tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-45363536756329030972024-02-19T08:49:22.710-08:00Sister Carol ThomasAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03092414969109797614noreply@blogger.comBlogger66125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4536353675632903097.post-42498248163810938932015-01-13T11:22:00.001-08:002015-01-13T11:22:51.532-08:00HOMEI'm not going to lie, its pretty weird to come home from a mission. You are on the go constantly. You don't stop thinking about others. You give all of yourself to the work. Missions are not EFY. They are HARD! But they are worth it. The things you learn as a missionary are incredible. For my last blog post, I would like to share the top 10 things I learned as a missionary:<br />
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1. GOD DOESN'T DO RANDOM!</div>
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2. Fasting works. If we sacrifice just a little bit, the Lord is always willing to bless us.</div>
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3. Obedience ALWAYS brings blessings. </div>
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4. Love is what motivates everything. Love for our Heavenly Father. Love for the Savior. Love for your fellowman. Love for your mission president.</div>
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5. If two people want to get along, they will.</div>
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6. Generosity brings generosity.</div>
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7. Your Father in Heaven wants to communicate with you the same way your earthly father wants to.</div>
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8. Hard work is hard.<br />
9. The Book of Mormon is true and is the evidence that Joseph Smith was a prophet.<br />
10. Heavenly Father knows you best. He knows your name. He loves you. Trust in him, and he will never let you down.<br />
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I want to say thank you to everyone who helped me learn and grow. You have all taught me something, whether you know it or not. I feel so blessed to have been able to serve in the Washington Vancouver Mission. My life is changed. Thank you for your prayers, love, concern, good times, and testimonies. I know this church is true. The gospel was restored. These are the things I treasure the most!<br />
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<img height="266" src="https://scontent-b-dfw.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xfp1/v/t1.0-9/1610858_10203512291593510_7846013052604884965_n.jpg?oh=36578c69f436363f8e5a0b9f59892aa1&oe=55255325" width="400" /><img height="400" src="https://scontent-a-dfw.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xaf1/t31.0-8/s960x960/10896244_835421976520277_6563330705141434877_o.jpg" width="266" /><img height="275" src="https://fbcdn-sphotos-b-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xpf1/v/t1.0-9/10352039_835421999853608_247474277207638851_n.jpg?oh=bbaaee920a2ea36053cb50a84de6e31f&oe=552A1FA7&__gda__=1432630118_7b9ce2d55771af90c0d6cb7949649a89" width="400" /><img height="266" src="https://scontent-a-dfw.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xfa1/v/t1.0-9/10888398_835421596520315_3514380869760016002_n.jpg?oh=d4ebfd9e27e13240dc85590ef6c10707&oe=55301BD9" width="400" /><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03092414969109797614noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4536353675632903097.post-3000082787991039492014-12-18T13:51:00.000-08:002014-12-18T13:51:12.787-08:00Luke 2<span style="font-size: large;">Luke 2</span><br />
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<a class="bookmark-anchor dontHighlight" href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="1"> </a><span class="verse">1 </span>And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Cæsar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed.</div>
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<a class="bookmark-anchor dontHighlight" href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="2"> </a><span class="verse">2 </span>(<span class="clarityWord">And</span> this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.)</div>
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<a class="bookmark-anchor dontHighlight" href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="3"> </a><span class="verse">3 </span>And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city.</div>
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<a class="bookmark-anchor dontHighlight" href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="4"> </a><span class="verse">4 </span>And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judæa, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:)</div>
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<img alt="Luke 2:4–6, Mary and Joseph enter Bethlehem" src="http://media.ldscdn.org/images/media-library/bible-images-the-life-of-jesus-christ/nativity/nativity-mary-joseph-bethlehem-958711-gallery.jpg" height="265" width="400" /></div>
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<a class="bookmark-anchor dontHighlight" href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="5"> </a><span class="verse">5 </span>To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child.</div>
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<a class="bookmark-anchor dontHighlight" href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="6"> </a><span class="verse">6 </span>And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered.</div>
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<img alt="Luke 2:4–6, Mary and Joseph search for an inn" src="http://media.ldscdn.org/images/media-library/bible-images-the-life-of-jesus-christ/nativity/nativity-mary-joseph-bethlehem-958726-gallery.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></div>
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<a class="bookmark-anchor dontHighlight" href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="7"> </a><span class="verse">7 </span>And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.</div>
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<a class="bookmark-anchor dontHighlight" href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="8"> </a><span class="verse">8 </span>And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.</div>
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<img height="266" id="gallery-image" src="https://www.lds.org/bc/content/bible-videos/videos/the-nativity/images/90_the-nativity_900x600_72dpi_4.jpg" style="display: inline;" width="400" /></div>
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<a class="bookmark-anchor dontHighlight" href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="9"> </a><span class="verse">9 </span>And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.</div>
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<a class="bookmark-anchor dontHighlight" href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="10"> </a><span class="verse">10 </span>And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.</div>
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<a class="bookmark-anchor dontHighlight" href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="11"> </a><span class="verse">11 </span>For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.</div>
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<a class="bookmark-anchor dontHighlight" href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="12"> </a><span class="verse">12 </span>And this <span class="clarityWord">shall be</span> a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.</div>
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<a class="bookmark-anchor dontHighlight" href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="13"> </a><span class="verse">13 </span>And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,</div>
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<a class="bookmark-anchor dontHighlight" href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="14"> </a><span class="verse">14 </span>Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.</div>
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<a class="bookmark-anchor dontHighlight" href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="15"> </a><span class="verse">15 </span>And
it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven,
the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem,
and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known
unto us.</div>
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<a class="bookmark-anchor dontHighlight" href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="16"> </a><span class="verse">16 </span>And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.</div>
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<img alt="Luke 2:6–7, The holy family" src="http://media.ldscdn.org/images/media-library/bible-images-the-life-of-jesus-christ/nativity/nativity-scene-mary-joseph-baby-jesus-1326846-gallery.jpg" height="257" width="400" /></div>
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<a class="bookmark-anchor dontHighlight" href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="17"> </a><span class="verse">17 </span>And when they had seen <span class="clarityWord">it,</span> they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child.</div>
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<a class="bookmark-anchor dontHighlight" href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="18"> </a><span class="verse">18 </span>And all they that heard <span class="clarityWord">it</span> wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds.</div>
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<a class="bookmark-anchor dontHighlight" href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="19"> </a><span class="verse">19 </span>But Mary kept all these things, and pondered <span class="clarityWord">them</span> in her heart.</div>
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<img alt="Luke 2:6–7, The virgin Mary with baby Jesus" src="http://media.ldscdn.org/images/media-library/bible-images-the-life-of-jesus-christ/nativity/nativity-mary-mother-of-jesus-baby-jesus-1301892-gallery.jpg" height="224" width="400" /></div>
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<a class="bookmark-anchor dontHighlight" href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="20"> </a><span class="verse">20 </span>And
the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things
that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them.</div>
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<span style="color: #e06666;">I, like the shepherds, feel the desire to glorify and praise God and his son, Jesus Christ. I know that God loved us so much that he gave his only begotten son to save us. Christ truly came to this world as a baby. He is our Savior. I love him and am grateful for the opportunity to serve him at this time of year.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEh4oNvQE5AhHrQi4h5qxTifi7c0MzfBemDpveF-aslOZAfQBWp32awgzgBzVFFARkvThyphenhyphenH9f8jbD4rC6dyvm9vloupfvRkDrsUXB0t5Zh31RQFcDoD8LPPrmz6G0rVnbdvZJrluiB6z5AdP5ToyVdDdyg7CMVn2Wic1Lx9GamWeRB0aRIm6GLTWTPU=s0-d-e1-ft" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEh4oNvQE5AhHrQi4h5qxTifi7c0MzfBemDpveF-aslOZAfQBWp32awgzgBzVFFARkvThyphenhyphenH9f8jbD4rC6dyvm9vloupfvRkDrsUXB0t5Zh31RQFcDoD8LPPrmz6G0rVnbdvZJrluiB6z5AdP5ToyVdDdyg7CMVn2Wic1Lx9GamWeRB0aRIm6GLTWTPU=s0-d-e1-ft" style="border: medium none currentcolor; display: block; text-decoration: none;" width="400" /></a></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03092414969109797614noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4536353675632903097.post-65951989889552889922014-12-06T12:44:00.000-08:002014-12-06T12:44:01.008-08:00I Know That He Lives<div class="" id="p8">
This morning, I had the opportunity to sit with a group of missionaries and listen to one of our leaders talk about sharing the love of Jesus Christ during this Christmas season. He shared an article from the Ensign (a magazine produced by the church) titled, <a href="https://www.lds.org/ensign/2014/12/i-know-that-he-lives?lang=eng">"I Know That He Lives"</a> by Elder Melvin J. Ballard. This touched me, so I decided to share it with all of you!</div>
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"I love
to contemplate what it cost our Father in Heaven to give us the gift of
His Beloved Son, that worthy Son of our Father, who so loved the world
that He laid His life down to redeem the world, to save us and to feed
us spiritually while we walk in this life, and prepare us to go and
dwell with Him in the eternal worlds. …</div>
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"I
recall an experience which I had … , bearing witness to my soul of the
reality of [the Savior’s] death, of His Crucifixion, and His Resurrection, that I shall never forget. …</div>
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"…
I found myself one evening in the dreams of the night in that sacred
building, the temple. After a season of prayer and rejoicing I was
informed that I should have the privilege of entering into one of those
rooms, to meet a glorious personage, and, as I entered the door, I saw,
seated on a raised platform, the most glorious being my eyes have ever
beheld or that I ever conceived existed in all the eternal worlds.</div>
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"As
I approached to be introduced, He arose and stepped towards me with
extended arms, and He smiled as He softly spoke my name. If I shall live
to be a million years old, I shall never forget that smile. He took me
into His arms and kissed me, pressed me to His bosom, and blessed me,
until the marrow of my bones seemed to melt! When He had finished, I
fell at His feet, and, as I bathed them with my tears and kisses, I saw
the prints of the nails in the feet of the Redeemer
of the world. The feeling that I had in the presence of Him who hath
all things in His hands, to have His love, His affection, and His
blessing was such that if I can receive that of which I had but a
foretaste, I would give all that I am, all that I ever hope to be, to
feel what I then felt!</div>
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"…
I see Jesus not now upon the cross. I do not see His brow pierced with
thorns nor His hands torn with the nails, but I see Him smiling, with
extended arms, saying to us all: 'Come unto me!'"</div>
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As I listened as this was read to me this morning, I could not deny the spirit bearing witness to me that our Savior, Jesus Christ, loves us so much! I can't even begin to imagine the day when I will meet him. The Saviors invitation to us all is to come unto him. He desires us to make covenants with him like baptism. This time of year is the most special because we have the opportunity to share the good news of Jesus Christ with everyone we know. I hope that we can all remember the reason for this season! I love my Savior. I, too, know that he lives. </div>
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<img alt="" src="http://media.ldscdn.org/images/media-library/bible-images-the-life-of-jesus-christ/teachings/pictures-of-jesus-smiling-1138511-gallery.jpg" itemprop="contentURL" /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEh4oNvQE5AhHrQi4h5qxTifi7c0MzfBemDpveF-aslOZAfQBWp32awgzgBzVFFARkvThyphenhyphenH9f8jbD4rC6dyvm9vloupfvRkDrsUXB0t5Zh31RQFcDoD8LPPrmz6G0rVnbdvZJrluiB6z5AdP5ToyVdDdyg7CMVn2Wic1Lx9GamWeRB0aRIm6GLTWTPU=s0-d-e1-ft" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEh4oNvQE5AhHrQi4h5qxTifi7c0MzfBemDpveF-aslOZAfQBWp32awgzgBzVFFARkvThyphenhyphenH9f8jbD4rC6dyvm9vloupfvRkDrsUXB0t5Zh31RQFcDoD8LPPrmz6G0rVnbdvZJrluiB6z5AdP5ToyVdDdyg7CMVn2Wic1Lx9GamWeRB0aRIm6GLTWTPU=s0-d-e1-ft" style="border: medium none currentcolor; display: block; text-decoration: none;" width="400" /></a></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03092414969109797614noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4536353675632903097.post-64889535671112787392014-11-29T14:51:00.001-08:002014-11-29T14:51:48.504-08:00He Is The Gift<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I remember waking up early one Christmas morning to open presents. I opened up cake mixes, a rolling pin, cupcake pans, and other cooking items. That year I had asked for an easy bake oven. I'm not sure if my parents just couldn't afford it or what, but it hadn't happened. As I opened up present after present, I didn't even think about how I hadn't received an easy bake. Throughout the day I remember baking in the kitchen with my mom all of the fun things we had just gotten. The time spent with her was special to me.<br />
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As I have reflected about that Christmas, I have pondered why it is one of my most memorable Christmas'. I have come to understand that it is because it wasn't about what I was receiving. It was about family. It was about love.<br />
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John 3:16, "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."<br />
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This special time of year is all about celebrating Christ's birth. He was the first gift. Our Heavenly Father loved us so much that he sent his beloved son, Jesus Christ, to save us.<br />
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Russell M. Nelson said, “Christmas is a time of reflection on what we can become because of God’s sacred gift. As we discover the gift, we learn of the immeasurable love of God and
our absolute need for a Savior. As we embrace the gift, we strengthen
our faith in Jesus Christ and our desire to become more like Him. As we
share the gift, we follow in the Master’s footsteps, who invited all to
hear His message.”<br />
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My testimony is that Christ came into this world to save us from our sins. He is the literal son of God. If we will believe in and follow him, we can return to live with our Heavenly Father again one day. I am grateful for the opportunity to share this gift with all those that I come in contact with each and every day. I love my savior.<br />
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I am blessed to have a wonderful, supportive family. Without them, I would not be where I am today. I am grateful for Panaca, and the wonderful people there that played a role in my conversion. I am grateful for talents, food, and friends.<br />
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Please know that this is definitely not close to a complete list of things I am grateful for. My heart is full with love and thanksgiving. There is no place that I would rather be than here in Vancouver serving my Heavenly Father and Savior. I hope everyone has a very Happy Thanksgiving!<br />
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<img alt="" class="spotlight" height="270" src="https://scontent-a-pao.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xap1/v/t1.0-9/64771_10203205117074339_426629295718064901_n.jpg?oh=77eb020786d4c68bba1d6de96d0dfea7&oe=5510C31F" width="400" /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEh4oNvQE5AhHrQi4h5qxTifi7c0MzfBemDpveF-aslOZAfQBWp32awgzgBzVFFARkvThyphenhyphenH9f8jbD4rC6dyvm9vloupfvRkDrsUXB0t5Zh31RQFcDoD8LPPrmz6G0rVnbdvZJrluiB6z5AdP5ToyVdDdyg7CMVn2Wic1Lx9GamWeRB0aRIm6GLTWTPU=s0-d-e1-ft" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEh4oNvQE5AhHrQi4h5qxTifi7c0MzfBemDpveF-aslOZAfQBWp32awgzgBzVFFARkvThyphenhyphenH9f8jbD4rC6dyvm9vloupfvRkDrsUXB0t5Zh31RQFcDoD8LPPrmz6G0rVnbdvZJrluiB6z5AdP5ToyVdDdyg7CMVn2Wic1Lx9GamWeRB0aRIm6GLTWTPU=s0-d-e1-ft" style="border: medium none currentcolor; display: block; text-decoration: none;" width="400" /></a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03092414969109797614noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4536353675632903097.post-5540462520309156432014-11-08T15:42:00.002-08:002014-12-06T12:53:28.193-08:00What Would You Give to Know God?There is a story in the Book of Mormon that I love. There is a missionary named Aaron who is preaching to a group of people called the Lamanites. In this particular chapter, Aaron is teaching the Lamanite king. Found in Alma chapter 22 of the Book of Mormon, the king expresses to Aaron that he does not know who God is. After bearing testimony to the king that there is a God, Aaron begins teaching him about the opportunity to live with God again. I love the kings response:<br />
<a href="https://www.lds.org/scriptures/bofm/alma/22?lang=eng"><br /></a>
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<div class="chunked" id="para14">
<a class="bookmark-anchor dontHighlight" href="https://www.lds.org/scriptures/bofm/alma/22?lang=eng" name="15">" </a><a href="https://www.lds.org/scriptures/bofm/alma/22?lang=eng"><span class="verse"><span class="chunk hl-red 78AC6CA8-A82B-4678-B428-E6F9EB7D0FEB hl-id-60987968" id="chunk140000">15 </span></span><span class="chunk" id="chunk140001">And </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk140002">it </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk140003">came </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk140004">to </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk140005">pass </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk140006">that </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk140007">after </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk140008">Aaron </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk140009">had </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk140010">expounded </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk140011">these </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk140012">things </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk140013">unto </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk140014">him, </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk140015">the </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk140016">king </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk140017">said: </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk140018">What</span><span class="chunk" id="chunk140019"> shall </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk140020">I </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk140021">do </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk140022">that </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk140023">I </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk140024">may </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk140025">have </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk140026">this </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk140027">eternal </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk140028">life </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk140029">of </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk140030">which </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk140031">thou </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk140032">hast </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk140033">spoken? </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk140034">Yea, </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk140035">what </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk140036">shall </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk140037">I </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk140038">do </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk140039">that </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk140040">I </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk140041">may </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk140042">be </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk140043">born </span><span class="chunk hl-green ADF78D0B-6EDA-49CF-967B-22EE07BA9E1F" id="chunk140044">of </span><span class="chunk hl-green ADF78D0B-6EDA-49CF-967B-22EE07BA9E1F" id="chunk140045">God</span><span class="chunk hl-green ADF78D0B-6EDA-49CF-967B-22EE07BA9E1F" id="chunk140046">, </span><span class="chunk hl-green ADF78D0B-6EDA-49CF-967B-22EE07BA9E1F" id="chunk140047">having </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk140048">this </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk140049">wicked </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk140050">spirit </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk140051">rooted</span><span class="chunk" id="chunk140052"> out </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk140053">of </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk140054">my </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk140055">breast, </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk140056">and </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk140057">receive </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk140058">his </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk140059">Spirit, </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk140060">that </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk140061">I </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk140062">may </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk140063">be </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk140064">filled </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk140065">with </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk140066">joy, </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk140067">that </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk140068">I </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk140069">may </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk140070">not </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk140071">be </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk140072">cast </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk140073">off </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk140074">at </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk140075">the </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk140076">last </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk140077">day? </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk140078">Behold, </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk140079">said </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk140080">he,<span style="color: #ffe599;"> </span></span><span style="color: #ffe599;"><i><span class="chunk" id="chunk140081">I </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk140082">will </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk140083">give </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red A0C65BBD-5E07-42A4-AE2A-15C0376DBBB3" id="chunk140084">up </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red A0C65BBD-5E07-42A4-AE2A-15C0376DBBB3" id="chunk140085">all</span><span class="chunk hl-u-red A0C65BBD-5E07-42A4-AE2A-15C0376DBBB3" id="chunk140086"> that </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red A0C65BBD-5E07-42A4-AE2A-15C0376DBBB3" id="chunk140087">I </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red A0C65BBD-5E07-42A4-AE2A-15C0376DBBB3" id="chunk140088">possess, </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red A0C65BBD-5E07-42A4-AE2A-15C0376DBBB3" id="chunk140089">yea, </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red A0C65BBD-5E07-42A4-AE2A-15C0376DBBB3" id="chunk140090">I </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red A0C65BBD-5E07-42A4-AE2A-15C0376DBBB3" id="chunk140091">will </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red A0C65BBD-5E07-42A4-AE2A-15C0376DBBB3" id="chunk140092">forsake </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red A0C65BBD-5E07-42A4-AE2A-15C0376DBBB3" id="chunk140093">my </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red A0C65BBD-5E07-42A4-AE2A-15C0376DBBB3" id="chunk140094">kingdom, </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red A0C65BBD-5E07-42A4-AE2A-15C0376DBBB3" id="chunk140095">that </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red A0C65BBD-5E07-42A4-AE2A-15C0376DBBB3" id="chunk140096">I </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red A0C65BBD-5E07-42A4-AE2A-15C0376DBBB3" id="chunk140097">may </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red A0C65BBD-5E07-42A4-AE2A-15C0376DBBB3" id="chunk140098">receive </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red A0C65BBD-5E07-42A4-AE2A-15C0376DBBB3" id="chunk140099">this </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red A0C65BBD-5E07-42A4-AE2A-15C0376DBBB3" id="chunk140100">great </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red A0C65BBD-5E07-42A4-AE2A-15C0376DBBB3 hl-id-60987968" id="chunk140101">joy."</span></i></span></a></div>
