowing her to apply these truths to herself in her own life. It has to come from me, from my study of Christ's life and from the way I speak of and live His gospel.
Here it is...
"Have our children visualized the pre-mortal council, where Jesus—the greatest of all—declared, “Here am I, send me”? Do they see their own willingness to serve as following His example? Do they think about His humble birth, the Savior of the world lying in a manger? Do His circumstances help them better understand the proper place of material possessions? Do they know that Jesus often taught, “Ask, and ye shall receive”? Do His prayers of thankfulness and His pleadings to His Father flow through our children’s minds as they kneel in prayer with their own concerns? Have we told them of the love Jesus has for children, how He held them in His arms, prayed for them, and wept?
Do our children know that Jesus stands ready “with open arms to receive [them]”? Do they take strength in the stories of Jesus fasting — as we teach them the law of the fast? In their own loneliness, do our children know the loneliness the Savior felt as His friends deserted Him and as He asked His Apostles, “Will ye also go away?” Have our children felt the power of the Savior’s miracles? Jesus healed the leper, gave sight to the blind. He fed the 5,000, calmed the sea, and raised Lazarus from the dead.
Do our children believe that “it is by faith that miracles are wrought,” and do they pray for miracles in their own lives? Have our children taken courage from the Savior’s words to the ruler of the synagogue: “Be not afraid, only believe”? Do our children know about His perfect life, His selfless ministry, His betrayal and cruel Crucifixion? Have we testified to them of the certainty of His Resurrection, of His visit to the Nephites in the Americas, of His appearance to the Prophet Joseph Smith in the Sacred Grove?
Do they anticipate His majestic return, when all will be made right and every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus is the Christ? Do our children say, “Tell me the stories of Jesus I love to hear”? As you reverently speak about the Savior—in the car, on the bus, at the dinner table, as you kneel in prayer, during scripture study, or in late-night conversations—the Spirit of the Lord will accompany your words. As you do your best, the testimony of Jesus will gently distill upon your children’s hearts. They will go to their Heavenly Father in humble prayer and feel His influence through the power of the Holy Ghost. A stronger personal faith in Jesus Christ will prepare them for the challenges they will most surely face."
Scripture to memorize: "And now (Sheri) remember, remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation; that when the devil shall send his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall. " Helaman 5:12
Monday, January 18, 2016
Combating Pornography
Our stake has been invited to attend three workshops on Combating Pornography. All stake and ward members are encouraged to attend. There are hundreds of couples in our stake who are struggling with this battle, more than any of us would care to imagine. The adversary uses this tool to destroy many lives and eternal marriages. It can be extremely addictive. Even though it can be overcome with the atoning power of our Savior, avoiding its grip would save a lot of heartache and suffering.
We need to educate ourselves and our children about its effects and the seriousness and reality of the hold that it can have on any of us. Pornography interferes with respect and intimacy and confuses participants with enticement and lust; calling evil good and good evil. It robs men and women who participate in it of the Spirit, by mocking eternal love and womanhood. Christ tells us in Matt 5:28, "...whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart."
The church provides several means for support to those who struggle with this, but prevention is the easiest way to combat it before the temptation ever starts. Awareness and avoidance prevents the temptation from having any effect. The first of these three workshops will be held on January 21st. A panel discussion with local Priesthood leaders, church members and professionals from LDS Family Services will address us. The next workshop; "Intervention", will be held on February 18th. And at the third workshop they will address "Healing". All of these will take place at the American Fork Tabernacle; 110 East Main Street In American Fork at 7:pm. If you want to learn more on this subject before Thursday, read any or all of the articles posted on LDS.org or watch a video or two.
There are church support groups for those who are struggling to overcome pornography and ones designed for family members. Don’t struggle or suffer alone! For more information on the church’s Addiction Recover Program, go to arp.lds.org
We need to educate ourselves and our children about its effects and the seriousness and reality of the hold that it can have on any of us. Pornography interferes with respect and intimacy and confuses participants with enticement and lust; calling evil good and good evil. It robs men and women who participate in it of the Spirit, by mocking eternal love and womanhood. Christ tells us in Matt 5:28, "...whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart."
