My Two Cents

Pansies!

2012-02-03T14:43:00.000-08:00

I guess I woke up on the wrong side of the bed today. I haven’t had much desire to blog lately. But today there are a couple of things that irk me. Since I have nothing better to do, I decided I would blog about it.

First of all, Susan G. Komen is a pansy. Or rather, the foundation, Susan G. Komen for the cure. I was pleased to hear yesterday that Susan G. Komen for the cure had withdrawn grants to Planned Parenthood. Apparently because they are under investigation. I had no idea that Susan G. Komen for the cure had anything to do with funding Planned Parenthood, but apparently they did. Or do.

Well, there was a big uproar from all the liberal, abortion loving, ERA freaks. Which, nowadays, is a majority. So, what does Susan G. Komen for the cure do? Instead of sticking to their guns and standing up for what is right and what is company policy, they bow to the pressure of the liberal, abortion loving, ERA freaks and rescind their withdrawal of grants to Planned Parenthood and vow to continue funding them.

Doesn’t anybody have a backbone anymore?

Secondly, Washington State is a pansy. Or rather, the government of Washington State. Apparently, the state government has, or soon will, legalized same-sex marriage. I’m not even going to waste my breath mentioning why this is wrong. Everybody with half a brain should be able to figure that out. And if you can’t, well, I’m sorry you’re so lost.

What gets me though, is how can a few elected cheese bags make such a monumental change to our society without, at least, a vote of the people? Are we not a democracy? Apparently not much of one anymore. The Washington state government certainly does not represent me, nor are they doing what is good for our society.

Even though I’ve lived on this earth for a long time, I’m still surprised at how evil, and lost, and blinded our society has become. And, unfortunately, it continues to get worse.

Isaiah 5:20

20 Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!

This is exactly what the Washington State government is doing. And everyone else who thinks that same-sex marriage should be legalized. They are calling good evil and evil good.

Doesn’t anybody have morals anymore? Doesn’t anybody stand up for what they believe in anymore? Doesn’t anybody listen to Aaron Tippin anymore? :-) Okay, that last one was a joke.

Is everybody panseric? Susan G. Komen for the cure and the Washington State government certainly are.

That’s my two cents.

Kylee's Hospital Pictures

2012-01-16T10:21:00.000-08:00

I think these pictures were taken January 5 in the hospital when kylee was only a day old.

20 Years Ago

2012-01-15T11:55:00.000-08:00

20 years ago today I entered the Missionary Training Center and embarked on my full-time mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.

It's hard to believe it's been 20 years. Kids that weren't even born when I started my mission are now on missions.

It was a wonderful yet challenging experience that I wouldn't trade for anything. It has been said that you learn more in the 18 months or two years you were a full-time missionary than you would learn in the most strenuous academic program. I believe it. I've done both.

I would encourage anyone who is able to and is contemplating serving mission to do so. You will never regret it. But you will most certainly regret not serving if you have the opportunity.

I was going to post a picture of me on my mission but I don't have any scanned into this computer :-(. After all, this was before digital cameras.

This was the era of pagers and pay phones. In the Florida Tampa Mission we didn't have telephones in our apartments. So we carried around rolls of quarters with us and had to find a pay phone whenever we got paged. Ah, good times!

I will share just a couple funny stories with you. One time my companion and I stopped by the church at the end of the day, 9:30 PM, to use the phone to report to our zone leader. (As sisters, we were not in a district at the time). As I got my keys out, and opened the door, a frog fell on my head. My companion started freaking out, screaming at me, telling me that there was a frog on my head. It was quite hilarious.

Another time, I had a new companion straight from the MTC, a Greeny as we call them. She thought it would be cool to send her parents a souvenir from Florida. Since we had a plentiful variety of cockroaches in our apartment she thought she would preserve a few by putting them between two pieces of clear packaging tape and send them home. Well, they didn’t fare so well during the trip. By the time her parents received them they were decomposing and the smelly liquid oozed out from between the two layers of tape and got all over everything in the package.

We did a lot of tracting in the Florida Tampa Mission. It was a mission rule that we tract at least 15 hours per week. We would usually tract for 3-4 hours at a time, if not more. One time, towards the end of a long, hot, grueling, probably unsuccessful tracting session my companion started complaining about everything. Then, she tripped on the asphalt and complained about the asphalt in Florida having broken seashells sticking up out of it, causing her to trip. I busted a gut. -- maybe you had to be there. But I found it hilarious.

That’s my two cents.

CFP Bowl Games Results

2012-01-11T16:37:00.000-08:00

1. Dad -10 tiebreaker 72
2. Rex -14 tiebreaker 75
3. Michael -14 tiebreaker 67
4. Tammy -14 tiebreaker 55
5. Mom -15 tiebreaker 63
6. Lisa -17 tiebreaker 74
7. Derrinda -17 tiebreaker 51

actual tiebreaker 80

Final results for this season's college football picks will be tallied and posted later. Good job everybody!

My New Niece

2012-01-05T09:23:00.000-08:00

Kylee Jane arrived January 4, 2012 at 3:44 PM weighing in at a hefty 9 lbs. 10 oz. and is 21 inches long. She has the cutest little chubby cheeks and lots of black hair. We all love her so much!

Mom and Juliet were both able to be in attendance at the birth. What a special honor. Juliet even got to cut the umbilical cord.

Dad and I dropped mom off at the hospital around 12:30 PM and then we lollygagged in Puyallup hanging out at Kmart and Burger King until we got word the baby was born and we could go see her. We arrived at the hospital around 4:30 PM to see the cute little bundle of joy. She's a sweetheart.

Happy New Year!

2012-01-01T13:33:00.000-08:00

I've never been one to make New Year's resolutions. But as we welcome 2012, I hope we all resolve to try to better ourselves in some way. Happy New Year!

That's my two cents.

(Probably the shortest two cents of my entire blog :-).)

Medical Tip

2011-12-27T10:11:00.000-08:00

Instead of buying over-the-counter cough medicine such as dextromethorphan, try using a spoonful of honey instead as a cough suppressant. Studies have shown honey to be just as efficacious as a cough suppressant as over-the-counter cough syrups.

The particular study I read was a pediatric study using honey, dextromethorphan, or nothing. As you would suspect the dextromethorphan worked better than nothing but the honey worked just as well, if not better, than the dextromethorphan at suppressing the children's coughs. Sorry, I don't have the reference because I read it several weeks ago. Just thought I would pass the information along to you to try.

Honey has antibiotic properties as well as the viscosity coats the throat to calm the mechanism that triggers the cough.

I'm sure it will work just as well in adults as children.

That's my two cents.

Great Quote

2011-12-26T16:08:00.000-08:00

"In these days of uncertainty when men are running to and fro seeking for some new plan by which peace may be brought into the world, know this: that the only way to peace for this world is the pathway of the Gospel of Jesus Christ our Lord. There is no other. … To possess a knowledge of the truth is worth all the wealth of the world, to know that we are on the safe highway when we are in the pathway of duty as defined by our Heavenly Father, and to know that we can continue there if we will, regardless of the influences and inducements that may be offered by those who have not been appointed to be our leaders, is a blessing that is priceless."

Teachings of Presidents of the Church: George Albert Smith, 2010
from October 1937 Gen. Conference

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-25T10:14:00.000-08:00

May we all have a wonderful day today celebrating the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ. As we get together with our families to exchange gifts, and eat yummy food, and visit with each other may we remember our Savior and His birth and life and His atoning sacrifice for us. Merry Christmas!

CFP Results 2011 Week 14

2011-12-05T15:18:00.000-08:00

1. Derrinda -2 (63)
2. Mom -4 tiebreaker 54
3. Tammy -4 tie breaker 49
4. Dallas -5 (57)
5. Michael -5 (53)
6. Dad -5 tiebreaker 52
7. Rex -7 tiebreaker 60
8. Lisa -8 tiebreaker 54
9. Cody -14

actual tiebreaker 72

College Football Picks 2011 Week 13 Results

2011-11-27T15:11:00.000-08:00

1. Tammy -13 tiebreaker 57
2. Dad -14 tiebreaker 62
3. Derrinda -15 tiebreaker 75
4. Michael -16 tiebreaker 43
5. Lisa -17 tiebreaker 64
6. Rex -20 tie breaker 63
7. Sterling -23 tie breaker 55
8. Mom -24 tiebreaker 52
9. Parker -26 tie breaker 46
10. Cody -30

actual tiebreaker 59

CFP Week 12 Results 2011

2011-11-20T11:50:00.000-08:00

1. Dad -16 tiebreaker 49
2. Tammy -19 tiebreaker 51
3. Lisa -19 tie breaker 67
4. Derrinda -19 (38)
5. Rex -20 tie breaker 61
6. Dallas -20 (47)
7. Michael -21 (63)
8. Mom -27 tiebreaker 47
9. Cody -34

actual tiebreaker 57

College Football Picks Results Week 11 2011

2011-11-13T12:22:00.000-08:00

1. Rex -16
2. Tammy -17
3. Michael -18
4. Lisa -22 (76, actual 71)
5. Derrinda -22 (48, actual 71)
6. Mom -24
7. Dad -25
8. Dallas -27
9. Cody -34

Congratulations Rex & Lisa 11/11/11

2011-11-12T14:43:00.000-08:00

Curse Costco

2011-11-09T10:40:00.000-08:00

Well, they did it. Initiative 1183 appears to have passed. What a tragedy. I guess Costco's $22 million paid off for them. Here is what Robert Mak of King five news had to say:

Did Costco overspend?

In political campaigns, the goal is to get 50% plus one. If you’re getting 60%, chances are you spent too much. But then again, Costco apparentlly really wanted to win this one, after losing its first initiative attempt last year. So instead of spending $6 million as it did in 2010, it spent a record $22 million and got a decisive win. Kirkland Signature liquor by June…

I find it very sad, yet not surprising, that Costco was able to buy our democracy/society and endanger many people's lives by spending nearly $30 million over the past two years in political contributions to pass initiatives so they can sell liquor and make more money.

Apparently you can buy anything with enough money.

It's pretty pathetic. What irks me even more is the stupid idiots who allowed Costco to buy their votes. Why are people so stupid? Even people who should know better are blinded by the craftiness of Costco. Case in point, go read my rebuttal to anonymous blog post. Stupid people bug me.

We have been boycotting Costco for over a year now and will continue to do so, forever. Sometimes you just have to take a stand. As Aaron Tippin says, "you've got to stand for something or you'll fall for anything; you've got to be your own man, not a puppet on a string".

There seem to be a lot of puppets on strings.

That's my two cents.

CFP Results Week 10 2011

2011-11-06T08:57:00.000-08:00

1. Lisa -13 tiebreaker 63
2. Mercedes -13 tiebreaker 59
3. Dad -16 tiebreaker 59
4. Michael -16 tiebreaker 49
5. Rex -18 tiebreaker 59
6. Tammy -19 tiebreaker 61
7. Derrinda -19 tiebreaker 72
8. Connor -19 tiebreaker 56
9. Mom -20 tiebreaker 63

actual tiebreaker 66
way to go Aggies!!!

CFP Results Week Nine 2011

2011-10-30T15:27:00.000-07:00

1. Michael -17 tie breaker 55
2. Tammy -19 tiebreaker 57
3. Rex -20 tiebreaker 70
4. Mercedes -20 tiebreaker 67
5. Dad -21 tiebreaker 52
6. Derrinda -21 tiebreaker 49
7. Connor -22 tiebreaker 26
8. Lisa -23 tiebreaker 64
9. Mom -26 tiebreaker 65

actual tiebreaker 104 -- that Stanford USC game was just too crazy man.

Relief Society Lesson -- The Spirit of Revelation

2011-10-30T15:13:00.000-07:00

The Spirit of Revelation
Elder David A. Bednar
April 2011 General Conference

Revelation is communication from God to His children on the earth.

The spirit of revelation is available to every person …

Sincere desire and worthiness invite the spirit of revelation into our lives.

Doctrine and Covenants 8:2-5

Revelations are conveyed in a variety of ways, including, for example, dreams, visions, conversations with heavenly messengers, and inspiration.

2 Nephi 28:30

We as members of the Church tend to emphasize marvelous and dramatic spiritual manifestations so much that we may fail to appreciate and may even overlook the customary pattern by which the Holy Ghost accomplishes His work.

“It is not by marvelous manifestations unto us that we shall be established in the truth, but it is by humility and faithful obedience to the commandments and laws of God” - Joseph F. Smith

*These are my overheads. I didn't have room to put all of the quotes and Scriptures on the overheads and I'm too lazy to go find it and put it on my blog. So this will have to do.

CFP Week Eight Results 2011

2011-10-26T10:31:00.000-07:00

1. Derrinda -14 (52)
2. Michael -16 (55)
3. Tammy -20 tiebreaker 49
4. Rex -21 tiebreaker 49
5. Dad -21 tiebreaker 56
6. Dallas -21 (63)
7. Lisa -22 tiebreaker 57
8. Mom -22 tiebreaker 63
9. Cody -27

Actual tiebreaker 44

My Mom

2011-10-22T13:15:00.000-07:00

My mom is the best person in the world. I know that’s a pretty bold statement but it’s true. She is my angel. I wish I was half the person she is. She has recently been diagnosed with an aggressive bone marrow cancer, multiple myeloma. She had a port implanted yesterday, for venous access, and has been very sick. In fact, she’s in the emergency room right now because she has some excessive bleeding at one of the incision sites. She starts aggressive chemotherapy on Monday.

I am devastated by the thought of losing my mom. Everybody needs their mom no matter how old you are. I guess I am just selfish, but there is nothing like the comfort of your mother. Especially in my situation, she is my everything. My mom is the most selfless, giving, caring, loving, and yes even the most patient person I know.

I am so lucky to be able to spend so much time with her. I cherish all the times we’ve had together while she cares for me and all of the nice 2 AM chats we’ve had. It breaks my heart to see her suffer. She is the toughest person I know. She has superhuman strength. If anyone can get through this extremely tough time, I know she can. I LOVE YOU MOM! Now go kick Cancer’s can!

They're at it Again!

2011-10-20T16:35:00.000-07:00

As all of you know, who follow my blog, I wrote a post last year entitled, "Boycott Costco". There was a firestorm that occurred afterwards by ignorant, dare I say, stupid people who wrote ridiculous comments on that post.

Anyway, Costco is at it again. They lost last year. So they rewrote their initiative which basically allows hard liquor to be sold in retail outlets and not just state liquor stores. This of course would dramatically increase the sale of hard liquor, including sales to underage minors. It doesn't take an Einstein to figure that out. This of course, would result in more drunks and more fatalities. If you want statistics, go read my previous post from last year.

I heard on the news last night that Costco alone has donated over $22 million to fund their initiative this year. So that they may sell hard liquor in their stores and make lots of money. With no regard for people's lives.

This is why we have been boycotting Costco since last year. And will continue to do so. I would, once again, urge you to do the same.

That's my two cents.

CFP Results Week Seven 2011

2011-10-16T14:04:00.000-07:00

1. Michael -16 tiebreaker 79
2. Lisa -17 tiebreaker 56
3. Tammy -17 tiebreaker 59
4. Dad -17 tiebreaker 62
5. Derrinda -19 tiebreaker 61
6. Rex -21 and tiebreaker 45
7. Mercedes -21 and tiebreaker 37
8. Richie -22 tiebreaker 56
9. Mom -25 tiebreaker 52

actual tiebreaker 52

Worried Sick

2011-10-16T11:33:00.000-07:00

In light of recent events, I have literally worried myself sick. Yesterday I started having a sore throat which progressively got worse and then came fever, chills, generalized malaise, and lots of dysreflexia. I don’t get sick very often but when I do, it’s really bad. Mom and I did not sleep a wink last night. I’m still feeling pretty sick. But I’m not writing this to complain. But to share with you a tender mercy that I received.

As I was trying to fall asleep last night I was having difficulty breathing. Elephants were sitting on my stomach and my head was congested so I had to breathe through my mouth. My breathing was quite labored and my throat was hurting pretty bad breathing through my mouth. Amongst all the other constitutional symptoms I had making me pretty miserable.

So, I asked Heavenly Father for a tender mercy. Incredibly, my throat pain decreased dramatically. Of course, I still had all of the other problems but, I was extremely grateful for the small tender mercy I received.

I have had strep throat many times in my life and the sore throat never goes away that quickly. It usually lasts for several days not just three or four hours. So I know Heavenly Father answered my prayer and is watching over us. Thanks to everyone who offered up a prayer in my behalf. I really appreciate it.

CFP Results Week Six 2011

2011-10-09T11:00:00.000-07:00

Here are this weeks college football picks results. But who cares?

1. Derrinda -8 (tiebreaker 73)
2. Dad -9 tie breaker 54
3. Mercedes -11 tie breaker 52
4. Tammy -12 tie breaker 57
5. Rex -17 tie breaker 45
6. Michael -18 (tiebreaker 55)
7. Lisa -19 tie breaker 48
8. Richie -26 tie breaker 41
9. Mom -27 tie breaker 48
10. Dallas -28 (tiebreaker 39)

Actual tie breaker 64.

CFP Results Week Five 2011

2011-10-02T12:12:00.000-07:00

1. Rex -20 tie breaker 48
2. Tammy -21 tie breaker 43 (8)
3. Dad -21 tie breaker 62 (11)
4. Parker -21 tie breaker 66 (15)
5. Mom -22 tie breaker 44
6. Lisa -24 tie breaker 57
7. Klancy -25 tie breaker 59
8. Michael -26 (57)
9. Derrinda -26 (43)
10. Sterling -30 tie breaker 60
11. Dallas -31 (43)
12. Richie -34 tie breaker 57

actual tiebreaker 51

Everybody did horrible this week, including my Aggies :-(. We actually played much better than BYU. We always seem to find a way to lose. We should be 4-0 instead of 1-3. But I'm not bitter.

CFP Week 4 Results

2011-09-25T09:03:00.000-07:00

1. Dad -11 tie breaker 42
2. Mike -15 tie breaker 63
3. Derrinda -15 tie breaker 52
4. Rex -16 tie breaker 64
5. Tammy -16 tie breaker 53
6. Richie -17 tie breaker 52
7. Lisa -22 tie breaker 52
8. Mom -23 tie breaker 49
9. Dallas -23 tie breaker 45
10. Klancy -25 tie breaker 75
11. Parker -27 tie breaker 56
12. Sterling -29 tie breaker 60
13. Mercedes -29 tie breaker 45
14. Obid -31 tie breaker 80

Actual tie breaker score- 69

CFP Week 3 Results 2011

2011-09-18T15:55:00.000-07:00

1. Tammy -15 tie breaker 50
2. Rex -15 tie breaker 44
3. Michael -15 (tiebreaker 39)
4. Dad -16 tie breaker 45
5. Dallas -18 (tiebreaker 36)
6. Lisa -19 tie breaker 37
7. Derrinda -22 (tiebreaker 41)
8. Mercedes -23 tie breaker 41
9. Mom -27 tie breaker 35

actual tiebreaker 64

All I can say is I'm glad the Utes scored a lot of points to put me in first place! Looks like I would have beat anybody in the tiebreaker this week. I was sad to see BYU get creamed but it helped put me in first place this week :-).
Good luck in week 4 everybody.

CFP Week Two Results

2011-09-12T09:51:00.000-07:00

1. Rex -11
2. Michael -15
3. Derrinda -16 tiebreaker 35
4. Tammy -16 tiebreaker 43
5. Lisa -17
6. Dad -19
7. Mom -22
8. Juliet -26
9. Andrea -27

actual tiebreaker 33

Eventful Day

2011-09-09T10:17:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was a very eventful day for our family.

First of all, Juliet took Andrea to her ultrasound appointment early in the morning. We are all super excited that she is expecting a girl! Especially since rumors were flying about it being a boy. The baby looks healthy and is expected to arrive January 5, 2012. Mercedes and Chanelle are especially excited to have a baby girl cousin.

Lisa had an interview for a job working with Native American children in the school systems I think. Anyway, it would be using her degree she just obtained. She had to sit before a panel of about eight people. I'm sure she did a wonderful job and will hopefully get a second interview.

At the same time, Mom, Dad, and I headed over to Michael's house to pick him up along with Elijah and Brandon to head up to Bellevue to watch Michael perform with his band,IDOL EYEZ.

Lisa headed up right after her interview. Juliet, Andrea and Kingston also met us there. Juliet brought the ultrasound pictures to show us which was pretty neat.

Michael is a talented performer. He is really good at imitating others. He sounds just like, and sometimes better than, the original artist. It was really fun to see him perform in his new band. Well, he's been with them for a year but this is the first time we have seen them perform. They play mostly the stuff you would hear on current radio. Lady gaga, Katie Perry, Usher, and they even did a rendition of friends in low places. That was my favorite. Billie Jean is always a big hit. Michael was better than JT doing bringing sexy back.

It was a fun outing.

CFP Week One Results

2011-09-06T10:22:00.000-07:00

Once again another football season is upon us. Here are this week's results.

1. Rex -12, tie breaker 56
2. Lisa -12, tie breaker 57
3. Dad -13 tiebreaker 54
4. Michael -16 tiebreaker 49
5. Tammy -17 tiebreaker 54
6. Mom -18 tiebreaker 55
7. Juliet -18, tie breaker 56
8. Mercedes -30, tie breaker 51
9. Derrinda -32 tiebreaker 52
10. Richie -34, tie breaker 32

actual tiebreaker 27

Relief Society Lesson -- The Eternal Blessings of Marriage

2011-08-28T13:31:00.000-07:00

The Eternal Blessings of Marriage
Elder Richard G. Scott
April 2011 General Conference

Two of the vital pillars that sustain Father in Heaven’s plan of happiness are marriage and the family.

…Satan’s relentless efforts to splinter the family and to undermine the significance of temple ordinances…

Pure love is an incomparable, potent power for good.

Righteous love is the foundation of a successful marriage.
It is the primary cause of contented, well-developed children.

Marriage provides an ideal setting for overcoming any tendency to be selfish or self-centered.

I think one of the reasons that we are counseled to get married early in life is to avoid developing inappropriate character traits that are hard to change.

Quotes by Pres. Spencer W. Kimball

Ordained of God
Marriage, honorable marriage, is ordained of God. He decreed that the basic unit of society should be the home and the family, and we must be warned that the false culture of the day is turning away from this God-ordained plan. …

There seems to be a growing trend against marriage from degenerate areas of the world and a very strong trend toward marriage without children. Naturally the next question is, “Why marry?” And the “antimarriage revolution” comes into focus. Arguments are given that children are a burden, a tie, a responsibility. Many have convinced themselves that education, freedom from restraint and responsibility—that is the life. And unfortunately this benighted and destructive idea is taking hold of some of our own people. -Ensign May1979

To offset and neutralize the evil teachings in the media and on the cameras and in the show and on the street, we must teach marriage, proper marriage, eternal marriage.1973

A basic reason for eternal marriage is that life is eternal; and marriage, to be in harmony with eternal purposes, must be consistent with life in duration. Marriage by civil officers, or by Church officers outside of the temples, is made for time only, “till death do you part” or “so long as you both shall live.” It terminates with death. … Eternal marriage is performed by the prophet of the Lord or by one of the very few to whom he has delegated the authority. It is performed in holy temples erected and dedicated for that purpose. Only such marriage transcends the grave and perpetuates the husband-wife and parent-child relationships into and through eternity.-The miracle of forgiveness, 1969 (243)

Careful preparation
Marriage is perhaps the most vital of all the decisions and has the most far-reaching effects, for it has to do not only with immediate happiness, but also with eternal joys. It affects not only the two people involved, but also their families and particularly their children and their children’s children down through the many generations.

… “Soul mates” are fiction and an illusion; and while every young man and young woman will seek with all diligence and prayerfulness to find a mate with whom life can be most compatible and beautiful, yet it is certain that almost any good man and any good woman can have happiness and a successful marriage if both are willing to pay the price.

I know this may be a disappointment for some of you, but I don’t believe there is only one right person for you. I think I fell in love with my wife, Harriet, from the first moment I saw her. Nevertheless, had she decided to marry someone else, I believe I would have met and fallen in love with someone else. I am eternally grateful that this didn’t happen, but I don’t believe she was my one chance at happiness in this life, nor was I hers.
-Dieter F. Uchtdorf November 2009 CES fireside, The Reflection in the Water

Formula for successful marriage
The formula is simple; the ingredients are few, though there are many amplifications of each.

First, there must be the proper approach toward marriage, which contemplates the selection of a spouse who reaches as nearly as possible the pinnacle of perfection in all the matters which are of importance to the individuals. And then those two parties must come to the altar in the temple realizing that they must work hard toward this successful joint living.

Second, there must be a great unselfishness, forgetting self and directing all of the family life and all pertaining thereunto to the good of the family, subjugating self.

Third, there must be continued courting and expressions of affection, kindness, and consideration to keep love alive and growing.

Fourth, there must be a complete living of the commandments of the Lord as defined in the gospel of Jesus Christ.

With these ingredients properly mixed and continually kept functioning, it is quite impossible for unhappiness to come, misunderstandings to continue, or breaks to occur. Divorce attorneys would need to transfer to other fields and divorce courts would be padlocked. ensign March 1977

Unselfishness

Love is like a flower, and, like the body, it needs constant feeding. The mortal body would soon be emaciated and die if there were not frequent feedings. The tender flower would wither and die without food and water. And so love, also, cannot be expected to last forever unless it is continually fed with portions of love, the manifestation of esteem and admiration, the expressions of gratitude, and the consideration of unselfishness.

Total unselfishness is sure to accomplish another factor in successful marriage. If one is forever seeking the interests, comforts, and happiness of the other, the love found in courtship and cemented in marriage will grow into mighty proportions. Many couples permit their marriages to become stale and their love to grow cold like old bread or worn-out jokes or cold gravy. Certainly the foods most vital for love are consideration, kindness, thoughtfulness, concern, expressions of affection, embraces of appreciation, admiration, pride, companionship, confidence, faith, partnership, equality, and interdependence.

To be really happy in marriage, one must have a continued faithful observance of the commandments of the Lord. No one, single or married, was ever sublimely happy unless he was righteous. There are temporary satisfactions and camouflaged situations for the moment, but permanent, total happiness can come only through cleanliness and worthiness. …

… If two people love the Lord more than their own lives and then love each other more than their own lives, working together in total harmony with the gospel program as their basic structure, they are sure to have this great happiness. When a husband and wife go together frequently to the holy temple, kneel in prayer together in their home with their family, go hand in hand to their religious meetings, keep their lives wholly chaste—mentally and physically—so that their whole thoughts and desires and loves are all centered in the one being, their companion, and both work together for the upbuilding of the kingdom of God, then happiness is at its pinnacle. ensign March 1977

Fidelity

There are those married people who permit their eyes to wander and their hearts to become vagrant, who think it is not improper to flirt a little, to share their hearts and have desire for someone other than the wife or the husband. The Lord says in no uncertain terms: “Thou shalt love thy wife with all thy heart, and shalt cleave unto her and none else.” (D&C 42:22.)

And, when the Lord says all thy heart, it allows for no sharing nor dividing nor depriving. And, to the woman it is paraphrased: “Thou shalt love thy husband with all thy heart and shalt cleave unto him and none else.”

The words none else eliminate everyone and everything. The spouse then becomes preeminent in the life of the husband or wife, and neither social life nor occupational life nor political life nor any other interest nor person nor thing shall ever take precedence over the companion spouse. We sometimes find women who absorb and hover over the children at the expense of the husband, sometimes even estranging them from him.

The Lord says to them: “Thou shalt cleave unto him and none else.”
Spencer W. Kimball, Faith precedes the miracle ,1972 (142-143)

Cute Picture Drawn by My Nephew

2011-08-18T16:20:00.000-07:00

We had Mike's boys here today. As Michael was gathering his kids up to go home he saw this picture Elijah was drawing of Aunt Lisa and Rex getting married. I thought it was so cute I wanted to scan it and post it on my blog.

I thought it was quite apropos that it was drawn on the celestial marriage game answer card.

Snike Mike

2011-08-11T16:53:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I was outside watching dad mow the back seven. As I was navigating my way between the shop and the trailer I saw something moving out of the corner of my eye. So I backed up to see what it was and it was a snake. It slithered across just a couple feet in front of me to try to find a hiding place. I don’t know what kind of snake it was but it was brown with cream-colored longitudinal stripes. Probably about 2 feet long.

I’m glad he was more scared of me than I was of him. I’m not a big fan of snakes. It was pretty cool to see though, I haven’t been that close to a snake (that I know of) since my accident. It’s fun to live out in the wilderness where we can see all kinds of wildlife on our property.

A few weeks ago I scared off a couple of rabbits while I was trying to get closer to some wildflowers. They actually startled me a little because I wasn’t expecting animals to come scampering out of the wildflowers. It was funny because one of them wasn’t sure what to do and instead of running off he just sat there and stared at me until I moved. He was probably only 10 feet away. That was cool.

Relief Society Lesson -- The Sabbath and the Sacrament

2011-07-24T14:49:00.000-07:00

The Sabbath and the Sacrament
Elder L. Tom Perry
Of the quorum of the 12
April 2011 General Conference

Partaking of the sacrament is the center of our Sabbath day observance.

Three things the Lord requires of us:
1: To keep ourselves unspotted from the world.
2: To go to the house of prayer and offer up our sacraments.
3: To rest from our labors.

When Sunday dress deteriorates to everyday attire, attitudes and actions follow.

The adversary succeeds when we relax our commitment to the Savior, ignore His teachings… and cease to follow Him.

*I wish I would've had time to use all of the following quotes in my lesson:

Exodus 20:8-11
8 Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.
9 Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work:
10 But the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates:
11 For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.

Doctrine and Covenants 59:9-13
9 And that thou mayest more fully keep thyself unspotted from the world, thou shalt go to the house of bprayer and offer up thy csacraments upon my dholy day;
10 For verily this is a day appointed unto you to rest from your labors, and to pay thy devotions unto the Most High;
11 Nevertheless thy vows shall be offered up in righteousness on all days and at all times;
12 But remember that on this, the Lord’s day, thou shalt offer thine oblations and thy sacraments unto the Most High, confessing thy sins unto thy brethren, and before the Lord.
13 And on this day thou shalt do none other thing, only let thy food be prepared with singleness of heart that thy fasting may be perfect, or, in other words, that thy joy may be full.

