Good News Friday - A Sweet Memory~

The Good News is that I had the opportunity to write a post this week for Mormon Women on Early Morning Seminary. This year is the 100th Anniversary of the Seminary program in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I had the privlidge of teaching Early Morning Seminary for 4 years when we resided in Washington.  I am not a morning person by any means; but I did get up everyday from Monday through Friday at 5 am to prepare for a morning of teaching youth in our area 5 days a week for 1 hour. These were very special experiences in my life and I loved each and every one of my students with all of my heart. I had many sacred and sweet moments. Take a minute to read my post entitled: "A Fond Memory".



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An Adventure With The Book of Mormon~

Today I started to read "The Book of Mormon, Another Testament of Jesus Christ" again. I have lost track of the many times I have read this priceless book. As a young girl I remember listening to the words of The Book of Mormon when my parents had a study group at our home. I grew up loving the stories of Nephi, Alma, Mosiah, Mormon, Moroni and many other characters found within this book. I have had the privilege of reading it, studying it and teaching the truths found in this precious book.
I decided  during this reading that I would take the time to study along with The Book of Mormon the student manual for religion 121 and 122.
I know that many individuals that have heard about the Book of Mormon do not understand what this book is all about. Here is the small portion from the Introduction to the Book of Mormon:
"The Book of Mormon is a volume of holy scripture comparable to the Bible. It is a record of God’s dealings with the ancient inhabitants of the Americas and contains the fulness of the everlasting gospel.
The book was written by many ancient prophets by the spirit of prophecy and revelation. Their words, written on gold plates, were quoted and abridged by a prophet-historian named Mormon. The record gives an account of two great civilizations. One came from Jerusalem in 600 B.C., and afterward separated into two nations, known as the Nephites and the Lamanites. The other came much earlier when the Lord confounded the tongues at the Tower of Babel. This group is known as the Jaredites. After thousands of years, all were destroyed except the Lamanites, and they are among the ancestors of the American Indians.
The crowning event recorded in the Book of Mormon is the personal ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ among the Nephites soon after his resurrection. It puts forth the doctrines of the gospel, outlines the plan of salvation, and tells men what they must do to gain peace in this life and eternal salvation in the life to come.......".

President Spencer W. Kimball

 As I read the Preface to the study manual I felt that I should share a story from one of our Prophets, President Spencer W. Kimball as he spoke of his "adventure " with The Book of Mormon."May I tell you of a great adventure? As I traveled to a weekend assignment, I took with me an unusual book which was my constant companion. I could lay it down only to sleep, eat, and change trains. It fascinated me, captivated me, and held me spellbound with it's irresistible charm and engaging interest. I have read it many times.
"As I finished it, I closed the book and sat back, absorbed as I relived its contents. It's pages held me, bound me, and my eyes were riveted to them. I knew the book was factual, but as has been said, 'Truth is stranger than fiction.'...
"I found in it life at its best and at it's worst, in ever-changing patterns. I hardly recovered from one great crisis until another engulfed me...
"This dramatic story is one of the greatest every played by man...
"Its story has a vital message to all people...
"Archaeologists may be excited as they read of ruins of ancient cities, highways, and buildings...
"Journalists will find in this book crisis after crisis, presenting rich material of limitless climactic stories....
"This unparalleled book should intrigue navigators...
"The student of economics will find in this unusual book the disintegration of nations through pride, soft living, and luxuries, terminating finally in hunger and fetters...
"The astronomer and geologist here may see signs in the heavens and new stars come into focus, three days without sun...nights without darkness...and a vapor of darkness so impenetrable that no glimmer, nor candles, nor torches, nor fire could give any light...
"Engineers will learn..that...centuries ago, men erected buildings, temples, and highways with cement...
"The psychologists may find studies in human behaviour and the workings of the human mind and the rationalizing processes where men convince themselves that 'good is bad, and that bad is good'...
"This comprehensive book should be studied by politicians, government leaders, kings, presidents, and premiers to see the rise and fall of empires, and the difference between statesmanship and demagoguery...
"Scientists will read of unusual instruments never patented or remade or duplicated, of elements which, without recharging, illuminate dark spaces indefinitely...
"Military men may learn much in strategy, intrigue, in movements, in morale...
"But after all, it is not the book's dramatic crises, its history, its narrative that are so important, but its power to transform men into Christlike beings worthy of exaltation.
"It is the word of God. It is a powerful second witness of Christ. And, certainly, all true believers who love the Redeemer will welcome additional evidence of his divinity,..
"My beloved friends, I give you the Book of Mormon. May you read it prayerfully, study it carefully, and receive for yourselves the testimony of its' divinity" ( In Conference Report, Apr. 1963, pp. 62-65, 67-68).