The church provides several means for support to those who struggle with this, but prevention is the easiest way to combat it before the temptation ever starts. Awareness and avoidance prevents the temptation from having any effect. The first of these three workshops will be held on January 21st. A panel discussion with local Priesthood leaders, church members and professionals from LDS Family Services will address us. The next workshop; "Intervention", will be held on February 18th. And at the third workshop they will address "Healing". All of these will take place at the American Fork Tabernacle; 110 East Main Street In American Fork at 7:pm. If you want to learn more on this subject before Thursday, read any or all of the articles posted on LDS.org or watch a video or two.
There are church support groups for those who are struggling to overcome pornography and ones designed for family members. Don’t struggle or suffer alone! For more information on the church’s Addiction Recover Program, go to arp.lds.org
Sunday, December 13, 2015
Searching for John
Family History Work, preparing our family members to receive the blessings of Eternal Life...
This post is for me to provide resources and Family Search suggestions, more than telling my story about my ancestor; JOHN WILLIAM KREBS.
My Great, Grandfather’s name is John William Krebs. He was born in 1875 in South Weber, Davis County, Utah. When he was 5 years old his father (same name) disappeared. I have been hooked on searching for any information I can find on him for about a year! Family Tradition says…
1. He was born in Ireland (or Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada) on February 22, 1844.
2. He was married to Hannah Maria Firth Winks around 1873 in South Weber, Utah.
3. He lived in South Weber in 1880 (around the time that he disappeared). Their name was listed in the US Census for that area as Cribbs.
4. He had three children; John William born 1875, Lola born 1877, and George born 1879.
5. He was baptized and confirmed on November 9, 1889.
6. He died in Idaho Falls, Bonneville County, Idaho on February 9, 1919.
7. Temple work was done for him in 1975; where he was sealed to Hannah and to two people who we have not been able to confirm as his parents.
That last one is why I am working so hard to confirm his information and confirm or get the correct temple work completed. I also feel drawn to learn details about his life. No one knows when or where he was actually born or who his parents or siblings are (or if he had any). Why did he leave his wife and young family? What was his childhood like? I might not find all these details before I get to meet him in the next life, but everything that I find now is like finding treasures! *Keep in mind I am new at this. I will add updates to this post (after the last paragraph), if someone adds or makes corrections to my suggestions.
Our family has been searching for John for over 60 years! That was enough for me to take on the challenge of finding him. This is my first experience with Family History. Sometimes I regret that, sometimes I’m glad that I started on a difficult “investigation”, because of all that I am learning! Every other ancestor that I investigate is a breeze compared to him. I am doing small amounts of research and data integrity verification for other family members, but I always go back to John. For some reason I feel like he is where I need to focus my efforts right now. I even landed a temporary, part-time job, working for the Salt Lake Family History Library, knowing that this would allow me to search for him (and others) every day!
The Family History Library has paid and voluntary consultants who are trained to help guests. Two months ago I found a pension receipt on Fold3.com (you get limited access to this site as a registered member of Family Search and 100% free access when you are in the Family History library). I was referred by a consultant to a clerk (Eugene Buck) who works with the National Archives Records Administration (NARA). For a small price he retrieved a copy of John’s Pension Application. I sent him an e-mail (ebuck43@aol.com) with the information about the document that I was looking for and he sent me back a 20 page Application with an invoice for his services.
Gene is on the hunt right now to help me find John’s Army enrollment application and medical records. From the application, I discovered that he was actually born in 1838 in Baltimore, Maryland (or at least that’s what he said). He married Hannah in Evanston, Utah; a town in Summit County that existed for 3 months. They lived in South Weber and Burley, ID. When he filled out this application, he was in Idaho Falls, having no knowledge at that time where his children were living. He had a bullet wound scar on his left calf and one in the middle of his forehead from his service in the Army during one of the Indian Wars (1866 thru 1869).
