Mourn with Those that Mourn; Comfort Those that Stand in Need of Comfort

"And it came to pass that he said unto them: Behold, here are the waters of Mormon (for thus were they called) and now, as ye are desirous to come into the fold of God, and to be called his people, and are willing to bear one another’s burdens, that they may be light;

Yea, and are willing to mourn with those that mourn; yea, and comfort those that stand in need of comfort, and to stand as witnesses of God at all times and in all things, and in all places that ye may be in, even until death, that ye may be redeemed of God, and be numbered with those of the first resurrection, that ye may have eternal life—

Now I say unto you, if this be the desire of your hearts, what have you against being baptized in the name of the Lord, as a witness before him that ye have entered into a covenant with him, that ye will serve him and keep his commandments, that he may pour out his Spirit more abundantly upon you?

And now when the people had heard these words, they clapped their hands for joy, and exclaimed: This is the desire of our hearts." Mosiah 18:8-11

This scripture has been running through my mind since I learned of the passing of Kenna three days ago.

At church on Sunday a plan had been put into place for the youth, and the entire ward, really, to show up at Kenna's house to do yard work to help her family.  She was very sick with her cancer, and we were also signing up to take lunch into her, though she couldn't eat much, and signing up to go in during the day to help administer medicines for her.

Come Monday morning we learned that Kenna no longer needed that assistance, however Mosiah chapter 18 began playing through my mind as I thought of Ed and the kids.

And the plan that didn't change for Wednesday evening.

It seems a simple thing, really, to gather and take care of the spring yard work for them, but when I turned onto their street with a car full of Young Women and saw the curbs already lined with cars, and the yard overflowing with people, my neighbors, my friends... it was our way to mourn with them.  Our way to comfort them.

A couple of weeks ago I taught a lesson in Young Women's about why we needed the restoration of the church.  As in, why do we need the organized church, and why do we need to physically attend?

One of the answers from that lesson (taken from Elder D. Todd Christofferson's talk, "Why the Church"), among many, many things, was simply that we can do more good collectively than we can do individually.

I witnessed that last night in the setting sunlight of a neighbor's yard.

You Can Be Bitter. Or You Can Be Better.

{pic source}

Sometimes it starts with something small.

I've been reading Jeffrey R. Holland's book, Broken Things To Mend (here, affiliate link).  It's a compilation of some of his talks.  I read in his talk, "The Tongue of Angels" (here) that in the book of James it tells us of a way to be "a perfect man (or woman)."  "Said James: 'For in many things we offend all.  [But] if any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man, and able also to bridle the whole body.'" (James 3:2)

Last night I read in another chapter, an address Elder Holland gave at a National Day of Prayer Service in the Provo Tabernacle, about when Christ is teaching the Sermon on the Mount and he concludes with, "Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect." (Matthew 5:48)  Elder Holland then goes on to point out that right before that verse, Christ tells how.  "If this comes as the grand finale, the great summation in a chapter that began with the sweet and simple Beatitudes, what immediately precedes perfection?  Or better yet, what preparatory virtues point us toward perfection and this full majesty of God?  I quote the verses immediately prior to the grand declaration of perfection: 'Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy.  But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.  For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye?  do not even the publicans the same?  And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others?  do not even the publicans so?' (Mathew 5: 43-47)  I confess that I do not know how we meet the Savior's injunction to be perfect, but I am guessing we will be a lot closer to that goal if we can love our enemies, bless them that curse us, and pray for them that despitefully use us."

It's love. 

All you need is love.  *cue in Beattles song here*...

This morning I ran across this video from Alex Boye, Lemonade.

