My Spiritual thoughts

September 8, 2022 Are we listening? Have you ever poundered on how many times the lord listens to your prayers when we pray to help, to watch over and to protect you and answers your requests? Most times our days go without incident but then we have those days. Things like the car won't start, or a series of events that happen you cant explain. We chalk it up to a bad or a strange day and don't really think much more of it. Have you ever thought it was lord answering your prayers to keep you from harm?  More time than I can count have I had a thought, feeling or even a voice say something and because I was obedient to those promptings he was answeringmy prayers. There are incidents that I find out later why but there are other promptings I never know.  In the end I know it was because my father in heaven was placing me where I needed to be either for my sake or for the sake of another.  Yesterday my husband and I had planned and anticipated a nice 4 day camping trip up in...

As I started my morning trying to get a start on the things I needed to do to move forward in the next few weeks, I received some news that I allowed to really up set me.. I reflected on how and why and unjust and unfair it all was. I thought about how I would have handled the situation if I was in both parties shoes whom was involved. No matter how hard I tried to push it out of my mind I could not get it to go away. I just kept thinking why? Why is being a good, honest, obedient person in life seemed to get the shaft?  My husband saw how upset I was and asked what was going on. As I told him yet again the injustice and unfair situation and how if it were me in these peoples shoes what I would do different..  He simply said "you have taken your focus off Christ and are putting your trust in man and not in God". I thought to myself... NOT TRUE! Then a still small voice said "it is true". As I broke down, I told my husband: "I feel I'm failing miserably a...

What does it mean to “Trust in the Lord” or to “Have Faith in the Lord?” It seems from my personal experience and study, that DOUBT and FEAR are some of the main eroding factors and poisons to our Faith. Consider the two scriptural accounts when the Lord told His New Testament disciples, “O, ye of little faith.”  In one account He used this statement when He was asleep on the boat during the storm (can you imagine how exhausted, yet at complete peace the Savior must have been?) and His disciples came to Him in a panic and fear of sinking.  They pleaded for Him to save them, to which He arose, calmed the sea, and then referred to them as “ye of little faith.”  The second account was when Peter, in great faith, went walking on the water towards the Lord, but then began to look around and sink.  Crying out to the Lord to save Him, the Savior did so, and then said, “thou of little faith.” I think the disciples were actually very faithful in both of these circumstances....

My friend gave a wonderful talk today in church and I absolutely loved this parable.  I found it to be very profound and wanted to share.  A wealthy father knew that if he were to bestow his wealth upon a child who had not yet developed the needed wisdom and stature, the inheritance would probably be wasted.  The father said to his child: “All that I have I desire to give you—not only my wealth, but also my position and standing among men. That which I have I can easily give you, but that which I am you must obtain for yourself. You will qualify for your inheritance by learning what I have learned and by living as I have lived. I will give you the laws and principles by which I have acquired my wisdom and stature. Follow my example, mastering as I have mastered, and you will become as I am, and all that I have will be yours.” This parable parallels the pattern of heaven. The gospel of Jesus Christ promises the incomparable inheritance of eternal life, the fulness of the F...

My husband and I were having a wonderful, in-depth discussion on the scriptures and Christ on the phone this afternoon. Among many things, one of the things he brought up was the conversation Christ had with Peter in John 21:15-17.  15 ¶ So when they had dined, Jesus saith to Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me more than these? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my lambs. 16 He saith to him again the second time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my sheep. 17 He saith unto him the third time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? Peter was grieved because he said unto him the third time, Lovest thou me? And he said unto him, Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love thee. Jesus saith unto him, Feed my sheep. So much meaning in these scriptures ( like many). However what I found in these is the answer Peter ga...

Can you imagine the wonder and awe, the splendor and the Glory, of that moment when God the Father and His Beloved Son Jesus Christ appeared to Joseph Smith in the Sacred Grove! To have them call Joseph by name, forgive his sins, and answer his deepest questions. (see Joseph Smith History in the Pearl of Great Price) Or what about the marvelous and miraculous moment when the ancient apostles saw Jesus walking to them on the water in the midst of a storm, and the amazement Peter must have felt when Christ bid him to come to Him upon the water, and he actually took those incredible first steps… on top of the water… without sinking! (See Mark, and Matthew 14:25-31) Or what of the ancient inhabitants of America when, wonder of all wonders, they heard the voice of God the Father from heaven announcing Jesus Christ as His Beloved Son, and saw the Resurrected and glorified Lord descending in glory from heaven into their midst, and then heard His call to individually come unto Him and experien...

I am sure that each of us is heartbroken to some degree to have family, friends or loved ones who have become estranged to us. Bridges have been burned, and hearts have been broken, and chasms of separation seem to now lay between us. Perhaps they are siblings, children, grandchildren or dear friends. From our limited mortal perspective our faith can waiver and we might wonder how or if ever such relationships could ever be restored. Such is the miracle of faith and the keeping of covenants with God, who through the power of the Atonement of Jesus Christ can perform miracles! Consider the Old Testament stories of Jacob and his brother Esau who wanted to kill him, or perhaps that of Joseph and his brothers who desired to slay him, but instead sold him away into slavery. How could such divisions be mended? How could hearts so hardened to the point there were intent on shedding blood be softened and turned? To the mortal mind, it seems impossible. But we worship a God of mirac...