I also learned from Sons of Utah Pioneers (SUP) that he worked for Union Pacific Railroad around 1869 in Omaha, NE.
I have searched hundreds of birth records, census records, marriage, death, and cemetery records. I have searched land ownership records and probate records on microfilm, books and online. I have learned about The Indian War, about the early settlers in South Weber and Idaho Falls. I have learned all about my other ancestors who were directly related to him; his wife Hannah, her family, their children, their grandchildren, his step-children, neighbors, friends, and their enemies all for the efforts to find any information that I can find on him. I got off on tangents. I ran circles. I reinvented many, many, many wheels to confirm his information and look for more clues. I discovered a lot, but I also added to my list of facts that I need to find and/or confirm.
I am learning all about organization and task management. I’m an Executive Secretary by occupation. Organization and multi-tasking is the entire nature of that position, but I have never had to organize so much information or manage so many tasks for one person! I am gaining the skills of paying close attention to details, and remembering them (another skill that I am developing). I am gaining a love for my ancestors and a deep respect for what they endured in their lives, nothing compared to what I think I have to endure. I am learning how to stay focused, stay on task, prioritize, and follow through ~ tons of following through!
Here is a list of some of my favorite sites. Some of them are free from any computer; all of them are free when you are in the FHL.
• 19th Century British Library Newspaper Digital Archive
• The American Civil War (via Alexander Street Press): Research Database, Letters and Diaries, Images, Photographs, Posters, and Ephemera, Social and Cultural History, Women and Social Movements in the United States
• American Ancestors (by New England Historical Genealogical Society)
• Ancestry.com - (in the library, you get the Institution Version)
• Findmypast - (in the library, you get the Institution Version)
• The Genealogist
• Historic Map Works - (in the library, you get the Library Edition)
• Kinpoint - (in the library, you get the Premium Edition)
• MyHeritage - Library Edition
• Access Newspaper Archive
• Paper Trail
• ProQuest Obituary Listings
• Puzzilla.org - Premium Services
• World Vital Records - All content has been added to MyHeritage.com (who purchased WVR).
In order to get free Premium access to these sites, type fhc.familysearch.org in your internet browser when you are at the library. Go to the Genealogical Research section and click on Premium Family History Websites. The Family History Center in our area is at the American Fork Tabernacle on 100 East and Main Street. I will provide more information here when I get it.
Family Search, Family History, Genealogy, whatever you’re doing, whatever you call it; it’s not for wimps or “old” people (like I used to think)!
If you like reading, researching, investigating, writing, analyzing, organizing, tracking, planning, finding and/or problem solving, you will love Family History! But just a warning; once you get started, you’ll be hooked! That’s what the Spirit of Elijah does; it brings the hearts of the children to their fathers (and mothers) and the hearts of the fathers to their children. See LDS.org for more on "The Spirit of Elijah".
Sunday, November 22, 2015
Being Financially Prepared
My Visiting Teacher asked me to help her for a few minutes in her lesson last Sunday. Her lesson was on Temporal and Spiritual Welfare. This is one thing that I have not written about yet on this blog. I have never considered it a strength of mine, in fact it served as a reminder that I needed. The topic that she gave me to share my thought on was section # 4 “The Peace and Contentment that comes when we save a portion of our earnings and avoid unnecessary debt.” Helping with this lesson solidified these things in my mind and has proven to be perfect timing for me for two reason; first, my husband’s new job and second, Christmas Shopping.
I only had a few minutes, so I didn’t say all of this, but this is the full version of what I compiled before the lesson and I promised to post it here…
My grandfather was so great at saving money and staying out of debt. He counseled us to pay tithing and fast offerings first and then 10% to personal savings, but I am certain that he exceeded that counsel. I think he paid his tithing, paid his bills and saved the rest. With his savings in addition to insurance, he was able to take care of his family long after he passed away; my grandmothers’ 24 hour home health care and hospital bills before she passed away, my aunts’ home healthcare before she passed away and my father’s health care and living expenses (at the age of 75)! That is being prepared and leaving his family protected against financial storms.