<div class="chunked" id="para14">
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<div class="chunked" id="para14">
<span style="color: #6aa84f;"><span class="chunk hl-u-red A0C65BBD-5E07-42A4-AE2A-15C0376DBBB3 hl-id-60987968" id="chunk140101"><span style="color: black;">This particularly struck me recently as I read this. The king was willing to give up EVERY WORLDLY POSSESSION that he had to know God and to learn how to live with him one day. A few verses later he prays to God:</span></span></span></div>
<div class="chunked" id="para14">
<span style="color: #6aa84f;"><span class="chunk hl-u-red A0C65BBD-5E07-42A4-AE2A-15C0376DBBB3 hl-id-60987968" id="chunk140101"><span style="color: black;"> </span></span></span><i><span style="color: #6aa84f;"><span class="chunk hl-u-red A0C65BBD-5E07-42A4-AE2A-15C0376DBBB3 hl-id-60987968" id="chunk140101"> </span></span></i></div>
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<a class="bookmark-anchor dontHighlight" href="https://www.lds.org/scriptures/bofm/alma/22?lang=eng" name="18">" </a><a href="https://www.lds.org/scriptures/bofm/alma/22?lang=eng"><span class="verse"><span class="chunk hl-red 00A7295D-0040-4720-8EF9-68A0102B0415 hl-id-98656760" id="chunk170000">18 </span></span><span class="chunk" id="chunk170001">O </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk170002">God, </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk170003">Aaron </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk170004">hath </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk170005">told </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk170006">me </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk170007">that </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk170008">there </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk170009">is </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk170010">a </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk170011">God; </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk170012">and </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk170013">if </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk170014">there </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk170015">is </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk170016">a </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk170017">God, </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk170018">and </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk170019">if </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk170020">thou </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk170021">art </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk170022">God, </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk170023">wilt </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk170024">thou </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk170025">make </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk170026">thyself </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk170027">known </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk170028">unto </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk170029">me, </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk170030">and<i><span style="color: #6aa84f;"> </span></i></span><span style="color: #ffe599;"><i><span class="chunk hl-u-red E24E1711-DFC0-4302-BC4A-FFAC22193157" id="chunk170031">I </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red E24E1711-DFC0-4302-BC4A-FFAC22193157" id="chunk170032">will </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red E24E1711-DFC0-4302-BC4A-FFAC22193157" id="chunk170033">give </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red E24E1711-DFC0-4302-BC4A-FFAC22193157" id="chunk170034">away </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red E24E1711-DFC0-4302-BC4A-FFAC22193157" id="chunk170035">all </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red E24E1711-DFC0-4302-BC4A-FFAC22193157" id="chunk170036">my </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red E24E1711-DFC0-4302-BC4A-FFAC22193157" id="chunk170037">sins </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red E24E1711-DFC0-4302-BC4A-FFAC22193157" id="chunk170038">to </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red E24E1711-DFC0-4302-BC4A-FFAC22193157" id="chunk170039">know </span></i></span><span class="chunk hl-u-red E24E1711-DFC0-4302-BC4A-FFAC22193157" id="chunk170040"><span style="color: #ffe599;"><i>thee</i></span>, </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk170041">and </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk170042">that </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk170043">I </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk170044">may </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk170045">be </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk170046">raised </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk170047">from </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk170048">the </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk170049">dead, </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk170050">and </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk170051">be </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk170052">saved </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk170053">at </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk170054">the </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk170055">last </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk170056">day." </span></a></div>
<div class="chunked" id="para17">
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<div class="chunked" id="para17">
<span class="chunk" id="chunk170056">This time the king expresses that he will give up things that spiritually hold him back from God. As I studied this chapter in the Book of Mormon, I could not help but think to myself, "What would I give up to know God?". </span></div>
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<span class="chunk" id="chunk170056"><b>What kinds of worldly things keep us from knowing God? Is it our jobs? Material things?</b> </span></div>
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<span class="chunk" id="chunk170056"><b>What is holding us back spiritually? Are we reading our scriptures? Praying? Attending church?</b></span></div>
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<div class="chunked" id="para17">
<span class="chunk" id="chunk170056">The Lamanite king had an amazing, spiritual experience that solidified a testimony of God. Most often, we don't have a miraculous experience that brings about a testimony in us. We usually have to put in effort to know God. It means we have to do all things spiritual like reading the scriptures, praying, attending church, and every good thing. We have to align our priorities and not allow worldly things to clutter our time. </span><br />
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<span class="chunk" id="chunk170056"><b> </b></span></div>
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<span class="chunk" id="chunk170056">I didn't have an amazing experience to a gain a testimony of God. But through different experiences in my life, I have been able to learn that I really do have a Heavenly Father that loves me. He is aware of each and every one of us. He wants us all to know him. The best way I know of to come to know him is to pray. Ask like the Lamanite king did, and you will come to know that he is real. </span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03092414969109797614noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4536353675632903097.post-87825722502295425852014-10-23T15:02:00.001-07:002014-10-23T15:02:05.448-07:00Singing Praises to HimMany who have watched me grow know that I have participated in choir's, musicals, and all other kinds of musical events my entire life. For those who know me well, know that this was NEVER my favorite thing to do. Don't ask me why I did the things I did. Simply put, it has just never been something I enjoy doing.<br />
<br />
Just recently, the missionaries in my area were asked to prepare for a meeting by inviting others to participate with us in a large choir. Maybe I shouldn't confess my sins over a blog post, but I groaned a little bit inside when I heard this. Like I said before, singing has never been my thing. As I have learned about what we will be participating in, the spirit has confirmed to my heart that this is in fact something that the Lord wants me to do.<br />
<a href="https://www.lds.org/scriptures/ot/1-chr/16.9?lang=eng#8"><br /></a>
<a href="https://www.lds.org/scriptures/ot/1-chr/16.9?lang=eng#8">1 Chronicles 16:</a><a class="bookmark-anchor dontHighlight" href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="9"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null"><span class="verse">9, "</span>Sing unto him, sing psalms unto him, talk ye of all his wondrous works."</a><br />
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<a href="https://www.lds.org/scriptures/ot/ps/96.1?lang=eng#primary">Psalms 96:1, " <span class="verse"></span>O sing unto the <span class="smallCaps">Lord</span> a new song: sing unto the <span class="smallCaps">Lord</span>, all the earth."</a><br />
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<a href="https://www.lds.org/scriptures/ot/isa/44.232?lang=eng#231">Isaiah 44:23, "</a><a class="bookmark-anchor dontHighlight" href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="23"> </a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null"><span class="verse">23 </span>Sing, O ye heavens; for the <span class="smallCaps">Lord</span> hath done <span class="clarityWord">it:</span> shout, ye lower parts of the earth: break forth into singing, ye mountains, O forest, and every tree therein: for the <span class="smallCaps">Lord</span> hath redeemed Jacob, and glorified himself in Israel."</a><br />
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<a href="https://www.lds.org/scriptures/bofm/1-ne/21.13?lang=eng#12"> 1 Nephi 21:13, " 13 Sing, O heavens; and be joyful, O earth; for the feet of those who are in the east shall be established; and break forth into singing, O mountains; for they shall be smitten no more; for the Lord hath comforted his people, and will have mercy upon his afflicted."</a><br />
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<a href="https://www.lds.org/scriptures/dc-testament/dc/25.12?lang=eng#11">D&C 25:12, "For my soul delighteth in the song of the heart; yea, the song of the righteous is a prayer unto me, and it shall be answered with a blessing upon their heads."</a><br />
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These scriptures, along with many more, show us the nature of singing like unto prayer. In the <a href="https://www.lds.org/music/guidelines/first-presidency-preface-to-the-hymns?lang=eng">First Presidency Preface</a> to the hymn book, it says: "We hope to see an increase of hymn singing in our congregations. We
encourage all members, whether musically inclined or not, to join with
us in singing the hymns. We hope leaders, teachers, and members who are
called on to speak will turn often to the hymnbook to find sermons
presented powerfully and beautifully in verse."<br />
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So this is what I have learned--its not about how well you sing. Its about singing praises to God. Its about the DOCTRINE found within the Hymns. The preface to the hymn book says, "Brothers and sisters, let us use the hymns to invite the Spirit of the
Lord into our congregations, our homes, and our personal lives. Let us
memorize and ponder them, recite and sing them, and partake of their
spiritual nourishment. Know that the song of the righteous is a prayer
unto our Father in Heaven, “and it shall be answered with a blessing
upon [your] heads.”<br />
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It is my testimony that we are to sing praises to our Heavenly Father. It is another way that we can pray to him. We can learn so much from the hymns. I know that singing is the best way to feel the spirit. Singing can help us conquer temptation and bring an increase of the spirit into our lives. I know that the hymns were written by inspiration and will bring us closer to God.<br />
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<img alt="" src="http://media.ldscdn.org/images/media-library/music/piano-keys-844583-gallery.jpg" height="266" width="400" /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEh4oNvQE5AhHrQi4h5qxTifi7c0MzfBemDpveF-aslOZAfQBWp32awgzgBzVFFARkvThyphenhyphenH9f8jbD4rC6dyvm9vloupfvRkDrsUXB0t5Zh31RQFcDoD8LPPrmz6G0rVnbdvZJrluiB6z5AdP5ToyVdDdyg7CMVn2Wic1Lx9GamWeRB0aRIm6GLTWTPU=s0-d-e1-ft" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEh4oNvQE5AhHrQi4h5qxTifi7c0MzfBemDpveF-aslOZAfQBWp32awgzgBzVFFARkvThyphenhyphenH9f8jbD4rC6dyvm9vloupfvRkDrsUXB0t5Zh31RQFcDoD8LPPrmz6G0rVnbdvZJrluiB6z5AdP5ToyVdDdyg7CMVn2Wic1Lx9GamWeRB0aRIm6GLTWTPU=s0-d-e1-ft" style="border: medium none currentcolor; display: block; text-decoration: none;" width="400" /></a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03092414969109797614noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4536353675632903097.post-30503654911441451052014-10-18T16:19:00.000-07:002014-10-18T16:20:41.826-07:00The Quest of a Lifetime<div class="" id="p49">
There have been times in my life where I have needed to know that a certain principle of the gospel of Jesus Christ is true. At times, it has been frustrating when I pray to God because I feel like he hasn't answered me. This last general conference, President Uchtdorf said:<br />
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"Your
testimony of the living Son of God and His restored Church, The Church
of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, may not come as quickly as you
desire, but I promise you this: if you do your part, it will come.</div>
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"And it will be glorious."</div>
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I can add my testimony that I know this is true. Coming to know these things are true may very well be a quest for the rest of my life. I don't know everything is true, but I have faith that it is. I love this gospel. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEh4oNvQE5AhHrQi4h5qxTifi7c0MzfBemDpveF-aslOZAfQBWp32awgzgBzVFFARkvThyphenhyphenH9f8jbD4rC6dyvm9vloupfvRkDrsUXB0t5Zh31RQFcDoD8LPPrmz6G0rVnbdvZJrluiB6z5AdP5ToyVdDdyg7CMVn2Wic1Lx9GamWeRB0aRIm6GLTWTPU=s0-d-e1-ft" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEh4oNvQE5AhHrQi4h5qxTifi7c0MzfBemDpveF-aslOZAfQBWp32awgzgBzVFFARkvThyphenhyphenH9f8jbD4rC6dyvm9vloupfvRkDrsUXB0t5Zh31RQFcDoD8LPPrmz6G0rVnbdvZJrluiB6z5AdP5ToyVdDdyg7CMVn2Wic1Lx9GamWeRB0aRIm6GLTWTPU=s0-d-e1-ft" style="border: medium none currentcolor; display: block; text-decoration: none;" width="400" /></a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03092414969109797614noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4536353675632903097.post-34353174225379700682014-10-14T17:03:00.000-07:002014-10-14T17:04:46.141-07:00Meet The MormonsI had the most amazing opportunity to watch "Meet the Mormons" this last week. I love this movie. As a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, I have been able to experience the joy that this gospel brings. This movie perfectly portrays the lives of many wonderful members of the church.<br />
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I would encourage everyone to see it! For more information click <a href="http://meetthemormons.com/#/filter-all/page-1">HERE</a>! :)<br />
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Facebook: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/meetthemormons">https://www.facebook.com/meetthemormons</a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEh4oNvQE5AhHrQi4h5qxTifi7c0MzfBemDpveF-aslOZAfQBWp32awgzgBzVFFARkvThyphenhyphenH9f8jbD4rC6dyvm9vloupfvRkDrsUXB0t5Zh31RQFcDoD8LPPrmz6G0rVnbdvZJrluiB6z5AdP5ToyVdDdyg7CMVn2Wic1Lx9GamWeRB0aRIm6GLTWTPU=s0-d-e1-ft" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEh4oNvQE5AhHrQi4h5qxTifi7c0MzfBemDpveF-aslOZAfQBWp32awgzgBzVFFARkvThyphenhyphenH9f8jbD4rC6dyvm9vloupfvRkDrsUXB0t5Zh31RQFcDoD8LPPrmz6G0rVnbdvZJrluiB6z5AdP5ToyVdDdyg7CMVn2Wic1Lx9GamWeRB0aRIm6GLTWTPU=s0-d-e1-ft" style="border: medium none currentcolor; display: block; text-decoration: none;" width="400" /></a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03092414969109797614noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4536353675632903097.post-38886252023151097162014-10-07T15:34:00.000-07:002014-10-07T15:34:11.742-07:00Your Faith Securely In PlaceThere are times in our lives when we question what we know to be true. I have questioned what I know to be true. This last weekend in <a href="https://www.lds.org/general-conference/sessions/2014/10?cid=HPSU100514465&lang=eng">General Conference</a>, Elder Neil L. Andersen gave a very wonderful address that touched my heart. He gave gave two words of advice in our times of doubt:<br />
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1. Find scriptures that you know are ABSOLUTELY true.<br />
2. Read<a href="https://www.lds.org/topics/joseph-smith/testimony?lang=eng"> the testimony of the prophet Joseph Smith</a>. Even record it in your own voice and listen to it in attempt to gaining a testimony for yourself. <br />
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I loved his quote, "You won't be of much help to others if your own faith is not securely in place." We can be a source of help to others in this crazy world. In my own life, when I start to have my doubts, I always ask myself, "Do I know the Book of Mormon is true?" and "Do I know that Joseph Smith is a prophet?". If we cannot answer yes, it is my hope that we will do as Elder Andersen suggests. Find scripture that you know to be absolutely true. Then review the testimony of the prophet Joseph Smith. If we can come to know of these two basic truths, all our doubts will disappear.<br />
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I know that the Book of Mormon is true. I know that Joseph Smith was a prophet of God. Because I know this, I know that the Church of Jesus Christ was restored to the earth again through the prophet Joseph Smith. I know that we have prophets and apostles on the earth today that lead his church. I know that God will never lead his chosen authority astray. This is the true church on the earth today. If you have any doubts, I challenge you to do as Elder Andersen invites. Try it, see what comes from it!<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03092414969109797614noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4536353675632903097.post-55079714895582174222014-09-19T15:54:00.002-07:002014-10-01T14:04:57.607-07:00Daughters in the CovenantThis coming Saturday is the <a href="https://www.lds.org/church/events/september-2014-general-womens-meeting?cid=HPWE091714419&lang=eng">General Women's meeting</a> for the church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. As I have been preparing myself to hear the words of the inspired leaders of the church, I studied a talk given by President Eyring. His talk is entitled, "<a href="https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2014/04/daughters-in-the-covenant?lang=eng#">Daughters in the Covenant</a>". One of my favorite quotes from his talk says, "<span class="chunk hl-id-35078265 hl-u-red 17295854241923676608" id="chunk160000" node="160000" paranum="16" wrapper="0">You </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red 17295854241923676608" id="chunk160001" node="160001" paranum="16" wrapper="1">were </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red 17295854241923676608" id="chunk160002" node="160002" paranum="16" wrapper="2">tutored </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red 17295854241923676608" id="chunk160003" node="160003" paranum="16" wrapper="3">by </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red 17295854241923676608" id="chunk160004" node="160004" paranum="16" wrapper="4">Him </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red 17295854241923676608" id="chunk160005" node="160005" paranum="16" wrapper="5">before </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red 17295854241923676608" id="chunk160006" node="160006" paranum="16" wrapper="6">you </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red 17295854241923676608" id="chunk160007" node="160007" paranum="16" wrapper="7">came </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red 17295854241923676608" id="chunk160008" node="160008" paranum="16" wrapper="8">into </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red 17295854241923676608" id="chunk160009" node="160009" paranum="16" wrapper="9">this </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red 17295854241923676608" id="chunk160010" node="160010" paranum="16" wrapper="10">life. </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red 17295854241923676608" id="chunk160011" node="160011" paranum="16" wrapper="11">He </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red 17295854241923676608" id="chunk160012" node="160012" paranum="16" wrapper="12">helped </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red 17295854241923676608" id="chunk160013" node="160013" paranum="16" wrapper="13">you </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red 17295854241923676608" id="chunk160014" node="160014" paranum="16" wrapper="14">understand </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red 17295854241923676608" id="chunk160015" node="160015" paranum="16" wrapper="15">and </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red 17295854241923676608" id="chunk160016" node="160016" paranum="16" wrapper="16">accept </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red 17295854241923676608" id="chunk160017" node="160017" paranum="16" wrapper="17">that </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red 17295854241923676608" id="chunk160018" node="160018" paranum="16" wrapper="18">you </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red 17295854241923676608" id="chunk160019" node="160019" paranum="16" wrapper="19">would </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red 17295854241923676608" id="chunk160020" node="160020" paranum="16" wrapper="20">have </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red 17295854241923676608" id="chunk160021" node="160021" paranum="16" wrapper="21">trials, </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red 17295854241923676608" id="chunk160022" node="160022" paranum="16" wrapper="22">tests, </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red 17295854241923676608" id="chunk160023" node="160023" paranum="16" wrapper="23">and </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red 17295854241923676608" id="chunk160024" node="160024" paranum="16" wrapper="24">opportunities </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red 17295854241923676608" id="chunk160025" node="160025" paranum="16" wrapper="25">perfectly </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red 17295854241923676608" id="chunk160026" node="160026" paranum="16" wrapper="26">chosen </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red 17295854241923676608" id="chunk160027" node="160027" paranum="16" wrapper="27">just </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red 17295854241923676608" id="chunk160028" node="160028" paranum="16" wrapper="28">for </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red 17295854241923676608" id="chunk160029" node="160029" paranum="16" wrapper="29">you. </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red 17295854241923676608" id="chunk160030" node="160030" paranum="16" wrapper="30">You </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red 17295854241923676608" id="chunk160031" node="160031" paranum="16" wrapper="31">learned </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red 17295854241923676608" id="chunk160032" node="160032" paranum="16" wrapper="32">that </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red 17295854241923676608" id="chunk160033" node="160033" paranum="16" wrapper="33">our </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red 17295854241923676608" id="chunk160034" node="160034" paranum="16" wrapper="34">Father </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red 17295854241923676608" id="chunk160035" node="160035" paranum="16" wrapper="35">had </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red 17295854241923676608" id="chunk160036" node="160036" paranum="16" wrapper="36">a </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red 17295854241923676608" id="chunk160037" node="160037" paranum="16" wrapper="37">plan </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red 17295854241923676608" id="chunk160038" node="160038" paranum="16" wrapper="38">of </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red 17295854241923676608" id="chunk160039" node="160039" paranum="16" wrapper="39">happiness </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red 17295854241923676608" id="chunk160040" node="160040" paranum="16" wrapper="40">to </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red 17295854241923676608" id="chunk160041" node="160041" paranum="16" wrapper="41">get </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red 17295854241923676608" id="chunk160042" node="160042" paranum="16" wrapper="42">you </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red 17295854241923676608" id="chunk160043" node="160043" paranum="16" wrapper="43">safely </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red 17295854241923676608" id="chunk160044" node="160044" paranum="16" wrapper="44">through </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red 17295854241923676608" id="chunk160045" node="160045" paranum="16" wrapper="45">those </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red 17295854241923676608" id="chunk160046" node="160046" paranum="16" wrapper="46">trials </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red 17295854241923676608" id="chunk160047" node="160047" paranum="16" wrapper="47">and </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red 17295854241923676608" id="chunk160048" node="160048" paranum="16" wrapper="48">that </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red 17295854241923676608" id="chunk160049" node="160049" paranum="16" wrapper="49">you </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red 17295854241923676608" id="chunk160050" node="160050" paranum="16" wrapper="50">would </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red 17295854241923676608" id="chunk160051" node="160051" paranum="16" wrapper="51">help </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red 17295854241923676608" id="chunk160052" node="160052" paranum="16" wrapper="52">bring </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red 17295854241923676608" id="chunk160053" node="160053" paranum="16" wrapper="53">others </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red 17295854241923676608" id="chunk160054" node="160054" paranum="16" wrapper="54">safely </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red 17295854241923676608" id="chunk160055" node="160055" paranum="16" wrapper="55">through </span><span class="chunk hl-id-35078265 hl-u-red 17295854241923676608" id="chunk160056" node="160056" paranum="16" wrapper="56">theirs."</span><br />
