There is a danger in the word someday

   

"I see a wonderful future in a very uncertain world. If we will cling to our values, if we will build on our inheritance, if we will walk in obedience before the Lord, if we will simply live the gospel we will be blessed in a magnificent and wonderful way. We will be looked upon as a peculiar people who have found the key to a peculiar happiness."

 
Gordon B. Hinckley

"For us to be strengthened by God, by His Spirit, President Harold B. Lee  counseled that membership in the Church "must mean more than just being a 'card carrying' member of the Church with a tithing receipt, a membership card, a temple recommend, etc. It means to overcome the tendencies to criticize and to strive continually to improve inward weaknesses and not merely the outward appearances."" James E. Faust "If every man in this church who has been ordained to the Melchizedek Priesthood were to qualify himself to hold a temple recommend, and then were to go to the house of the Lord and renew his covenants in solemnity before God and witnesses, we would be a better people. There would be little or no infidelity among us. Divorce would almost entirely disappear. So much of heartache and heartbreak would be avoided. There would be a greater measure of peace and love and happiness in our homes. There would be fewer weeping wives and weeping children. There would be a greater measure of appreciation and of mutual respect among us. And I am confident the Lord would smile with greater favor upon us." Gordon B. Hinckley "We should go to the temple, among other reasons, to safeguard our personal holiness and that of our families. " James E. Faust "Our grandparents watch—and wait—for us to identify them, be linked to them, and provide temple ordinances for them. " Russell M. Nelson "In our day, the steadying arm of the Lord reaches us through the ordinances of His holy temples." Robert D. Hales "The door to the spirit world swings both ways, yet to many of us, it only swings once. When we step through there's no turning back. From time to time we are allowed the opportunity to glance into the world beyond, which is a very special opportunity. In the temple, the door to the spirit world is open for those who's work is being performed, those who have passed on. Many of our kindred dead are able to enter through the spirit world door, into sacred rooms so they can be in attendance as their work is being completed. " unknown

"A temple is literally a house of the Lord, a holy sanctuary in which sacred ceremonies and ordinances of the gospel are performed by and for the living and also in behalf of the dead. A place where the Lord may come, it is the most holy of any place of worship on the earth. Only the home can compare with the temple in sacredness."

"May you let the meaning and beauty and peace of the temple come into your everyday life..."

President Howard W. Hunter

"Each holy temple stands as a symbol of our membership in the Church, as a sign of our faith in life after death,

and as a sacred step toward eternal glory for us and our families."

Elder Russell M. Nelson

"There is a danger in the word someday when what it means is "not this day." "Someday I will repent." "Someday I will forgive him." "Someday I will speak to my friend about the Church." "Someday I will start to pay tithing." "Someday I will return to the temple." "Someday."

Henry B. Eyring

"From time to time, ask yourself these questions: "Am I ready to meet my Maker?" "Am I worthy of all the blessings He has in store for His faithful children?" "Have I received my endowment and sealing ordinances of the temple?" "Have I remained faithful to my covenants?"

"Have I qualified for the greatest of all God's blessings-the blessing of eternal life."

 
Russell M. Nelson

"The temple is a sacred edifice, a holy place,

where essential saving ceremonies and ordinances are performed to prepare us for exaltation.

 It is important that we gain a sure knowledge that our

preparation to enter the holy house and that our participation in these ceremonies and covenants are some of the

 most significant events we will experience in our mortal lives."

Robert D. Hales

"We voluntarily came from the presence of God the Father to this mortal probation with agency, knowing we would have "opposition in all things. Our objective is to take upon us the whole armor of God and withstand "the fiery darts of the wicked" with the shield of faith and the sword of the Spirit, to endure to the end, and to be worthy to stand and live in the presence of God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ,

for all eternity-to achieve what is called eternal life."

Elder Robert D. Hales

Triumph is just a little Umph added to Try

  President Gordon B. Hinckley was fond of saying, "Be believing. Be happy. Don't get discouraged. Things will work out." How could he, and all the other prophets and leaders of the Church, be so positive? Because they have the big picture. They know what is coming. Despite all the struggles, hardships, difficulties, ordeals, and even painful afflictions of this life, they know that the glorious cause of the kingdom of God will triumph.

Triumph is just a little umph added to try.

