Friday, December 23, 2016

I am grateful for those people in my life who are peacemakers.

I had an opportunity to use this gift as a mother when

my children were growing up.

Ether 15: 18-34

What consequences can anger have for an individual or a family?

GC:  The Righteous Judge by Elder Lynn G. Robbins

"The natural man and woman in each of us has a tendency to condemn others and to judge unrighteously, or self-righteously.  This even happened to James and John, two of the Savior's Apostles.  They were infuriated when the people of a Samaritan village treated the Savior disrespectfully (Luke 9:51-54).  And when they saw this they said, Lord, wilt thou that we command fire to come down from heaven and consume them, even as Elias did?  But He turned and rebuked them, and said, Ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of.  For the Son of man is not come to destroy men's lives, but to save them" (verses 54-56).

Kacey and Jared took Anna and Addy to the Gilbert temple this morning to do baptisms.  It was Addy's first time and they did family baptisms.  Thank you Kacey and Jared!

James wrapped Michael's GCU blanket we bought from Sheri and we delivered it this morning.  We left it on the porch because no one answered the door.  Michael texted later and said he got it.

Sheri ask us to take donuts to her house so we stopped by the Bosa Donuts south on Arizona Avenue and delivered a dozed donuts to Ben.  James, Joshua and Rowan were all there too along with Max and Evan and Alex.

Speaking of Evan, I got this picture off my phone.

It was taken a couple of years ago.

Our next stop Charlotte's to deliver Christmas presents and then Sonic to pick up a drink on our way south again to IHOP for breakfast.  I had fried eggs, bacon, hashbrowns, and pancakes.  Of course I couldn't eat it all and shared with James.  

Grand Canyon

Next I MapQuested James's job for Jerod Bowen and we headed for Tempe to a tenant improvement James is doing for a medical office.  He took measurements, etc. while I waited in the car.

  

We wanted to find some fresh oranges to take home with us.  I told James they might have them at the new Fry's Artesian Marketplace on Ocotillo and Gilbert road so back to Chandler we headed.  

While at Fry's I got a ham and some chuck roasts (3), that were on sale.  Their oranges were way too expensive.  We drove out towards Queen Creek where James remembers getting oranges at a stand years ago, but there was no farm stands in that area.  I told him to drive up Power Rd.  I remember on my way to Dr. Allen's on Power and Baseline passing a farmstand somewhere just north of the 202.  Sure enought, it was there!  Vertuccio Farms.  We stopped and bought four bags of oranges, some strawberries and what turned out to be very delicious banana nut bread.  James was so excited!  Now we can head for home.  Since we were already on Power Rd. we went the Globe way home and stopped at Burger House for lunch.

We got home, unloaded the car, and settled down to watch a Christmas movie.  Jared, Kacey, James, Anna, Emmy, and Molly arrived way after we went to bed.

Family and Friends:

Niece Christine and her family, Jon, Eden, and Ander.

Kacey and her kids Tanner, Autumn, and Summer.

Christmas caroling at Lois's a couple of years ago when

Lola was a baby.

Friday, December 9, 2016

Ether 7:1-27

How can I better listen to and obey the words of the prophets?

     In His kindness and mercy, the Lord sent prophets to warn the people of Shule's kingdom.  As first they reviled and mocked the prophets; however, the prophets were protected by the righteous king's proclamation.  Shule's people then heeded the prophets' warnings and repented, thus avoiding the destruction that would have come as a result of their rejection of the prophets' message.

     President Henry B. Eyring of the First Presidency explained why the Lord warns His children of their wickedness: "Because the Lord is kind, He calls servants to warn people of danger.  That call to warn is made harder and more important by the fact that the warnings of most worth are about dangers that people don't yet think are real" (in Conference Report, Oct. 1998, 40). 

     Why do prophets often get mocked and reviled?  Elder Robert D. Hales of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles explained:

"Prophets must often warn of the consequences of violating God's laws.  They do no preach that which is popular with the world...

"Why do prophets proclaim unpopular commandments and call society to repentance for rejecting, modifying, and even ignoring the commandments?  The reason is very simple.  Upon receiving revelation, prophets have no choice but to proclaim and reaffirm that which God has given them to tell the world" (in Conference Report, Apr. 1996, 52).

     Elder L. Aldin Porter of the Presidency of the Seventy explained another reason people often reject the prophet's counsel.  He explained that people erroneously believe that prophetic warnings interfere with their agency: "Some complain that when the prophets speak with clarity and firmness, they are taking our agency away  We are still free to choose.  But we must accept the consequences of those decisions.  The prophets do not take away our agency.  They simply warn us of what the consequences of our choices will be.  How foolish it is to fault the prophets for their warnings" ( in Conference Report, Oct. 1999, 82 ).

GC:  A Witness of God by Elder Neil L. Andersen

From the miraculous intervention of God to Daniel came the

prophesied future of the gospel of Jesus Christ being restored

to the earth, a kingdom that would fill the whole earth,

"never to be destroyed...but to stand for ever."

In 1831 the Prophet Joseph Smith received this revelation:

"The keys of the kingdom of God and the gathering of Israel from the four parts of the earth are committed unto man on the

earth, and from thence shall the gospel roll forth unto the ends of 

the earth, as the stone which is cut out of the mountain'without hands shall roll forth, until it has filled the whole earth."

GC:  Valiant in the Testimony of Jesus by Elder Quentin L. Cook

"The remarkable and celestial blessing of the Savior's Atonement is that through repentance, sinful conduct is blotted out.  After Corianton's repentance, Alma concluded, "Let these things trouble you no more, and only let your sins trouble you, with that trouble which shall bring you down unto repentance."

Instead of a selfie, we took a picture of the temple.

Christmas Nativity

Today was my 35th time at the temple this year.  I am so grateful that we have a temple close by so we can attend frequently.

James saw some old friends from high school which is always fun.  The former student body presidents.

We stopped at Sonic on the way home for some lunch.  I think I would have rather gone to El Cupidos but it was James's turn to pick.  

For some reason I was very tired when I got home so I sat down to watch a Christmas movie.  It was an old one, "Holiday Switch."  

I postponed my Primary party until next week.

Biosphere in Oracle, Arizona

I was grateful that James cleaned all of the dried mud out of the garage today.  While I was blogging I watched another Christmas movie, "Christmas Proposal."  

I got out some more Christmas decorations from downstairs.  James and I read by the fire and then we watched "Hearts of Christmas" a new movie about nurses in the NICU in a busy hospital.

Devil's Bridge in Sedona

Family and Friends:

Bluth family

Molly and Ruby last year after Christmas

Lola enjoying her Cheetos as a soccer game.