<span class="chunk hl-id-35078265 hl-u-red 17295854241923676608" node="160056" paranum="16" wrapper="56"></span><br />
<span class="chunk hl-id-35078265 hl-u-red 17295854241923676608" node="160056" paranum="16" wrapper="56">I know that we were with our Heavenly Father before this life. He tutored us and helped us prepare for what we would face in this life. God doesn't do random. We have been given our specific trials because we knew that we could handle it. We were prepped for this. We can have faith that God is aware of us and wants to help us through all of our trials. </span><br />
<span class="chunk hl-id-35078265 hl-u-red 17295854241923676608" node="160056" paranum="16" wrapper="56"></span><br />
<span class="chunk hl-id-35078265 hl-u-red 17295854241923676608" node="160056" paranum="16" wrapper="56">He ends his talk by saying, "<span class="chunk hl-id-85965045" id="chunk420000" node="420000" paranum="42" wrapper="0">I </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk420001" node="420001" paranum="42" wrapper="1">have </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk420002" node="420002" paranum="42" wrapper="2">a </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk420003" node="420003" paranum="42" wrapper="3">sure </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk420004" node="420004" paranum="42" wrapper="4">witness </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk420005" node="420005" paranum="42" wrapper="5">that </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk420006" node="420006" paranum="42" wrapper="6">God </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk420007" node="420007" paranum="42" wrapper="7">the </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk420008" node="420008" paranum="42" wrapper="8">Father </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk420009" node="420009" paranum="42" wrapper="9">watches </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk420010" node="420010" paranum="42" wrapper="10">over </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk420011" node="420011" paranum="42" wrapper="11">you </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk420012" node="420012" paranum="42" wrapper="12">in </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk420013" node="420013" paranum="42" wrapper="13">love. </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk420014" node="420014" paranum="42" wrapper="14">He </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk420015" node="420015" paranum="42" wrapper="15">loves </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk420016" node="420016" paranum="42" wrapper="16">each </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk420017" node="420017" paranum="42" wrapper="17">of </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk420018" node="420018" paranum="42" wrapper="18">you. </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk420019" node="420019" paranum="42" wrapper="19">You </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk420020" node="420020" paranum="42" wrapper="20">are </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk420021" node="420021" paranum="42" wrapper="21">His </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk420022" node="420022" paranum="42" wrapper="22">daughters </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk420023" node="420023" paranum="42" wrapper="23">in </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk420024" node="420024" paranum="42" wrapper="24">the </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk420025" node="420025" paranum="42" wrapper="25">covenant. </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk420026" node="420026" paranum="42" wrapper="26">Because </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk420027" node="420027" paranum="42" wrapper="27">He </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk420028" node="420028" paranum="42" wrapper="28">loves </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk420029" node="420029" paranum="42" wrapper="29">you, </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk420030" node="420030" paranum="42" wrapper="30">He </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk420031" node="420031" paranum="42" wrapper="31">will </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk420032" node="420032" paranum="42" wrapper="32">provide </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk420033" node="420033" paranum="42" wrapper="33">the </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk420034" node="420034" paranum="42" wrapper="34">help </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk420035" node="420035" paranum="42" wrapper="35">that </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk420036" node="420036" paranum="42" wrapper="36">you </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk420037" node="420037" paranum="42" wrapper="37">need </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk420038" node="420038" paranum="42" wrapper="38">to </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk420039" node="420039" paranum="42" wrapper="39">move </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk420040" node="420040" paranum="42" wrapper="40">yourself </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk420041" node="420041" paranum="42" wrapper="41">and </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk420042" node="420042" paranum="42" wrapper="42">others </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk420043" node="420043" paranum="42" wrapper="43">upward </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk420044" node="420044" paranum="42" wrapper="44">along </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk420045" node="420045" paranum="42" wrapper="45">the </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk420046" node="420046" paranum="42" wrapper="46">way </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk420047" node="420047" paranum="42" wrapper="47">back </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk420048" node="420048" paranum="42" wrapper="48">to </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk420049" node="420049" paranum="42" wrapper="49">His </span><span class="chunk hl-id-85965045" id="chunk420050" node="420050" paranum="42" wrapper="50">presence."</span></span><br />
<span class="chunk hl-id-35078265 hl-u-red 17295854241923676608" node="160056" paranum="16" wrapper="56"><span class="chunk hl-id-85965045" node="420050" paranum="42" wrapper="50"></span></span><br />
<span class="chunk hl-id-35078265 hl-u-red 17295854241923676608" node="160056" paranum="16" wrapper="56"><span class="chunk hl-id-85965045" node="420050" paranum="42" wrapper="50">I know that these words are true. Never forget how much your Heavenly Father loves you! We will live with him again one day.</span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEh4oNvQE5AhHrQi4h5qxTifi7c0MzfBemDpveF-aslOZAfQBWp32awgzgBzVFFARkvThyphenhyphenH9f8jbD4rC6dyvm9vloupfvRkDrsUXB0t5Zh31RQFcDoD8LPPrmz6G0rVnbdvZJrluiB6z5AdP5ToyVdDdyg7CMVn2Wic1Lx9GamWeRB0aRIm6GLTWTPU=s0-d-e1-ft" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEh4oNvQE5AhHrQi4h5qxTifi7c0MzfBemDpveF-aslOZAfQBWp32awgzgBzVFFARkvThyphenhyphenH9f8jbD4rC6dyvm9vloupfvRkDrsUXB0t5Zh31RQFcDoD8LPPrmz6G0rVnbdvZJrluiB6z5AdP5ToyVdDdyg7CMVn2Wic1Lx9GamWeRB0aRIm6GLTWTPU=s0-d-e1-ft" style="border: currentColor; display: block; text-decoration: none;" width="400" /></a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03092414969109797614noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4536353675632903097.post-70454067555158760822014-09-16T14:57:00.001-07:002014-10-01T14:04:47.249-07:00Modern-Day ProphetsAs members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we believe in modern day prophets. We believe that God is the same yesterday, today, and forever. He called prophets in ancient times, and continues to call prophets today. Preach My Gospel says:<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.lds.org/manual/preach-my-gospel-a-guide-to-missionary-service/lesson-1-the-message-of-the-restoration-of-the-gospel-of-jesus-christ?lang=eng">"One important way that God shows His love for us is by calling prophets, who are given the priesthood—the power and authority given to man to act in God’s name for the salvation of His children. Prophets learn the gospel of Jesus Christ by revelation. They in turn teach the gospel to others and testify of Jesus Christ as the Savior and Redeemer. The teachings of prophets are found in sacred books called scriptures."</a><br />
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On Mormon.org you would find the following:<br />
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<a href="http://www.mormon.org/beliefs/church">"Mormons are members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and are committed to honor and follow God’s will, which comes through His Prophet and Apostles. This means we prayerfully listen to their words, support them, and pray for their well-being."</a><br />
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Latter-day Saints" border="0" class="large_hero lazy lazyLoadDone" height="143" itemprop="contentURL" src="https://edge.mormoncdn.org/bc/content/assets/img/full/lessons/faith/christs_church/our-leaders.jpg" style="opacity: 1;" width="400" /></a></div>
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Coming up this October, we will have the opportunity to listen to the living, modern day prophets and apostles. I love to hear from Thomas S. Monson. I know that he is a prophet of God! He holds the authority to reveal to us things that Heavenly Father would want us to know. <br />
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In the New Testament in the book of Matthew chapter 7 it says:<br />
<span class="verse"></span><br />
<a href="https://www.lds.org/scriptures/nt/matt/7.20?lang=eng#19"><span class="verse">15 </span>Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.</a><br />
<div uri="/scriptures/nt/matt/7.16">
<a href="https://www.lds.org/scriptures/nt/matt/7.20?lang=eng#19"><span class="verse">16 </span>Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?</a></div>
<div uri="/scriptures/nt/matt/7.17">
<a href="https://www.lds.org/scriptures/nt/matt/7.20?lang=eng#19"><span class="verse">17 </span>Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.</a></div>
<div uri="/scriptures/nt/matt/7.18">
<a href="https://www.lds.org/scriptures/nt/matt/7.20?lang=eng#19"><span class="verse">18 </span>A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither <span class="clarityWord">can</span> a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.</a></div>
<div uri="/scriptures/nt/matt/7.19">
<a href="https://www.lds.org/scriptures/nt/matt/7.20?lang=eng#19"><span class="verse">19 </span>Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.</a></div>
<div class="highlight" uri="/scriptures/nt/matt/7.20">
<a href="https://www.lds.org/scriptures/nt/matt/7.20?lang=eng#19"><span class="verse">20 </span>Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.</a></div>
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What this scripture tells us is that there are many that may come to us claiming to be prophets. The way that we can tell if they truly are called of God is to look for their "fruits". By the way they talk, act, and advise, we can come to know if they are prophets. I would like to invite everyone to watch General Conference. As you hear the prophet of the world, Thomas S. Monson speak, you can come to know that he is a prophet of God. I know that he is. By his fruits shall ye know him! I can testify of that!<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03092414969109797614noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4536353675632903097.post-2059561574419782722014-09-13T12:47:00.000-07:002014-09-13T12:47:42.160-07:00Service, Service, Service.I was in a meeting this week when I heard this word repeated three times in a row: Service, service, service. Thinking about all of my time I have spent as a missionary, this completely sums up what I have tried to do. Of course, I'm not even close to being done yet. I am only given 18 months to give up practically everything to serve my Heavenly Father. 18 months is a really short time. There is so much I want to do, and so little time. <br />
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Mental, physical, spiritual, emotional--we have many needs. In this meeting, I was reminded of a story in the bible it is found in John 13: 4-17.<br />
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<div uri="/scriptures/nt/john/13.4">
<a href="https://www.lds.org/scriptures/nt/john/13?lang=eng"> <span class="verse">4 </span>He riseth from supper, and laid aside his garments; and took a towel, and girded himself.</a></div>
<div uri="/scriptures/nt/john/13.5">
<a href="https://www.lds.org/scriptures/nt/john/13?lang=eng"> <span class="verse">5 </span>After that he poureth water into a basin, and began to wash the disciples’ feet, and to wipe <span class="clarityWord">them</span> with the towel wherewith he was girded.</a></div>
<div uri="/scriptures/nt/john/13.6">
<a href="https://www.lds.org/scriptures/nt/john/13?lang=eng"> <span class="verse">6 </span>Then cometh he to Simon Peter: and Peter saith unto him, Lord, dost thou wash my feet?</a></div>
<div uri="/scriptures/nt/john/13.7">
<a href="https://www.lds.org/scriptures/nt/john/13?lang=eng"> <span class="verse">7 </span>Jesus answered and said unto him, What I do thou knowest not now; but thou shalt know hereafter.</a></div>
<div uri="/scriptures/nt/john/13.8">
<a href="https://www.lds.org/scriptures/nt/john/13?lang=eng"> <span class="verse">8 </span>Peter saith unto him, Thou shalt never wash my feet. Jesus answered him, If I wash thee not, thou hast no part with me.</a></div>
<div uri="/scriptures/nt/john/13.9">
<a href="https://www.lds.org/scriptures/nt/john/13?lang=eng"> <span class="verse">9 </span>Simon Peter saith unto him, Lord, not my feet only, but also <span class="clarityWord">my</span> hands and <span class="clarityWord">my</span> head.</a></div>
<div uri="/scriptures/nt/john/13.10">
<a href="https://www.lds.org/scriptures/nt/john/13?lang=eng"> <span class="verse">10 </span>Jesus saith to him, He that is washed needeth not save to wash <span class="clarityWord">his</span> feet, but is clean every whit: and ye are clean, but not all.</a></div>
<div uri="/scriptures/nt/john/13.11">
<a href="https://www.lds.org/scriptures/nt/john/13?lang=eng"> <span class="verse">11 </span>For he knew who should betray him; therefore said he, Ye are not all clean.</a></div>
<div uri="/scriptures/nt/john/13.12">
<a href="https://www.lds.org/scriptures/nt/john/13?lang=eng"> <span class="verse">12 </span>So after he had washed their feet, and had taken his garments, and was set down again, he said unto them, Know ye what I have done to you?</a></div>
<div uri="/scriptures/nt/john/13.13">
<a href="https://www.lds.org/scriptures/nt/john/13?lang=eng"> <span class="verse">13 </span>Ye call me Master and Lord: and ye say well; for <span class="clarityWord">so</span> I am.</a></div>
<div uri="/scriptures/nt/john/13.14">
<a href="https://www.lds.org/scriptures/nt/john/13?lang=eng"> <span class="verse">14 </span>If I then, <span class="clarityWord">your</span> Lord and Master, have washed your feet; ye also ought to wash one another’s feet.</a></div>
<div uri="/scriptures/nt/john/13.15">
<a href="https://www.lds.org/scriptures/nt/john/13?lang=eng"> <span class="verse">15 </span>For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you.</a></div>
<div uri="/scriptures/nt/john/13.16">
<a href="https://www.lds.org/scriptures/nt/john/13?lang=eng"> <span class="verse">16 </span>Verily, verily, I say unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord; neither he that is sent greater than he that sent him.</a></div>
<div uri="/scriptures/nt/john/13.17">
<a href="https://www.lds.org/scriptures/nt/john/13?lang=eng"> <span class="verse">17 </span>If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them.</a></div>
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Jesus Christ was the perfect example of service. The perfect example in everything. As I have tried to emulate his example, I have fallen short. But I still feel the approval of my Heavenly Father. I know that he is proud of me. I know that he has accepted the small sacrifices I have made. <br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03092414969109797614noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4536353675632903097.post-91382656824978043982014-09-10T17:33:00.001-07:002014-09-10T17:33:15.592-07:00Daddy-Daughter DayI have been blessed with a wonderful earthly father who cares about me very much. Since I have been out on my mission, I have known when he misses me most when he sends me Taco Bell gift cards. Let me tell you, that's real love. He has been a wonderful provider, great listener, and disciple of Christ. I am so grateful for his example in my life.<br />
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Like many other girls, I would be blessed with the opportunity to go on "Daddy-Daughter Dates" with my dad. Now, they usually weren't pre-planned and specific to spending quality time together, but they were special to me any ways. In fact, they were often trips to St. George Utah for doctor appointments, dentist appointments, etc. What I loved most about these trips was just being with my dad, talking, and always making a stop at Taco Bell (hence the gift cards). <br />
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These trips mean so much to me now, because it really bonded me to my dad. Looking back, these days spent alone with me and my dad were exactly what I needed to secure a good relationship with him. I can now see how this quality time allowed me to have a deeper relationship with him that most people crave to have with their parents. <br />
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Recently while reflecting about this, I thought about how this exactly relates to keeping the Sabbath day holy. Our Heavenly Father has set aside Sundays for us to rest. But most importantly to me, he has set aside time for us to worship him. On Mormon.org it says:<br />
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<a href="http://www.mormon.org/beliefs/commandments">"Besides giving us a rest from the stresses of the workweek, keeping the Sabbath day holy shows respect for God and reminds us to slow down our busy lives to give thanks to our Creator. Sunday is a day to look forward to, one when we get to enjoy the things that really matter."</a><br />
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I love Sundays! Let me tell you--I need that day of rest. But the reason why I have come to enjoy it most is because it is my personal "Daddy-Daughter Day" with my Heavenly Father. It is the day that I devote ALL of my time and attention to strengthening my relationship with my Heavenly Father. Don't get me wrong, I am constantly trying to improve my relationship during the week, but it is a day that I especially work at it. It is a day where I attend church to renew my commitment to him. Its the day where I try to serve others. It is the day where I spend quality time with my earthly family that he has blessed me with. It is the day I spend devoted in prayers of gratitude. <br />
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I am so grateful that my Heavenly Father has set aside Sundays as a day of rest and worship. We need this time to renew each week. The world is just getting crazier, so we need this day to step back and re-charge. I know that this is the day where we can especially spend that time improving our relationship with our Heavenly Father. I truly love it! <br />
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<a href="https://www.lds.org/scriptures/nt/mark/2.27?lang=eng#27">Mark 2:27, "And he said unto them, The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath:".</a><br />
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<img alt="" aria-busy="false" aria-describedby="fbPhotosSnowliftCaption" class="spotlight" height="640" src="https://fbcdn-sphotos-b-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xfa1/v/t1.0-9/400396_10200093865654998_517018134_n.jpg?oh=4a2388d9739c74496692fc303000b246&oe=548B1DB1&__gda__=1417829766_b3024f2e42bf7066a0e33097d1a312b9" width="426" /><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEh4oNvQE5AhHrQi4h5qxTifi7c0MzfBemDpveF-aslOZAfQBWp32awgzgBzVFFARkvThyphenhyphenH9f8jbD4rC6dyvm9vloupfvRkDrsUXB0t5Zh31RQFcDoD8LPPrmz6G0rVnbdvZJrluiB6z5AdP5ToyVdDdyg7CMVn2Wic1Lx9GamWeRB0aRIm6GLTWTPU=s0-d-e1-ft" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEh4oNvQE5AhHrQi4h5qxTifi7c0MzfBemDpveF-aslOZAfQBWp32awgzgBzVFFARkvThyphenhyphenH9f8jbD4rC6dyvm9vloupfvRkDrsUXB0t5Zh31RQFcDoD8LPPrmz6G0rVnbdvZJrluiB6z5AdP5ToyVdDdyg7CMVn2Wic1Lx9GamWeRB0aRIm6GLTWTPU=s0-d-e1-ft" style="border: currentColor; display: block; text-decoration: none;" width="400" /></a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03092414969109797614noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4536353675632903097.post-1955897284223266562014-09-06T12:52:00.002-07:002014-09-06T12:52:55.748-07:00You Matter To HimFrom ages 12-18, I attended "young women's" during the third hour of church every Sunday. At the beginning of every meeting we would recite what is called the "<a href="https://www.lds.org/young-women/personal-progress/young-women-theme?lang=eng">Young Women Theme</a>". It says:<br />
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<span style="color: #e06666;"><span class="all-caps">We are daughters</span> of our Heavenly Father, who loves us, and we love Him. <span class="all-caps">We will “stand </span>as witnesses of God at all times and in all things, and in all places” as we strive to live the Young Women values, which are:</span></div>
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<span style="color: #f1c232;">Faith • Divine Nature • Individual Worth • Knowledge • </span></div>
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<span style="color: #f1c232;">Choice and Accountability • Good Works • Integrity • and Virtue</span></div>
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<a class="bookmark dontHighlight" href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="4"> </a><span style="color: #e06666;"><span class="all-caps">We believe</span> as we come to accept and act upon these values, <span class="all-caps">we will be prepared</span> to strengthen home and family, make and keep sacred covenants, receive the ordinances of the temple, and enjoy the blessings of exaltation.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black;">As I recited this every week and completed <a href="https://www.lds.org/young-women/personal-progress?lang=eng">Personal Progress,</a> I came to know that my Heavenly Father knows me and loves me. I was blessed to be able to increase my faith and become the best woman that I could be. Every single one of the values played a significant role in helping me become the person I am today. </span>Recently, I have been reflecting on some of these values. Something that I would like to talk specifically about today is the value Individual Worth. I hope that I can portray my feelings in way that is not too scattered! :)</div>
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Almost my whole life I have watched as people close to me have struggled with their individual worth. When I speak of individual worth, I am referring to not only your worth in this world, but your worth to your Heavenly Father. In Doctrine and Covenants 18:10 it says:</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.lds.org/scriptures/dc-testament/dc/18.10?lang=eng#9">"Remember the worth of souls is great in the sight of God."</a></span></div>
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Let me testify to you that I know this is true. I know that our Heavenly Father loves us. He has a perfect plan. Within his perfect plan is an exact purpose for us. PLEASE UNDERSTAND. You are a child of God. He loves you. </div>
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<a href="https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2011/10/you-matter-to-him?lang=eng">President Uchtdorf</a> puts it best:</div>
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"My dear brothers and sisters, it may be true that man is nothing in comparison to the greatness of the universe. At times we may even feel insignificant, invisible, alone, or forgotten. But always remember—you matter to Him! If you ever doubt that, consider these four divine principles:</div>
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<div id="p34" uri="/general-conference/2011/10/you-matter-to-him.p34">
"First, God loves the humble and meek, for they are 'greatest in the kingdom of heaven.'</div>
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<sup></sup> </div>
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"Second, the Lord entrusts 'the fulness of [His] gospel [to] be proclaimed by the weak and the simple unto the ends of the world.'<sup> </sup>He has chosen 'the weak things of the world [to] come forth and break down the mighty and strong ones' and to put to shame 'the things which are mighty.'</div>
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"Third, no matter where you live, no matter how humble your circumstances, how meager your employment, how limited your abilities, how ordinary your appearance, or how little your calling in the Church may appear to you, you are not invisible to your Heavenly Father. He loves you. He knows your humble heart and your acts of love and kindness. Together, they form a lasting testimony of your fidelity and faith.</div>
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"Fourth and finally, please understand that what you see and experience now is not what forever will be. You will not feel loneliness, sorrow, pain, or discouragement forever. We have the faithful promise of God that He will neither forget nor forsake those who incline their hearts to Him. Have hope and faith in that promise. Learn to love your Heavenly Father and become His disciple in word and in deed."</div>
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One of my favorite scriptures is found in the Book of Mormon. It is found in 1 Nephi 11:16-17:</div>
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<a href="https://www.lds.org/scriptures/bofm/1-ne/11.17?lang=eng#16"><span class="verse">16 </span>And he said unto me: Knowest thou the condescension of God?</a></div>