Spencer W. Kimball January 1978 Ensign:

We have become largely a world of Sabbath breakers. On the Sabbath the lakes are full of boats, the beaches are crowded, the shows have their best attendance, the golf links are dotted with players. The Sabbath is the preferred day for rodeos, conventions, family picnics; even ball games are played on the sacred day. “Business as usual” is the slogan for many, and our holy day has become a holiday. And because so many people treat the day as a holiday, numerous others cater to the wants of the fun-lovers and money-makers.
…
Strange as it may seem, some Latter-day Saints, faithful in all other respects, justify themselves in missing their church meetings on occasion for recreational purposes, feeling that the best fishing will be missed if one is not on the stream on opening day or that the vacation will not be long enough if one does not set off on Sunday or that one will miss a movie he wanted to see if he does not go on the Sabbath. And in their breach of the Sabbath they often take their families with them.

There is no criticism of legitimate recreation—sports, picnics, plays, and motion pictures. All have potential for revitalizing life, and the Church as an organization actively sponsors such activities. But there is a proper time and place for all worthwhile things—a time for work, a time for play, a time for worship.
…
A seminary group planned a service in the mountains on Sunday. They felt justified in the have their meeting and enjoyed a spiritual hour together, but after that hour the day became a day for picnicking, games, hiking, and climbing, with no further thought of the Sabbath. The one hour of devotion did not make of that day a holy day.

The purpose of the commandment is not to deprive man of something. Every commandment that God has given to his servants is for the benefit of those who receive and obey it. It is man who profits by the careful and strict observance; it is man who suffers by the breaking of the laws of God.

The Sabbath is not a day for indolent lounging about the house or puttering around in the garden, but is a day for consistent attendance at meetings for the worship of the Lord, drinking at the fountain of knowledge and instruction, enjoying the family, and finding uplift in music and song.

“The Sabbath is a holy day in which to do worthy and holy things. Abstinence from work and recreation is important but insufficient. The Sabbath calls for constructive thoughts and acts, and if one merely lounges about doing nothing on the Sabbath, he is breaking it. To observe it, one will be on his knees in prayer, preparing lessons, studying the gospel, meditating, visiting the ill and distressed, sleeping, reading wholesome material, and attending all the meetings of that day to which he is expected. To fail to do these proper things is a transgression on the omission side” (Spencer W. Kimball, The Miracle of Forgiveness, Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1969, pp. 96–97).

One good but mistaken man I know claimed he could get more out of a good book on Sunday than he could get in attending church services, saying that the sermons were hardly up to his standards. But we do not go to Sabbath meetings to be entertained or even solely to be instructed. We go to worship the Lord. It is an individual responsibility, and regardless of what is said from the pulpit, if one wishes to worship the Lord in spirit and in truth, he may do so by attending his meetings, partaking of the sacrament, and contemplating the beauties of the gospel. If the service is a failure to you, you have failed. No one can worship for you; you must do your own waiting upon the Lord. (Teachings of Spencer W. Kimball, ed. Edward L. Kimball, Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1982, p. 515).
…
The Savior knew that the ox falls in the mire, and one must pull the ox from the mire when necessary. But no one deliberately puts the ox in the mire every week, or lets him get in the mire with no effort to keep him out.

It is true that some people must work on the Sabbath. And, in fact, some of the work that is truly necessary—caring for the sick, for example—may actually serve to hallow the Sabbath. However, in such activities our motives are a most important consideration.

When men and women are willing to work on the Sabbath to increase their wealth, they are breaking the commandments; for money taken in on the Sabbath, if the work is unnecessary, is unclean money. Can you imagine a person laboring on the Sabbath in defiance of the Lord’s command, and then bringing a tithe or other portion of the ill-gained fruits of this labor to Him as an offering? Just as in Old Testament times, offerings presented to the Lord must be “without blemish,” and unnecessary Sabbath-day earnings can never be such.

Sabbath-breakers too are those who buy commodities or entertainment on the Sabbath, thus encouraging pleasure palaces and business establishments to remain open—which they otherwise would not do. If we buy, sell, trade, or support such on the Lord’s day we are as rebellious as the children of Israel, the dire consequences of whose transgressions against this and other commandments should be a permanent warning to us all.
…
Bishop H. David Burton, “A Season of Opportunity,” Ensign, Nov 1998, 9

Many have come to feel that the terms “Sabbath day” and “play day” are synonymous. A friend who manages several small retail outlets in predominantly LDS communities tells me he can precisely tell when Sunday worship services conclude because customer counts increase dramatically. Recreation in its various forms has become “king of the Sabbath day.”

When Sister Burton and I were first married, we lived in the southeast part of the Salt Lake Valley. On occasion, as we purchased groceries from a small neighborhood store, we observed President and Sister Joseph Fielding Smith in the same store making their purchases. After several such observations, I finally mustered the courage to inquire of President Smith why it was he traveled all the way from downtown, past a dozen grocery stores, to shop at this particular store. Looking over the tops of his glasses he emphatically said: “Son! [He had my immediate attention.] Sister Smith and I patronize establishments that keep the Sabbath day holy.”

Now, I know it’s hard, particularly for our young people, to choose to observe the Sabbath day when athletic teams on which they so much want to participate regularly schedule games on Sunday. I too know it seems trivial to many who are in need of just a few items on the Sabbath to quickly stop at a convenience store to make a Sunday purchase. But I also know that remembering to keep the Sabbath day holy is one of the most important commandments we can observe in preparing us to be the recipients of the whisperings of the Spirit.
…
D. Kelly Ogden, “Remember the Sabbath Day,” Ensign, Apr 1994, 46

We sense that many Latter-day Saints have become lax in their observance of the Sabbath day. We should refrain from shopping on the Sabbath and participating in other commercial and sporting activities that now commonly desecrate the Sabbath.

“We urge all Latter-day Saints to set this holy day apart from activities of the world and consecrate themselves by entering into a spirit of worship, thanksgiving, service, and family-centered activities appropriate to the Sabbath. As Church members endeavor to make their Sabbath activities compatible with the intent and Spirit of the Lord, their lives will be filled with joy and peace” (Ensign, Jan. 1993, p. 80).
-First presidency of the Church
…
A Latter-day Saint couple bought a local family restaurant which had not been highly successful during the previous couple of years, but they planned to make some changes and put new life into the business. Sunday had been one of the restaurant’s high-volume days, and some of their acquaintances—including a close friend who had loaned them money to buy the business—urged them to keep it open on that day. The couple agonized over how to close the restaurant on Sunday; after all, it did defy good business logic. But they finally decided to close it and follow their own belief and trust in the Lord. The succeeding months saw an immediate increase in sales, and every year since then the business has seen a steady and consistent growth.
…
Elder Mark E. Petersen of the Quorum of the Twelve:
“If we are to do none other thing on Sunday but to devote the day to holy purposes, what is our situation if we willfully choose to operate our businesses on the Sabbath, or if we patronize such Sunday businesses, or if we go to places of recreation on Sunday?

“We know there are employees in certain essential services, such as in hospitals and other 24-hour-a-day institutions, who have no option as to their working conditions. We do not speak of them. But most people are not so employed, and they have control of their own time.

“Would they rather ski or swim or go to the movies or conduct business on Sunday than to go to church? If the answer is yes, they should ask themselves if they have strayed away from the faith to that extent and adopted another gospel—a gospel of Sunday fun and business. … The manner in which we spend the Sabbath is a sign of our inner attitude toward [God]. … Observance of the Sabbath is an indication of the depth of our conversion” (Ensign, May 1975, p. 49, emphasis added).
……
James E. Faust, “The Lord’s Day,” Ensign, Nov 1991, 33

I confess that as a young boy, Sunday was not my favorite day. Grandfather shut down the action. We didn’t have any transportation. We couldn’t drive the car. He wouldn’t even let us start the motor. We couldn’t ride the horses, or the steers, or the sheep. It was the Sabbath, and by commandment, the animals also needed rest. We walked to Church and everywhere else we wanted to go. I can honestly say that we observed both the spirit and the letter of Sabbath worship.

By today’s standards, perhaps Grandfather’s interpretation of Sabbath day activities seems extreme, but something wonderful has been lost in our lives. To this day, I have been pondering to try to understand fully what has slipped away. Part of it was knowing that I was well on the Lord’s side of the line. Another part was the feeling that Satan’s influence was farther away. Mostly it was the reinforcement received by the spiritual power which was generated. We had the rich feeling that the spiritual “fulness of the earth” (D&C 59:16) was ours, as promised by the Lord in section 59 of the Doctrine and Covenants.

Ever since Adam’s day the divine law of the Sabbath has been emphasized repeatedly over the centuries more than any other commandment. This long emphasis alone is an indication of its importance. In Genesis, we learn that God himself set the example for us in the creation of the earth:
…
Over a lifetime of observation, it is clear to me that the farmer who observes the Sabbath day seems to get more done on his farm than he would if he worked seven days. The mechanic will be able to turn out more and better products in six days than in seven. The doctor, the lawyer, the dentist, the scientist will accomplish more by trying to rest on the Sabbath than if he tries to utilize every day of the week for his professional work. I would counsel all students, if they can, to arrange their schedules so that they do not study on the Sabbath. If students and other seekers after truth will do this, their minds will be quickened and the infinite Spirit will lead them to the verities they wish to learn. This is because God has hallowed his day and blessed it as a perpetual covenant of faithfulness. (See Ex. 31:16.)
…
Why has God asked us to honor the Sabbath day? The reasons I think are at least threefold. The first has to do with the physical need for rest and renewing. Obviously God, who created us, would know more than we do of the limits of our physical and nervous energy and strength.

The second reason is, in my opinion, of far greater significance. It has to do with the need for regeneration and the strengthening of our spiritual being. God knows that, left completely to our own devices without regular reminders of our spiritual needs, many would degenerate into the preoccupation of satisfying earthly desires and appetites. This need for physical, mental, and spiritual regeneration is met in large measure by faithful observance of the Sabbath day.

The third reason may be the most important of the three. It has to do with obedience to commandments as an expression of our love for God. Blessed are those who need no reasons other than their love for the Savior to keep his commandments. The response of Adam to the angel who asked Adam why he made a sacrifice unto the Lord is a model for all. Responded Adam, “I know not, save the Lord commanded me.” (Moses 5:6.)

In this day of increasing access to and preoccupation with materialism, there is a sure protection for ourselves and our children against the plagues of our day. The key to that sure protection surprisingly can be found in Sabbath observance: “And that thou mayest more fully keep thyself unspotted from the world, thou shalt go to the house of prayer and offer up thy sacraments upon my holy day.” (D&C 59:9.)
…
In our time God has recognized our intelligence by not requiring endless restrictions. Perhaps this was done with a hope that we would catch more of the spirit of Sabbath worship rather than the letter thereof. In our day, however, this pendulum of Sabbath day desecration has swung very far indeed. We stand in jeopardy of losing great blessings promised. After all, it is a test by which the Lord seeks to “prove you in all things” (D&C 98:14) to see if your devotion is complete.
…
Elder Mark E. Petersen of the Quorum of the Twelve said: “We can readily see that observance of the Sabbath is an indication of the depth of our conversion.

“Our observance or nonobservance of the Sabbath is an unerring measure of our attitude toward the Lord personally and toward his suffering in Gethsemane, his death on the cross, and his resurrection from the dead. It is a sign of whether we are Christians in very deed, or whether our conversion is so shallow that commemoration of his atoning sacrifice means little or nothing to us” (Ensign, May 1975, p. 49).
…
What kinds of activities are appropriate for the Sabbath? President Ezra Taft Benson said: “It seems to me that the following should be avoided on the Sabbath:

“• Overworking and staying up late Saturday so that you are exhausted the next day.

“• Filling the Sabbath so full of extra meetings that there is no time for prayer, meditation, family fellowship, and counseling.

“• Doing gardening and odd jobs around the house.

“• Taking trips to canyons or resorts, visiting friends socially, joy riding, wasting time, and engaging in other amusements. (See Discourses of Brigham Young, p. 165; Daniel H. Ludlow, Latter-day Prophets Speak, pp. 360–63.)

“• Playing vigorously and going to movies.

“• Engaging in sports and hunting ‘wild animals’ which God made for the use of man only ‘in times of famine and excess of hunger.’ (See D&C 89:15.) ‘Let the boys have their exercise. Let them have amusements at the proper time, but let them be taught better things on the Sabbath day,’ said President Joseph F. Smith. (‘What Shall We Do on the Sabbath Day?’ Improvement Era, vol. 19, p. 864.)

“• Reading material that does not contribute to your spiritual uplift.

“• Shopping or supporting with your patronage businesses that operate on Sunday, such as grocery stores, supermarkets, restaurants, and service stations” (Ensign, May 1971, pp. 6–7).
…
Earl C. Tingey, “The Sabbath Day and Sunday Shopping,” Ensign, May 1996, 10

President Hinckley continued with the following instruction to priesthood leaders: “There isn’t anybody in this Church who has to buy furniture on Sunday. There really isn’t. There isn’t anybody in this Church who has to buy a new automobile on Sunday, is there? No. There isn’t anybody in this Church who, with a little care and planning, has to buy groceries on Sunday. No. … You don’t need ice cream to be bought on Sunday. … You don’t need to make Sunday a day of merchandising. … I don’t think we need to patronize the ordinary business merchants on the Sabbath day. Why do they stay open? To get customers. Who are those customers? Well, they are not all nonmembers of this Church. You know that and I know that.”
…
As another blessing, and a warning, I think of the counsel of President George Albert Smith, when he said, “Much of the sorrow and distress that is afflicting … mankind is traceable to the fact that they have ignored his [God’s] admonition to keep the Sabbath day holy.”
…
H. Aldridge Gillespie, “The Blessing of Keeping the Sabbath Day Holy,” Ensign, Nov 2000, 79–80

To this very day, “the matter of Sabbath observance remains … as one of the great tests which divides the righteous from the worldly and wicked,” said Elder Bruce R. McConkie.

Caffeinated Soft Drinks

2011-07-20T17:37:00.000-07:00

Preface: I have spent most of my waking hours during the past two days writing this blog post. I probably spent more time on this than most of my papers that I wrote during college. It is quite lengthy, but I hope you’ll take the time to read it. I did put a lot of effort into it.

Last night I had trouble sleeping again and woke up around midnight. I laid awake for 3+ hours. So I did some pretty good thinking. I started out planning my relief society lesson in my head, since I had prepared it earlier in the day it was fresh on my mind.

During the course of my lesson preparation I started thinking about how Heavenly Father doesn’t give us specific Commandments for every detail of our lives. But gives us general Commandments and lets us use our judgment and agency as to how we will follow those Commandments.

For example: I don’t think it’s recorded anywhere where a prophet or general authority has specifically said that we shouldn’t trick-or-treat or have Halloween parties on Sunday. But, we have been taught that we should keep the Sabbath day holy and part of that is that we shouldn’t participate in recreational activities or “other amusements” on Sunday. I would consider trick-or-treating in that category. Therefore, trick-or-treating is breaking the Sabbath.

Then I thought of an example of our earthly parents. Most parents probably don’t tell their teenage children when they hand them the car keys that they shouldn’t drive the car off a cliff. But because the child has been taught certain principles, they can deduce that driving off a cliff would be harmful to their health.

Everything doesn’t have to be spelled out for us specifically. We can use deductive reasoning to make correct choices.

Then my thoughts turned to caffeinated beverages. I guess because I was talking to someone earlier in the day about caffeinated beverages. Most of you probably know of my disdain for caffeinated beverages. The person I was talking to mentioned that her children like to drink caffeinated beverages. Much to her dismay. Because of their father’s poor example of heavy use of caffeinated soft drinks.

So I began thinking about how the word of wisdom doesn’t specifically mention caffeinated soft drinks or energy drinks. Actually, I don’t think they even existed back then. But anyway I don’t think it’s too much of a stretch to suggest that caffeinated soft drinks/energy drinks are against the word of wisdom. Even though they aren’t specifically mentioned.

I did a blog post back in 2008 about the word of wisdom. [if you want to read it you can type caffeine or word of wisdom in the search box on the upper left] But, it didn’t really affect anyone so I thought I would give a more specific blog post about the harmful effects of caffeine and specifically caffeinated soft drinks or beverages.

Caffeine is a drug. As you probably know, drugs are classified according to their effects on our bodies. For instance, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as Aleve (naproxen sodium) and Motrin (ibuprofen) are grouped together. Other drug classes include: selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) used to treat depression, analgesics (painkillers), antipyretics which lower fever, cholesterol-lowering drugs, beta blockers for the heart, antihypertensives which lower blood pressure, etc.

The class of drug that caffeine belongs to is the central nervous system stimulants. This class includes or cocaine, amphetamines, and nicotine. Now, you might ask what the CNS stimulants do. Basically they increase the firing of neurons (electrical activity) in your brain. Conversely CNS depressants, such as alcohol do the opposite.

I did some research so that I can include some detailed information about caffeine. Here are the results:

Definition:
“caffeine /caf·feine/ (kă-fēn´) (kaf´ēn) a xanthine found in coffee, tea, chocolate, and colas; it is a central nervous system stimulant, diuretic, striated muscle stimulant, and acts on the cardiovascular system. As the base or the citrate salt, it is used as a central nervous system stimulant and as an adjunct in treating neonatal apnea; as the base it is also used in the treatment of vascular headaches and as an adjunct to analgesics.” [1]

“Caffeine is a mild stimulant compound that is found naturally in coffee, tea, and to a lesser degree, in cocoa or chocolate. It is included in many soft drinks, as well as a larger amount in energy drinks. Caffeine is the world's most widely used psychoactive drug and by far the most common stimulant. The vast majority (over 85%) of people in the United States consume caffeine on a daily basis. Few jurisdictions restrict its sale and use. Caffeine is also included in some medications, usually for the purpose of enhancing the effect of the primary ingredient, or reducing one of its side effects (especially drowsiness). Pure caffeine tablets are also widely available.”[2]

As I mentioned in my previous blog post, caffeine is not a naturally occurring product in soft drinks. It is deliberately added. Presumably to increase sales by causing addiction. Originally, Coca-Cola was made using cocaine which, of course, is derived from the coca plant. And the cola part was derived from the kola nut which naturally contains caffeine. But now, everything is artificially made and caffeine is added. Here is some interesting history:

“Use of the kola nut, like the coffee berry and tea leaf, appears to have ancient origins. It is chewed in many West African cultures, individually or in a social setting, to restore vitality and ease hunger pangs. In 1911, kola became the focus of one of the earliest documented health scares, when the US government seized 40 barrels and 20 kegs of Coca-Cola syrup in Chattanooga, Tennessee, alleging the caffeine in its drink was "injurious to health". On March 13, 1911, the government initiated United States v. Forty Barrels and Twenty Kegs of Coca-Cola, hoping to force Coca-Cola to remove caffeine from its formula by making claims the product was adulterated and misbranded. The allegation of adulteration was, in substance, that the product contained an added poisonous or added deleterious ingredient: caffeine, which might render the product injurious to health. It was alleged to be misbranded in that the name 'Coca Cola' was a representation of the presence of the substances coca and cola; that the product 'contained no coca and little if any cola' and thus was an 'imitation' of these substances and was offered for sale under their 'distinctive name.' Although the judge ruled in favor of Coca-Cola, two bills were introduced to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1912 to amend the Pure Food and Drug Act, adding caffeine to the list of "habit-forming" and "deleterious" substances, which must be listed on a product's label.” [2]

Sounds like the judges today, ruling in favor of big-name companies with lots of money. Regardless of the harm caused to the citizens. As I mentioned in my previous post about the word of wisdom, I had an undergraduate human physiology professor, who is not LDS. He spent the better part of a lecture expressing his disdain for soft drink companies that deliberately add a drug, completely unnecessarily, to their product. For the sole purpose of causing addiction to increase sales. The caffeine adds nothing to the taste.

He mentioned the mountains of white powdered caffeine at the bottling plants that they dump into the syrup when making colas and other caffeinated soft drinks. I always imagined a tractor picking up a bucket full of caffeine powder and dumping it into a big vat of cola syrup.

What baffles me is that a drug such as caffeine, a CNS stimulant, be so accessible and abused. When other drugs such as cold and allergy medicines have tight regulations and must be purchased behind the pharmacy counter. After all, the reason they are tightly regulated is because they contain ingredients that can be used to cook methamphetamine. Which happens to be in the same drug class as caffeine.

What makes caffeinated soft drinks even worse is that the drug is deliberately added. Unlike coffee or tea which naturally contain caffeine. An 8 ounce cup of coffee contains about 100 mg of caffeine. A cup of tea contains about 50 mg. Which is the same amount as caffeinated soft drinks, around 40 to 50 mg per 12 ounce can. Energy drinks contain more 70 - 500 mg. So, drinking a can of Coca-Cola is equal to a cup of tea or half a cup of coffee. Most people don’t drink only eight or 12 ounces. They get a 32 ounce big gulp or even larger, or the big tall cup of coffee at the coffee house. You can do the math and the large servings contain around 200 to 300 mg of caffeine in one serving.

The following is the recommended dosage of caffeine for medical purposes:
Recommended dosage
Adults and children age 12 years and over
100-200 mg no more than every 3-4 hours. In timed-release form, the dose is 200-250 mg once a day. Timed-release forms should not be taken less than six hours before bedtime.
Children under 12 years
Not recommended. [1]

I cringe every time I see a parent giving a child caffeinated soft drinks. I suppose I could chalk it up to ignorance. Surely if the parents knew they were giving their child an addictive, harmful drug, they wouldn’t do it.

Another interesting fact about caffeine:
Caffeine is found in many plant species, where it acts as a natural pesticide, with high caffeine levels being observed in seedlings still developing foliage but lacking mechanical protection; caffeine paralyzes and kills certain insects feeding upon the plant. High caffeine levels have also been found in the surrounding soil of coffee bean seedlings. Therefore, caffeine is understood to have a natural function as both a natural pesticide and an inhibitor of seed germination of other nearby coffee seedlings, thus giving it a better chance of survival.[2]

Isn’t that a wonderful substance to be ingesting for no reason?

The following is some information about caffeine that I thought was interesting and explained things in easy to understand terms.

“Caffeine is known medically as trimethylxanthine, and the chemical formula is C8H10N4O2. When isolated in pure form, caffeine is a white crystalline powder that tastes very bitter. The chief source of pure caffeine is the end result of the process of decaffeinating coffee and tea.

Medically, caffeine is useful as a cardiac stimulant and also as a mild diuretic - it increases urine production. Recreationally, it is used to provide a "boost of energy" or a feeling of heightened alertness. College students often use it to stay awake while cramming for finals and drivers use it to push through to their destination. Many people feel as though they "cannot function" in the morning without a cup of coffee to provide caffeine and the boost it gives them.

It's important to know that caffeine is an addictive drug. Among its many actions, it operates using the same mechanisms that amphetamines, cocaine, and heroin use to stimulate the brain. Relatively speaking, caffeine's effects are milder than amphetamines, cocaine and heroin, but it is manipulating the same channels in the brain, and that is one of the things that gives caffeine its addictive qualities. If you feel like you cannot function without it and must consume it every day, then you may be addicted to caffeine.

Caffeine occurs naturally in many plants, including coffee beans, tea leaves and cocoa beans, so it’s found in a wide range of food products. What most people don’t know is that caffeine is added artificially to many others, including a variety of beverages like colas. Coca-Cola was originally made with kola nut extract, which naturally contains caffeine and was mostly responsible for the flavor and buzz that early fans of the beverage craved (although the cocaine contained in early formulas of the drink certainly helped increase that craving). Now, colas are made with artificial flavors, and caffeine from another source is added in the production process. Energy drinks are a new trend in caffeinated beverages. They contain an abundance of sugar and other chemicals that help provide that sought-after boost. Caffeine can also be found in many weight loss pills and some over-the-counter pain medicines. [3]

Here are the most common sources of caffeine for Americans:

Typical drip-brewed coffee contains about 100 mg per 8-ounce cup [source: MayoClinic.com]. If you are buying your coffee at Starbucks or a convenience store or drinking it at home or the office out of a mug, you are consuming it in 12-, 14- or 20-ounce containers. You can calculate the number of milligrams based on your normal serving size.

Typical brewed black tea contains 50 mg per 8-ounce cup.

Typical caffeinated sodas (Coke, Pepsi, Mountain Dew, etc.) contain 40-50 mg per 12-ounce can.

Super-caffeinated colas like Jolt contain 70 mg per 12-ounce can [source: Center for Science in the Public Interest].

Typical milk chocolate contains 6 mg per ounce [source: March of Dimes].

Maximum Strength Anacin contains 32 mg per tablet. NoDoz and Vivarin each contain 200 mg per tablet. Extra Strength Excedrin contains 65 mg per tablet [source: Center for Science in the Public Interest].

Energy drinks like Red Bull (8.3 oz-sized can) and Rock Star (8.4 oz-sized can) contain about 80 mg per can.

By looking at these numbers and by knowing how widespread coffee, chocolate, tea, cola and energy drinks are in our society, you can see why half of all American adults consume more than 300 mg of caffeine per day. Two mugs of coffee or a mug of coffee and a couple of Cokes during the day are all you need to get there. If you sit down and calculate your caffeine consumption during a typical day, you may be surprised. Many people consume a gram or more every single day and don't even realize it.[3]

Caffeine and Adenosine
As adenosine is created in the brain, it binds to adenosine receptors. The binding of adenosine causes drowsiness by slowing down nerve cell activity. In the brain, adenosine binding also causes blood vessels to dilate, most likely to let more oxygen in during sleep.

To a nerve cell, caffeine looks like adenosine. Caffeine therefore binds to the adenosine receptor. However, it doesn't slow down the cell's activity like adenosine would. As a result, the cell can no longer identify adenosine because caffeine is taking up all the receptors that adenosine would normally bind to. Instead of slowing down because of the adenosine's effect, the nerve cells speed up. Caffeine also causes the brain's blood vessels to constrict, because it blocks adenosine's ability to open them up. This effect is why some headache medicines like Anacin contain caffeine -- if you have a vascular headache, the caffeine will close down the blood vessels and relieve it.

Some people can't function without help from caffeine.

So, now you have increased neuron firing in the brain. The pituitary gland sees all of this activity and thinks some sort of emergency must be occurring, so it releases hormones that tell the adrenal glands to produce adrenaline (epinephrine). Adrenaline is the "fight or flight" hormone, and it has a number of effects on your body:
Your pupils dilate.
Your breathing tubes open up (this is why people suffering from severe asthma attacks are sometimes injected with epinephrine).
Your heart beats faster.
Blood vessels on the surface constrict to slow blood flow from cuts and also to increase blood flow to muscles.
Blood pressure rises.
Blood flow to the stomach slows.
The liver releases sugar into the bloodstream for extra energy.
Muscles tighten up, ready for action.
This explains why, after consuming a big cup of coffee, your hands get cold, your muscles tense up, you feel excited and you can feel your heart beat increasing.[3]

Caffeine and Dopamine
Caffeine also increases dopamine levels in the same way that amphetamines do. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that activates pleasure centers in certain parts of the brain. Heroin and cocaine also manipulate dopamine levels by slowing down the rate of dopamine reabsorption. Obviously, caffeine's effect is much lower than heroin's, but it is the same mechanism. It is suspected that the dopamine connection contributes to caffeine addiction.

You can see why your body might like caffeine in the short term, especially if you are low on sleep and need to remain active. Caffeine blocks adenosine reception so you feel alert. It injects adrenaline into the system to give you a boost. And it manipulates dopamine production to make you feel good.

Cutting back on caffeine could ease stress and anxiety.

The problem with caffeine is the longer-term effects, which tend to spiral. For example, once the adrenaline wears off, you face fatigue and depression. So what are you going to do? You consume more caffeine to get the adrenaline going again. As you might imagine, having your body in a state of emergency all day long isn't very healthy, and it also makes you jumpy and irritable.

The most important long-term problem is the effect that caffeine has on sleep. Adenosine reception is important to sleep, and especially to deep sleep. The half-life of caffeine in your body is about six hours. That means that if you consume a big cup of coffee with 200 mg of caffeine in it at 3:00 p.m., by 9:00 p.m. about 100 mg of that caffeine is still in your system. You may be able to fall asleep, but your body will probably miss out on the benefits of deep sleep. That deficit adds up fast. The next day you feel worse, so you need caffeine as soon as you get out of bed. The cycle continues day after day.

This is why 90 percent of Americans consume caffeine every day. Once you get in the cycle, you have to keep consuming the drug. Even worse, if you try to stop consuming caffeine, you get very tired and depressed, and you get a terrible, splitting headache as blood vessels in the brain dilate. These negative effects force you to run back to caffeine even if you want to stop.” [3]

“In humans, caffeine acts as a central nervous system (CNS) stimulant, temporarily warding off drowsiness and restoring alertness. Caffeine is the world's most widely consumed psychoactive substance, but, unlike many other psychoactive substances, it is legal and unregulated in nearly all jurisdictions. Beverages containing caffeine, such as coffee, tea, soft drinks, and energy drinks, enjoy great popularity; in North America, 90% of adults consume caffeine daily.” [2]

The following are random snippets mostly from Wikipedia that focus on different aspects of caffeine’s effects on the body. These would be a little more difficult to understand if you‘re not familiar with medical terminology.

Memory:
Researchers have found that long-term consumption of low dose caffeine slowed hippocampus-dependent learning and impaired long-term memory in mice. Caffeine consumption for 4 weeks also significantly reduced hippocampal neurogenesis compared to controls during the experiment. The conclusion was that long-term consumption of caffeine could inhibit hippocampus-dependent learning and memory partially through inhibition of hippocampal neurogenesis.

