Stake Conference Notes

Here are some notes that I took during Stake Conference this past weekend . . . with some included quotes!

Faith in Adversity

* The Lord’s timing is ALWAYS perfect.
* Through faith inthe Lord, Jesus Christ, He will fill my lack.
* The only limits faith has dwell within me.
* If I have the faith of a mustard seed, I can move mountains. (Mountains = anything that seem too difficult for me).
* Do not let adversity be the center of my life.
* If God is my co-pilot . . . CHANGE PLACES!

Stories/Quotes

* * *

"There is the story of two neighboring farmers—one a habitual Sabbath breaker, and the other a faithful observer of the Lord’s day. On one occasion the Sabbath observer severely chastised his neighbor for working his farm on Sundays rather than attending to his religious devotions. This led to an argument and a challenge. “Let us put the matter to a test,” the Sabbath breaker said. “We will select two pieces of ground of equal size and fertility. On them we will plant the same crop. My piece of ground I will work on Sundays, and you will work yours on the other days of the week. Then we will see who gets the greater harvest.


"The challenge was accepted and the conditions were faithfully observed. As the harvest was gathered in, the Sabbath-observing farmer was disappointed to learn that the piece of ground farmed by his neighbor had produced the greater yield. The Sabbath breaker exulted in his apparent triumph and his discrediting of the contention of his faithful neighbor.

“You have forgotten one important thing,” protested the Sabbath observer. “The Lord doesn’t always settle His accounts in October.” -Dean L Larsen (New Era, Feb 1986, 4, italics added).

* * *

“How can you and I really expect to glide naively through life, as if to say, ‘Lord, give me experience, but not grief, not sorrow, not pain, not opposition, not betrayal, and certainly not to be forsaken. Keep from me, Lord, all those experiences which made Thee what Thou art! Then let me come and dwell with Thee and fully share Thy joy!’” –Neal A. Maxwell (Ensign, May 1991, 88). 

* * *

"In living our lives let us never forget that the deeds of our fathers and mothers are theirs, not ours; that their works cannot be counted to our glory; that we can claim no excellence and no place, because of what they did, that we must rise by our own labor, and that labor failing we shall fail. We may claim no honor, no reward, no respect, nor special position or recognition, no credit because of what our fathers were or what they wrought. We stand upon our own feet in our own shoes." - J. Reuben Clark Jr. (New Era, Jul 1975, 8).

Marriage
* The doctrine of family began with our Heavenly Parents.
* The most important date on our monthly calendar should be: Friday Night Date Night!
* In making essential decisions there should be unity.
   In making non-essential decisions there should be liberty.
   In making all decisions there should be charity.
* Do I have the patience with my spouse the Lord has with me?
* The feeling of love (for my spouse) is the fruit of my actions.
* Heavenly Father is an exalted, happily married man!

Final Post

Okay. So it’s been a little while since I’ve last posted.

Life is that way sometimes, don’t you think?

When some things come up, other things have to take a time out.

And in the wake of much tumult around the world: political uprising, natural disasters and cooking dinner every night, I got to thinking about what would happen if I would not be able to post again?

What would my final post be?

What words would be left hanging in cyberspace for generations to read?

Would they be words I had carefully chosen?

Would they be words filled with rash and recklessness?

Or would they be words fraught with frivolousness and humor?

Would my words reveal the real me or assume an identity of a false pretense?

Which made me realize why the words and the stories and the doctrine taught in the Book of Mormon were so carefully chosen.

Nephi deliberately left out his genealogy to reserve room “to write the things of God” (1 Nephi 6:3)

Jacob entrusted the plates to his son, Enos, commanding him that only "the things considered most precious" were to be recorded (see Jacob 1:1 and 7:27).

In compiling the records of the Nephites for us, for our day, Mormon said “I shall take these plates, which contain prophesying and revelations, . . . for they are choice unto me; and I know they will be choice unto my brethren” (see Words of Mormon 1:6-7).

The words written in that sacred book of scripture is more than just a history or a history of what transpired in the lives of people in ancient America.

It is not a written documentary.

Or an essay.

The Book of Mormon is another testimony that Jesus is the Christ, the Eternal God.

It is a powerful personal witness that through the power of the Holy Ghost not only can we know the truth of all things, but we can come unto Christ and be perfected in Him.

But, if the Book of Mormon were a blog, these are the last words the prophet Moroni posted for all to read:

“And now I bid unto all, farewell. I soon go to rest in the paradise of God, until my spirit and body shall again unite, and I am brought forth triumphant through the air, to meet you before the pleasing bar of the great Jehovah, the Eternal Judge of both quick and dead.”

Powerful words with eternal consequences that now hang in the space between our faith and our knowledge for us to grasp and read and study and apply.