I just want to highlight a few points that were made in this section of the lesson that spoke to me and talk about why and how this topic supports yet another way for us to be prepared for the unexpected…
The first thing that I quoted was; “The Lord desires his Saints to be free and independent in the critical days ahead. But no man is truly free who is in financial bondage.”
Pointing to myself I said; “This is what financial bondage looks like…” And then I said; “I’m sure I could be much worse.” But the truth is I could be better too. We don’t have any money saved right now. We live month to month, paycheck to paycheck. If we have anything extra after we pay our bills, we buy things that we want. Among those bills is one credit card that I use for emergencies and payments on our “new” fridge that we bought a year ago. We also have debt with the IRS, because of my husband’s self-employment job and unfortunate circumstances that were created by our CPA.
If we had been able to make a few sacrifices and had money in savings, instead of buying what we wanted, we would have $200 extra each month right now to put into savings. Our fridge would have been bought with cash and our emergency expenses would have been covered. But instead we are in bondage, paying for things that we needed in the past in addition to interest and sometimes late fees.
Another quote from the lesson is this; “More than ever before, we need to learn and apply the principles of economic self-reliance. We do not know when the crisis involving sickness or unemployment may affect our own circumstances. We do know that the Lord has decreed global calamities for the future and has warned and forewarned us to be prepared. For this reason the Brethren have repeatedly stressed a “back to basics” program for temporal and spiritual welfare.”
Economic self-reliance… Preparing for the Unexpected… The Brethren said it. That’s enough for me.
“In the long run, it is easier to live within our income and resist borrowing from future reserves except in cases of necessity – never for luxuries. It is not fair to ourselves or our communities to be so improvident in our spending that the day our income stops we must turn to relief agencies or the Church for financial aid.”
“Do not, I solemnly urge you, tie yourselves to payment of carrying charges that are often exorbitant. Save now and buy later, and you will be much further ahead. You will spare yourselves high interest and other payments, and the money you save may provide opportunity for you to buy later at substantial cash discounts.”
“Brothers and Sisters, peace and contentment come into our hearts when we live within our means. God grant us the wisdom and faith to heed the inspired counsel of the Priesthood to get out of debt, to live within our means, and to pay as we go – in short, to “pay thy debt, and live.”
My husband and I talked about this yesterday. He started a new j.o.b. that will bring us consistent income. He has been self-employed our entire marriage. This new job will provide security and consistency, allowing us to create and live within a budget. We will pay tithing and fast offerings before we pay anything else and after bills, pay off our debts.
Eventually, hopefully sooner than later, we will be able to save the money that we have been putting into debt payments. For awhile we will be tight, living within our means and paying all excess debt that we have. Christmas is coming up. We will be simple in our gift giving and receiving this year (we came up with that plan in our discussion about this lesson). I know that the Lord will bless us as we follow this counsel. And in the long run it will all be worth it; the sense of peace and contentment and security will be worth it all.
I only had a few minutes, so I didn’t say all of this, but this is the full version of what I compiled before the lesson and I promised to post it here…
My grandfather was so great at saving money and staying out of debt. He counseled us to pay tithing and fast offerings first and then 10% to personal savings, but I am certain that he exceeded that counsel. I think he paid his tithing, paid his bills and saved the rest. With his savings in addition to insurance, he was able to take care of his family long after he passed away; my grandmothers’ 24 hour home health care and hospital bills before she passed away, my aunts’ home healthcare before she passed away and my father’s health care and living expenses (at the age of 75)! That is being prepared and leaving his family protected against financial storms.
I just want to highlight a few points that were made in this section of the lesson that spoke to me and talk about why and how this topic supports yet another way for us to be prepared for the unexpected…
The first thing that I quoted was; “The Lord desires his Saints to be free and independent in the critical days ahead. But no man is truly free who is in financial bondage.”
