Flooding the Earth and our Lives with the Book of Mormon--Chapter 10, Melissa

Great lesson on Sunday---"He can't be serious!!" thought Margo Merrill...when she first heard President Ezra Taft Benson's request that parents read the Book of Mormon with their children.  'My children are only six, five, and two years old.  I'll just be wasting my time and patience.'
Brother and Sister Merrill decided to try reading the Book of Mormon with their children anyway.  When they came to the story of Nephi and his broken bow, six-year-old Melissa became ill with pneumonia.
Melissa pleaded with her mother to let her go back to school even though she was sick, Margo said, She said that if she didn't go back, her friend, Pamela--who is a member of another church, wouldn't know what happened to Nephi.  Then Melissa sobbed and slumped into my arms.  I dried her tears and suggested she call Pamela on the phone and tell her what had happened to Nephi.

1. The Book of Mormon was written for us!!  I think we sometimes forget this!!  The Nephites never had the book---The Lamanites never had the book.  It was meant for us.  Mormon wrote near the end of the Nephite civilization.  Under the inspiration of God, who sees all things from the beginning, he abridged centuries of records, choosing the stories, speeches, and events that would be most helpful to us.
2. As we study the Book of Mormon daily, the power of the book will flow into our lives.  The spirit, as well as the body, is in need of constant nourishment.  Yesterday's meal is not enough to sustain today's needs.  So also an infrequent reading of the most correct of any book on earth, as Joseph Smith called, is not enough!!!
3. We must flood the earth and our lives with the Book of Mormon.  We each need to get our own testimony of the book through the Holy Ghost.  Then we need to share!!

President Benson's vision---
Of homes alerted, of classes alive, and of pulpits aflame with the spirit of the messages.  A vision of home teachers and visiting teachers, ward and branch officers, and stake and mission leaders counseling our people out of the most correct of any book on earth--the Book of Mormon.  A vision of artists putting into film, drama, literature, music, and paintings great themes and great characters from the Book of Mormon.  A vision of missionaries going into the mission field with hundreds of passages memorized from the Book of Mormon so that they might feed the needs of a spiritually famished world.  A vision of the whole Church getting nearer to God by abiding by the precepts of the Book of Mormon.

Our challenge from President Benson:  

To prayerfully consider steps that we can personally take to bring this new witness for Christ more fully into our own lives and into a world that so desperately needs it.

Melissa did a great job.  She bore a STRONG testimony of the Book of Mormon to all of us and expressed her love for the book.  Thanks again...and we missed you if you weren't with us!!!

On the Bright Side

For years we have heard that too much sun exposure can cause skin cancer, and Utah has the highest rate of melanoma in the nation.  It makes sense to get less sun exposure in order to prevent skin cancer.  The tricky part is figuring out how to protect yourself from harm while still enjoying the amazing outdoor lifestyle offered by southern Utah, with averages of up to 300 sunny days per year.  In less than an hour in the sun the damage starts.  So...what are we to do.  We need sunshine.  Spending too much time indoors means more eating than we need.  We need sun for mood-enhancing.  Serotonin comes from sun exposure through the eyes, which helps with heart, with sleep and with vitamin supply.  So...here are some recommendations.

Just for your information:
SPF--Sun Protection Factor
UV--Ultraviolet rays (invisible energy from the sun)
UVA--aging rays
UVB--burn
ing rays

SPF 15 blocks 93% of UVB rays

SPF 30 blocks 97% of UVB rays

SPF 50 blocks 98% of UVB rays.  

NO SUNSCREEN PROTECTS 100%

Broad spectrum sunscreen protects against UVA & UVB rays

Water resistant--effective 40 minutes submerged in water

Water proof---effective 80 minutes submerged in water

SPF 30 or higher recommended for children under 6 years of age.

SLIP on a shirt, SLOP on sunscreen, SLAP on a hat, SEEK shade and SLIDE on some sunglasses!!

Before and After...

Have you ever wondered???

