Wednesday, January 4, 2017

I am so excited that we get to study the life andB
teachings of President Hinckley this year in
Relief Society and Priesthood!

1 Nephi 3:9-31

Why do you think Sam willingly followed Nephi while Laman and Lemuel persecuted him?

DC 1:31-2:3

What great promises in these verses spoke to me today?

*Verses 31 and 32 - Repent and be forgiven.

GC:   Fourth Floor, Last Door by President Dieter F. Uchtdorf

"The problem was not a lack of prayers or a shortage of faith.  She needed only to understand that, as painful as it might be for our Father in Heaven, He will not force anyone to choose the path of righteousness.  God did not force His own children to follow Him in the premortal world.  How much less will He force us now as we journey through this mortal life?  God will invite, persuade.  God will reach out tirelessly with love, inspiration and encouragement.  But God will never compel - that would undermine His great plan for our eternal growth."

  

Today is the day I actually sent out the family email regarding the reading of the Book of Mormon.  Each day I will send the reading assignment and a question to Stacy, Paul, Kim, Brian, Sheri, Ian, Jared, Kacey, Darrel, Trina, and Ben.  I got positive responses from both Sheri and Kacey.  I am excited that our entire family will be reading the Book of Mormon together if everyone will accept the challenge.

Today we had 27 elk in our yard.

Here are just a few.

James is in the valley working for Jerrod Bowen.  Today he took Max and Evan to Lois's to do yardwork.  Ben would have gone too but he is quite sick.  The boys don't go back to school until next week.  

Because I am sick I tried to cancel my infusion but no one called me back.  Meanwhile, while Adam is driving for Uber he has an accident on the freeway.  No one was hurt but the Scion was towed by a company located in Apache Junction.  The sad thing is that Adam does not have collision insurance.  

Waterfall between Miami and Superior

James came home this afternoon bearing gifts: burros from Burger House, homemade soap from Rebecca, and a Family Proclamation plaque that Darrel and Trina made.

Of course Lola is always right there to assist Trina.

 This evening was another evening of movie watching.  I am trying to finish up all the Christmas movies.

Family Pictures:

Michael on the run.

Addy, Lola, Ruby, and Rowan.

Some of the cutest kids in the world!!

Sunday, December 4, 2016

I am so grateful for the Sabbath day when we worship our Heavenly Father and partake of the sacrament and ponder about the Savior and His great atoning sacrifice.  Today was fast and testimony meeting.  I bore my testimony.  Our new stake president, President Shumway and his counselor, President Bealer both visited our sacrament meeting.  They both bore their testimonies and I felt the Spirit so strongly.  They are truly men of God.

There are only five or six temple that decorate for Christmas.

The Mesa temple is one of them, and of course,

the Salt Lake temple.

Ether 3:1-16

Elder Jeffrey R. Holland has said, in regards to the brother of Jared seeing the spiritual, premortal Jesus Christ: "Perhaps Christ was saying to the brother of Jared, 'Never have I shown myself unto man in this manner, without my volition, driven solely by the faith of the beholder.' As a rule, prophets are invited into the presence of the Lord, are bidden to enter His presence by Him and only with His sanction.  The brother of Jared, on the other hand, seems to have thrust himself through the veil, not as an unwelcome guest but perhaps technically as an uninvited one.  Said Jehovah: 'Never has man come before me with such exceeding faith as thou hast; for were it not so ye could not have seen my finger....Never has man believed in me as thou hast.' Obviously the Lord himself was linking unprecedented faith with this unprecedented vision.  If the vision itself was not unique, then it had to be the faith and how the vision was obtained that was unparalleled.  The only way that faith could be so remarkable was its ability to take the prophet, uninvited, where others had been able to go only with God's bidding" (Christ and the New Covenant, 21-23).

GC:   Fourth Floor, Last Door by President Dieter F. Uchtdorf

" Just because we can't hear something doesn't mean

there is nothing to hear.  Two people ca listen to the same

message or read the same scripture, and one might

feel the witness of the Spirit while the other doesn't."

I had Denice Hall's Primary class today along with Kacey, Zemira, and Curtis.  Denice's class included: Tana, Madison, Talena, and Carly a girl I have never seen before.

We talked about having faith in Jesus Christ.  We watched part of the video "Finding Faith in Jesus Christ," but because I did not have a speaker we couldn't hear very well.  I also had pictures on the board of different people in the Book of Mormon who had demonstrated faith and we discussed them.  I ask the class how they strengthen their faith and what it means to have faith.  It was a good class.