In another study, caffeine was added to rat neurons in vitro. The dendritic spines (a part of the brain cell used in forming connections between neurons) taken from the hippocampus (a part of the brain associated with memory) grew by 33% and new spines formed. After an hour or two, however, these cells returned to their original shape.

Another study showed that human subjects—after receiving 100 milligrams of caffeine—had increased activity in brain regions located in the frontal lobe, where a part of the working memory network is located, and the anterior cingulate cortex, a part of the brain that controls attention. The caffeinated subjects also performed better on the memory tasks.

However, a different study showed that caffeine could impair short-term memory and increase the likelihood of the tip of the tongue phenomenon. The study allowed the researchers to suggest that caffeine could aid short-term memory when the information to be recalled is related to the current train of thought, but also to hypothesize that caffeine hinders short-term memory when the train of thought is unrelated. In essence, caffeine consumption increases mental performance related to focused thought while it may decrease broad-range thinking abilities.[2]

Anxiety:
In some individuals, large amounts of caffeine can induce anxiety severe enough to necessitate clinical attention. This caffeine-induced anxiety disorder can take many forms, from generalized anxiety to panic attacks, obsessive-compulsive symptoms, or even phobic symptoms. Because this condition can mimic organic mental disorders, such as panic disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, bipolar disorder, akathisia, or even schizophrenia, a number of medical professionals believe caffeine-intoxicated people are routinely misdiagnosed and unnecessarily medicated when the treatment for caffeine-induced psychosis would simply be to stop further caffeine intake. A study in the British Journal of Addiction concluded that caffeinism, although infrequently diagnosed, may afflict as many as one person in ten of the population.[2]

Overuse
In large amounts, and especially over extended periods of time, caffeine can lead to a condition known as caffeinism. Caffeinism usually combines caffeine dependency with a wide range of unpleasant physical and mental conditions including nervousness, irritability, anxiety, tremulousness, muscle twitching (hyperreflexia), insomnia, headaches, respiratory alkalosis, and heart palpitations.

Furthermore, because caffeine increases the production of stomach acid, high usage over time can lead to peptic ulcers, erosive esophagitis, and gastroesophageal reflux disease. Caffeine may also increase the toxicity of certain other drugs. [2]

Tolerance and withdrawal
Caffeine tolerance develops very quickly. Because adenosine, in part, serves to regulate blood pressure by causing vasodilation, the increased effects of adenosine due to caffeine withdrawal cause the blood vessels of the head to dilate, leading to an excess of blood in the head and causing a headache and nausea. This means caffeine has vasoconstrictive properties. Reduced catecholamine activity may cause feelings of fatigue and drowsiness. A reduction in serotonin levels when caffeine use is stopped can cause anxiety, irritability, inability to concentrate, and diminished motivation to initiate or to complete daily tasks; in extreme cases it may cause mild depression. Together, these effects have come to be known as a "crash".

Withdrawal symptoms—possibly including headache, irritability, an inability to concentrate, drowsiness, insomnia and pain in the stomach, upper body, and joints—may appear within 12 to 24 hours after discontinuation of caffeine intake, peak at roughly 48 hours, and usually last from one to five days, representing the time required for the number of adenosine receptors in the brain to revert to "normal" levels, uninfluenced by caffeine consumption.[2]

Health effects:
The precise amount of caffeine necessary to produce effects varies from person to person depending on body size and degree of tolerance to caffeine. It takes less than an hour for caffeine to begin affecting the body. An oral dose of 200 mg caffeine appears to decrease reaction time by approximately 4 percent within 30 minutes, approximately 15 percent in 30 to 60 minutes and 18 percent in 60-90 minutes. A mild dose wears off in three to four hours. Consumption of caffeine does not eliminate the need for sleep; it only temporarily reduces the sensation of being tired. Caffeine leads to fewer mistakes caused by tiredness in shift workers.[2]

The following information is from a medical dictionary:
Definition
Caffeine is a drug that stimulates the central nervous system.

Purpose
Caffeine makes people more alert, less drowsy, and improves coordination. Combined with certain pain relievers or medicines for treating migraine headache, caffeine makes those drugs work more quickly and effectively. Caffeine alone can also help relieve headaches. Antihistamines are sometimes combined with caffeine to counteract the drowsiness that those drugs cause. Caffeine is also sometimes used to treat other conditions, including breathing problems in newborns and in young babies after surgery.

Precautions
Caffeine cannot replace sleep and should not be used regularly to stay awake as the drug can lead to more serious sleep disorders, such as insomnia.

People who use large amounts of caffeine over long periods build up a tolerance to it. When this happens, they have to use more and more caffeine to get the same effects. Heavy caffeine use can also lead to dependence. If the person then stops using caffeine abruptly, withdrawal symptoms may occur.

These can include throbbing headaches, fatigue, drowsiness, yawning, irritability, restlessness, vomiting, or runny nose. These symptoms can go on for as long as a week if caffeine is avoided. Then the symptoms usually disappear. As of 2004, caffeine withdrawal has been officially recognized as a disorder classification manual.

If taken too close to bedtime, caffeine can interfere with sleep. Even if it does not prevent a person from falling asleep, it may disturb sleep during the night.

The notion that caffeine helps people sober up after drinking too much alcohol is a myth. In fact, using caffeine and alcohol together is not a good idea. The combination can lead to an upset stomach, nausea, and vomiting.

Older people may be more sensitive to caffeine and thus more likely to have certain side effects, such as irritability, nervousness, anxiety, and sleep problems.

Special conditions
Caffeine may cause problems for people with certain medical conditions or who are taking certain medicines.

PREGNANCY. Caffeine can pass from a pregnant woman's body into the developing fetus. Although there is no evidence that caffeine causes birth defects in people, it does cause such effects in laboratory animals given very large doses (equal to human doses of 12-24 cups of coffee a day). In humans, evidence exists that doses of more than 300 mg of caffeine a day (about the amount of caffeine in 2-3 cups of coffee) may cause miscarriage or problems with the baby's heart rhythm.
Women who take more than 300 mg of caffeine a day during pregnancy are also more likely to have babies with low birth weights. Any woman who is pregnant or planning to become pregnant should check with her physician before using caffeine.

BREASTFEEDING. Caffeine passes into breast milk and can affect the nursing baby. Nursing babies whose mothers use 600 mg or more of caffeine a day may be irritable and have trouble sleeping. Women who are breastfeeding should check with their physicians before using caffeine.

OTHER MEDICAL CONDITIONS. Caffeine may cause problems for people with these medical conditions:
peptic ulcer
heart arrhythmias or palpitations
heart disease or recent heart attack (within a few weeks)
high blood pressure
liver disease
insomnia (trouble sleeping)
anxiety or panic attacks
agoraphobia (fear of being in open places)
premenstrual syndrome (PMS)

USE OF CERTAIN MEDICINES. Using caffeine with certain other drugs may interfere with the effects of the drugs or cause unwanted—and possibly serious—side effects.

Side effects
At recommended doses, caffeine can cause rest-lessness, irritability, nervousness, shakiness, headache, lightheadedness, sleeplessness, nausea, vomiting, and upset stomach. At higher than recommended doses, caffeine can cause excitement, agitation, anxiety, confusion, a sensation of light flashing before the eyes, unusual sensitivity to touch, unusual sensitivity of other senses, ringing in the ears, frequent urination, muscle twitches or tremors, heart arrhythmias, rapid heartbeat, flushing, and convulsions. High caffeine consumption can lead to benign breast disease, which also can increase risk of breast cancer.

Interactions
Certain drugs interfere with the breakdown of caffeine in the body. These include oral contraceptives that contain estrogen, the antiarrhythmia drug mexiletine (Mexitil), the ulcer drug cimetidine (Tagamet), and the drug disulfiram (Antabuse), used to treat alcoholism.

Caffeine interferes with drugs that regulate heart rhythm, such as quinidine and propranolol (Inderal).

Caffeine may also interfere with the body's absorption of iron. Anyone who takes iron supplements should take them at least an hour before or two hours after using caffeine.

Because caffeine stimulates the nervous system, anyone taking other central nervous system (CNS) stimulants should be careful about using caffeine. Those trying to withdraw from caffeine are advised to do reduce their consumption slowly over time by substituting decaffeinated [1]

Caffeine Intoxication and Overdose
Anyone who’s ever had too much coffee can tell you that caffeine intoxication is no fun. Medical experts agree that ingesting more than 250 mg of caffeine in a short period of time can cause restlessness, insomnia, muscle twitching, gastrointestinal disturbance, cardiac arrhythmia and a host of other problems. These symptoms can cause significant social and occupational disturbances [source: Johns Hopkins University -- Bayview Medical Center]. Caffeine intoxication is rarely fatal, although 5,000-10,000 mg of caffeine can actually kill you [source: Dance]. Fortunately, most people won’t ever ingest this much caffeine accidentally - it would take between 30 and 60 cups of coffee in one morning.[3]

footnotes:
1-medical dictionary the free dictionary.com -caffeine
2-Wikipedia -caffeine
3.science-how stuff works.com -caffeine

So, if you actually took the time to read this entire blog post, which I hope you did, I hope you learned to appreciate caffeine as the addictive CNS stimulant that is. And I hope that you won’t disrespect your body by ingesting this drug in beverages.

There is a purpose for all drugs. They can be extremely helpful and useful when used correctly. But to ingest a drug just because it’s in a soft drink and you like the taste of that particular soft drink is ridiculous.

If you're drinking it because you want or need the Drug effects, then you really are no different than hard-core drug addicts. The only difference is you get your drug in the soft drink aisle of the grocery store, instead of on street corner from a shady character.

If I can get one person to stop drinking caffeinated soft drinks, then my efforts over the past couple of days have not been in vain.

That’s my two cents.

"For I am not ashamed..."

2011-07-17T17:43:00.000-07:00

I was doing some thinking last night. (I do all of my best thinking at night while I’m lying awake in bed). My thoughts turned to this Scripture which popped into my head.

Romans 1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; …
A little background on this scripture (the RM in me). This is the apostle Paul preaching to the Romans. Interestingly after this particular Scripture in the rest of the chapter he goes on to chastise those who are guilty of murder, homosexuality, fornication, etc.

I really like Paul’s boldness. I like that he, knowing that he is about to chastise them and will probably be ridiculed for it, states that he is not ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Are we ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ? Do we care more about looking good in front of other people, or worry more about what other people think of us?

Or are we bold like Paul? Do we teach and defend the gospel of Jesus Christ where ever we are?

As a full-time missionary, I considered myself fairly bold. But, I think it was easier to be bold as a missionary because I was a full-time representative of Jesus Christ and His church. I didn’t really know any of the people I was teaching or talking to, but they knew who I was and what I represented by the black name tag I wore.

It might be a little more difficult to stand up for what you believe in, and not be ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ when you face ridicule and persecution from friends and family.

None of us are perfect. That’s why we are here on earth, to be tested and tried. I’m sure there are times in all of our lives when we’ve been in situations where we should have said something and stood up for ourselves and the gospel, but maybe we didn’t because we didn’t want to rock the boat or standout or be ridiculed and persecuted.

But really, what’s there to fear? Should we not fear God more than man? In other words, isn’t our ultimate goal to return to our Heavenly Father? Then why should we worry about man’s opinion of us? I have never been one to worry too much about what people think of me. Perhaps that’s why it’s easier for me to be bold when it comes to defending and teaching the gospel.

The reason I’ve been thinking about this particular Scripture recently is because I’ve encountered a few situations with members of The Church who, in my opinion, appeared to be ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

None of the scenarios were earthshaking. In fact, they are pretty minor. But I think it’s the little things that accumulate and really determine who you are and what you stand for.

I hope that we can all be a little more bold, and stand up for what we believe in and for the gospel of Jesus Christ. I hope we can all be more like Paul, and not be ashamed of the gospel of Christ.

That’s my two cents.

Sleepovers

2011-07-16T18:07:00.000-07:00

A couple of days ago I was reading one of the blogs I follow. In this blog the author mentioned not allowing her children to attend sleepovers. Well, I’m not one for commenting on blogs much but I remembered giving a lesson in relief society a few months ago which mentioned that specific topic. So, I decided to leave my two cents on her blog.

Since I feel it is something important for parents to be aware of, I decided to post the quote from general conference on my blog as well.

Times have certainly changed from when I was a kid. I thought things were pretty bad in the 80s when I was growing up, but it’s much worse now. Unfortunately. Anyway, here is the quote:

From the October 2010 General Conference address “Courageous Parenting” given by Larry R. Lawrence of the 70

“May I express my personal warning about a practice that is common in many cultures. I am referring to sleepovers, or spending the night at the home of a friend. As a bishop I discovered that too many youth violated the Word of Wisdom or the law of chastity for the first time as part of a sleepover. Too often their first exposure to pornography and even their first encounter with the police occurred when they were spending the night away from home.
Peer pressure becomes more powerful when our children are away from our influence and when their defenses are weakened late at night. If you have ever felt uneasy about an overnight activity, don’t be afraid to respond to that warning voice inside. Always be prayerful when it comes to protecting your precious children.”

Parenting is not a popularity contest. Always do what is in the best interest of your children. Even though they may think you are mean and don’t understand. One day they will thank you. Although teenagers may physically look like adults, the adolescent brain is immature and still developing. That’s obvious if you’ve ever talked to a teenager.

So parents, it’s up to you to make “courageous” decision for your children.

That’s my two cents.

Independence Day Fun Facts

2011-07-04T11:00:00.000-07:00

This morning while watching Good Morning America, I read that 42% of Americans do not know what year the Declaration of Independence was signed. I find this very tragic. Isn’t that something you learn by the third grade? It’s really unbelievable. I guess for most Americans this is just another day off. A day to get together with friends and family have a BBQ and watch fireworks. It’s very sad that so many Americans do not even know what we are celebrating today. So, in light of this fact I decided to post some fun facts about the Declaration of Independence.

On a side note, I found it quite ironic that Good Morning America spent so much time covering Prince William and Kate and their trip to Canada today. As it was their ancestors who we declared independence from on this day in 1776. I don’t know why people are obsessed with British royalty anyway, isn’t that what we were trying to get away from?

From purpletrail.com:
On July the 4th, 1776, the Declaration of Independence was approved by the Continental Congress. Thereafter, the 13 colonies embarked on the road to freedom as a sovereign nation. This most American of holidays is traditionally celebrated with parades, fireworks and backyard barbecues across the country.

4th of July History & Trivia -Did You Know…

The major objection to being ruled by Britain was taxation without representation. The colonists had no say in the decisions of English Parliament.

In May, 1776, after nearly a year of trying to resolve their differences with England, the colonies sent delegates to the Second Continental Congress. Finally, in June, admitting that their efforts were hopeless; a committee was formed to compose the formal Declaration of Independence.

Headed by Thomas Jefferson, the committee also included John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Philip Livingston and Roger Sherman. On June 28, 1776, Thomas Jefferson presented the first draft of the declaration to Congress.

Betsy Ross, according to legend, sewed the first American flag in May or June 1776, as commissioned by the Congressional Committee.

Independence Day was first celebrated in Philadelphia on July 8, 1776.

The Liberty Bell sounded from the tower of Independence Hall on July 8, 1776, summoning citizens to gather for the first public reading of the Declaration of Independence by Colonel John Nixon.

June 14, 1777, the Continental Congress, looking to promote national pride and unity, adopted the national flag. “Resolved: that the flag of the United States be thirteen stripes, alternate red and white; that the union be thirteen stars, white in a blue field, representing a new constellation.”

The word ‘patriotism’ comes from the Latin patria, which means ‘homeland’ or ‘fatherland.’

The first public Fourth of July event at the White House occurred in 1804.

Before cars ruled the roadway, the Fourth of July was traditionally the most miserable day of the year for horses, tormented by all the noise and by the boys and girls who threw firecrackers at them.

The first Independence Day celebration west of the Mississippi occurred at Independence Creek and was celebrated by Lewis and Clark in 1805.

Both Thomas Jefferson and John Adams died on Independence Day, July 4, 1826.

The 56 signers of the Declaration of Independence did not sign at the same time, nor did they sign on July 4, 1776. The official event occurred on August 2, 1776, when 50 men signed it.

The names of the signers of the Declaration of Independence were withheld from the public for more than six months to protect the signers. If independence had not been achieved, the treasonable act of the signers would have, by law, resulted in their deaths.

Thomas McKean was the last to sign in January, 1777.

The origin of Uncle Sam probably began in 1812, when Samuel Wilson was a meat packer who provided meat to the US Army. The meat shipments were stamped with the initials, U.S. Someone joked that the initials stood for “Uncle Sam”. This joke eventually led to the idea of Uncle Sam symbolizing the United States government.

In 1941, Congress declared 4th of July a federal legal holiday. It is one of the few federal holidays that have not been moved to the nearest Friday or Monday.

Independence Day Trivia & Facts – An Inspired America:
Thirty places nationwide with “liberty” in their name. Liberty, Missouri (26,232) boasts the highest population of the 30 at 26,232. Iowa has more of these places than any other state at four: Libertyville, New Liberty, North Liberty and West Liberty.

Eleven places have “independence” in their name. The most populous of these is Independence, Missouri, with 113,288 residents.

Five places adopted the name “freedom.” Freedom, California, with 6,000 residents, has the largest population among these.

There is one place named “patriot” — Patriot, Indiana, with a population of 202.

And what could be more fitting than spending the day in a place called “America”? There are five such places in the country, with the most populous being American Fork, Utah, with 21,941 residents.

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”-The Declaration Of Independence

From IndependenceDayfun.com:
-The Declaration of Independence 4 of July, 1776.
• The United States Declaration of Independence is an act of the Second Continental Congress.
• The United States Declaration of Independence was adopted on July 4, 1776
• The United States Declaration of Independence declared that the Thirteen Colonies in North America we “free and independent states.”?
• The Declaration explained the justifications for separation from the British crown.
• It was also an expansion of Richard Henry Lee’s Resolution which had been passed on July 2.
• The Declaration of Independence is on display in the National Archives and Records Administration in Washington, D.C.
• The Declaration of Independence is considered to be the founding document of the United States of America
• Americans celebrate Independence on July 4 which was the day that the Declaration was adopted.
• John Hancock was the first and only person to sign the Declaration on July 4, 1776.
• John Hancock was the President of the Continental Congress at the time of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
• The remaining 54 delegates did not sign the Declaration until August 2, 1776.
• The Second Continental Congress formed a committee known today as “The Committee of Five. It consisted of John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, Robert R. Livingston, and Roger Sherman.
• The Committee of Five was to come up with a draft for the Declaration. The Committee decided that Jefferson would write the Declaration.
• The Committee of Five first presented the document to Congress on June 28, 1776.

That’s my two cents.

Homemade Lemon and Peach Yogurt

2011-06-28T17:56:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Michael came over and we made 6 quarts of plain yogurt. Today he brought his family over to finish the yogurt. We made a lemon curd (Michael's favorite yogurt is lemon) and added it to 3 quarts of yogurt. We also added a packet of plain gelatin. To make it a little bit thicker.

We also made a peach curd using the syrup from the canned peaches. Most of those we made fruit on the bottom yogurt. With 1 quart plus half a pint of mixed peach. Here are the pictures.

lemon curd and peach curd

lemon and peach curd with 6 quarts of homemade yogurt behind it

adding the yogurt to the lemon curd

mixing the yogurt with lemon curd

making fruit on the bottom peach

final result: 4 quarts lemon yogurt. 6 pints peach fruit on the bottom yogurt. 1 quart +1/2 pint peach mixed yogurt.

Recipe for lemon curd:
Easy Lemon Curd

Ingredients

1 cup cold water
4 Tablespoons (¼ cup) cornstarch
1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
2 Tablespoons butter
3 drops yellow food coloring (optional)

Directions

Combined cold water with cornstarch. Mix together sugar, salt, lemon juice, lemon zest in heavy bottomed saucepan. Pour in cornstarch mixture.

Bring to a rolling boil and boil 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and add butter.

Chill or cool before using.

We doubled the recipe of lemon curd to add to our three quarts of homemade yogurt.

For the peach yogurt we used a number 10 can of peaches. Using the same recipe as the lemon curd replace the lemon juice and water with the syrup from the peaches. Add only one cup of sugar instead of two. (Double recipe again). Mix the cornstarch with 1/2 cup water. Optional food coloring: two drops red, three drops yellow.

Recipe for homemade yogurt is found in a previous post.

Relief Society Lesson -- You Are My Hands

2011-06-26T14:07:00.000-07:00

I did a horrible job presenting my lesson today in Relief Society. But nonetheless, here are my notes.

You Are My Hands
Pres. Dieter F. Uchtdorf
April 2010 General Conference

Our Hands Can Embrace

Luke 18:9-14

9 And he spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others:

10 Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican.

11 The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican.

12 I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess.

13 And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.

14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.

Every person we meet is a VIP to our Heavenly Father. Once we understand that, we can begin to understand how we should treat our fellowmen.

Our Hands Can Comfort

It is unworthy of us as Christians to think that those who suffer deserve their suffering.

Our Hands Can Serve

This is the spirit of compassion: that we love others as ourselves, seek their happiness, and do unto them as we hope they would do unto us.

True Love Requires Action

We can speak of love all day long…but until we manifest that love in action, our words are nothing but “sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.”

Christ did not just speak about love; He showed it each day of His life.

We Can Love As He Does

Jude 1:12

12 These are spots in your feasts of charity, when they feast with you, feeding themselves without fear: clouds they are without water, carried about of winds; trees whose fruit withereth, without fruit, twice dead, plucked up by the roots;

Without this love for God the Father and our fellowmen we are only the form of His Church—without the substance.

As we extend our hands and hearts toward others in Christlike love, something wonderful happens to us. Our own spirits become healed, more refined, and stronger. We become happier, more peaceful, and more receptive to the whisperings of the Holy Spirit.

Homemade Neufchâtel And Ricotta

2011-06-24T18:16:00.000-07:00

This is our first attempt at making a soft cheese. We made Neufchâtel. And out of the left over whey we made ricotta. You may ask, "what is Neufchâtel?" It is basically the same thing as cream cheese except is just made out of whole milk. Cream cheese is made with whole milk and cream. Neufchâtel is the same as soft goat cheese. We used whole cow's milk from the grocery store. I won't take the time to explain how to make it right now.

this is Neufchâtel right out of the cheese cloth.

We sampled it on some crackers and you would never know it wasn't made with cream. It's very creamy and delicious.

Then we attempted to make ricotta cheese from the left over whey. Ricotta means re-cooked or twice cooked. Basically all you do is bring the whey to almost boiling 185°F. (It must be acidic so you can let the whey sit on the counter for a day or Add a little vinegar) Take off heat Strain through cheese cloth for a couple of hours. Don't laugh too hard at our ricotta cheese.

we didn't get much yield. :-(

Homemade Buttermilk and Yogurt

2011-06-23T14:03:00.000-07:00

I have been interested in cheesemaking and have done quite a bit of research on it. Most people suggest trying to make yogurt or buttermilk first. So we did just that.

Buttermilk is super easy to make. Because the bacteria in buttermilk are mesophilic there is no heating required. Mesophilic bacteria thrive at room temperature (68°F-72°F). So, to make buttermilk you just pour about three quarters of a cup or 6 ounces of fresh buttermilk from the grocery store or your own homemade buttermilk into a quart jar and fill it up with regular milk (we used whole milk) cover and let it sit on the counter for 24 hours until clabbered (thickened). If it does not clabber in 36 hours then, your culture was dead. You can still use the milk for baking.

I don't have a picture of the buttermilk we made, but it turned out great. If your buttermilk is a little older that you will be using for a culture then add 1 cup instead of 3/4 cup. The longer the buttermilk is in the fridge the more bacteria die off. Because buttermilk is so acidic it will last much longer than regular milk in the fridge.

Use buttermilk in place of milk or water in baking recipes. Especially those that use baking soda. The resulting baked goods will be moister. The baking soda likes the acidity and will help raise the batter/dough more.

My sister-in-law made the most delicious buttermilk waffles using our homemade buttermilk. They were so moist and fluffy. Much better than pancake mix.

Okay now on to the yogurt. The bacteria in yogurt are thermophilic which means they are heat loving. They prefer temperatures closer to body temperature. Which is why yogurt is good for your digestive system.

Making yogurt is slightly more difficult than making buttermilk but still pretty simple.

Here's what you do:

Heat milk (we used 3 quarts) to 185°F or just before boiling. This serves two purposes. First, to kill any unwanted bacteria in the milk/pot. Second, to unravel the protein a little bit which makes the resultant yogurt more creamy. Once again, we used whole milk. But 2%, 1% or skim would also work. The results will not be as creamy as whole milk.

Cool the milk down to approximately 110°F. Do this by setting pan in a sink full of ice water. It will cool down rapidly. Do not inoculate the milk above 125°F. It will kill the bacteria that make the yogurt.

Once the milk has cooled to 110°F add 1/4 cup plain yogurt. Make sure the yogurt contains active live cultures. The fresher the yogurt the better. The more bacteria will still be alive. I've heard Dannon plain yogurt works best. We actually couldn't find that at our grocery store. So we used Dannon plain Greek yogurt. Which worked great. The cultures are the same, which is really all you‘re using the plain yogurt for, to inoculate your milk.

After inoculating milk, stir thoroughly to mix cultures throughout. Pour mixture into sterilized quart jars. Cover with sterilized lids. Place jars of yogurt on heating pad and turn on low. Some suggest medium. I guess it depends on your heating pad. We want to try to keep the yogurt at between 100°F and 120°F for several hours. Anywhere from three hours to about 15 hours. The higher the temperature say 120° the faster the yogurt will be done. But you are more likely to get graininess and whey separation. Using a lower heat around 100° will take much longer but the slower process will result in a creamy texture with less separation. The whey is the watery stuff you see when you open a carton of yogurt.

We left our yogurt on the heating pad for about 15 hours on low. The longer you leave it on the heat the thicker and more tart it will become. When the yogurt is done it will not be as thick as the commercial yogurt you buy at the store. Most commercial yogurt is thickened with gelatin, pectin, cornstarch, and/or other thickeners.

Alternative heating methods include:
Turning your oven to 100°F, if your oven will go that low. Put your yogurt in 100° oven overnight.

Igloo cooler with warm water (not too hot so you don’t kill the bacteria). Place your jars of yogurt in a water filled cooler and close the lid. You’ll periodically want to check the water temperature. If it gets too cool, add more warm water. Remember the water should be between 100°F and 120°F.

When the yogurt is done, place in refrigerator and let cool 3 to 4 hours before eating. It will also thicken a little as it cools.

At this point you can add whatever you like. We made a fruit on the bottom type sauce out of our home canned cherries. The cherries were drained and pitted and chopped. The liquid from the cherries was heated with a little sugar and cornstarch slurry until thickened. The cherries were added back to the sauce. The mixture was placed in the bottom of 16 ounce plastic freezer jam cups and topped with our homemade yogurt. Delicious!

To make Greek yogurt: add cream (about a pint) to ½ gallon milk. And make the same as above. When yogurt is done, instead of placing in refrigerator, place yogurt in a cheesecloth (flour sack towel or handkerchief) to drain the whey. Let drain for several hours or overnight. The results will be a much thicker, cheese like yogurt.

Stay tuned for our attempt at cheese making in the near future.

Calumny May Defame

2011-06-13T14:33:00.000-07:00

I thought about blogging about The Book of Mormon Musical several times. I haven’t done it yet for several reasons. But in light of recent events, namely winning nine Tony awards, I have decided to put in my two cents.

I have purposely remained mostly uneducated about The Book of Mormon Musical. But I have read a few news articles and I’ve heard some things about certain members of the Church.

What I do know about The Book of Mormon Musical is that it profanely mocks my religion. That’s not cool. Why is this okay? Don’t we live in a world of political correctness? Would it be okay to mock other groups such as Muslims, homosexuals, blacks, etc.?

There would be uproars, riots, picketing, and worse. No other Broadway musical mocking a religion or any distinct group of people would be tolerated. Let alone win nine Tony awards.

I., for one, am disgusted. But that doesn’t matter because I’m just a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of latter-day Saints (a Mormon). It’s okay to persecute and mock me and my religion. Isn’t that what they’re telling us? By awarding nine Tony’s to The Book of Mormon Musical? So much for political correctness.

To throw salt into the wound, I read an article that during one of the acceptance speeches at the Tony awards, one of the writers mockingly thanked Joseph Smith.

Alma 5:30-32
30 And again I say unto you, is there one among you that doth make a mock of his brother, or that heapeth upon him persecutions?
31 Wo unto such an one, for he is not prepared, and the time is at hand that he must repent or he cannot be saved!
32 Yea, even wo unto all ye workers of iniquity; repent, repent, for the Lord God hath spoken it!

The Lord doesn’t mince words. That’s a pretty blunt warning.

I suppose we, as members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, should be used to mockery and persecution. Perhaps that’s one of the reasons why we haven’t made a big fuss over The Book of Mormon Musical. We have been mocked and persecuted since the restoration of The Church. Even in these days of extreme tolerance and political correctness mockery and persecutions still rage. And it will continue. It’s a sign of the times.

Joseph Smith said, “The Standard of Truth has been erected; no unhallowed hand can stop the work from progressing; persecutions may rage, mobs may combine, armies may assemble, calumny may defame, but the truth of God will go forth boldly, nobly, and independent, till it has penetrated every continent, visited every clime, swept every country, and sounded in every ear, till the purposes of God shall be accomplished, and the Great Jehovah shall say the work is done.”

What really disturbs me is the members of the Church who actually pay money to support this trash in order to “fit in”. Whatever happened to being in the world but not of the world?

I, for one, would not want to be associated in any way with people who think The Book of Mormon Musical is funny or cool. Why would you want to “fit in” with people who profanely mock your religion, your core beliefs and values?

1 Nephi 8:26-28
26 And I also cast my eyes round about, and beheld, on the other side of the river of water, a great and spacious building; and it stood as it were in the air, high above the earth.
27 And it was filled with people, both old and young, both male and female; and their manner of dress was exceedingly fine; and they were in the attitude of mocking and pointing their fingers towards those who had come at and were partaking of the fruit.
28 And after they had tasted of the fruit they were ashamed, because of those that were scoffing at them; and they fell away into forbidden paths and were lost.