Pointing to myself I said; “This is what financial bondage looks like…” And then I said; “I’m sure I could be much worse.” But the truth is I could be better too. We don’t have any money saved right now. We live month to month, paycheck to paycheck. If we have anything extra after we pay our bills, we buy things that we want. Among those bills is one credit card that I use for emergencies and payments on our “new” fridge that we bought a year ago. We also have debt with the IRS, because of my husband’s self-employment job and unfortunate circumstances that were created by our CPA.
If we had been able to make a few sacrifices and had money in savings, instead of buying what we wanted, we would have $200 extra each month right now to put into savings. Our fridge would have been bought with cash and our emergency expenses would have been covered. But instead we are in bondage, paying for things that we needed in the past in addition to interest and sometimes late fees.
Another quote from the lesson is this; “More than ever before, we need to learn and apply the principles of economic self-reliance. We do not know when the crisis involving sickness or unemployment may affect our own circumstances. We do know that the Lord has decreed global calamities for the future and has warned and forewarned us to be prepared. For this reason the Brethren have repeatedly stressed a “back to basics” program for temporal and spiritual welfare.”
Economic self-reliance… Preparing for the Unexpected… The Brethren said it. That’s enough for me.
“In the long run, it is easier to live within our income and resist borrowing from future reserves except in cases of necessity – never for luxuries. It is not fair to ourselves or our communities to be so improvident in our spending that the day our income stops we must turn to relief agencies or the Church for financial aid.”
“Do not, I solemnly urge you, tie yourselves to payment of carrying charges that are often exorbitant. Save now and buy later, and you will be much further ahead. You will spare yourselves high interest and other payments, and the money you save may provide opportunity for you to buy later at substantial cash discounts.”
“Brothers and Sisters, peace and contentment come into our hearts when we live within our means. God grant us the wisdom and faith to heed the inspired counsel of the Priesthood to get out of debt, to live within our means, and to pay as we go – in short, to “pay thy debt, and live.”
My husband and I talked about this yesterday. He started a new j.o.b. that will bring us consistent income. He has been self-employed our entire marriage. This new job will provide security and consistency, allowing us to create and live within a budget. We will pay tithing and fast offerings before we pay anything else and after bills, pay off our debts.
Eventually, hopefully sooner than later, we will be able to save the money that we have been putting into debt payments. For awhile we will be tight, living within our means and paying all excess debt that we have. Christmas is coming up. We will be simple in our gift giving and receiving this year (we came up with that plan in our discussion about this lesson). I know that the Lord will bless us as we follow this counsel. And in the long run it will all be worth it; the sense of peace and contentment and security will be worth it all.
Sunday, November 15, 2015
Gratitude Brings Peace, Creates Joy and Instills Faith
Teachers and Missionaries are taught that expressing gratitude is one of the ways of inviting the Spirit into their discussions. It is among prayer, praising God in song and testifying of God's truths. To me that says expressing gratitude is important to God; the Spirit dwells where there is gratitude.
November is the month for giving thanks. When I used to Facebook, I posted one thing every day in November, that I was thankful for. That was a good practice for me for one month, once a year. But my sense of gratitude ended shortly after I stopped focusing on my life through "Gratitude" lenses.
Last year in our efforts to cultivate gratitude, our family started a practice of sharing with each other, one thing that we are thankful for, every day at dinner.
We wrote them in a book and drew pictures or glued a photo to make it a keepsake. After about a month, our gratitude practice ended. We stopped when things got busy, not because we didn't have time, but because we didn't think about it. So we're giving it another shot this year. Like any other trait we want to acquire, we need to keep practicing gratitude.
It's easy to be grateful for the things that make us happy. But when we make an effort to be grateful in the middle of our trials, we find joy, which by definition is greater than happiness, because it lasts beyond our circumstances. It is true, a grateful heart is a happy heart. I know that for a fact.