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<a href="https://www.lds.org/scriptures/bofm/1-ne/11.17?lang=eng#16"><span class="verse">17 </span>And I said unto him: I know that he loveth his children; nevertheless, I do not know the meaning of all things.</a></div>
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Here Nephi is asked a question: Knowest thou the condescension of God? His response (paraphrased): I may not know everything, but I know God loves his children. </div>
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So let me ask you: Do you KNOW that God loves you? I can promise you, that if you pray to know this for yourself, almost any other concern we may have, whatever challenge, can be dissolved by knowing that God loves us and has a plan for us. So please, pray to know. It can change your whole outlook on your own life. And that is what Heavenly Father desires for us. </div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03092414969109797614noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4536353675632903097.post-86623961389822732182014-08-30T10:53:00.000-07:002014-08-30T10:53:12.950-07:00Grateful in Any Circumstances<br />
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This morning I was studying a talk by <a href="https://www.facebook.com/lds.dieter.f.uchtdorf/photos_stream">Dieter F. Uchtdorf</a> titled, "<a href="https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2014/04/grateful-in-any-circumstances?lang=eng">Grateful in Any Circumstances</a>". Let me just tell you, I really needed it. Something he says in his talk really hit me: </div>
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"<span class="chunk hl-u-red 8FE62A15-C895-466E-920C-9A1D426B25B1 hl-id-53171039" id="chunk40000" node="40000" paranum="4" wrapper="0">Everyone’s </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red 8FE62A15-C895-466E-920C-9A1D426B25B1" id="chunk40001" node="40001" paranum="4" wrapper="1">situation </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red 8FE62A15-C895-466E-920C-9A1D426B25B1" id="chunk40002" node="40002" paranum="4" wrapper="2">is </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red 8FE62A15-C895-466E-920C-9A1D426B25B1" id="chunk40003" node="40003" paranum="4" wrapper="3">different, </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red 8FE62A15-C895-466E-920C-9A1D426B25B1" id="chunk40004" node="40004" paranum="4" wrapper="4">and </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red 8FE62A15-C895-466E-920C-9A1D426B25B1" id="chunk40005" node="40005" paranum="4" wrapper="5">the </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red 8FE62A15-C895-466E-920C-9A1D426B25B1" id="chunk40006" node="40006" paranum="4" wrapper="6">details </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red 8FE62A15-C895-466E-920C-9A1D426B25B1" id="chunk40007" node="40007" paranum="4" wrapper="7">of </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red 8FE62A15-C895-466E-920C-9A1D426B25B1" id="chunk40008" node="40008" paranum="4" wrapper="8">each </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red 8FE62A15-C895-466E-920C-9A1D426B25B1" id="chunk40009" node="40009" paranum="4" wrapper="9">life </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red 8FE62A15-C895-466E-920C-9A1D426B25B1" id="chunk40010" node="40010" paranum="4" wrapper="10">are </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red 8FE62A15-C895-466E-920C-9A1D426B25B1" id="chunk40011" node="40011" paranum="4" wrapper="11">unique. </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red 8FE62A15-C895-466E-920C-9A1D426B25B1" id="chunk40012" node="40012" paranum="4" wrapper="12">Nevertheless, </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red 8FE62A15-C895-466E-920C-9A1D426B25B1" id="chunk40013" node="40013" paranum="4" wrapper="13">I </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red 8FE62A15-C895-466E-920C-9A1D426B25B1" id="chunk40014" node="40014" paranum="4" wrapper="14">have </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red 8FE62A15-C895-466E-920C-9A1D426B25B1" id="chunk40015" node="40015" paranum="4" wrapper="15">learned </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red 8FE62A15-C895-466E-920C-9A1D426B25B1" id="chunk40016" node="40016" paranum="4" wrapper="16">that </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red 8FE62A15-C895-466E-920C-9A1D426B25B1" id="chunk40017" node="40017" paranum="4" wrapper="17">there </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red 8FE62A15-C895-466E-920C-9A1D426B25B1" id="chunk40018" node="40018" paranum="4" wrapper="18">is </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red 8FE62A15-C895-466E-920C-9A1D426B25B1" id="chunk40019" node="40019" paranum="4" wrapper="19">something </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red 8FE62A15-C895-466E-920C-9A1D426B25B1" id="chunk40020" node="40020" paranum="4" wrapper="20">that </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red 8FE62A15-C895-466E-920C-9A1D426B25B1" id="chunk40021" node="40021" paranum="4" wrapper="21">would </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red 8FE62A15-C895-466E-920C-9A1D426B25B1" id="chunk40022" node="40022" paranum="4" wrapper="22">take </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red 8FE62A15-C895-466E-920C-9A1D426B25B1" id="chunk40023" node="40023" paranum="4" wrapper="23">away </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red 8FE62A15-C895-466E-920C-9A1D426B25B1" id="chunk40024" node="40024" paranum="4" wrapper="24">the </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red 8FE62A15-C895-466E-920C-9A1D426B25B1" id="chunk40025" node="40025" paranum="4" wrapper="25">bitterness </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red 8FE62A15-C895-466E-920C-9A1D426B25B1" id="chunk40026" node="40026" paranum="4" wrapper="26">that </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red 8FE62A15-C895-466E-920C-9A1D426B25B1" id="chunk40027" node="40027" paranum="4" wrapper="27">may </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red 8FE62A15-C895-466E-920C-9A1D426B25B1" id="chunk40028" node="40028" paranum="4" wrapper="28">come </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red 8FE62A15-C895-466E-920C-9A1D426B25B1" id="chunk40029" node="40029" paranum="4" wrapper="29">into </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red 8FE62A15-C895-466E-920C-9A1D426B25B1" id="chunk40030" node="40030" paranum="4" wrapper="30">our </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red 8FE62A15-C895-466E-920C-9A1D426B25B1" id="chunk40031" node="40031" paranum="4" wrapper="31">lives. </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red 8FE62A15-C895-466E-920C-9A1D426B25B1" id="chunk40032" node="40032" paranum="4" wrapper="32">There </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red 8FE62A15-C895-466E-920C-9A1D426B25B1" id="chunk40033" node="40033" paranum="4" wrapper="33">is </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red 8FE62A15-C895-466E-920C-9A1D426B25B1" id="chunk40034" node="40034" paranum="4" wrapper="34">one </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red 8FE62A15-C895-466E-920C-9A1D426B25B1" id="chunk40035" node="40035" paranum="4" wrapper="35">thing </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red 8FE62A15-C895-466E-920C-9A1D426B25B1" id="chunk40036" node="40036" paranum="4" wrapper="36">we </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red 8FE62A15-C895-466E-920C-9A1D426B25B1" id="chunk40037" node="40037" paranum="4" wrapper="37">can </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red 8FE62A15-C895-466E-920C-9A1D426B25B1" id="chunk40038" node="40038" paranum="4" wrapper="38">do </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red 8FE62A15-C895-466E-920C-9A1D426B25B1" id="chunk40039" node="40039" paranum="4" wrapper="39">to </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red 8FE62A15-C895-466E-920C-9A1D426B25B1" id="chunk40040" node="40040" paranum="4" wrapper="40">make </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red 8FE62A15-C895-466E-920C-9A1D426B25B1" id="chunk40041" node="40041" paranum="4" wrapper="41">life </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red 8FE62A15-C895-466E-920C-9A1D426B25B1" id="chunk40042" node="40042" paranum="4" wrapper="42">sweeter, </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red 8FE62A15-C895-466E-920C-9A1D426B25B1" id="chunk40043" node="40043" paranum="4" wrapper="43">more </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red 8FE62A15-C895-466E-920C-9A1D426B25B1" id="chunk40044" node="40044" paranum="4" wrapper="44">joyful, </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red 8FE62A15-C895-466E-920C-9A1D426B25B1" id="chunk40045" node="40045" paranum="4" wrapper="45">even </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red 8FE62A15-C895-466E-920C-9A1D426B25B1" id="chunk40046" node="40046" paranum="4" wrapper="46">glorious.</span></div>
<div class="chunked" id="p11" uri="/general-conference/2014/04/grateful-in-any-circumstances.p11">
<span class="chunk hl-u-red 8FE62A15-C895-466E-920C-9A1D426B25B1 hl-id-53171039" id="chunk50000" node="50000" paranum="5" wrapper="0"></span> </div>
<div class="chunked" uri="/general-conference/2014/04/grateful-in-any-circumstances.p11">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span class="chunk hl-u-red 8FE62A15-C895-466E-920C-9A1D426B25B1 hl-id-53171039" node="50000" paranum="5" wrapper="0">"<strong><em>We </em></strong></span><strong><em><span class="chunk hl-u-red 8FE62A15-C895-466E-920C-9A1D426B25B1" id="chunk50001" node="50001" paranum="5" wrapper="1">can </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red 8FE62A15-C895-466E-920C-9A1D426B25B1" id="chunk50002" node="50002" paranum="5" wrapper="2">be </span></em></strong><span class="chunk hl-u-red 8FE62A15-C895-466E-920C-9A1D426B25B1" id="chunk50003" node="50003" paranum="5" wrapper="3"><strong><em>grateful!</em></strong>"</span></span></div>
<div class="chunked" uri="/general-conference/2014/04/grateful-in-any-circumstances.p11">
<span class="chunk hl-u-red 8FE62A15-C895-466E-920C-9A1D426B25B1" node="50003" paranum="5" wrapper="3"></span> </div>
<div class="chunked" uri="/general-conference/2014/04/grateful-in-any-circumstances.p11">
<span class="chunk hl-u-red 8FE62A15-C895-466E-920C-9A1D426B25B1" node="50003" paranum="5" wrapper="3">----</span></div>
<div class="chunked" uri="/general-conference/2014/04/grateful-in-any-circumstances.p11">
<span class="chunk hl-u-red 8FE62A15-C895-466E-920C-9A1D426B25B1" node="50003" paranum="5" wrapper="3"></span> </div>
<span class="chunk hl-u-red 8FE62A15-C895-466E-920C-9A1D426B25B1" node="50003" paranum="5" wrapper="3"></span><div class="chunked" id="p20" uri="/general-conference/2014/04/grateful-in-any-circumstances.p20">
<span class="chunk hl-u-red 8FE62A15-C895-466E-920C-9A1D426B25B1" node="50003" paranum="5" wrapper="3"><span class="chunk hl-u-red CB671372-C963-41B4-B9DE-8A75165415A3 hl-id-76955220" id="chunk130000" node="130000" paranum="13" wrapper="0">"Could </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red CB671372-C963-41B4-B9DE-8A75165415A3" id="chunk130001" node="130001" paranum="13" wrapper="1">I </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red CB671372-C963-41B4-B9DE-8A75165415A3" id="chunk130002" node="130002" paranum="13" wrapper="2">suggest </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red CB671372-C963-41B4-B9DE-8A75165415A3" id="chunk130003" node="130003" paranum="13" wrapper="3">that </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red CB671372-C963-41B4-B9DE-8A75165415A3" id="chunk130004" node="130004" paranum="13" wrapper="4">we </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red CB671372-C963-41B4-B9DE-8A75165415A3" id="chunk130005" node="130005" paranum="13" wrapper="5">see </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red CB671372-C963-41B4-B9DE-8A75165415A3" id="chunk130006" node="130006" paranum="13" wrapper="6">gratitude </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red CB671372-C963-41B4-B9DE-8A75165415A3" id="chunk130007" node="130007" paranum="13" wrapper="7">as </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red CB671372-C963-41B4-B9DE-8A75165415A3" id="chunk130008" node="130008" paranum="13" wrapper="8">a </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red CB671372-C963-41B4-B9DE-8A75165415A3" id="chunk130009" node="130009" paranum="13" wrapper="9">disposition, </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red CB671372-C963-41B4-B9DE-8A75165415A3" id="chunk130010" node="130010" paranum="13" wrapper="10">a </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red CB671372-C963-41B4-B9DE-8A75165415A3" id="chunk130011" node="130011" paranum="13" wrapper="11">way </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red CB671372-C963-41B4-B9DE-8A75165415A3" id="chunk130012" node="130012" paranum="13" wrapper="12">of </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red CB671372-C963-41B4-B9DE-8A75165415A3" id="chunk130013" node="130013" paranum="13" wrapper="13">life </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red CB671372-C963-41B4-B9DE-8A75165415A3" id="chunk130014" node="130014" paranum="13" wrapper="14">that </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red CB671372-C963-41B4-B9DE-8A75165415A3" id="chunk130015" node="130015" paranum="13" wrapper="15">stands </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red CB671372-C963-41B4-B9DE-8A75165415A3" id="chunk130016" node="130016" paranum="13" wrapper="16">independent </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red CB671372-C963-41B4-B9DE-8A75165415A3" id="chunk130017" node="130017" paranum="13" wrapper="17">of </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red CB671372-C963-41B4-B9DE-8A75165415A3" id="chunk130018" node="130018" paranum="13" wrapper="18">our </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red CB671372-C963-41B4-B9DE-8A75165415A3" id="chunk130019" node="130019" paranum="13" wrapper="19">current </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red CB671372-C963-41B4-B9DE-8A75165415A3" id="chunk130020" node="130020" paranum="13" wrapper="20">situation? </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red CB671372-C963-41B4-B9DE-8A75165415A3" id="chunk130021" node="130021" paranum="13" wrapper="21">In </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red CB671372-C963-41B4-B9DE-8A75165415A3" id="chunk130022" node="130022" paranum="13" wrapper="22">other </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red CB671372-C963-41B4-B9DE-8A75165415A3" id="chunk130023" node="130023" paranum="13" wrapper="23">words, </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red CB671372-C963-41B4-B9DE-8A75165415A3" id="chunk130024" node="130024" paranum="13" wrapper="24">I’m </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red CB671372-C963-41B4-B9DE-8A75165415A3" id="chunk130025" node="130025" paranum="13" wrapper="25">suggesting </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red CB671372-C963-41B4-B9DE-8A75165415A3" id="chunk130026" node="130026" paranum="13" wrapper="26">that </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red CB671372-C963-41B4-B9DE-8A75165415A3" id="chunk130027" node="130027" paranum="13" wrapper="27">instead </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red CB671372-C963-41B4-B9DE-8A75165415A3" id="chunk130028" node="130028" paranum="13" wrapper="28">of </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red CB671372-C963-41B4-B9DE-8A75165415A3" id="chunk130029" node="130029" paranum="13" wrapper="29">being </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red CB671372-C963-41B4-B9DE-8A75165415A3" id="chunk130030" node="130030" paranum="13" wrapper="30">thankful </span><i><span class="chunk hl-u-red CB671372-C963-41B4-B9DE-8A75165415A3" id="chunk130031" node="130031" paranum="13" wrapper="31">for</span></i><span class="chunk hl-u-red CB671372-C963-41B4-B9DE-8A75165415A3" id="chunk130032" node="130032" paranum="13" wrapper="32"> things, </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red CB671372-C963-41B4-B9DE-8A75165415A3" id="chunk130033" node="130033" paranum="13" wrapper="33">we </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red CB671372-C963-41B4-B9DE-8A75165415A3" id="chunk130034" node="130034" paranum="13" wrapper="34">focus </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red CB671372-C963-41B4-B9DE-8A75165415A3" id="chunk130035" node="130035" paranum="13" wrapper="35">on </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red CB671372-C963-41B4-B9DE-8A75165415A3" id="chunk130036" node="130036" paranum="13" wrapper="36">being </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red CB671372-C963-41B4-B9DE-8A75165415A3" id="chunk130037" node="130037" paranum="13" wrapper="37">thankful </span><i><span class="chunk hl-u-red CB671372-C963-41B4-B9DE-8A75165415A3" id="chunk130038" node="130038" paranum="13" wrapper="38">in</span></i><span class="chunk hl-u-red CB671372-C963-41B4-B9DE-8A75165415A3" id="chunk130039" node="130039" paranum="13" wrapper="39"> our </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red CB671372-C963-41B4-B9DE-8A75165415A3" id="chunk130040" node="130040" paranum="13" wrapper="40">circumstances—whatever </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red CB671372-C963-41B4-B9DE-8A75165415A3" id="chunk130041" node="130041" paranum="13" wrapper="41">they </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red CB671372-C963-41B4-B9DE-8A75165415A3" id="chunk130042" node="130042" paranum="13" wrapper="42">may </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red CB671372-C963-41B4-B9DE-8A75165415A3" id="chunk130043" node="130043" paranum="13" wrapper="43">be."</span></span></div>
<span class="chunk hl-u-red 8FE62A15-C895-466E-920C-9A1D426B25B1" node="50003" paranum="5" wrapper="3">
<div class="chunked" uri="/general-conference/2014/04/grateful-in-any-circumstances.p20">
<span class="chunk hl-u-red CB671372-C963-41B4-B9DE-8A75165415A3" node="130043" paranum="13" wrapper="43"></span> </div>
<div class="chunked" uri="/general-conference/2014/04/grateful-in-any-circumstances.p20">
<span class="chunk hl-u-red CB671372-C963-41B4-B9DE-8A75165415A3" node="130043" paranum="13" wrapper="43">Now, I am the first to be negative in a situation. I will admit it. I have always struggled with the idea of being positive, when everything around me just seems to be negative. Something that I DO know to be true, is that Heavenly Father loves us. He will never give us anything that we can't handle. As we exercise our agency and CHOOSE to be grateful, Christ's Atonement will make everything right. I definitely know this to be true. It is something I hold onto every day.</span></div>
<span class="story"><br />
<div class="chunked" uri="/general-conference/2014/04/grateful-in-any-circumstances.p20">
<span class="chunk hl-u-gray 074C4FB9-01B3-4C4A-AC82-0A8954CB93FC" node="160023" paranum="16" wrapper="23">Here are some other quotes that I really enjoyed from his talk:</span></div>
<div class="chunked" uri="/general-conference/2014/04/grateful-in-any-circumstances.p23">
<span class="chunk hl-u-gray 074C4FB9-01B3-4C4A-AC82-0A8954CB93FC" node="160023" paranum="16" wrapper="23"></span> </div>
<div class="chunked" uri="/general-conference/2014/04/grateful-in-any-circumstances.p23">
<span class="chunk hl-u-gray 074C4FB9-01B3-4C4A-AC82-0A8954CB93FC" node="160023" paranum="16" wrapper="23"></span> </div>
<div class="chunked" uri="/general-conference/2014/04/grateful-in-any-circumstances.p23">
<a href="https://fbcdn-sphotos-c-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xfp1/v/t1.0-9/10007237_10152382174837533_8063064859101346285_n.jpg?oh=fd0e005fe8f2799ecc61c8d85b87317a&oe=545B52C9&__gda__=1415325868_bf2a19f84b2340bd6f22813d8cf56b54" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" aria-busy="false" aria-describedby="fbPhotosSnowliftCaption" border="0" class="spotlight" height="400" src="https://fbcdn-sphotos-c-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xfp1/v/t1.0-9/10007237_10152382174837533_8063064859101346285_n.jpg?oh=fd0e005fe8f2799ecc61c8d85b87317a&oe=545B52C9&__gda__=1415325868_bf2a19f84b2340bd6f22813d8cf56b54" width="400" /></a><span class="chunk hl-u-gray 074C4FB9-01B3-4C4A-AC82-0A8954CB93FC" node="160023" paranum="16" wrapper="23"></span></div>
<span class="chunk hl-u-gray 074C4FB9-01B3-4C4A-AC82-0A8954CB93FC" node="160023" paranum="16" wrapper="23"><div class="chunked" id="p29" uri="/general-conference/2014/04/grateful-in-any-circumstances.p29">
<span class="chunk hl-u-red 5D84A9B5-4B3E-4909-8DE0-548088E65543 hl-id-40818102" id="chunk210000" node="210000" paranum="21" wrapper="0"></span> </div>
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<span class="chunk hl-u-red 5D84A9B5-4B3E-4909-8DE0-548088E65543 hl-id-40818102" node="210000" paranum="21" wrapper="0"></span> </div>
<div class="chunked" uri="/general-conference/2014/04/grateful-in-any-circumstances.p29">
<span class="chunk hl-u-red 5D84A9B5-4B3E-4909-8DE0-548088E65543 hl-id-40818102" node="210000" paranum="21" wrapper="0"></span> </div>
<div class="chunked" uri="/general-conference/2014/04/grateful-in-any-circumstances.p29">
<span class="chunk hl-u-red 5D84A9B5-4B3E-4909-8DE0-548088E65543 hl-id-40818102" node="210000" paranum="21" wrapper="0"></span> </div>
<div class="chunked" uri="/general-conference/2014/04/grateful-in-any-circumstances.p29">
<span class="chunk hl-u-red 5D84A9B5-4B3E-4909-8DE0-548088E65543 hl-id-40818102" node="210000" paranum="21" wrapper="0">"We </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red 5D84A9B5-4B3E-4909-8DE0-548088E65543" id="chunk210001" node="210001" paranum="21" wrapper="1">can </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red 5D84A9B5-4B3E-4909-8DE0-548088E65543" id="chunk210002" node="210002" paranum="21" wrapper="2">choose </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red 5D84A9B5-4B3E-4909-8DE0-548088E65543" id="chunk210003" node="210003" paranum="21" wrapper="3">to </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red 5D84A9B5-4B3E-4909-8DE0-548088E65543" id="chunk210004" node="210004" paranum="21" wrapper="4">be </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red 5D84A9B5-4B3E-4909-8DE0-548088E65543" id="chunk210005" node="210005" paranum="21" wrapper="5">grateful, </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red 5D84A9B5-4B3E-4909-8DE0-548088E65543" id="chunk210006" node="210006" paranum="21" wrapper="6">no </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red 5D84A9B5-4B3E-4909-8DE0-548088E65543" id="chunk210007" node="210007" paranum="21" wrapper="7">matter </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red 5D84A9B5-4B3E-4909-8DE0-548088E65543" id="chunk210008" node="210008" paranum="21" wrapper="8">what.</span></div>
<div class="chunked" uri="/general-conference/2014/04/grateful-in-any-circumstances.p29">
<span class="chunk hl-u-red 5D84A9B5-4B3E-4909-8DE0-548088E65543" node="210008" paranum="21" wrapper="8"></span> </div>
<div class="chunked" id="p30" uri="/general-conference/2014/04/grateful-in-any-circumstances.p30">
<span class="chunk hl-u-red FE30A169-3BFC-4B57-8917-B4B49477A1FE hl-id-40818102" id="chunk220000" node="220000" paranum="22" wrapper="0">"This </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red FE30A169-3BFC-4B57-8917-B4B49477A1FE" id="chunk220001" node="220001" paranum="22" wrapper="1">type </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red FE30A169-3BFC-4B57-8917-B4B49477A1FE" id="chunk220002" node="220002" paranum="22" wrapper="2">of </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red FE30A169-3BFC-4B57-8917-B4B49477A1FE" id="chunk220003" node="220003" paranum="22" wrapper="3">gratitude </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red FE30A169-3BFC-4B57-8917-B4B49477A1FE" id="chunk220004" node="220004" paranum="22" wrapper="4">transcends </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red FE30A169-3BFC-4B57-8917-B4B49477A1FE" id="chunk220005" node="220005" paranum="22" wrapper="5">whatever </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red FE30A169-3BFC-4B57-8917-B4B49477A1FE" id="chunk220006" node="220006" paranum="22" wrapper="6">is </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red FE30A169-3BFC-4B57-8917-B4B49477A1FE" id="chunk220007" node="220007" paranum="22" wrapper="7">happening </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red FE30A169-3BFC-4B57-8917-B4B49477A1FE" id="chunk220008" node="220008" paranum="22" wrapper="8">around </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red FE30A169-3BFC-4B57-8917-B4B49477A1FE" id="chunk220009" node="220009" paranum="22" wrapper="9">us. </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red FE30A169-3BFC-4B57-8917-B4B49477A1FE" id="chunk220010" node="220010" paranum="22" wrapper="10">It </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red FE30A169-3BFC-4B57-8917-B4B49477A1FE" id="chunk220011" node="220011" paranum="22" wrapper="11">surpasses </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red FE30A169-3BFC-4B57-8917-B4B49477A1FE" id="chunk220012" node="220012" paranum="22" wrapper="12">disappointment, </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red FE30A169-3BFC-4B57-8917-B4B49477A1FE" id="chunk220013" node="220013" paranum="22" wrapper="13">discouragement, </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red FE30A169-3BFC-4B57-8917-B4B49477A1FE" id="chunk220014" node="220014" paranum="22" wrapper="14">and </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red FE30A169-3BFC-4B57-8917-B4B49477A1FE" id="chunk220015" node="220015" paranum="22" wrapper="15">despair. </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red FE30A169-3BFC-4B57-8917-B4B49477A1FE" id="chunk220016" node="220016" paranum="22" wrapper="16">It </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red FE30A169-3BFC-4B57-8917-B4B49477A1FE" id="chunk220017" node="220017" paranum="22" wrapper="17">blooms </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red FE30A169-3BFC-4B57-8917-B4B49477A1FE" id="chunk220018" node="220018" paranum="22" wrapper="18">just </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red FE30A169-3BFC-4B57-8917-B4B49477A1FE" id="chunk220019" node="220019" paranum="22" wrapper="19">as </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red FE30A169-3BFC-4B57-8917-B4B49477A1FE" id="chunk220020" node="220020" paranum="22" wrapper="20">beautifully </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red FE30A169-3BFC-4B57-8917-B4B49477A1FE" id="chunk220021" node="220021" paranum="22" wrapper="21">in </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red FE30A169-3BFC-4B57-8917-B4B49477A1FE" id="chunk220022" node="220022" paranum="22" wrapper="22">the </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red FE30A169-3BFC-4B57-8917-B4B49477A1FE" id="chunk220023" node="220023" paranum="22" wrapper="23">icy </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red FE30A169-3BFC-4B57-8917-B4B49477A1FE" id="chunk220024" node="220024" paranum="22" wrapper="24">landscape </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red FE30A169-3BFC-4B57-8917-B4B49477A1FE" id="chunk220025" node="220025" paranum="22" wrapper="25">of </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red FE30A169-3BFC-4B57-8917-B4B49477A1FE" id="chunk220026" node="220026" paranum="22" wrapper="26">winter </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red FE30A169-3BFC-4B57-8917-B4B49477A1FE" id="chunk220027" node="220027" paranum="22" wrapper="27">as </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red FE30A169-3BFC-4B57-8917-B4B49477A1FE" id="chunk220028" node="220028" paranum="22" wrapper="28">it </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red FE30A169-3BFC-4B57-8917-B4B49477A1FE" id="chunk220029" node="220029" paranum="22" wrapper="29">does </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red FE30A169-3BFC-4B57-8917-B4B49477A1FE" id="chunk220030" node="220030" paranum="22" wrapper="30">in </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red FE30A169-3BFC-4B57-8917-B4B49477A1FE" id="chunk220031" node="220031" paranum="22" wrapper="31">the </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red FE30A169-3BFC-4B57-8917-B4B49477A1FE" id="chunk220032" node="220032" paranum="22" wrapper="32">pleasant </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red FE30A169-3BFC-4B57-8917-B4B49477A1FE" id="chunk220033" node="220033" paranum="22" wrapper="33">warmth </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red FE30A169-3BFC-4B57-8917-B4B49477A1FE" id="chunk220034" node="220034" paranum="22" wrapper="34">of </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red FE30A169-3BFC-4B57-8917-B4B49477A1FE" id="chunk220035" node="220035" paranum="22" wrapper="35">summer."</span></div>