President Ezra Taft Benson

President Ezra Taft Benson gave his testimony and encouragement for all to read the Book of Mormon: "We invite all men everywhere to read the Book of Mormon, another testament of Jesus Christ.
"The Bible sits on the pulpit of hundreds of different religious sects. The Book of Mormon, the record of Joseph, verifies and clarifies the Bible. It removes stumbling blocks, it restores many plain and precious things. We testify that when used together the Bible and the Book of Mormon confound false doctrines, lay down contentions, and establish peace. "We do not have to prove the Book of Mormon is true. The book is its own proof".
At the end of this marvelous  book there is a challenge given by the last remaining Prophet found in Moroni 10: 5-6;
4 And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would ^aask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not ^btrue; and if ye shall ask with a ^csincere heart, with ^dreal intent, having ^efaith in Christ, he will ^fmanifest the ^gtruth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost.

5 And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may ^aknow the ^btruth of all things.

I have taken this challenge and I know beyond doubt that this book is true.

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Good News -Living Water to Quench Spiritual Thirst~

I have always loved the story of the Woman At The Well found in John 4 in the New Testament. Having lived in Nevada for seven years I can understand the need for water when it is very hot and uncomfortable. In the times of the Savior; he too had need for water to quench his  physical thirst. But here the Savior was offering her Living Water that would satisfy her thirst forever. The powerful words that he spoke to the woman at the well are true today as in those times. Christ said to her: "Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again: " "But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life". (John 4: 13-14).The good news is that we ourselves can have the living water that will quench our spiritual thirst. Our Savior is the source of Living Water.

Twp years ago I started this blog entitled;" Living Water" because I desire to share my testimony of Jesus Christ.

Where do we go to obtain the living water and how can we store it for our everyday needs?

Living in today's world is hard. Many times we will find ourselves in a hot desert with need of water to quench our thirst.

Here are a few thoughts on how to receive and store this precious water.

1. Prayer and fasting - Alma 37:37; "Counsel with the Lord in all thy doings, and he will direct thee for good; yea, when thou liest down at night lie down unto the Lord, that he may watch over you in your sleep: and when thou risest in the morning let thy heart be full of thanks unto God; and if ye do these things, ye shall be lifted up at the last day".

2. Scriptures - Immersing yourself in the scriptures; mediating, pondering and perhaps journaling as we study them. The scriptures are a conduit for personal revelation.

Sister Ardith Kapp stated the following: "Pray and read your survival manual - your scriptures- a minimum every day and more when the temperatures are hot and temptations are strong. The Living water will quench spiritual thirst and may save your eternal life."

Elder Kikuchi of the Seventy stated the following: "There is a way you can feel a daily renewal of God's everlasting love and drink from the "the fountain of living waters." I speak of a morning devotional time spent in prayer, meditation, and scripture study. If you have a devotional every morning, even if only for a few minutes, you will be deeply blessed. I know this is true. There is great power in setting aside quiet, prayerful, meditative time. In the stillness that accompanies our pondering, we can come to know the Father and His Son. I know from personal experience the spiritual power that can flow into you life. You will feel the love of God and a cleansing, purifying regeneration of your spirit. You will experience moments of revelation, when the spirit whispers to your spirit what you need to do to be a better father, a better mother, a better son or daughter, a better disciple of Jesus Christ. You will come to know the Savior and feel and hear the Spirit of the Holy Ghost.

3. Temple Worship - We leave the temple "armed with power as in D&C 109:22: "And we ask thee, Holy Father, that thy servants may go forth from this house armed with thy power, and that thy name may be upon them, and thy glory be round about them, and thine angels have charge over them;.....". The temple is a place of personal revelation. Inside the doors of the temple rests the power that will fortify you against the struggles of life.

4. Follow the Prophets and the Apostles - Elder Bruce R. McConkie taught: "Where there are prophets of God, there will be found rivers of living water. Do we fill our buckets from the well of living water at General Conference? Do we attend sacrament meetings weekly and partake of the sacred emblems, living water that quenches spiritual thirst? In our Family Home Evening and private study, do we drink deeply? Or do we take just a sip from the cup and travel on sometimes thirsty and weary, despondent and discouraged.

5. Learn to hear the voice of the spirit and heed spiritual promptings - We have been given the Gift of the Holy Ghost to direct us in all things. We will hear this direction in our mind and in our hearts.

Elder Ballard had the following comment: "You have been given a gift that when exercised and respected will give you the answers to all of the confusing, difficult questions and problems you face in your lives. As life progresses, how will you respond to challenges that will inevitable come? Will you know where to turn for peace and consolation; if you are called upon to bury a child- or if a child threatens to stray from the gospel path? How will you know what to do when you face financial reverses? Where will you turn for insight and inspiration when you are called upon to lead your ward or stake? Do not make the choice to live without the Spirit of the Lord to guide, protect, to prompt, to warn, and to fill you with peace. Repent if you need to so you can enjoy the companionship of the spirit".