"Be Happy," "Be Prayerful," "Be Loving," and "Be Forgiving,"

"Living the gospel does not mean the storms of life will pass us by, but we will be better prepared to face them with serenity and peace. 'Search diligently, pray always, and be believing,' the Lord admonished, 'and all things shall work together for your good, if ye walk uprightly.'"

Joseph B. Wirthlin

"Truly understood and properly practiced, faith is one of the grand and glorious powers of eternity. It is a force powerful beyond our comprehension."

Joseph B. Wirthlin

"May I share with you a formula that in my judgment

will help you and help me to journey well through mortality...

First, fill your mind with truth;

second, fill your life with service;

and third, fill your heart with love."

Thomas S. Monson

"Good cheer is a state of mind or mood that promotes happiness or joy... With God's help, good cheer permits us to rise above the depressing present or difficult circumstances. It is a process of positive reassurance and reinforcement. It is sunshine when clouds block the light."

Marvin J. Ashton

"In all humility and sincerity we must admit a power higher than ourselves from whom is derived a positive moral code that will give our lives significance and purpose. We also must remember once and for all that honesty, respect, and honor as such are not for sale on the market block. They are ingredients that you and I and all people should put into our daily lives."

Delbert L Stapley

". . . brothers and sisters, what keeps us from knowing and loving Him more? Our reluctance to give away all our sins - thinking, instead, a down payment will do. Likewise, our reluctance to let our wills be swallowed up in His will thinking, instead, that merely acknowledging His will is sufficient!"

Neal A. Maxwell

"we remember the Lord Jesus Christ in reverence and with love. He has done for us what we could not do for ourselves. He has brought meaning to our mortal existence."

Gordon B. Hinckley

"What you sincerely in your heart think of Christ will determine what you are and will largely determine what your acts will be."

David O. McKay

		: :

Behold thy mother

  

A Mother holds her child's hand for just a short time,

But holds their hearts forever.

'God could not be everywhere, and so He gave us mothers.'

When you are a mother,

You are never really alone in your thoughts.

A mother always has to think twice,

Once for herself and once for her child.

There is gratitude for our mothers.

Motherhood is near to divinity

It is the highest, holiest service to be assumed

By mankind.  It places her who honors its holy

Calling and service next to the angels.

Heber J. Grant

 You gently held me in your arms

And sheltered me from earthly harms

You watched me grown into who I am

And guided me with gentle hands

You taught me what I ought to be

Then reluctantly you set me free

So now this simple prayer I offer

To protect and shelter my mother forever.

Motherhood is more than bearing children ….

It is the essence of who we are as women.

Sheri Dew

I owe to my mother all that was bright and good

In my long night.

Helen Keller

The greatest trust that can come to a man and woman is the placing in

Their keeping the life of a little child.

David O. McKay

Don't Push

The minute the doctor said "push"

I did, and I've got to stop now

Because you're eighteen.

Breathe deeply

Think of something else

Don't push

Don't push.

Carol Lynn Pearson

My favorite child-

The one who is ill until she gets well.

The one who is away until he gets home.

The one who is sad until she smiles again.

Anonymous

A mother is not a person to lean on, but a person

To make leaning unnecessary.

Dorothy Canfield Fisher

The noblest calling in the world is motherhood.

David O. McKay

"While on the cruel cross of Calvary, suffering intense pain and anguish,

Jesus 'saw his mother,

and the disciple standing by, whom he loved, he saith unto his mother,

Woman, behold thy son!

Then saith he to the disciple, Behold thy mother!'

What a divine example of gratitude and love!"

Thomas S. Monson

The heart is a tender place

"Perhaps the greatest charity comes when we are kind to each other, when we don’t judge or categorize someone else, when we simply give each other the benefit of the doubt or remain quiet. Charity is accepting someone’s differences, weaknesses, and shortcomings; having patience with someone who has let us down; or resisting the impulse to become offended when someone doesn’t handle something the way we might have hoped. Charity is refusing to take advantage of another’s weakness and being willing to forgive someone who has hurt us. Charity is expecting the best of each other."