</span><div class="chunked" uri="/general-conference/2014/04/grateful-in-any-circumstances.p23">
</div>
<div class="chunked" uri="/general-conference/2014/04/grateful-in-any-circumstances.p23">
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<div class="chunked" uri="/general-conference/2014/04/grateful-in-any-circumstances.p23">
<a href="https://scontent-a-sea.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xfa1/v/t1.0-9/10167938_10152382654147533_1521803920123371192_n.jpg?oh=56291327cf30a9ea5eb837ce913f90ed&oe=546AEB0F" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" aria-busy="false" aria-describedby="fbPhotosSnowliftCaption" border="0" class="spotlight" height="400" src="https://scontent-a-sea.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xfa1/v/t1.0-9/10167938_10152382654147533_1521803920123371192_n.jpg?oh=56291327cf30a9ea5eb837ce913f90ed&oe=546AEB0F" width="368" /></a></div>
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<div class="chunked" uri="/general-conference/2014/04/grateful-in-any-circumstances.p23">
<span class="chunk hl-u-gray 074C4FB9-01B3-4C4A-AC82-0A8954CB93FC" node="160023" paranum="16" wrapper="23"><span style="font-size: large;"><span class="chunk hl-red 881B99DF-639B-4FD5-B81E-41F7175DCF63 hl-id-88683956" node="240000" paranum="24" wrapper="0">"We </span><span class="chunk hl-red 881B99DF-639B-4FD5-B81E-41F7175DCF63" id="chunk240001" node="240001" paranum="24" wrapper="1">sometimes </span><span class="chunk hl-red 881B99DF-639B-4FD5-B81E-41F7175DCF63" id="chunk240002" node="240002" paranum="24" wrapper="2">think </span><span class="chunk hl-red 881B99DF-639B-4FD5-B81E-41F7175DCF63" id="chunk240003" node="240003" paranum="24" wrapper="3">that </span><span class="chunk hl-red 881B99DF-639B-4FD5-B81E-41F7175DCF63" id="chunk240004" node="240004" paranum="24" wrapper="4">being </span><span class="chunk hl-red 881B99DF-639B-4FD5-B81E-41F7175DCF63" id="chunk240005" node="240005" paranum="24" wrapper="5">grateful </span><span class="chunk hl-red 881B99DF-639B-4FD5-B81E-41F7175DCF63" id="chunk240006" node="240006" paranum="24" wrapper="6">is </span><span class="chunk hl-red 881B99DF-639B-4FD5-B81E-41F7175DCF63" id="chunk240007" node="240007" paranum="24" wrapper="7">what </span><span class="chunk hl-red 881B99DF-639B-4FD5-B81E-41F7175DCF63" id="chunk240008" node="240008" paranum="24" wrapper="8">we </span><span class="chunk hl-red 881B99DF-639B-4FD5-B81E-41F7175DCF63" id="chunk240009" node="240009" paranum="24" wrapper="9">do </span><i><span class="chunk hl-red 881B99DF-639B-4FD5-B81E-41F7175DCF63" id="chunk240010" node="240010" paranum="24" wrapper="10">after</span></i><span class="chunk hl-red 881B99DF-639B-4FD5-B81E-41F7175DCF63" id="chunk240011" node="240011" paranum="24" wrapper="11"> our </span><span class="chunk hl-red 881B99DF-639B-4FD5-B81E-41F7175DCF63" id="chunk240012" node="240012" paranum="24" wrapper="12">problems </span><span class="chunk hl-red 881B99DF-639B-4FD5-B81E-41F7175DCF63" id="chunk240013" node="240013" paranum="24" wrapper="13">are </span><span class="chunk hl-red 881B99DF-639B-4FD5-B81E-41F7175DCF63" id="chunk240014" node="240014" paranum="24" wrapper="14">solved, </span><span class="chunk hl-red 881B99DF-639B-4FD5-B81E-41F7175DCF63" id="chunk240015" node="240015" paranum="24" wrapper="15">but </span><span class="chunk hl-red 881B99DF-639B-4FD5-B81E-41F7175DCF63" id="chunk240016" node="240016" paranum="24" wrapper="16">how </span><span class="chunk hl-red 881B99DF-639B-4FD5-B81E-41F7175DCF63" id="chunk240017" node="240017" paranum="24" wrapper="17">terribly </span><span class="chunk hl-red 881B99DF-639B-4FD5-B81E-41F7175DCF63" id="chunk240018" node="240018" paranum="24" wrapper="18">shortsighted </span><span class="chunk hl-red 881B99DF-639B-4FD5-B81E-41F7175DCF63" id="chunk240019" node="240019" paranum="24" wrapper="19">that </span><span class="chunk hl-red 881B99DF-639B-4FD5-B81E-41F7175DCF63" id="chunk240020" node="240020" paranum="24" wrapper="20">is. </span><span class="chunk hl-red 881B99DF-639B-4FD5-B81E-41F7175DCF63" id="chunk240021" node="240021" paranum="24" wrapper="21">How </span><span class="chunk hl-red 881B99DF-639B-4FD5-B81E-41F7175DCF63" id="chunk240022" node="240022" paranum="24" wrapper="22">much </span><span class="chunk hl-red 881B99DF-639B-4FD5-B81E-41F7175DCF63" id="chunk240023" node="240023" paranum="24" wrapper="23">of </span><span class="chunk hl-red 881B99DF-639B-4FD5-B81E-41F7175DCF63" id="chunk240024" node="240024" paranum="24" wrapper="24">life </span><span class="chunk hl-red 881B99DF-639B-4FD5-B81E-41F7175DCF63" id="chunk240025" node="240025" paranum="24" wrapper="25">do </span><span class="chunk hl-red 881B99DF-639B-4FD5-B81E-41F7175DCF63" id="chunk240026" node="240026" paranum="24" wrapper="26">we </span><span class="chunk hl-red 881B99DF-639B-4FD5-B81E-41F7175DCF63" id="chunk240027" node="240027" paranum="24" wrapper="27">miss </span><span class="chunk hl-red 881B99DF-639B-4FD5-B81E-41F7175DCF63" id="chunk240028" node="240028" paranum="24" wrapper="28">by </span><span class="chunk hl-red 881B99DF-639B-4FD5-B81E-41F7175DCF63" id="chunk240029" node="240029" paranum="24" wrapper="29">waiting </span><span class="chunk hl-red 881B99DF-639B-4FD5-B81E-41F7175DCF63" id="chunk240030" node="240030" paranum="24" wrapper="30">to </span><span class="chunk hl-red 881B99DF-639B-4FD5-B81E-41F7175DCF63" id="chunk240031" node="240031" paranum="24" wrapper="31">see </span><span class="chunk hl-red 881B99DF-639B-4FD5-B81E-41F7175DCF63" id="chunk240032" node="240032" paranum="24" wrapper="32">the </span><span class="chunk hl-red 881B99DF-639B-4FD5-B81E-41F7175DCF63" id="chunk240033" node="240033" paranum="24" wrapper="33">rainbow </span><span class="chunk hl-red 881B99DF-639B-4FD5-B81E-41F7175DCF63" id="chunk240034" node="240034" paranum="24" wrapper="34">before </span><span class="chunk hl-red 881B99DF-639B-4FD5-B81E-41F7175DCF63" id="chunk240035" node="240035" paranum="24" wrapper="35">thanking </span><span class="chunk hl-red 881B99DF-639B-4FD5-B81E-41F7175DCF63" id="chunk240036" node="240036" paranum="24" wrapper="36">God </span><span class="chunk hl-red 881B99DF-639B-4FD5-B81E-41F7175DCF63" id="chunk240037" node="240037" paranum="24" wrapper="37">that </span><span class="chunk hl-red 881B99DF-639B-4FD5-B81E-41F7175DCF63" id="chunk240038" node="240038" paranum="24" wrapper="38">there </span><span class="chunk hl-red 881B99DF-639B-4FD5-B81E-41F7175DCF63" id="chunk240039" node="240039" paranum="24" wrapper="39">is </span><span class="chunk hl-red 881B99DF-639B-4FD5-B81E-41F7175DCF63 hl-id-88683956" id="chunk240040" node="240040" paranum="24" wrapper="40">rain?"</span></span></span></div>
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<div class="chunked" id="p23" uri="/general-conference/2014/04/grateful-in-any-circumstances.p23">
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<a href="https://fbcdn-sphotos-b-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xfp1/v/t1.0-9/10246286_10152381753337533_9165239352516894991_n.jpg?oh=2b7b0975d90aa6e06c4c8bc4d3db8b36&oe=54605007&__gda__=1415351906_1329125cc5cec62de9d353d015ebd9f5" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" aria-busy="false" aria-describedby="fbPhotosSnowliftCaption" border="0" class="spotlight" height="320" src="https://fbcdn-sphotos-b-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xfp1/v/t1.0-9/10246286_10152381753337533_9165239352516894991_n.jpg?oh=2b7b0975d90aa6e06c4c8bc4d3db8b36&oe=54605007&__gda__=1415351906_1329125cc5cec62de9d353d015ebd9f5" width="320" /></a><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span class="chunk hl-red 1DA92CDC-B28E-44D1-B2B1-E5F5090A17A9 hl-id-99084313" id="chunk330000" node="330000" paranum="33" wrapper="0">"In </span><span class="chunk hl-red 1DA92CDC-B28E-44D1-B2B1-E5F5090A17A9" id="chunk330001" node="330001" paranum="33" wrapper="1">light </span><span class="chunk hl-red 1DA92CDC-B28E-44D1-B2B1-E5F5090A17A9" id="chunk330002" node="330002" paranum="33" wrapper="2">of </span><span class="chunk hl-red 1DA92CDC-B28E-44D1-B2B1-E5F5090A17A9" id="chunk330003" node="330003" paranum="33" wrapper="3">what </span><span class="chunk hl-red 1DA92CDC-B28E-44D1-B2B1-E5F5090A17A9" id="chunk330004" node="330004" paranum="33" wrapper="4">we </span><span class="chunk hl-red 1DA92CDC-B28E-44D1-B2B1-E5F5090A17A9" id="chunk330005" node="330005" paranum="33" wrapper="5">know </span><span class="chunk hl-red 1DA92CDC-B28E-44D1-B2B1-E5F5090A17A9" id="chunk330006" node="330006" paranum="33" wrapper="6">about </span><span class="chunk hl-red 1DA92CDC-B28E-44D1-B2B1-E5F5090A17A9" id="chunk330007" node="330007" paranum="33" wrapper="7">our </span><span class="chunk hl-red 1DA92CDC-B28E-44D1-B2B1-E5F5090A17A9" id="chunk330008" node="330008" paranum="33" wrapper="8">eternal </span><span class="chunk hl-red 1DA92CDC-B28E-44D1-B2B1-E5F5090A17A9" id="chunk330009" node="330009" paranum="33" wrapper="9">destiny, </span><span class="chunk hl-red 1DA92CDC-B28E-44D1-B2B1-E5F5090A17A9" id="chunk330010" node="330010" paranum="33" wrapper="10">is </span><span class="chunk hl-red 1DA92CDC-B28E-44D1-B2B1-E5F5090A17A9" id="chunk330011" node="330011" paranum="33" wrapper="11">it </span><span class="chunk hl-red 1DA92CDC-B28E-44D1-B2B1-E5F5090A17A9" id="chunk330012" node="330012" paranum="33" wrapper="12">any </span><span class="chunk hl-red 1DA92CDC-B28E-44D1-B2B1-E5F5090A17A9" id="chunk330013" node="330013" paranum="33" wrapper="13">wonder </span><span class="chunk hl-red 1DA92CDC-B28E-44D1-B2B1-E5F5090A17A9" id="chunk330014" node="330014" paranum="33" wrapper="14">that </span><span class="chunk hl-red 1DA92CDC-B28E-44D1-B2B1-E5F5090A17A9" id="chunk330015" node="330015" paranum="33" wrapper="15">whenever </span><span class="chunk hl-red 1DA92CDC-B28E-44D1-B2B1-E5F5090A17A9" id="chunk330016" node="330016" paranum="33" wrapper="16">we </span><span class="chunk hl-red 1DA92CDC-B28E-44D1-B2B1-E5F5090A17A9" id="chunk330017" node="330017" paranum="33" wrapper="17">face </span><span class="chunk hl-red 1DA92CDC-B28E-44D1-B2B1-E5F5090A17A9" id="chunk330018" node="330018" paranum="33" wrapper="18">the </span><span class="chunk hl-red 1DA92CDC-B28E-44D1-B2B1-E5F5090A17A9" id="chunk330019" node="330019" paranum="33" wrapper="19">bitter </span><span class="chunk hl-red 1DA92CDC-B28E-44D1-B2B1-E5F5090A17A9" id="chunk330020" node="330020" paranum="33" wrapper="20">endings </span><span class="chunk hl-red 1DA92CDC-B28E-44D1-B2B1-E5F5090A17A9" id="chunk330021" node="330021" paranum="33" wrapper="21">of </span><span class="chunk hl-red 1DA92CDC-B28E-44D1-B2B1-E5F5090A17A9" id="chunk330022" node="330022" paranum="33" wrapper="22">life, </span><span class="chunk hl-red 1DA92CDC-B28E-44D1-B2B1-E5F5090A17A9" id="chunk330023" node="330023" paranum="33" wrapper="23">they </span><span class="chunk hl-red 1DA92CDC-B28E-44D1-B2B1-E5F5090A17A9" id="chunk330024" node="330024" paranum="33" wrapper="24">seem </span><span class="chunk hl-red 1DA92CDC-B28E-44D1-B2B1-E5F5090A17A9" id="chunk330025" node="330025" paranum="33" wrapper="25">unacceptable </span><span class="chunk hl-red 1DA92CDC-B28E-44D1-B2B1-E5F5090A17A9" id="chunk330026" node="330026" paranum="33" wrapper="26">to </span><span class="chunk hl-red 1DA92CDC-B28E-44D1-B2B1-E5F5090A17A9" id="chunk330027" node="330027" paranum="33" wrapper="27">us? </span><span class="chunk hl-red 1DA92CDC-B28E-44D1-B2B1-E5F5090A17A9" id="chunk330028" node="330028" paranum="33" wrapper="28">There </span><span class="chunk hl-red 1DA92CDC-B28E-44D1-B2B1-E5F5090A17A9" id="chunk330029" node="330029" paranum="33" wrapper="29">seems </span><span class="chunk hl-red 1DA92CDC-B28E-44D1-B2B1-E5F5090A17A9" id="chunk330030" node="330030" paranum="33" wrapper="30">to </span><span class="chunk hl-red 1DA92CDC-B28E-44D1-B2B1-E5F5090A17A9" id="chunk330031" node="330031" paranum="33" wrapper="31">be </span><span class="chunk hl-red 1DA92CDC-B28E-44D1-B2B1-E5F5090A17A9" id="chunk330032" node="330032" paranum="33" wrapper="32">something </span><span class="chunk hl-red 1DA92CDC-B28E-44D1-B2B1-E5F5090A17A9" id="chunk330033" node="330033" paranum="33" wrapper="33">inside </span><span class="chunk hl-red 1DA92CDC-B28E-44D1-B2B1-E5F5090A17A9" id="chunk330034" node="330034" paranum="33" wrapper="34">of </span><span class="chunk hl-red 1DA92CDC-B28E-44D1-B2B1-E5F5090A17A9" id="chunk330035" node="330035" paranum="33" wrapper="35">us </span><span class="chunk hl-red 1DA92CDC-B28E-44D1-B2B1-E5F5090A17A9" id="chunk330036" node="330036" paranum="33" wrapper="36">that </span><span class="chunk hl-red 1DA92CDC-B28E-44D1-B2B1-E5F5090A17A9" id="chunk330037" node="330037" paranum="33" wrapper="37">resists </span><span class="chunk hl-red 1DA92CDC-B28E-44D1-B2B1-E5F5090A17A9" id="chunk330038" node="330038" paranum="33" wrapper="38">endings.</span></span></div>
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<span class="chunk hl-red 1DA92CDC-B28E-44D1-B2B1-E5F5090A17A9" id="chunk340000" node="340000" paranum="34" wrapper="0"></span><span style="font-size: xx-small;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span class="chunk hl-red 1DA92CDC-B28E-44D1-B2B1-E5F5090A17A9" node="340000" paranum="34" wrapper="0">"Why </span><span class="chunk hl-red 1DA92CDC-B28E-44D1-B2B1-E5F5090A17A9" id="chunk340001" node="340001" paranum="34" wrapper="1">is </span><span class="chunk hl-red 1DA92CDC-B28E-44D1-B2B1-E5F5090A17A9" id="chunk340002" node="340002" paranum="34" wrapper="2">this? </span><span class="chunk hl-red 1DA92CDC-B28E-44D1-B2B1-E5F5090A17A9" id="chunk340003" node="340003" paranum="34" wrapper="3">Because </span><span class="chunk hl-red 1DA92CDC-B28E-44D1-B2B1-E5F5090A17A9" id="chunk340004" node="340004" paranum="34" wrapper="4">we </span><span class="chunk hl-red 1DA92CDC-B28E-44D1-B2B1-E5F5090A17A9" id="chunk340005" node="340005" paranum="34" wrapper="5">are </span><span class="chunk hl-red 1DA92CDC-B28E-44D1-B2B1-E5F5090A17A9" id="chunk340006" node="340006" paranum="34" wrapper="6">made </span><span class="chunk hl-red 1DA92CDC-B28E-44D1-B2B1-E5F5090A17A9" id="chunk340007" node="340007" paranum="34" wrapper="7">of </span><span class="chunk hl-red 1DA92CDC-B28E-44D1-B2B1-E5F5090A17A9" id="chunk340008" node="340008" paranum="34" wrapper="8">the </span><span class="chunk hl-red 1DA92CDC-B28E-44D1-B2B1-E5F5090A17A9" id="chunk340009" node="340009" paranum="34" wrapper="9">stuff </span><span class="chunk hl-red 1DA92CDC-B28E-44D1-B2B1-E5F5090A17A9" id="chunk340010" node="340010" paranum="34" wrapper="10">of </span><span class="chunk hl-red 1DA92CDC-B28E-44D1-B2B1-E5F5090A17A9" id="chunk340011" node="340011" paranum="34" wrapper="11">eternity. </span><span class="chunk hl-red 1DA92CDC-B28E-44D1-B2B1-E5F5090A17A9" id="chunk340012" node="340012" paranum="34" wrapper="12">We </span><span class="chunk hl-red 1DA92CDC-B28E-44D1-B2B1-E5F5090A17A9" id="chunk340013" node="340013" paranum="34" wrapper="13">are </span><span class="chunk hl-red 1DA92CDC-B28E-44D1-B2B1-E5F5090A17A9" id="chunk340014" node="340014" paranum="34" wrapper="14">eternal </span><span class="chunk hl-red 1DA92CDC-B28E-44D1-B2B1-E5F5090A17A9" id="chunk340015" node="340015" paranum="34" wrapper="15">beings, </span><span class="chunk hl-red 1DA92CDC-B28E-44D1-B2B1-E5F5090A17A9" id="chunk340016" node="340016" paranum="34" wrapper="16">children </span><span class="chunk hl-red 1DA92CDC-B28E-44D1-B2B1-E5F5090A17A9" id="chunk340017" node="340017" paranum="34" wrapper="17">of </span><span class="chunk hl-red 1DA92CDC-B28E-44D1-B2B1-E5F5090A17A9" id="chunk340018" node="340018" paranum="34" wrapper="18">the </span><span class="chunk hl-red 1DA92CDC-B28E-44D1-B2B1-E5F5090A17A9" id="chunk340019" node="340019" paranum="34" wrapper="19">Almighty </span><span class="chunk hl-red 1DA92CDC-B28E-44D1-B2B1-E5F5090A17A9" id="chunk340020" node="340020" paranum="34" wrapper="20">God, </span><span class="chunk hl-red 1DA92CDC-B28E-44D1-B2B1-E5F5090A17A9" id="chunk340021" node="340021" paranum="34" wrapper="21">whose </span><span class="chunk hl-red 1DA92CDC-B28E-44D1-B2B1-E5F5090A17A9" id="chunk340022" node="340022" paranum="34" wrapper="22">name </span><span class="chunk hl-red 1DA92CDC-B28E-44D1-B2B1-E5F5090A17A9" id="chunk340023" node="340023" paranum="34" wrapper="23">is </span><span class="chunk hl-red 1DA92CDC-B28E-44D1-B2B1-E5F5090A17A9" id="chunk340024" node="340024" paranum="34" wrapper="24">Endless</span><span class="chunk hl-red 1DA92CDC-B28E-44D1-B2B1-E5F5090A17A9" id="chunk340026" node="340026" paranum="34" wrapper="26"> and </span><span class="chunk hl-red 1DA92CDC-B28E-44D1-B2B1-E5F5090A17A9" id="chunk340027" node="340027" paranum="34" wrapper="27">who </span><span class="chunk hl-red 1DA92CDC-B28E-44D1-B2B1-E5F5090A17A9" id="chunk340028" node="340028" paranum="34" wrapper="28">promises </span><span class="chunk hl-red 1DA92CDC-B28E-44D1-B2B1-E5F5090A17A9" id="chunk340029" node="340029" paranum="34" wrapper="29">eternal </span><span class="chunk hl-red 1DA92CDC-B28E-44D1-B2B1-E5F5090A17A9" id="chunk340030" node="340030" paranum="34" wrapper="30">blessings </span><span class="chunk hl-red 1DA92CDC-B28E-44D1-B2B1-E5F5090A17A9" id="chunk340031" node="340031" paranum="34" wrapper="31">without </span><span class="chunk hl-red 1DA92CDC-B28E-44D1-B2B1-E5F5090A17A9" id="chunk340032" node="340032" paranum="34" wrapper="32">number. </span><span class="chunk hl-red 1DA92CDC-B28E-44D1-B2B1-E5F5090A17A9" id="chunk340033" node="340033" paranum="34" wrapper="33">Endings </span><span class="chunk hl-red 1DA92CDC-B28E-44D1-B2B1-E5F5090A17A9" id="chunk340034" node="340034" paranum="34" wrapper="34">are </span><span class="chunk hl-red 1DA92CDC-B28E-44D1-B2B1-E5F5090A17A9" id="chunk340035" node="340035" paranum="34" wrapper="35">not </span><span class="chunk hl-red 1DA92CDC-B28E-44D1-B2B1-E5F5090A17A9" id="chunk340036" node="340036" paranum="34" wrapper="36">our </span><span class="chunk hl-red 1DA92CDC-B28E-44D1-B2B1-E5F5090A17A9" id="chunk340037" node="340037" paranum="34" wrapper="37">destiny.</span></span></div>
<div class="chunked" uri="/general-conference/2014/04/grateful-in-any-circumstances.p44">
<span class="chunk hl-red 1DA92CDC-B28E-44D1-B2B1-E5F5090A17A9" node="340037" paranum="34" wrapper="37"></span><span style="font-size: xx-small;"> </span></div>
<div class="chunked" id="p45" uri="/general-conference/2014/04/grateful-in-any-circumstances.p45">
<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span class="chunk hl-red 1DA92CDC-B28E-44D1-B2B1-E5F5090A17A9" id="chunk350000" node="350000" paranum="35" wrapper="0">"The </span><span class="chunk hl-red 1DA92CDC-B28E-44D1-B2B1-E5F5090A17A9" id="chunk350001" node="350001" paranum="35" wrapper="1">more </span><span class="chunk hl-red 1DA92CDC-B28E-44D1-B2B1-E5F5090A17A9" id="chunk350002" node="350002" paranum="35" wrapper="2">we </span><span class="chunk hl-red 1DA92CDC-B28E-44D1-B2B1-E5F5090A17A9" id="chunk350003" node="350003" paranum="35" wrapper="3">learn </span><span class="chunk hl-red 1DA92CDC-B28E-44D1-B2B1-E5F5090A17A9" id="chunk350004" node="350004" paranum="35" wrapper="4">about </span><span class="chunk hl-red 1DA92CDC-B28E-44D1-B2B1-E5F5090A17A9" id="chunk350005" node="350005" paranum="35" wrapper="5">the </span><span class="chunk hl-red 1DA92CDC-B28E-44D1-B2B1-E5F5090A17A9" id="chunk350006" node="350006" paranum="35" wrapper="6">gospel </span><span class="chunk hl-red 1DA92CDC-B28E-44D1-B2B1-E5F5090A17A9" id="chunk350007" node="350007" paranum="35" wrapper="7">of </span><span class="chunk hl-red 1DA92CDC-B28E-44D1-B2B1-E5F5090A17A9" id="chunk350008" node="350008" paranum="35" wrapper="8">Jesus </span><span class="chunk hl-red 1DA92CDC-B28E-44D1-B2B1-E5F5090A17A9" id="chunk350009" node="350009" paranum="35" wrapper="9">Christ, </span><span class="chunk hl-red 1DA92CDC-B28E-44D1-B2B1-E5F5090A17A9" id="chunk350010" node="350010" paranum="35" wrapper="10">the </span><span class="chunk hl-red 1DA92CDC-B28E-44D1-B2B1-E5F5090A17A9" id="chunk350011" node="350011" paranum="35" wrapper="11">more </span><span class="chunk hl-red 1DA92CDC-B28E-44D1-B2B1-E5F5090A17A9" id="chunk350012" node="350012" paranum="35" wrapper="12">we </span><span class="chunk hl-red 1DA92CDC-B28E-44D1-B2B1-E5F5090A17A9" id="chunk350013" node="350013" paranum="35" wrapper="13">realize </span><span class="chunk hl-red 1DA92CDC-B28E-44D1-B2B1-E5F5090A17A9" id="chunk350014" node="350014" paranum="35" wrapper="14">that </span><span class="chunk hl-red 1DA92CDC-B28E-44D1-B2B1-E5F5090A17A9" id="chunk350015" node="350015" paranum="35" wrapper="15">endings </span><span class="chunk hl-red 1DA92CDC-B28E-44D1-B2B1-E5F5090A17A9" id="chunk350016" node="350016" paranum="35" wrapper="16">here </span><span class="chunk hl-red 1DA92CDC-B28E-44D1-B2B1-E5F5090A17A9" id="chunk350017" node="350017" paranum="35" wrapper="17">in </span><span class="chunk hl-red 1DA92CDC-B28E-44D1-B2B1-E5F5090A17A9" id="chunk350018" node="350018" paranum="35" wrapper="18">mortality </span><span class="chunk hl-red 1DA92CDC-B28E-44D1-B2B1-E5F5090A17A9" id="chunk350019" node="350019" paranum="35" wrapper="19">are </span><span class="chunk hl-red 1DA92CDC-B28E-44D1-B2B1-E5F5090A17A9" id="chunk350020" node="350020" paranum="35" wrapper="20">not </span><span class="chunk hl-red 1DA92CDC-B28E-44D1-B2B1-E5F5090A17A9" id="chunk350021" node="350021" paranum="35" wrapper="21">endings </span><span class="chunk hl-red 1DA92CDC-B28E-44D1-B2B1-E5F5090A17A9" id="chunk350022" node="350022" paranum="35" wrapper="22">at </span><span class="chunk hl-red 1DA92CDC-B28E-44D1-B2B1-E5F5090A17A9" id="chunk350023" node="350023" paranum="35" wrapper="23">all. </span><span class="chunk hl-red 1DA92CDC-B28E-44D1-B2B1-E5F5090A17A9" id="chunk350024" node="350024" paranum="35" wrapper="24">They </span><span class="chunk hl-red 1DA92CDC-B28E-44D1-B2B1-E5F5090A17A9" id="chunk350025" node="350025" paranum="35" wrapper="25">are </span><span class="chunk hl-red 1DA92CDC-B28E-44D1-B2B1-E5F5090A17A9" id="chunk350026" node="350026" paranum="35" wrapper="26">merely </span><span class="chunk hl-red 1DA92CDC-B28E-44D1-B2B1-E5F5090A17A9" id="chunk350027" node="350027" paranum="35" wrapper="27">interruptions—temporary </span><span class="chunk hl-red 1DA92CDC-B28E-44D1-B2B1-E5F5090A17A9" id="chunk350028" node="350028" paranum="35" wrapper="28">pauses </span><span class="chunk hl-red 1DA92CDC-B28E-44D1-B2B1-E5F5090A17A9" id="chunk350029" node="350029" paranum="35" wrapper="29">that </span><span class="chunk hl-red 1DA92CDC-B28E-44D1-B2B1-E5F5090A17A9" id="chunk350030" node="350030" paranum="35" wrapper="30">one </span><span class="chunk hl-red 1DA92CDC-B28E-44D1-B2B1-E5F5090A17A9" id="chunk350031" node="350031" paranum="35" wrapper="31">day </span><span class="chunk hl-red 1DA92CDC-B28E-44D1-B2B1-E5F5090A17A9" id="chunk350032" node="350032" paranum="35" wrapper="32">will </span><span class="chunk hl-red 1DA92CDC-B28E-44D1-B2B1-E5F5090A17A9" id="chunk350033" node="350033" paranum="35" wrapper="33">seem </span><span class="chunk hl-red 1DA92CDC-B28E-44D1-B2B1-E5F5090A17A9" id="chunk350034" node="350034" paranum="35" wrapper="34">small </span><span class="chunk hl-red 1DA92CDC-B28E-44D1-B2B1-E5F5090A17A9" id="chunk350035" node="350035" paranum="35" wrapper="35">compared </span><span class="chunk hl-red 1DA92CDC-B28E-44D1-B2B1-E5F5090A17A9" id="chunk350036" node="350036" paranum="35" wrapper="36">to </span><span class="chunk hl-red 1DA92CDC-B28E-44D1-B2B1-E5F5090A17A9" id="chunk350037" node="350037" paranum="35" wrapper="37">the </span><span class="chunk hl-red 1DA92CDC-B28E-44D1-B2B1-E5F5090A17A9" id="chunk350038" node="350038" paranum="35" wrapper="38">eternal </span><span class="chunk hl-red 1DA92CDC-B28E-44D1-B2B1-E5F5090A17A9" id="chunk350039" node="350039" paranum="35" wrapper="39">joy </span><span class="chunk hl-red 1DA92CDC-B28E-44D1-B2B1-E5F5090A17A9" id="chunk350040" node="350040" paranum="35" wrapper="40">awaiting </span><span class="chunk hl-red 1DA92CDC-B28E-44D1-B2B1-E5F5090A17A9" id="chunk350041" node="350041" paranum="35" wrapper="41">the </span><span class="chunk hl-red 1DA92CDC-B28E-44D1-B2B1-E5F5090A17A9" id="chunk350042" node="350042" paranum="35" wrapper="42">faithful.</span></span></div>
<div class="chunked" uri="/general-conference/2014/04/grateful-in-any-circumstances.p45">
<span class="chunk hl-red 1DA92CDC-B28E-44D1-B2B1-E5F5090A17A9" node="350042" paranum="35" wrapper="42"></span><span style="font-size: xx-small;"> </span></div>
<div class="chunked" id="p46" uri="/general-conference/2014/04/grateful-in-any-circumstances.p46">
<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span class="chunk hl-red 1DA92CDC-B28E-44D1-B2B1-E5F5090A17A9" id="chunk360000" node="360000" paranum="36" wrapper="0">"How </span><span class="chunk hl-red 1DA92CDC-B28E-44D1-B2B1-E5F5090A17A9" id="chunk360001" node="360001" paranum="36" wrapper="1">grateful </span><span class="chunk hl-red 1DA92CDC-B28E-44D1-B2B1-E5F5090A17A9" id="chunk360002" node="360002" paranum="36" wrapper="2">I </span><span class="chunk hl-red 1DA92CDC-B28E-44D1-B2B1-E5F5090A17A9" id="chunk360003" node="360003" paranum="36" wrapper="3">am </span><span class="chunk hl-red 1DA92CDC-B28E-44D1-B2B1-E5F5090A17A9" id="chunk360004" node="360004" paranum="36" wrapper="4">to </span><span class="chunk hl-red 1DA92CDC-B28E-44D1-B2B1-E5F5090A17A9" id="chunk360005" node="360005" paranum="36" wrapper="5">my </span><span class="chunk hl-red 1DA92CDC-B28E-44D1-B2B1-E5F5090A17A9" id="chunk360006" node="360006" paranum="36" wrapper="6">Heavenly </span><span class="chunk hl-red 1DA92CDC-B28E-44D1-B2B1-E5F5090A17A9" id="chunk360007" node="360007" paranum="36" wrapper="7">Father </span><span class="chunk hl-red 1DA92CDC-B28E-44D1-B2B1-E5F5090A17A9" id="chunk360008" node="360008" paranum="36" wrapper="8">that </span><span class="chunk hl-red 1DA92CDC-B28E-44D1-B2B1-E5F5090A17A9" id="chunk360009" node="360009" paranum="36" wrapper="9">in </span><span class="chunk hl-red 1DA92CDC-B28E-44D1-B2B1-E5F5090A17A9" id="chunk360010" node="360010" paranum="36" wrapper="10">His </span><span class="chunk hl-red 1DA92CDC-B28E-44D1-B2B1-E5F5090A17A9" id="chunk360011" node="360011" paranum="36" wrapper="11">plan </span><span class="chunk hl-red 1DA92CDC-B28E-44D1-B2B1-E5F5090A17A9" id="chunk360012" node="360012" paranum="36" wrapper="12">there </span><span class="chunk hl-red 1DA92CDC-B28E-44D1-B2B1-E5F5090A17A9" id="chunk360013" node="360013" paranum="36" wrapper="13">are </span><span class="chunk hl-red 1DA92CDC-B28E-44D1-B2B1-E5F5090A17A9" id="chunk360014" node="360014" paranum="36" wrapper="14">no </span><span class="chunk hl-red 1DA92CDC-B28E-44D1-B2B1-E5F5090A17A9" id="chunk360015" node="360015" paranum="36" wrapper="15">true </span><span class="chunk hl-red 1DA92CDC-B28E-44D1-B2B1-E5F5090A17A9" id="chunk360016" node="360016" paranum="36" wrapper="16">endings, </span><span class="chunk hl-red 1DA92CDC-B28E-44D1-B2B1-E5F5090A17A9" id="chunk360017" node="360017" paranum="36" wrapper="17">only </span><span class="chunk hl-red 1DA92CDC-B28E-44D1-B2B1-E5F5090A17A9" id="chunk360018" node="360018" paranum="36" wrapper="18">everlasting </span><span class="chunk hl-red 1DA92CDC-B28E-44D1-B2B1-E5F5090A17A9 hl-id-99084313" id="chunk360019" node="360019" paranum="36" wrapper="19">beginnings."</span></span><br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03092414969109797614noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4536353675632903097.post-37002831342715028702014-08-28T10:39:00.000-07:002014-08-28T10:39:46.610-07:00Have I Done Any Good?<div style="text-align: center;">