Sister Kathleen H. Hughes stated the following: "Living Water heals, It nourishes and sustains. It brings peace and joy." The living water is the gospel of Jesus Christ; its communicator is the Holy Ghost.

We live in perilous times, turmoil is raging all about us. Economies are in distress; families are

I know where the Living Water is and that if we drink from this well we will never thirst.

a href="http://www.aholyexperience.com" target="_blank">

The Hidden Shoes~

I know that most parents would agree that raising children can be a very difficult endeavor. I was privilege to have six outstanding children. I can say that now because they are all adults. My child raising era is over. We now take on the role of observer of our children's parenting skills. I can sit back and relax a little bit more knowing that they are in for the ride of their life. I learned many valuable lessons while raising our children.  Each child that joins our families have distinct and different personalities. Learning to deal with these personalities is one of the great lessons of life.

I have a child that gave us a run for our money. He knew the buttons to push me. One of the things that saved him from undue punishment was his sense of humor. Here is just one fun story about him.

One day my son came into the house and wanted to show me that he needed a new pair of shoes. It seemed as though I had just bought him a pair recently; so I could hardly believe the shape the shoes were in. As I looked at him I said, "You know perhaps you can earn a new pair of shoes." He looked rather frustrated by that remark because work was a bad word to him. At this point of parenting; we required that all of our children do basic chores for free and then if they wanted extra money, they could do extra chores.

At this time I suggested that he actually do his free work and then go the extra mile to earn the money for the new shoes. We decided that if he would clean his room from top to bottom and pay particular attention to under his bed; along with a few outside chores he could earn the money for the shoes.

The next day I went out and bought him a new pair of shoes and placed them under his bed.

He improved in doing his daily chores and worked on the outside ones too. One day he said he had completed the list of chores to do. I told him that he still needed to do a little bit more in his bedroom. He of course went in and straightened his bed, rearranged his drawers but did not tackle the under the bed issue. So every time he asked about getting the money for his new shoes I would remind him that he needed to clean under his bed.

Perhaps now is the time to tell you what was under his bed. Let me start with the dried  half eaten food such as banana peels, dried sandwiches plus a year of dust, dirty socks, clothes, and etc. In order to clean under the bed myself; I would have had to get a hazmat suit.

I told my mother about the shoes hidden under the bed; so she even suggested to him that he clean  under his bed.

On a very rainy day he came in and begged me to get him a new pair of shoes because his had holes in them and his feet were wet. I just reminded him to clean under his bed. It took a total of two weeks before he finally cleaned under his bed and found his new shoes.

The blessing to this story is that he now he has a large family and at least two of his boys are just like him. I feel the payback coming on this one!





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Good News Friday - Our Sweet Kaitlyn's Baptism ~

 Kaitlyn

Sarah, Kaitlyn, Me, Williams, & Michael

What better gift than a air flight ticket to Washington to see my sweet Granddaughter Kaitlyn be baptized in to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. My dear husband gave me this gift for Christmas. Kaitlyn is one of 5 sweet little 8 years old granddaughters that have been baptized this passed year. We have one more to go in April. This was a really spiritual event. I have asked my daughter Tiffani for permission to view her post on this momentous occasion. What better testimony than that of my dear daughter on this very special day for her daughter. I hope you will take a moment and read her thoughts, you will be glad you did. Here is the Link:

A Small Moment Of....

Tiffani, Kaitlyn and Dave

Here Is My Favorite Baptismal Song ~

The Simple Woman's Daybook ~

FOR TODAY -

January 10th 2011

Stop by an enjoy other Simple Woman's Daybook entries; the posts are always fun to read and make a few more blogging friends. Here is the Link: http://thesimplewomansdaybook.blogspot.com/

Outside my window...the sky is gray and night is coming. I find it amazing that we haven't had a real snow storm yet for the past winter months of 2011 and the first of this New Year.

I am thinking...Wow, I can't believe I haven't written a post since January 3rd. My days have been way to busy and I need to sit back and enjoy my moments more.

I am thankful for...being safe while driving. Every time I have to go somewhere. I have a huge fear of driving on the freeway. I always plan my trips when the freeway is not too busy. When I was a hospice nurse in Las Vegas for a few years I used to drive all over the city. Even then I was nervous and held tightly on to the steering wheel. I do pray before I leave my house and that helps calm me.

From the learning rooms...This New Year I am learning many different things. #1. It is OK to still have my Christmas decorations up. I just can't find a minute to take them down. Plus my husband needs to bring the boxes up from the basement for me. I hurt my back this  November so he had to help me with the decorations. Although he works mostly from home; the first of the year is always busy for him.  I decided not to be upset that they are still up. In fact, he told me I should just leave them up for the year because no one but family comes to visit. We do have visiting and home teachers from our church come monthly and other friends once in a while, so having the decorations still up won't do.

