Why read the book of Mormon?

I would like you to do a little visualization with me. Everyone has their own set of talents and perks. You may be very athletic, artistic or musically inclined. Maybe you are a good speaker. Maybe you have dabbled in the realm of medical or natural healing, maybe you're good with plants, or people. Maybe you're incredibly skilled with directions (I am NOT...so I respect that skill). Maybe you read well...or are skilled in the area of engineering. Think about what skill you have. What talent? If you are having a hard time thinking of anything, consider a unique virtue or attribute you have. Once you have thought of your skill, virtue or other gift...maybe even a spiritual gift you have, I want you to imagine now that you are presented with a situation where you have been asked to use your skill to help a large group of people and, for whatever reason, you are the only one with this skill. Maybe others have the same skill, but not to the level of yours or there's is missing your unique perspective and attributes that couple with your skill or gift. You commit to helping this large group of people with your particular skill. You begin assisting them. Maybe you're on a stage presenting, or performing...maybe in a meeting room...maybe you're outside somewhere, on a farm....in the mountains...in a church building...in your home...wherever it is...imagine you are standing in front of this large group of people, Instructing or assisting in whatever way your skill or gift would benefit them best.

Right in the pinnacle of your instruction or assisting, something happens...Suddenly you feel an intense, sharp pain in your chest area... and before you know it...darkness. Now, remove yourself from your situation, still in your visualization. You have just collapsed. You can see your own body, on the floor or ground. What is your audience doing? What's going on? You can see that you are unconscious. Some in your audience seem to believe at first that this is a hoax, but others quickly realize you are in dire need. A firefighter from the group of people you were assisting or instructing runs over to where you are and begins performing CPR. Other's quickly call 911. Soon emergency care is there. You have just experienced a cardiac arrest.  Medics arrive. They realize you have no pulse, no heart beat, no blood pressure, no breath. You have experienced sudden death Caridac Arrest.

If this had really happened to you, ask yourself, was there anything that could have been done to prevent it? Maybe you could have eaten healthier or exercised more. Maybe you failed to attend to regular medical check-ups. Bottom line, though...regardless of what you did or didn't do...This was still an unexpected, unplanned, Cardiac arrest. You could not have prepared for this and had no signs previous to indicate this would happen.

Okay. visualization is over.
Today, I was in church, and our instructor shared that President Monson, in our last General Conference, defined that it was "Critical" for us to be reading the book of Mormon Every day! I asked myself, why is it so critical? Then it hit me. We are in a Medical emergency, EVERY day!! Our life around us is a Spiritual emergency. We are not waiting for one to come and hit us like a cardiac arrest, we are already in one! Prophets have been talking about our day for years, and our Prophets and leaders today share of the calamities that we are now experiencing.

Still, though, why is it important to read the Book of Mormon? How does reading a book save me in a spiritual emergency?

I want you to ask yourself? Could reading the book of Mormon really have that far of an impact? Could it really be the tool that saves me from death?

The scenario I had you visualize above was based on a true scenario. Actress Tracey Conway experienced a sudden death Cardiac arrest in 1995 While performing on stage! It is described that she was found dead, lifeless. It wasn't until several quick procedures and 6 electric shocks to the heart that she was finally brought back to life. Conway, in summarizing her experience, expressed:
"I lost my only brother to a heart attack and it might possibly be because he lived in another state where they couldn't give him the kind of emergency care he needed, when he needed it...Every time a Medic...unit passes me on the street I say 'God bless you.' If it hadn't been for them, I would be dead.

I testify that Christ lives! He is your advocate! Your friend! And he has provided the Book of Mormon as a gift to you, to keep you in spiritually safe grounds,...or to keep you spiritually resuscitated with each spiritual attack of every day. My challenge for you is to follow the words of our living prophet and begin reading today! It will provide for you the break in the wind, the stilling of the storm and the clarity you need for each day. This I know.