The Book of Mormon Musical is not just distasteful, it is blasphemous mockery.

Doctrine and Covenants 63:58 For this is a day of warning, and not a day of many words. For I, the Lord, am not to be mocked in the last days.

That’s my two cents.

FHE -- Scriptures/Scripture study

2011-06-06T12:21:00.000-07:00

We had our monthly family home evening/family dinner yesterday. I had the opportunity to present the lesson. I chose the subject of Scriptures and scripture study. I explained a little bit about what each of the standard works were and their origin. I gave the kids coloring pages to keep them occupied. I had my musician brother help me teach the songs I learned in seminary to remember the books in the Old Testament and book of Mormon and he also taught them the New Testament song. I made a matching game to match the books in the scripture with the appropriate standard work. I even made open book because I really just wanted people to learn and be familiar with the standard works in the books included in each. Then we had a fun scavenger hunt which I think everybody enjoyed. And I issued a challenge to each family to read the book of Mormon together as a family and gave them a chart to record their progress. And also I issued an individual challenge and give everybody their own chart to mark their progress printed on colored card stock. Here is my lesson plan:

Tammy’s family home evening lesson -- Scriptures -- June 5, 2011

Opening song: The Iron Rod #274
Opening prayer: Dad

Give kids coloring page.

Explain history of and short synopsis of each of the standard works.

Teach song of the books of the Old Testament. Teach song of the books of the Book of Mormon.

Read story about family scripture study.

Give scripture study matching test.

Do scripture scavenger hunt.

Closing song: Book of Mormon Stories
Closing prayer: Mercedes

Notes:

From gospel principles:

President Ezra Taft Benson helped us understand how the Book of Mormon is the keystone of our religion. He said:

“There are three ways in which the Book of Mormon is the keystone of our religion. It is the keystone in our witness of Christ. It is the keystone of our doctrine. It is the keystone of testimony.

“The Book of Mormon is the keystone in our witness of Jesus Christ, who is Himself the cornerstone of everything we do. It bears witness of His reality with power and clarity. …

“[It] broadens our understandings of the doctrines of salvation. The Book of Mormon … was written for our day. In [it] we find a pattern for preparing for the Second Coming. …

“The Book of Mormon teaches us truth [and] bears testimony of Jesus Christ. … But there is something more. There is a power in the book which will begin to flow into your lives the moment you begin a serious study of the book. You will find greater power to resist temptation. You will find the power to avoid deception. You will find the power to stay on the strait and narrow path. The scriptures are called ‘the words of life,’ and nowhere is that more true than it is of the Book of Mormon. … ‘Every Latter-day Saint should make the study of this book a lifetime pursuit’ ” (in Conference Report, Oct. 1986, pp. 4–7; or Ensign, Nov. 1986, pp. 5–7).

The Doctrine and Covenants is a collection of modern revelations. In section 1 of the Doctrine and Covenants, the Lord reveals that the book is published to the inhabitants of the earth to prepare them for his coming:

This book contains the revelations regarding the Church of Jesus Christ as it has been restored in these last days. Several sections of the book explain the organization of the Church and define the offices of the priesthood and their functions. Other sections, such as sections 76 and 88, contain glorious truths that were lost to the world for hundreds of years. Still others, such as sections 29 and 93, shed light on teachings in the Bible. In addition, some sections, such as section 133, contain prophecies of events to come. God has commanded us to study his revelations in this book: “Search these commandments, for they are true and faithful, and the prophecies and promises which are in them shall all be fulfilled” (D&C 1:37).

The Pearl of Great Price contains the Book of Moses, the Book of Abraham, and some inspired writings of Joseph Smith. The Book of Moses contains an account of some of the visions and writings of Moses, revealed to the Prophet Joseph Smith in June and December 1830. It clarifies doctrines and teachings that were lost from the Bible and gives added information concerning the creation of the earth.

The Book of Abraham was translated by the Prophet Joseph Smith from a papyrus scroll taken from the Egyptian catacombs. This book contains valuable information about the Creation, the gospel, the nature of God, and the priesthood.

The writings of Joseph Smith include part of Joseph Smith’s inspired translation of the Bible, selections from his History of the Church, and the Articles of Faith.

From the family home evening resource manual:
If you do not have a regular program for scripture study in your family, use the following personal experience related in the April 1975 general conference by Bishop H. Burke Peterson to help your family begin one:

“May I relate a personal experience from the Peterson family. Several years ago after wrestling with the problem for some time, my wife and I, sensing the urgency of our parental charge, devised a new battle plan. You see, up to that point, Satan had been winning the battle of ‘Should we or should we not read the scriptures together in the Peterson home?’ We had tried off and on for years with no sustained success. Our big problem was that someone or something always interrupted our schedule. With a 17-year spread in our children’s ages, we felt we had a special challenge.

“As we studied and prayed over it, we concluded that the best time for our family of girls to read would be when no one else wanted our time. Since the older girls had to be in seminary by 7:00 a.m., our controllable time had to be early. We decided on 6:15 in the morning. We knew it would be a challenge to get teenage support. The idea was good, but its implementation was most difficult and it still is. Our family is still struggling.

“Our great new plan had its birth one hot August day in Phoenix, Arizona. My wife suggested we give them a whole month to think about it and prepare for it. We went about their mental preparation in a very positive way. The plan was to start the first day of school in early September. To their protests that it was impossible to have their heads all filled with rollers in time, or that it was not likely they would feel happy so early in the morning, or that they might be late to seminary, or not have time to eat breakfast either, we replied very cheerfully that we knew they were clever enough to cope with any minor problems that might arise.

“At its announcement, we also told the girls we had been praying for guidance in this family problem. This made it easier, because they had been schooled in prayer and had been taught not to question its results.

“The historic first morning finally came. My wife and I got up a little early so we would be sure to be wide awake and happy. Our initial approach must meet with success. We entered each bedroom singing and happy at the thought of the prospects before us. Purposely we went to one special bedroom first. Here slept a daughter who would be able to get up early but who couldn’t wake up before noon. We sat her up in bed and then went to the others and started them all into the family room. Some stumbled, some fell, some had to be carried in, some slept through that first morning—and I might say through subsequent mornings too.

“Little by little, we have learned over the years what reading the scriptures 15 minutes each morning can do for our family. You should know that we don’t try to discuss and understand each point we read. We try to pick out only a couple of thoughts each morning to digest. You should also know we still have to struggle with the plan’s performance, even though we now have only two children at our home.

“Can you imagine how a parent would feel to ask a little girl, ‘What did King Benjamin mean when he said, “When ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God”?’ (Mosiah 2:17.) And she would respond, ‘I suppose he means that I shouldn’t be selfish and should do little things for my sisters because it makes Heavenly Father happy—and Daddy, I want him to be happy with me, so I’m going to try harder.’ Innumerable are the blessings that will accrue to the family that persists in this noble effort of reading the scriptures together daily.” (In Conference Report, Apr. 1975, pp. 79–80; or Ensign, May 1975, p. 54.)

Quotes

President Gordon B. Hinckley (1910–2008)
“If I were a bishop or stake president today, what would I do? … I would encourage my people to read the scriptures, to read the Book of Mormon, to read the New Testament. I would urge them with all the capacity I have to read quietly and thoughtfully and introspectively.”
“I hope that for you this will become something far more enjoyable than a duty; that, rather, it will become a love affair with the word of God.” February 2009 Ensign, David B. March “Getting the Most Out Of Your Scripture Study”

Cheryl C. Lant-general primary president:
And what of our children? How blessed is the child whose parents base their lives on the teachings in the scriptures! There is absolutely nothing more important we can do for our families than to strengthen them in the scriptures. Parents, call your families together to read the scriptures, and work to make it possible in your busy family schedules. Children, respond quickly and happily when you are called to scripture study.
President Gordon B. Hinckley gave us an invitation, but he also gave us promises if we choose to accept. He promised “an added measure of the Spirit of the Lord, a strengthened resolution to walk in obedience to His commandments, and a stronger testimony of the living reality of the Son of God.”
October 2005 general conference, Cheryl C. Lant

Elder Howard W. Hunter :
“Many find that the best time to study is in the morning after a night’s rest has cleared the mind of the many cares that interrupt thought. Others prefer to study in the quiet hours after the work and worries of the day are over and brushed aside, thus ending the day with a peace and tranquillity that comes by communion with the scriptures.
“Perhaps what is more important than the hour of the day is that a regular time be set aside for study. It would be ideal if an hour could be spent each day; but if that much cannot be had, a half hour on a regular basis would result in substantial accomplishment. A quarter of an hour is little time, but it is surprising how much enlightenment and knowledge can be acquired in a subject so meaningful” (in Conference Report, Oct. 1979, 91–92; or Ensign, Nov. 1979, 64).

Scriptures Matching Game
Name:_____________________

Scriptures Matching Game

Match the following books of Scripture with the following:

A. Old Testament
B. New Testament
C. The Book of Mormon
D. The Doctrine and Covenants
E. The Pearl of Great Price

1 Leviticus
2. Helaman
3. Matthew
4. Abraham
5. Haggai
6. 1 Corinthians
7. Ether
8. Job
9. Omni
10. Deuteronomy
11. Revelation
12. Malachi
13. Section 76
14. Moses
15. Joshua
16. Luke
17. 2 Thessalonians
18. Jarom
19. The Articles of Faith
20. 3 Nephi
21. Ezekiel
22. Official Declaration -- 2
23. John
24.Joseph Smith History
25. Mosiah
27. Esther
28. Official Declaration -- 1
29. Zechariah
30. Hosea
31. Jacob
32. Genesis
33. Ruth
34. Words of Mormon
35. Hebrews
36. Enos
37. Moroni
38. Jonah
39. Nehemiah
40. Proverbs
41. Mormon
42. Section 137
43. Joseph Smith -- Matthew
44. Philemon
45. Judges
46. 2 Nephi
47. Titus
48. Exodus
49. Acts
50. Isaiah
51. Alma
52. Colossians
53. Ecclesiastes
54. Ezra
55. Section 43
56. James
57. 4 Nephi
58. Galatians
59. 2 Samuel
60. Romans

Scripture Scavenger Hunt
by Kimberly Hicken

Here is a game that you can play during family home evening, scouts or youth. Divide into two teams. [We had four teams] Give each team a copy of the scriptures listed, a copy of the standard works of the Church, and a bag to put their "treasures" in. Each team looks up the first scripture and reads it carefully to discover what they need to find that will fit into their sack. After they find the first object, they read the second scripture and find that object, and so on. Each scripture will tell them what they need to find, except number ten, which has special instructions. The first team to collect all nine items and complete clue number ten wins.

1. Matthew 7:25
2. Psalm 102:11
3. Jeremiah 8:8
4. Doctrine & Covenants 45:37
5. Mark 10:38
6. Ezekiel 37:16-17
7. Matthew 10:30
8. Exodus 3:5
9. Moses 1:41
10. Mosiah 2:17-18 To finish the game, do something this scripture is talking about.

After both teams have finished, share what you did for number ten with the other team.
Book of Mormon reading chart

I can't get the other chart to load onto my blog so here is a link where you can download it.Cartoon Book of Mormon Reading Chart

Key to scripture matching game

Name:_____________________

Scriptures Matching Game

Match the following books of Scripture with the following:

A. Old Testament
B. New Testament
C. The Book of Mormon
D. The Doctrine and Covenants
E. The Pearl of Great Price

1 Leviticus A.
2. Helaman C.
3. Matthew B.
4. Abraham E.
5. Haggai A.
6. 1 Corinthians B.
7. Ether C.
8. Job A.
9. Omni C.
10. Deuteronomy A.
11. Revelation B.
12. Malachi A.
13. Section 76 D.
14. Moses E.
15. Joshua A.
16. Luke B.
17. 2 Thessalonians B.
18. Jarom C.
19. The Articles of Faith E.
20. 3 Nephi C.
21. Ezekiel A.
22. Official Declaration -- 2 D.
23. John B.
24.Joseph Smith -- History E.
25. Mosiah C.
27. Esther A.
28. Official Declaration -- 1 D.
29. Zechariah A.
30. Hosea A.
31. Jacob C.
32. Genesis A.
33. Ruth A.
34. Words of Mormon C.
35. Hebrews B.
36. Enos C.
37. Moroni C.
38. Jonah A.
39. Nehemiah A.
40. Proverbs A.
41. Mormon C.
42. Section 137 D.
43. Joseph Smith -- Matthew E.
44. Philemon B.
45. Judges A.
46. 2 Nephi C.
47. Titus B.
48. Exodus A.
49. Acts B.
50. Isaiah A.
51. Alma C.
52. Colossians B.
53. Ecclesiastes A.
54. Ezra A.
55. Section 43 D.
56. James B.
57. 4 Nephi C.
58. Galatians B.
59. 2 Samuel A.
60. Romans B.

Relief Society Lesson -- Obedience to the Prophets

2011-05-29T13:23:00.000-07:00

Obedience to the Prophets
Elder Claudio RM Costa
October 2010 General Conference

Prophet: “A person who has been called by and speaks for God. As a messenger of God, a prophet receives commandments, prophecies, and revelations from God”

Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets -- Amos 3:7

The Lord promised us that if we believe in the holy prophets, we should have eternal life. -- see D&C 20:26

From Pres. Ezra Taft Benson, 1980 "14 Fundamentals in Following the Prophet":

1: The prophet is the only man who speaks for the Lord in everything

2: The living prophet is more vital to us than the standard works

3: The living prophet is more important to us than a dead prophet

4: The prophet will never lead the Church astray

5: The prophet is not required to have any particular earthly training or credentials to speak on any subject or act on any matter at any time

6: The prophet does not have to say ‘Thus saith the Lord’ to give us scripture. . . .

7: The prophet tells us what we need to know, not always what we want to know

8: The prophet is not limited by men’s reasoning. . . .

9: The prophet can receive revelation on any matter—temporal or spiritual. . . .

10: The prophet may be involved in civic matters. . . .

11: The two groups who have the greatest difficulty in following the prophet are the proud who are learned and the proud who are rich. . . .

12: The prophet will not necessarily be popular with the world or the worldly. . . .

13: The prophet and his counselors make up the First Presidency—the highest quorum in the Church. . . .

14: The prophet and the presidency—the living prophet and the first presidency—follow them and be blessed; reject them and suffer

Interesting Side Effect

2011-05-25T15:27:00.000-07:00

There are certain unpleasant things that go along with having a spinal cord injury and being quadriplegic. One of them is involuntary muscle spasms. For me, these occur on a regular basis, several times a day. They are often the result of being touched or moved. But can also occur spontaneously. For no apparent reason. Probably coinciding with internal noxious stimuli (or external for that matter).

Spasms are not pleasant. For me they feel like getting punched in the stomach by Mohammed Ali. Another manifestation is the feeling of elephants sitting on me, making it harder to breathe. I know, by now you’re probably thinking I’m even more loony than you previously thought.

I’m not posting this to complain, but rather to relate an interesting correlation.

Last week I suffered a fierce bout of what I think was food poisoning. I was very sick for a few days. I haven’t had very many acute systemic illnesses (such as the flu) in the past eight years. But the few that I have had, I have noticed an interesting side effect. My spasms go away.

In fact, that’s a way that I can gauge how sick I really am. When the spasms disappear, I know I’m pretty sick. When the spasms start coming back, I know I’m on the mend. In fact, this time around I still felt pretty sick when the spasms returned, and I told my mom, “It looks like I’m getting better.”

I don’t know if there have been any studies done on this particular phenomenon. Or, if maybe, it’s something unique to me. It would be interesting see a study done. But, at any rate, it’s a welcome side effect. Although I would much rather not be sick and suffer the spasms. It’s nice to have some relief from the daily nuisance of spasms while suffering from acute illness.

That’s my two cents.

David O. McKay Tidbits

2011-05-16T16:31:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I watched “Inspiring Lives” on BYU TV. David O. McKay was the subject of this particular episode. There were some really interesting tidbits about him that I learned. I wish I could remember all of them but I will relate a few that I somewhat remember.

David Oman McKay served as Prophet and president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints for nearly 20 years. From 1951 to 1970. He died in January and I was born in December. I like to think that perhaps we met in passing as he just graduated and I was just embarking on my mortal journey.

I wanted to share with you a few of the stories I remembered from the documentary I watched yesterday. I don’t have the greatest memory so I will do my best to be accurate.

The story goes that a newspaper photographer, I think it was the New York Times, was told to get a few photos of David O. McKay arriving at the airport. The reporter was gone for several hours in what was supposed to be a quick assignment. Upon returning to the newspaper office his superiors were quite upset that was gone so long and “wasted” so much film, materials and time. They asked him why he was gone so long and took so many pictures. His reply was that ever since he was a little boy his mother taught him about Old Testament prophets and he always wondered what a prophet would look like. And what it would be like to be in the presence of a prophet of God. He told them that day he found out.

During the filming of “The 10 Commandments” Cecil B. DeMille was working with Arnold Friberg who was helping with costume design. I guess Arnold Friberg introduced Mr. DeMille to David O. McKay. Apparently the prophet made quite an impression on the filmmaker. In a commencement address at Brigham Young University, I believe it was 1956, Cecil B. DeMille said something to the effect of “David O. McKay almost persuaded me to become a Mormon”.

When President McKay was getting older it was harder for him to walk. One day he had the task of walking up a hill, I think it was for a temple dedication. As he began walking up the hill, two gentlemen on either side of him grabbed his arms to help him up the hill. Pres. McKay turned to them and said, “I can help one of you up this hill but not both of you.”

There was a black sister in South Africa who was married to a white man. Both of them were members of the church. Because of apartheid this sister was not able to attend church with her husband. She said that before she died she was going to meet the prophet. Pres. McKay felt like he needed to visit South Africa. When this sister heard about the prophet coming she asked the missionaries if there was any way they could take her to the meeting. Once again, because of apartheid, black people were not allowed to ride in cars with white people. So they rolled her up in a rug and took her in the car and sneaked her in to the meeting where she hid behind a pillar in the back of the building. After the meeting was over everyone cleared out of the building and the mission president told Pres. McKay it was time to go. Pres. McKay said, “No, there is still someone I need to meet”. They informed Pres. McKay that everyone was gone. He said, “No, there is still someone here I need to meet.” And he walked to the back of the building where he was able to meet this dear sister. She died three days later.

Pres. Lyndon B. Johnson telephoned President McKay and asked him to come to the White House. He said , “It’s not an emergency, I just need spiritual advice.” So, Pres. McKay flew to Washington DC to visit with Pres. Johnson. The documentary specified what Pres. Johnson asked and what Pres. McKay told him but I can’t remember.

There were many more stories that I can’t remember. These are a few that I remember that touched me. I hope I didn’t butcher the stories too badly. I hope that this gives you a little bit of insight into the life of the prophet, David O. McKay.

He truly was a remarkable and inspiring man. As are all the prophets.

That’s my two cents.

Easy Black Forest Cake

2011-05-07T15:49:00.000-07:00

Black forest cake is my favorite. Cherries are my favorite fruit. And there's nothing like fresh whipped cream made from scratch. To me it tastes like ice cream without the ice. :-) And who doesn't like chocolate?

The whipped cream icing is much lighter and tastier than a heavy buttercream icing. I've never been a fan of butter cream icing.

Today I wanted to make a black forest cake. I had Dad mix the cake mix. Any chocolate cake mix will do. Devil's food, triple fudge, whatever you have on hand. We used a cake mix per round (9 or 10 inch) cake pan. We made a two layer cake so we used two cake mixes. After completely cooling, slice the top of the cake off to flatten. Reserve tops for cake crumbs. Place one layer on the cake platter. Mix up the whipped cream. 2 cups heavy cream, 1/2 cup powdered sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla. Tip: put bowl and whisk in freezer for 10 minutes and use very cold cream. Beat until stiff peaks form. (Don't over beat lest you get butter). Frost bottom layer of cake with whipped cream. Open a can of cherry pie filling. Spoon cherries into center of cake on top of whipped cream. Leaving about 2 inches from the edge. Put second layer of cake on top. Finish frosting with whipped cream. Spoon more cherries in the center of top layer. Garnish with cake crumbs on the side of cake. Sprinkle mini chocolate chips on sides and top. Enjoy!

I just sampled it, it is delicious! And super easy to make. Give it a try.

Bye-bye bin Laden

2011-05-03T12:25:00.000-07:00

I have purposely avoided watching any news coverage of Osama bin Laden’s death. Not only because it happened on Sunday night, and I don’t watch any TV on Sunday except BYU-TV, but also because when the news breaks there are very few facts. The anchormen tend to ramble on and on about nothing. They don’t actually tell any news. And in the early stages of breaking news, a lot of the facts are wrong.

In addition to that, I was having a wonderful Sabbath. In the morning we went to my sister’s ward to attend my nephew’s priesthood ordination. It was extra special because it was my first nephew to receive the priesthood, and now my sister will have the priesthood in her home. Also, in the afternoon we had our monthly family home evening get-together. We enjoyed a super delicious roast beef dinner, then the lesson on gifts of the Spirit, and just enjoyed being together as a family.

I didn’t want to spoil such a wonderful day by watching a bunch of news people and politicians spouting off nonsense. I mean really, what more is there to know than the United States military forces killed Osama bin Laden? That takes what, about 5 seconds? I know, people like to know details. But really, when news breaks, details are not available. Wait a few days, let them get their facts straight. Believe me, it will be broadcast ad nauseam. You won’t miss anything by not watching breaking news.

Another interesting aspect which I will relate secondhand, because as I stated I did not watch any coverage. But early Monday morning when my mom came in to help me around 3 AM, she mentioned how prideful and arrogant our President of the United States is. She told me he was saying, “I did this, I did that, It was my decision to…”. Basically saying, “Give me all the glory”. Reminds me of someone else. I’ve always thought that those two share many qualities.

I find it hard to believe that the killing of Osama bin Laden, at this time, is not just a political maneuver aimed at advancing the political career of Barack Hussein Obama. I find it hard to believe that it would take the most powerful country in the world close to 10 years to find and kill Osama bin Laden. I believe that we, as United States citizens, are only fed information that the media/politicians want us to embrace.

That’s my two cents.

CES Fireside Tonight

2011-05-01T09:06:00.000-07:00

Just a reminder that there will be a CES fireside tonight broadcast on BYU TV at five o'clock PDT. The speaker will be Rosemary M. Wixom. Set your DVR!

Five Reasons to Be Pleased with Myself

2011-04-28T15:33:00.000-07:00

I, quite often, have times when I don’t sleep well. Some of my best thinking and inspiration comes during the wee hours of the morning when I can’t sleep. A couple of weeks ago, I was thinking about things that are somewhat unique about me that I am proud of, or pleased with myself about.

Stating these things will only fan the fire of people’s perceived notion of my craziness or weirdness. But, that’s me. So, I’ve decided to go ahead and mention a few. After all, I’ve never been one to care much about what people think of me.

1. I have never owned a cell phone. Yes, I am proud of that fact. Now, I must admit if circumstances were different now, I would probably own one. But, as things are, I have never owned a cell phone. One thing I have never understood about cell phones is, why would people want to be bothered when they don’t want to be bothered? Don’t you just want to get away sometimes? And not be able to be contacted 24/7/365. I know I used to like to go shopping or running to get away from the stress of everyday life. And get away from everybody. And, this coming from a single woman. I didn’t even have family life to contend with.

I’m even more proud of this fact because during my residency, out of the nine residents in my program, I was the only one sans a cell phone. I’ve always enjoyed being somewhat different. And, there was the dreaded on-call pager, so what did I need a cell phone for?

I understand the argument of convenience, and possible emergency helpfulness. But in all honesty, I think the negatives far outweigh the positives when it comes to owning a cell phone. How many times have you really used your cell phone for an emergency?

2. I have never seen “Titanic”. I know, this one is more obscure. But, the movie Titanic, was a big deal when it was released. “Everybody” was watching it. In fact, the big deal in Utah was to get your copy edited to remove “the bad parts”.

Well, besides the fact that I’m not really a big movie person, I had heard about “the bad parts” and decided not to watch it. It really wasn’t that big of a deal to me at the time . Since then, I have had several opportunities to watch the edited version. But for some reason I have prided myself in not watching this particular movie.

3. I have never had a Facebook account. I know most of you out there are Facebook freaks. And that’s one of the reasons I pride myself in not having a Facebook account, I like to be different. But more than that, I think social networking sites like Facebook or MySpace are a big waste of time. Not only that but are very detrimental to those who are addicted, and many families have broken up because of such addictions.

I know you want to argue that Facebook can be used for good also. And I’ll admit, I have thought about signing up for a Facebook account as a way to share my testimony. Plus it might be kind of fun to run across old friends and acquaintances. But in the end, I have stayed away for several reasons.

First, I don’t really care to know everything that goes on in everybody’s life. I don’t want to know that your baby just ate rice cereal and applesauce. I don’t care to know what stupid things my relatives, friends, and acquaintances do. It would probably just make me sad.

Second, cool people don’t do Facebook. I want to remain cool.

Third, I have heard of so many people wasting so much time and even money building pretend farms and growing pretend crops. A lot of people waste their life away living a pretend life. If you want to grow crops and raise farm animals, why don’t you do the real thing instead of pretending? Isn’t it sad how video games and living a virtual life can be so addicting?

4. I never attended a high school dance. You might think that this is something I would regret or be sad about. But the reality is that I’m very pleased and happy that I never attended a high school dance. In fact, I used to pray that nobody would invite me to a dance, because I didn’t want to have to turn him down. And thankfully, my prayers were answered. On the same note, I never attended any church youth dances either. And for that, I am also happy and pleased with myself.

My mom and I were talking yesterday and she mentioned that she had always wanted to become a dancer. I told her that dancing to me was like English. Something I dreaded, and avoided like the plague.

5. I have never run a road race. You might not think this is such a big deal because not too many people run Road races. But, in the family I grew up in, running road races was a typical Saturday morning activity. My dad and siblings have run many road races. And won many road races. And my mom and I have attended many road races especially during my teenage years. Running was a big part of our family life. In fact, my sister Juliet, was the high school state cross country champion in Utah her senior year. That’s a big deal because running is big in Utah and the competition is fierce.

I didn’t even start running until my mission and afterwards. And I only did it to stay in shape, and keep the weight off. Plus it was a great stress reliever. I wasn’t blessed with the running genes that my dad and siblings were blessed with. So, I guess I didn’t run competitively because I didn’t want to embarrass myself or the family name. “Stop embarrassing me” -U.R.. Plus, I never had that competitive fire.

These are a few of the things I thought about during my sleepless night , for which I am pleased with and proud of myself. None of which is really anything to be proud of, except in my own little world, for my own reasons.

So, think what you will, but I am happy that I never owned a cell phone, I never saw Titanic, I’ve never had a Facebook or MySpace account, I never attended a high school dance, and I never ran a road race.

That’s my two cents.

Relief Society Lesson -- Pride And the Priesthood

2011-04-25T11:23:00.000-07:00

I wasn't going to post my Relief Society lesson this month. Because I already did a blog post for my family home evening lesson back in January which is much more detailed. But, I wanted to show a picture of the cute Easter egg soaps we made for the Relief Society Sisters as our lesson handout. We also attached a story called "The Empty Egg". I will attach the text to this blog post.

Since our lesson had nothing to do with Easter, I wanted to somehow tie Easter into the lesson. That's when I thought of doing the soaps with the story attached.

Come to find out, we weren't even supposed to teach yesterday. Nobody informed us otherwise, so I prepared my lesson as usual. I was assigned a General Conference talk for April. Anyway, I felt bad because someone else also prepared a lesson. Which probably would have been a much better lesson than the one I gave. Nonetheless, here are the notes from my lesson.

Pride and the Priesthood
President Dieter F. Uchtdorf
October 2010 Gen. Conference

Every mortal has at least a casual, if not intimate relationship with the sin of pride.

I believe there is a difference between being proud of certain things and being prideful.

Pride Is the Sin of Self-Elevation

Alma 31:21-25
21Now the place was called by them Rameumptom, which, being interpreted, is the holy stand.

22Now, from this stand they did offer up, every man, the selfsame prayer unto God, thanking their God that they were chosen of him, and that he did not lead them away after the tradition of their brethren, and that their hearts were not stolen away to believe in things to come, which they knew nothing about.

23Now, after the people had all offered up thanks after this manner, they returned to their homes, anever speaking of their God again until they had assembled themselves together again to the holy stand, to offer up thanks after their manner.

24Now when Alma saw this his heart was agrieved; for he saw that they were a wicked and a perverse people; yea, he saw that their hearts were set upon gold, and upon silver, and upon all manner of fine goods.

25Yea, and he also saw that their hearts were alifted up unto great boasting, in their pride.

Pride is a deadly cancer.

Pride is a gateway sin that leads to a host of other human weaknesses.

Every other sin is, in essence, a manifestation of pride.

Despite His magnificent abilities and accomplishments, the Savior was always meek and humble.

We don’t discover humility by thinking less of ourselves; we discover humility by thinking less about ourselves.