BUT let me clarify here... When you are in the middle of trauma that is caused by unfortunate circumstances in your life, pain is deep ~ naturally! It won't be fixed by cultivating happy thoughts and that should not be expected by anyone. It's not bad or weak or broken, if you can't feel gratitude during those times. But I testify to you, that Christ will lift you when you turn to Him during those heavy times. I will show you how that works in a minute. Gratitude invites the Spirit and creates joy. I have a testimony of that.
In 1 Peter:1:7, Peter taught; "That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honor and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ." I feel the Savior closest to me during the most difficult times of my life. I find strength and light, comfort, growth, healing and peace through Christ. The peace that only Christ has to offer. He wants me to know that He is there and He shows me that through His tender mercies every day, sometimes several times a day. He also wants me to notice and remember the blessings of my trials. For that and other things that I am learning, I am extremely thankful!
The law of opposition does its finest work in our toughest trials, when we look to Christ for support. I learned the value of feeling drained emotionally, when I felt passion the very next day. I learned that in order for me to experience and appreciate beauty, I needed to experience ugliness. I need to feel insecurities, to know what genuine self-love and confidence feels like. I need to experience "humanness" and "life" to feel empathy and connection with others. And I need to truly repent to know true forgiveness. I know about the law of opposition; I learn these things from the scriptures. But it wasn't until I started experiencing opposition myself on a regular basis, that I really started to get it! "I must go through the valley to stand upon the Mountain of God", like that song says that is sung by The Christian band, Third Day.
Christ went through trials of loss, anger, abandonment, temptations, sadness and heartache to gain empathy for me. He stayed faithful to His Father's will through all of it. He is our best example of Gratitude! Job is also a good example, he praised God in his blessings and his trials. And as we know, he had plenty of trials! I also love the example of Nephi in the Book of Mormon. In 2nd Nephi, Chapter 4, Nephi acknowledged his trials. His father ~ his best friend in life ~ just died and members of his family were blaming him for their afflictions, some were even threatening his life. In the middle of his "humanness", his sadness and fears and frustrations, he turned his heart (like a super power) to delighting in the things of God.
In verse 17, he says; "Nevertheless, notwithstanding the great goodness of the Lord, in showing me his great and marvelous works, my heart exclaimeth; O wretched man that I am! Yea, my heart sorroweth because of my flesh; my soul grieveth because of mine iniquities." I believe that he is referring to his lack of faith or ingratitude as iniquities. I can tell myself this, like Nephi is telling himself... 28 "Awake, my soul! No longer droop in sin. Rejoice, O my heart, and give place no more for the enemy of my soul." <--(Satan)
Read 2 Nephi chapter 4 to learn more about what a super-power like faith is from someone who has a grateful heart. He said in vs. 34 "O Lord, I have trusted in thee and I will trust in thee forever, I will not put my trust in the arm of flesh.. 35 I will lift up my voice unto thee; yea, I will cry unto thee, my God, the rock of my righteousness. Behold my voice shall forever ascend unto thee, my rock and mine everlasting God."
Gratitude fasts are a good way to develop abilities that we need that are beyond our natural "human" abilities. Gratitude is being thankful before the blessings come, because you know that God WILL deliver. Instead of asking God for what you need or want, you thank Him for what he has already done for you; for always taking care of your needs and the needs of your loved ones. By doing this, you leave everything in God's hands and you can relax about needing to have control with the outcome. It is that faith that brings miracles.
One year before our daughter was born, my husband and I flew across the country to adopt a baby girl. A baby that we considered to be ours for 7 months. The baby that we named and spent thousands of dollars on in Social Work and Attorney fees and travel expenses. The one that had a birth mom that we grew close to, that we called Baby Mama and a birth dad that we called Baby Daddy (among other names that weren't quite as friendly). When the day came for us to take "our baby" home, Baby Daddy changed our plans. He refused to sign the papers to relinquish his rights, leaving mom with no other choice but to keep their baby.