(conway's death experience):
http://www.empowher.com/heart-disease/content/audio-herstory-tracey-conway-shares-her-%E2%80%9Cdrop-dead-gorgeous%E2%80%9D-heart-disease-story?page=0,3

http://www.mediconefoundation.org/news-events/life-stories/#section8

10 Truth's about Mothers! (A Mother's Day Tribute).

It's almost midnight and I'm still trying to figure out what to write. Nothing seems to feel right. But I won't sleep until I find something to share. So, I'm going to be really authentic and maybe a little boring. I'm going to share a cut and dry message straight from the Heart.

I can think of more mothers than I can count on my 10 fingers who have been a shining example to me of what motherhood really means. I can think of countless people whom I'd like to call and wish a happy mother's day. But, here I am, haven't called you, because...well... I just didn't know where to start. It's a totally lame excuse, I know. So here I am writing instead. Up in the wee hours of the night...about to give myself a rough night's sleep...since, for me, the later it is when I hit that pillow...the harder it is for me to actually fall asleep.

But, I want you mothers to know just how much you mean to me. And I want you who are wondering if motherhood really makes a difference or if anyone really gives a darn about the roles mothers play, to know how I feel. I've thought a lot about motherhood. As a mother myself, I may still be in my infancy, but with 4 kids behind my back and a lot of thought and prayer on the subject, here is what I do know:

1-You do not have to actually bear children to be a mother.  Some of the most far-impacting mothers have never had a single child of their own...technically speaking.

2-Just because you bear children doesn't necessarily mean you're a mother, though law and society would say otherwise.

3-Motherhood is not a title, its not a job, it's a way of life.

4- Motherhood at it's finest, takes a great deal more than any 1 mother can offer. It takes fathers, brothers, sisters neighbors and neighborhoods, communities and government leaders, and I don't want to forget, the ministering of Angels, working together to accomplish the divine errand of each mother.

5-There is nothing more difficult than the Job of a mother.

6-There is nothing more rewarding than being a mother.

7-Mothers Are NOT perfect nor do they have to be nor will they be in this life. Mothers are far from perfect. It's only their willingness to accept the call, with all of its difficulties, that enables them to carry the mantle of motherhood and the divine help that accompanies such.

8-Mothers are spiritual beings.

9- Mothers have a great capacity to love. As they strive to do their best to love and nurture, their capacity to love is enhanced by enabling powers beyond their own.

10-Motherhood is important, perhaps the most important calling a being could have on this earth.

Happy mothers day!

Thank you to all the mothers around the world who have given their life...or rather, made their life through that of being a Mother!

from,

Me.

Does the phrase "Repent" seem scary?

I've been alive long enough to know that there's a pretty large handful of people that find the call to repent as quite offensive, harsh, and outright disrespectful. Maybe the phrase has been used in quite a demeaning way. Maybe someone felt judged, ridiculed or misunderstood when the phrase was used.  Whatever the reason, I'm here to tell you that, whether or not the Call to repentance has ever seemed scary or harsh to you, there's a much more beautiful side that Might change your perspective of the word "Repent" forever.

I'm a busy mom, and in my free time-which happens to be either when I'm using the restroom or at 9:30 p.m. when my kids are finally in bed (an hour and a half past their bed time)- I may be found writing here. But you'll have to excuse many of my posts, which may be a lot less structured and professional than I'd like. 

Okay, now that I've completely polluted this post with side notes about restroom breaks and what not, I'll get back to the subject. 

So what does repentance mean? 

In Websters Dictionary we can read that Repent means either to:

1- Turn from sin and dedicate oneself to the amendment of one's life, to feel regret or contrition or simply to change one's mind

Great. So, from this I may gather that to repent is to feel bad about something, maybe something I thought, I did, or whatever, and then to change that thought or action. 

Let's pick this definition apart a little though, shall we? 

First I want to ask. What is Sin? 

Just for fun, lets change things up. I'm going to look at Bible dictionary's opinion and Leave Webster out for a minute. And...I guess I changed my mind. Looks like there's not a direct definition for sin in the B.D. Scratch that. You can do a google search "LDS Definition of Sin" or search Websters for sin. 

But, I have some particular thoughts I'd like to share. 

Sin, in it's context can also come across as something quite demeaning, harsh and uncrhist-like to some. If you're not in that category, great, keep reading though. 