“Pride is the great stumbling block to Zion.” -Pres. Ezra Taft Benson, May 1989

“Pride is a very misunderstood sin, and many are sinning in ignorance.” -Pres. Ezra Taft Benson, May 1989

“Pride is a sin that can readily be seen in others but is rarely admitted in ourselves.” -Pres. Ezra Taft Benson, May 1989

“The central feature of pride is enmity—enmity toward God and enmity toward our fellowmen. Enmity means “hatred toward, hostility to, or a state of opposition.” It is the power by which Satan wishes to reign over us.
Pride is essentially competitive in nature.”-Pres. Benson May 1989

The proud stand more in fear of men’s judgment than of God’s judgment. “What will men think of me?” weighs heavier than “What will God think of me?”-Pres. Benson May 1989

“Some prideful people are not so concerned as to whether their wages meet their needs as they are that their wages are more than someone else’s. Their reward is being a cut above the rest. This is the enmity of pride.-Pres. Benson May 1989

"Most of us consider pride to be a sin of those on the top, such as the rich and the learned, looking down at the rest of us. (See 2 Ne. 9:42.) There is, however, a far more common ailment among us—and that is pride from the bottom looking up. It is manifest in so many ways, such as faultfinding, gossiping, backbiting, murmuring, living beyond our means, envying, coveting, withholding gratitude and praise that might lift another, and being unforgiving and jealous.-Pres. Benson May 1989

Story attached to the egg soaps:
The Empty Egg
By: Author Unknown

Jeremy was born with a twisted body and a slow mind. At the age of 12 he was still in second grade, seemingly unable to learn. His teacher, Doris Miller, often became exasperated with him. He would squirm in his seat, drool, and make grunting noises. At other times, he spoke clearly and distinctly, as if a spot of light had penetrated the darkness of his brain. Most of the time, however, Jeremy just irritated his teacher. One day she called his parents and asked them to come in for a consultation. As the Forresters entered the empty classroom, Doris said to them, "Jeremy really belongs in a special school. It isn't fair to him to be with younger children who don't have learning problems. Why, there is a five year gap between his age and that of the other students."

Mrs. Forrester cried softly into a tissue, while her husband spoke. "Miss Miller," he said, "there is no school of that kind nearby. It would be a terrible shock for Jeremy if we had to take him out of this school. We know he really likes it here." Doris sat for a long time after they had left, staring at the snow outside the window. Its coldness seemed to seep into her soul. She wanted to sympathize with the Forresters. After all, their only child had a terminal illness. But it wasn't fair to keep him in her class. She had 18 other youngsters to teach, and Jeremy was a distraction. Furthermore, he would never learn to read and write. Why waste any more time trying?

As she pondered the situation, guilt washed over her. Here I am complaining when my problems are nothing compared to that poor family, she thought. Lord, please help me to be more patient with Jeremy. From that day on, she tried hard to ignore Jeremy's noises and his blank stares. Then one day, he limped to her desk, dragging his bad leg behind him.

"I love you, Miss Miller," he exclaimed, loud enough for the whole class to hear. The other students snickered, and Doris' face burned red. She stammered, "Wh-why that's very nice, Jeremy. N-now please take your seat."

Spring came, and the children talked excitedly about the coming of Easter. Doris told them the story of Jesus, and then to emphasize the idea of new life springing forth, she gave each of the children a large plastic egg. "Now," she said to them, "I want you to take this home and bring it back tomorrow with something inside that shows new life. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Miss Miller," the children responded enthusiastically-all except for Jeremy. He listened intently; his eyes never left her face. He did not even make his usual noises. Had he understood what she had said about Jesus' death and resurrection? Did he understand the assignment? Perhaps she should call his parents and explain the project to them.

That evening, Doris' kitchen sink stopped up. She called the landlord and waited an hour for him to come by and unclog it. After that, she still had to shop for groceries, iron a blouse, and prepare a vocabulary test for the next day. She completely forgot about phoning Jeremy's parents.

The next morning, 19 children came to school, laughing and talking as they placed their eggs in the large wicker basket on Miss Miller's desk. After they completed their math lesson, it was time to open the eggs. In the first egg, Doris found a flower. "Oh yes, a flower is certainly a sign of new life," she said. "When plants peek through the ground, we know that spring is here." A small girl in the first row waved her arm. "That's my egg, Miss Miller," she called out. The next egg contained a plastic butterfly, which looked very real. Doris held it up. "We all know that a caterpillar changes and grows into a beautiful butterfly. Yes, that's new life, too." Little Judy smiled proudly and said, "Miss Miller, that one is mine." Next, Doris found a rock with moss on it. She explained that moss, too, showed life. Billy spoke up from the back of the classroom, "My daddy helped me," he beamed.

Then Doris opened the fourth egg. She gasped. The egg was empty. Surely it must be Jeremy's she thought, and of course, he did not understand her instructions. If only she had not forgotten to phone his parents. Because she did not want to embarrass him, she quietly set the egg aside and reached for another. Suddenly, Jeremy spoke up. "Miss Miller, aren't you going to talk about my egg?" Flustered, Doris replied, "But Jeremy, your egg is empty." He looked into her eyes and said softly, "Yes, but Jesus' tomb was empty, too."

Time stopped. When she could speak again, Doris asked him, "Do you know why the tomb was empty?" "Oh, yes," Jeremy said, "Jesus was killed and put in there. Then His Father raised Him up."

The recess bell rang. While the children excitedly ran out to the schoolyard, Doris cried. The cold inside her melted completely away.

Three months later, Jeremy died. Those who paid their respects at the mortuary were surprised to see 19 eggs on top of his casket....... all of them empty.

Old-Fashioned Banana Cream Pie

2011-04-18T12:55:00.000-07:00

If you want to taste the best banana cream pie ever, try this recipe. I imagine this is how the pioneers made banana cream pie. Before Cool Whip, and instant pudding mix. The recipe actually uses flour as the thickener. I was somewhat worried about getting lumps but it turned out perfect. Deliciously divine. Superbly creamy. I have never tasted better banana cream pie.

It is slightly more difficult than using a boxed mix, but definitely worth it. Give it a try! Sorry no picture. :-(

Old-Fashioned Banana Cream Pie

Ingredients:
1 9-inch pie shell, baked
3 cups whole milk
3/4 cup white sugar
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 egg yolks, slightly beaten
2 Tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 bananas

Directions:
1. Have baked 9-inch pie shell ready.

2. Pour the milk into a large saucepan. Combine the sugar, flour and salt; gradually stir into the milk.

3. Over medium heat, stirring constantly, cook until thickened. Cook for two minutes longer. [The mixture will not be as thick as pudding yet, will thicken more when egg yolks are added.]

4. In a small bowl, have the 3 egg yolks, slightly beaten, ready; temper the egg yolks by stirring a small amount of the hot mixture into beaten yolks; when thoroughly combined, stir yolks into hot mixture.

5. Cook for one minute longer, stirring constantly.

6. Remove from heat and blend in the butter and vanilla.

7. Let sit until lukewarm.

8. When ready to pour, slice bananas and scatter in pie shell; pour warm mixture over bananas. [We tossed our sliced bananas in a couple splashes of lemon juice to prevent browning before placing in baked pie crust.]

9. If desired, make a meringue (you'll have 3 leftover egg whites) to top the pie, or just let the pie cool until serving. [Meringue: 3 egg whites, 1/3 cup sugar, pinch of cream of tartar(optional); beat until stiff peaks form. Spread on top of pie, bake in 375° oven 10 to 12 minutes until peaks turn golden brown.]

* For coconut cream pie add one cup shredded coconut to milk as it’s being heated, omit bananas.

** Do not substitute low-fat milk for whole milk. I'm told that it will be soupy if you do.(we didn’t have whole milk so we used 3 cups half-and-half and 3 cups skim milk, we doubled the recipe.) It turned out perfect.

*** Variation: For those of you who are pie crust challenged :-), make a simple Graham cracker crust, or use premade pie shells.

Relief Society Lesson -- Courageous Parenting

2011-03-27T13:47:00.000-07:00

Courageous Parenting
Larry R. Lawrence
Of the Second Quorum of the 70
October 2010 General Conference

In these last days, what the world really needs is courageous parenting from mothers and fathers who are not afraid to speak up and take a stand.

“Parenting is not a popularity contest” -Elder Joe J. Christensen

“Sometimes we are afraid of our children—afraid to counsel with them for fear of offending them.” -Elder Robert D. Hales

Young people understand more than we realize because they too have the gift of the Holy Ghost.

It’s so important for husbands and wives to be united when making parenting decisions.

It is vital that parents have the courage to speak up and intervene before Satan succeeds.

"When morality is involved, we have both the right and the obligation to raise a warning voice.” -President Boyd K. Packer

Consider five fundamental practices that have the power to fortify our youth:
1. family prayer
2. Family scripture study
3. family home evening
4. family dinner together
5. regular one-on-one interviews with each child.

One of the most effective ways we can influence our sons and daughters is to counsel with them in private interviews.

Satan and his followers are striving to bring this generation down; the Lord is counting on valiant parents to bring them up.

Jimmer's Spiritual Side

2011-03-26T14:47:00.000-07:00

Fredette About It

2011-03-25T16:24:00.000-07:00

It’s a sad day. The Jimmer show is over. BYU lost to Florida in overtime in the Sweet 16 last night. I’m actually surprised at how close the score was considering what an off night BYU had. Nobody’s shots were sinking. Even the easy layups were missed. Yet it was tied at the half and also at the end of regulation. BYU put up a good fight, but in the end they lost. Sometimes things just don’t go your way. Jimmer was three for 15, or only 20% for three-point tries. But it wasn’t just Jimmer. The team as a whole did not play well. And that’s just the way it goes sometimes.

It is sad to see BYU’s best chance in 30 years end. It certainly was fun to watch the Jimmer do his stuff. He still made two or three amazing shots yesterday. Even on a bad day. And like Jimmer said in the postgame interview most people didn’t expect them to even get to the Sweet 16 after the adversity the team faced this year.

So, despite the abrupt end to a spectacular season, and the end Jimmer’s college basketball career, I am extremely proud of their accomplishments. Not only because of their obvious talent and hard work. But because of their individual values and standards, in honorably representing BYU and everything it stands for. As was mentioned in a recent sports article, if every college basketball player was held to the standards that BYU basketball players are held to, there wouldn’t be any college basketball players, except for BYU.

It’s refreshing to see a team excel because of their talent and work ethics. Despite not having the “most talent”, or best recruits. It’s refreshing to see an excellent basketball team without tattoos defacing their arms. It’s refreshing to see a clean cut, earring-less basketball team do well. It’s refreshing to see a university enforce rules and put morals and the welfare of its students above money and fame.

A recent news article I read called BYU “America’s team” partly because Jimmer is the best college basketball player this year, and partly because BYU’s ethics elevated college sports. Even if they wouldn’t admit it, a lot of people were rooting for the cougars.

So, despite the fact that Jimmer and the crew didn’t reach the elite eight, or the final four, or the national championship game, they are still winners. In my mind, Jimmer and the rest of the BYU basketball team are heads and tails above the rest.

In the end, basketball is just a game. And Jimmer and the boys know that.

That’s my two cents.

Gonzaga got Jimmered!

2011-03-19T19:34:00.000-07:00

It was an awesome game. When BYU is on nobody can beat them. Jimmer was amazing tonight as was the rest of the team. All the media reports I read here in Washington were not giving BYU a chance against Gonzaga. That's what made the victory even more sweet. Gonzaga got Jimmered. BYU taught them how to Jimmer.

I'm not really a basketball fan but I jumped on the Jimmermania bandwagon when I saw the game against San Diego State University about a month ago. SDSU got Jimmered that day. That was before the much talked about suspension of one of BYU's star players because of an honor code violation.

I grew up in BYU's backyard and was a big BYU fan during my growing up years. I did not attend BYU but I am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of latter-day Saints and therefore a BYU fan by default.

I think it's awesome that a bunch of clean-cut, tattooless, college kids with values can make it to the Sweet 16 in the NCAA tournament. Especially since nobody gave them much hope after losing one of their star players to honor code violation suspension.

Now, go teach Florida how to Jimmer!

That's my two cents.

Teach Me How to Jimmer

2011-03-19T13:01:00.000-07:00

Lyrics: Teach Me How to Jimmer By Feel-Good Music Coalition

Verse 1: Mighty Quinn

(Hey Mighty Quinn) Wassup? (Can you teach me how to Jimmer?)
Well sit back and relax and just let this thought simmer, cause it seems that these days even Utah fans be gushing, and a you, you, you, you’re all man crushin. (ok)
Jimmer Fredette, (hey) Nuttin but net, crazy in a daze, no defense can faze, 30 footers he raises, always amazes,
nuttin but praise, T.J. taught him in phazes.
Boy is the truth! (how do you know?) Cause Nelly said it, he’s the real King James (what should I do?)
Just Fredette it.
P.O.Y.’s comin go handle your business, supposedly the best, whatchu talkin about Willis?
Don’t be talking trash cause ya know that he’s a winner so Tre’von, Dairese, Kawhi, and Jiggy (GET JIMMERED!)
Even Wild Bill be blushin like a Portly Pirate Poet sayin (I’m in love and I just don’t care who knows it!)

Verse 2: KMC (Kalin Curran)

His mother named him Jimmer, he likes to bring the hammer, he kinda does a shimmer, he’s not much of a jammer, rise and shout they sing, he’s got you on a string,
he’s not much into bling , except for CTR rings,
Stopping, poppin, dudes blowing your mind,
Droppin dimes or even just getting to the line,
No comeback needed when Jimmers on the floor,
he’s ahead of the game fans storming the court,
Fellas think they can stop him talkin trash now you got your wish,ball don’t lie what you just heard was a swish,
nothing comes out when they moving their lips,
just a- just a- just a- just a bunch of Jimmer-ish.
They all love him, man woman and child,
Cause the 40 point games it be driving them wild,
best believe he’s getting 50, nifty, with a shifty flow,
Houston -Vegas -Provo welcome to the Jimmer show.

Verse 3: Definit (Sean Curran)

Jimmers in the game now ya really wish you wasn’t,
Now he’s hittin treys – Fredette about it cousin,
numbers don’t lie can’t bet against a winner,
Even Vegas sinners put their money on jimmer,
the fears in your eye so step aside junior,
Ricky Bobby couldn’t handle this cougar,
put you in a stretcher best believe you’ll need a suture,
Flying down the court somebody yell shooter!
Forget mountain dew I’m all jacked up on jimmer,
best scorer in the world check Kevin Durants twitter,
Coast to coast who loves him the most, huh?
Chuck Norris even has a Jimmer poster
32 your my hero yes yall heard me,
Superman sleeps in a (what) jimmer jersey,
now what I’m about to say just might sound crazy,
can you be the surrogate for my baby?

Verse 4: Young Sim (Simeon Lawrence)

Look I know I’m a UTE fan but let me get a few bars,
Never been a hater I admit he’s a true star.
Hardly agree when it comes to red & blue.
But on the real you could catch me doing the Jimmer too.
Fade away, jumpshot, off the pick, nice arch -
6’2″ guard he could take you off the dribble,
Probably shouldnt foul his free throw is official,
You could probably slow him down if you good with the officials, and 1 calls man i hardly heard the whistles,
So the fans – upset water bottles to the refs.
And im a keep it real, best guard in the west.
(WEST?! POY man, Jimmer Fredette)

Commentary on Elder L. Tom Perry's CES Fireside

2011-03-07T15:07:00.000-08:00

I watched the CES fireside last night with Elder L. Tom Perry. I forgot I was going to post a reminder to everybody that it was on yesterday. Anyway, I'm just going off memory here but the thing that stood out to me from his talk was when he mentioned that nowadays most people will say they are spiritual instead of religious. They don't want to be tied to a specific religion. And if a principle of faith fits in with their lifestyle that they will abide by it. But if not, then they will toss it aside.

Anyway, that's what I got out of the fireside last night. Now for my commentary. You know, I have to put in my two cents. :-) After all, that's the name of my blog.

I think that is true, the part about only abiding by a principle of faith/commandment if it fits in with their particular lifestyle, even in the Church. How many times do people listen to General Conference and if something is mentioned that does not fit in with their lifestyle, such as mothers should not work outside the home, or President Packer's talk which caused such an uproar, they discard it or even protest it?

For some reason, people think they are somehow excluded or immune from obeying the commandments when it doesn't fit their lifestyle. For some reason that particular commandment does not pertain to them.

How many "active, good, strong members of the Church" pay good money to sit in a dark theater and be bombarded by profanity, promiscuity, violence and lies all in the name of entertainment? How many times have we been told in general conference and otherwise not only to avoid R-rated movies but to avoid anything that drives the spirit away? Which, in my opinion, is basically any movie that Hollywood puts out, or any television drama, sitcom, talk show, etc.

Why do we think the Prophet's/apostle's counsel doesn't pertain to us? Are we somehow immune to Satan's attacks on our spirit, while others are not? I don't think so. And if you think you are, you are a fool.

Let me just give you an example that one of my family members shared with me. Certain members of a Young Women's presidency were overheard discussing a certain television show in which a bachelor dates a bunch of different women, including "overnight dates" and then selects one woman to marry.

Basically, this show teaches that promiscuity is not only acceptable but good. Not only that, but it also teaches that we should use people, then reject them. Amongst other horrible things that the show teaches. Anyway, these members of the Young women's presidency were talking about a certain episode and what happened after the "overnight date" and what this bachelor should do and who he should pick and so forth. One of them made the comment, "I don't know why more people don't watch this show". All of this being said in front of the young women to whom these leaders are supposed to teach correct principles and be good examples.

I find that to be totally reprehensible and abhorrent behavior by these young women leaders. But this example illustrates my point that people, including church members, will only abide by principles of faith/commandments that fit their lifestyle. The saddest part of this whole story is that these particular leaders of youth apparently saw nothing wrong with their behavior because they were in the house of the Lord at a Young women’s activity, as they were discussing the scumbag show in front of the girls.

As a tribute to the youth of the Church, let me tell you what one of the young women who overheard the conversation of her leaders later said/did. This young woman was so disgusted that she literally walked away so she wouldn’t have to continue listening. And said, in a disgusted voice, “They’re talking about The Bachelor!”

Let me just leave you with a couple of quotes from Elder Perry's talk. (The transcript is not available yet so I obtained these quotes from a summary article written on DeseretNews.com)

"As I look to the future — as I look at your future — I pray that you will step forward and assume your responsibility of preserving the noble heritage of the past," he said. "I pray that in a future day you will be known as 'The Greatest Generation.' Your war is different. I am full aware that your challenge will be much greater than ours. We knew our enemy on the battlefield. They were shooting at us. The enemy today is more sinister. He does not always confront us in head-on battle. Instead, he hides in almost every device known to man."

"My young friends, as you see the weakening of Christian faith in society your own faith must become even more firm and sure. You are the generation the Lord has saved for this day," he said.

As our world becomes more evil, and Satan becomes more sinister and deceptive, I hope we can all remain strong in our values, and stand up for our beliefs, and defend truth.

That’s my two cents.

Honor Code

2011-03-04T12:09:00.000-08:00

BYU’s basketball team is ranked third in the nation. They were on track to become a number one seed in the NCAA tournament. But unfortunately, one of their students who happens to be a star player on the basketball team was suspended for the rest of the season because of an honor code violation. As result, the basketball team lost to an unranked New Mexico team on Wednesday. I personally think it had more to do with the mental stress of losing their friend/teammate and all of the national attention that has been brought to the team because of the mistake of one young man.

I am purposely not mentioning the young man’s name. Because I think his name has been dragged through the mud enough. But I applaud him for owning up to his mistake and admitting to his wrongdoing. From what I’ve read, he seems remorseful, and will hopefully be able to get through this hard time and go through the necessary steps to stay at BYU and be on the basketball team again next year.

BYU did not disclose what this young man’s honor code violation was. But of course, certain “sources” disclosed to the media, specifically the Salt Lake Tribune, what the specifics were and it’s been dragged through the media circuit.

I understand people’s curiosity. And the fact that most people in this country see nothing wrong with what this young man did to violate the honor code. For this young man’s sake, I wish the details of his transgression had not been disclosed. I’m sure he’s suffering enough without having the national media jump all over this story.

I do find it refreshing that most of the news articles I have read have applauded BYU for sticking to their values, even though it will likely cost the university a lot of money.

Even though most of the people writing the articles are not LDS, and would personally not abide by BYU’s honor code, most agree that BYU is correct in treating this athlete as they would any other student who violates the honor code.

I did not attend BYU. But I am a Mormon. And I fully understand the honor code that every student must sign at the beginning of each year of their schooling at BYU. Everybody makes mistakes and unfortunately for this young man on the basketball team, this particular mistake couldn’t have occurred at a worse time. Not only for the school, and the basketball team, but for him.

For every choice there is a consequence. Our choices not only affect us, but many people. In this case, it has drawn national attention. BYU will most likely not fare as well in the NCAA tournament as they would have before the honor code violation suspension. Not because they lost a star player but because of the media circus and mental distraction to the remaining players on the BYU basketball team.

But, in the end, basketball is just a game. BYU’s integrity and consistency in upholding the honor code is more important than money or the fame and glory of doing well in a basketball tournament. Although it may appear that BYU is treating this young man unfairly, he knew what was expected of him when he signed the honor code to attend BYU. And it would be detrimental to him, if he did not have to pay the consequence of his mistake. Hopefully he will learn from this experience and become a better person.

That’s my two cents.

Relief Society Lesson -- The Transforming Power of Faith and Character

2011-02-27T15:23:00.000-08:00

The Transforming Power of Faith and Character
Elder Richard G. Scott of the quorum of the 12 apostles
October 2010 General Conference

When faith is properly understood and used, it has dramatically far-reaching effects.

Faith and character are intimately related.

We become what we want to be by consistently being what we want to become each day.

Righteous character is more valuable than any material object you own, any knowledge you have gained through study, or any goals you have attained...

Strong moral character results from consistent correct choices in the trials and testing of life.

What are some of the empowering principles upon which faith is based?
• Trust in God and in His willingness to provide help when needed, no matter how challenging the circumstance.
• Obedience to His commandments and a life that demonstrates that He can trust you.
• Sensitivity to the quiet promptings of the Holy Spirit.
• Courageous implementation of that prompting.
• Patience and understanding when God lets you struggle to grow and when answers come a piece at a time over an extended period.

Be thankful that sometimes God lets you struggle for a long time before that answer comes. That causes your faith to increase and your character to grow.

The bedrock of character is integrity.

Your happiness on earth as well as your eternal salvation require many correct decisions, none of which is difficult to make.

A consistent, righteous life produces an inner power and strength that can be permanently resistant to the eroding influence of sin and transgression.

Your faith in Jesus Christ and obedience to His commandments will strengthen your character.

You cannot be passive in life, or in time the natural man will undermine your efforts to live worthily. You become what you do and what you think about.

This mortal life is a proving ground.

Humility is the precious fertile soil of righteous character.

Four principles that when they are applied with diligence and consistency, produce strength of character, increasing ability to convert the challenges of life into stepping-stones of happiness now and forever. They are:

• Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and His program to acquire the power to achieve.
• Repentance to rectify the consequences of mistakes of omission or commission.
• Obedience to the commandments of the Lord to provide strength and direction in our lives.
• Selfless service to enrich the lives of others.

Life may seem difficult now, but hold on tightly to that iron rod of truth. You are making better progress than you realize.
*End of quotes from Elder Scott*

I like to use analogies when I teach. The analogy I thought of for my lesson today is as follows:

Think of your body and your spirit separately. Ask the class what is necessary to keep the body alive and thriving. Mention that most of us are very good at feeding/nourishing our bodies. Most of us haven’t gone more than 24 hours without food or drink. In fact, most of us feed our bodies three times a day, if not more including snacks. Ask the class what feeds or nourishes our spirits.

Answers included things like reading our Scriptures, going to church, saying our prayers, etc. then asked the class, “do we feed our spirits as often as we feed our bodies?” Using the reading of scriptures as example. Do we read our Scriptures daily? Or several times a day? How long have we gone without reading our Scriptures. I would venture to guess that most of us have gone long periods of time; weeks or months, without reading our Scriptures.

The next example I used was comparing poisons of the body with poisons of the Spirit. I mentioned two types of poison to our bodies. The first, ethylene glycol, has a sweet taste. And therefore might not be recognized as a poison. Whereas most poisons taste bad or smell bad and therefore are easily avoided. The second type of poison I mentioned was poison mushrooms. While they may appear nourishing, and are not easily distinguished from edible mushrooms, they are deadly. I told the story I learned in medical school of a family who liked to eat wild mushrooms. They went into the woods and picked some wild mushrooms. Put them in their spaghetti and ate them. The entire family started becoming quite ill, went to the emergency room, and unfortunately they all died.

None of us would deliberately ingest poisons. But sometimes they appear desirable. This is how Satan tempts us. He makes things look desirable, when actually they are poisonous to our spirits. Ask the class to name things that are poisonous to our spirits. Answers may include: watching movies or television laced with profanity, violence, sex, etc., not obeying the word of wisdom, lying, fornication, adultery, pornography, and so forth.

Tell the class that it would be absurd for us to say that just a little bit of that poison mushroom won’t hurt us. And slice little bit off and eat it. Or put a few drops of antifreeze on our food. But, how often do we poison our spirits with bad movies or music, etc.?

Not doing things that feed our spirits (sins of omission) and doing things that poison our spirits (sins of commission) are both detrimental and will make ill or kill our spirits. Just like not feeding or poisoning our bodies will make us very sick or kill our bodies.

Even at Church

2011-02-13T14:43:00.000-08:00

I did a blog post a while ago about people parking in handicapped loading zones. Well, today after church was over, there was a vehicle parked in the wheelchair loading zone right next to our van.

Unbelievable! Don't people realize that when a van is parked in a handicapped parking space that perhaps there might be wheelchair that needs to load in the loading zone?

I think there are about five or six handicapped parking spaces at our chapel. Even with both wards there at the same time, I doubt there are that many wheelchairs, who need to use the loading zone.

I find it to be extremely rude and selfish for someone, especially a member of the Church, to park in the loading zone between two handicapped parking spaces.

When our ward is on the later schedule we usually end up parking in the street because all of the handicapped parking spaces are taken. Why can’t the person who parked in my loading zone do the same thing?

Because that vehicle parked in the loading zone there was no way for me to get down the ramp (the car parked right in front of it). And there definitely wasn’t room to load. So, Dad had to back up and move the van to the curb where I could load.

I know the vehicle that parked in the loading zone was not carrying a passenger in a wheelchair. There’s no way that a wheelchair could have loaded or unloaded. Because they parked in a loading zone, it was very tight between vehicles.

The loading zones between handicapped parking spaces are there for a reason. To make loading and unloading wheelchair passengers possible. I get irked enough when people park in handicapped parking spaces who are not wheelchair-bound, and jump out and walk or run in to the building. But, to park in a wheelchair loading zone right next to a van, which most likely carries a wheelchair passenger, is inexcusable. Especially at Church.

That’s my two cents.

At Home Mom

2011-02-11T17:42:00.000-08:00

A week or two ago I received a nice comment on a blog post I published over a year ago. It was the talk by Ezra Taft Benson entitled, “To Mothers in Zion”. The comment was presumably from a young mother thanking me for publishing that talk.

Since then, I have received several hits from Facebook on that particular blog post. I’m assuming, that someone put a link to my blog from their Facebook account.

Anyway, I think that’s pretty cool. I’m glad that people are reading the words of the prophet on my blog.

I was thinking about this particular subject today. So I thought I would do another post regarding this topic. I found a good talk from the Ensign. I was going to only publish the few quotes but I decided to publish the whole thing because I think the stories are quite relevant still today. The talk was published in 1989. I will put my two cents in after you read the talk.

Mom—at Home By Derin Head Rodriguez
Derin Head Rodriguez, "Mom—at Home", Ensign, Oct. 1989, 13

The transition from career woman to stay-at-home mother often requires a leap of faith.

President Ezra Taft Benson has reminded us that the Lord’s way to rear our children is “different from the world’s way. … In the beginning, Adam—not Eve—was instructed to earn the bread by the sweat of his brow. Contrary to conventional wisdom, a mother’s calling is in the home, not in the marketplace.” (To the Mothers in Zion, pamphlet, Salt Lake City: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1987, p. 5.)

He is not the first prophet to urge mothers to stay at home; for years, others have stressed the importance of a mother’s influence—an influence too vital to be left to others.

President David O. McKay promised, “She who rears successfully a family of healthy, beautiful sons and daughters, whose influence will be felt through generations to come, … deserves the highest honor that man can give, and the choicest blessings of God.” (Gospel Ideals, Salt Lake City: Improvement Era, 1953, pp. 453–54.)

On numerous occasions, President Spencer W. Kimball urged mothers to “come home … to your children, born and unborn. Wrap the motherly cloak about you and, unembarrassed, help in a major role to create the bodies for the immortal souls who anxiously wait.

“When you have fully complemented your husband in home life and borne the children, growing up full of faith, integrity, responsibility, and goodness, then you have achieved your accomplishment supreme, without peer, and you will be the envy of all through time and eternity.” (The Teachings of Spencer W. Kimball, ed. Edward L. Kimball, Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1982, p. 327; italics added.)

Of course, some mothers with children at home must work outside the home as a matter of necessity. Such need our understanding and help and appreciation for all that they do in behalf of their families.

Following are several accounts of mothers who did have a choice to be at home—and how they made the decision to be with their children.

Lynette: “Quality Time” for Her Children
Those who know Lynette, a 35-year-old mother of three, considered her a “career woman” whose job as an office manager for a large real estate company was very important to her. Whenever the topic of working mothers would arise, she spoke up defensively, citing her need for intellectual stimulation, association with other educated adults, and the daily reassurance and satisfaction of a job well done.

Besides, she would add, her two boys loved their sitter—she’d had the same one since her first son had been born—and Lynette always made sure she gave her sons “quality time.” Told in her late teens that because of a physical condition she would never be able to have children, Lynette planned to have a career instead. But when marriage and children came, her job was a big part of her life—a part she didn’t want to give up.

“The night Mark told me it had always been one of his goals for me to quit working and be home full-time, I was furious,” recalls Lynette.” ‘Fine,’ I yelled, ‘but what about my goals?’”

But gradually she began to change her mind. Although eight-year-old Greg was behind in his reading, she had little time to help him; TV and the sitter were bigger influences in her children’s lives than she was; and trying to keep up with everybody’s schedules made their lives hectic. “I didn’t feel we really had a home—it was more like a launching pad where Mark, the kids, and I stopped off on the way to somewhere else,” Lynette says.

Still, the decision to quit her job was one of the most difficult she had ever made. Lynette had developed close personal relationships with her colleagues at work, and the many job “perks” she had were hard to give up. Financial matters were also a worry. Mark owned his own business, and his income was erratic.

