Appreciation grows

I wish you could hear the soothing roar of this stream. This is a favorite place of mine. There is something magically connecting while I am alone and

immersed in the sounds, smell, and crispness of the mountains. I use to take this magnificent gift for granted. No more. That is the beauty of aging. That and varicose veins and minimal bladder control. With the collection of years, appreciation grows along with unwanted facial hair. 

My personal 13 articles of faith

It has been valuable for me to learn about other people's beliefs but that is just a means to another end. The next step is to take that knowledge and come to an understanding for myself of the truths of the gospel because of my own study and experience.  It is important to get clear about what I personally believe so I have direction in what I do and hopefully become. With that in mind,  I felt impressed to write my personal 13 articles of faith.

1. I believe in my Heavenly Father''s unconditional love for me. I believe He hears and answers my prayers.

2. I believe that my Savior atoned for my sins and I trust in His redeeming power to forgive my sins and to give me strength to overcome. I believe He is the only one who can save me and that He is the supreme example of what I want to strive to become.

3. I believe in the spirit of the Holy Ghost who comforts, provides divine inspiration, and directs my path and delivers the blessings of the Atonement.

4. I believe in the truths taught in the scriptures and know that they serve me in my quest for truth. I believe the scriptures have powerful lessons that give me personal direction.

5. I believe that the prophet and apostles are called of God and teach profound truths and provide insight, inspiration, and warn me of the false teachings and traditions of the world.

6. I believe that the commandments manifest my Heavenly Father's love for me and His desire that I experience joy and peace and draw closer to Him and feel His love. I also believe that the commandments are for my own profit and learning and not to be used to judge or condemn others.

7. I believe that there is an inherent and natural consequence when I break the commandments.I believe Heavenly Father doesn't punish me nor should I try to punish other people, but recognize that repentance and it’s outpouring of love is the way to be forgiven and realign as I continue striving to live free of sin.

8. I believe in the divine gift of family and know that there is a connecting bond that can last through the eternities. I believe that the sealing power performed in the temple is the ultimate connection to not only to my immediate family but is also meant to connect the entire human family in a spirit of love and harmony.

9. I believe we are all our brothers keepers and that it is important to serve. I believe in kindness and about recognizing the importance and equality of each individual as a son or daughter of God and believe in empowering people to be able to do what they can for themselves.

10. I believe that the church provides opportunities for me to serve, teach, and live in a organized community of people who can lift, inspire, and take care of me as I take care of them. I believe that an organized religion can do so much collectively to teach the gospel and provide humanitarian relief. I also believe that I need to guard against cultural traditions that can so easily develop in religious communities that aren't in line with the teachings of Jesus Christ.

11. I believe in the importance and power of partaking the sacrament each week. It is a cleansing and strengthening ritual that helps me remember my Savior's atonement in my behalf and it helps remind me of my promise to take on His name and helps me remember the blessing of wanting His Spirit always with me.

12. I believe I am here to learn from my experience. I believe that my weaknesses, sins, and adversity serve a valuable purpose in helping me draw closer to my Savior and experience the blessings of the atonement. I believe in an eternal quest of learning and improving and believe adversity and sin are important parts of that progress

13. I believe it is up to me to do all I can to live a healthy and productive life spiritually, physically, mentally, emotionally, and socially. I believe I was born to find personal purpose and to find and create meaning, and that I am a free agent to organize and create the kind of life I want and how I respond to what happens to me. I also believe it is vitally important to make sure my creative efforts are in line with God’s will because He knows what is best for me.

A New Year-Come unto Christ

I love the start of something new. This year I am making it my quest to come closer to my Savior and love as He loves. That is the only real goal that matters. Every other worthy goal just leads to that end. That is the ultimate goal and every other goal in my life will have that end in mind.

I have just started to reread the book Jesus the Christ and plan to actually finish it for the first time. On the recommendation of a woman I admire and look up to, Lynette Checketts; in addition of course to reading the New Testament, I am also reading the Kingdom and the Crown series by Gerold Lund. I am hoping that I gain more Christ-like attributes as I learn more about Him and His life.

Sometime in the first of this new year, will have the opportunity to move into a new home and establish new routines and traditions that will make it a Christ-centered environment where those I love can gather and enjoy each other and worthy and wholesome pursuits.

This year I will also accomplish my goal of writing a book as a gift to myself for the next Christmas. I say a gift to myself because I know I will gain the most from writing it and hopefully others will benefit from reading it. I don't plan to financially benefit as I plan to put the proceeds from selling the book (just might be that one copy my mom buys) to a charitable foundation. Maybe I will have enough money to fund an ant farm. 

Come unto Christ

I have realized that as a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, I have been as guilty as any member of any religion can be. I can falsely assume that my activity in the church is my saving grace and that which qualifies me.  It is not.

Being an active member of the church can allow me to have experiences in which I come to know and have a testimony of and faith in my Savior and His healing power to redeem me, but it isn't my activity that does that. I can be actively engaged and still not actually have faith in and rely on His saving grace.

My involvement in my religion is just a means to that end, which is what I believe is meant by "enduring to the end." It is my relationship, faith, and trust in Him which allows His atoning sacrifice  to redeem me. 

I am grateful that each week I can go and worship and be reminded of His ultimate sacrifice on my behalf. I am grateful that I have scriptures which testify of Him and help me feel His love and increase my desire to serve Him. It isn't even my service that will save me. It is just a way to feel closer to Him as I love the people He loves and as I do what He wants me to do. My works only increase my love and dependence on Him and helps me feel His presence.

Light

In the last few days, the message of bringing light into a darkened world keeps showing up for me. It reminded me of this sampler from my primary years as a child in the 60's.

My sampler is long gone but today I reflected on the message of that sampler and how profound it is.

I want to be like the stones that the brother of Jared used to light the vessels as they crossed the ocean. I want to be the light in a ever-increasing darkened world.

I want to be the light of the kind of love and compassion that the Savior brought into this world. No, He didn't condone sin and he was especially hard on those who vainly just lived the letter of the law and judged others if they didn't. He also stood up strong and forceful to those who would defy the holiness of the temple and everything it stands for.

Because I am weak and imperfect, I need to draw upon His grace in order to be His light. Please don't ever judge Him or His gospel by my weaknesses or the imperfections of other members of His church because we are all imperfect. But please, look to His light. The light of love and goodness. We need more goodness and I am striving to be a reflection of goodness.

I want to give thanks to all those people in my life who are the light--who share His light with me. I am surrounded by incredibly Christ-like people who reflect His light.  

Jennifer Lawrence, just say NO to Hollywood

It is no surprise that the morals in our country are slowly going down hill. But I just read something that was extremely troubling to me.

A news feed said that Jennifer Lawrence admitted she had to get drunk in order to do a sex scene for a movie. I guess it bothered her that her costar was married and she felt uncomfortable doing it. I can't help but think that her internal sense of being was going to be violated and it appears she had to alter it with alcohol so she could do something that was possibly against her inherent moral code.

It is time we collectively stand up for our moral values and courageously stop this trend. Jennifer Lawrence, you are a gifted actress and if you stand up and say, "this doesn't make me feel comfortable," then maybe we can reclaim the moral values in movies that will positively support individuals, marriages, families and communities. 

Relieving Stress

I love it when some frivolous thing I have decided to do has some powerful benefits. A recent article in USA Today talked about how activities such as crocheting, writing, or painting (things that have brought me great joy) are also ways to relieve stress. I have found that we are all born to create something, and if in the process it also alieves stress; then BINGO. I have always maintained that something worthwhile has a multitude of benefits.