So what's your excuse?

Did You Think to Pray?

When I was younger, my family was asked to sing for a church meeting that was for all adults. My mother (who is a very talented musician) prayerfully chose to do and arrangement of the popular hymn "Did You Think to Pray?". Through this experience, I was able to learn more fully the words to this song and then internalize them in a way that I probably never could have done without having to learn it to the level of performing it. These are the words:

1. Ere you left your room this morning,

Did you think to pray?

In the name of Christ, our Savior,

Did you sue for loving favor

As a shield today?

(Chorus)

Oh, how praying rests the weary!

Prayer will change the night to day.

So, when life gets dark and dreary,

Don't forget to pray.

2. When your heart was filled with anger,

Did you think to pray?

Did you plead for grace, my brother,

That you might forgive another

Who had crossed your way?

3. When sore trials came upon you,

Did you think to pray?

When your soul was full of sorrow,

Balm of Gilead did you borrow

At the gates of day?

Mark 11:24

"Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them."

I know that we have a loving Heavenly Father who is always here to listen to us. He WANTS to listen to us! I hope that we can all take the time to talk with him. Let us never forget to turn to our Heavenly Father for help! 

 

 

 



An 'Eye-Opening' Experience!

The other day I was studying in The Acts. I came to chapters 8-9. These chapters teach us about Saul who is also known as Paul. Saul went out persecuting the church and committing saints to prison. In chapter 9, Saul has an amazing experience.

 1 And Saul, yet breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord, went unto the high priest,

 2 And desired of him letters to Damascus to the synagogues, that if he found any of this way, whether they were men or women, he might bring them bound unto Jerusalem.

 3 And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus: and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven:

 4 And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?

 5 And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks.

 6 And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do.

Saul then loses his sight and cannot see for 3 days. The disciples that were there were very confused. Here is this man that had been persecuting them, and now is supposed to be one of them. The Lord sends confirmation and says:

 15 But the Lord said unto him, Go thy way: for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel:

 16 For I will shew him how great things he must suffer for my name’s sake.

The disciples then went to him and laid their hands upon Saul. He received his sight and was filled with the Holy Ghost. He then is baptized and begins preaching to the people. 

We often feel that we need to have an amazing "eye-opening" (ha ha get the pun?! Sorry I am not very clever!) experience. Elder Uchtdorf said about this, "The truth is, those who diligently seek to learn of Christ eventually will come to know Him. They will personally receive a divine portrait of the Master, although it most often comes in the form of a puzzle—one piece at a time. Each individual piece may not be easily recognizable by itself; it may not be clear how it relates to the whole. Each piece helps us to see the big picture a little more clearly. Eventually, after enough pieces have been put together, we recognize the grand beauty of it all. Then, looking back on our experience, we see that the Savior had indeed come to be with us—not all at once but quietly, gently, almost unnoticed. This can be our experience if we move forward with faith and do not wait too long on the road to Damascus."

I know that this is true! I know that we learn piece-by-piece. The Lord is here to help us on our journey. If we wait for an experience like Saul, we may never enjoy the blessings that the Lord has in store for us. I hope that we may all recognize this and show the Lord our Faith. 

The First Great Commandment

In my personal studies this week I was studying in John in the New Testament. 

In chapter 21, we are given these verses:

15 So when they had dined, Jesus saith to Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me more than these? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my lambs.

16 He saith to him again the second time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my sheep.

17 He saith unto him the third time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? Peter was grieved because he said unto him the third time, Lovest thou me? And he said unto him, Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love thee. Jesus saith unto him, Feed my sheep.

Elder Holland said about this account in the scriptures, "My beloved brothers and sisters, I am not certain just what our experience will be on Judgment Day, but I will be very surprised if at some point in that conversation, God does not ask us exactly what Christ asked Peter: 'Did you love me?' I think He will want to know if in our very mortal, very inadequate, and sometimes childish grasp of things, did we at least understand one commandment, the first and greatest commandment of them all—'Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind.' And if at such a moment we can stammer out, 'Yea, Lord, thou knowest that I love thee,' then He may remind us that the crowning characteristic of love is always loyalty."