In spite of her misgivings, Lynette was surprised how easy the adjustment to being at home full-time was. “There is a feeling of absolute relief—in being there for my family and away from the stress, competition, and traffic. I do miss getting dressed up, going out to lunch, and being good at my job, but I don’t miss them enough to go back. Now we have a more organized home.

“Before, I would cry every time I’d hear a Church leader say I should be home with my children. On February 22, 1987, when President Ezra Taft Benson spoke at a fireside for parents and told mothers to stay home, I felt so guilty and miserable that all I could do was cry.

“‘He doesn’t understand,’ I thought. ‘Things were different when he raised his children.’

“But when I stayed home, I found out that he does know. I used to feel I was making my kids independent, but now I am making them feel loved. Five-year-old Jared will stop his play and holler through the door, ‘Mom, I love you.’ ‘I love you, too, Jared,’ I respond, and he’ll be off again. When the kids are sick, I can be with them. Greg tested it a few times when he called from school to see if I would really come and take him home. Now he knows I’m here whenever he needs me.

“The ‘quality time’ I thought my children were getting was just a rationalization to make me feel better. Kids don’t care about ‘quality time’ as much as they do about having a lot of it. My relationship with Mark has also improved. I’m a nicer person and more of a calming influence; I have greater peace of mind.”

Similar convictions are echoed by many families in vastly differing circumstances. A mother’s choice to quit a job is difficult at best. Often the decision to work has been prompted by many motivations—financial necessity, emotional fulfillment, intellectual stimulation, the desire to provide advantages and opportunities for her family, and the need to help others. Fathers as well as mothers become torn between conflicting forces.

But for many, the time often comes when, whatever the reasons for continued employment, the reasons for Mom to be home become even more compelling for the well-being of family members—including Mom.

Debbie: Overextended?
If the transition between employment and full-time motherhood comes easy for some, for others it is painfully difficult. Debbie, thirty-two, was working full-time as a teacher specialist and serving in a Relief Society presidency when she decided to go back to school and get a master’s degree. She had always placed a high value on education and felt that a graduate degree would further her career goals.

“It was just craziness,” she admits. “Every minute was so full. I remember sitting on the edge of the tub bathing the kids with one hand and studying from a book held in the other.”

When health problems forced Debbie to slow down, she had the opportunity to evaluate her priorities. “Is this madness—spending the rest of my life like this?” she asked herself. “Enough already,” she and Bruce decided. The family needed someone to “keep the home fires burning,” and that someone would be Debbie.

So with great reluctance, Debbie, now pregnant, withdrew from the graduate program and quit her job.

“It was a real leap of faith for me,” she confesses. “I sure didn’t want to do it, but I felt it was the right thing for us.”

Debbie’s adjustment to being at home full-time was difficult. “Every morning for months I watched Bruce drive away for work, and then I cried with unhappiness and frustration,” she recalls. The role of stay-at-home mother was totally foreign to her. But she had always told the new schoolteachers she trained to give themselves a year to feel comfortable with the job; she decided to give herself that same year. Immersing herself in her new job, Debbie talked to women whose homemaking skills she admired, took related classes, and read books on the subject. Gradually things began to change.

Bruce’s support was invaluable during Debbie’s transition. One day baby Julia was sick and Debbie spent the whole day rocking her. When Bruce came home he found a frustrated wife and mother because of so much left undone. “He pointed out that that’s why I decided to stay home, to nurture our children,” says Debbie. “‘How would you feel if Julia had cried all day because you’d cleaned the house?’ he asked me. He really helped me put things in perspective.”

Although the family’s income was cut substantially when Debbie quit work, they have not noticed a major difference in their standard of living. With extra expenses—such as day care at $250 a month per child, a working wardrobe, lunches out, transportation, and fast-food dinners—dropped from the budget, the monthly income stretches further than they thought it would.

Debbie realizes she has had to make changes for her future. “It is unrealistic to expect to stay home for several years and then move right back onto the career fast-track. Many of those opportunities are gone,” she admits honestly. “But other opportunities will come. I will have plenty of years after my children are grown to do some of those things.”

Peggy: Finances and Faith
For many, financial matters are the real concern. Although Peggy and Cody knew their family income would be cut by more than half without Peggy’s paycheck, it was an easy decision for her to quit and stay at home with their three children, ages three, eight, and eleven. Peggy, thirty-four, had begun working as a secretary a year and a half before, when Cody had gone back to school.

“We felt going to work was the right decision at the time, even though it was hard on our family,” Peggy explained. During the summer they didn’t want to leave the children alone all day, but they couldn’t afford a sitter. So on Monday mornings Peggy took the children to her mother’s house about fifty miles away and often wouldn’t see them until she picked them up on Friday evening. Though it seemed the only solution, the separations caused a severe strain on parents and children.

When Cody finished school and found a job, although not as lucrative as they had hoped, Peggy knew the time had come for her to quit. What had already been a tight budget was cut drastically. “We didn’t know how we would make it, but we knew somehow things would work out.”

Once before when Cody was between jobs, they had been faced with a choice of paying their tithing or their bills. They knew that obedience to Heavenly Father’s commandment would take all the funds they had, but Peggy wrote out the check with trembling fingers, and the balance in the checkbook stood near zero. “Heavenly Father,” Peggy prayed, “you have told us that if we pay these obligations, you will take care of us. That’s what we’ve done, and the rest is up to you.”

Two days later, the family received a check that they had expected to be less than $10; the amount was $270. It was enough to carry them through until regular paychecks started coming in again.

Having relied on the Lord before, Peggy and Cody are willing to do so again. But to them, leaving their temporal welfare in the Lord’s hands doesn’t mean sitting on their own. Peggy has started babysitting and teaching piano lessons, and the family has taken on an early-morning paper route.

“We don’t have money for music lessons, Little League, soccer, and other interests such as horses and travel. We have had to sacrifice,” Peggy admits. “But we have gained so much more than we have lost.” The conviction in her voice underscores her quiet words. “We had such a difficult time before, and we felt like the windows of heaven were closed to us. Now they have been opened, and the blessings are pouring through.”

Although giving up a second income may seem almost impossible, those with an eye on the eternal perspective fond that the extra paycheck sometimes can cost more than it’s worth. It is a decision that must be faced uniquely and prayerfully by each family. While one cannot model his course of action on someone else’s solution, neither can one judge what is right or wrong for anyone else.

Eileen: Should I Return to Work?
“President Benson’s counsel to ‘be at the crossroads when your children are either coming or going’ (To the Mothers in Zion, p. 5.) is especially important to me,” Eileen says. “When you send teenagers off in the morning, you never know how they’ll come home. You have to be there for them.”

When Eileen married Mike nine years ago, she had three children from a previous marriage. Although Mike was willing to support her children, Eileen felt it was asking too much of him, so she resigned herself to working outside the home. Besides, the independence and earning power she had enjoyed while she was single were hard to let go of completely. But four years later, when Eric was born, Eileen was ready to stay home.

After a few years, the financial pressures became almost unbearable, and Eileen and Mike decided that perhaps the time had come for Eileen to return to work. She found a position that seemed perfect for her and went for an interview, then was called back for another. Finally, at her third interview on a Friday afternoon, she felt the job was practically hers and was told she would be notified the following Monday.

On Sunday, Eileen and Mike heard President Benson’s fireside address urging mothers to stay at home. They listened with tears in their eyes, and it seemed that the prophet of the Lord was speaking just to them.

When the job offer came the next morning, turning it down was one of the hardest things Eileen ever did. But as she and Mike prayed together, the peace that engulfed them testified that they had made the right decision. Somehow, things would work out.

“I still get out that talk and read it periodically just for the affirmation that always comes,” says Eileen. When their oldest daughter started college, Eileen began working one day a week as a legal secretary to help meet added expenses, but she staunchly resists the temptation to increase those away-from-home hours.

“I explained to my employer that I couldn’t work more because I would miss too much ‘love time’ with my five-year-old. I described the half hour reserved for us every morning to just cuddle and be close. Now I know that sometime almost every day each of the older kids will need some ‘love time,’ too. Even my college freshman says, ‘Mom, when I’m home, I really need you to be there, too.’”

Giving up employment for full-time motherhood at home doesn’t preclude getting involved in other activities. In fact, it often frees a few hours here or there for a mother to spend in church work, community service, political causes, educational pursuits, or other interests or hobbies. Also, many women have income-producing activities—whether out of necessity or desire—that they can pursue at home or that take them away for only a limited number of hours.

Diana: No to “Parenting by Committee”
“I used to long to be out in the world working with adults, using my brains and my education,” says Diana, a 34-year-old mother of five. “But one day I realized the flip side of that argument—does that mean that only someone without any brains or education is suited to rearing a family? That wasn’t the kind of person I wanted to raise my children. I wanted them to have the smartest, most educated, most spiritual person I could find. That realization became an incentive for me. I stopped feeling that my skills were being wasted at home and started to make myself worthy of this important calling.

“Besides, I didn’t want my children to be raised by a committee of sitters, teachers, relatives, older siblings, and parents. Sure, I need help occasionally, but I wanted to be the principal player here.”

Making major life-style changes is not easy. The leap of faith required to alter established routines and familiar patterns is scary and uncertain. We rush about, frantically striving to purchase what cannot be bought from the many who claim to have it to sell—ignoring the Lord’s formula for eternal peace and joy.

But he has promised that he will not abandon us to make these choices alone and that the rewards will follow a display of our faith.

One afternoon Debbie, the former teacher specialist, was returning from a swimming outing with her children. She realized that if she were still working she would just be getting off work. Then she would have to stop at the grocery store, pick up the kids at the sitter, rush home and fix dinner, clean up the dishes, do the laundry, and try to finish some of the work she’d brought home. “I could feel my stress level rising just thinking about it,” she states.

As she glanced at the sunburned children asleep in the backseat of the car and remembered the day’s fun, a peaceful, contented feeling came over her. She realized—much to her own surprise—“This is the best job I’ve ever had.”

Official Web site of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
© 2011 Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All Rights Reserved
[end of talk ]

Working outside the home is a lot easier, in my opinion, than raising children. Therefore, it's not surprising that some women would rather work outside the home than stay home and raise their children.

Not only that but, some men, ask or tell their wives to get a job outside the home to supplement or enhance their income so they can afford the finer things in life. Which, most of them rationalize as necessities. Really, the only necessities of life are food, shelter, clothing, and love.

Satellite or cable TV, name brands, soccer, football, piano lessons, and even a car are considered luxuries. Now I know, in today's society reality is skewed.

And, of course, there are always exceptions to the rule. Such as a single mother who is the only means of support for children.

But, if there is a father who is employed, there is no need for a mother to work outside the home.

Now you might argue, the father's income does not sufficiently provide for the needs of the family. If that's the case, then perhaps he should get a better job or a second or third job. The mother should not be working while the father stays at home with the kids. This is not the Lord's design.

It is a mother's job to nurture the children. And it is the father's job to provide for the family. If you don't believe me, go read the family proclamation. It's posted on my blog.

It may be necessary for the mother to temporarily support the family while the father is furthering his education, so that he may attain a job where he may be able to better provide for the family. I know when I was in medical school quite a few of the wives of my fellow classmates worked to support their husbands in medical school. But again, this was a temporary situation. Designed to improve the father's education/skills so that he could be a better provider.

I just feel like a lot of people rationalize away the prophets counsel for mothers to stay home and raise their children and not work outside the home.

I feel that if a man asks his wife to work outside the home while he stays home with the children, then he’s not honoring his priesthood.

That's my two cents.

I Looked out the Window and What Did I See?

2011-02-08T13:43:00.000-08:00

Should I Have Gone into Marketing?

2011-02-05T17:43:00.000-08:00

Best Self Storage has been taken over by a national chain, and is now Extra Space Storage. Our family is mourning the loss of BSS. It was a family run business for about eight years. It was my home for four years. Our family, especially my parents, put a lot of blood, sweat, and tears into building and running BSS. When we moved to our new house three years ago, my brother took over and moved his family into the apartment above the office. I have many cherished memories of sitting in the office with my brother, mom, and dad.

Anyway, it’s time to start a new chapter in our books of life. A chapter which, sadly, does not include BSS. There will be no more Best Self Storage track and field team. No more stories about tenants and their antics. No more 2 AM calls from Mountain alarm. No more fire trucks rolling because of some dust in a smoke detector. No more over locks, ballast replacement, bioswale, etc.

In the process of changing hands. The ESS people were getting rid of everything BSS. They replaced the cute squirrel rug with a plain black rug. Juliet actually found the rug rolled up in the dumpster.

The pass along cards were immediately removed from the desk which was their home for many years. Anyway, there were some signs that I had made up back when we were still living at BSS. I had forgotten how cool they were :-). Thankfully, somebody recovered them before ESS threw them in the dumpster.

Perhaps I missed my calling in life. You be the judge.

To drum up business, I had the idea to have someone dress up in a gorilla suit and dance around while holding these signs:

RIP BSS.

That's my two cents.

Money-Saving Tip of the Day

2011-02-03T10:43:00.000-08:00

The other day my mom was putting a load of dishes into the dishwasher. We had run out of Jet dry, which, as we found out, is required for proper use of our dishwasher. If you don't use it, the dishes won't dry. We thought we had a faulty dishwasher but it turns out that newfangled dishwashers require jet dry to function properly.

Anyway, I remember reading somewhere that you can use plain white vinegar instead of jet dry. So I told my mom to try it. As it turns out, it works just as well or better than jet dry! And it is much less expensive.

The dishes come out sparkling clean and dry. You just pour the vinegar into the compartment where you would pour the jet dry, using the same amount. So, if any of you are wasting your hard-earned dollars purchasing jet dry, just go buy a gallon of plain white vinegar and save your money.

We all know that vinegar is a weak acid. And, as far as I'm aware, the ingredients in jet dry are also weak acids. Therefore, why waste your money on jet dry when you can get the same ingredient for much less money?

I wanted to do a price comparison but I don't have any hard numbers. I did look up the price of jet dry online, it was $4.59 for 8 1/2 ounces. That's a little over $.50 per ounce. A gallon of white vinegar is probably no more than $2-$3. At 128 ounces per gallon you are looking at about two cents per ounce. So in my rough estimation the cost of jet dry is 25 times the cost of white vinegar.

I don't know how much jet dry you use per load but for arguments sake lets say 1 ounce. It will make the math easier for me to do in my head :-) Now let's say you did five loads a week. Using jet dry that would cost $2.50 per week. Using white vinegar the cost is $.10 per week. That's a savings of $2.40 per week. Or about $125 per year.

Granted, my figures might be off quite a bit but the point is over time, the savings is significant.

That's my two cents.

Make Your Own Pan Pizza / Edited Karate Kid Party

2011-01-30T16:43:00.000-08:00

Yesterday we had a family get-together. We each made our own individual Pizza Hut pan pizzas. Then we had a viewing of the edited version of the old school Karate Kid from the 80s. The kids had fun trying to copy the karate moves from the movie. And I think everybody enjoyed the delicious pizza.

For those of you who are fans of Pizza Hut Pan pizza, I will include the recipe. I did alter the recipe for bread machine use. But all the ingredients are the same. If you don’t have a bread machine, just make it the same as you would make yeast bread.

This pizza tastes exactly like Pizza Hut. And I must admit, it is the best pizza I have ever tasted. My niece took a few pictures which I will include. Although, I don’t have a good picture of the finished product. If you like Pizza Hut Pan pizza, you must try this recipe!

I guess next we will have to have another make your own pan pizza party and watch the edited version of Karate Kid 2.

Enjoy the pizza!

Pizza Hut Original Pan Pizza
Serves/Makes: 8

Dough Ingredients:
2 cups Warm water (105F)
3/8 cup Non-fat dry milk
3/4 teaspoon Salt
1 ½ Tablespoon Sugar
3 Tablespoons Vegetable oil
6 cups Flour
1 Tablespoon +½ teaspoon yeast (1 heaping Tablespoon)

Directions:
Place ingredients in order given in bread machine. Run dough cycle.(may not be necessary to let rise once dough is kneaded)

1. Divide dough into 8 balls.
2. In eight 8" cake pans, put ¼ cup of vegetable oil in each making sure it is spread evenly.
3. Using a rolling pin, roll out each dough ball to about an 8" circle.
4. Place in cake pans.
5. Spray the outer edge of dough with butter flavored Pam. (We usually omit this step and it turns out fine)
6. Cover. (Usually omit this step also :-))
7. Place in warm area and allow to rise for 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Until doubled in size.

***Sauce: ***
3 (8 Ounce) Cans Tomato Sauce
1 Tablespoon Dry Oregano
1 ½ teaspoons Marjoram
1 ½ teaspoons Dry Basil
1 ½ teaspoons Garlic salt
(makes enough sauce for a double recipe of dough)

number 10 can tomato sauce recipe
1 #10 can Tomato Sauce
4 Tablespoons Dried Oregano
2 Tablespoons Marjoram
2 Tablespoons Dried Basil
2 Tablespoons garlic salt
(makes enough sauce for 8 recipes of dough)

Sauce Directions: Combine ingredients and let sit for 1 hour. Any remaining sauce may be frozen for future use.

For Each 8 Inch Pizza:
1. Preheat oven to 475°F
2. Spoon ¼ cup sauce on dough and spread to within 1" of edge.
3. Distribute 1 Oz. shredded mozzarella cheese on sauce.
4. Place toppings of your choice in this order: Pepperoni or Ham, Vegetables, Meats (cooked ground sausage or beef)
5. Top with 2 Oz. mozzarella cheese
6. Cook until cheese is bubbling and outer crust is brown.

*Pizza Hut super supreme pizza toppings include: pepperoni, ham, mushrooms, olives, green pepper, red onion, sausage, beef. We also like to add fresh tomato.

Pizza Hut Breadsticks Topping
2 tablespoons dry parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon garlic salt
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 tablespoon oregano
1/4 cup olive oil

Directions: Brush olive oil on dough that has been formed and placed in pizza pan and risen. Sprinkle on spices and Parmesan cheese. Bake as pizza until golden brown. Cut in strips with pizza cutter. Use any leftover pizza sauce for dipping. Enjoy.

The Domino Effect

2011-01-28T14:53:00.000-08:00

Just a thought I had today. I find it interesting how one small decision made by somebody remotely can trigger a domino effect which affects so many people.

All of my siblings are, or potentially will be, affected negatively by a decision made by somebody far away who, I believe, none of us has ever met.

As I contemplate the situation, I can’t help but think about how much our choices or decisions affect others. And not only the obvious, but also people we may not ever know or realize we affected. Or how we affected them.

The domino effect. It can be either positive, such as missionary work, or being a good example. We’ve all heard stories about people joining the Church because of one person. And because of that one person’s conversion many more people are brought into the Church. The domino effect. Or, it can be negative.

I’m sure the person/people making this decision that is affecting my family, has/have no idea how many people and families are being influenced. And not in a good way. But, that’s part of life. We are all affected by others and their choices. Whether we like it or not.

I believe it was Sheri Dew, or someone she quoted, who said that our influence on others is far greater than we realize.

Let’s all strive to make good choices and decisions and be a positive influence on others.

That’s my two cents.

Relief Society Lesson - Reflections on a Consecrated Life

2011-01-23T13:25:00.000-08:00

These are just the visual aids I used in my lesson today. I am not including all of the quotes I used, or Scriptures. I guess I'm just feeling lazy and don't want to go retrieve them and paste them on here. But this will give you an idea of what my lesson was about.

Reflections on a Consecrated Life
Elder D. Todd Christofferson
October 2010 General Conference

Our life on earth is a stewardship of time and choices granted by our Creator.

To consecrate is to set apart or dedicate something as sacred, devoted to holy purposes.

True success in this life comes in consecrating our lives—that is, our time and choices—to God’s purposes.

Five of the elements of a consecrated life:
1. Purity
2. Work
3. Respect for one’s physical body
4. Service
5. Integrity

1. Purity
Consecration therefore means repentance. Stubbornness, rebellion, and rationalization must be abandoned, and in their place submission, a desire for correction, and acceptance of all that the Lord may require.

2. Work
God has designed this mortal existence to require nearly constant exertion.

Work builds and refines character, creates beauty, and is the instrument of our service to one another and to God.

3. Respect for one’s physical body
“We would certainly not deface our body, as with tattoos; or debilitate it, as with drugs; or defile it, as with fornication, adultery, or immodesty.” -Thomas S. Monson

As our body is the instrument of our spirit, it is vital that we care for it as best we can.

4. Service
Those who quietly and thoughtfully go about doing good offer a model of consecration.

5. Integrity
Integrity is not naiveté. What is naive is to suppose that we are not accountable to God.

Cursed Elk

2011-01-18T15:57:00.000-08:00

We have a heard of elk who like to jump our fence on a regular basis. And usually in the same spots. Dad is always telling us about the caps on the fence posts that they routinely knockoff.

It is obvious where they routinely jump the fence because their muddy bellies leave the rails splattered with dirt. Dad has had to repair the fence several times. And the fence is not even complete yet.

Anyway, yesterday he repaired a broken rail. The elk must have eaten a few too many holiday goodies, because they didn't quite clear the fence. Here are the pictures that Dad took of the rail he repaired.

Cursed elk.

Random thoughts on this Sabbath

2011-01-16T16:33:00.000-08:00

Today I had some random thoughts that I thought I would share.

First of all, this morning while I was getting ready, Mom and I watched a talk on BYU TV by Terry Ball. I found it quite interesting and insightful. Believe it or not I took a whole course in institute on Isaiah. I don’t remember much, sadly. But the talk this morning was all about Isaiah and I learned quite a bit.

One thing I found interesting is how Isaiah distinguishes the mortal Messiah from the millennial Messiah. In speaking of the mortal Messiah, Isaiah speaks of a tender plant.

Isaiah 53:2
2 For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him.

The Savior’s first coming was not in power and glory as His second coming will be. But, He was born in humble circumstances. He was raised by mortal parents. Many people did not believe Him. Yet He was the Messiah, the Savior of the world. I liked Isaiah’s analogy using a tender plant when referring to the mortal Messiah. Yet when speaking of the millennial Messiah, Isaiah speaks of reining in righteousness and all people will know who He is. The second coming of the Savior will be much different than the first.

Another interesting reference from Isaiah is from Chapter 33. Brother Ball in referring to verse 15 mentions the phrase, “stoppeth his ears from hearing of blood” and “shutteth his eyes from seeing evil”. I have included versus 14 through 17 for completion.

Isaiah 33:14-17
14 The sinners in Zion are afraid; fearfulness hath surprised the hypocrites. Who among us shall dwell with the devouring fire? who among us shall dwell with everlasting burnings?

15 He that walketh righteously, and speaketh uprightly; he that despiseth the gain of oppressions, that shaketh his hands from holding of bribes, that stoppeth his ears from hearing of blood, and shutteth his eyes from seeing evil;

16 He shall dwell on high: his place of defence shall be the munitions of rocks: bread shall be given him; his waters shall be sure.

17 Thine eyes shall see the king in his beauty: they shall behold the land that is very far off.

So what do these two phrases that Isaiah uses mean? Brother Ball suggests that Isaiah is referring to violence and more specifically our desire for or even acceptance of or tolerance of violence and other evil practices portrayed as entertainment.

Brother Ball mentioned that perhaps Isaiah saw Temple recommend holding members of the Church standing in line at the movie theater waiting to see violent and/or otherwise evil practices.

I think this is a big problem within the Church. For some reason, members of the Church still flock to the movie theaters and/or video rental stores and watch movies that we’ve been counseled numerous times to avoid. I’ve already done a blog post about this subject but let me reiterate that if a movie is not conducive to the spirit and is “good except for…” then we should not be wasting our time watching it. Not only is it idling our time away, but it drives the spirit away and desensitizes our own spirits. If “bad parts” of movies don’t bother you, then you need to change your behaviors because they should bother you.

On another note, in Sunday school today we jumped ahead one week because we had a substitute and the teacher had already prepared lesson three so she asked the substitute to teach lesson four. Anyway, the subject came up about Facebook. Now, those of you who know me, know what I think about Facebook. This probably isn’t an appropriate subject to discuss in gospel doctrine, but nonetheless, it was discussed.

The teacher said that she thinks Facebook is a tool of the devil. And I have to agree wholeheartedly. We did have some Facebook freaks pipe up and defend Facebook and say they use it for posting Mormon messages etc. But anyway, the teacher’s point was that even if you are a stellar member of the church, Facebook, at best, is idling your time away.

She mentioned one of her nieces or someone she knew who is the mother of three young children. Her Facebook page said “so-and-so needs three sheep” or whatever it says when you play those time wasting Farm games. And the Sunday school teacher thought to herself, “no, so-and-so needs to feed her three kids lunch”.

I understand that Facebook can be a good way to keep in touch/get in touch with friends and relatives but far too many people spend way too much time idling their life away, or worse. Many families have been broken up because of Facebook.

My last random thought of the day is how grateful I am to have the gospel. There are so many people in the world who have no purpose to their life.

I was talking with my brother about his gig the other day. He mentioned that the same people were there in the casino that were there last time he was there playing a gig with his band. It’s really quite sad that people have nothing better to do with their lives than to go to casinos every weekend.

Even before I talked with my brother I was thinking about some of my relatives who are not members of the church. Their whole lives revolve around sports and other useless selfish endeavors. Now, don’t get me wrong, I like sports but, my life doesn’t revolve around sports. Once in while it is good to have a recreational outlet. We all need to relax and relieve stress once in a while. But, to have that be the focus of your life, is just plain sad. I know there are people whose self-worth and self identity are tied to and determined by whether “their team” wins or loses. That’s pretty pathetic.

But, most of these people don’t have the gospel, and therefore have no real purpose to their life. Their lives are focused on self gratification. I know there are a lot of people who do much good in the world, whether members of the church, or not. There are a lot of people who give of themselves and help others. But, there are also a lot of people who selfishly idle their time away because they have no real purpose in life. It makes me sad.

It also makes me extremely grateful to have the gospel. I’m so thankful for my testimony of Jesus Christ. I’m grateful for the plan of salvation. I feel extremely lucky to be one of the very few people on earth who are members of the true Church of Jesus Christ. I’m so thankful for my knowledge and understanding of basic Gospel doctrines. I am truly blessed.

These are just a few of my thoughts on this Sabbath Day.

That’s my two cents.

Apostles Emphasize Education

2011-01-15T14:43:00.000-08:00

Those of you who know me, know that, like Grandma Sabin, I highly value education. As you know, I spent the majority of my life receiving formal education.

Because of recent family events, education has been on my mind the past couple of days. Today, I was perusing LDS.org and Dragon inadvertently clicked on something and took me to a page entitled “Apostles Emphasize Value of Education” I decided to post the text on my blog.

It's a good reminder of what we've always been taught in the Church. If you want to go to the original article you can click on the title or link in my blog post. There are also some links to other articles about education in the article on LDS.org. Enjoy!

From LDS.org:
Apostles Emphasize Value of Education

The importance of education is a recurring theme both in the scriptures and in the teachings of latter-day prophets and apostles. Church members have repeatedly been counseled to obtain all the education they can and to prepare themselves to contribute wherever they are.

President Eyring

President Henry B. Eyring, First Counselor in the First Presidency, who spoke at services dedicating two buildings at Brigham Young University–Idaho on December 17, said that education, particularly gospel knowledge, doesn’t come all at once or without effort.

“We cannot see the future with precision, but we can know what the Lord intends to accomplish and what it will take [for] each of us to qualify personally to participate,” President Eyring said. Education is a subject he has often addressed, during his tenure as President of Ricks College (now BYU–Idaho), while serving as Church Commissioner of Higher Education, during his service as an Apostle, and as a Counselor in the First Presidency.

In a message published in the New Era magazine in April 2009, President Eyring said, “The Lord and His Church have always encouraged education to increase our ability to serve Him and our Heavenly Father’s chlidren. For each of us, whatever our talents, He has service for us to give. And to do it well always involves learning, not once or for a limited time, but continually.”

For this reason, he said in that same message, “true learning must have a powerful spiritual component. That spiritual element, when it is effective, refines and uplifts the aims of our total education. . . . Remember, you are interested in education, not just for mortal life but for eternal life. When you see that reality clearly, you will put spiritual learning first and yet not slight the secular learning. In fact, you will work harder at your secular learning than you would without that spiritual vision.”

He also cautioned that “your education must never stop. If it ends at the door of the classroom on graduation day, we will fail. And we will need the help of heaven to know which of the myriad things we could study we would most wisely learn. . . .

“The real life we’re preparing for is eternal life,” President Eyring said. “Secular knowledge has for us eternal significance. Our conviction is that God, our Heavenly Father, wants us to live the life that He does.”

Elder Nelson

Elder Russell M. Nelson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, who also participated in the dedicatory assembly, has stressed the importance of education many times in his ministry. For example, on January 26, 2010, at a BYU–Idaho devotional, he explained to students that obtaining an education is not just an opportunity, it’s also a religious responsibility.

“Your mind is precious! It is sacred,” he said at that time. “Therefore, the education of one’s mind is also sacred. Indeed, education is a religious responsibility. Of course, our opportunities and abilities will vary a great deal. But, in the pursuit of one’s education, individual desire is more important than is the institution you choose; personal drive is more significant than is the faculty.

“Our Creator expects His children everywhere to gain an education as a personal endeavor. He issued this commandment: “Seek ye diligently and teach one another words of wisdom; yea, seek ye out of the best books words of wisdom; seek learning, even by study and also by faith” (D&C 88:118; emphasis added). When you leave this frail existence, your material possessions will remain here, but the Lord has declared that the knowledge you acquire here will rise with you in the resurrection (see D&C 130:18–19). In light of this celestial perspective, if you impulsively drop out or otherwise cut short your education, you would not only disregard a divine decree but also abbreviate your own eternal potential.”

Elder Bednar

While he was serving as president of Ricks College before it became BYU–Idaho, Elder Bednar addressed audiences at one of the campus-sponsored education weeks. In that address given in 1999, he addressed the importance of parents teaching their children.

“Parents are not simply to teach their children,” Elder Bednar said. “Rather, they are to teach them to understand. And understanding is a gift from God.