In the Scriptures, I once read of Christ describing His church. He expresses it as one body. And explains that there are many parts to this body. Each part, leg, arm, and I'd say: even the freckles on your nose are equally important. We can think of ourselves as that body. Then he goes on to explain why we would not want to remove any part of that body (1 Cor 1:12-24).  I'd like to share a unique perspective on this scripture. It is that when we remove our part from our body, as I see it, we are, in essence, going against our own self. Imagine, for example, you are an arm, and you decide to remove yourself (your arm) from the rest of your body. It's just not natural. No one in their right mind would do this.

For some time now, I have seen sin in this way. We are all spiritual beings who once lived with Heavenly Father and Knew Christ as our elder brother. We came to this earth, and kind of forgot who we were, but that doesn't mean we're not royal heirs to God's kingdom just because we forget. Our spirits know who we are. When we sin, we go against our very nature. We can try to act as if having our arm cut off from the rest of the body it belongs to is natural, freeing, and makes us happier, keeps us from being restricted, etc, etc, but it really just isn't natural. In the end, our spiritual selves will not be able to remain alive, we will have cut off the circulation, the lifeblood, to our spiritual well being, and will have lost sight of the essence of who we are. 

When we repent, we are simply saying, oh wow, I can see that the actions or thoughts I have are not bringing me true happiness, I can see that they are causing a deep internal conflict within me, I can see that these actions don't represent who I truly am. I don't want to carry on this way, it hurts. I want this deep wound, this broken limb to be mended. Sorry to be gruesome here.  This is a terrible analogy but bear with me. Hopefully you are getting the point I am trying to make. So, we recognize this sin...which is really just a spiritual wound. Then we seek for spiritual healing.

That is where repentance comes in.

So next time you are reading scriptures and see "Repent ye repent.." think of this strange analogy. A call to repent is not a reprimand to the wicked, rather, it is a loving beckoning- for those who have placed spiritual wounds upon themselves and others- to call upon the master healer so those gaping wounds can be mended.

If you wonder if you need to repent, let me tell you, the answer is most likely yes. I know, shocking right? We all "sin" or cause pain in our lives. Some are just cuts, bruises or scrapes, others are gaping wounds, broken bones or undiagnosed diseases. We don't necessarily intend to create these wounds. Often times we are just doing our best but maybe we haven't yet learned how to use a hammer correctly. Maybe we're so busy, so run-down or so invested in our lifestyle, we haven't even realized there's a growing infection within us. Whether we see it or not, eventually, that infection will get bad enough that we will have to face the reality of it. At that point, we are left with two choices: to continue suffering the pain of sin, or to seek assistance from the only true healer of our spirits, Our Savior, Jesus Christ.

He knows us best, and He knows how to help us to be happiest. He can help us to re-connect, deeply, to the person we truly are. If you ever feel depressed, dark, or unhappy, turn to the Savior. Maybe there's a spiritual wound you didn't recognize that just needs to be healed. He will help you to heal that wound. Maybe the wound isn't a wound of sin. Maybe there are painful scars, or wounds that others have inflicted upon you. Or maybe life's natural disasters have caused some injuries in your life that have nothing to do with your actions or anyone else's. Maybe the air in your environment is toxic and is affecting your spiritual health in some way. Whatever it is, turn to Christ, and He will help you to know what you need for your spiritual healing and well-being.

May your journey be one ever and always leading toward greater hope and happiness.

If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to share in the comments below.

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When life isn't Fair. Waiting in Gethsemane.

When Christ was in Gethsemane, Just before performing, what I understand was THE most difficult sacrifice known to mankind, one we know only the son of God could accomplish, He, having his "soul [filled with] exceeding sorrow...even unto death" asked his disciples to tarry with Him and watch with Him.