"'If ye love me, keep my commandments,^' Jesus said. So we have neighbors to bless, children to protect, the poor to lift up, and the truth to defend. We have wrongs to make right, truths to share, and good to do. In short, we have a life of devoted discipleship to give in demonstrating our love of the Lord. We can’t quit and we can’t go back. After an encounter with the living Son of the living God, nothing is ever again to be as it was before. The Crucifixion, Atonement, and Resurrection of Jesus Christ mark the beginning of a Christian life, not the end of it. It was this truth, this reality, that allowed a handful of Galilean fishermen-turned-again-Apostles without 'a single synagogue or sword' to leave those nets a second time and go on to shape the history of the world in which we now live."

 "To all within the sound of my voice, the voice of Christ comes ringing down through the halls of time, asking each one of us while there is time, 'Do you love me?' And for every one of us, I answer with my honor and my soul, 'Yea, Lord, we do love thee.' And having set our 'hand to the plough,' we will never look back until this work is finished and love of God and neighbor rules the world. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen."

I can repeat the testimony of Elder Holland. I hope that we can all put our "hand to the plough" and serve those around us. If we do so, I know that at our judgment day we will be able to say that we have done what our Savior has asked us to do. Remember to feed his sheep!

{To read Elder Holland's entire talk, click here.}

The Lord is MY Shepherd

 This morning I was studying in John. I came to chapter 10 about the Good Shepherd.  

(To read the parable for your self click here.)

My favorite verses are verses 14&15.

 14 I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine.

 15 As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep.

Our savior KNOWS us. We have the opportunity to KNOW him. We know him by accepting the atonement in our lives. He himself, laid down his life for HIS sheep. We are his sheep! He performed the atonement for us because he loves us. How great is it that such an amazing individual knows us personally?!

I am so grateful for my savior. I hope that I will be able to recognize him and be able to hear his voice one day when he comes again. I know that he lives. He loves us so much. He knows us. We must put all our trust in him! He will lead us along!

Faith NOT Fear

I love the quote by Elder Quentin L. Cook that says, "We must live by faith and not by fear." Faith and fear cannot dwell together at the same time.

^"Our doctrine is clear; we are to be positive and of good cheer. We emphasize our faith, not our fears. We rejoice in the Lord’s assurance that He will stand by us and give us guidance and direction. The Holy Ghost testifies to our hearts that we have a loving Father in Heaven, whose merciful plan for our redemption will be fulfilled in every aspect because of the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ."

I know that the Lord WILL stand by us and give us guidance and direction. We are so blessed to have the blessing and comfort of the Holy Ghost. I am grateful for my savior and his atoning sacrifice.
I love this gospel!

"In Tune with the Music of Faith" By Elder Quentin L. Cook. April Conference 2012.

The Sacred Grove

It is my testimony that Joseph Smith truly did see our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. It DID change the world. It can change your life if you let it. I did, and I will forever be grateful!

Preach My Gospel Draft

The other day we were invited into a wonderful families home to share dinner with them. The wonderful father of the home was excited to share many of his experiences of serving a mission in Salt Lake City. While sharing his experiences he mentioned that he served almost 10 years ago. He told us that during his mission, they came out with the draft for Preach My Gospel. Preach My Gospel is a tool used by missionaries to help us teach basic principles of Christ's gospel. 

We have recently received a "draft" that has introduced us to how we can use Facebook and other online tools to reach out to others and help them come closer to Christ.

It is a very exciting time to be involved in missionary work! God continues to allow things to progress and gives us new ways of reaching out to his children to teach them the gospel! I know that this is the Lords work! He blesses us and helps us do his work!

 

 

 

With An Eye Single to the Glory of God

D&C 4:5
5 And faith, hope, charity and love, with an eye single to the glory of God, qualify him for the work.

 This morning I was studying about living my life "with an eye single to the glory of God". I came across a scripture in Matthew 6:22-24. It says:

  22 The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light.

 23 But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!

If our EYE be single, then our whole body shall be full of light. 

