Monday, January 23, 2023: Happy 75th to James! Lots of birthday wishes, Navy beans w/ham, cornbread, Eagle Brand pie, Snow storm, K& B make it! "Only the Brave", "Worship"

Mesa, Arizona

7th operating temple

Dedicated: 23-26 Oct 1927

By: Heber J. Grant

Jesus Christ, taking His name

Acts 11:26

And when he had found him, he brought him unto Antioch. And it came to pass, that a whole year they assembled themselves with the church, and taught much people. And the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch.

Book of Mormon

1 Nephi 16:17-39

Come Follow Me

Matthew 3; Mark 1; Luke 3 "Prepare Ye the Way of the Lord"

BD: Mark

Jesus's Name

Beloved Son - Matthew 3:17

OctGenCon

Overcome The World And Find Rest

President Russell M. Nelson

President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

What does it mean to overcome the world? It means overcoming the temptation to care more about the things of this world than the things of God. It means trusting the doctrine of Christ more than the philosophies of men. It means delighting in truth, denouncing deception, and becoming "humble followers of Christ." It means choosing to refrain from anything that drive the Spirit away. It means being willing to "give away" even our favorite sins.

I am too tired when I get up at 4:00 so I am going to change my wakeup call to either 4:30 or 5:00. Today it was 5:00. 

Happy 75th Birthday to James

Eagle Brand lemon pie

I wrote a message in James's birthday card, made him an Eagle Brand pie and a pot of beans per his request. So many people wished him a happy birthday:

His mom and Dawn, Connie, Gail, Michael, Adam, Joshua, Ben, Sheri, Stacy, Kim, Brian, Darrel, Trina, Addy, and Ruby. Jared, Kacey and Charlie whom we FaceTimed with, Dennis, Tasha, Vickie Jeffrey, Joe, Laura, and Greg Andersen. I may have missed someone but that's a pretty good list.

I also made three meals today, ham and eggs for breakfast, soup for lunch and beans and cornbread for dinner. 

It snowed all day today. Kim and Brian left the valley to come up around 1 p.m. It started snowing on them while they were still in the desert. Kim said it was snowing so hard just before they got to Show Low that they had to stop because they couldn't see. She wondered if they should just stay in Show Low but I told her no they could make it out here, and they did. 

We Face Timed with Jared, Kacey, and Charlie this evening for James's birthday. Charlie wanted to see the snow so James took the phone out on the front porch to show her. Charlie sang Happy Birthday to James. While we were talking to Charlie Lovie was snuggling with Kacey. I wonder who's dog she is.

It was 23 degrees when Kim and Brian arrived so James built them a fire in the fireplace. It makes everything so cozy when he builds a fire. 

Kim and Brian brought gifts for James. Some were from his mom, Sheri sent his new glasses, and Kim and Brian got him a gift card. He really did have a happy birthday!

James and I took a little break before Kim and Brian got her and watched both episodes of the new Hallmakr series, "The Way Home." We both really enjoyed it and are looking forward to the next episode.

Read from "Only the Brave" with James and "Worship" by myself. 

James says she likes the snow, but

she looks a little discouraged here.

 

Sunday, January 22, 2022: Chuck's birthday, "The Everlasting Covenant", Vernon ward conference, Covenants with Christ, Grace to Become, BM Message, "The Chosen"

 

Cardston, Alberta

6th operating temple

Dedicated: 26-29 Aug 1923

By: Heber J. Grant

Jesus Christ, taking His name

D&C 132:64

And again, verily, verily, I say unto you, if any man have a wife, who holds the keys of this power, and he teaches unto her the law of my priesthood, as pertaining to these things, then shall she believe and administer unto him, or she shall be destroyed, saith the Lord you God; for I will destroy her; for I will magnify my name upon all those who receive and abide in my law.

(I do not understand this scripture)

Book of Mormon

1 Nephi 16:1-16

Come Follow Me

Review John 1 "We Have Found the Messiah"

Jesus's Name

The Word

OctGenCon

Put On Thy Strength, O Zion

Elder David A. Bednar

Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles

The king's judgment of the man is not based primarily upon the lack of a wedding garment - but that "he was, in fact, determined not to wear one. The man . . . desired the honor of attending the wedding feast, but . . . did not want to follow the custom of the king. He wanted to do things his own way. His lack of proper dress revealed his inner rebellion against the king and his instructions.

