Christmas Continues Sacred

Times change, Years speed by, but Christmas continues sacred.

"This Christmas season and always, 

 we give to Him by loving as He loves." 

Dieter F. Uchtdorf

Be patient in afflictions, for thou shalt have many; but endure them, for, lo, I am with thee, even unto the end of thy days". "Ye cannot behold with your natural eyes, for the present time, the design of your God concerning those things which shall come hereafter, and the glory which shall follow after much tribulation. For after much tribulation… cometh the blessing". 

"For most of us… what is required is not to die for Christ but to live for Him. For many, living a Christlike life every day may be even more difficult than laying down one's life. But the cross is not as heavy as it appears to be. Through obedience we acquire much greater strength to carry it." 

James E. Faust

Grace, the divine gift of the Atonement, is a healing balm readily available to relieve our pain, a nourishing manna to assuage the hungers of our daily lives.  In the arithmetic of the universe, how may grief, regret or disappointment be accounted for when repentance does not apply or restitution is not possible?  Only God's grace can balance the account. 

Elaine Shaw Sorenson

Maybe the greater blessing for us is to have to walk 

through it with Him.

 D. Todd Christofferson

Perfect Christmas

We have in our minds a picture of how everything should be—the perfect tree, the perfect lights, the perfect gifts, and the perfect family events. … But sooner or later, something unpleasant occurs … and the picture-perfect Christmas we had imagined, the magic we had intended to create, shatters around us.

However, if we focus our hearts and minds on the true spirit of Christmas we will recognize wonderful things happening around us." "It is usually something small—we read a verse of scripture, we hear a sacred carol and really listen to its words, or we witness a sincere expression of love. In one way or another, the Spirit touches our hearts, and we see that Christmas, in its essence, is much more sturdy and enduring than the many minor things of life that we too often use to adorn it.

"We realize in these precious moments what we feel and know in our heart—that Christmas is about the Christ."
 Dieter F. Uchtdorf 

Always shine

Cocoa recipe

Homemade Hot Cocoa

yields 5 cups

Ingredients

¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder

½ cup granulated sugar

⅓ cup hot water

⅛ tsp salt

4 cups milk 

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

1. Combine the cocoa, sugar, water, and salt in a medium saucepan.

2. Over medium heat, stir constantly until the mixture boils. Cook, stirring constantly for 1 minute.

3. Stir in the milk and heat, but do not boil.

4. Remove from the heat and add vanilla; stir well. Serve immediately

Pecan Pie Bread Pudding

Pecan Pie Bread Pudding

Ingredients

1 (16 oz) loaf day old French bread

2 and ½ cup milk

1 cup half & half

4 eggs, lightly beaten

1 cup granulated sugar

1 Tablespoon vanilla

⅛ teaspoon salt

1 stick butter, softened

1 and ½ cup packed brown sugar

1 cup pecan, chopped

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Cube bread the place in a large bowl.

3. In another bowl, beat eggs, milk, half & half, sugar, salt, and vanilla to eggs; whisk. Pour over bread. Allow to sit

5 to 10 minutes

4. In another small bowl, combine with a fork, softened butter, brown sugar, and pecans. Mixture will have the

consistency of wet sand.

5. Pour half of the bread mixture into a 8x8 inch pan.

6. Top with half the pecan mixture.

7. Spoon remaining bread mixture over and top with remaining pecan mixture. Press down into pan slightly. Pan

will be really full.

8. Top with remaining pecan mixture.

9. Place pan on a cookie sheet with a edge to catch mixture that may boil over. Bake at 350 degrees F 45 to 55

minutes. Center will be slightly wiggly, but will set when cool.

Let it snow

Very touching live Nativity musical number by "The Piano Guys" and David Archuletta

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PrLoWt2tfqg&feature=share

 

Twig of faith

:D

....allow Him to work miracles in your life!

The time to listen is when someone needs to be heard. 

 Marvin J. Ashton

 "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."  
Marvin J. Ashton

"Greatness is best measured by how well an individual responds to the happenings in life that appear to be totally unfair, unreasonable, and undeserved." 

Marvin J. Ashton

"Do not allow yourselves to be made to feel inadequate or frustrated because you cannot do everything others seem to be accomplishing. Only you and your Father in Heaven know your needs, strengths, and desires. Around this knowledge your personal course must be charted and your choices made."  