“. . . Within a Christ-centered home, love, trust, and confidence invite the presence of the Holy Ghost. In such a home the Holy Ghost can teach children to understand. Ultimately, it is not parents who do the teaching. Certainly, parents must diligently and effectively explain basic gospel doctrines, teach true principles, and share sacred experiences. But who truly does the teaching and certifies the truthfulness of what we come to know? The Holy Ghost, the third member of the Godhead. He is the Comforter who knows all things. He is thereby able to search the minds and hearts of all of us and then tailor a blessing to us, according to our individual needs and circumstances. And it is teaching and certifying by the Spirit that produces understanding. Parents in Zion have the responsibility to establish and maintain that type of Christ-centered and spirit-filled home.”

Scriptures about Education

The scriptures contain many exhortations for the Lord’s people to educate themselves. Here are some to consider:
D&C 130:18–19: We will keep the knowledge we gain in this life when we go to the next life.
Proverbs 1:5: Those who are wise will seek learning.
D&C 88:118: We should seek learning by study and by faith.
D&C 90:15: We are to be familiar with good books, languages, and cultures.
© 2011 Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved

Sacrament Meeting Talk

2011-01-09T16:43:00.000-08:00

Today I had the privilege of speaking in Sacrament meeting. I was surprisingly not that nervous. I get more nervous teaching relief society. I guess it's because I had it all written down and just had to read it.

I was actually quite worried about the time and actually did go over five minutes :-(. I tried to read it pretty fast towards the end but I didn't really want to cut anything out, because I thought all of the quotes were excellent. In fact, there were many quotes that I wanted to use but just didn't have time. So I didn't include them in my talk. But I will add them at the end. You may notice that the footnotes are somewhat discombobulated. And some footnotes are listed which I didn't end up using but they are the quotes I will add at the end of this blog post.

Thanks to Michael for letting me borrow his boom stand and for lending his "industry" expertise on setting up the microphone.

Thanks to Lisa for doing an excellent job as my page turner.

And thanks to all my family members who came to support me and listen to my talk.

Tammy’s Sacrament Meeting Talk

January 9, 2011

Good morning Brothers and Sisters. A short time ago I mentioned to some of my family members that I have never been asked to speak in this Ward. About three days later I got a call from the Bishop inviting me to speak in Sacrament meeting. So here I am.

I am grateful for this opportunity to speak to you today. The Bishop left the topic up to me but did ask if I would tell you a little bit about myself and share some of my life experiences with you. I don’t like talking about myself. So, writing this talk was somewhat difficult for me. Lest you start thinking this talk is an autobiography, I will correlate my experiences with a gospel principle.

To help you understand me a little better, I will start at the very beginning. I started walking at seven months. I was walking quite well at nine months. My mom tells me when she would take me to the store and let me walk down the aisles that people’s jaws would drop when they saw me walking at such a young age. They would always ask my mom, “How old is she?” So, even as a baby, I was ambitious.

When I was six years old I decided I wanted to become a doctor when I grew up. I never wavered from that. My favorite toy was my Fisher Price doctor‘s kit with the toy stethoscope, syringe, neuro hammer, and so forth. When I was in sixth grade we had to write a short essay on what we wanted to be when we grew up. I don’t remember if it was the teacher or some of my classmates who told me I would never become a doctor. But, that just made me want to prove them wrong. And I did. I always believed I could do anything I set my mind to.

Since this is the first of the year, I’m sure many of you have made New Year’s resolutions. Everybody should have goals to work towards. I was never one to make a list of goals but I always had several goals in the back of my mind.

Some of my major goals included graduating from college, serving a mission, becoming a doctor, and marrying in the temple and raising a family. I accomplished all those goals except the latter.

I received my bachelor of science in biology, with a minor in psychology from Utah State University. I served a full-time mission in Tampa, Florida. I received my Doctor of Podiatric Medicine degree from the California College of Podiatric Medicine, in San Francisco and began a residency program at a small hospital near Texarkana, Texas.

I was on my way to accomplishing the last goal on my list, which was to marry in the Temple and raise a family. While in Texarkana, I became engaged to be married. My life couldn’t have been better.

Then, one day, two or three weeks after I became engaged, my fiancée and I traveled to Dallas to shop for our upcoming wedding. It’s about a three-hour drive from Texarkana to Dallas. On the way home, we were involved in a single car rollover accident. I’m told the vehicle rolled at least six times. My fiancée was ejected from the vehicle but suffered apparently minor injuries. I, on the other hand, suffered severe, life-threatening trauma. I was airlifted back to Dallas because the first hospital they took me to was not equipped to treat my injuries. I was unconscious and comatose this entire time. So the story I’m relating is what I was told by my family.

Around three o’clock in the morning, my parents received a call from the hospital stating that if they wanted to come and say goodbye to me, they had better hurry. The medical staff would try to “keep me warm” until they arrived. My parents called my three siblings and they all were on the next available flight to Dallas, Texas from three different states.

They all arrived within a couple of hours of each other. The ICU nurse tried to warn them that I would not look like myself. But, nothing could have prepared them for what they saw. I was so badly swollen from the severe trauma I suffered, that I was barely recognizable as human, let alone as an individual. My sister tells me the only way they could recognize me was my fingernails.

The injuries I sustained were not compatible with life. My life expectancy at that time was measured in minutes and hours, not days or weeks or even months. But, apparently my mission on earth was not complete.

My sister called everybody known to the family, and asked them to pray for me. One of my nurses even had Billy Graham praying for me.

During the time I was comatose my family would come talk to me and tell me some inside jokes. When they did, my blood pressure would skyrocket and my life support machines would alarm. They knew I heard and understood what was said.

About two weeks after my accident I came out of my coma, and regained consciousness. But, I was so heavily medicated that I don’t remember anything. I was still unable to speak because I was on life support and had tubes down my throat.

My family didn’t know until a couple of weeks later, when I was well enough to get an MRI, that I suffered a cervical spinal cord injury. Which meant I would be paralyzed from the neck down for the rest of my life.

About 10 days after the accident, my fiancée took a turn for the worse and left this mortal existence. Ironically, he is the one who suffered seemingly minor injuries and was supposed to make a full recovery.

Whereas I was never expected to live. But here I am, eight years later.

There are some experiences I feel are not appropriate to share in this setting. But I will share with you some of the miracles which occurred.

First miracle: The fact that I’m speaking to you is a miracle. Because I was not expected to live, I was intubated for too long. The doctors decided they better do a tracheotomy so that I could be extubated. They told my family that my vocal chords were probably scarred beyond repair from being intubated for so long. And I would probably never speak again. It was several weeks later that my feeding tube was removed and I could try to speak. During that time my vocal chords were healed and I was able to speak.

Second miracle: My spinal cord injury is at the borderline level of being ventilator dependent. My family was told that I would probably be vent dependent for the rest of my life. But once again, I proved them wrong. I was able to get off the ventilator and breathe on my own. I do have some recollection of how difficult and scary it was to not be able to breathe when they were weaning me off of the ventilator. My ability to breathe is weaker and sometimes difficult because I don’t have the use of my abdominal and intercostal muscles to assist in breathing. But I am so grateful to not be dependent on a ventilator to breathe for me.

Third miracle: I suffered severe head trauma. Without being too graphic, while the vehicle rolled, my head took some severe impact. So, the fact that I didn’t suffer major brain damage is another miracle.

Fourth miracle: I’m not blind in my right eye. When I was in intensive care, my right eyelid would not close. So the doctors had to suture my eyelids together for a few weeks, to prevent my cornea from scarring from desiccation. I do have a blind spot on my right eye. But my other eye compensates, and I don’t notice it usually.

The aforementioned miracles are only a few of the daily miracles that occurred while I was in the ICU. I know it was because of the faith and prayers of my loved ones that these miracles occurred. I testify to you that I would not be alive today were it not for the faith and prayers of others in my behalf, for priesthood blessings, and for my knowledge and testimony of the gospel of Jesus Christ. And more specifically, The Plan of Salvation.

My testimony and tenacity gave me the will to live. But the faith and prayers of others in my behalf are the reason I’m alive today. Genetics and tenacity will only get you so far. There is no way I could have overcome the severe trauma I endured without divine intervention.

Because prayer played such an integral part in the many miracles which have occurred in my life, I have chosen prayer as the subject for the remainder of my talk.

Prayer is how we communicate with Our Heavenly Father. Heavenly Father, in turn, communicates with us via revelation through the Holy Ghost.

Elder Richard G. Scott said, “I wonder if we can ever really fathom the immense power of prayer until we encounter an overpowering, urgent problem and realize that we are powerless to resolve it. Then we will turn to our Father in humble recognition of our total dependence on Him.” 1

People tend to turn to God in times of trouble. But we also need to turn to Him, and rely on Him in times of prosperity.

Pres. Henry B. Eyring said this, “Such a turning to fervent prayer when the world seems out of joint is as old as mankind. In times of tragedy and danger, people turn to God in prayer…

Those who submit like a child do it because they know that the Father wants only the happiness of His children and that only He knows the way. That is the testimony we must have to keep praying like a submissive child, in the good times as well as the times of trouble.

With that faith, we will be able to pray for what we want and appreciate whatever we get. Only with that faith will we pray with the diligence God requires. When God has commanded us to pray, He has used words like “pray unceasingly” and “pray always” and “mighty prayer.” 4

What are some ways we receive answer to prayer?

Pres. Boyd K. Packer said, “Some answers will come from reading the scriptures, some from hearing speakers. And, occasionally, when it is important, some will come by very direct and powerful inspiration. The promptings will be clear and unmistakable.” 5

Missionaries often pray for teaching opportunities. There were several times during my mission when teaching opportunities arose. Had I not been obedient and diligent in my morning scripture study I would not have been prepared to teach effectively. Because the answers to the questions being asked, were things I studied in the Scriptures that morning.

I was actually surprised at how often this occurred. And I was amazed at how the Lord had prepared me, as his servant, to be an instrument in his hands. There’s no way I could have known what questions were going to be asked of me that day. And I would not have known the answer to those questions had I not studied it in the Scriptures that morning.

Pres. Henry B. Eyring said, “We can and must go often and carefully to the word of God. If we become casual in our study of the scriptures, we will become casual in our prayers. We may not cease to pray, but our prayers will become more repetitive, more mechanical, lacking real intent. Our hearts cannot be drawn out to a God we do not know, and the scriptures and the words of living prophets help us know Him. As we know Him better, we love Him more.” 4

Sometimes our prayers are answered immediately. But most often the answers to our prayers come after much patience and diligence.

“President David O. McKay testified, “It is true that the answers to our prayers may not always come as direct and at the time, nor in the manner, we anticipate; but they do come, and at a time and in a manner best for the interests of him who offers the supplication.” Be thankful that sometimes God lets you struggle for a long time before that answer comes. Your character will grow; your faith will increase. There is a relationship between those two: the greater your faith, the stronger your character; and increased character enhances your ability to exercise even greater faith.” 1

I would like to share an experience I had with prayer not too long ago. I don’t consider myself to be a very compassionate person. Upon learning that one of my relatives, who is a member of the church, was making poor choices that were not in accordance with church standards, I became quite upset and judgmental. I wondered how this person who was once active in the church, and held several different leadership positions, could be so stupid. So, I decided I should pray for this relative. As I was praying for my relative to wise up and make better choices, I suddenly felt a wave of compassion come over me. I began to feel love, sympathy, and understanding towards this individual.

My prayer was not answered in the way I expected. Instead of my relative changing, I changed. I’m sorry to say that this particular individual is still making poor choices, and suffering the consequences thereof. But, my prayer was answered. Instead of judging harshly, I now feel compassion and love towards my relative.

Do we sometimes feel like our prayers are not answered?

President Boyd K. Packer said, “Sometimes you may struggle with a problem and not get an answer. What could be wrong? It may be that you are not doing anything wrong. It may be that you have not done the right things long enough. Remember, you cannot force spiritual things.” 5

Elder Richard G. Scott testified, “It is so hard when sincere prayer about something you desire very much is not answered the way you want. It is difficult to understand why your exercise of deep and sincere faith from an obedient life does not grant the desired result. The Savior taught, “Whatsoever ye ask the Father in my name it shall be given unto you, that is expedient for you.” At times it is difficult to recognize what is best or expedient for you over time. Your life will be easier when you accept that what God does in your life is for your eternal good.” 1

I thought of an analogy to illustrate this point. Think of a young child who approaches a parent and asks for a lollipop. The parent tells the child that they cannot have the lollipop right now because it will spoil their dinner. The parent does not elaborate and explain to the child that the lollipop contains empty calories which will displace nutrient rich calories provided in the meal in which they are about to partake. The parent knows the child will not comprehend a deeper explanation as to why certain nutrients are required to maintain a healthy body. But, the parent knows what is best for the child.

We, as children of our Heavenly Father, do not always know what is best for us. Just like the child in the analogy. There is nothing inherently wrong with the child enjoying a lollipop at the right time. But the parent knows when it is the right time.

If we ask Heavenly Father for a righteous blessing. And he denies it, then we must know that it is not expedient for us to receive the blessing at that time. Like the child does not understand why he was denied the lollipop. We do not understand why we do not receive righteous blessings when we ask for them. But always know that it is for our eternal good. And trust in Our Heavenly Father. For he is a wise parent who always knows what is best for us.

I was listening to an audio book By Sheri Dew the other day. Sheri Dew served In the General Relief Society Presidency a few years ago. She related a story which I will paraphrase. Sister Dew was helping her friend house hunt. They had looked at many homes and finally came across one which Sister Dew’s friend thought was perfect. She liked the house so much that she asked Sister Dew to offer a prayer on the spot that she might be able to purchase that house. Sister Dew graciously offered the prayer and included the words, “or something better”. Sister Dew’s friend was surprised at that inclusion and remarked that she hadn’t thought that there might be something better.

We don’t have the eternal perspective that our Heavenly Father has for us. Our vision is narrow. We tend to seek immediate gratification, what we think is best for us right now. When, there may be something better, something more expedient for us if we are patient.

Elder Richard G. Scott said, “He will always hear your prayers and will invariably answer them. However, His answers will seldom come while you are on your knees praying, even when you may plead for an immediate response. Rather, He will prompt you in quiet moments when the Spirit can most effectively touch your mind and heart. Hence, you should find periods of quiet time to recognize when you are being instructed and strengthened. His pattern causes you to grow.” 1

We live in a world of immediate gratification. Buy now pay later, fast food, on demand movies, etc. When we don’t immediately receive an answer to prayer, we may be inclined to think that we are insignificant, that Heavenly Father doesn’t hear or answer our prayers. Not so!

Elder Richard G. Scott had this to say, “It matters not our circumstance, be we humble or arrogant, poor or rich, free or enslaved, learned or ignorant, loved or forsaken, we can address Him. We need no appointment. Our supplication can be brief or can occupy all the time needed. It can be an extended expression of love and gratitude or an urgent plea for help. He has created numberless cosmos and populated them with worlds, yet you and I can talk with Him personally, and He will ever answer.” 1

Heavenly Father is not a respecter of persons. He loves all of His children unconditionally. It doesn’t matter if you have never prayed before, or if you have a prayer in your heart continually, He will hear and answer every prayer. I think the times we feel least like praying, are the times when we need to pray the most.

Remember Brothers and Sisters that in order to grow, we must face challenges. If all of our prayers were answered immediately, our faith could not increase. In order to progress towards exaltation or Eternal Life we must conquer difficult trials.

Elder Richard G. Scott testified, “If all matters were immediately resolved at your first petition, you could not grow. Your Father in Heaven and His Beloved Son love you perfectly. They would not require you to experience a moment more of difficulty than is absolutely needed for your personal benefit or for that of those you love.“ 6

Brothers and Sisters, I testify that we have a loving Father in Heaven who hears and answers all of our prayers. He knows what is best for us. He will always do what is in our best interest. The fullness of the gospel of Jesus Christ and His true Church were restored through the prophet Joseph Smith. Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ lives, and guides His Church through His Prophet, Thomas S. Monson. Of this, I testify. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Footnotes:
1. Using The Supernal Gift of Prayer - Elder Richard G. Scott, April 2007 General Conference.

2.Ask in Faith - Elder David A. Bedner, April 2008 General Conference

3.Our Father Which Art in Heaven - Elder L. Tom Perry, October 1983 General Conference

4. Prayer - President Henry B. Eyring, October 2001 General Conference

5. Prayers and Answers - President Boyd K. Packer, October 1979 General Conference

6. Trust in the Lord -- Elder Richard G. Scott, October 1995 General Conference

The following are quotes that I liked and wanted to use in my talk but didn't have time.

“The object of our prayers should not be to present a wish list or a series of requests but to secure for ourselves and for others blessings that God is eager to bestow, according to His will and timing. 2

Elder David A. Bednar said, “Every sincere prayer is heard and answered by our Heavenly Father, but the answers we receive may not be what we expect or come to us when we want or in the way we anticipate.” 2

President Heber J. Grant, in referring to this matter, said:
“I have little or no fear for the boy or the girl, the young man or the young woman, who honestly and conscientiously supplicate God twice a day for the guidance of His Spirit. I am sure that when temptation comes they will have the strength to overcome it by the inspiration that shall be given to them.” (Gospel Standards, Salt Lake City: The Improvement Era, 1941, p. 26.) 3

Elder David A. Bednar said, “I long have been impressed with the truth that meaningful prayer requires both holy communication and consecrated work. Blessings require some effort on our part before we can obtain them, and prayer, as “a form of work, … is an appointed means for obtaining the highest of all blessings” (Bible Dictionary, “Prayer,” 753). We press forward and persevere in the consecrated work of prayer, after we say “amen,” by acting upon the things we have expressed to Heavenly Father.” 2

President Heber J. Grant once counseled us:
“The minute a man stops supplicating God for his spirit and direction, just so soon he starts out to become a stranger to him and his works. When men stop praying for God’s spirit, they place confidence in their own unaided reason, and they gradually lose the spirit of God, just the same as near and dear friends, by never writing to or visiting with each other, will become strangers.” (Improvement Era, Aug. 1944, p. 481.) 3

“Second, use the sacred language of prayer. We should always address Deity by using the sacred pronouns thou, thee, thy, and thine. The late President Stephen L Richards gave us this wise counsel:”

“We have discovered … a lack of proper teaching with reference to prayer. I know that I myself have been shocked out in the mission field as I have heard missionaries called on for prayer who seem to have had no experience or training whatever in the use of the language of prayer. …
“I think, my brethren, that in the quorums and in the classes, you would do well, as in the homes also, to teach the language of prayer—‘Thee and Thou,’ rather than ‘you.’ It always seems disappointing to me to have our Father in Heaven, our Lord, addressed as ‘you.’ It is surprising how much we see of this. …
I think you might make note of it, and avail yourselves of any opportunities that may come in order to teach the sacred and reverential language of prayer.” (In Conference Report, Oct. 1951, p. 175.) 3

Refreshing News

2011-01-06T17:30:00.000-08:00

I read some refreshing news on the Internet today. It's reported that Andrew Luck, the Stanford quarterback, has decided to finish his degree in architecture at Stanford and not go to the NFL until he completes his degree. It was also reported that he was to be the number one draft pick in the NFL. And that the Carolina Panthers, I believe, already said they were going to select him if he declared himself eligible for the draft. So, a lot of money, no doubt, was at stake. It's nice to know that there are still people out there who value education more than money. It's nice to know that money is not the top priority for some people. It's very refreshing to hear that a young man chose to stay in college and further his education rather than chase after the almighty dollar. Kudos to Andrew Luck! I've always liked Stanford, but I will be sure to root for them next year. Go Cardinal!

That's my two cents.

FHE Lesson -- Pride

2011-01-02T15:47:00.000-08:00

Tammy’s family home evening lesson -- Pride
January 2, 2011

opening song: Be Thou Humble #130

Scripture: Alma 5:14, 19, 27, 28

special musical number: His Image in Your Countenance, Janice Kapp Perry

object lesson: show an unsharpened pencil. Ask the audience what the useful part of the pencil is, and if this pencil can be used as it is. Explain that the pencil must be sharpened in order to be a useful instrument. Compare the pencil lead to us and the surrounding wood to pride. Explain that we must be stripped of pride in order to be a useful instrument in the hands of the Lord.

Object lesson number two: choose a volunteer to blow up a balloon. Ask the audience to name different characteristics of pride such as greed, vanity, jealousy, etc. as each characteristic is named tell the volunteer to blow another puff into the balloon. Eventually, the balloon will pop. Explain that like the balloon, when we get puffed up with pride it will eventually destroy us.

The following is an excerpt from Pres. Dieter F. Uchtdorf, Pride and the Priesthood, October 2010 Gen. conference priesthood session.

“Every mortal has at least a casual if not intimate relationship with the sin of pride. No one has avoided it; few overcome it. When I told my wife that this would be the topic of my talk, she smiled and said, “It is so good that you talk about things you know so much about.”

I also remember one interesting side effect of President Benson’s influential talk. For a while it almost became taboo among Church members to say that they were “proud” of their children or their country or that they took “pride” in their work. The very word pride seemed to become an outcast in our vocabulary.

I believe there is a difference between being proud of certain things and being prideful. I am proud of many things. I am proud of my wife. I am proud of our children and grandchildren.

I am proud of the youth of the Church, and I rejoice in their goodness. I am proud of you, my dear and faithful brethren. I am proud to stand shoulder to shoulder with you as a bearer of the holy priesthood of God.

Pride Is the Sin of Self-Elevation
So what is the difference between this kind of feeling and the pride that President Benson called “the universal sin”? Pride is sinful, as President Benson so memorably taught, because it breeds hatred or hostility and places us in opposition to God and our fellowmen. At its core, pride is a sin of comparison, for though it usually begins with “Look how wonderful I am and what great things I have done,” it always seems to end with “Therefore, I am better than you.”

When our hearts are filled with pride, we commit a grave sin, for we violate the two great commandments. Instead of worshipping God and loving our neighbor, we reveal the real object of our worship and love—the image we see in the mirror.

Pride is the great sin of self-elevation. It is for so many a personal Rameumptom, a holy stand that justifies envy, greed, and vanity. In a sense, pride is the original sin, for before the foundations of this earth, pride felled Lucifer, a son of the morning “who was in authority in the presence of God.” If pride can corrupt one as capable and promising as this, should we not examine our own souls as well?

Pride Has Many Faces
Pride is a deadly cancer. It is a gateway sin that leads to a host of other human weaknesses. In fact, it could be said that every other sin is, in essence, a manifestation of pride.

This sin has many faces. It leads some to revel in their own perceived self-worth, accomplishments, talents, wealth, or position. They count these blessings as evidence of being “chosen,” “superior,” or “more righteous” than others. …At its core is the desire to be admired or envied. It is the sin of self-glorification.

For others, pride turns to envy: they look bitterly at those who have better positions, more talents, or greater possessions than they do. They seek to hurt, diminish, and tear down others in a misguided and unworthy attempt at self-elevation. When those they envy stumble or suffer, they secretly cheer.

The Laboratory of Sports
Perhaps there is no better laboratory to observe the sin of pride than the world of sports. I have always loved participating in and attending sporting events. But I confess there are times when the lack of civility in sports is embarrassing. How is it that normally kind and compassionate human beings can be so intolerant and filled with hatred toward an opposing team and its fans?

I have watched sports fans vilify and demonize their rivals. They look for any flaw and magnify it. They justify their hatred with broad generalizations and apply them to everyone associated with the other team. When ill fortune afflicts their rival, they rejoice.

Brethren, unfortunately we see today too often the same kind of attitude and behavior spill over into the public discourse of politics, ethnicity, and religion.

My dear brethren of the priesthood, my beloved fellow disciples of the gentle Christ, should we not hold ourselves to a higher standard? As priesthood bearers, we must realize that all of God’s children wear the same jersey. Our team is the brotherhood of man. This mortal life is our playing field. Our goal is to learn to love God and to extend that same love toward our fellowman. We are here to live according to His law and establish the kingdom of God. We are here to build, uplift, treat fairly, and encourage all of Heavenly Father’s children.

We can be grateful for our health, wealth, possessions, or positions, but …when we become obsessed with our status; when we focus on our own importance, power, or reputation; when we dwell upon our public image and believe our own press clippings—that’s when the trouble begins; that’s when pride begins to corrupt.

Pride is a switch that turns off priesthood power. Humility is a switch that turns it on.

Be Humble and Full of Love
So how do we conquer this sin of pride that is so prevalent and so damaging? How do we become more humble?

It is almost impossible to be lifted up in pride when our hearts are filled with charity. “No one can assist in this work except he shall be humble and full of love.” When we see the world around us through the lens of the pure love of Christ, we begin to understand humility.

Some suppose that humility is about beating ourselves up. Humility does not mean convincing ourselves that we are worthless, meaningless, or of little value. Nor does it mean denying or withholding the talents God has given us. We don’t discover humility by thinking less of ourselves; we discover humility by thinking less about ourselves. It comes as we go about our work with an attitude of serving God and our fellowman.

Humility directs our attention and love toward others and to Heavenly Father’s purposes. Pride does the opposite. Pride draws its energy and strength from the deep wells of selfishness. The moment we stop obsessing with ourselves and lose ourselves in service, our pride diminishes and begins to die.

there are so many people in need whom we could be thinking about instead of ourselves. And please don’t ever forget your own family, your own wife. There are so many ways we could be serving. We have no time to become absorbed in ourselves.

I once owned a pen that I loved to use during my career as an airline captain. By simply turning the shaft, I could choose one of four colors. The pen did not complain when I wanted to use red ink instead of blue. It did not say to me, “I would rather not write after 10:00 p.m., in heavy fog, or at high altitudes.” The pen did not say, “Use me only for important documents, not for the daily mundane tasks.” With greatest reliability it performed every task I needed, no matter how important or insignificant. It was always ready to serve.

In a similar way we are tools in the hands of God. When our heart is in the right place, we do not complain that our assigned task is unworthy of our abilities. We gladly serve wherever we are asked. When we do this, the Lord can use us in ways beyond our understanding to accomplish His work.” 1

The following is an excerpt from Pres. Ezra Taft Benson, Beware of Pride, April 1989 Gen. conference.

“The Doctrine and Covenants tells us that the Book of Mormon is the “record of a fallen people.” (D&C 20:9.) Why did they fall? This is one of the major messages of the Book of Mormon. Mormon gives the answer in the closing chapters of the book in these words: “Behold, the pride of this nation, or the people of the Nephites, hath proven their destruction.” (Moro. 8:27.) And then, lest we miss that momentous Book of Mormon message from that fallen people, the Lord warns us in the Doctrine and Covenants, “Beware of pride, lest ye become as the Nephites of old.” (D&C 38:39.)”

Pride is a very misunderstood sin, and many are sinning in ignorance.

Most of us think of pride as self-centeredness, conceit, boastfulness, arrogance, or haughtiness. All of these are elements of the sin, but the heart, or core, is still missing.

The central feature of pride is enmity—enmity toward God and enmity toward our fellowmen. Enmity means “hatred toward, hostility to, or a state of opposition.” It is the power by which Satan wishes to reign over us.

Pride is essentially competitive in nature. We pit our will against God’s. When we direct our pride toward God, it is in the spirit of “my will and not thine be done.” As Paul said, they “seek their own, not the things which are Jesus Christ’s.” (Philip. 2:21.)

Our will in competition to God’s will allows desires, appetites, and passions to go unbridled. (See Alma 38:12; 3 Ne. 12:30.)

The proud cannot accept the authority of God giving direction to their lives. (See Hel. 12:6.) They pit their perceptions of truth against God’s great knowledge, their abilities versus God’s priesthood power, their accomplishments against His mighty works.

Our enmity toward God takes on many labels, such as rebellion, hard-heartedness, stiff-neckedness, unrepentant, puffed up, easily offended, and sign seekers. The proud wish God would agree with them. They aren’t interested in changing their opinions to agree with God’s.

Another major portion of this very prevalent sin of pride is enmity toward our fellowmen. We are tempted daily to elevate ourselves above others and diminish them. (See Hel. 6:17; D&C 58:41.)

The proud make every man their adversary by pitting their intellects, opinions, works, wealth, talents, or any other worldly measuring device against others. In the words of C. S. Lewis: “Pride gets no pleasure out of having something, only out of having more of it than the next man. … It is the comparison that makes you proud: the pleasure of being above the rest. Once the element of competition has gone, pride has gone.” (Mere Christianity, New York: Macmillan, 1952, pp. 109–10.)

It was through pride that Christ was crucified. The Pharisees were wroth because Jesus claimed to be the Son of God, which was a threat to their position, and so they plotted His death. (See John 11:53.)

Saul became an enemy to David through pride. He was jealous because the crowds of Israelite women were singing that “Saul hath slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands.” (1 Sam. 18:6–8.)

The proud stand more in fear of men’s judgment than of God’s judgment. (See D&C 3:6–7; D&C 30:1–2; D&C 60:2.) “What will men think of me?” weighs heavier than “What will God think of me?”

King Noah was about to free the prophet Abinadi, but an appeal to his pride by his wicked priests sent Abinadi to the flames. (See Mosiah 17:11–12.) Herod sorrowed at the request of his wife to behead John the Baptist. But his prideful desire to look good to “them which sat with him at meat” caused him to kill John. (Matt. 14:9; see also Mark 6:26.)

Fear of men’s judgment manifests itself in competition for men’s approval.

Some prideful people are not so concerned as to whether their wages meet their needs as they are that their wages are more than someone else’s. Their reward is being a cut above the rest. This is the enmity of pride.

When pride has a hold on our hearts, we lose our independence of the world and deliver our freedoms to the bondage of men’s judgment. The world shouts louder than the whisperings of the Holy Ghost. The reasoning of men overrides the revelations of God, and the proud let go of the iron rod. (See 1 Ne. 8:19–28; 1 Ne. 11:25; 1 Ne. 15:23–24.)

Pride is a sin that can readily be seen in others but is rarely admitted in ourselves. Most of us consider pride to be a sin of those on the top, such as the rich and the learned, looking down at the rest of us. (See 2 Ne. 9:42.) There is, however, a far more common ailment among us—and that is pride from the bottom looking up. It is manifest in so many ways, such as faultfinding, gossiping, backbiting, murmuring, living beyond our means, envying, coveting, withholding gratitude and praise that might lift another, and being unforgiving and jealous.