He than began the transforming sacrifice, known as the atonement, that, when completed, would enable each of Heavenly Father's children to be removed from darkness, death, and misery and come to return to live with Him again. We have been taught that his suffering was so great it led him to bleed from every pore... the pain and suffering was so great that even HE, the Son of GOd plead for his suffering to be taken from him "Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me; nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done."(luke 22)

When He returned to His disciples, in the midst of the pinnacle of his suffering,  He found them asleep and asked "What, could ye not watch with me one hour?" He then asked again that they watch with him, directing them of their need to pray, for, as Christ said, "the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak."  He then "...went away again the second time, and"
'being in agony"  prayed again, O my Father, if this cup may not pass away from me, except I drink it, thy will be done." When he came back to his disciples, he found them asleep again. He left them the third time and "prayed the third time, saying the same words." After his work was completed, after he accomplished the miraculous, divinely appointed Atonement for All Mankind, he returned again to His disciples and, I imagine, finding them asleep, lovingly said "Sleep on now and take your rest..."

This profound scriptural account has often found me asking myself "would I have stayed awake for my Savior, at His most trying time, or would I have slipped away into a quiet slumber? Recently, however-when looking from the perspective of Christ, His side of the story, rather than the side of His sleeping disciples- this account has found me asking a new question "If I was suffering my greatest suffering of all time and, seeing my loved ones did not stay a while and watch with me, would I have kindly said "sleep on now and take your rest."?

There will be times when, like Christ, we are, in a sense, in our own Garden of Gethsemane. In that place, we may find that all the love and support around us we had hoped to have is unavailable. We may find ourselves being left abandoned and alone, neglected or worse. We may find ourselves being demeaned, ridiculed, lied to, betrayed, persecuted or abused in some other way even as our Savior was. When this happens, because I believe it will, in some way for each of us, will our response be one of harbored resentment or anger or something else deemed less-than-Christ-like? Or will it be, as Christ so perfectly demonstrated, one of Love and understanding?



Though we are not perfect like Christ, nor can we be in this life, If we look at the way Christ dealt with his difficulties during His suffering in Gethsemane we can learn to apply that to our lives as we experience our own Gethsemane.

During Christ's suffering in Gethsemane, though lonely as it was, and excruciating, He let nothing deter him from Doing His Father's work. He was the perfect example of obedience. He let  no pain, no loneliness or neglect, no ridicule or betrayal deter him from accomplishing His divine mission. He remembered always who he was- The only Begotten Son of Our Father in Heaven.  the Christ, The son of God.

Like Christ, we must also remember who we are, sons and daughters of God, so that we are not deterred from accomplishing our divinely appointed missions when we find ourselves experiencing great challenges in life. This is key to staying on the right path.

Elder Donald L. Hallstrom posed the following question in the April 2016 General Confernece, which so eloquently demonstrated the point i'm trying to make:
"When difficult things occur in our lives, what is our immediate response? Is it confusion or doubt or spiritual withdrawal? Is it a blow to our faith? Do we blame God or others for our circumstances? Or is our first response to remember who we are--that we are children of a loving God? Is that coupled with an absolute trust that He allows some earthly suffering because He knows it will bless us, like a refiner's fire, to become like Him and to gain our eternal inheritance?"

When Christ found his disciples asleep, he didn't ridicule, demean or complain to them. Neither did He give up When He was alone, without their support.  He kept going.  He recognized their weaknesses, their difficult circumstances and withheld not his demonstration of love. We can do likewise when we are in similar circumstances. This will Not be easy. At times We may feel vulnerable and weak. This may require great humility from us at times and a strength beyond our own. But, especially during these trying times, we will be greatly blessed as we Seek to be understanding of others and practice forgiveness when we may be tempted to do otherwise.

Before anything or anyone else, we have a responsibility to God. In the scriptures we learn, the first and greatest commandment is To love God with all of our might mind and strength and then to love others as ourselves. We are also taught that when we lose ourselves in service to God, we truly find ourselves. When challenging circumstances arise, we can allow ourselves to think not only of ourselves but first, of our duty to God and to others. For, when ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of our god.

This may seem contradictory to some. Some may feel that this implies that when we are suffering we ought to, in essence, neglect our needs and go out of our way to do more, be more, serve more, to our detriment, regardless of the severity of pain it may cause us.  We need to use wisdom in our actions. Obviously, Heavenly Father does not want us to inflict more pain upon ourselves. However, we may fail to realize that we are doing ourselves the greater favor when we choose to rely upon the reality that we are royal beings, heirs to the kingdom of God, among the noble and great, and act in accordance with that truth. By doing so, we free ourselves of the spiritual burden of sin. For God Hath said No greater sorrow hath a man than to live a life contrary to the will of God
but on the contrary...no greater Joy hath a man than to know me the only true and living God. Our savior, Jesus Christ does not want us to present ourselves with unnecessary suffering just so we can prove we are accomplishing some virtue.  Rather, like a tree that needs trimming in order to grow to its fullest potential, we are being asked to humbly submit to the Will of God, allowing him to heal our hearts and strengthen our character as we do so.