Marvin J. Ashton

"We must remember that each of us is made in the image of God, that no one is unimportant. Everyone matters to Him. Never forget how valuable you truly are, worthy of our Heavenly Father's eternal love. In His eyes, there are no unimportant people, and He wants you to remember how much you mean to Him. No matter how insignificant, invisible, alone, or forgotten you may feel at times turn to God, and allow Him to work miracles in your life!   Marvin J. Ashton 

God in His infinite wisdom

"As our understanding increases, we realize that tears of sorrow can be exquisitely beautiful and that they ultimately give way to tears of eternal joy."
Glenn L. Pace

"Sometimes in the midst of trials we cry out, 'What have I done wrong to deserve this?' Often, tribulation comes into our lives not because we are doing something wrong but because of what we are doing right. We are striving for the purification and sanctification that will lead us to exaltation. We all must pass through a certain amount of fire so that our spirits will be pliable in the hands of the Lord."

"Each of us must pass through our own Gethsemanes."

Glenn L. Pace

"Let us face head-on where we are and where we want to be, and not dwell on the 'what ifs' of yesterday."   

Hugh W. Pinnock's 

God in His infinite wisdom will 

make all things right in due course. 

Bruce R. McConkie

"The pathway of life is generously sprinkled with hurdles to be overcome and difficulties to be surmounted."  Strength and struggle go hand in hand when we decide that hardships will make us better rather than bitter. 

What matters is not what happens to us, but how we interpret and handle what happens to us. Each of us has the marvelous ability to decide what will become of our lives regardless of whatever challenges we encounter. 

 Sterling W. Sill

Sometimes

Have you ever known a thoroughly depressed person who was counting his or her many blessings-naming them one by one? "Dwelling on what one owes in honest gratitude is one of the Lord's most mighty therapies against depression and despair." 

Truman G. Madsen

Worthiness and perfection don't mean the same thing! All of us are "works in process." We can be worthy while still needing improvement.  
Cecil O. Samuelson

"There are times when the Enemy simply tries to distract us, to lull us into complacency, or to get us so caught up in the comings and goings of mortal life that we lose our focus on the things of eternity." 

Kim B. Clark

 "Do we frequently reject the Lord's love that He pours out upon us in much more abundance than we are willing to receive? Do we think we have to be perfect in order to deserve His love? When we allow ourselves to feel 'encircled about eternally in the arms of his love we feel safe, and we realize that we don't need to be immediately perfect. We must acknowledge that perfection is a process. 

This is a gospel of eternal progress, 

and we must remember to appreciate the journey."

Bonnie D. Parkin

"It's not enough to do our best, 

sometimes we must do what is required."  

Wm. Rolfe Kerr

True happiness

"Happiness is a byproduct of helping others. No man ever finds happiness by thinking of himself. True happiness comes when we lose ourselves in the service of others when we are merciful to our fellowmen." 

Royden G. Derrick 

"True happiness comes only by making others happy-the practical application of the Savior's doctrine of losing one's life to gain it. In short, the Christmas spirit is the Christ spirit, that makes our hearts glow in brotherly love and friendship and prompts us to kind deeds of service. It is the spirit of the gospel of Jesus Christ, obedience to which will bring 'peace on earth,' because it means-good will toward all men." 

David O. McKay

"In our day the spirit of giving gifts plays a large role in commemorating the Christmas season. I wonder if we might profit by asking ourselves, What gifts 

would the Lord have me give to Him 

or to others at this precious season of the year?"  

 Thomas S. Monson

 " Gordon B. Hinckley has said that those who reach out to lift and serve others 'will come to know a happiness … never known before. … Heaven knows there are so very, very, very many people in this world who need help. Oh, so very … many. Let's get the cankering out of our lives, stand a little taller and reach a little higher in the service of others.'"   