Disobedience is essentially a prideful power struggle against someone in authority over us. It can be a parent, a priesthood leader, a teacher, or ultimately God. A proud person hates the fact that someone is above him. He thinks this lowers his position.

Selfishness is one of the more common faces of pride. “How everything affects me” is the center of all that matters—self-conceit, self-pity, worldly self-fulfillment, self-gratification, and self-seeking.

Another face of pride is contention. Arguments, fights, unrighteous dominion, generation gaps, divorces, spouse abuse, riots, and disturbances all fall into this category of pride.

Contention in our families drives the Spirit of the Lord away. It also drives many of our family members away. Contention ranges from a hostile spoken word to worldwide conflicts. The scriptures tell us that “only by pride cometh contention.” (Prov. 13:10; see also Prov. 28:25.)

The scriptures testify that the proud are easily offended and hold grudges. (See 1 Ne. 16:1–3.) They withhold forgiveness to keep another in their debt and to justify their injured feelings.

The proud do not receive counsel or correction easily. (See Prov. 15:10; Amos 5:10.) Defensiveness is used by them to justify and rationalize their frailties and failures. (See Matt. 3:9; John 6:30–59.)

The proud depend upon the world to tell them whether they have value or not. Their self-esteem is determined by where they are judged to be on the ladders of worldly success. They feel worthwhile as individuals if the numbers beneath them in achievement, talent, beauty, or intellect are large enough. Pride is ugly. It says, “If you succeed, I am a failure.”

If we love God, do His will, and fear His judgment more than men’s, we will have self-esteem.

Pride is a damning sin in the true sense of that word. It limits or stops progression. (See Alma 12:10–11.) The proud are not easily taught. (See 1 Ne. 15:3, 7–11.) They won’t change their minds to accept truths, because to do so implies they have been wrong.

Pride adversely affects all our relationships—our relationship with God and His servants, between husband and wife, parent and child, employer and employee, teacher and student, and all mankind. Our degree of pride determines how we treat our God and our brothers and sisters. Christ wants to lift us to where He is. Do we desire to do the same for others?

Pride affects all of us at various times and in various degrees. Now you can see why the building in Lehi’s dream that represents the pride of the world was large and spacious and great was the multitude that did enter into it. (See 1 Ne. 8:26, 33; 1 Ne. 11:35–36.)

Pride is the universal sin, the great vice. Yes, pride is the universal sin, the great vice.

The antidote for pride is humility—meekness, submissiveness. (See Alma 7:23.) It is the broken heart and contrite spirit

God will have a humble people. Either we can choose to be humble or we can be compelled to be humble. Alma said, “Blessed are they who humble themselves without being compelled to be humble.” (Alma 32:16.)

We can choose to humble ourselves by conquering enmity toward our brothers and sisters, esteeming them as ourselves, and lifting them as high or higher than we are. (See D&C 38:24; D&C 81:5; D&C 84:106.)

We can choose to humble ourselves by receiving counsel and chastisement.
(See Jacob 4:10; Hel. 15:3; D&C 63:55; D&C 101:4–5; D&C 108:1; D&C 124:61, 84; D&C 136:31; Prov. 9:8.)

We can choose to humble ourselves by forgiving those who have offended us. (See 3 Ne. 13:11, 14; D&C 64:10.)

We can choose to humble ourselves by rendering selfless service. (See
Mosiah 2:16–17.)

We can choose to humble ourselves by going on missions and preaching the word that can humble others. (See Alma 4:19; Alma 31:5; Alma 48:20.)

We can choose to humble ourselves by getting to the temple more frequently.

We can choose to humble ourselves by confessing and forsaking our sins and being born of God. (See D&C 58:43; Mosiah 27:25–26; Alma 5:7–14, 49.)

We can choose to humble ourselves by loving God, submitting our will to His, and putting Him first in our lives. (See 3 Ne. 11:11; 3 Ne. 13:33; Moro. 10:32.)

Let us choose to be humble. We can do it. I know we can.

Pride is the great stumbling block to Zion. I repeat: Pride is the great stumbling block to Zion.” 2

Footnotes:
1.Pride and the Priesthood -- Pres. Dietrich Uchtdorf, October 2010 Gen. Conference

2.Beware of Pride -- Pres. Ezra Taft Benson, April 1989 Gen. Conference

below is a handout I made with some of the above quotes -- to be used with the quiz I wrote. Which was intended to be an open notes quiz.

What Is Pride?

Pride is self-centeredness, conceit, boastfulness, arrogance, or haughtiness.
The central feature of pride is enmity—enmity toward God and enmity toward our fellowmen. Enmity means “hatred toward, hostility to, or a state of opposition.” It is the power by which Satan wishes to reign over us.
Pride is essentially competitive in nature. We pit our will against God’s.
Our will in competition to God’s will allows desires, appetites, and passions to go unbridled.
The proud cannot accept the authority of God giving direction to their lives.
They pit their perceptions of truth against God’s great knowledge, their abilities versus God’s priesthood power, their accomplishments against His mighty works.
Pride is rebellion, hard-heartedness, stiff-neckedness, unrepentant, puffed up, easily offended, and sign seekers. The proud wish God would agree with them. They aren’t interested in changing their opinions to agree with God’s.
Another major portion of this very prevalent sin of pride is enmity toward our fellowmen. We are tempted daily to elevate ourselves above others and diminish them.
The proud make every man their adversary by pitting their intellects, opinions, works, wealth, talents, or any other worldly measuring device against others.
Pride is faultfinding, gossiping, backbiting, murmuring, living beyond our means, envying, coveting, withholding gratitude and praise that might lift another, and being unforgiving and jealous.
Disobedience is essentially a prideful power struggle against someone in authority over us.
Selfishness is one of the more common faces of pride. “How everything affects me” is the center of all that matters—self-conceit, self-pity, worldly self-fulfillment, self-gratification, and self-seeking
Another face of pride is contention.
The proud do not receive counsel or correction easily.
Defensiveness is used by them to justify and rationalize their frailties and failures.
Pride is a damning sin in the true sense of that word. It limits or stops progression.
Pride is the universal sin, the great vice.
The scriptures testify that the proud are easily offended and hold grudges.
The proud depend upon the world to tell them whether they have value or not.
Pride is the great sin of self-elevation.
Pride justifies envy, greed, and vanity.
In a sense, pride is the original sin .
Pride is a deadly cancer.
Pride is a gateway sin that leads to a host of other human weaknesses.
Pride is a switch that turns off priesthood power. Humility is a switch that turns it on.

How do we become Humble?

We can choose to humble ourselves by conquering enmity toward our brothers and sisters, esteeming them as ourselves, and lifting them as high or higher than we are.
We can choose to humble ourselves by receiving counsel and chastisement.
We can choose to humble ourselves by forgiving those who have offended us.
We can choose to humble ourselves by rendering selfless service.
We can choose to humble ourselves by going on missions and preaching the word that can humble others.
We can choose to humble ourselves by getting to the temple more frequently.
We can choose to humble ourselves by confessing and forsaking our sins and being born of God.
We can choose to humble ourselves by loving God, submitting our will to His, and putting Him first in our lives.
Let us choose to be humble. We can do it. I know we can.

Quotes taken from April 1989 and October 2010 Gen. conference talks given by Presidents Ezra Taft Benson and Dieter F. Uchtdorf respectively.

Quiz on Family Home Evening Lesson January 2, 2011
Name:

1. The central feature of pride is:

A. Self-centeredness
B. Enmity
C. Envy
D. Vanity
E. Arrogance

2. Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of pride? (may be more than one answer)

A. Rebellion
B. Haughtiness
C. Forgiveness
D. Puffed up
E. Selfless Service

3. _____________is one of the more common faces of pride.

4. True or False: The Proud are not easily offended.

5. True or False: Pride is the universal sin, the great vice.

6. True or False: The Proud receive counsel and correction easily.

7. Pride justifies:

A.: Vanity
B.: Greed
C. Envy
D. All of the above
E. None of the above

8. Pride is a ______________sin that leads to a host of other human weaknesses.

9.True or False: Pride is the great sin of self-elevation.

10. Which of the following are ways we can become humble?

A. rendering selfless service.
B. going on missions and preaching the word that can humble others.
C. getting to the temple more frequently.
D. confessing and forsaking our sins and being born of God.
E. All of the above

11.True or False: Living beyond our means is a form of pride.

12.True or False: pride does not limit or stop our progression.

13. Pride is a deadly _____________.

14. Pride is essentially ______________in nature.

15.Our will in competition to God’s will allows all but which of the following to go unbridled? (may be more than one answer)

A. Repentance
B. Appetites
C. Desires
D. Passions
E. Charity

16. Which of the following it is NOT included in the definition of Enmity?

A.: Hatred
B.: Stiffneckedness
C.: Hostility
D.: Opposition
E.: none of the above

17. Which of the following is a characteristic of pride?
A. Jealousy
B. Gossip
C. Sign seekers
D. Murmuring
E. all of the above

Key: 1. B, 2.C,E, 3.selfishness, 4.false, 5. True, 6. False, 7.D, 8.Gateway, 9. True, 10.E, 11. True, 12. False, 13. Cancer, 14.competitive, 15.A,E, 16.B, 17.E

Relief Society Lesson - The Divine Gift of Gratitude

2010-12-26T15:33:00.000-08:00

The Divine Gift of Gratitude
Pres. Thomas S. Monson
October 2010 General Conference

Sincerely giving thanks not only helps us recognize our blessings, but it also unlocks the doors of heaven and helps us feel God’s love.

“When you walk with gratitude, you do not walk with arrogance and conceit and egotism, you walk with a spirit of thanksgiving that is becoming to you and will bless your lives.” Gordon B. Hinckley

“He is a wise man who does not grieve for the things which he has not, but rejoices for those which he has.” Epictetus

Gratitude is a divine principle.

Regardless of our circumstances, each of us has much for which to be grateful if we will but pause and contemplate our blessings.

If ingratitude be numbered among the serious sins, then gratitude takes its place among the noblest of virtues.

“gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all others.” Cicero

A prayerful life is the key to possessing gratitude.

“Most human beings have an almost infinite capacity for taking things for granted.” Aldous Huxley

“feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it.” William Arthur Ward

To express gratitude is gracious and honorable, to enact gratitude is generous and noble, but to live with gratitude ever in our hearts is to touch heaven.

Let us follow Him. Let us emulate His example. Let us obey His words. By so doing, we give to Him the divine gift of gratitude.

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-25T11:24:00.000-08:00

We had a lovely Christmas Eve gathering. We all met Brittney, and Noel also joined us for our Christmas Eve festivities. Derrinda organized a Christmas nativity play. We all enjoyed it and she did a great job, as did the kids.

May we all remember our Savior, Jesus Christ as we celebrate his birth on this Christmas Day.

2010 College Football Picks Winner

2010-12-17T16:33:00.000-08:00

This year's winner of the college football picks championship is me!

1: Tammy came in first place six weeks
2: Dad came in first place four weeks
3: Michael came in first place three weeks
4: Lisa came in first place one week

With six wins I am the winner this year. Michael was our winner last year. And the year before that Dad was the winner. It's always very close between the top three. Everyone else gives a valiant effort and once in a while comes out on top. It's a fun family competition that has become a tradition. Thanks to all who participated. We will be holding our annual end of the season football party/award ceremony during one of the upcoming bowl games. In the meantime, I will go ahead and pat myself on the back for being this year's college football picks champion! Yippee!

Survival of the Fittest

2010-12-15T13:03:00.000-08:00

We live in a weight obsessed society. More specifically, obsession with being thin. There are a lot of people who harm themselves by trying to obtain the thinness they feel society expects of them. From a biological standpoint, thin is not in.

I did a blog post a while ago which I entitled, “Mutant Bulldogs”. In that post I talked about natural selection. It might be helpful to go reread that because I mentioned several examples of natural and artificial selection.

Let me just explain a little bit about what natural selection is. Natural selection is a term coined by Charles Darwin. In a nutshell, natural selection says that individuals with certain genetic characteristics have the advantage over those without those genetic characteristics. And therefore are more easily able to survive and reproduce.

I will give you an example. Prior to the Industrial Revolution in the United Kingdom there was a certain species of moth with approximately half of the population being white in color and half being black. After the Industrial Revolution there was a lot of soot that covered the trees in which the moths lived. It became much easier for predators to see the white colored moths. Therefore, being black in color was naturally selected for in these specific moths. The black moths survived to reproduce much more easily than did the white moths. Therefore the population was skewed to favor black moths. This is natural selection.

Another term for natural selection is survival of the fittest. Biologically speaking, fitness refers to the ability to survive to adulthood and produce offspring. More specifically, fitness is measured by how many offspring you leave behind.

When most people think of fitness they think of big muscles, athletic ability, low body fat percentage, etc. All of those things do play a role in physical fitness and perhaps to a small degree in natural selection. When I speak of fitness, I am speaking in biological terms, not physical fitness as you know it.

In the animal kingdom it is quite evident that, for example, in zebras, lions, antelopes, cheetahs, etc. the ability to run fast would be advantageous. Therefore, the ability to run fast is a trait which would be naturally selected for in the above example.

Natural selection is not as important in human populations because, as a species, we tend to care for those who are “not as fit”. For example, people with genetic disorders that cause physical or mental disabilities. Those individuals thus afflicted, are cared for by others. Whereas, in the animal kingdom they wouldn’t survive long.

In times of stress however, you would see natural selection, or survival of the fittest, taking place in human populations. For example, during a famine those individuals with a fat reserve, whose bodies can slow metabolism will have an advantage over those with little or no fat reserve with a high metabolism.

That’s what I want to talk about today. I want to focus on natural selection and specifically the body’s ability to store fat.

One of the traits that would make us less fit, is the inability to store fat. Therefore, those individuals who are extremely thin, who can’t seem to put any weight on regardless of how much food they eat, are less fit, biologically speaking, than those who carry around a few extra pounds. Even though society tells us that thinner is better. Biology tells us otherwise. We need a little “meat on our bones”. Those extremely thin supermodels that you see on magazine covers are less fit than the average person. The other extreme is true as well, those who are morbidly obese, are also less fit.

But I want to focus on our quest for thinness. Biologically, it doesn’t make sense. It might be hard to understand this concept in the world in which we live today, where food is abundant. But, think about times of famine. Who is more likely to survive, a thin person with relatively little fat storage, and a high metabolism, or someone who is carrying around 20 or 30 pounds of excess fat, and has a slower metabolism?

Actually, the ability to slow your metabolism in times of famine is a naturally selected for trait. Have you ever wondered why crash diets don’t work very well? It’s because when you severely restrict your caloric intake, your body slows your metabolism because it thinks there’s a famine. Therefore, making it much more difficult to lose weight. The calories you do eat are stretched farther, and your fat stores are conserved as much as possible.

The most effective and safest way to lose weight is slowly. By slightly modifying your diet; decreasing caloric intake, and increasing your exercise regimen; increasing caloric output. It’s quite a simple formula really. Burn more calories than you consume equals weight loss. Consume more calories than you burn equals weight gain.

Exercise, even a small amount, tends to increase metabolism. That is, if there is enough energy available through daily food intake. This is why you should not restrict caloric intake very much. Because, as I said before, if you restrict daily caloric intake too much, your body actually slows metabolism. You can still lose weight this way, because as mammals we are endothermic (warm blooded) and require a lot of energy to sustain life. But, as soon as the “famine” is over, you’ll much more easily gain weight back. Usually as much or more than you lost. Because your metabolism is much slower than normal and your body is preparing for the next famine.

Since I’m on the subject of diet and nutrition. Let me mention that moderation in all things is always the best policy. A healthy body requires a variety of foods. This is how we acquire the essential amino acids, vitamins, minerals, micronutrients, etc. needed.

As I recall, a healthy diet consists of around 60% carbohydrates of which the majority should be complex carbohydrates obtained through grains in the form of bread, rice, cereals, and pastas. 10% of our diet should consist of proteins, these are usually obtained from meats but can also be obtained through dairy products, eggs, and certain legumes like peanuts and beans. And lastly, 30% or less of our daily caloric intake should be obtained from fats. Let us remember that fats contain 9 kcal per gram. Whereas proteins and carbohydrates contain 4 kcal per gram. So a gram of butter contains more than twice as many calories as the same amount of sugar.

Fats seem to get a bad rap. So, let me take a moment to defend them. Not only do fats produce satiety when eaten, they also help you feel satiated longer. Have you ever noticed people who are on a no fat diet always feel hungry? It’s because they are not eating the fats necessary to be satiated.

Let me give you an example. A person on a no fat diet eats a plain baked potato. They don’t feel full so they eat another one. They rationalize that since they didn’t put butter and sour cream on their potato, they can eat twice as much. Whereas the person who eats the same baked potato with butter and sour cream on it feels full after eating just one.

Now let’s compare caloric intake. A plain baked potato has 280 calories. The same baked potato with butter and sour cream has 455 calories. So, the person on the no fat diet who ate two plain baked potatoes consumed 540 calories. And will still get hungry a lot faster because he ate no fat. While the person who ate one baked potato with butter and sour cream consumed 455 calories and will feel fuller longer because of the fat on his potato.

Let’s see, the person on the low-fat diet consumed almost 100 more calories than his wiser counterpart. But he still feels better about himself because he didn’t eat any fat. In the words of Capt. Woodrow F. Call, “That don’t make no sense at all”.

I guess my point in writing this blog post is to say that moderation in all things is the best policy. Don’t deprive yourself of a variety of foods you enjoy. Go ahead and put butter and sour cream on your potato, eat the chocolate cake, enjoy the works on your pizza, enjoy all the goodies during the holidays. And if you put on a few pounds, just be happy that you are more fit, biologically speaking, than the skinny supermodels on the magazines.

That’s my two cents.

Birthday Surprise

2010-12-10T13:43:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I received a wonderful, totally unexpected, birthday surprise. We were in the kitchen getting dinner ready. Michael and his family showed up and Michael came into the kitchen and started singing the answering machine song that he and Jason wrote for me years ago. Then Michael said, "it's just not the same without Jason singing background vocals". And then Jason walked in singing the background vocal part. It was awesome. I never would have guessed in a million years that Jason was coming to my birthday party. Jason flew in from Salt Lake City to attend my birthday party.

I call Jason my plastic brother. He is my brother's best friend and was always around while we were growing up. And even after we were grown. Michael and Jason would come visit me in college, in Logan. And in San Francisco.

It is always fun when Michael and Jason get together. They are hilarious. Suffice it to say that many laughs were shared last night. Thanks Jason, for flying in for my big day. You made it extra special. And thanks to everyone for the wonderful decorations (I think the napkins were special ordered, they fit me to a T. :-)), dinner, cake, cards and gifts. It was a wonderful milestone birthday.

I have more pictures but it's taken me several hours to put these on so I guess that's all I'm going to do right now.

Happy Birthday!

2010-12-09T15:17:00.000-08:00

It's hard for me to believe but twoscore years ago today, I was born. I never thought I would reach this milestone. The funny thing is, I don't feel any older than I did when I hit the one score mark. Perhaps a little wiser, but not older.

So, I guess I will go ahead and wish myself a happy birthday. :-)

Thanks to everyone who sent me birthday wishes today.

College Football Picks Results Week 14

2010-12-06T09:46:00.001-08:00

1. Dad -5
2. Derrinda -6
3. Tammy -8
4. Michael -9
5. Mom -10 tiebreaker 63 actual 73
6. Lisa -10 tiebreaker 43 actual 73

Principles from Prophets - Thomas S. Monson

2010-12-05T11:27:00.000-08:00

This morning, I watched a BYU devotional given by Thomas S. Monson. He talked about some qualities and interesting facts about the Prophets since he was born. So, I decided to take some excerpts from his talk and post them on my blog. I did not include most of the stories which were very interesting. So I would encourage you to read the entire transcript. I will post a link for you. Principles from Prophets transcript link

Principles from Prophets
Thomas S. Monson

Thomas S. Monson was President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latterday Saints when this BYU Devotional was given in the Marriot Center on September 15, 2009.

"The seventh President of the Church, Heber J. Grant. He was ordained and set apart as President on November 23, 1918, at the age of 62.

President Grant’s favorite song was “Do What Is Right.” And let me add the words “let the consequence follow.” Think of that: Do what is right. President Grant lived by the words of that song. His favorite food was bread and milk—very common, simple fare.

A favorite quotation of his is attributed to Ralph Waldo Emerson: “That which we persist in doing becomes easier to do; not that the nature of the thing has changed, but that our capacity to do has increased.”

What would be the trait of President Heber J. Grant that he would probably have you remember and incorporate in your life? I feel it would be persistence. Persist in all those things which are good and noble.

After 27 years as President of the Church, President Grant passed away on May 14, 1945, at the age of 88.

I move next to President George Albert Smith, the eighth President of the Church, ordained and set apart as President on May 21, 1945, at the age of 75.

President George Albert Smith’s favorite song was “Let Us Oft Speak Kind Words,” which he personified.

His favorite food was apple pie with a little warm milk on it.

What was one of his favorite statements? He always taught, “There is a great tug‐of‐war going on between the Lord and the adversary. Stay safely on the Lord’s side of the line.” Oh, how applicable it is today in our lives! A trait of President Smith’s which he would no doubt encourage us to incorporate in our lives would be compassion. This great leader had a compassionate heart.

President George Albert Smith served as President of the Church for six years, passing away on his 81st birthday, April 4, 1951.

Now we move to David O. McKay, the ninth President of the Church. He was sustained as President on April 9, 1951.

President McKay’s favorite song was “Oh Say, What Is Truth?” His favorite food: Cummings chocolates.

What would be an expression of his? From his own heart and soul he said, “True Christianity is love in action.”

Again, the noble principle from President McKay that I would share with you today is consideration. May we ever be considerate.

President McKay served nineteen years as President, until his death January 18, 1970, at the age of 96.

Next I mention Joseph Fielding Smith, tenth President of the Church. He was ordained and set apart on January 23, 1970, at the age of 93.

His favorite song was “Prayer Is the Soul’s Sincere Desire.” And I’ll add the next thought: “uttered or unexpressed.”

And as for his favorite food, I observed him at our luncheon table in the temple on Thursdays, and he seemed to love sweet pickles. I hate them! I would see to it that he got the sweet pickles, and I’d take the dill pickles.

What would be a favorite quotation from President Smith? From the book of Alma in the Book of Mormon he emphasized the scripture “Wickedness never was happiness.” I’ll repeat it: “Wickedness never was happiness.”

What would be his guiding principle for us? It would be gospel scholarship. He was truly a scholar. I believe we could say that he would leave for you and for me this advice: Be studious. I say that to you as student body members too: be studious. When it is test week, you’ll be grateful you were studious!

President Joseph Fielding Smith served as President of the Church for two and a half years, until his death on July 2, 1972, at the age of 95.

Harold B. Lee, eleventh President of the Church, was ordained and set apart as President on July 7, 1972, at the age of 73.

One of President Lee’s favorite songs was “Praise to the Man”—“who communed with Jehovah!” I’ll pause for a moment and say that when I was first called to the Twelve, I noted that Brother Lee was playing the organ. And he said, “Brother Monson, as our newest apostle, would you choose the song you’d like for us to sing today?” And I chose his favorite, and we all sang it with gusto.

A favorite food of his was bread and milk, and a favorite quotation of his was “Stand ye in holy places, and be not moved.” Remember this. I will repeat it: “Stand ye in holy places, and be not moved.”

What would be a guiding principle from him? I would say he would encourage us to be in tune with and to be responsive to the whisperings of the Holy Spirit.

Harold B. Lee served just one and a half years as President of the Church. He passed away on December 26, 1973, at the age of 74.

After President Lee came President Spencer W. Kimball, twelfth President of the Church, ordained and set apart as President on December 30, 1973, at the age of 78.

For President Kimball, obstacles became his opportunities. He was totally dedicated, a worker such as one seldom sees. He cared not at all about personal aggrandizement.

President Kimball was totally, completely, unequivocally dedicated to the Lord. He was dedicated to living the gospel.

One of President Kimball’s favorite songs was “I Need Thee Every Hour.” Let’s remember that one particularly. That choice demonstrates his humility.

Concerning his favorite food, I watched him for all the years I was in the Twelve while he was living. He would fill a glass with milk and take some date nut bread and crumble it into the glass until it was thick. Then he would take a spoon and eat it! I did not follow his example.

What was a favorite quotation or a lesson from him? “Lengthen your stride.” We had to lengthen our stride in order to keep up with him! I asked President Kimball what would be a guiding principle from his life. And then I answered it: I believe it would be dedication.

Spencer W. Kimball served as President of the Church for twelve years until his death on November 5, 1985, at the age of 90.

Now I come to Ezra Taft Benson, thirteenth President of the Church. He was ordained and set apart as President on November 10, 1985. I had the privilege of serving as his second counselor during the years he was President.

President Benson was a generous leader.

President Benson’s favorite song was “How Great Thou Art.”

His favorite food was fresh raspberries, and we had them as often as possible at our temple luncheons when he was President of the Church.

His favorite quotation was from the Book of Mormon, words spoken by the Lord. It’s in the form of a question, and I pose it to you: “What manner of men ought ye to be? Verily I say unto you, even as I am.” That would apply to every man and woman here today: “Even as I am,” said the Lord.

What is a guiding principle from President Benson? I’d have to say it is love. The manner in which he treated his sweet companion and, indeed, all with whom he came in contact provides an example for all of us. Let us love one another.

Ezra Taft Benson served as President of the Church for eight and a half years until his death on May 30, 1994, at the age of 94.

We come now to Howard W. Hunter, fourteenth President of the Church, who was ordained and set apart on June 5, 1994, at the age of 86.

One of President Hunter’s hallmarks was that of courtesy. Whether in a moment of pleasant conversation or in times of constant pain, he was ever courteous.

President Hunter loved all the hymns, but one of his favorites was “Have I Done Any Good in the World Today?”

One of his favorite foods was Alaskan crab.

What would be one of his favorite quotations? He loved the scripture found in Proverbs, chapter 27, verse 2: “Let another man praise thee . . . and not thine own lips.” Modesty, modesty, modesty.

What would be a guiding principle from President Hunter’s life? I believe it would be his ability always to look for the best in people— such an important quality to emulate.

President Hunter died March 3, 1995, at the age of 87.

Finally, brothers and sisters, I come to Gordon B. Hinckley, fifteenth President of the Church, ordained and set apart on March 12, 1995, at the age of 84.

He was a kind man who taught and who lived tolerance,never disparaging another person’s beliefs.

President Hinckley was a wordsmith. I will repeat the word: wordsmith. He was well read and a scholar, and he could put words and phrases together in such a way that it was a pleasure to listen to his messages.

One of President Hinckley’s favorite hymns has words written by Rudyard Kipling— that’s the British in him. The hymn is “God of Our Fathers, Known of Old.”

One of his favorite desserts was pie and ice cream.

He loved the Prophet Joseph Smith; he loved the Savior. A favorite quotation was taken from the words of the Prophet Joseph concerning the Savior: And now, after the many testimonies which have been given of him, this is the testimony, last of all, which we give of him: That he lives! For we saw him, even on the right hand of God; and we heard the voice bearing record that he is the Only Begotten of the Father.

What would be a guiding principle from President Hinckley’s life? It is one which we would all do well to follow: Do your best.

Gordon B. Hinckley served as President of the Church for nearly thirteen years until his death on January 27, 2008, at the age of 97.

What can we learn from the prophets whom I have known and about whom I have visited with you today? We can learn that they never wavered, never faltered, never failed; that they are men of God."

I hope you enjoyed these excerpts from Pres. Monson's talk. It would be well worth your time and effort to read the entire transcript. There are many stories about the Prophets that I'm sure you would find enjoyable and uplifting. We would all do well to try to emulate some of the wonderful qualities of these men of God mentioned by Pres. Monson.

That's my two cents.

"Dr. Lou" Quote of the Day

2010-12-03T15:43:00.000-08:00

I did a post a week or so ago entitled "Dr. Lou". I would like to add another quote from Lou Holtz. This is a quote I heard yesterday on the Dr. Lou segment on ESPN's College football halftime show. It goes something like this:

Promises are like snowballs. They are easy to make, but hard to keep.

Sadly, college football season is coming to a close. So, the days of Dr. Lou quotes are numbered. On the bright side, we still have all of the bowl games to look forward to. And then only nine more months until next season!

That's my two cents.

College Football Picks Results Week 13

2010-11-29T08:27:00.000-08:00

1st Tammy- (-16)
2nd Derrinda - (-20) tiebreaker 50 actual 33
3rd Dad -(-20) tiebreaker 63 actual 33
4th Michael - (-23)
5th Mom-(-25)

Relief Society Lesson - Because of Your Faith

2010-11-28T15:47:00.000-08:00

Because of Your Faith
Elder Jeffrey R. Holland
Of the Quorum of the 12 Apostles
October 2010 General Conference

The Church draws incomparable strength, a truly unique vitality, from the faith and devotion of every member of this Church.

I testify you are individually loved of God, you are central to the meaning of His work, and you are cherished and prayed for by the presiding officers of His Church.

The personal value, the sacred splendor of every one of you, is the very reason there is a plan for salvation and exaltation.

And to the near-perfect elderly sister who almost apologetically whispered recently, “I have never been a leader of anything in the Church. I guess I’ve only been a helper,” I say, “Dear sister, God bless you and all the ‘helpers’ in the kingdom.” Some of us who are leaders hope someday to have the standing before God that you have already attained.

Too often I have failed to express gratitude for the faith and goodness of such people in my life.

My thanks to all you wonderful members of the Church—and legions of good people not of our faith—for proving every day of your life that the pure love of Christ “never faileth.”

No one of you is insignificant, in part because you make the gospel of Jesus Christ what it is—

Sparkling Snow

2010-11-23T13:07:00.000-08:00

These are some views from our house. Isn't it gorgeous?