Miracles Still Exist

I have been following this families journey. It is amazing how much a perfect stranger can change your perspective on life. This is such a touching video and worth every minute of the 9 minutes to watch it. Prayer is powerful. Calling on the powers of heaven does work!
I think with all the hard times we sometimes forget that good things happen. Congrat Staker family on your miracle...

If you would like to read more about this go too.. http://stakerzxposed.blogspot.com/

General Relief Society Broadcast Fall 2009

There were GREAT things that took place both in the meeting as well as in my own heart. My mind has just been flooded with thoughts about this Relief Society meeting that I am anxious to get them in writing.

The General President, Sister Beck, made an announcement about the name of activities in the Relief Society. In my lifetime it has been Homemaking Meeting, Home, Family, and Personal Enrichment, and Enrichment Night. They have now changed it to the name, "Relief Society Meeting" with an emphasis of what you are focusing on that night! I love that! Go back to the basics, simplify, don't make it sound so foreign. I love how the church leaders really look into what is happening even in an "un required" activity in the Relief Society and then they bring that vision to us.

All the teachings were heartfelt, inspired, and touching to me but in this blog I am going to concentrate of the talk that stuck out the most with me and then end with a quote by President Eyring.

I bet you can't guess the one I am going to talk about? I will give you a hint...it was given by a sister that COMPLETELY understands the stage of life that I am now in, Sister Barbara Thompson, who has Enjoyed her Journey a lot longer than I have and has stayed POSITIVE in the midst of being single! I love seeing woman who are older than me and still practicing that positive, hopeful attitude. That is the way I hope I will be.
Sister Thompson, taught about a really neat principle "Mind The Gap". I really connected with this strongly. This caution, "Mind The Gap" is found in London subways. She taught that this helps people realize that there is "danger", a gap between the train and the loading dock and the sign "Mind The Gap" reminds people not to let their foot get caught in the gap or not to drop anything in gap cause it will go under the train and be lost. I loved that she taught this. Isn't there so many "gaps" in our lives that if we don't heed or are not worthy of the promptings of the Spirit we too may find ourselves in danger or under that train lost without realizing how it happened or how we got to that point.
She taught us, " that sometimes it is the difference between what we know, and what we actually do. Or the gap between our goals and what we actually accomplish. These gaps can be reminders of ways that we can actually improve or if ignored can be used as stumbling blocks in our lives."

She gave some great examples as to what some of those gaps can be. I have seen some others in my own life or in lives of people that I truly love and hope that this talk can help us to improve and narrow the gap so that we can be safe from letting ourselves fall under the train.

We are in a time where it is getting more and more confusing. The voices of opposition are becoming louder and louder. The world welcomes things in which I know are not right, in fact, I find them really wrong and yet so many of us who "know" seem to get caught up in them without even remembering what our main objective is in this life, our goal. Before you know it you have a gap that is getting further away from eternal things and closer to things of the world. I am not immune from the gap and neither is anyone else. But if I listen the caution given to "Mind The Gap" in all the choices that I make, I will be a lot closer to making choices with eternal value, then making choices that can ultimately lead me to danger or even worse being lost without direction.

She reminds us that the "IF'S" sometimes get in the way. Oh do they ever! If God loved me than why would he ____? If God loved me, wouldn't I get the chance to ______? She taught, "There is NOTHING that can separate you from love of God. We are all children of God and we should never doubt it and be assured that he loves us dearly and we are his precious children."

I am going to stand a little taller. I am going to proceed with caution the gaps that may come into my life and remember that I have a legacy to live up to, a legacy to fulfill. That I don't just have the responsibility to mind my gaps solely that I have the responsibility to remind those I love, to caution them when I see them heading toward that gap. We need each other to make it through these times, we need each other accomplish our goals, we need each other to keep this great legacy going!

"Just remember that the legacy is past from heart to heart. Charity, the pure love a Christ, is part of the mighty change of heart which the Lord promises to his faithful disciples so it is not hard to see what simple things you can and must do to pass the legacy along." -President Henry B. Eyring-

I am going to try everything in my power to keep the faith, to spread the love, and to be an example of the believers by showing that I believe and listen to the cautions myself!

My heart has been changed and my mind has been spiritually fed. I am so thankful for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the leaders that have been called of God to caution me and counsel me in the things that need to be focused on in my day. We live in a world that is loud with opposing voices, and because of the teachings of Men and Women of God, I still hear!

Sunday Sampler: Broken things to mend

This subject has been resting in my mind for a little over a week. I had a deep discussion with a dear friend of mine last weekend and it ended in us talking about broken things.. that each are broken at one point in our life, and from one thing or another.