After going to bed at 9:30 I got up at 5:30. Eight hours of interrupted sleep. 

James and I decided to start leaving for church at 8:40 instead of 8:45. It was nice to be in our seats early to listen to the prelude music. Today is our ward conference so we have lots of stake visitors. Our little choir sang the prelude songs and sounded quite good.  I talked to the choir director, Jennifer Golly today and asked her when she was going to sing a solo again. She just smiled and Sister Resen has a song she wants her to look out so it might be soon.

Bishop Hunsaker was the first speaker in sacrament meeting. Here are some notes I took: Wouldn't it be sad if we passed through the veil and realized we had sol our birthright for a mess of pottage. We are faced with a mirage of distractions and we must prepare daily for the battlefield. The gospel is a guide for maneuvering through life with purpose and direction. President Hinckley has said: "The gospel makes bad men good and good men better." Create time for living the gospel, prayers, scriptures, the sacrament and the temple. Try to be a little bit better, one more time. Stay close to Christ and stay committed to Him.

The choir sang: "Our Savior's Love"

President Joshua Beeler (one of my favorite people)

I feel like I belong here in Vernon. I remember sacred experiences with many of you. The hymn the choir sang brought the Spirit into this meeting. I love the line, "bound to Him by loving ties." We need to become more "covenant conscious." What does it mean to be chosen? Yesterday I had the privilege of being in Paradise Valley and being taught by President Uchtdorf for four hours. He extends his love. He is one of the Lord's "chosen" apostles. 

The sacrament is a time of renewal of all of our covenants. Repentance should be a joyful experience. We should repent and ask forgiveness before making covenants. I love the sacrament opportunity to repent and to be better. Ask ourselves: "What brings me joy in the Gospel of Jesus Christ? The Lord's covenant with us is that he will not let us down or leave us alone. What is our covenant with Him? We need to ask ourselves, What can I do better? Sister Craig says: What am I doing I need to stop doing and what am I not doing that I need to be doing? These are questions for us to ask ourselves during the sacrament.

At the end of our meeting yesterday Elder Uchtdorf said: "Jesus Christ lives, He is real. I KNOW HIM." That touched me more than anything else that he said. I know that Jesus Christ lives. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

For the second hour the adults stayed in the chapel. We sat by the DeWitt's and we taught by President Smithson and Sister Wilcock.

President Smithson said the vision for the stake this year is:

Live the Culture of Christ by being more Covenant Conscious.

He then asked us these questions:

What will I do to:

Be more covenant conscious?

Make my covenant relationship with the Savior more central in my life?

Invite others to make a covenant relationship with Jesus Christ?

We then discussed President Nelson's talk, "The Everlasting Covenant." 

Before the second hour meeting started I asked Sister Golly when she was going to sing a solo again. She smiled and said that Sister Resen was bringing some music to look at and so it might be soon. I told her I was putting in my request. She has a beautiful voice!

On the way home from church I told James he needed to call and tell Collin DeWitt the news about his condition. He said he would but I wasn't sure he would so I texted Collin and asked him to call James.

After we ate lunch and I had finished the dishes I went into the bedroom and James was talking to Collin on the phone. James said that he called Collin. I am so glad that he did. Collin was grateful and said now he could pray more specifically. He also said he knew a lot of doctors at St. Joe's and he was going to call them and make sure James got the best care possible. Collin was the Fire Chief in Phoenix for many years.

This evening after blogging and indexing James and I watched an episode of "The Chosen." Jesus preached in the synagogue in Nazareth and was thrown out because he proclaimed he was the Law of Moses. He disappeared in the crowd before they could toss him off the ledge. I thought it was very well done. James seemed to enjoy it too even though he has been skeptical of The Chosen before.

Arizona was one of my young women

I love her glasses, I want

some like them.

Charlie was not feeling well today so

she didn't go to church. She stayed

home with Lovie.