Light.

Light is a very interesting concept. I came across several scriptures on the subject of light that I thought I would share with everyone. These verses are true and can teach us so much about being an example.

D&C 93:28, 36-40

 28 He that keepeth his commandments receiveth truth and light, until he is glorified in truth and knoweth all things.

 36 The glory of God is intelligence, or, in other words, light and truth.

 37 Light and truth forsake that evil one.

 38 Every spirit of man was innocent in the beginning; and God having redeemed man from the fall, men became again, in their infant state, innocent before God.

 39 And that wicked one cometh and taketh away light and truth, through disobedience, from the children of men, and because of the tradition of their fathers.

 40 But I have commanded you to bring up your children in light and truth.

D&C 50:24-25

24 That which is of God is light; and he that receiveth light, and continueth in God, receiveth more light; and that light groweth brighter and brighter until the perfect day.

 25 And again, verily I say unto you, and I say it that you may know the truth, that you may chase darkness from among you;

D&C 88:6-13

 6 He that ascended up on high, as also he descended below all things, in that he comprehended all things, that he might be in all and through all things, the light of truth;

 7 Which truth shineth. This is the light of Christ. As also he is in the sun, and the light of the sun, and the power thereof by which it was made.

 8 As also he is in the moon, and is the light of the moon, and the power thereof by which it was made;

 9 As also the light of the stars, and the power thereof by which they were made;

 10 And the earth also, and the power thereof, even the earth upon which you stand.

 11 And the light which shineth, which giveth you light, is through him who enlighteneth your eyes, which is the same light that quickeneth your understandings;

 12 Which light proceedeth forth from the presence of God to fill the immensity of space—

 13 The light which is in all things, which giveth life to all things, which is the law by which all things are governed, even the power of God who sitteth upon his throne, who is in the bosom of eternity, who is in the midst of all things.

Matthew 5:14-16

 14 Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.

 15 Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.

 16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

3 Nephi 18:24

 24 Therefore, hold up your light that it may shine unto the world. Behold I am the light which ye shall hold up—that which ye have seen me do. Behold ye see that I have prayed unto the Father, and ye all have witnessed.

Ephesians 5:8

8 For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light:

I hope that we all can be the light that the world needs. Seek light first, then will you be able to shine!

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year! It is so exciting that it is 2014! There has never been a more exciting time then right now to be a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints! May we all make new years resolutions to be more like our Savior.We are all imperfect. Just keep moving forward and the Lord will give us the strength that we need. It is my testimony that the Lord will always be there to lift us up and help us become the people that we desire to be. Trust him!

The wonderful Sholers!

You Can Make the Pathway Bright!

Sister Walker and I sang "You Can Make the Pathway Bright" the other day during companionship study. We could not get it out of our heads ALL DAY! It caused me to really reflect on the words within the song. The words are:

 

1. You can make the pathway bright,

Fill the soul with heaven's light,

If there's sunshine in your heart;

Turning darkness into day,

As the shadows fly away,

If there's sunshine in your heart today.

(Chorus)

If there's sunshine in your heart,

You can send a shining ray

That will turn the night to day;

And your cares will all depart,

If there's sunshine in your heart today.

2. You can speak the gentle word

To the heart with anger stirred,

If there's sunshine in your heart;

Tho it seems a little thing,

It will heaven's blessings bring,

If there's sunshine in your heart today.

3. You can do a kindly deed

To your neighbor in his need,

If there's sunshine in your heart;

And his burden you will share

As you lift his load of care,

If there's sunshine in your heart today.

4. You can live a happy life

In this world of toil and strife,

If there's sunshine in your heart;

And your soul will glow with love

From the perfect Light above,

If there's sunshine in your heart today.

Text: Helen Silcott Dungan, ca. 1899

Music: James M. Dungan, 1851-1925 

 

 

When the SON is your LIGHT,

YOU make the world a BRIGHTER place.

 

 

 

May we all emulate our Saviors light and make the world a brighter place!

 

 

Watch the Mormon Tabernacle Choir perform this song!