#2. I can go a few days without reading blog posts and posting something myself. I have learned that nothing bad will happen if I don't get to read all the posts that I want too. I love blogging and I love reading posts; so this is a good step for me to not worry about it all.  

#3. I really can go to bed early and not miss a thing. #4. I can get up early and it can actually be fun. Truth is I haven't started it yet. OK, that's enough of what I have learned so far this year.

From the kitchen...left overs tonight. I love this one because I don't have to be in the kitchen longer than 5 minutes so I won't be tempted to eat chocolate. I find that when I am not cooking  I can manage not to snack. I guess this is one of the reasons I love it when my husband cooks.

I am wearing...a pair of black pajama pants, a cream colored sweater and black vest; plus, black socks and slippers. I had on black Levi's for most of the day because I was out and about. The Levi's were so tight I could hardly zip them up; I am in so much trouble. I promised myself that I would never buy the next size up in clothes and this is a pair I did buy and now they don't fit well. Oops, I have to get serious about my weight. I should have started it all on the first; but remember I chose not to have resolutions this year. Maybe that wasn't a good choice. Oh well, I won't give up!

I am creating...a big mess in my study. I have to get it cleaned up soon. I really like order; but this isn't it. There is a favorite scripture that I need to put a sticky note on my computer to remind me. Here it is: "Organize yourself: prepare every needful thing; and establish a house, even a house of prayer, a house of fasting, a house of faith, a house of learning, a house of glory, a house of order, a house of God." D&C 88:119

I am going...to go nuts. I seem to be going faster; but not doing as much. There is something wrong with this picture.

I am reading...the book; " In The Arms of His Love, A Guide to Growing closer to the Savior and Receiving His Unconditional Love," by Steven A. Cramer. I have been reading this for a while and find it a wonderful resource for striving to come closer to my Savior. I am almost through with it. The next book on my list is entitled:" Happy Like Jesus; Lessons From Jesus Christ On How To Live by," D. Kelly Ogden.

Of course I always have a novel to read and I will be starting the second series book; titled Light and Truth, The Nouvoo Years" by Darryl Harris. The study in our Church this year is my favorite; "The Book of Mormon, Another Testament of Christ." I am starting this as soon as I finish reading the "Doctrine and Covenants."

I am hoping...to  start practising my piano again and I guess I need to put on paper getting my Christmas things put away.

I am hearing...my husband as he is bathing our dogs. I went in to check on them and It was so cute to see these two little dogs with their fur all wet. Suesue's eyes were so big and Sammy had his paws up on the tub and was looking worried about her.

Around the house....I am thinking about how grateful I am to have a home, heat, comfortable furniture and many more things. I have deep appreciation to my Heavenly Father for all I have. We have been richly blessed. Working as missionaries in the Inner City has caused me to be more aware of how blessed I am and how important it is to share with others that are in need.

One of my favorite things...is to read a good book and read blog posts from all the wonderful blogging friends that I have out in cyber space.

A few plans for the rest of the week: Take my Christmas decorations down and get the house in better shape. I am not ready for spring cleaning yet; but it is on my list of to do's at some moment of time. I have children and grandchildren coming from Idaho for a few days so I will prepare for that. I plan on enjoying my temple assignment this Saturday, a favorite moment for the week.  It is Stake Conference in our assigned Stake so we will be going to the adult session on Saturday night and the Stake Conference meeting Sunday morning. I am looking forward to this. 

Here is picture for thought I am sharing...

I will be sharing a post written by my daughter of a joy filled Saturday last week. I was able to attend my granddaughter Kaitlyn's baptism. My dear husband gave me the trip to Spokane for Christmas. This was a very sweet event.  

My Goal Is No Goal - Thus Guaranteed Sucess~

                     Love One Another by Luacine Clark Fox - Additional Verses by Roger

Sang by my daughters -  Christina and Jenni

Yes, I do believe that not having a goal this year will be the first year that I will have totally accomplished a goal. I have had the same goals forever. Many of the goals are just a dream unfulfilled. So this year I have decided that I would chose a word to describe what I would like to achieve.

As I have been reading posts about New Year resolutions a couple of them suggested using a word to live by.

So here is my word - LOVE

Love One Another

As I have loved you, love one another.

This new commandment love one another.

By this shall men know ye are my disciples.

If you have love one to another.

Ye have my gospel, share with another.

Ye are my shepherds feed then a brother.

Care for the stranger love as the Messiah.

The ye shall know joy of the Father.

Some day you'll see me if you endeavor.

Then you will know me we'll walk together.

If you obey me here then is my promise,

I'll come to you you're mind forever.

Just Love and Serve One Another that's my mantra for the year of 2012~