• What did I look like before I came to earth?
• What does it mean to be a child of God?
• What did we do in the premortal world?  Church meetings?  "Spirit seminary?
• Were there temptations and sin there?  What about faith or repentance?
• Where do I go when I die?  
• What will I look lie?
• Will I recognize family and friends in the spirit world?  Even if I never knew them on earth?
• Can those in the spirit world see me or communicate with me?
• What do we do in the spirit world?  Play harps and float on cloud?
• Can a person repent and change in the spirit world?

Stay tuned because we will be answering these puzzling questions in the near future!!!

The 8th of 8...

The Atonement is not just the best way but the only way...

Christ is not just one of several possible correct answers on a multiple choice exam.  He is the only correct answer.  In today's world, it is not popular or politically correct to speak of absolutes.  Some claim truth is relative and constructed by each person individually.  They don't  want to abandon sin and get comfortable with God.  Rather, they wish to abandon God and get comfortable with sin.  None of this changes Christ's reality and their absolute dependence on Him.As Latter-day Saints, we know Christ and His Atonement are the source of all spiritual blessings.  As King Benjamin taught, "There shall be no other name given nor any other way nor means whereby salvation can come unto the children of men, 

only in and through the name of Christ." 

 Mosiah 3:17

8 things the Atonement is not...

The Atonement is not because we are good but because God and Christ are good.
         They love us not because we are always loveable, but because They are always loving.  Understanding this helps us feel Their love even when we don't see any reason to love ourselves.  "I'll never do it again," we say.  Then we do it.  "Now I really mean it.  I will never do it again."  And then we do it.  At such low moments, it is easy to become discouraged and lose help.  We have such a hard time forgiving ourselves that we mistakenly believe God and Christ must be feeling the same way.  We think each setback is devastating, but God and Christ simply recognize them as growing pains.
         Jesus suffered for our sins---plural.  That means multiple sins, but that also means multiple times we commit the same sin as we learn how to break bad habits once and for all.  "ever again" may be the ultimate goal, but in the meantime we can set more realistic milestones to reach along the way.  Each time we repent and start again, we are one step closer to our ultimate goal--usually much closer than we think.  The love of God and Jesus is perfect---offered consistently through our moments of great success or utter failure.  Although we often want to give up on ourselves, God and Jesus will never give up on us.  Their hearts simply cannot and will not let go.

Interesting facts about the Prophet Joseph Smith...

• The tricky medical operation performed on Joseph Smith's leg when he was a child would not be successfully repeated until nearly a century later..
• As assassin attempted to kill Joseph Smith when he was 14.  The shot was fired at the prophet in a gray twilight, missing its target and hitting a nearby cow instead...
• In 1826, the angel Moroni told Joseph that he could obtain the plates the following year if he brought "the right person" to the hill and that, when the time came, he would know who that person was.  The following year, Emma Hale Smith accompanied Joseph to the Hill Cumorah to retrieve the plates...
• On July 27, 1837, Joseph Smith was arrested--and released--on false charges six times in Kirtland, Ohio...

Thank you ladies!!

Thank you so much to those of you that came on Wednesday night.  I really needed help and we got a lot done in the short couple of hours we were there.  The reading packets look fabulous and the new mother's at Valley View Medical Center are going to love them.  Also we are donating $2.50 to buy onesies at the hospital too.  If you remember you can bring it to church on Sunday!!!  Thanks so much!!! AGAIN!!

Great lesson this week!! Rochelle, Chapter 9, The Book of Mormon..the keystone!!

The Prophet Joseph Smith..."The Book of Mormon was the most correct of any book on earth, and the keystone of our religion, and a man would get nearer to God by abiding by its precepts, than by any other book!!"

I love this quote.  I get goosebumps every time I read it.  And I have read it a lot in my lifetime.  This lesson was a great reminder for me about the importance of studying the Book of Mormon.  One of the statements that hit me the hardest was this:

We....should know the Book of Mormon better than any other book.  