Joseph B. Wirthlin

"Christmas is a desire to sacrifice for others, to render service, and to possess a feeling of universal brotherhood. It consists of a willingness to forget what you have done for others, and to remember only what others have done for you; to ignore what the world owes you, and think only of … your duties in the middle distance, and your chance to do good and aid your fellow-men in the foreground-to see that your fellow-men are just as good as you are, and try to look behind their faces to their hearts-to close your book of grievances against the universe, and look about you for a place to sow a few seeds of happiness and go your way unobserved" 

Howard W. Hunter

Carrot Apple Bread

INGREDIENTS:

1 large egg
1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
1/3 cup liquid-state coconut oil (canola or vegetable may be substituted)
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup cup sour cream
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2  teaspoon baking powder
1/2  teaspoon baking soda
pinch salt, optional and to taste
3/4 cup grated carrots
3/4 cup grated apples

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Spray one 9x5-inch loaf pan with floured cooking spray, or grease and flour the pan; set aside. 
2. In a large bowl, add the the first eight ingredients, through nutmeg, and whisk to combine.
3. Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, optional salt, and fold with spatula or stir gently with a spoon until just combined; don't overmix.
4. Add the carrots, apples, and fold gently to combine.
5. Turn batter (it's very thick, this is what you want) out into the prepared pan, smoothing the top lightly with a spatula.
6. Bake for about 45 to 52 minutes (I baked 50 minutes) or until the top is golden, the center is set, and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, or with a few moist crumbs, but no batter. Tip - Tent the pan with a sheet of foil draped loosely over it at the 35 minute-mark if you feel the tops and sides will become too browned before center cooks through. Baking times will vary based on moisture content of carrots, apples, climate, and oven variances. Bake until done; watch your bread, not the clock and don't worry if it takes longer to bake than the baking estimates provided.
7. Allow bread to cool in pan for about 15 minutes before turning out on a wire rack to cool completely before slicing and serving.

I could not hold back the tears

"Following my release from my first mission in 1923, I returned home to Whitney, Idaho, on Christmas Eve. It was a joyful reunion with my ten brothers and sisters, and especially with my father and mother in a home that had been as near ideal as a Latter-day Saint home could be.

"Father and Mother always made it a practice to hang the stockings, one on each chair, for the children and to place their limited gifts on or under or near each chair.

"Father and Mother took me into their confidence that Christmas Eve, which I shall never forget, and we stayed up all during the night. In fact, we didn't retire at all. We filled the stockings after going to the granary and elsewhere on the farm to get the presents which had been secretly hidden by our devoted and beloved parents. This took a good part of the night. The rest we spent visiting together, with Father and Mother telling me of the progress made by each of the children while I was away, and with me reporting to them and responding to their questions regarding my wonderful mission of thirty months in the British Isles. It was a choice evening. My love for my parents had never been quite so great before as it was that night.

"It was agreed that the children could arise early Christmas morning. I don't remember the hour, but I think it was 5:00 a.m. They were each to go in the kitchen, as I remember it, for a glass of milk and a piece of bread and butter and honey before they came into the living room to partake of the goodies from their stockings and to enjoy the excitement of their presents from Santa. It was a happy morning. I could not hold back the tears as I watched with pride the reactions of my six brothers and four sisters and the loving expressions of my noble parents as they watched their posterity partake of the Christmas spirit and as they felt of the unity which prevailed in our family circle.   Ezra Taft Benson

Only once

A thousand times in history a baby has become a King, 

but only once in history did a King become a baby.

"Oh ye that embark in the service of God see that ye serve him with all your heart, might, mind, and strength that ye may stand blameless before God at the last day."

"They heard his voice, a voice so mild  It pierced them through and made their souls to quake" This is the Christ.  James E. Faust

"He promises to be with us, to come to us when we need comfort, to lift us when we stumble, to carry us if need be, to cry, laugh, mourn, and rejoice with us. Every day He offers to take us by the hand and help transform ordinary life into extraordinary spiritual experiences."

"like the Wise Men of old, should seek the Christ and lay before Him the most precious of gifts: a broken heart and a contrite spirit. We should offer Him our love. We should give Him our willingness to take upon ourselves His name and walk in the path of discipleship. We should promise to remember Him always, to emulate His example, and to go about doing good."

We cannot offer perfection, and the Savior does not expect it, "But He does require that we bring as gifts our best efforts to move ourselves, one foot in front of the other, walking in the ways He has prepared and taught."