As mentioned before, submitting to the will of God, and entering the refiners fire, or being cut down so to speak may not be easy. But in our life's journey, we must remember, We are not alone. It is my personal belief that, especially during those dark times, when we may find ourselves painfully alone, God is in the details of our lives, sending unseen angels to lighten our burdens and lift our load.
Even Christ.when he was at the pinnacle of his suffering in Gethsemane, was visited and comforted by an angel whom Heavenly Father sent. If Christ, being as powerful and all knowing as he is and was, received the help he needed, why would He not be there for us as well? Our lack of perspective and minute understanding, our weaknesses, imperfections and inabilities and the wile temptations and tribulations we would experience in our earthly experience are precisely the reason Christ suffered in the Garden of Gethsemane. Because He knew we could NOT do it alone. It is our job to accept his offering, give our sins to Him and let him heal our hearts. This is not a one time event. We have the opportunity to seek to repent daily, acknowledging our weaknesses and accepting His purifying forgiveness, recognizing that, it is only in and through Him that we can find the strength to overcome. We must also remember that Christ's atonement does not only cover sins but also covers pain, sickness, temptations and suffering of every kind. (Alma 7:11)

As sons and daughters of God, we need to be ever mindful that we are not allowing life's experiences, good or bad, to deter us from accomplishing our divinely appointed missions. As we strive to accomplish that, by following the example of our Savior, we can rest assured that No matter HOW difficult this life becomes, no matter HOW many times we make mistakes, because of His atonement for us, we NEVER have to be alone. When we seek to step outside of ourselves, even amidst our own Gethsemane, we are allowing our savior to lift us to greater heights, where we can truly begin to understand who we are as one of the noble and great. Let us strive to live up to that legacy we bear as sons and daughters of God, is my Prayer.

A Twist of Beauty and the Beast (not a spoiler alert)!

I had the opportunity to see Beauty and the Beast with my husband and some friends.
It stole my heart. I was so moved by the message I could not move from my seat after the movie had ended. It felt like my soul had awoken from a deep sleep. I wanted to sit in my seat and stare for hours and bask in the way I was feeling.

A thought struck me at the end of the movie. What if the enchantress had been the Prince (or the beast's) mother all along? Imagine for a moment, that she was, though, we can probably all agree she really wasn't. But just imagine. The thought occurred to me: Could a mother have possibly loved her son so much, that when she saw him living so beneath who he was meant to be, she was willing to make the ultimate sacrifice, possibly the only thing that could wake up the heart of the prince, by turning him into a beast and then requiring true love in order for the spell to be broken? In your imagination, picture, this mother, was determined that there be a happy ending, at least in all of her power. Though the Beast could not be forced to change his heart (and Belle so eloquently demonstrates this idea when she says something to the lines of "How could a person ever be happy when they are not free?") his mother, the enchantress, would have been behind the scenes, unbeknownst to Him, doing everything in Her power to help him rediscover who he was all along: a royal prince. Of noble blood. Meant to better the world, not to harm it. Still, in her efforts, could the enchantress have seen that Belle was perhaps the only being, willing to look beyond his beastly ways and truly love him in return?      
   
                 

There, in this scenario, it would make perfect sense that the enchantress would intervene in the shadows of life, to produce the necessary furture for the salvation of not just the prince, but of many lives. In this sense, I think of the enchantress more as a guardian angel (and with a twist, His guardian angel Mother). Though this is a fairy tale we're talking about, It's not difficult for me to imagine such a scenario since I do believe our loved ones, when they pass from this life, or even before they have gained a mortal body on this earth, are on the other side of that veil, working tirelessly and pleading for our cause. Doing all they can to help us remember who we truly are: Sons and Daughters of Almighty God.