Have I done any good in the world today?</div>
<div class="line" style="text-align: center;">
Have I helped anyone in need?</div>
<div class="line" style="text-align: center;">
Have I cheered up the sad and made someone feel glad?</div>
<div class="line" style="text-align: center;">
If not, I have failed indeed.</div>
<div class="line" style="text-align: center;">
Has anyone's burden been lighter today</div>
<div class="line" style="text-align: center;">
Because I was willing to share?</div>
<div class="line" style="text-align: center;">
Have the sick and the weary been helped on their way?</div>
<div class="line" style="text-align: center;">
When they needed my help was I there?</div>
<div class="line" style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="line" style="text-align: center;">
Then wake up and do something more</div>
<div class="line" style="text-align: center;">
Than dream of your mansion above.</div>
<div class="line" style="text-align: center;">
Doing good is a pleasure, a joy beyond measure,</div>
<div class="line" style="text-align: center;">
A blessing of duty and love</div>
<div class="line" style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="line" style="text-align: center;">
There are chances for work all around just now,</div>
<div class="line" style="text-align: center;">
Opportunities right in our way.</div>
<div class="line" style="text-align: center;">
Do not let them pass by, saying, "Sometime I'll try,"</div>
<div class="line" style="text-align: center;">
But go and do something today.</div>
<div class="line" style="text-align: center;">
'Tis noble of man to work and to give;</div>
<div class="line" style="text-align: center;">
Love's labor has merit alone.</div>
<div class="line" style="text-align: center;">
Only he who does something helps others to live.</div>
<div class="line" style="text-align: center;">
To God each good work will be known.</div>
<div class="line" style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="line" style="text-align: center;">
Then wake up and do something more</div>
<div class="line" style="text-align: center;">
Than dream of your mansion above.</div>
<div class="line" style="text-align: center;">
Doing good is a pleasure, a joy beyond measure,</div>
<div class="line" style="text-align: center;">
A blessing of duty and love</div>
<div class="line" style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Sometimes I ask myself the question, "Have I done enough?" Maybe we could have done more, but I think that as long as we are trying to serve, Heavenly Father is proud. So let me reiterate one part of the song--Doing good is a pleasure, a joy beyond measure, A blessing of duty and LOVE!</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03092414969109797614noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4536353675632903097.post-12725556115498006662014-08-23T11:01:00.000-07:002014-08-23T11:01:58.772-07:00Using Social Media Positively!Have you ever noticed that people "air out their dirty laundry" on Facebook? When I say this I mean, that Facebook is often the means of people complaining about their recent breakup, failing a test, getting cut off in traffic, and just drama in general. Now, please don't get me wrong. We all have trials in our lives. But these tools of social media can be used for much more than displaying our negative thoughts. What I want to suggest is that we use social media for much more positive thoughts! <br />
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Elder Bednar, an apostle for Jesus Christ, recently gave a talk at BYU Education week entitled, "<a href="https://www.lds.org/prophets-and-apostles/unto-all-the-world/to-sweep-the-earth-as-with-a-flood?lang=eng">To Sweep the Earth as with a Flood</a>." He in particular spoke about the need to flood social media with positive influences for good. From this inspirational talk has come a <a href="https://www.lds.org/church/share/goodness?cid=HPMO081814340&lang=eng">new social media movement</a>: #ShareGoodness. On the website it says the following:<br />
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<a href="https://www.lds.org/church/share/goodness?cid=HPMO081814340&lang=eng">"Every time you post simple, genuine messages and links, you help lift and strengthen those who see them. Counter negative posts with positive ones. If a friend is down, say something to cheer them up. Post links to articles and videos that reflect your values. Highlight the good in every situation. Speak from the heart. Be yourself."</a><br />
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Whether your a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints or not, we can all do our part to be more positive. If you use Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, or any other means of social media, you can do your part to uplift your friends around you and be a force for positive in this world that keeps getting crazier. <br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">So here is my challenge: </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><strong>POST ONE POSITIVE THING A WEEK</strong>.</span></div>
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<a href="https://www.lds.org/bc/content/ldsorg/media-library/0/smile/Turn_1680x1050.jpg?lang=eng" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://www.lds.org/bc/content/ldsorg/media-library/0/smile/Turn_1680x1050.jpg?lang=eng" width="400" /></a> </div>
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Questions to get you thinking:</div>
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1. What simple truths are you grateful for?</div>
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2. What happy moments did you have during a hard day? </div>
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3. What did someone do for you today?</div>
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If you need more ideas, click <a href="https://www.lds.org/media-library/social?lang=eng">HERE</a>!</div>
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I know that we can all do a little more to be a positive influence for good in this crazy world. The world needs less negativity, and more positivity! Please leave comments or send me a message if you choose to accept my challenge! I would love to see what posts you put up! </div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03092414969109797614noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4536353675632903097.post-8974568456901914872014-08-16T11:20:00.000-07:002014-08-16T11:21:00.025-07:00Learning to Recognize & Understand the Spirit There is a question that I get asked everyday: How do I recognize and understand when the spirit is talking to me? I think we all struggle with this question. We wonder whether thoughts that come to our mind are our thoughts or thoughts that come from the spirit. It is one of the most difficult thing for all of us to answer. Is it me or the spirit? Luckily, there is an entire chapter in <a href="https://www.lds.org/manual/preach-my-gospel-a-guide-to-missionary-service/how-do-i-recognize-and-understand-the-spirit?lang=eng">Preach My Gospel</a> that helps answer this question!<br />
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The other day, I was studying in chapter four of Preach My Gospel, under the heading "Learn to Recognize the Promptings of the Spirit". There was a particular section that really stood out to me. It says, "<span class="chunk hl-id-53757323" id="chunk390000" node="390000" paranum="39" wrapper="0">The </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk390001" node="390001" paranum="39" wrapper="1">Spirit </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk390002" node="390002" paranum="39" wrapper="2">is<em> </em></span><span class="chunk hl-u-red 3897D709-3879-4BA7-A469-474699FF0133" id="chunk390003" node="390003" paranum="39" wrapper="3"><em>always</em> </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk390004" node="390004" paranum="39" wrapper="4">available </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk390005" node="390005" paranum="39" wrapper="5">to </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk390006" node="390006" paranum="39" wrapper="6">guide </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk390007" node="390007" paranum="39" wrapper="7">and </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk390008" node="390008" paranum="39" wrapper="8">direct </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk390009" node="390009" paranum="39" wrapper="9">you. </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk390010" node="390010" paranum="39" wrapper="10">However, </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk390011" node="390011" paranum="39" wrapper="11">the </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk390012" node="390012" paranum="39" wrapper="12">Spirit </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk390013" node="390013" paranum="39" wrapper="13">speaks </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk390014" node="390014" paranum="39" wrapper="14">quietly, </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk390015" node="390015" paranum="39" wrapper="15">through </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk390016" node="390016" paranum="39" wrapper="16">your<em> </em></span><span class="chunk" id="chunk390017" node="390017" paranum="39" wrapper="17"><em>feelings</em> </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk390018" node="390018" paranum="39" wrapper="18">as </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk390019" node="390019" paranum="39" wrapper="19">well </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk390020" node="390020" paranum="39" wrapper="20">as </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk390021" node="390021" paranum="39" wrapper="21">your </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk390022" node="390022" paranum="39" wrapper="22"><em>mind</em>. </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk390023" node="390023" paranum="39" wrapper="23">One </span><span class="chunk hl-red 114A6289-DC12-49AA-B500-B36F064A9ADE" id="chunk390024" node="390024" paranum="39" wrapper="24">great </span><span class="chunk hl-red 114A6289-DC12-49AA-B500-B36F064A9ADE" id="chunk390025" node="390025" paranum="39" wrapper="25">challenge </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk390026" node="390026" paranum="39" wrapper="26">for </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk390027" node="390027" paranum="39" wrapper="27">you </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk390028" node="390028" paranum="39" wrapper="28">and </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk390029" node="390029" paranum="39" wrapper="29">those </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk390030" node="390030" paranum="39" wrapper="30">you </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk390031" node="390031" paranum="39" wrapper="31">work </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk390032" node="390032" paranum="39" wrapper="32">with </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk390033" node="390033" paranum="39" wrapper="33">is </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk390034" node="390034" paranum="39" wrapper="34">to </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk390035" node="390035" paranum="39" wrapper="35">recognize </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk390036" node="390036" paranum="39" wrapper="36">the </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk390037" node="390037" paranum="39" wrapper="37">quiet, </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk390038" node="390038" paranum="39" wrapper="38">subtle </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk390039" node="390039" paranum="39" wrapper="39">promptings </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk390040" node="390040" paranum="39" wrapper="40">of </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk390041" node="390041" paranum="39" wrapper="41">the </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk390042" node="390042" paranum="39" wrapper="42">Holy </span><span class="chunk hl-id-53757323" id="chunk390043" node="390043" paranum="39" wrapper="43">Ghost." </span><br />
<span class="chunk hl-id-53757323" node="390043" paranum="39" wrapper="43"></span><br />
<span class="chunk hl-id-53757323" node="390043" paranum="39" wrapper="43">So, yes. We are all aware that it is a great challenge to learn how to recognize and understand the spirit. So how do we learn? </span><br />
<span class="chunk hl-id-53757323" node="390043" paranum="39" wrapper="43"></span><br />
<span class="chunk hl-id-53757323" node="390043" paranum="39" wrapper="43">The other day I was listening to a talk by Diana Holscher, who is a motivational speaker. Her talk was entitled, "Prayers That Reach Heaven". In her talk, she discussed this exact topic. There was something that she suggested that really stuck out to me. Her first suggestion was to write down a time where you REALLY felt the spirit. Then follow that up by writing down a time where you really DIDN'T feel the spirit. </span><br />
<span class="chunk hl-id-53757323" node="390043" paranum="39" wrapper="43"></span><br />
<span class="chunk hl-id-53757323" node="390043" paranum="39" wrapper="43">There was a time in my life that I can not deny the spirit I felt. In the October 2012 session of General Conference, President Monson opened it up and made a historical announcement that there had been a lowering of the age for young women to serve missions. "<a href="https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2012/10/welcome-to-conference?lang=eng"><span class="chunk hl-id-6971947" id="chunk110000" node="110000" paranum="11" wrapper="0">As </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk110001" node="110001" paranum="11" wrapper="1">we </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk110002" node="110002" paranum="11" wrapper="2">have </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk110003" node="110003" paranum="11" wrapper="3">prayerfully </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk110004" node="110004" paranum="11" wrapper="4">pondered </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk110005" node="110005" paranum="11" wrapper="5">the </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk110006" node="110006" paranum="11" wrapper="6">age </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk110007" node="110007" paranum="11" wrapper="7">at </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk110008" node="110008" paranum="11" wrapper="8">which </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk110009" node="110009" paranum="11" wrapper="9">young </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk110010" node="110010" paranum="11" wrapper="10">men </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk110011" node="110011" paranum="11" wrapper="11">may </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk110012" node="110012" paranum="11" wrapper="12">begin </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk110013" node="110013" paranum="11" wrapper="13">their </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk110014" node="110014" paranum="11" wrapper="14">missionary </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk110015" node="110015" paranum="11" wrapper="15">service, </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk110016" node="110016" paranum="11" wrapper="16">we </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk110017" node="110017" paranum="11" wrapper="17">have </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk110018" node="110018" paranum="11" wrapper="18">also </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk110019" node="110019" paranum="11" wrapper="19">given </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk110020" node="110020" paranum="11" wrapper="20">consideration </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk110021" node="110021" paranum="11" wrapper="21">to </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk110022" node="110022" paranum="11" wrapper="22">the </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk110023" node="110023" paranum="11" wrapper="23">age </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk110024" node="110024" paranum="11" wrapper="24">at </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk110025" node="110025" paranum="11" wrapper="25">which </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk110026" node="110026" paranum="11" wrapper="26">a </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk110027" node="110027" paranum="11" wrapper="27">young </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk110028" node="110028" paranum="11" wrapper="28">woman </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk110029" node="110029" paranum="11" wrapper="29">might </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk110030" node="110030" paranum="11" wrapper="30">serve. </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk110031" node="110031" paranum="11" wrapper="31">Today </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk110032" node="110032" paranum="11" wrapper="32">I </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk110033" node="110033" paranum="11" wrapper="33">am </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk110034" node="110034" paranum="11" wrapper="34">pleased </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk110035" node="110035" paranum="11" wrapper="35">to </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk110036" node="110036" paranum="11" wrapper="36">announce </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk110037" node="110037" paranum="11" wrapper="37">that </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk110038" node="110038" paranum="11" wrapper="38">able, </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk110039" node="110039" paranum="11" wrapper="39">worthy </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk110040" node="110040" paranum="11" wrapper="40">young </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk110041" node="110041" paranum="11" wrapper="41">women </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk110042" node="110042" paranum="11" wrapper="42">who </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk110043" node="110043" paranum="11" wrapper="43">have </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk110044" node="110044" paranum="11" wrapper="44">the </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk110045" node="110045" paranum="11" wrapper="45">desire </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk110046" node="110046" paranum="11" wrapper="46">to </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk110047" node="110047" paranum="11" wrapper="47">serve </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk110048" node="110048" paranum="11" wrapper="48">may </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk110049" node="110049" paranum="11" wrapper="49">be </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk110050" node="110050" paranum="11" wrapper="50">recommended </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk110051" node="110051" paranum="11" wrapper="51">for </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk110052" node="110052" paranum="11" wrapper="52">missionary </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk110053" node="110053" paranum="11" wrapper="53">service </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk110054" node="110054" paranum="11" wrapper="54">beginning </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk110055" node="110055" paranum="11" wrapper="55">at </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk110056" node="110056" paranum="11" wrapper="56">age </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk110057" node="110057" paranum="11" wrapper="57">19, </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk110058" node="110058" paranum="11" wrapper="58">instead </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk110059" node="110059" paranum="11" wrapper="59">of </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk110060" node="110060" paranum="11" wrapper="60">age </span></a><span class="chunk hl-id-6971947" id="chunk110061" node="110061" paranum="11" wrapper="61"><a href="https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2012/10/welcome-to-conference?lang=eng">21</a>." When I heard these words, I could not deny the spirit. I was overwhelmed. I NEEDED to serve a mission. It was always in the plans, but now I was going to have the opportunity to do it sooner. As I felt the spirit testify to me that this is what the Lord wanted me to do, I could not help by cry. Goosebumps covered my body. This was what the Lord wanted me to do. It is safe for me to say, I have not since felt the spirit so strongly in my life. Although I know that there have been many times where I have received guidance, I have not since felt such a strong impression. </span></span><br />
<span class="chunk hl-id-53757323" node="390043" paranum="39" wrapper="43"><span class="chunk hl-id-6971947" node="110061" paranum="11" wrapper="61"></span></span><br />
<span class="chunk hl-id-53757323" node="390043" paranum="39" wrapper="43"><span class="chunk hl-id-6971947" node="110061" paranum="11" wrapper="61">The best example of a time where I knew that I could not feel the spirit was a time shortly after I had come out on my mission. We were invited to teach a sweet, older woman who lived in an assisted living center. It was in a very old building in downtown Vancouver. As my companion and I walked into the building for the first time, we felt as the spirit left. From that moment on, I hated being there. I hated the feelings that I had. The spirit was NOT there. It was at this moment in my life that I felt that the spirit was really, truly, not with me. </span></span><br />
<span class="chunk hl-id-53757323" node="390043" paranum="39" wrapper="43"><span class="chunk hl-id-6971947" node="110061" paranum="11" wrapper="61"></span></span><br />
<span class="chunk hl-id-53757323" node="390043" paranum="39" wrapper="43"><span class="chunk hl-id-6971947" node="110061" paranum="11" wrapper="61">Since I have had the opportunity to write these two experiences down, I have slowly begun understanding when I feel the spirit. When he truly is talking to me. These two situations are very black and white for me, but most of the time life is very grey. The spirit most likely isn't going to be so clear with us as these two situations are, but I can pull from both of these experiences to learn in those grey area times. I have come to understand that the best way I can describe how I feel the spirit is peace. There is either peace or unrest as I try to move forward with decisions I have made. </span></span><br />
<span class="chunk hl-id-53757323" node="390043" paranum="39" wrapper="43"><span class="chunk hl-id-6971947" node="110061" paranum="11" wrapper="61"></span></span><br />
<span class="chunk hl-id-53757323" node="390043" paranum="39" wrapper="43"><span class="chunk hl-id-6971947" node="110061" paranum="11" wrapper="61">In the Doctrine and Covenants, in section 6, it says:</span></span><br />
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<div class="chunked" id="para21" uri="/scriptures/dc-testament/dc/6.22">
<span class="chunk hl-id-53757323" node="390043" paranum="39" wrapper="43"><span class="chunk hl-id-6971947" node="110061" paranum="11" wrapper="61"><a href="https://www.lds.org/scriptures/dc-testament/dc/6.23?lang=eng#22"><span class="verse"><span class="chunk hl-id-36218329" id="chunk210000" node="210000" paranum="21" wrapper="0">22 </span></span><span class="chunk" id="chunk210001" node="210001" paranum="21" wrapper="1">Verily, </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk210002" node="210002" paranum="21" wrapper="2">verily, </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk210003" node="210003" paranum="21" wrapper="3">I </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk210004" node="210004" paranum="21" wrapper="4">say </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk210005" node="210005" paranum="21" wrapper="5">unto </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk210006" node="210006" paranum="21" wrapper="6">you, </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk210007" node="210007" paranum="21" wrapper="7">if </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk210008" node="210008" paranum="21" wrapper="8">you </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk210009" node="210009" paranum="21" wrapper="9">desire </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk210010" node="210010" paranum="21" wrapper="10">a </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk210011" node="210011" paranum="21" wrapper="11">further </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk210012" node="210012" paranum="21" wrapper="12">witness, </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk210013" node="210013" paranum="21" wrapper="13">cast </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk210014" node="210014" paranum="21" wrapper="14">your </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk210015" node="210015" paranum="21" wrapper="15">mind </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk210016" node="210016" paranum="21" wrapper="16">upon </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk210017" node="210017" paranum="21" wrapper="17">the </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk210018" node="210018" paranum="21" wrapper="18">night </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk210019" node="210019" paranum="21" wrapper="19">that </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk210020" node="210020" paranum="21" wrapper="20">you </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk210021" node="210021" paranum="21" wrapper="21">cried </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk210022" node="210022" paranum="21" wrapper="22">unto </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk210023" node="210023" paranum="21" wrapper="23">me </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk210024" node="210024" paranum="21" wrapper="24">in </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk210025" node="210025" paranum="21" wrapper="25">your </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk210026" node="210026" paranum="21" wrapper="26">heart, </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk210027" node="210027" paranum="21" wrapper="27">that </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk210028" node="210028" paranum="21" wrapper="28">you </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk210029" node="210029" paranum="21" wrapper="29">might </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk210030" node="210030" paranum="21" wrapper="30">know</span><span class="chunk" id="chunk210031" node="210031" paranum="21" wrapper="31"> concerning </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk210032" node="210032" paranum="21" wrapper="32">the </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk210033" node="210033" paranum="21" wrapper="33">truth </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk210034" node="210034" paranum="21" wrapper="34">of </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk210035" node="210035" paranum="21" wrapper="35">these </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk210036" node="210036" paranum="21" wrapper="36">things.</span></a></span></span></div>