We're all pilgrims

Hope is putting faith to work when doubting would be easier.  
Thomas S. Monson

Wise men still seek Him

"If the blessings were immediate, choosing the right would not build faith."
Henry B. Eyring

"Angels are still sent to help us"
Jeffrey R. Holland

"The first syllable of the word testimony is test and yes, there is a test in acquiring the knowledge you seek. But please don't be discouraged on this quest! The Lord wants to send His Spirit to you--He wants you to know! But He also wants you to act in faith and to move forward even when you don't know."
John Bytheway

"A testimony is more like a dimmer switch that makes possible an almost infinite number of settings between total light and total darkness. Just as there are levels of light, there are levels of testimony as well. I know, I believe, I desire to believe, I wonder, I doubt, I don't believe"

In the end, we're all pilgrims seeking after God's light as we journey on the path of discipleship.
Dieter F. Uchtdorf

"May we, as did the Wise Men, seek a bright, particular star to guide us in our celebration of the Savior's birth."  
Thomas S. Monson

Sacrifice is worship

"Christmas means giving. The Father gave his Son, and the Son gave his life. Without giving there is no true Christmas, and without sacrifice there is no true worship."

Gordon B. Hinckley

Philly Cheesesteak Stew

(Serves about 4)

Ingredients:

• 1 ½ pounds very thinly sliced beef sirloin (I get mine from Trader Joe's), or ribeye
• Salt
• Cracked black pepper
• ¼ teaspoon onion powder
• 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour, divided use
• Olive oil
• 2 onions, quartered and thinly sliced
• 10 ounces white mushrooms, sliced
• ½ teaspoon dried thyme
• 2 cloves garlic, pressed through garlic press
• 4 cups beef stock, hot
• 4 sourdough bread bowls, centers hollowed out and reserved for dipping
• 4 slices provolone cheese

Preparation:

-Add the thinly sliced beef sirloin to a large bowl, and season with a couple of pinches of salt and cracked black pepper, plus the onion powder, and toss to coat; sprinkle over 2 tablespoons of the flour, and again, toss to coat.

-Place a non-stick pot over medium-high heat, and drizzle in about 3-4 tablespoons of oil; once hot, add about half of the sirloin in, and allow it to sear for about a minute or two, then toss/stir, and allow it to sear/brown on the other sides for another 1-2 minutes, and remove onto a plate to hold (the meat may still be a little pink inside); repeat with the remaining half of the sirloin, and set aside.

-Next, add a little more oil to the pot if needed, and add in the sliced onions, along with a pinch of salt and cracked black pepper; allow the onions to caramelize for roughly 6 minutes, stirring frequently to avoid burning them, until golden-brown and softened; then, add in the mushrooms, and allow them to continue sauteing with the onions for another 6 minutes or so, stirring frequently.

-Add in the dried thyme and the garlic, and stir to incorporate.

-Once the garlic becomes aromatic, sprinkle in the remaining 2 tablespoons of flour (the tablespoons  can be a bit "heaping") over the onion/mushroom mixture, and stir well to combine and blend; next, slowly add in the hot beef stock, stirring all the while to avoid any little flour "lumps" from forming.

-Reduce the heat to medium-low, and allow the stew to simmer gently for about 10 minutes, uncovered, just to "tighten" it up a bit, and to allow the flavors to marry; after 10 minutes, turn off the heat, and add the seared sirloin back in, along with any accumulated juices, and stir to combine; check to see if you need any additional salt/pepper.

-To serve, ladle some stew into your hollowed out sourdough bowls, top with a slice of provolone, and place the bread bowls onto a foil-lined baking sheet and under the broiler for just a couple of moments to melt the cheese and make it gooey.

-Serve with some of the hollowed out, left-over sourdough bread on the side, for dipping.

Chocolate Chip Butterscotch Oatmeal Walnut Cookies

Chocolate Chip Butterscotch Oatmeal Walnut Cookie

• 1 c. butter (2 sticks)
• 3/4 c. brown sugar
• 1/2 c. white sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 2 c. flour
• 3/4 tsp. baking soda
• 2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 c. chocolate chips
• 1/2 c. butterscotch chips
• 1/2 c. chopped walnuts
• 1 c. rolled oats

Drop onto cookie sheet and slightly flatten. Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 8-9 minutes each. You have to take them out the minute you see any brown, then though they'll still be soft let them sit on the cookie sheet about 10 minutes after they're out of the oven, to continue cooking through. Enjoy!