"I'm just so broke you won't believe
Can't get a dollar out of me
And as far as I can see
I'm losing control like a bad disease
No I just can't get relief
I've been shot down by the life police,
And everyday I try to rise
But I can't succeed
Can anybody find a cure for me?
You can be bitter, bitter, bitter
Or you can be better, better, better

When life gives you lemons
Instead of champagne
Don't worry little children
And don't complain
Remember you're golden
So find some sugar cane
When life gives you lemons
Make lemonade

Now everyday is like a brand new year,
I throw my hands up in the air
Like I just don't care,
I'm moon walking down the streets
Feeling like oh yeah (oh yeah!)
like the bottom of the glass now I see clear
So now I laugh just a little more
I stand taller than I did before
I know I'm not where I need to be
But I thank God that I'm not
where I used to be,
I used to be bitter, bitter bitter
And now I feel better, better, better

When life gives you lemons
Instead of champagne
Don't worry little children
And don't complain
Remember you're golden
So find some sugar cane
When life gives you lemons
Make lemonade

I was saved for a reason
That I can't explain
Got something new to believe in
I'm awakened again
So many miracles are
Happening each day
If I can just get out of
My own way"

These three things may not sync as the same topic at first glance, but it took me on a journey.

If my goal is perfection, which I'm well aware I will never achieve in this lifetime, then shouldn't I be watching the words that I say?  Elder Holland points out (here) with James 3:10, "Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing.  My brethren, these things ought not so to be."  Elder Holland expounds, "The voice that bears profound testimony, utters fervent prayer, and sings the hymns of Zion can be the same voice that berates and criticizes, embarrasses and demeans, inflicts pain and destroys the spirit of oneself and of others in the process.  'Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing,' James grieves, 'These things out not so to be.'"  Add that to the words of James 3:2, "...if any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man..." and you have something to think about.

From there, I began to realize if I'm concentrating on what I'm speaking, it forces my concentration on what I'm thinking.  If I don't want to say it, I'm finding I'm trying to curb even thinking it.  And if I'm curbing even the thought, it's changing my attitude and feelings to be softer.

Don't get me wrong, this has been a hard thing to practice and I'm nowhere near were I should be with it, but in practicing no negative thing, I'm finding this is forcing me to more fully contemplate the second point that hit me from Elder Holland; Christ's teaching of love and prayer for your "enemy."

Not that I feel I have enemies, per se, but I do have individuals in my life that I struggle with.  And individuals who seem set out to specifically make my life harder, for whatever reason.

And now I'm trying not to express anything negative about them.  Which is leading me to curb my thoughts and not even think anything negative about them.  Which is a direct path to forcing myself to pray for them. Or, at least it should be.

And trying to love them.

And by "love" I'm generally aiming for a feeling of "good will."  I think it's in the same ballpark.  Or at least in the right direction.

It's a hard process.

It's a daily struggle.

So Alex Boye's video seemed to capture it for me.  Especially the second and third verses.  Go back and read them above.

For me, it ties back into no negative thing. I can be bitter about certain things and certain people.  Or I can be better and loving.  And if I'm to believe in the words of the scriptures, which I absolutely do, that will lead me to perfection.

At some point.

In the far off future.

 In the meantime, and hopefully much nearer future, it will lead to a happier life for me.  I can't complain about that.

With Real Intent

This morning, as I was checking my email, I found one from Your LDS Blog that mentioned some EFY (Especially For Youth) songs that I hadn't heard yet.

Being the curious soul that I am, I went to YouTube to find them.

My day is better for it already.

Check this one out.

Glorious, written by Stephanie Smith and preformed by Russ Dixon (who, by the way, is one of the master minds behind Beyond 5 (here)).



Tyler Castleton and Russ Dixon (Beyond 5 masterminds) have been using their talents in the music industry for a very long time, and have had their hand in a lot of EFY music.  Together they put together the 2014 EFY CD, Anxiously Engaged.

Which I own.

Which I love.

You need to hear this song from it.  It's preformed by Patch Crowe (a member of Beyond 5.  Are you guys catching on to how awesome Beyond 5 is yet?)



If you want to read the whole blog post on Russ Dixon and Tyler Castleton and their music ventures you can find it here.

Also, last night I was reading Broken Things To Mend by Jeffrey R. Holland, who is a rockstar in his own right.  In it he quotes part of the scriptures 2 Nephi 31:13, 17; a scripture I've heard and read so often but something about it struck me last night.