Obedience and Patience  In studying this week, I was thinking about Noah and his commitment to obedience patience, and trust in the Lord’s timing. His ministry of preaching and building the arc as commanded began at least 100 years before the flood came. When the arc was finished, he was commanded to enter the arc with his family and was sealed up inside... a full 7 days before any rain started to fall. A full week of sitting in the stuffy, sealed up arc with all those animals... just waiting and wondering. Can you imagine the obedience and faith of such a situation? How would our faith hold out? Would we begin to question or doubt whether we had actually received direction from the Lord, or if perhaps we had just imagined it all? But the rains did come, and the flood did happen. How tragic if he would have lost faith on day 6 and just came out of the arc. We might ask oursleves... how quick is my obedience? How sure is my faith and confidence? And when I act on promptings and noth...

GREATER LOVE  HATH NO MAN (John 15:13) Let’s say you’re in Gethsemane. The Atonement is up to you. How would you have felt that night Knowing such a debt is due? Would you have felt lonely? Would you have been afraid? Could you have persevered As the price for sin was paid? With courage and with bravery, With brotherly love so great, The Only Begotten Son of God Accepted His tragic fate. He probably was lonely. He probably wanted to flee. But He stayed and did it all Because of love for you and me. We were His true motivation. We were His purpose there, As the Savior of the World Proved to people everywhere  They were worthy of a sacrifice  We can barely comprehend; Jesus showed us true compassion Laying His life down for His friends. — by Bonnie Lake Bloomfield,

"The minute we think that pride is no longer a problem is the minute it is a problem.  Pride is your greatest enemy.  Humility is your greatest friend." - Elder Neil L. Andersen. Hugh Nibley once stated: "Who is righteous?  Anyone who is repenting.  No matter how bad he has been, if he is repenting he is a righteous man.  There is hope for him.  And no matter how good he has been all his life, if he is not repenting, he is a wicked man.  The difference is which way you are facing.  The man on top of the stairs facing down is much worse off than the man on the bottom step who is facing up.  The direction we are facing, that is repentance." These teachings are consistent with the Lord's parable as found in 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 a...

A little reminder of how the lord has blessed me and it's the little things we tend to forget and goes uncounted for when times get tough.  3 years ago May 2018:  Tender Mercies that seems to pop up when you least expect it. I was in Lowe's today having to do some exchanges and purchasing some more stuff to get our house ready for sale. I had placed my credit card in my pocket, knowing I was going to be making another purchase. After running through the store several times looking for things that I knew we were going to need, I headed to the checkout stand. As I went to pay for all the merchandise, I reached into my back pocket and my credit card was no longer there. I searched my purse just to make sure I hadn't actually put it back in there. To no avail I could not find my credit card. My heart started racing and I started to panic trying to figure out where it could have possibly falling out at. As I spoke to the employee, I asked her if she would hold on to my stuff so ...

In the scriptures light is described as life. John 1:4 “In him was life; and the life was the light of men.” Genesis 1:3 that on the first day of creation “God said, ‘Let there be light,’ and there was light.” Spiritually, light is sometimes a symbol of life that comes from a loving Creator who cares for creation. Just as all living things on Earth need sunlight to grow physically, people need the light of a loving relationship with God our divine creator to grow spiritually. When we fail to increase our light and divine understanding through drawing closer and developing a loving relationship with God, we linger in spiritual darkness also known as spiritual death. Across many cultures Light is a symbol for understanding of divine intellectual thought. Light is said to conquer darkness and bring order to chaos. Spiritual light gives nourishment to our souls. This light is known as the Light of Christ. Jesus said, “I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in dark...

      I was just reading Section 27 with Peyton and couldn't help but think of how to apply this to my own life.       Just to set the stage, Joseph Smith Jr. and a small group saints where getting together to take the sacrament and finally confirm and give the gift of the Holy Ghost to Emma, and I think there was one or two others too, and Joseph headed off to go get the wine. A short time later he returns with none. I can picture it in my head...     Emma: Joseph where is the wine? That was the one thing on the list.      Joseph: Uumm, well you see I was going to get the wine but there was.... umm... this heavenly messenger, yea that's it, you know the kind I see all the time? Well he told me that we didn't need any wine. In fact he told me it was a commandment to not go get wine. So no to answer you question I did not in fact forget it, I was told not to go buy it... by God. so there! Oh and now we need t...