There were so many messages to be taken but this was just one. On a deeper level, the same message that came to me was this: Our Heavenly mother- for YES I do believe we have a Heavenly Mother just as well as we have a Heavenly Father- loves us so much, she's been willing to allow us to endure such great sufferings with the powerful hope (or something beyond just a hope) that our hearts will be changed and bettered, until we can shatter the facade that lays above our skins, tempting to hold us into the guise that we are much less of beings than we are, for truly we are of Royal descent, heirs to the Kingdom of God.

Considering we are ALL of royal decent, children of God, this story of Beauty and the Beast can also be a symbolic reminder to us that none of us is "the least" in God's kingdom. For though we think we are strong (Gastón) we find in the end that we are weak, and those who may seem less noble (Belle) to some are actually quite the opposite. And it's never too late to change your course of action (Lefou). There are so many other messages. But back to my thought about Heavenly Mother. Our Heavenly Mother loves us so much that she has provided, by some means, a way for us to struggle and learn and grow, so that one day we can return to her. I imagine, like I imagined the enchantress, Heavenly Mother would do EVERYTHING, behind the scenes, to create the outcome she knew we most desperately needed for our eternal growth and eventuation in the Kingdom of God.

What are your thoughts and insights on Heavenly Mother?
What inspirations or life-applications can you find from watching Beauty and the Beast?

Healing Through Faith Alone!

I was reading This talk today and I found myself understanding better a question my husband I have asked each other and which I have been pondering about for some time now. The question has been this: "If I can heal by faith alone, according to doctrine, then Why is a priesthood blessing so important?"  I don't know about you, but I love receiving priesthood blessings.  I believe in them. I believe the blessings I receive are coming from God. I believe my husband carrys with him the sacred responsibility of administering blessings for the healing of the sick. I have been comforted, been guided and been given sacred promises of healing through these blessings. This isn't a question of faith for me but rather a question of how Faith works and how it correlates with the priesthood authority that has been restored to this earth today, particularly the restoration of blessings for the Healing of the sick and afflicted. I know miracles happen. I have experienced many in my life and seen many in others. In this talk I listened to, by Elder Dallin H. Oaks, He shares

 The use of medical science is not at odds with our prayers of faith and our reliance on priesthood blessings. When a person requested a priesthood blessing, Brigham Young would ask, “Have you used any remedies?” To those who said no because “we wish the Elders to lay hands upon us, and we have faith that we shall be healed,” President Young replied: “That is very inconsistent according to my faith. If we are sick, and ask the Lord to heal us, and to do all for us that is necessary to be done, according to my understanding of the Gospel of salvation, I might as well ask the Lord to cause my wheat and corn to grow, without my plowing the ground and casting in the seed. It appears consistent to me to apply every remedy that comes within the range of my knowledge, and [then] to ask my Father in Heaven … to sanctify that application to the healing of my body.”1

Of course we don’t wait until all other methods are exhausted before we pray in faith or give priesthood blessings for healing. In emergencies, prayers and blessings come first. Most often we pursue all efforts simultaneously. This follows the scriptural teachings that we should “pray always” (D&C 90:24) and that all things should be done in wisdom and order.2

The thought came to me, If I am acting in Faith, doing all I can to receive those healing blessings from Christ (as I believe all healing, even in the medical world is truly an endowment from Christ) and I am STILL not healing, THIS is where the priesthood authority comes in. It directs Christ's power and will in an exact course, to those seeking the priesthood blessings. Like the quote above states, we don't need to wait until we have run ourselves dead, seeking treatment and help of all kinds. But we can ask ourselves: Am I acting in Faith? Am I doing my part? In the culmination of it all, I think any person believing in the doctrine taught within the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints can say that healing, often times, will require both Faith AND a Priesthood blessing NOT just one or the other.
So, to answer the question: If I can heal by Faith alone, Why is a priesthood blessing necessary? My answer, for now, would be: because sometimes Faith alone, for whatever reason, can not provide the miracle sought, and Proper Priesthood authority is required to enable those blessings.

What are your personal thoughts and inspirations about Healing through Faith or Healing through Priesthood Authority?