The phrase "with real intent" settled into my understanding and took on real meaning.  I stopped reading, all of 6 pages in on that book and I tested out the weight of those words.

With real intent.

And I wondered: what is my intent?  What am I trying to accomplish right now in my life?  Are my efforts real?  Is my desire coming from a sincere place?

Do I have real intent?

I've read on another blog (71toes.com) that every year she picks a motto for herself to live by.  I always liked that idea, but I never got around to doing it for myself.  I know the year is half way over, but I think for the next six months "With Real Intent" is going to be my motto.

I'm going to live the gospel with real intent.
I'm going to mother with real intent.
I'm going to be a wife with real intent.
I'm going to serve the young women in my ward with real intent.
I'm going to study the scriptures and other church books with real intent.

This also goes hand in hand with thoughts I've been having lately.  After praying and praying (and praying) for guidance with the direction of my life it keeps coming to me that I need to focus on the spiritual side of things, study the gospel, focus on teaching the gospel to my girls and in my calling, and if I do that the rest will take care of itself.

It's all just swirling around me, again and again.  Live the gospel.  With real intent.  Study the gospel.  With real intent.  Teach the gospel.  With real intent.

And that's all I need to know.

Sharing On Your Wall Was Harder Back Then Memes

I am down to one assignment and three tests and then this summer semester is DONE.  Also, there's ten more days until Girl's Camp.

And then my life will be simple again.

For a week and half and then I'll start all over again with fall semester but guys, I'm down to three classes left at the Community College and then I get to go to the big campus and finally start doing the classes I want to be doing and not just pushing through the classes I have to be doing.

I have a few things I need to blog about but have been so incredibly busy.  I need to get back at it next week with blogging because I don't want to lose the memories.

As it it I thought I would share some memes that I made for Girl's Camp this year.  Our camp theme is using our technology as a holy place and each cabin has been assigned a social site: facebook, blogs, texting, instagram, spotify, tumblr (that's my cabin), youtube, pinterest, etc.

Have you seen this meme (that I didn't make, but they put their creds on the bottom of it):

It occurred to me that four our scripture study we could make a series like this that goes along with social media.

And I started thinking of stories in the scriptures where prophets have made a stand on a literal wall of some sort.

I thought of Nephi in 3 Nephi on his garden tower:

And King Benjamin on his tower:

And I thought of Daniel praying in his window and I imagined people looking at the wall of his home and seeing him there:

And to be honest I absolutely love the story of Daniel, combined with Shadrach, meshach, and Abednego, I talk about it and refer to it whenever I can so of course if I can use it in my scripture study slot at camp, I'm going to.

So I've created these memes and everyday we're going to study one of the stories and tie it into our camp theme of social media and sharing on a wall and I'll give them a meme to keep in their scriptures, or where ever they want to keep it.  I'm pretty excited about it.

My YCL's for my cabin are working on their daily devotionals and we'll do a meme for them too, so if you're interested I can post those as well.

1 Nephi 1:20

I was sitting in our trailer in a campground at Joe's Valley (Utah) (more on that in the next day or two) when I found I had a minute to myself.

This never happens.

Never.

Jayme and Sean had been safely deposited with their mom and the girls had been whisked off on Harley's by their dad and his Harley gang (more on that in the next day or two) so it was just The Man and I on this little outing.

The Man had gone up to his uncle's campsite for something or other and so there I was.

Alone.

I pulled out my scriptures and opened The Book of Mormon to 1 Nephi.

I read chapter one.

And the last verse, verse 20 (here), just hit me.

Starting in the middle.

But behold, I, Nephi, will show unto you that the tender mercies of the Lord are over all those whom he hath chosen,

Who has He chosen?

because of their faith,

He's chosen those who have faith.  Me?  You? 

You better believe it.

His tender mercies are over all those whom he hath chosen, because of their faith for what?

to make them mighty

Wow.

even unto the power of deliverance.

That scripture has sat in my mind, and in my heart all weekend long.
It's beautiful.
I know I have faith.
And therefore His tender mercies are over me to make me mighty, even unto the power of deliverance.

I know this to be true.