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<span class="chunk hl-id-53757323" node="390043" paranum="39" wrapper="43"><span class="chunk hl-id-6971947" node="110061" paranum="11" wrapper="61"><a href="https://www.lds.org/scriptures/dc-testament/dc/6.23?lang=eng#22"><span class="verse"><span class="chunk hl-u-red FDAEDBBC-DD3A-4CCA-8A4D-D2142D138128 hl-id-36218329" id="chunk220000" node="220000" paranum="22" wrapper="0">23 </span></span><span class="chunk hl-u-red FDAEDBBC-DD3A-4CCA-8A4D-D2142D138128" id="chunk220001" node="220001" paranum="22" wrapper="1">Did </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red FDAEDBBC-DD3A-4CCA-8A4D-D2142D138128" id="chunk220002" node="220002" paranum="22" wrapper="2">I </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red FDAEDBBC-DD3A-4CCA-8A4D-D2142D138128" id="chunk220003" node="220003" paranum="22" wrapper="3">not </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red FDAEDBBC-DD3A-4CCA-8A4D-D2142D138128" id="chunk220004" node="220004" paranum="22" wrapper="4">speak </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red FDAEDBBC-DD3A-4CCA-8A4D-D2142D138128" id="chunk220005" node="220005" paranum="22" wrapper="5"><em><strong>peace</strong></em></span><span class="chunk hl-u-red FDAEDBBC-DD3A-4CCA-8A4D-D2142D138128" id="chunk220006" node="220006" paranum="22" wrapper="6"> to </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red FDAEDBBC-DD3A-4CCA-8A4D-D2142D138128" id="chunk220007" node="220007" paranum="22" wrapper="7">your </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red FDAEDBBC-DD3A-4CCA-8A4D-D2142D138128" id="chunk220008" node="220008" paranum="22" wrapper="8">mind </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red FDAEDBBC-DD3A-4CCA-8A4D-D2142D138128" id="chunk220009" node="220009" paranum="22" wrapper="9">concerning </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red FDAEDBBC-DD3A-4CCA-8A4D-D2142D138128" id="chunk220010" node="220010" paranum="22" wrapper="10">the </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red FDAEDBBC-DD3A-4CCA-8A4D-D2142D138128" id="chunk220011" node="220011" paranum="22" wrapper="11">matter? </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red FDAEDBBC-DD3A-4CCA-8A4D-D2142D138128" id="chunk220012" node="220012" paranum="22" wrapper="12">What </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red FDAEDBBC-DD3A-4CCA-8A4D-D2142D138128" id="chunk220013" node="220013" paranum="22" wrapper="13">greater </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red FDAEDBBC-DD3A-4CCA-8A4D-D2142D138128" id="chunk220014" node="220014" paranum="22" wrapper="14">witness</span><span class="chunk hl-u-red FDAEDBBC-DD3A-4CCA-8A4D-D2142D138128" id="chunk220015" node="220015" paranum="22" wrapper="15"> can </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red FDAEDBBC-DD3A-4CCA-8A4D-D2142D138128" id="chunk220016" node="220016" paranum="22" wrapper="16">you </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red FDAEDBBC-DD3A-4CCA-8A4D-D2142D138128" id="chunk220017" node="220017" paranum="22" wrapper="17">have </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red FDAEDBBC-DD3A-4CCA-8A4D-D2142D138128" id="chunk220018" node="220018" paranum="22" wrapper="18">than </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red FDAEDBBC-DD3A-4CCA-8A4D-D2142D138128" id="chunk220019" node="220019" paranum="22" wrapper="19">from </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red FDAEDBBC-DD3A-4CCA-8A4D-D2142D138128" id="chunk220020" node="220020" paranum="22" wrapper="20">God?</span></a></span></span></div>
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So here is my challenge to you: Take the time to write down a time where you felt the spirit the strongest and a time where you felt the spirit absolutely missing. Then, as you have determined these things, you will begin to recognize when the spirit is speaking to you in the times of "grey". When you aren't sure that the spirit isn't speaking to you, look at that time when you REALLY didn't feel the spirit. Then ask yourself, "Do I feel that way now?" Most likely not. Then try to zero in on what the spirit is saying to you. Maybe the answer is yes. Maybe the answer is no. Maybe that answer is just make a decision and THEN will I confirm or deny. But<strong> JUST LISTEN</strong>. Take the time. Pray with real intent, then ponder the thoughts and feelings that come. <br />
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I know that the spirit is trying to guide and direct us. The world is going to try and compete for our attention. We must tune out the world and then listen for the spirit. I know that you can now begin understanding when the spirit speaks to you. Take the time and write down these experiences. Your understanding will change! I know it will, because mine has. I am so grateful too! <br />
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<img alt="" src="http://media.ldscdn.org/images/media-library/inspirational-picture-quotes/update-june-10/burton-meme-learning-1230733-gallery.jpg" height="266" itemprop="contentURL" width="400" /></div>
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<img height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEh4oNvQE5AhHrQi4h5qxTifi7c0MzfBemDpveF-aslOZAfQBWp32awgzgBzVFFARkvThyphenhyphenH9f8jbD4rC6dyvm9vloupfvRkDrsUXB0t5Zh31RQFcDoD8LPPrmz6G0rVnbdvZJrluiB6z5AdP5ToyVdDdyg7CMVn2Wic1Lx9GamWeRB0aRIm6GLTWTPU=s0-d-e1-ft" style="border: currentColor; display: block; text-decoration: none;" width="400" />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03092414969109797614noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4536353675632903097.post-62672304700124683872014-08-06T13:52:00.001-07:002014-08-06T13:54:49.092-07:00PRIDEIts easy to assume by the title of my blog, that I struggle with pride. Like, REALLY struggle. As I was saying my personal prayers the other night, the thought came to me to study about pride. Now because I am so prideful, it took me a few days before I actually decided that I would do that. Well, I did and I am so grateful. When I was in high school, my wonderful seminary teacher shared a talk from 1989 titled, <a href="https://www.lds.org/general-conference/1989/04/beware-of-pride?lang=eng">"Beware of Pride"</a> by Ezra Taft Benson. I remember this talk having an affect on me, so it was the first place I turned to. <br />
<br />
<span class="chunk hl-u-red F3C76130-7E87-46A8-A6F0-7CC2F69858F6 hl-id-21060563" id="chunk270000" node="270000" paranum="27" wrapper="0">I experienced some hard things this week in my mission that I honestly never expected would happen. I was in an accident where I was rear ended by another driver. During the process of trying to understand what had happened, I found myself being extremely selfish. President Benson said, "Selfishness </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red F3C76130-7E87-46A8-A6F0-7CC2F69858F6" id="chunk270001" node="270001" paranum="27" wrapper="1">is </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red F3C76130-7E87-46A8-A6F0-7CC2F69858F6" id="chunk270002" node="270002" paranum="27" wrapper="2">one </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red F3C76130-7E87-46A8-A6F0-7CC2F69858F6" id="chunk270003" node="270003" paranum="27" wrapper="3">of </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red F3C76130-7E87-46A8-A6F0-7CC2F69858F6" id="chunk270004" node="270004" paranum="27" wrapper="4">the </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red F3C76130-7E87-46A8-A6F0-7CC2F69858F6" id="chunk270005" node="270005" paranum="27" wrapper="5">more </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red F3C76130-7E87-46A8-A6F0-7CC2F69858F6" id="chunk270006" node="270006" paranum="27" wrapper="6">common </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red F3C76130-7E87-46A8-A6F0-7CC2F69858F6" id="chunk270007" node="270007" paranum="27" wrapper="7">faces </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red F3C76130-7E87-46A8-A6F0-7CC2F69858F6" id="chunk270008" node="270008" paranum="27" wrapper="8">of </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red F3C76130-7E87-46A8-A6F0-7CC2F69858F6" id="chunk270009" node="270009" paranum="27" wrapper="9">pride. '</span><span class="chunk hl-u-red F3C76130-7E87-46A8-A6F0-7CC2F69858F6" id="chunk270010" node="270010" paranum="27" wrapper="10">How </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red F3C76130-7E87-46A8-A6F0-7CC2F69858F6" id="chunk270011" node="270011" paranum="27" wrapper="11">everything </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red F3C76130-7E87-46A8-A6F0-7CC2F69858F6" id="chunk270012" node="270012" paranum="27" wrapper="12">affects </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red F3C76130-7E87-46A8-A6F0-7CC2F69858F6" id="chunk270013" node="270013" paranum="27" wrapper="13">me' </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red F3C76130-7E87-46A8-A6F0-7CC2F69858F6" id="chunk270014" node="270014" paranum="27" wrapper="14">is </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red F3C76130-7E87-46A8-A6F0-7CC2F69858F6" id="chunk270015" node="270015" paranum="27" wrapper="15">the </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red F3C76130-7E87-46A8-A6F0-7CC2F69858F6" id="chunk270016" node="270016" paranum="27" wrapper="16">center </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red F3C76130-7E87-46A8-A6F0-7CC2F69858F6" id="chunk270017" node="270017" paranum="27" wrapper="17">of </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red F3C76130-7E87-46A8-A6F0-7CC2F69858F6" id="chunk270018" node="270018" paranum="27" wrapper="18">all </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red F3C76130-7E87-46A8-A6F0-7CC2F69858F6" id="chunk270019" node="270019" paranum="27" wrapper="19">that </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red F3C76130-7E87-46A8-A6F0-7CC2F69858F6" id="chunk270020" node="270020" paranum="27" wrapper="20">matters—self-conceit, </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red F3C76130-7E87-46A8-A6F0-7CC2F69858F6" id="chunk270021" node="270021" paranum="27" wrapper="21">self-pity, </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red F3C76130-7E87-46A8-A6F0-7CC2F69858F6" id="chunk270022" node="270022" paranum="27" wrapper="22">worldly </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red F3C76130-7E87-46A8-A6F0-7CC2F69858F6" id="chunk270023" node="270023" paranum="27" wrapper="23">self-fulfillment, </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red F3C76130-7E87-46A8-A6F0-7CC2F69858F6" id="chunk270024" node="270024" paranum="27" wrapper="24">self-gratification, </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red F3C76130-7E87-46A8-A6F0-7CC2F69858F6" id="chunk270025" node="270025" paranum="27" wrapper="25">and </span><span class="chunk hl-u-red F3C76130-7E87-46A8-A6F0-7CC2F69858F6" id="chunk270026" node="270026" paranum="27" wrapper="26">self-seeking."</span><br />
<span class="chunk hl-u-red F3C76130-7E87-46A8-A6F0-7CC2F69858F6" node="270026" paranum="27" wrapper="26"></span><br />
<span class="chunk hl-u-red F3C76130-7E87-46A8-A6F0-7CC2F69858F6" node="270026" paranum="27" wrapper="26">-----</span><br />
<span class="chunk hl-u-red F3C76130-7E87-46A8-A6F0-7CC2F69858F6" node="270026" paranum="27" wrapper="26"></span><br />
<span class="chunk hl-u-red F3C76130-7E87-46A8-A6F0-7CC2F69858F6" node="270026" paranum="27" wrapper="26"><span class="chunk hl-id-2559823" id="chunk360000" node="360000" paranum="36" wrapper="0">"Pride </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk360001" node="360001" paranum="36" wrapper="1">adversely </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk360002" node="360002" paranum="36" wrapper="2">affects </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk360003" node="360003" paranum="36" wrapper="3">all </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk360004" node="360004" paranum="36" wrapper="4">our </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk360005" node="360005" paranum="36" wrapper="5">relationships—our </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk360006" node="360006" paranum="36" wrapper="6">relationship </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk360007" node="360007" paranum="36" wrapper="7">with </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk360008" node="360008" paranum="36" wrapper="8">God </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk360009" node="360009" paranum="36" wrapper="9">and </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk360010" node="360010" paranum="36" wrapper="10">His </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk360011" node="360011" paranum="36" wrapper="11">servants, </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk360012" node="360012" paranum="36" wrapper="12">between </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk360013" node="360013" paranum="36" wrapper="13">husband </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk360014" node="360014" paranum="36" wrapper="14">and </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk360015" node="360015" paranum="36" wrapper="15">wife, </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk360016" node="360016" paranum="36" wrapper="16">parent </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk360017" node="360017" paranum="36" wrapper="17">and </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk360018" node="360018" paranum="36" wrapper="18">child, </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk360019" node="360019" paranum="36" wrapper="19">employer </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk360020" node="360020" paranum="36" wrapper="20">and </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk360021" node="360021" paranum="36" wrapper="21">employee, </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk360022" node="360022" paranum="36" wrapper="22">teacher </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk360023" node="360023" paranum="36" wrapper="23">and </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk360024" node="360024" paranum="36" wrapper="24">student, </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk360025" node="360025" paranum="36" wrapper="25">and </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk360026" node="360026" paranum="36" wrapper="26">all </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk360027" node="360027" paranum="36" wrapper="27">mankind. </span><span class="chunk" id="chunk360028" node="360028" paranum="36" wrapper="28">Our </span><span class="chunk hl-red 61321160-0093-427B-A872-CF0512513127" id="chunk360029" node="360029" paranum="36" wrapper="29">degree </span><span class="chunk hl-red 61321160-0093-427B-A872-CF0512513127" id="chunk360030" node="360030" paranum="36" wrapper="30">of </span><span class="chunk hl-red 61321160-0093-427B-A872-CF0512513127" id="chunk360031" node="360031" paranum="36" wrapper="31">pride </span><span class="chunk hl-red 61321160-0093-427B-A872-CF0512513127" id="chunk360032" node="360032" paranum="36" wrapper="32">determines </span><span class="chunk hl-red 61321160-0093-427B-A872-CF0512513127" id="chunk360033" node="360033" paranum="36" wrapper="33">how </span><span class="chunk hl-red 61321160-0093-427B-A872-CF0512513127" id="chunk360034" node="360034" paranum="36" wrapper="34">we </span><span class="chunk hl-red 61321160-0093-427B-A872-CF0512513127" id="chunk360035" node="360035" paranum="36" wrapper="35">treat </span><span class="chunk hl-red 61321160-0093-427B-A872-CF0512513127" id="chunk360036" node="360036" paranum="36" wrapper="36">our </span><span class="chunk hl-red 61321160-0093-427B-A872-CF0512513127" id="chunk360037" node="360037" paranum="36" wrapper="37">God </span><span class="chunk hl-red 61321160-0093-427B-A872-CF0512513127" id="chunk360038" node="360038" paranum="36" wrapper="38">and </span><span class="chunk hl-red 61321160-0093-427B-A872-CF0512513127" id="chunk360039" node="360039" paranum="36" wrapper="39">our </span><span class="chunk hl-red 61321160-0093-427B-A872-CF0512513127" id="chunk360040" node="360040" paranum="36" wrapper="40">brothers </span><span class="chunk hl-red 61321160-0093-427B-A872-CF0512513127" id="chunk360041" node="360041" paranum="36" wrapper="41">and </span><span class="chunk hl-red 61321160-0093-427B-A872-CF0512513127" id="chunk360042" node="360042" paranum="36" wrapper="42">sisters. </span><span class="chunk hl-red 61321160-0093-427B-A872-CF0512513127" id="chunk360043" node="360043" paranum="36" wrapper="43">Christ </span><span class="chunk hl-red 61321160-0093-427B-A872-CF0512513127" id="chunk360044" node="360044" paranum="36" wrapper="44">wants </span><span class="chunk hl-red 61321160-0093-427B-A872-CF0512513127" id="chunk360045" node="360045" paranum="36" wrapper="45">to </span><span class="chunk hl-red 61321160-0093-427B-A872-CF0512513127" id="chunk360046" node="360046" paranum="36" wrapper="46">lift </span><span class="chunk hl-red 61321160-0093-427B-A872-CF0512513127" id="chunk360047" node="360047" paranum="36" wrapper="47">us </span><span class="chunk hl-red 61321160-0093-427B-A872-CF0512513127" id="chunk360048" node="360048" paranum="36" wrapper="48">to </span><span class="chunk hl-red 61321160-0093-427B-A872-CF0512513127" id="chunk360049" node="360049" paranum="36" wrapper="49">where </span><span class="chunk hl-red 61321160-0093-427B-A872-CF0512513127" id="chunk360050" node="360050" paranum="36" wrapper="50">He </span><span class="chunk hl-red 61321160-0093-427B-A872-CF0512513127" id="chunk360051" node="360051" paranum="36" wrapper="51">is. </span><span class="chunk hl-red 61321160-0093-427B-A872-CF0512513127" id="chunk360052" node="360052" paranum="36" wrapper="52">Do </span><span class="chunk hl-red 61321160-0093-427B-A872-CF0512513127" id="chunk360053" node="360053" paranum="36" wrapper="53">we </span><span class="chunk hl-red 61321160-0093-427B-A872-CF0512513127" id="chunk360054" node="360054" paranum="36" wrapper="54">desire </span><span class="chunk hl-red 61321160-0093-427B-A872-CF0512513127" id="chunk360055" node="360055" paranum="36" wrapper="55">to </span><span class="chunk hl-red 61321160-0093-427B-A872-CF0512513127" id="chunk360056" node="360056" paranum="36" wrapper="56">do </span><span class="chunk hl-red 61321160-0093-427B-A872-CF0512513127" id="chunk360057" node="360057" paranum="36" wrapper="57">the </span><span class="chunk hl-red 61321160-0093-427B-A872-CF0512513127" id="chunk360058" node="360058" paranum="36" wrapper="58">same </span><span class="chunk hl-red 61321160-0093-427B-A872-CF0512513127" id="chunk360059" node="360059" paranum="36" wrapper="59">for </span><span class="chunk hl-red 61321160-0093-427B-A872-CF0512513127 hl-id-2559823" id="chunk360060" node="360060" paranum="36" wrapper="60">others?"</span></span><br />
<span class="chunk hl-u-red F3C76130-7E87-46A8-A6F0-7CC2F69858F6" node="270026" paranum="27" wrapper="26"><span class="chunk hl-red 61321160-0093-427B-A872-CF0512513127 hl-id-2559823" node="360060" paranum="36" wrapper="60"></span></span><br />
<span class="chunk hl-u-red F3C76130-7E87-46A8-A6F0-7CC2F69858F6" node="270026" paranum="27" wrapper="26"><span class="chunk hl-red 61321160-0093-427B-A872-CF0512513127 hl-id-2559823" node="360060" paranum="36" wrapper="60">This was a slap in the face. Of course I need to seek beyond myself and work on serving others. When we serve others, we are much happier. This is when our true character is revealed. Needless to say, it is my new resolve to do better and be better. I desire to try and overcome my pride. I know that the best way we do this is when we serve other. Just like President Benson said, "<span class="chunk hl-red 61321160-0093-427B-A872-CF0512513127" id="chunk360043" node="360043" paranum="36" wrapper="43">Christ </span><span class="chunk hl-red 61321160-0093-427B-A872-CF0512513127" id="chunk360044" node="360044" paranum="36" wrapper="44">wants </span><span class="chunk hl-red 61321160-0093-427B-A872-CF0512513127" id="chunk360045" node="360045" paranum="36" wrapper="45">to </span><span class="chunk hl-red 61321160-0093-427B-A872-CF0512513127" id="chunk360046" node="360046" paranum="36" wrapper="46">lift </span><span class="chunk hl-red 61321160-0093-427B-A872-CF0512513127" id="chunk360047" node="360047" paranum="36" wrapper="47">us </span><span class="chunk hl-red 61321160-0093-427B-A872-CF0512513127" id="chunk360048" node="360048" paranum="36" wrapper="48">to </span><span class="chunk hl-red 61321160-0093-427B-A872-CF0512513127" id="chunk360049" node="360049" paranum="36" wrapper="49">where </span><span class="chunk hl-red 61321160-0093-427B-A872-CF0512513127" id="chunk360050" node="360050" paranum="36" wrapper="50">He </span><span class="chunk hl-red 61321160-0093-427B-A872-CF0512513127" id="chunk360051" node="360051" paranum="36" wrapper="51">is. </span><span class="chunk hl-red 61321160-0093-427B-A872-CF0512513127" id="chunk360052" node="360052" paranum="36" wrapper="52">Do </span><span class="chunk hl-red 61321160-0093-427B-A872-CF0512513127" id="chunk360053" node="360053" paranum="36" wrapper="53">we </span><span class="chunk hl-red 61321160-0093-427B-A872-CF0512513127" id="chunk360054" node="360054" paranum="36" wrapper="54">desire </span><span class="chunk hl-red 61321160-0093-427B-A872-CF0512513127" id="chunk360055" node="360055" paranum="36" wrapper="55">to </span><span class="chunk hl-red 61321160-0093-427B-A872-CF0512513127" id="chunk360056" node="360056" paranum="36" wrapper="56">do </span><span class="chunk hl-red 61321160-0093-427B-A872-CF0512513127" id="chunk360057" node="360057" paranum="36" wrapper="57">the </span><span class="chunk hl-red 61321160-0093-427B-A872-CF0512513127" id="chunk360058" node="360058" paranum="36" wrapper="58">same </span><span class="chunk hl-red 61321160-0093-427B-A872-CF0512513127" id="chunk360059" node="360059" paranum="36" wrapper="59">for </span><span class="chunk hl-red 61321160-0093-427B-A872-CF0512513127 hl-id-2559823" id="chunk360060" node="360060" paranum="36" wrapper="60">others?"</span></span></span><br />
<span class="chunk hl-u-red F3C76130-7E87-46A8-A6F0-7CC2F69858F6" node="270026" paranum="27" wrapper="26"><span class="chunk hl-red 61321160-0093-427B-A872-CF0512513127 hl-id-2559823" node="360060" paranum="36" wrapper="60"><span class="chunk hl-red 61321160-0093-427B-A872-CF0512513127 hl-id-2559823" node="360060" paranum="36" wrapper="60"></span></span></span><br />
<span class="chunk hl-u-red F3C76130-7E87-46A8-A6F0-7CC2F69858F6" node="270026" paranum="27" wrapper="26"><span class="chunk hl-red 61321160-0093-427B-A872-CF0512513127 hl-id-2559823" node="360060" paranum="36" wrapper="60"><span class="chunk hl-red 61321160-0093-427B-A872-CF0512513127 hl-id-2559823" node="360060" paranum="36" wrapper="60">President Benson tells us that pride is the universal sin. It something that EVERYONE needs to work on. Let us ALL resolve to do better and do as Benson says, "<span class="chunk hl-red C3CA57D6-F8A8-41D2-9C76-E1AC47190B33 hl-id-60310629" id="chunk560000" node="560000" paranum="56" wrapper="0">Let </span><span class="chunk hl-red C3CA57D6-F8A8-41D2-9C76-E1AC47190B33" id="chunk560001" node="560001" paranum="56" wrapper="1">us </span><span class="chunk hl-red C3CA57D6-F8A8-41D2-9C76-E1AC47190B33" id="chunk560002" node="560002" paranum="56" wrapper="2">choose </span><span class="chunk hl-red C3CA57D6-F8A8-41D2-9C76-E1AC47190B33" id="chunk560003" node="560003" paranum="56" wrapper="3">to </span><span class="chunk hl-red C3CA57D6-F8A8-41D2-9C76-E1AC47190B33" id="chunk560004" node="560004" paranum="56" wrapper="4">be </span><span class="chunk hl-red C3CA57D6-F8A8-41D2-9C76-E1AC47190B33" id="chunk560005" node="560005" paranum="56" wrapper="5">humble. </span><span class="chunk hl-red C3CA57D6-F8A8-41D2-9C76-E1AC47190B33" id="chunk560006" node="560006" paranum="56" wrapper="6">We </span><span class="chunk hl-red C3CA57D6-F8A8-41D2-9C76-E1AC47190B33" id="chunk560007" node="560007" paranum="56" wrapper="7">can </span><span class="chunk hl-red C3CA57D6-F8A8-41D2-9C76-E1AC47190B33" id="chunk560008" node="560008" paranum="56" wrapper="8">do </span><span class="chunk hl-red C3CA57D6-F8A8-41D2-9C76-E1AC47190B33" id="chunk560009" node="560009" paranum="56" wrapper="9">it. </span><span class="chunk hl-red C3CA57D6-F8A8-41D2-9C76-E1AC47190B33" id="chunk560010" node="560010" paranum="56" wrapper="10">I </span><span class="chunk hl-red C3CA57D6-F8A8-41D2-9C76-E1AC47190B33" id="chunk560011" node="560011" paranum="56" wrapper="11">know </span><span class="chunk hl-red C3CA57D6-F8A8-41D2-9C76-E1AC47190B33" id="chunk560012" node="560012" paranum="56" wrapper="12">we </span><span class="chunk hl-red C3CA57D6-F8A8-41D2-9C76-E1AC47190B33 hl-id-60310629" id="chunk560013" node="560013" paranum="56" wrapper="13">can." </span></span></span></span><br />
<span class="chunk hl-u-red F3C76130-7E87-46A8-A6F0-7CC2F69858F6" node="270026" paranum="27" wrapper="26"><span class="chunk hl-red 61321160-0093-427B-A872-CF0512513127 hl-id-2559823" node="360060" paranum="36" wrapper="60"></span></span><br />
<span class="chunk hl-u-red F3C76130-7E87-46A8-A6F0-7CC2F69858F6" node="270026" paranum="27" wrapper="26"><span class="chunk hl-red 61321160-0093-427B-A872-CF0512513127 hl-id-2559823" node="360060" paranum="36" wrapper="60"></span></span><br />
<span class="chunk hl-u-red F3C76130-7E87-46A8-A6F0-7CC2F69858F6" node="270026" paranum="27" wrapper="26"><span class="chunk hl-red 61321160-0093-427B-A872-CF0512513127 hl-id-2559823" node="360060" paranum="36" wrapper="60"><img alt="" aria-busy="false" aria-describedby="fbPhotosSnowliftCaption" class="spotlight" height="400" src="https://scontent-b-sea.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xfp1/v/t1.0-9/10295805_10152487035777533_1023418218852860817_n.jpg?oh=88b721754a4b2ed6991478ca871fce85&oe=5457E8F7" width="400" /></span></span><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03092414969109797614noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4536353675632903097.post-22632412553263060702014-07-29T13:57:00.001-07:002014-08-06T13:54:37.750-07:00Lord, I Believe. As I have struggled in my life and in my mission, I have had to ask myself: What do I believe? In my personal study this morning I came across a talk called, "<a href="https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2013/04/lord-i-believe?lang=eng">Lord, I Believe</a>" by Elder Jeffrey R. Holland. This is what many of the people that I love need to hear. Many, if not all, of the people I am teaching need to hear this. Most importantly, I needed to hear this. <br />
<br />
Holland starts off by telling the story in <a href="https://www.lds.org/scriptures/nt/mark/9.22-24?lang=eng#21">Mark 9:14-29</a>. It is about a father who has an afflicted son who he desires to be healed. The account then goes as follows:<br />
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<span class="verse">23 </span>Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things <span class="clarityWord">are</span> possible to him that believeth.<br />
<span class="verse">24 </span>And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe;<em> help thou mine unbelief</em>.<br />
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Holland says about this, "This man’s initial conviction, by his own admission, is limited. But he has an urgent, emphatic desire in behalf of his only child. We are told that is good enough for a beginning. 'Even if ye can no more than <i>desire to believe,'</i> Alma declares, 'let this desire work in you, even until ye believe.' With no other hope remaining, this father asserts what faith he has and pleads with the Savior of the world, 'If <i>thou</i> canst do <i>any thing,</i> have compassion on <i>us,</i> and help <i>us.'"</i><br />
