The Blessing of our Lilly Leann and I Believe~

The Blessing Of Our Lilly Leann

Grandma's Moment with Lilly

As I held my sweet  Lilly Leann on her blessing day; I felt such joy in my heart. Here was a precious little one sent from Heaven, a treasure, a gift from a loving Heavenly Father. Listening to the words of the sweet blessing given by my oldest son, her Grandfather; my heart was brimming over with great feelings of pure joy. These are the moments when Heaven feels so close. I choose to believe that there were ministering angels present; perhaps her ancestors and our parents witnessed this special event. 

Lilly Leann

Lilly Leann with her parents Jessica, Jed and sister Jaydn

The Blessing of a Baby~

“Every member of the church of Christ having children is to bring them unto the elders before the church, who are to lay their hands upon them in the name of Jesus Christ, and bless them in his name” (D&C 20:70). In conformity with this revelation, only worthy men who hold the Melchizedek Priesthood may participate in naming and blessing children. The ordinance of naming and blessing children requires authorization from the presiding authority.

When blessing a baby, men who hold the Melchizedek Priesthood gather in a circle and hold the baby in their hands.

I have many sweet friends of other faiths. I want them to know that I love learning about their faith. I respect their religious beliefs. I hope they will also learn about my faith ~ I believe that we are children of a loving Heavenly Father and are deeply loved by our Savior, Jesus Christ. We are all spiritual brothers and sisters. Love to you all!

We Believe ~

The Church Of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Articles of Faith

9 We believe all that God has ^arevealed, all that He does now reveal, and we believe that He will yet ^breveal many great and important things pertaining to the Kingdom of God.

Heavenly Father Reveals His Gospel in Every Dispensation

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.

Our Father's plan for us to be successful in this life and to return to live with Him is called the gospel of Jesus Christ, with Jesus' Atonement at the center of that plan. Through the Atonement of Jesus Christ, we can receive eternal life if we exercise faith in Jesus Christ, repent, are baptized by immersion for the remission of sins, receive the gift of the Holy Ghost, and endure to the end....

Biblical history has recorded many instances of God speaking to prophets, and it also tells of many instances of apostasy. To end each period of general apostasy, God has shown His love for His children by calling another prophet and giving him priesthood authority to restore and teach the Gospel of Jesus Christ a new....Such periods of time headed by prophetic responsibility are called dispensations.

God revealed the gospel of Jesus Christ to Adam and gave him priesthood authority. Adam was the first prophet on the earth..... Adam was followed by other prophets, but over time the posterity of Adam rejected the gospel and fell into apostasy, choosing to be unrighteous.

Thus began the pattern of prophetic dispensations that makes up much of the recorded history of the Old Testament. Heavenly Father revealed His gospel through direct communication to prophets such as Noah, Abraham, and Moses. Each prophet was called by God to begin a new dispensation of the gospel. To each of these prophets God granted priesthood authority and revealed eternal truths. Unfortunately, in each dispensation people eventually used their agency to choose to reject the gospel and then fell into Apostasy....
After the death of Jesus Christ, wicked people persecuted the Apostles and Church members and killed many of them. With the death of the Apostles, priesthood keys and the presiding priesthood authority were taken from the earth....Without the Apostles, over time the doctrines were corrupted, and unauthorized changes were made in Church organization and priesthood ordinances, such as baptism and conferring the gift of the Holy Ghost. ....
After centuries of spiritual darkness, truth -seeking men and women protested against current religious practices....Then came the Reformation which resulted in an increased emphasis on religious freedom, which opened the way for the final Restoration.

When the circumstances were right, Heavenly Father once again reached out to His children in love. He called a young man named Joseph Smith as a prophet. Through him the fullness of the gospel of Jesus Christ was restored to the earth.

(excerpts taken from Preach My Gospel - Pg.31-37)