Curtis had a tablet and he played with it during singing time.  Colter said something to his mom who was leading the music, but I didn't make him stop because at least he was sitting still and keeping quiet.

Seven Falls in Bear Canyon

James and I went home for a short while after the block.  I got online and paid our tithing for November.  We had tithing settlement at 1:30.  I love our bishop.  He is only 32 years old but he is full of wisdom, good counsel and advice.  I had a private chat with him after James went out of the room.  He told me he was grateful for my Christlike example.  I am grateful for his.

After tithing settlement we broke our fast.  James cooked me some pork chops.  They were delicious!

I have some memories on this date that I want to include:

A couple of years ago when they came up for

Christmas.

I think they did a great job!

Ruby Tuesday

Since she didn't get to help with the cookies, Lola

wants to help with the puzzle.

Tonight our family met at Sheri's for the annual gingerbread house

contest.  I think hands down, Kim and Brian won this year.

Kim and Brian's house.

Other houses, I am not sure whose.

This is the house James and I were going to make.

Oh well, maybe next year.

Sheri hung out with Lola while everyone else was working

on their houses.

James and I stayed home and watched the

First Presidency Christmas Devotional.

Friday, November 4, 2016

The Big 4-0.
I know I posted this picture recently,
but here it is again!

"A house of truth filled with spiritual power.F
In the temple, we learn how to learn about
the things of God." - Sheri L. Dew

3 Nephi 19:30-20:19

What does the Savior promise those who partake of the sacrament?  Why is this promise so significant?

* Elder Dallin H. Oaks said:  "Attendance at church each week provides the opportunity to partake of the sacrament, as the Lord has commanded us ( Doctrine and Covenants 59:9).  If we act with the right preparation and attitude, partaking of the sacrament renews the cleansing effect of our baptism and qualifies us for the promise that we will always have His Spirit to be with us.  A mission of that Spirit, the Holy Ghost, is to testify of the Father and the Son and to lead us into truth, (see John 14:26; 2 Nephi 31:18).  Testimony and truth, which are essential to our personal conversion, are the choice harvest of this weekly renewing of our covenants."  In the day-to-day decisions of my life and in my personal spiritual growth, I have enjoyed the fulfillment of that promise." (Ensign, May 2002, 34).

GC:     'Fourth Floor, Last Door' by President Dieter F. Uchtdorf

" Faith is a strong conviction about something we believe.  A conviction so strong that it moves us to d things that we otherwise might not do.  Faith is being sure of what we hope for

and certain of what we do not see."

Such an amazing man and a prophet of God.

James went over to the construction yard this morning and discovered that someone had broken in an stolen his power trowel which was worth about $8,000.  He had just asked Adam yesterday to try and sell it on Craig's List.  The sad thing is that this trowel is not covered under our equipment insurance.  

Before going to my infusion appointment this morning we took my car to Discount Tires to get the tires balanced.  I got to my 10:30 appointent at 10:25.  I signed in and sat down to wait for them to call me back.  I have never had to wait more than 10 minutes and was surprised when 30 minutes went by and other people who came in after me were called back.  The front desk had not even told the infusion center I was here.  I finally went back after waiting almost an hour.  I told Frances and Kwanda and Kwanda was so upset she told her boss.  I don't want to get anyone in trouble but it was a little frustrating and Kwanda said this was not the first time it had happened.

James's sister Rebecca and her granddaughter Eden

having a tea party.  

Rebecca looks like she is glowing!

James and I drove Grand Canyon University on 35th Avenue and Camelback to pick up Michael for our scripture reading lunch.  No one else was able to make it.  We went to the Olive Garden near Metro Center.  It was fun to have some one-on-one time with just Michael.  We had a good discussion about the Gathering of Israel, psychologists versus psychiatrist, and the fact that it was 15 years ago today that the Diamondbacks beat the Yankees to win the World Series.  

This evening we went down to Sheri's to sing Happy Birthday to Evan.  I took some pictures but I am not going to post them until Evan's birthday on Sunday.  

James went back to Terry and Cathi's to work on his lesson and I went to Kim and Brian's to see their tree and watch a new Christmas movie, "Christmas Wish."  Although Kim didn't have her tree finished I am going to post this picture anyway.

The tree with over 5,000 lights!

Jared got some really bad news on his birthday.  The sale of his practice fell through.