The Chosen

 

Saturday, January 21, 2022: Happy Saturday, tired, miss RS luncheon, Drop off rolls, DDP, Wedding Veil Destination, "Only the Brave", "Worship", 14,000 steps

 

Laie, Hawaii

5th operating temple

Dedicated: 27-30 Nov 1919

By: Heber J. Grant

Jesus Christ, taking His name

D&C 112:12

And pray for thy brethren of the Twelve. Admonish them sharply for my name's sake, and let them be admonished for all their sins, and be ye faithful before me unto my name.

Book of Mormon

1Nephi 15:19-36

Come Follow Me

John 1:18 The Father bears record of His Son.

Jesus's Name for the week

The Word

OctGenCon

Patterns Of Discipleship

Elder Joseph W. Sitati

Emeritus Member of the Seventy

Learning about Christ and His ways leads us to know and to love Him.

He showed by example that with an attitude of humility it is indeed possible to know and to love God the Father with all our being and to love others as we love ourselves, holding back nothing. His ministry on earth, during which He put both His will and His body on the altar, was a pattern for the application of these principles on which His gospel is founded. Both principles are outward looking and are about how we relate to others, not about seeking personal gratification or glory.

Lasting Discipleship

President Steven J. Lund

Young Men General President

This band of brothers and sisters has now gone home to determine what it means to still "trust in the Lord" (Proverbs 3:5; 2022 youth theme) when swept up in the cacophony of a rambunctious world. It is one thing to "hear Him" (JS-H 1:17) in a quiet place of contemplation with scriptures wide open. But it is quite another thing to carry our discipleship into this mortal flurry of distractions, where we must strive to "hear Him" even through the blur of self-concern and faltering confidence. Let there be no doubt: it is the very stuff of heroes displayed by our youth when they set their hearts and minds to standing upright against the shifting moral tectonics of our time.

4:51 - Happy Saturday!

I had planned on going to the Relief Society luncheon activity this morning with Kathy Crane. I figured I could study/walk until about 9:45 before I had to start getting ready to go. My intentions were good, but the more I studied the more tired I became. I took a greak and set the timer for 20 minutes so I could take a catnap on my recliner. At the end of the 20 minutes I was still tired and decided I needed a diet Dr. Pepper. I texted Kathy and told her I would take my own car to the meeting but wanted to sit by her during the luncheon. She was having stomach problems and wasn't sure she was going to go. That's when I decided I was going to drop off my rolls, go to Dollar General to get a diet Dr. Pepper, come home and take another nap, which I did. James came with me and we listened to our book, "Only the Brave" in the car. 

When I took my rolls in I passed the "share" table and saw a stack of notebooks. I made a mental note to pick a couple up on my way out. As I walked passed the door to the cultural hall on my way to the kitchen, Cheryl Sedig came walking towards me and said: "Oh, Karen is here, we can start now." I stopped to talk to her and said I wasn't staying and she seemed genuinely disappointed. I dropped off my basket of 23 rolls (I ate one) and said hello to Lynda Finnell and Amy Reynolds. Lynda is in charge of the activity and Amy is on her committee. I stopped and took a picture of the tables set up in the cultural hall. The theme is "A Winter Wonderland." 

Kathy Crane did end up going to the activity and she called to

see how I was doing afterwards. She asked me if I saw how beautifully the cultural hall was set up and I said yes.

 As I left the building I picked up a couple of notebooks, one for James and one for me. There were five men sitting in the foyer and I made this comment: "Well, it looks like the priesthood has this activity covered." They all laughed, Willie Grombach, Rick Lauritzen, Brother Hipps, Brother Gilbert, and Cope Reynolds. Brother Hipps asked how James's knee was doing and I told him it was fine. I said he had some cancer removed and they found some more cancer. I think he understands because he has dealt with cancer. 

I had a little more energy this afternoon and manage to get over 14,000 steps. James put in another light in the kitchen and it makes so much difference! Next is a light over my desk in the bedroom.

This evening I watched "The Wedding Veil Journey" the third installment of the second go around of the Wedding Veil trilogy. This one stars Allison Sweeney and Victor Webster. They go to Greece for their honeymoon. I liked it and enjoyed the scenery as well as the story.

Happy Anniversary Jared & Kacey

Scarlett gets to wear glasses!

Learning how to play 5 Crowns

with her Dad!