WOW!!!  Then it goes on to say...Not only should we know what history and faith-promoting stories it contains, but we should understand its teachings.  If we really do our homework and approach the Book of Mormon doctrinally, we can expose the errors and find the truths to combat many of the current false theories and philosophies of men!!   

WHAT A BLESSING!!

Important fact: Every page of the Book of Mormon and the D&C teaches about the Master.  About His great love and His atoning sacrifice---and teaches us how to live so that we can return to Him and our Heavenly Father.  

Listen to the great promises that can come to us in our lives if we read and study this great book---
1.  The spirit of reverence will increase, mutual respect and consideration for each other will grow...
2.  The spirit of contention will depart...
3.  Parents will counsel their children in greater love and wisdom...
4.  Children will be more responsive and submissive to the counsel of their parents...
5.  Righteousness will increase...
6.  Faith, hope and charity, the pure love of Christ, will abound in our homes and lives... 
These are no idle promises!!  This book will help us draw closer to our Savior and our Heavenly Father!!
Another great fact:
Unlike the Bible, which passed through generations of copyist, translators, and corrupt religionists who tampered with the text, the Book of Mormon came from writer to reader in just one inspired step of translation!!  WOW again!!  It's testimony of the Master is clear, undiluted, and full of power.
I also mentioned the Doctrine of Covenants.  This book is written for us in our day.  So is the Book of Mormon!!
Both of these books contain the will of the Lord for us in these last days that will precede the second coming of Christ.  They contain the knowledge and the power to help us live better lives in a time of great wickedness and evil.  They can also bring comfort, counsel, guidance, and the quiet power to improve our lives.
Question?
Do we, as Saints treasure the word He has preserved for us at so great a cost?
Are we using these books of latter-day revelation to bless our lives and resist the pwers of the evil one?
How can we not stand condemned before the Lord if we treat them lightly by letting them do no more than gather dust on our shelves?

Great questions!!  Made me think more seriously about it!!!

  This was such a great lesson for me and hopefully if you couldn't be with us on Sunday, 

read it for yourself!!!

Activity this week!!!

Remember our Night of Service this week.

Wednesday,

6:15 at the church

We will be carpooling from there.

We will be putting reading packets together for the babies born here in Cedar!!

Also we would love for each of the sisters in the ward to donate $2.50 to buy onesies.  We are trying to support the hospital because of donations being not so great!!  They are out of everything at the nursery at Valley View Medical Center. 

So... we want to help!!

See you there!!!

Thanks for your support!!

Just a Penny

You always hear the usual stories of pennies on the sidewalk being good luck, gifts from angels, etc.  This is the first time I've ever heard this twist on the story.  Gives you something to think about...

 Several years ago, a friend of mine and her usband were invited to spend the weekend at the home of her husband's employer.

My friend, Arlene, was nervous about the weekend.  The boss was bery wealthy, with a fine home on the waterway, and cars costing more than her house.

The first day and evening went well, and Arlene was delighted to have this rare glimpse into how the very wealthy live.  Her husband's employer was quite generous as a host, and took them to the finest restaurants.  Arlene knew she would never have the opportunity to indulge in this kind of extravagance again, so was enjoying herself immensely.

As the three of them were about to enter an exclusive restaurant one evening, the boss was walking slightly ahead of Arlene and her husband.

He stopped suddenly, lookng down on the pavement for a long, silent moment.

Arlene wondered if she was supposed to pass him.  There was nothing on the ground except a single darkened penny that someone had dropped.  Still silent, the man reached down and picked up the penny.

He held it up and smiled, then put it in his pocket as if he had found a great treasure.

How absurd!!  What need did this man have for a single penny?  Why would he even take the time to stop and pick it up?

Throughout dinner, the entire scene nagged at her.  Finally, she could stand it no longer,  She casually mentioned that her daughter once had a coin collection, and asked if the penny he had found had been of some value.

A smile crept across the man's face as he reached into his pocket for the penny and held it out for her to see.  She had seen many pennies before!!  What was the point of this?

"Look at it," he said.  "Read what it says."