I remembered two powerful things in my life that had to do with this topic. First was a time that I felt the spirit so POWERFULLY at EFY while this principle was being taught. and Second how I felt when an apostle of the Lord addressed us with this very topic.

One of the Coordinators at an EFY counselor training shared a story about a time that he was able to go with a youth to meet with an apostle at church headquarters. This youth had been through some really hard family issues and this apostle has been made aware of them and had asked to meet with the youth to give an apostolic blessing. Fernando related this experience with us and the spirit completely filled the room and tears began to flow from all in attendance. The apostle shared with this youth an experience he had while visiting in Jerusalem a while back. While on a tour of this sacred city he saw a Shepard in the distance who was carrying a lamb around his neck. He thought that it was quite interesting seeing in person what he had seen depicted in pictures many times before. He asked the tour guide if he could go closer and meet this Shepard. When he got there he asked the Shepard, why he carried the lamb around his neck to which the Shepard replied that the lamb had broken legs. You see, this lamb wandered away from the flock and when lambs do this the Shepard would break their legs and carry the lamb around their neck until the lamb recognized the Shepard's voice and then they would put the lamb back down and the lamb would never stray because it knew the Shepard's voice!

This illustration has meant the world to me. There are so many times in our lives when we too feel broken or are broken. Whether it is something that we ourselves did or something that was done to us we are in the need of "The Shepard's" healing. We need to be picked up, carried around his neck, and then taught his ways and learn once again what his voice is saying to us. We each have those broken things to mend in our lives.

In this very talk by Elder Holland he teaches us that not only does the Lord know the way out, he knows the way up! He knows it because He has walked it. He knows the way because He is the way.

Many of you understand how much I have been deeply touched by this apostle of the Lord. I have had such intimate and personal experiences through his words and actions that I will never doubt that he is a man of God and a true messenger of Jesus Christ. The closing of this talk gives a plea to us all:

"Brothers and sisters, whatever your distress, please don’t give up and please don’t yield to fear. I have always been touched that as his son was departing for his mission to England, Brother Bryant S. Hinckley gave young Gordon a farewell embrace and then slipped him a handwritten note with just five words taken from the fifth chapter of Mark: “Be not afraid, only believe.” I think also of that night when Christ rushed to the aid of His frightened disciples, walking as He did on the water to get to them, calling out, “It is I; be not afraid.” Peter exclaimed, “Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water.” Christ’s answer to him was as it always is every time: “Come,” He said. Instantly, as was his nature, Peter sprang over the vessel’s side and into the troubled waters. While his eyes were fixed upon the Lord, the wind could toss his hair and the spray could drench his robes, but all was well—he was coming to Christ. It was only when his faith wavered and fear took control, only when he removed his glance from the Master to look at the furious waves and the ominous black gulf beneath, only then did he begin to sink into the sea. In newer terror he cried out, “Lord, save me.”

Undoubtedly with some sadness, the Master over every problem and fear, He who is the solution to every discouragement and disappointment, stretched out His hand and grasped the drowning disciple with the gentle rebuke, “O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?”

If you are lonely, please know you can find comfort. If you are discouraged, please know you can find hope. If you are poor in spirit, please know you can be strengthened. If you feel you are broken, please know you can be mended.

In Nazareth, the narrow road,
That tires the feet and steals the breath,
Passes the place where once abode
The Carpenter of Nazareth.

And up and down the dusty way
The village folk would often wend;
And on the bench, beside Him, lay
Their broken things for Him to mend.

The maiden with the doll she broke,
The woman with the broken chair,
The man with broken plough, or yoke,
Said, “Can you mend it, Carpenter?”

And each received the thing he sought,
In yoke, or plough, or chair, or doll;
The broken thing which each had brought
Returned again a perfect whole.

So, up the hill the long years through,
With heavy step and wistful eye,
The burdened souls their way pursue,
Uttering each the plaintive cry:

“O Carpenter of Nazareth,
This heart, that’s broken past repair,
This life, that’s shattered nigh to death,
Oh, can You mend them, Carpenter?”

And by His kind and ready hand,
His own sweet life is woven through
Our broken lives, until they stand
A New Creation—“all things new.”

“The shattered [substance] of [the] heart,
Desire, ambition, hope, and faith,
Mould Thou into the perfect part,
O, Carpenter of Nazareth!”

I am so thankful to know that I too can be mended of broken things. I have needed mending so many times and I have clung to the hope and called out "Lord, save me!" and he has done just that. He has sent someone my way, given me the words to read, or spoke peace to my soul in ways that no one else could have healed me and made me feel whole. I am thankful that it is never too late to be mended, that no matter how long we have held on to the broken things that we can be made whole again in every way. The Savior DOES LIVE! He DID atone for our sins! He is the ultimate healer of our hearts, minds, and souls. May we all be mended in the ways that only HE understands!