My friend gave a wonderful talk today in church and I absolutely loved this parable.  I found it to be very profound and wanted to share.  A wealthy father knew that if he were to bestow his wealth upon a child who had not yet developed the needed wisdom and stature, the inheritance would probably be wasted.  The father said to his child: “All that I have I desire to give you—not only my wealth, but also my position and standing among men. That which I have I can easily give you, but that which I am you must obtain for yourself. You will qualify for your inheritance by learning what I have learned and by living as I have lived. I will give you the laws and principles by which I have acquired my wisdom and stature. Follow my example, mastering as I have mastered, and you will become as I am, and all that I have will be yours.” This parable parallels the pattern of heaven. The gospel of Jesus Christ promises the incomparable inheritance of eternal life, the fulness of the F...

“After having come to an understanding of the law of the gospel and the will of the Lord by reading and studying the scriptures and the words of the prophets, then comes the further understanding of the reason why obedience is often referred to as the first law of heaven and why obedience is necessary to be saved. This brings us to the supreme test. Are we willing to become totally obedient to God’s law? There comes a time in our lives when a definite decision must be made.” (Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Howard W. Hunter, p. 247). This is something that Brother John writes so much about in his books such as Following the Light of Christ into His Presence. He came to a point where he felt he had "failed" in his life, where everything we desperately try to prop-up in mortality, such as income and family life, came crashing in on him and in the depths of repentance and humility covenanted to obey every prompting he could possibly discern. It wasn't that the trials ...

UPON MY HOUSE SHALL IT BEGIN Those who truly follow Christ and understand what Zion really is, hope, pray and long for those glorious days to come. But what will it take to get there? What is required of us… individually? Consider the Lord’s statement about the needed spiritual cleansing which will be required as found in D&C 112:25 – “And upon my house shall it begin, and from my house shall it go forth, saith the Lord.” Have you read or considered that statement as if it applied to you personally? If Zion is to be established, then it needs to begin in my house… my own personal house and home… and within my own physical temple. Zion cannot begin for me until it begins within me! And then from me unto the rest of my own house. And then outward from there. In today’s world, the adversary has stirred up so much division that he makes it easy and enticing for us to look elsewhere towards others, institutions, governments and point a finger of blame and fault. And surely t...

 I sm so very grateful to our Heavenly Father to give us such amazing and in-tuned leaders that were so inspired to give the talks they did. We are living out the scriptures we have read for so many years and it is truly amazing to read " the playbook", as Adonis and I say, each Sunday as we do at home church and our scripture studies.  So many  talks rang so loud for me. I have listened to them over and over again since first seen. One, of so very many things, that rang so true is where we are at right now and what Pres. Nelson said in one of his many wonderful talks.. He stated that he hoped we are using this unique time to grow spiritually. How general considering our circumstances but is it really? I thought a lot about that as well as the statement:  Satan is not even hiding anymore. We can certainly see it in the world right now... It is always easier to see how the adversary has touched others but how about ourselves? Talk about putting yourself in...

Rough Tracks to a Glorious Destination This picture shows a pair of old railroad tracks disappearing into a portion of beautiful Lake Tahoe.  Remnants of an old path now abandoned, they only serve as a memory of prior travels and experiences.  In similar fashion, many in mortality are currently riding along rough and bumpy tracks, as they face the challenges of all kinds.  Physical and emotional challenges, loss of financial security, lost employment and temporal means, loss of loved ones, political strife and contention, natural disasters and countless other things all seem to make the tracks ahead look ominous, unstable and degrading. And as President Henry B. Eyring recently said, "...life seems especially difficult and uncertain. For some of you, that time is now. If not, such a time will come." (Oct. 2020). Countless prophetic leaders, both ancient and modern have warned us of the prophesied times to come preceeding the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. And as Elder Die...

Friend of mine posted this.. thought you might enjoy: I believe we are all presently wondering what the impact will be in association with the happenings of 2020. Why have the leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints been so quite with all that is happening in our country and in the World? Richard Draper a scholar of the Book of Revelation and a BYU faculty member has made some intriguing statements regarding these times we are all living in. Let’s look at a few of them. Between now and the time we will be called to build Zion-we will become more and more vulnerable as a people and nation. Why are our church leaders not saying much about these times and what is happening to our country? Why is there so much evil, dissention and conflict ever present in the world? Why is the Priesthood and leadership not stepping in with miracles and divine intervention to stop this ever-present evil, disruption and divisiveness? Why are they not speaking out more and warning us of wha...

That night in Gethsemane, Jesus became you. He became me too. He became every single one of us. He experienced every single terrible moment of our lives. That night, He went through the agony of chemotherapy. That night, He was a victim of assault. That night, He came out of the closet and was kicked out of the house. That night, He didn't know how He was going to feed His family. That night, He overdosed. That night, He battled depression and anxiety, and He considered suicide. That night, He lost a child. That night, He felt hopeless. He felt terrified. He felt abandoned by His friends, and abandoned by His God. Whatever you have felt, He felt it too. He felt all the pain and anger and sadness and loneliness that you have ever felt. He knows everything you've done, and everything anyone has ever done to you. He knows you perfectly. And He still loves you. In fact, He loves you not in spite of knowing you perfectly, but BECAUSE He knows you perfectly. He loves you more than yo...