Marvin J. Ashton

"As we grow up, we learn that even the one person that wasn't supposed to ever let you down probably will. You will have your heart broken probably more than once and it's harder every time. You'll break hearts too, so remember how it felt when yours was broken. You'll fight with your best friend. You'll blame a new love for things an old one did. You'll cry because time is passing too fast, and you'll eventually lose someone you love. So take too many pictures, laugh too much, and love like you've never been hurt because every sixty seconds you spend upset is a minute of happiness you'll never get back."

unknown

"What is our response when we are offended, misunderstood, unfairly or unkindly treated, or sinned against, made an offender for a word, falsely accused, passed over, hurt by those we love, our offerings rejected? Do we resent, become bitter, hold a grudge? Or do we resolve the problem if we can, forgive, and rid ourselves of the burden? The nature of our response to such situations may well determine the nature and quality of our lives, here and eternally. A courageous friend, her faith refined by many afflictions, said to me only hours ago, "Humiliation must come before exaltation." It is required of us to forgive. Our salvation depends upon it."

Marion D. Hanks

"There may be times when we feel overwhelmed, hurt, or on the edge of discouragement as we are trying so hard to be perfect members of the Church. Be assured, there is balm in Gilead. Let us listen to the prophets of our day as they help us to focus on the things that are central to the Creator's plan for the eternal destiny of His children. The Lord knows us, He loves us, He wants us to succeed, and He encourages us by saying: "And see that all … things are done in wisdom and order; for it is not requisite that men or women should run faster than they have strength."

Dieter F. Uchtdorf

"The heart is a tender place. It is sensitive to many influences, both positive and negative. It can be hurt by others. It can be deadened by sin. It can be softened by love. Early in our lives, we learn to guard our hearts. It is like we erect a fence around our hearts with a gate in it. No one can enter that gate unless we allow him or her to."

Gerald N. Lund, "Opening Our Hearts"

Opening Our Hearts

Elder Gerald N. Lund
Of the Second Quorum of the Seventy

Let us make it a part of our everyday striving to open our hearts to the Spirit.

Today I should like to speak on the importance of opening our hearts to the Holy Spirit.

After baptism we are confirmed and given the Holy Ghost. This is a supernal gift. The Holy Ghost comforts, teaches, warns, enlightens, and inspires us. Nephi put it very simply: “If ye will enter in by the way, and receive the Holy Ghost, it will show unto you all things what ye should do.” We need the help of the Holy Ghost if we are to make our way safely through what the Apostle Paul called the “perilous times”  in which we now live.

The Holy Ghost is a personage of spirit, which allows Him to dwell in our hearts and communicate directly with our spirits.  The voice of the Spirit is described as still and small and one that whispers.  How can a voice be still? Why is it likened to a whisper? Because the Spirit almost always speaks to our minds and to our hearts  rather than to our ears. President Boyd K. Packer has said, “The Holy Ghost speaks with a voice that you feel more than you hear.” 

We feel things in our hearts. In the scriptures, the prophets teach that personal revelation is closely linked to the heart. For example:

Mormon taught, “Because of meekness and lowliness of heart cometh the visitation of the Holy Ghost.” Alma said, “He that will harden his heart, the same receiveth the lesser portion of the word; and he that will not harden his heart, to him is given the greater portion of the word.” 

Mormon wrote of the Nephites, “[Their souls were filled] with joy and consolation … because of their yielding their hearts unto God.”And then the Psalmist simply wrote, “The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart.” 

Isn’t that something we all seek, brothers and sisters—to be visited by the Holy Ghost, to have the Lord draw closer to us, to find joy and consolation in our lives? If so, then carefully assessing the condition of our hearts is one of the most essential things we can do in this life.

The heart is a tender place. It is sensitive to many influences, both positive and negative. It can be hurt by others. It can be deadened by sin. It can be softened by love. Early in our lives, we learn to guard our hearts. It is like we erect a fence around our hearts with a gate in it. No one can enter that gate unless we allow him or her to.

In some cases the fence we erect around our hearts could be likened to a small picket fence with a Welcome sign on the gate. Other hearts have been so hurt or so deadened by sin that they have an eight-foot (2.5-m) chain-link fence topped with razor wire around them. The gate is padlocked and has a large No Trespassing sign on it.

Let us apply the idea of a gateway to the heart to receiving personal revelation. Nephi taught, “When a man speaketh by the power of the Holy Ghost the power of the Holy Ghost carrieth it unto the hearts of the children of men.”  Elder David A. Bednar noted the use of the word unto: “Please notice how the power of the Spirit carries the message unto but not necessarily into the heart. … Ultimately, … the content of a message and the witness of the Holy Ghost penetrate into the heart only if a receiver allows them to enter.” 

