Wednesday, May 2nd, 2018

Manhattan, New York

119th operating temple

Dedicated: 13 June 2004

By: Gordon B. Hinckley

Jesus Christ betrayal of

1 Nephi 11:32

And it came to pass that the angel spake unto me again, saying: Look! And I looked and beheld the Lamb of God, that he was taken by the people; yea, the Son of the everlasting God was judged of the world; and I saw and bear record.

Book of Mormon

Mosiah 21:9-27

*Why did the Lord not see fit to deliver the people of Limhi out of bondage (21:15)? How does this relate to our trials?

- sue_heugly: "Vs 15, the Lord was slow to hear. The Lord did not see fit to deliver the people of Limhi from bondage. Why? Because the people needed to make genuine changes. When going thru hard things we exercise our agency by showing whether we will be bitter and angry, or become more humble and draw ourselves closer to God and seek His help."

Old Testament

1Samuel 6-7

6 The Philistines send back the ark with an offering - The Lord smites and slays the Israelites in Beth-shemesh who look into the ark.

7 Samuel exhorts Israel to forsake Ashtaroth and Baalim and serve the Lord - Israel fasts and seeks the Lord - The Philistines are subdued - Samuel judges Israel.

General Conference

Am I a Child of God?

Elder Brian K. Taylor

"This great war over divine identity rages fiercely as Satan's proliferating arsenal aims to destroy our belief in and knowledge of our relationship with God. Thankfully, we have been blessed with clear vision and understanding of our true identity from the beginning: 'And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness,' and His living prophets proclaim, 'Each human being is a beloved spirit son or daughter of heavenly parents, and, as such, each has a divine nature and destiny.'"

I paid bills today and it's a good thing I did because I had made a mistake in my checkbook register and I would not have had enough money to pay all my checks that were out and then would have had to pay an overdrawn charge of $34. I made a transfer from our line of credit and took care of the problem.

Russell M. Nelson, 10/2000: Living By Scriptural Guidance

DC 88:36-38

36 All kingdoms have a law given;

37 And there are many kingdoms; for there is no space in the which there is no kingdom; and there is no kingdom in which there is no space, either a greater or a lesser kingdom.

38 And unto every kingdom is given a law; and unto every law there are certain bounds also conditions.

Rescuing Wayward Children: Unity of Faith through Purpose, Action, Fasting, and Prayer.(223-24).

Whatsoever ye shall ask in faith, being united in prayer according to my command, ye shall receive. DC 29:5-6

"Accessing the power of the unified faith of thousands through the temple prayer rolls, and of the faith and help of those across the veil, whom we help when we do the work for the dead, we can effectively gather in the Lord's name as we strive for the salvation of our children and loved ones, knowing that Christ's grace and power is thus in our midst and we are His."

Elder Dale G. Renlund: Melchizedek Priesthood: Chapter 2: Priesthood Offices and Keys

It has been raining/snowing for quite sometime now! We had moisture off and on all day and I am so thankful because there are now two fires in our state, the Rattlesnake and the Tinder. 

I woke up at 1 a.m. this morning with severe pain in my upper left arm. Yesterday when getting out of the bathtub I hurt it. I got up, ate one of my rolls, took a couple of aspirin, and laid down on the recliner. I couldn't sleep so I finished watching the new Candace Cameron Bure movie on Hallmark Movies and Mysteries, "You Reap What You Sew." Afterwards I fell asleep. I slept a short while and it was time to get up for the day. I ate, took some Tramadol and began to feel better in about an hour after taking the Tramadol. 

Our dry does not get hot. I did laundry today and hung things around the house. 

Because of the broken skidsteer James did some errands with Alex, who was one of his workers today, and then decided to come home. 

I cooked him his favorite for dinner, cooked cabbage. He was so happy. 

I had a meeting tonight to plan the next ward activity which the Relief Society and the missionary department is in charge of. Laurann was home with sick kids so it was Tamara, Kerri, myself, and Brother Reidhead the ward mission leader. 

It was a great meeting. Tamara had the idea to use family history as the theme and we all just brainstormed from there. Here is what we came up with: 

8:00 - Activity ends

Jesus and Mary as painted by
Minerva Teichart
(Trudy Lamb's grandmother)

I would love to go here sometime and
see what a real tea party is like.

Kim would have loved the weather
up here today.

I love these two!

I love him too!

This is so funny!
I remember Paul when he
was this age. Such
a cutie but only when
he was smiling!

It's pig raising season for the Chaffin kids.

I love the look on her face I 
couldn't resist reposting.
Sorry about the photo bomber.

Bishop Miller with his girls.

Thursday, May 4th, 2017

Manhattan, New York

119th operating temple

Dedicated: 13 June 2004 by

President Gordon B. Hinckley

Mosiah 23:1-20

The Lord helps Alma and his people escape from the armies of King Noah and establish a righteous city.

* What do the phrases "caught in a snare" and "bound with the bands of iniquity" teach about the effects of sin?

* Why is it helpful for us to recognize the influences that have led us to sin in the past?

Gospel Principle:

When we repent and choose to live righteously, the Lord will bless us and free us from the bonds of sin.

