Preparing for Conference

The last couple times the end of March and September came around, I have tried, and sometimes failed, to re-read all the conference talks. I know I should spend more of the six months in between studying and pondering the messages, but at least I'm trying. :)

I felt impressed to share something from one of the talks I re-read this past week. In Elder Steven R. Snow's talk, Get On with Our Lives, he gave four things we can do to be prepared for the changes which come as we progress through life:

1. Follow the Prophets
2. Keep an Eternal Perspective
3. Have Faith
4. Be of Good Cheer
   

Sounds easy, right? If it were so easy, I highly doubt most of our mortal lives would be 'enduring to the end.' All four are fantastic, however I want to focus on following the prophets. This upcoming weekend, we have a marvelous opportunity to sit and listen to messengers of the Lord; messages which are meant for us... right now.

I encourage us all to do things this weekend to keep us focused on the messages. Pray, take notes, play games meant for primary kids.... do something to allow the Spirit to speak to you! (This includes watching/listening to Saturday's sessions and encouraging our men to go to Priesthood).

We should not think of General Conference as a 'break from church,' if anything it is a spiritual feast. I hope we all have the chance to fully partake of and enjoy the feast!

Avoiding Degrading Media Influences

I recently got called to be the Mia Maid adviser in our ward, and last week I taught a lesson about "Avoiding Degrading Media Influences." We talked about how media can be helpful or harmful, depending on how it is used. We also talked about how to tell the difference between the two.

We also discussed how we may not notice the effects of degrading influences all at once. We can let ourselves be weakened spiritually bit by bit, day by day, week by week until we are blinded to reality, numbed to the Spirit of the Lord, and engulfed in evil influences that lead to sin.

I likened this process to dying an egg. If you put an egg in colored water and pull it out right away, it will be only slightly tinged-- to some, it will still look perfectly white! But repeatedly dipping the egg will allow the stain to become darker and darker.

Pres. Ezra Taft Benson said:

“The fact that a book is old does not necessarily make it of value. The fact that an author wrote one good work does not necessarily mean that all his books are worthy of your time. Do not make your mind a dumping ground for other people’s garbage. It is harder to purge the mind of rotten reading than to purge the body of rotten food, and it is more damaging to the soul.”

I really like this analogy of comparing bad media to garbage. But I also shared the following story with the girls and it brought home the point even more:

Some teenagers approached their father and asked for permission to see a PG-13 movie. The father listened to all the reasons his children gave for wanting to see this particular movie. It had their favorite actors. Everyone else was seeing it. Even church members said it was great. It was only rated PG-13 because of the suggestion of sex--they never really showed it. The language was pretty good--the Lord's name was only used in vain three times in the whole movie.

The teens did admit there was a scene where a building and a bunch of people were blown up, but the violence was just the normal stuff. It wasn't too bad. And, even if there were a few minor things, the special effects were fabulous and the plot was action packed.

However, even with all the justifications the teens made for the rating, the father still wouldn't give in. He didn't even give his children a satisfactory explanation for saying, "No." He just said, "No!"

A little later on that evening the father asked his teens if they would like some brownies he had baked. He explained that he'd taken the family's favorite recipe and added a little something new. The children asked what it was.

The father calmly replied that he had added dog poop. However, he quickly assured them, it was only a little bit. All other ingredients were gourmet quality and he had taken great care to bake the brownies at the precise temperature for the exact time. He was sure the brownies would be superb.

Even with their father's promise that the brownies were of almost perfect quality, the teens would not take any. The father acted surprised. After all, it was only one small part that was causing them to be so stubborn. He was certain they would hardly notice it. Still the teens held firm and would not try the brownies.

The father then told his children how the movie they wanted to see was just like the brownies. Our minds are leading us into believing that just a little bit of evil won't matter. But, the truth is even a little bit of poop makes the difference between a great treat and something disgusting and totally unacceptable.

The father went on to explain that even though the movie industry would have us believe that most of today's movies are acceptable fare for adults and youth, they are not.

Now, when this father's children want to see something that is of questionable material, the father merely asks them if they would like some of his special dog poop brownies. That closes the subject.

[Emphasis added; this story was found at MormonShare.com]

Wise media choices are important for everyone, not just teenagers. The lesson states, "We may sometimes feel that degrading media does not affect us personally as much as it influences others around us. Actually, we may not notice its negative effects until it becomes very difficult to remove them."

I encourage you all to take extra care this week-- pay attention to your media consumption and don't let in any media garbage (or dog poop)!

Favorite Scripture!

I feel so awful that I have missed my day to post the past two weeks. Last week my computer was down and I have been really sick with the flu this week. Anyway, I figured I would try to post today instead (sorry for two posts in one day). I wanted to share my favorite scripture with everyone.