Why just unto the heart? Individual agency is so sacred that Heavenly Father will never force the human heart, even with all His infinite power. Man may try to do so, but God does not. To put it another way, God allows us to be the guardians, or the gatekeepers, of our own hearts. We must, of our own free will, open our hearts to the Spirit, for He will not force Himself upon us.

So how do we open our hearts?

In the Sermon on the Mount, the Savior said, “Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.” If something is pure, it is not polluted or tainted by things which do not belong to it. Purity of heart is certainly one of the most important qualifications for receiving inspiration from God. While none of our hearts are perfect, the more diligently we strive to eliminate impurity, or push out things which do not belong there, the more we open our hearts to the Holy Spirit. Note this sweet promise of the prophet Jacob: “O all ye that are pure in heart, lift up your heads and receive the pleasing word of God, and feast upon his love.” While in Liberty Jail, the Prophet Joseph Smith received a revelation that describes a condition of some hearts:

“Behold, there are many called, but few are chosen. And why are they not chosen?

“Because their hearts are set so much upon the things of this world, and aspire to the honors of men.” Many in the world now live in prosperous and peaceful circumstances. In the Book of Mormon, prosperity often led the people away from the Lord. Mormon warned, “We may see at the very time when he doth prosper his people, yea, in the increase of their fields, their flocks and their herds, and in gold, and in silver, and in all manner of precious things of every kind and art … , then is the time that they do harden their hearts, and do forget the Lord their God.” The Lord noted three natural consequences of having one’s heart set on the things of the world: First, we seek to hide our sins instead of repenting of them. Next, we seek to gratify our pride and vain ambitions rather than seeking the things of God. Finally, we begin to exercise unrighteous dominion over others. Note that pride is a natural consequence of setting our hearts on the things of the world. Pride quickly desensitizes our hearts to spiritual promptings. For example, the Lord said, “I, the Lord, am not pleased with my servant Sidney Rigdon; he exalted himself in his heart, and received not counsel, but grieved the Spirit.”  Compare that to this promise: “Be thou humble; and the Lord thy God shall lead thee by the hand, and give thee answer to thy prayers.” In the Liberty Jail revelation, the Lord described the effect of a worldly heart: “Behold, the heavens withdraw themselves; the Spirit of the Lord is grieved; and … behold, ere he is aware, he is left unto himself.”  Brothers and sisters, in these very “perilous times,” we cannot afford to grieve the Spirit and be left to ourselves.

I say again, the condition of our hearts directly affects our sensitivity to spiritual things. Let us make it a part of our everyday striving to open our hearts to the Spirit. Since we are the guardians of our hearts, we can choose to do so. We choose what we let in or hold out. Fortunately the Lord is anxious to help us choose wisely.

I close in testimony with two of the promises He has made to those who seek to come unto Him: “Wherefore, my beloved brethren, pray unto the Father with all the energy of heart, that ye may be filled with [His] love, … that we may be purified even as he is pure.” 

And finally this stirring declaration of Paul the Apostle: “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.” May we ever ask Christ to strengthen our hearts and fill them with His love is my prayer in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

May you always be overwhelmed by the Grace of God

Author unknown mother Before I was a Mom    I never tripped over toys or forgot words to a lullaby. I didn't worry whether or not my plants were poisonous. I never thought about immunizations. Before I was a Mom, I had never been puked on. Pooped on. Chewed on. Peed on. I had complete control of my mind and my thoughts. I slept all night. Before I was a Mom, I never held down a screaming child so doctors could do tests. Or give shots. I never looked into teary eyes and cried. I never got gloriously happy over a simple grin. I never sat up late hours at night watching a baby sleep.  Before I was a Mom, I never held a sleeping baby just because I didn't want to put her down. I never felt my heart break into a million pieces when I couldn't stop the hurt. I never knew that something so small could affect my life so much. I never knew that I could love someone so much. I never knew I would love being a Mom.  Before I was a Mom, I didn't know the feeling of having my heart outside my body.. I didn't know how special it could feel to feed a hungry baby. I didn't know that bond between a mother and her child. I didn't know that something so small could make me feel so important and happy.     Before I was a Mom, I had never gotten up in the middle of the night every 10 minutes to make sure all was okay. I had never known the warmth, the joy, the love, the heartache, the wonderment or the satisfaction of being a Mom. I didn't know I was capable of feeling so much, before I was a Mom  May you always be overwhelmed by the Grace of God rather than by the cares of life.