I am thankful that God didn't listen to us in our broken hearts, begging and pleading with Him; "We'll do ANYTHING to have this baby! Soften Baby Daddy's heart, WHATEVER IT TAKES! Give Baby Mamma courage to do the RIGHT thing!"
This trial brought us closer together as a couple and closer to God. It showed us who our true friends are, it brought us closer to many of you, and it brought us our daughter who we adore more than life itself. Our daughter's birth mom watched us go through that trial. If we hadn't gone through that trial the way that we did, she may have turned to an adoption agency, instead of us to find a family for her baby, an agency with whom we were not associated.
God knows what He is doing, of that I testify to you. I am thankful to God for His Restored Gospel; for the strength and peace and knowledge that it provides, for the Principles and Priesthood Ordinances that provide us with hope and security and power and miracles! I stand as a witness of His miracles and tender mercies. I am thankful for every relationship that I have, especially the more difficult ones that help me to grow.
I am thankful for my health and the health of my family members, and our illnesses that cause us to depend on our loving and nurturing Father in Heaven. I am thankful for my husband's business and his talents and ambition in providing for our temporal needs and those times when we struggle financially, because of the miracles that we witness in our times of need. And for my husband and our adorable daughter who provide the perfect combination of joy and fun and struggles that all work together to make my life beautiful and fulfilling!
And more than any other blessing that I have, I am thankful for the knowledge and power that I am given because of Christ's Atonement. He suffered and died for ME! I am thankful for life's toughest moments, the refining fires that I need to make my life, with everything and everyone in it, more precious than gold!
November is the month for giving thanks. When I used to Facebook, I posted one thing every day in November, that I was thankful for. That was a good practice for me for one month, once a year. But my sense of gratitude ended shortly after I stopped focusing on my life through "Gratitude" lenses.
Last year in our efforts to cultivate gratitude, our family started a practice of sharing with each other, one thing that we are thankful for, every day at dinner.
We wrote them in a book and drew pictures or glued a photo to make it a keepsake. After about a month, our gratitude practice ended. We stopped when things got busy, not because we didn't have time, but because we didn't think about it. So we're giving it another shot this year. Like any other trait we want to acquire, we need to keep practicing gratitude.
It's easy to be grateful for the things that make us happy. But when we make an effort to be grateful in the middle of our trials, we find joy, which by definition is greater than happiness, because it lasts beyond our circumstances. It is true, a grateful heart is a happy heart. I know that for a fact.
BUT let me clarify here... When you are in the middle of trauma that is caused by unfortunate circumstances in your life, pain is deep ~ naturally! It won't be fixed by cultivating happy thoughts and that should not be expected by anyone. It's not bad or weak or broken, if you can't feel gratitude during those times. But I testify to you, that Christ will lift you when you turn to Him during those heavy times. I will show you how that works in a minute. Gratitude invites the Spirit and creates joy. I have a testimony of that.
In 1 Peter:1:7, Peter taught; "That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honor and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ." I feel the Savior closest to me during the most difficult times of my life. I find strength and light, comfort, growth, healing and peace through Christ. The peace that only Christ has to offer. He wants me to know that He is there and He shows me that through His tender mercies every day, sometimes several times a day. He also wants me to notice and remember the blessings of my trials. For that and other things that I am learning, I am extremely thankful!
The law of opposition does its finest work in our toughest trials, when we look to Christ for support. I learned the value of feeling drained emotionally, when I felt passion the very next day. I learned that in order for me to experience and appreciate beauty, I needed to experience ugliness. I need to feel insecurities, to know what genuine self-love and confidence feels like. I need to experience "humanness" and "life" to feel empathy and connection with others. And I need to truly repent to know true forgiveness. I know about the law of opposition; I learn these things from the scriptures. But it wasn't until I started experiencing opposition myself on a regular basis, that I really started to get it! "I must go through the valley to stand upon the Mountain of God", like that song says that is sung by The Christian band, Third Day.