Alex & Shayna took Sheri to dinner

Friday, January 20, 2023: More snow, Leave for town 10:15, Gdwll, LaCasita stuck on hill so Firehouse Subs, Circle K, Wlmart, HD, "Only the Brave", Dr. Powell's goodnews&badnews, Joy D. Jones

 

Salt Lake City, Utah

4th operating temple

Dedicated: 6-24 Apr 1893

By: Wilford Woodruff

Jesus Christ, take His name

D&C 109:22

And we ask thee, Holy Father, that they servants may go forth from this house armed with thy power, and that thy name may be upon them, and thy glory be round about them, and thine angels have charge over them;

Book of Mormon

1 Nephi 15:1-18

Come Follow Me

John 1:11-13 Jesus Christ gives us "power to become" the sons and daughters of God. John 1:19-36 & "Behold the Lamb of God' by Jeffrey R. Holland.

OctGenCon

Happy And Forever

Elder Gerrit W. Gong

Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles

Our joy becomes full as we feel Jesus Christ's grace and forgiveness for us. And as we offer the miracle of His grace and forgiveness to each other, the mercy we receive and the mercy we offer can help make life's injustices just.

This Week Jesus's Name

The Word

100 Favorite Verses

Mark 4:39 Peace Be Still

And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. 

*The Savior cares enough to calm our personal storms and terrors and rebuke our demons of pain, sorrow, illness, disappointment and sin. He can bring peace to our troubled souls. 

Psalms 46:10 "Be still and know that I am God."

We got more snow today. We had planned a trip to town, leaving at 10:15 so we could be back by 2:15 when Dr. Powell is supposed to call James. I thought maybe we needed to take the truck because it has four wheel drive and I was worried about getting up our hill. James looked at his weather app and said: "It's suppose to stop snowing at 11:00 so I think we will be okay to take the car." What a relief. I don't like riding in the truck.

Our first stop was at Goodwill to get rid of all of those bags out of the back of my car so we will have room to fill the back up with groceries. We next turned in at LaCasita where we hoped to have lunch. There was lots of snow on their hill and we couldn't make it up. (Maybe we should have brought the truck). We came back down the hill noticing there were no other cars in their parking lot. We drove on to Circle K and got gas and then discussed where to go for lunch: Panda, Alibertos, or Firehouse. I told James to choose and he chose Firehouse. That is fine with me. I like their food I just think they are very expensive. We each had a small sub, no chips, and I ordered a medium drink. It was $18 for very little food. The biggest thing on our plate was the pickle.

James dropped me off at Walmart while he went to get some lights at Home Depot. I planned three meals for this week and then bought shrimp, pot stickers, and pot pies for fill-ins. James has asked for beans for his birthday dinner. He also wants an Eagle Brand pie. Easy peasy. I'm going to make cornbread to go with the beans and some cooked cabbage, one of his favorite foods.

When Dr. Powell called James came into the bedroom where I was resting because she wants me on the call with him.  She had some good news but she also had some very bad news. The good news is that she says they got all of the cancer they were aware of before it spread. The bad news is they found evidence of another cancer growth. She went over treatment options, the first and most often used being surgery to remove the rectum and James having to use a bag for bowel movements. She said the prostate may be fused to the rectum because of the radiation burn and if so would need to be removed and he would also need a bag for urine.

The second option was radiation treatment at St. Joe's with their doctor who she says is excellent. She said they don't see burns like dad had from radiation. 

The last treatment would be chemotherapy. Dad chose radiation and the radiation doctor will be calling him to set up appointments.

Wow! That was not what we expected to hear but in spite of the bad news we are calm and at peace. We know that the Lord is in charge. 

My goal is to give all of my love and support to my sweetheart. He is my more favorite person in the world and I want him to feel of my love for him.

Kim saw Joy D. Jones at the Gilbert temple today. She lives in Gilbert now. I loved her conference addresses where she spoke about a sin-resistant generation and when she said if we loved the Lord enough we could overcome our weaknesses and imperfections. She is such an inspiration to me.

James fighting the elements in the

Walmart parking lot

I wanted to get Nerf guns for his birthday

but settled on this wooden box for him

to put his papers in.

James's 70th Birthday Party at

Darrel & Trina's

One of my former Young Women

had a baby.

Mt. Montoso. I call it Mt. Vernon