<em></em><br />
Throughout the rest of this talk, Holland talks of three observations he has made:<br />
1. The wishing for more faith<br />
2. Being true to the faith we DO have<br />
3. Asking for help<br />
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<strong>Wishing For More Faith</strong><br />
"I would say to all who wish for more faith, remember this man! In moments of fear or doubt or troubling times, hold the ground you have already won, even if that ground is limited. In the growth we all have to experience in mortality, the spiritual equivalent of this boy’s affliction or this parent’s desperation is going to come to all of us. When those moments come and issues surface, the resolution of which is not immediately forthcoming, <i>hold fast to what you already know and stand strong until additional knowledge comes.</i> It was of this very incident, this specific miracle, that Jesus said, 'If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.' The size of your faith or the degree of your knowledge is not the issue—it is the integrity you demonstrate toward the faith you do have and the truth you already know."<br />
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I'm not sure I have ever met anyone who would say that they have sufficient faith. In fact, we all probably feel like we have in adequate faith. We can learn from this story in the scriptures that even if we don't have sufficient faith, the Lord will make up for the rest. That is what his atonement is about. If only we cry out to him, "Help thou my unbelief!"<br />
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<strong>Being True to Our Faith</strong><br />
"When problems come and questions arise, do not start your quest for faith by saying how much you do <i>not</i> have, leading as it were with your 'unbelief.' That is like trying to stuff a turkey through the beak! Let me be clear on this point: I am not asking you to pretend to faith you do not have. I <i>am</i> asking you to be true to the faith you <i>do</i> have. Sometimes we act as if an honest declaration of doubt is a higher manifestation of moral courage than is an honest declaration of faith. It is not! So let us all remember the clear message of this scriptural account: Be as candid about your questions as you need to be; life is full of them on one subject or another. But if you and your family want to be healed, don’t let those questions stand in the way of faith working its miracle."<br />
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I LOVE this quote! I have watched as people close to me in my life have questioned things. Its OK to question. It takes courage to question things. But let me tell you, it takes MORE courage to take things on faith. Holland goes on to say, "You have more faith than you think you do." I can testify that this is true. You have more faith than you think you do. <br />
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<img alt="" aria-busy="false" aria-describedby="fbPhotosSnowliftCaption" class="spotlight" height="173" src="https://fbcdn-sphotos-f-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xap1/v/t1.0-9/10314535_10202501432962676_7552256803318605220_n.jpg?oh=9ee54688f7b8822b6f0b19f0c7e88cd7&oe=54381825&__gda__=1415223920_5dd4c7215144050a24301e5fd37dc909" style="height: 173px; width: 494px;" width="494" /><br />
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<strong>Ask For Help</strong><br />
"When doubt or difficulty come, do not be afraid to ask for help. If we want it as humbly and honestly as this father did, we can get it. The scriptures phrase such earnest desire as being of 'real intent,' pursued 'with full purpose of heart, acting no hypocrisy and no deception before God.' I testify that in response to <i>that</i> kind of importuning, God will send help from both sides of the veil to strengthen our belief."<br />
<br />
Pride is the universal sin. It is often our pride that gets in our way of going to others for help. I would ask, if you are reading this and you have doubts, go search for help. Do not think that you can overcome these things alone. If they are small doubts, go to the Lord in prayer. If they are bigger, go to your priesthood leaders--especially your bishop. If you aren't sure if it is big or small, go to your bishop anyways. He would love to hear from you and help you. <br />
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---<br />
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To end my blog, I would like to quote Elder Holland one last time, "Honestly acknowledge your questions and your concerns, but <strong>first and forever fan the flame of your faith</strong>, because all things are possible to them that believe."<br />
<strong></strong><br />
Take some time tonight, this week, or next week to acknowledge your questions and concerns. Write them down. Then, fan the flame of your faith. ALL things become possible to those that believe. Remember President Uchtdorf's quote, "<a href="https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2013/10/come-join-with-us?lang=eng">Doubt your doubts before you doubt your faith!"</a>. <br />
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Heavenly Father is aware of you. He is aware of the questions you have. Turn to him, and he won't let you down.<br />
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<img alt="" src="http://media.ldscdn.org/images/media-library/by-speaker/elder-jeffrey-r-holland/quote-holland-1173095-gallery.jpg" height="223" itemprop="contentURL" width="400" /><br />
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<img height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEh4oNvQE5AhHrQi4h5qxTifi7c0MzfBemDpveF-aslOZAfQBWp32awgzgBzVFFARkvThyphenhyphenH9f8jbD4rC6dyvm9vloupfvRkDrsUXB0t5Zh31RQFcDoD8LPPrmz6G0rVnbdvZJrluiB6z5AdP5ToyVdDdyg7CMVn2Wic1Lx9GamWeRB0aRIm6GLTWTPU=s0-d-e1-ft" style="border: currentColor; display: block; text-decoration: none;" width="400" />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03092414969109797614noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4536353675632903097.post-77914616892452970912014-07-26T12:38:00.004-07:002014-08-06T13:54:25.303-07:00Feelings of Guilt, Part 5: Endure to the END!This is my final blog about feelings of guilt. I chose to blog about this because I know that everyone goes through trials. Everyone makes mistakes. It is only through living the Gospel of Jesus Christ that we can feel relief from these feelings of guilt. Christ's gospel is simply faith in him and his atonement, repentance, baptism, receiving the gift of the holy ghost, and then enduring to the end. <br />
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One of my favorite verses on enduring to the end comes from <a href="https://www.lds.org/scriptures/nt/2-tim/4.7?lang=eng#6">2 Timothy 4:7</a>, "I have fought a good fight, I have finished <span class="clarityWord">my</span> course, I have kept the faith:"<br />
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What does it mean to endure to the end? It means to be faithful to our savior. It includes sincerely repenting of our sins. It is entering into the gate of baptism and partaking of the sacrament weekly. It's receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost and then continuing to keep the commandments so that we may be worthy of his companionship. It is repeating these principles of the gospel of Jesus Christ. <br />
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Personally for me, enduring to the end means knowing that my savior has paid the way for me. Because I understand that he knows EXACTLY how I feel. He knows what I'm going through and what I desire. It is because of his suffering in the garden of Gethsemane that made it possible for her him to understand everything I am going through. He knows not only me, but you too. <br />
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<a class="bookmark-anchor dontHighlight" href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="11"> </a>Alma 7:<span class="verse">11, "</span>And he shall go forth, suffering pains and afflictions and temptations of every kind; and this that the word might be fulfilled which saith he will take upon him the pains and the sicknesses of his people."<br />
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Not once does it say your sins. Not once does it say your mistakes. It says your pains, afflictions, and temptations. It is for this life. It is for right NOW. He knows you. He will help you through everything. Fight a good fight. Keep the faith. <br />
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<img height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEh4oNvQE5AhHrQi4h5qxTifi7c0MzfBemDpveF-aslOZAfQBWp32awgzgBzVFFARkvThyphenhyphenH9f8jbD4rC6dyvm9vloupfvRkDrsUXB0t5Zh31RQFcDoD8LPPrmz6G0rVnbdvZJrluiB6z5AdP5ToyVdDdyg7CMVn2Wic1Lx9GamWeRB0aRIm6GLTWTPU=s0-d-e1-ft" style="border: currentColor; display: block; text-decoration: none;" width="400" />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03092414969109797614noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4536353675632903097.post-68250676771178585122014-07-19T11:31:00.000-07:002014-08-06T13:54:13.390-07:00Feelings of Guilt, Part 4: The Gift of the Holy GhostLiving the Gospel of Jesus Christ is the only way that we can feel relief from feelings of guilt. Christ's gospel is simply faith in him and his atonement, repentance, baptism, receiving the gift of the holy ghost, and then enduring to the end. <br />
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First of all, what is the gift of the Holy Ghost? In the <a href="https://www.lds.org/manual/gospel-principles/chapter-21-the-gift-of-the-holy-ghost?lang=eng">gospel principles manual</a>, it says, "The gift of the Holy Ghost is the privilege—given to people who have placed their faith in Jesus Christ, been baptized, and been confirmed as members of the Church—to receive continual guidance and inspiration from the Holy Ghost."<br />
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What are some blessings that we receive from the Holy Ghost? <a href="http://www.mormon.org/faq/holy-ghost-blessings">Mormon,org</a> gives us this explanation:<br />
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"The Holy Ghost can bless your life in many ways. Christ promised His Apostles that the Holy Ghost would 'teach you all things' (<a href="http://scriptures.lds.org/en/john/14/26#26" target="_blank">John 14:26</a>) and 'guide you into all truth' (<a href="http://scriptures.lds.org/en/john/16/13#13" target="_blank">John 16:13</a>). He also said that the Holy Ghost 'shall testify of me' (<a href="http://scriptures.lds.org/en/john/15/26#26" target="_blank">John 15:26</a>).<br />
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"Likewise, the Holy Ghost can help you. Through the inspiration of the Holy Ghost, you can recognize and understand truth and make right choices and inspired decisions.<br />
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"The Holy Ghost can inspire you with thoughts and ideas, warn you, and comfort you in times of sorrow.<br />
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"You may have already felt His influence at times in your life. That influence includes 'love, joy, [and] peace' (<a href="http://scriptures.lds.org/en/gal/5/22#22" target="_blank">Galatians 5:22</a>).]<br />
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"Almost everyone has felt the Holy Ghost at some time. But there is a difference between experiencing the occasional influence of the Holy Ghost and receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost.<br />
Although the Holy Ghost may temporarily comfort someone or reveal truth to them, the gift of the Holy Ghost is reserved for those who have been baptized and confirmed into Christ’s Church. This gift is the privilege of enjoying the constant companionship of the Holy Ghost conditional upon keeping the commandments.<br />
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"The gift of the Holy Ghost is given when a person is confirmed a member of the Church after baptism by someone having priesthood authority from God. It is given by the person having authority laying their hands upon the head of the person who was baptized and giving them a blessing to receive the Holy Ghost (<a href="http://scriptures.lds.org/en/acts/8/14-18#14" target="_blank">Acts 8:14-18</a>). Whether or not we then receive this great gift depends on our keeping the commandments of God."<br />
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I think my favorite part of having the gift of the Holy Ghost is the promise found in not only John 14:26, but in 2 Nephi 32:5. Its says:<br />
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<a href="https://www.lds.org/scriptures/bofm/2-ne/32.5?lang=eng#4"><span class="verse">5 </span>For behold, again I say unto you that if ye will enter in by the way, and receive the Holy Ghost, it <em>will show unto you all things what ye should do</em>.</a><br />
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Have you ever thought to yourself, "I wish life came with instructions!" Well, I can tell you--what you are hoping for is the gift of the Holy Ghost! It has been such a blessing in my life. I have personally had experiences where the Holy Ghost has taught me, warned me, and gave me subtle impressions. Its how I knew where to go to college, if/when I should go on a mission, and many more things. I am so grateful to have this gift from my Heavenly Father. Through this gift, I have come to know of God's will for me. It has blessed me so much!<br />
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Not only is having the gift of the Holy Ghost been a blessing in my life, but it is the key to salvation. The Holy Ghost is what teaches us the way to get back to Heavenly Father. He is what testifies of truth. He shows us Heavenly Father's plan for us. This is what we desire most. We desire to know of things eternal. This knowledge only comes through the Holy Ghost. <br />
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I can testify of the reality of the gift of the Holy Ghost. He is real. He wants to help us. By taking the steps of the gospel (faith, repentance, and baptism), you can prepare to receive this gift from our Heavenly Father. I am so grateful to have this gift. I know that we are all loved by our Heavenly Father. He is waiting for us to draw near to him. If you have any more questions, message me on facebook, email, or write me. You can find my contact info on the right hand side of this page. Or contact your local missionaries by clicking <a href="http://www.mormon.org/missionaries">here</a>.<br />
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<img height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEh4oNvQE5AhHrQi4h5qxTifi7c0MzfBemDpveF-aslOZAfQBWp32awgzgBzVFFARkvThyphenhyphenH9f8jbD4rC6dyvm9vloupfvRkDrsUXB0t5Zh31RQFcDoD8LPPrmz6G0rVnbdvZJrluiB6z5AdP5ToyVdDdyg7CMVn2Wic1Lx9GamWeRB0aRIm6GLTWTPU=s0-d-e1-ft" style="border: currentColor; display: block; text-decoration: none;" width="400" />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03092414969109797614noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4536353675632903097.post-36728541235084058392014-07-12T11:38:00.000-07:002014-08-06T13:54:04.874-07:00Feelings of Guilt, Part 3: Baptism I will say again, as I have said before, we all need relief from feelings of guilt that come as a result of mistakes and sins. Living the Gospel of Jesus Christ is the way that we can feel relief from these feelings of guilt. Christ's gospel is simply faith in him and his atonement, repentance, baptism, receiving the gift of the holy ghost, and then enduring to the end. <br />
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In my previous post, <a href="http://sister-carol-thomas.blogspot.com/2014/06/feelings-of-guilt-part-1-foundation-of.html">Feelings of Guilt, Part 1: The Foundation of Faith</a> I shared the account of Joseph Smith and how this is the foundation of our Faith. In my second blog post in this series, <a href="http://sister-carol-thomas.blogspot.com/2014/06/feelings-of-guilt-part-2-repentance.html"> Feelings of Guilt, Part 2: Repentance</a> I talked about how we must rely on the Atonement in order to feel sorrow enough to repent so we can be cleansed from sin. In this third part, I would like to talk about the action that we now take in order to be cleansed from sin. This first action that we take is by being baptized. <br />
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Baptism is an <a href="https://www.lds.org/topics/ordinances?lang=eng&query=ordinances">ordinance.</a> In fact, it is a <em>saving </em>ordinance. If you go to <a href="http://mormon.org/">Mormon.org</a>, you will find the following: "Baptism in water is an ordinance essential to our salvation. By being baptized, we show God that we are willing to be obedient to His commandments. Jesus set the example for us by being baptized, even though He was without sin (see <a href="http://scriptures.lds.org/en/mosiah/18/8-10#8" target="_blank">Mosiah 18:8-10</a>). The Savior revealed the proper method of baptism to the Prophet Joseph Smith, making clear that the ordinance must be performed by one having priesthood authority and that it be done by immersion (see <a href="http://scriptures.lds.org/en/dc/20/72-74#72" target="_blank">Doctrine and Covenants 20:72-74</a>)." <br />
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We know that authority to baptize is very important to our Heavenly Father. Again, on <a href="http://mormon.org/">Mormon.org</a>, it has the following: "Throughout time, God has given His servants, the prophets, the authority to act in His name. This authority is called the priesthood. Jesus Christ gave the priesthood to His original Twelve Apostles by ordination (see <a href="http://www.mormon.org/faq/topic/baptism/question/authority-to-baptize" target="">John 15:16</a>), and they directed the work of His Church after Jesus ascended to heaven. But after the Apostles were killed, the priesthood gradually disappeared from the earth."<br />
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"In 1829 Joseph Smith received the priesthood authority to organize Christ’s Church from Heavenly Messengers who had held this authority anciently including the prophet John the Baptist and apostles Peter, James, and John. In 1830 the same Church of Jesus Christ that existed centuries ago was organized and restored to the earth."<br />
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I can testify that I know that the <a href="http://www.mormon.org/faq/topic/priesthood/question/purpose-of-priesthood">priesthood</a> was restored to the Prophet, Joseph Smith. I know that the authority to baptize is found in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Elder Holland, a modern day apostle, put it perfectly when he said, "I bear witness of that gospel and that Church, with a particular witness of restored priesthood keys which unlock the power and efficacy of saving ordinances. I am more certain that those keys have been restored and that those ordinances are once again available through The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints than I am certain I stand before you at this pulpit and you sit before me in this conference." I know that the authority was restored! We are so blessed to have it on the earth today.<br />
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Christ himself showed us by example the need to be baptized. What may be most significant, is the fact that he went to John the Baptist. Why did he go to John the Baptist? Because he had the authority to do so. Christ <em>knew</em> who had the authority to baptize. If Christ knew who had the authority to baptize then, he would know now. You can ask him in prayer about the need for authority. <br />
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When we are baptized, we make <a href="https://www.lds.org/topics/covenant?lang=eng">covenants</a> or promises with God. Some of the promises that you make is to take upon yourself the name of Jesus Christ, keep His commandments, and serve Him to the end. In return, he promises that his spirit will always be with us, he will forgive our sins, and give eternal life.<br />
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In the <a href="https://www.lds.org/manual/gospel-principles/chapter-20-baptism?lang=eng&query=what+have+ye+against+being+baptized">Gospel Principles</a> book, in chapter 20, it talks about baptism. I loved the following: "There is only one correct mode of baptism. Jesus revealed to the Prophet Joseph Smith that a person having the proper priesthood authority to baptize “shall go down into the water with the person who has presented himself or herself for baptism. … Then shall he immerse him or her in the water, and come forth again out of the water” (<a class="scriptureRef" href="https://www.lds.org/scriptures/dc-testament/dc/20.73-74?lang=eng#72">D&C 20:73–74</a>). The Apostle Paul taught that being immersed in water and coming out again is symbolic of death, burial, and resurrection. After baptism we start a new life. Paul said:<br />
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'Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?</div>
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'Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.</div>
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'For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection' (<a class="scriptureRef" href="https://www.lds.org/scriptures/nt/rom/6.3-5?lang=eng#2">Romans 6:3–5</a>).</div>
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"Baptism by immersion by a person having the proper authority is the only acceptable way of being baptized."</div>
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My favorite way to look at baptism is as a fresh start. Just like I said in the beginning of my post, we all have feelings of guilt and shame. We have been given the way to feel cleansed from these sins. Why would we not want to have a fresh start? </div>
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I know that baptism by proper authority is essential for salvation. More than that, I know that it can save us from feelings of guilt and shame. I know that we can rely on our savior and his atonement and feel free from sin. If you have these feelings in your life, go to the missionaries. Go to your bishop. They can help you. Christ has already suffered for you. Rely on him, and I promise you, you will feel free from your sins. </div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03092414969109797614noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4536353675632903097.post-15892134438521570082014-06-17T11:12:00.000-07:002014-08-06T13:53:48.761-07:00Feelings of Guilt, Part 2: RepentanceLike I said in my previous post, we all need relief from feelings of guilt that come as a result of mistakes and sins. Living the Gospel of Jesus Christ is the way that we can feel relief from these feelings of guilt. Christ's gospel is simply faith in him and his atonement, repentance, baptism, receiving the gift of the holy ghost, and then enduring to the end. <br />
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<a href="http://mormon.org/">Mormon.org</a> has the following to teach us about seeking repentance so that we can relieve those feelings of guilt:<br />
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"Having faith in Jesus Christ makes us want to live good lives. When we sin and seek to repent, we recognize and feel deep and sincere sorrow for what we’ve done wrong. God understood when He created the earth that we wouldn’t be perfect, so He provided a way for us to overcome our sins. The ability to repent is truly one of our greatest blessings.<br />
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"To repent we need to recognize and feel sorry for what we’ve done wrong, do whatever is possible to repair the damage it may have caused, and to leave our sinful behavior behind. Repentance can be difficult and requires a lot of honesty, but the joy and freedom we feel when we turn away from our sins are well worth the effort. Because Christ suffered for our sins, we can be forgiven when we repent. That’s why the Atonement is so important to all of us.<br />
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"We believe Christ's Atonement gives us the ability to repent and become clean from sin. To say we have to repent for our sins may sound like a punishment, but the real punishment is the guilt, sorrow, and disappointment we feel when we sin. Repentance is the opposite of punishment, then, because it allows us to become clean in God’s eyes and remove the feelings of guilt that follow our bad choices."<br />
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In Alma 34, it says:<br />
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<a class="bookmark-anchor dontHighlight" href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="14"> </a><span class="verse">14 </span>And behold, this is the whole meaning of the law, every whit pointing to that great and last sacrifice; and that great and last sacrifice will be the Son of God, yea, infinite and eternal.</div>
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<a class="bookmark-anchor dontHighlight" href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="15"> </a><span class="verse">15 </span>And thus he shall bring salvation to all those who shall believe on his name; this being the intent of this last sacrifice, to bring about the bowels of mercy, which overpowereth justice, and bringeth about means unto men that they may have<strong> <em>faith</em></strong> unto <em><strong>repentance</strong></em>.</div>
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<a class="bookmark-anchor dontHighlight" href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="16"> </a><span class="verse">16 </span>And thus mercy can satisfy the demands of justice, and encircles them in the arms of safety, while he that exercises no <em><strong>faith</strong></em> unto <strong><em>repentance</em></strong> is exposed to the whole law of the demands of justice; therefore only unto him that has <em><strong>faith</strong></em> unto <em><strong>repentance</strong></em> is brought about the great and eternal plan of redemption.</div>
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<a class="bookmark-anchor dontHighlight" href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="17"> </a><span class="verse">17 </span>Therefore may God grant unto you, my brethren, that ye may begin to exercise your <em><strong>faith</strong></em> unto <em><strong>repentance</strong></em>, that ye begin to call upon his holy name, that he would have mercy upon you;</div>
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It is my testimony that our <em><strong>faith</strong></em> in our Savior leads us to want to <strong><em>repent</em></strong>. When we fully have faith in our savior, we recognize that it is only through him that we will be able to return to our Heavenly Father. This then leads us to realize that we must be willing to repent so that we may feel clean from sin. This is an amazing gift Jesus Christ has given us. I know that if we humbly repent, our Heavenly Father forgives us. I am so grateful to have felt of the cleansing power of the atonement! It is real, and you can know for yourself!<br />
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