Christ went through trials of loss, anger, abandonment, temptations, sadness and heartache to gain empathy for me. He stayed faithful to His Father's will through all of it. He is our best example of Gratitude! Job is also a good example, he praised God in his blessings and his trials. And as we know, he had plenty of trials! I also love the example of Nephi in the Book of Mormon. In 2nd Nephi, Chapter 4, Nephi acknowledged his trials. His father ~ his best friend in life ~ just died and members of his family were blaming him for their afflictions, some were even threatening his life. In the middle of his "humanness", his sadness and fears and frustrations, he turned his heart (like a super power) to delighting in the things of God.
In verse 17, he says; "Nevertheless, notwithstanding the great goodness of the Lord, in showing me his great and marvelous works, my heart exclaimeth; O wretched man that I am! Yea, my heart sorroweth because of my flesh; my soul grieveth because of mine iniquities." I believe that he is referring to his lack of faith or ingratitude as iniquities. I can tell myself this, like Nephi is telling himself... 28 "Awake, my soul! No longer droop in sin. Rejoice, O my heart, and give place no more for the enemy of my soul." <--(Satan)
Read 2 Nephi chapter 4 to learn more about what a super-power like faith is from someone who has a grateful heart. He said in vs. 34 "O Lord, I have trusted in thee and I will trust in thee forever, I will not put my trust in the arm of flesh.. 35 I will lift up my voice unto thee; yea, I will cry unto thee, my God, the rock of my righteousness. Behold my voice shall forever ascend unto thee, my rock and mine everlasting God."
Gratitude fasts are a good way to develop abilities that we need that are beyond our natural "human" abilities. Gratitude is being thankful before the blessings come, because you know that God WILL deliver. Instead of asking God for what you need or want, you thank Him for what he has already done for you; for always taking care of your needs and the needs of your loved ones. By doing this, you leave everything in God's hands and you can relax about needing to have control with the outcome. It is that faith that brings miracles.
One year before our daughter was born, my husband and I flew across the country to adopt a baby girl. A baby that we considered to be ours for 7 months. The baby that we named and spent thousands of dollars on in Social Work and Attorney fees and travel expenses. The one that had a birth mom that we grew close to, that we called Baby Mama and a birth dad that we called Baby Daddy (among other names that weren't quite as friendly). When the day came for us to take "our baby" home, Baby Daddy changed our plans. He refused to sign the papers to relinquish his rights, leaving mom with no other choice but to keep their baby.
I am thankful that God didn't listen to us in our broken hearts, begging and pleading with Him; "We'll do ANYTHING to have this baby! Soften Baby Daddy's heart, WHATEVER IT TAKES! Give Baby Mamma courage to do the RIGHT thing!"
This trial brought us closer together as a couple and closer to God. It showed us who our true friends are, it brought us closer to many of you, and it brought us our daughter who we adore more than life itself. Our daughter's birth mom watched us go through that trial. If we hadn't gone through that trial the way that we did, she may have turned to an adoption agency, instead of us to find a family for her baby, an agency with whom we were not associated.
God knows what He is doing, of that I testify to you. I am thankful to God for His Restored Gospel; for the strength and peace and knowledge that it provides, for the Principles and Priesthood Ordinances that provide us with hope and security and power and miracles! I stand as a witness of His miracles and tender mercies. I am thankful for every relationship that I have, especially the more difficult ones that help me to grow.
I am thankful for my health and the health of my family members, and our illnesses that cause us to depend on our loving and nurturing Father in Heaven. I am thankful for my husband's business and his talents and ambition in providing for our temporal needs and those times when we struggle financially, because of the miracles that we witness in our times of need. And for my husband and our adorable daughter who provide the perfect combination of joy and fun and struggles that all work together to make my life beautiful and fulfilling!
And more than any other blessing that I have, I am thankful for the knowledge and power that I am given because of Christ's Atonement. He suffered and died for ME! I am thankful for life's toughest moments, the refining fires that I need to make my life, with everything and everyone in it, more precious than gold!
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