She read the words,"United States of America..."  "No, not that.  Read further."  

"One cent?"  "No, keep reading."

"In God we Trust?"

"Yes!!"

"And?...."

"And if I trust in God, the name of God is holy, even on a coin.  Whenever I find a coin, I see that inscription.  It is written on every single United States coin, but we never seem to notice it!  God drops a message right in front of me telling me to trust Him.  Who am I to pass it by?  When I see a coin, I pray.  I stop to see if my trust IS in God at that moment.  I pick the coin up as a response to God; that I do trust in Him.  For a short time, at least, I cherish it as if it were gold.  I think it is God's way of starting a conversation with me.  Lucky for me, God is patient and pennies are plentiful!!"

When I was out shopping today, I found a penny on the sidewalk.  I stopped and picked it up, and realized that I had been worrying and fretting in my mind about things I cannot change.  I read the words, 

"In God We Trust," and had to laugh.  

"Yes, God, I get the message!"

It seems that I have been finding an inordinate number of pennies in the last few months, but hten, pennie are plentiful!  And, God is patient.

Thought for the Day:

If God had a refrigerator, your picture would be on it...

If He had a wallet, your photo would be in it...

He sends you flowers every spring.

He sends you a sunrise every morning.

God didn't promise days without pain, laughter without sorrow, sun without rain, but He did promise strength for the day, comfort for the tears, and light for the way...

IF GOD BRINGS YOU TO IT, HE WILL BRING YOU THROUGH IT!!!

I loved this story!!  Hope you enjoy it too!!!

New Instructor in Relief Society--Amber McKenna

Amber is one of our new Sunday instructors now.  We will miss Carol but we will LOVE Amber.  She gave a lesson last week, which I was not able to attend but understand that she did a phenomenal job.  We are excited to have her teach us on the 4th Sunday about our modern day prophets.  YEAH!!!

Approaching the Throng of God with Confidence

Elder Jorg Klebingat

October General Conference, 2014

PLEASE read it if you haven't already done so.  It is an amazing talk!!!

Lesson from Sunday--Carisa--Keeping an Eternal Perspective, The Atonement

The Eternal Perspective of the Gospel

Elder Rafael E. Pino

April General Conference, 2015

      Perspective is the way we see things when we look at them from a certain distance, and it allows us to appreciate their true value.
     It is like being in a forest and having a tree in front of us.  Unless we step back a little, we will not be able to appreciate what a forest really is.  I once visited the Amazon jungle in Leticia, Colombia, near the boarders of Brazil and Peru.  I was not able to appreciate its magnitude until I flew over it and gained perspective. 
     When our children were little, they used to watch a children's television channel that featured a program called WHAT DO YOU SEE?  The screen would zoom in very closely on something and the children had to guess what it was as the image gradually widened.  Once the entire object was visible, you could easily tell that it was a cat, a plant, a piece of fruit and so on.
     I remember that on one occasion they were watching that program and it showed something very close up that looked very ugly to them, even repulsive; but as the image widened, they realized that it was a very appetizing pizza.  Then they said to me, "Daddy, buy us one just like that!"  After they understood what it was, somethings that at first had looked unpleasant to them ended up being something very attractive.

IT IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT that we do NOT make decisions of eternal value from the perspective of mortality.

Elder Neal A. Maxwell---"Though anchored in grand and ultimate hope, some of our tactical hopes are another matter.  We may hope for a pay raise, a special date, an electoral victory, or for a bigger house---things which may or may not be realized.  Faith in Father's plan gives us endurance even amid the wreckage of such proximate hopes.  Hope keeps us "anxiously engaged" in good causes even when these appear to be losing causes."

 Not having an eternal perspective, or losing it, can lead us to have an earthly perspective as our personal standard and to make decisions that are not in harmony with the will of God. 

We had such a great lesson.  Lots of wonderful discussion and lots to think about.  Carisa also quotes from the talk that Amber gave last week, which I wasn't there so I can't report on it...but it was

Approaching the Throng of God with Confidence 

Elder Jorg Klenbingat

From October, 2014 General Conference.  