The number of prayers WE answer

Learning to love as He loves should be our highest goal.   Ezra Taft Benson 

"We don't know the meaning of all things. We don't have all the answers to explain all the tragedies in the world and in our neighborhoods. Instead of asking "why did this happen?" ask "what can i learn from this experience?" Maybe god asked Abraham to sacrifice his son so Abraham could learn something about Abraham. Maybe we need to learn about ourselves!"
John Bytheway

"If you are emotionally honest, you should mean what you say but also mean what you do." John Bytheway

"Charity is three-dimensional: it encompasses love for Christ, love from Christ, and love like Christ. In other words, to experience the pure love of Christ means to feel Christ's love for you, to love Christ purely yourself, and to love others purely as Christ loves them."
John Bytheway

"So what do we do? We do the best we can. All you can do, is all you can do."
John Bytheway

He wants our broken hearts and contrite spirits.

SOURCE: THE MORMON NERD

We often times ponder on the gifts, fit for a king, that were brought by the wise men traveling from the East. Of course we too feel the desire to bring our best to him, but there are other things that Christ, the King of Kings wants us to bring to Him—our sins, our weaknesses, our hurts, our guilt, our hard feelings. He wants our broken hearts and contrite spirits.

I love the scene in the Church movie Mr. Krueger's Christmas where Mr. Krueger, the lonely janitor living in his simple basement apartment, pictures himself coming to the manger to witness the nativity. As he starts talking to the baby Jesus he finds himself with no fancy gifts to give. Instead he gives his honest, broken heart, he brings his failings and the darkness he confesses he sometimes feels, but he also expresses his deep love and gratitude for his Redeemer. I love that scene because we can do the same.

Buttery Cinnabun Cake

Buttery Cinnabun Cake

3 Cups flour
¼ teaspoon salt
1 Cup sugar
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 ½ Cups milk
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 Stick real butter, melted

2 sticks real butter, softened
1 Cup brown sugar
2 Tablespoons flour
1 Tablespoon cinnamon
2/3 Cups nuts, optional

2 Cups powdered sugar
5 Tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla

1. In an electric or stand mixer mix the flour, salt, sugar, baking powder, milk, eggs and vanilla. Once combined well, slowly stir in melted butter. Pour batter into a greased 9 x 13 inch baking pan.

2. In a large bowl, mix the 2 sticks of softened butter, brown sugar, flour, cinnamon and nuts until well combined. Drop evenly over cake batter by the tablespoonfuls and use a knife to marble/swirl through the cake.

3. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until toothpick comes out nearly clean from center.

4. Place powdered sugar, milk and vanilla in a large bowl. Whisk until smooth. Drizzle over warm cake. Serve warm or at room temperature. Enjoy!

Noble purpose

Jesus was the Firstborn among spirits and the Only Begotten Son of God in the flesh. Although we are not begotten of God in the flesh, we are, just as Jesus, the spirit offspring of God. Thus, our birth into mortality is also something of a condescension, and like Christ's, it has a noble purpose. Just as Jesus, we came down from heaven to do the will of Him that sent us and to achieve, with the grace of Christ, immortality and eternal life.  Might it be important for us, as we seek to "ascend up on high," also to descend below at least some things that we might comprehend more fully and become more Christlike? If Jesus needed certain experiences, might we also require some challenges and trials, "that our bowels may be filled with mercy, according to the flesh, that we may know according to the flesh how to succor one another according to our infirmities"?

D. Todd Christofferson

Nostalgic note from a President

Precious gift

"We all desire to be the heroes and heroines of our own stories; to triumph over adversity; to experience life in all its beauty; and, in the end, to live happily ever after. Isn't it remarkable to know that God's love for you is so great that He has granted you this earthly life as a precious gift of 'once upon a time,' complete with your own true story of adventure, trial, and opportunities for greatness, nobility, courage, and love."  
Dieter F. Uchtdorf

Neither happiness nor heaven can be reached by climbing alone, but by falling,… falling at the feet of Christ and relying on Him. Only by coming to this realization—that we can't do it by ourselves, but only through Him from Whom all blessings flow—can such enjoyments become gifts in our lives. Remember… He is the Way, and His invitation to come unto Him and into His outstretched arms is ever present, but it is up to you to accept and receive the joy that awaits the faithful.

Christmas gifts had become Christmas blessings.

When I served as a Bishop, there was a young man who, as a boy of thirteen, led his quorum of deacons in a successful search for the Christmas spirit. He and his companions lived in a neighborhood in which many elderly widows of limited means resided. All the year long, the boys had saved and planned for a glorious Christmas party. They were thinking of themselves, until the Christmas spirit prompted them to think of others. Frank, as their leader, suggested to his companions that the funds they had saved so carefully be used not for the planned party, but rather for the benefit of three elderly widows who resided together.