"Verily, verily, I say unto you, That ye shall weep and lament, but the world shall rejoice: and ye shall be sorrowful, but your sorrow shall be turned into joy. A woman when she is in travail hath sorrow, because her hour is come: but as soon as she is delivered of the child, she remembereth no more the anguish, for joy that a man is born into the world. And ye now therefore have sorrow: but I will see you again, and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no man taketh from you." John 16:20-22

I love this passage of scriptures because it is such a wonderful reminder that although we may experience trials and sorrows in this life, we will have joy in the eternities if we prove ourselves faithful. Whenever I am struggling or going through something difficult in my life I turn to these scriptures and remember that I will only suffer for a short while and that once the trial is over I will once again have joy (joy that no one can take from me). So the next time you are struggling with something in your own life, turn to these scriptures. I know that they will bring you comfort as they have brought me comfort.

Get Inspired!

Have you received your October Ensign yet? I always get excited when I get the Ensign in the mail. I'm not sure why I suddenly feel this way, since I didn't used to be so excited about it once upon a time. But now when I see it, I have to search it immediately upon arrival.

This month's edition is so exciting to me because it features an article about blogging! The main article is called "Finding and Sharing the Gospel Online". I strongly recommend that everyone read it and rejoice in how inspired it is. There is also a mini article features inside the larger article that is titled, "Be a Blogging Missionary". It has a lot of great suggestions as well.

What I love about sharing the gospel online like this is that it isn't scary for me to do. Anyone can read it and I don't need to confront anyone. It is a great way for me to share my feelings about belonging to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. No one has to feel awkward or uncomfortable from misinterpreted cues that sometimes come from face to face interactions.

The gospel means a lot to me. I could not just get up and walk away from it. Sometimes people in the church let someone easily offend them and they use that as an excuse to not be active anymore. Unfortunately not all people (ward members) are 100% tactful, but that doesn't change the validity and truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Sometimes a part of our life isn't going how we imagined that it should and we may feel that God is to blame. Instead of taking the role of victim, we need to rise up and move forward with faith and courage. Inside we know that God has a special plan for each of us and we can trust in Him.

I want to encourage all members reading this to make a personal goal to be open with your feelings about the church. Either write it in a blog or mention it to friends and/or associates. Or do both! God loves you and all His children and wants them to know more about Him! I hope this post has been inspiring to you. If so, leave a comment and let me know!

Power, love, and a sound mind

When I went to EFY when I was sixteen it was just after President Hinckley had shared with us the "6 B's". We were each assigned to do a devotional during the week using his quote about one of the "Be"s and find a scripture that went with it. I was given the following quote:

"You who are members of this Church must have a loyalty to it. This is your church. You have as great a responsibility in your sphere of action as I have in my sphere of action. It belongs to you just as it belongs to me. You have embraced its gospel. You have taken upon yourselves a covenant in the waters of baptism. This you have renewed each time you have partaken of the sacrament. These covenants will be added to when you are married in the temple. You cannot hold them lightly. They are too great a thing. This is the very work of God designed to bring about the immortality and eternal life of His sons and daughters."

When I looked for a scripture on being true, none of them really reflected the meaning that President Hinckley had intended. But when I looked up the word testimony I found a scripture that has strengthened and influenced me more than any other words in my entire life.

"For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner: but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God." 1 Timothy 1:7-8

Fear is not from God, it is a sign of wavering faith in Him. Be a partaker of affliction with strength and assurance that God will provide a way. He will make the weak things strong, the unfair things fair, and the sadness into joy again.

Just Ask

One of my favorite scriptures is Doctrine and Covenants 42:61:

"If thou shalt ask, thou shalt receive revelation upon revelation, knowledge upon knowledge, that thou mayest know the mysteries and peaceable things---that which bringeth joy, that which bringeth life eternal."

This scripture struck me during a time when I was faced with a few life-altering decisions. The only thing He requires of us is to ask. When we ask, we shall receive; not we might receive, but shall. Even in those deepest darkest moments of our own personal agony, we are not alone. We only feel alone when we forget to ask for Him; we need to swallow our pride and get on own knees before the one who gave all. When we ask, He will give. It may not be exactly what we want to know, but it is what we need to know to have happiness and joy.

I hope this makes sense, but I wanted to remind us all--- The Lord is always there for us if we just ask. It brought me comfort then and brings me comfort now.

Cheerfully

Thanks for the theme this week, Trish!

My favorite scripture (of the moment) is Doctrine & Covenants 123:17, which reads:

"Therefore, dearly beloved brethren, let us cheerfully do all things that lie in our power; and then may we stand still, with the utmost assurance, to see the salvation of God, and for his arm to be revealed."

I love this scripture because it reminds us to be happy! Not only must we work hard and do our very best, but we must do it with a good attitude. This is so much easier said than done!

Life is stressful and trying at times, but if we can just hang in there and do our very best with a smile on our face-- we will be much better off. There is a quote by Mark Twain that I like that says:

"There is nothing in life that cannot be made worse by complaining."

We should not complain about all the duties and responsibilities we have, but live our lives cheerfully and with joy.

May you all have a joyful week!