3 Nephi 23-25

23:1-3 Great are the words of Isaiah - Isaiah is our checklist for the Second Coming of Christ.

4-13 Jesus commands the Nephites to add missing parts to their scripture records.  (Many Saints arose and ministered unto them, and the words of Samuel the Lamanite.)

24:1-18 Jesus quotes the Father's word to Malachi regarding tithing.

25:1-6 The coming of Elijah the Prophet.  The messenger is the gospel through Joseph Smith.  The wicked will burn as stubble.  Our hearts should be turned to our ancestors and our progenitors.

DC 67:1-14

The Lord hears the prayers of and watches over His elders; He challenges the wisest person to duplicate the least of His revelations; Faithful elders will be quickened by the Spirit and see the face of God.

Why is it important to teach by the Spirit?

*Because the Spirit testifies of truth.  Without the Spirit you preach and teach the philosophies of men.  The Spirit brings the message into the hearts of the people we teach.

General Conference

His Daily Guiding Hand

M. Joseph Brough

"Tolerating improper behavior without loving correction is false compassion and reinforces the common notion that wickedness might in fact be happiness."

I gave James some advice this morning when he was complaining about his laryngitis.  I told him to remember President Kimball after he had his throat surgery.  His raspy voice did not stop him from preaching the gospel.  

The banging on Cathi and Terry's roof started at 5:30 this morning instead of the scheduled 6:30.  It was fine for James and I because we were up early.  We had prayer before James left for work around 5:30.  I felt sorry for Cathi and Terry though.  They usually don't get up until 6:30 on days the go to the R.O.C.

I had a funny experience this morning.  We gave Cathi and Terry a gift card to Outback or Carrabbas for their anniversary.  We also had some giftcards I got as a result of the rewards program on my credit card.  We wanted to go to dinner together tonight.  Cathi told me that the Outback on Chandler Blvd.  had closed.  I knew there was one on Market St. in Gilbert.  When I looked on Map Quest it said to the side of all of the Outbacks and Carrabbas, Now closed in bright red letters.  I was beginning to get worried.  I tried Olive Garden and Cheesecake Factory and got the same message.  I began to panic and think there must be some kind of an epidemic going on.  Finally I realized when it said: "Closed now."  It meant closed at 7:30 in the morning!  We will be going to either the Outback or Carrabbas in Gilbert on Market St.

I had lunch today with my friend Jean from Vernon.  We always go to Fresh Start.  She loves the french toast with fresh fruit and I got a grilled ham and cheese sandwich which was very tasty.  Jean is an amazing woman.  She has had a lot of sad things happen to her in her life yet she remains faithful.  Right now her grandson, who she raised as her son, is in jail.  Her family is the family that started a business with their horses, taking people on trail rides.  I asked her if we could arrange a trail ride in July for some of my grandchildren and she said she was sure they could.  They have horses of all sizes, some mini's even for the little ones.

After lunch I was supposed to pick up my friend Charlotte and take her to the Apple Store to receive some lessons on how to use her Ipad.  When I called she said she was too tired.  She said what she really wants to do is read the scriptures with her daughter using the BofM365 program.  I went home and typed her a schedule to use through May and part of June.  When I dropped it off she seemed very grateful.

I don't want to be cremated, but I 

couldn't resist posting this.

I went home and had a nap and then Sheri picked me up around 4:45 to go with her to Max's track meet at Payne Jr. High out near the Santan Mountains.  Max was supposed to run the 400 and he told Sheri if she was there by 5:30 she would be in plenty of time for his race.  We got there at 5:15 and Max had already ran.  He decided to run the mile instead.  We told him next time to let his mom know ahead of time if he changes his plans.  He had his backpack with him that looked awfully heavy.  He said it weighs about 30 lbs.  They no longer have lockers at Bogle Jr. High so he has to carry around all of his books all day long.

This evening, James, Cathi, Terry and I decided to have dinner at Carrabbas because Cathi and Terry had never been there.  James told them that one of the best steaks he ever had was at Carrabbas.  Carrabbas is right next door to Outback.  The first people we saw inside the restaurant were the Ray's.  Their daughter Heather is married to Patrick.  We had a quick visit and then they left.  It looked like they had been to the temple.

Terry, Cathi, and I all ordered the same thing, medium fillets with asparagus.  James got the chicken Marsala.  He said he liked Olive Garden's a little better.  We got the Caprese for an appetizer.  Cathi and I loved it, small tomatoes with olive oil and herbs with soft mozarella cheese.  I could have made that my dinner with their warm bread.  We had enough gift cards to pay for our meal.  It is always fun to visit with Cathi and Terry.  

This evening I read to James from "To Kill a Mockingbird" before going to bed.

Fun Photos:

 My appreciation for cowboys has grown 

since moving to Vernon.

Evan got some new shoes.  He broke them in

running around the movie theater before the

show started.

I am always amazed at the variety of the

creations of Heavenly Father.

Meet Vader, Stacy and Paul's new puppy.

Stacy is not too happy about having

to be the one to potty train him.

Paul bought him without first consulting her.

Aunt Gene with some of her family when 

she was in the hospital last year.

Baby Lola

Joshua, Stacy, Paul out to dinner at

Xavier's Casa Reynoso in Mesa.

One of my most favorite views.