WONDERFUL TALK!  You need to read it if you haven't already done so!!!

Thanks to Carisa and also to Amber McKenna, who is our new instructor in Relief Society!!!

 

Opportunity to serve!!! Activity for this month... Thanks for your help!!!

We have a great opportunity to serve this month for our activity.  We are donating to the nursery at Valley View Medical Center here in Cedar onesies and also reading packets.  

The onesies we are buying from a resource online.  We can purchase them for about $2.50 per onesie. We are asking each of the sisters in our ward to donate the $2.50 so we can provide over 60 of them for the new babies born there.  You can bring your money to our activity on Wednesday, May 13th.  We are going to be meeting at the church at 6:15 p.m.  We are going to be car pooling over to the warehouse where we will be putting the reading packets together for the parents of the babies born at Valley View Medical Center.  We have a program there that helps new parents realize the importance of reading to their children everyday.  It's amazing the benefits that a child gains from just this one simple thing.

Please come and help us.  We need your help!!!  We need to put lots of packets together.  Lots of hands make light work!!  And it's lots more fun!!

And by the way...thanks so much for coming to clean the building on Saturday.  There were lots there and we were done in an hour.  It was great.  It makes me feel so good to have us all doing something of great value together as sisters in our ward.  Thanks again.   

8 things the Atonement is not...

The Atonement is not just a reward for the righteous but the source of righteousness.

Grace is the divine help and enabling power that is available throughout the entire perfecting process.  Christ stands ready to forgive, but also ready to mentor, strengthen, and empower us.

These gifts are not a reward waiting for us once we get our acts together, break all our bad habits, and become worthy of His help.  They are an unearned and undeserved gift throughout our quest.  We must be careful not to see Christ's grace as somehow supplementing our works or our works as somehow supplementing Christ's grace, as if we have to meet some sort of minimum height requirement to get into heaven.  It is not about height.,  It is about growth. 

We do not reach heaven by supplementing but by covenanting.  A covenant represents a warm relationship between two friends who are working together toward the same end.  Instead of speaking of His part and my part, I try to speak more of His heart and my heart loving and reflecting one another.

Move in's (Happy) and More move outs (Sad)...

We have a new couple moving into the house at 1221 Fir Street.  It has been vacant for lots of years and we are so happy to have them.  Ray and Teddy Sue Ludlow.  They are such a cute couple that have been living in Paragonah for many years and are now making the big move to Cedar.  They also have a son living with them.  Kenny..

They have been working on the house for months.  They have remodeled it from top to bottom. Many long hours and lots of worked hard but it looks amazing.  

Their daughter, Teddi Rae and her husband Anthony will be living in their basement. They have two daughters Baily (12) and Taylynn (2).  

YEAH!!  We have new people!!!

Ashlee and Tyler Lambeth are moving in across the street from us.  Their address is 1392 So. 550 West.  It's the new house on 550 right next to the Hyatt's.  They are such a cute couple and we are sooooo excited to have them in our neighborhood.  They have 2 cute little boys.  Brody (4) and Koen (2) 

Moving into the Farrell's home is the Greer family.  Lisa and Corwin.  All we know right now is that they have 6 children and the newest is only about 15 days old. They will be moving in this month.

Jordynn Solomon is moving.  They are going to be living in the Salt Lake area.  Bryant got a good job and we wish them the best.  They will be moving here in the next couple of weeks.   We wish them the best!!  Happy Move!!

Also the Farrell's have been having a garage sale for the past couple of weeks.  They will be moving in with Veronica's mother for the time being and will hopefully be building a home in our ward boundaries in the next little while.  So they are moving but will be staying here in the ward with us for now.

That's the news for the week!  There will be more soon...

Where have I been???

So sorry about the absence.  My life has been a tornado.  But now I'm back and in full swing.  Life is good and hope all is well with everyone else.  And here's my motto for the day!!!

Have a great week!!!