The boys made their plans. As their bishop, I needed but to follow. With the enthusiasm of a new adventure, the boys purchased a giant roasting chicken, the potatoes, the vegetables, the cranberries, and all that comprises the traditional Christmas feast. To the widows' home they went, carrying their gifts of treasure. Through the snow and up the path to the tumbledown porch they came. A knock at the door, the sound of slow footsteps, and then they met.

In the unmelodic voices characteristic of thirteen-year-olds, the boys sang: "Silent night! Holy night! All is calm, all is bright." They then presented their gifts. Angels on that glorious night of long ago sang no more beautifully, nor did Wise Men present gifts of greater meaning. I gazed at the faces of those wonderful women and thought to myself, "Somebody's mother." I then looked on the countenances of those noble boys and reflected, "Somebody's son." There then passed through my mind the words of the immortal poem by Mary Dow Brine:

The woman was old and ragged and gray

And bent with the chill of the Winter's day.

The street was wet with a recent snow,

And the woman's feet were aged and slow.

She stood at the crossing and waited long,

Alone, uncared for, amid the throng

Of human beings who passed her by,

Nor heeded the glance of her anxious eye.

Down the street, with laughter and shout,

Glad in the freedom of "school let out,"

Came the boys like a flock of sheep,

Hailing the snow piled white and deep. …[One] paused beside her and whispered low,

"I'll help you cross, if you wish to go." …

"She's somebody's mother, boys, you know,

For all she's aged and poor and slow.

And I hope some fellow will lend a hand

To help my mother, you understand,

If ever she's poor and old and gray,

When her own dear boy is far away."

And "somebody's mother" bowed low her head

In her home that night, and the prayer she said

Was, "God be kind to the noble boy,

Who is somebody's son, and pride and joy!"

Not one of those boys ever forgot that precious pilgrimage. Christmas gifts had become Christmas blessings.

Spiced Gingerbreads

3/4 c. shortening
1 c. sugar
1 egg, beaten
1/4 c. molasses
2 c. all-purpose flour
1 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt
1 t. cinnamon
1 t. ground cloves
1 t. ground ginger
Garnish: sugar

In a large bowl, blend together shortening and sugar. Beat in egg and molasses until light and fluffy. In a separate bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, salt and spices; add to shortening mixture and stir well. Form into small balls and roll each in sugar. Place on greased baking sheets, about 2 inches apart. Bake at 325 degrees for 12 to 15 minutes, until golden. Makes 3 dozen.

Looking Heavenward

"Looking heavenward is a lifelong endeavor... You are of a noble birthright. Eternal life is your goal. This is not achieved in one glorious attempt, but from a lifetime of righteousness, an accumulation of wise choices, even a constancy of purpose and lofty ideals."  
Thomas S. Monson

"When we understand the character of God, and know how to come to Him, he begins to unfold the heavens to us, and to tell us all about it.
When we are ready to come to him, he is ready to come to us."  
Joseph Smith 

 "One of the greatest blessings of being able to pray to our Father in Heaven is that He is never too busy to hear our petition. No request is so great that He cannot handle it, or so small that He dismisses it as being insignificant. He hears and answers all of our prayers. He may not answer our prayers when we expect an answer, but His answers are always right on time, and in accordance with His perfect will."

Let Every Heart Prepare Him Room

Let Every Heart Prepare Him Room 

Keep trying, be believing...
Gordon B. Hinckley

He is not waiting to Love you until you have overcome your weaknesses and bad habits He Loves You Today! 
Dieter F. Uchtdorf

Like a stone tossed in a pool starts a ripple from the center which continues to enlarge until every part of the shore is touched… so your thoughtfulness, kind deeds, and encouraging words lift the lives of everyone around you. Never forget that our lives and the way we treat others may be "the most persuasive argument for that which we believe." Let His image in your countenance shine by the loving way you live every day.  
Gordon B. Hinckley

Our people will be a happy people, a blessed people, a people whose shepherd is our Lord, leading us through pastures green and peaceful, if we will walk after His pattern and in His light. 

Gordon B. Hinckley

Be not afraid to take a step forward no matter how hard the situation is!