Ironing It All Out

The other day I had to buy the family myself a new iron.

The last time I bought a new iron was five years ago.

And it looked just like my Granny’s iron.

It had a hole to fill up with water, orange UP FOR STEAM button, and a plug - to plug into the wall.

There was no fancy steam/mist/spray/dry clean only buttons.

No Teflon, non-stick, twenty-two holed face plate.

No retractable, Indian Jones whip-like cord that causes severe bodily damage if pulled too quickly.

No automatic turn-off features for three different placement positions.

And definitely NO owner’s manual.

So there I was, looking at 16 different irons with all these fancy-schmancy features when all I wanted was a simle iron like the one I bought five years ago.

But they don’t make simple irons anymore!!

So I bought one with all the loaded features (because there was no other alternative) knowing full well that the heat setting will ALWAYS stay on COTTON, the water setting will never change from STEAM.

And quite aware that when I will need a new iron (in about five years), I am sure will be mourning the loss of this one, which, by then, will be “simple.”

PLEASE don't tell me that I’ll need an iPhone to use the iron I buy next!

Cleaning Closets

New Year’s Resolution #364 – Clean out every closet and every drawer in the house.

Ha.

Okay, double ha.

But today I did clean out the two (out of HOW MANY?) drawers!

They belonged to my five and six year olds.

And it really wasn’t that bad.

I ended up with a great, big Papa Bear pile of clothes for the thrift store.

A medium-sized Mama Bear pile of clothes for rags.

And a teeny, tiny Baby Bear pile of clothes to give away to cousins.

And when I finished, I stepped back and felt SO, DARN EXTREMELY GOOD about my two-drawer organizational ability.

Because when it comes to cleaning out closets and drawers, the one who cleans it is the one who’s most satisfied.

Which made me recognize that repentance is like cleaning closets.

Because only I know the mess that is inside of me.

Only I know what needs to be thrown out, changed, cleansed, replaced, purged.

And I am the only one that can choose when and how to clean myself out.

Not that the cleaning and organizing the inside of me is easy . . . or enjoyable.

But after I do the dirty deed and step back to look at my work, I can feel so darn extremely good knowing that – at least on this type of cleaning – through the infinite love and godly sacrifice of Jesus Christ, our Savior, He was able to take my meager two-drawer organizational ability and make my closet clean again.

His type of clean.

The type of clean that is next to Him.

Until I realize that I’ve collected too much junk and need Him to help me clean out my closet - again.

Baby Names

Up to this point it has been a no brainer for my husband and me.

For because the day we found out what genders our babies were, we had a name already chosen for those sweet little ones.

All eight of them!

Even the twins.

But here comes number baby number nine with no name in sight.

None.

I even went the distance to check out baby name books (BABY! NAME! BOOKS!) from the library because I am going name brain just wondering about it.

And in looking at the 100,000 plus names, like all the spellings of Katy, Katie, Kaydee, Kaidie, Kaydie, out there, I'm thinking that maybe Prudence is sounding better and better. (Not really).

But it got me thinking about names.

Because I just finished reading 2 Nephi 3.

About Lehi giving a blessing to his son Joseph, who is named after Joseph of Egypt, who sees our day and prophesies about a latter-day prophet who would be named Joseph after his father . . .

And how, on that glorious spring morning of 1820, God the Father introduces His Only Begotten Son to a young, 14 year old boy  and calls him by his name - "Joseph."

Because Joseph was his designated earth name from the very beginning.

Like was Adam’s.

And Moses’.

And John the Baptist’s.

And Mary’s.

And Jesus’.

What were the thoughts of the parents as they named their children?

Of course we know the account of Elizabeth and Zacharias when it came to naming John.

And we know of Mary’s visit from the angel that she was to name her son Jesus.

But Joseph was the Junior, he being the fifth son of Joseph Smith Sr. and Lucy Mack Smith.

And while I don’t know much, or even anything at all, this little I do know. Whatever name we finally decide to give this little girl that will enter into the world, Father will know her name.

And when He will speak to her heart and to her mind through the power of Holy Ghost, He will call her by her name.

And as she listens, she will know that she is known.

My New Book

If I wrote a book it would be about motherhood.

It would be non-fiction (in spite of the first four words).

It would also be considered the shortest non-fiction book out there.

Maybe, as everyone who writes a book hopes, it would be on the New York Times Best Sellers List.

But since I can’t find a publisher on such short notice, I will share my short, copyrighted, non-fiction book with you.

"Once upon a time I was a perfect mother . . .

then I started having kids."

Tidbit Tuesday - Which Way Am I Facing?

"Brothers and sisters, we do not go many hours in our lives without having to decide again “which way do we face” and whether we will pitch our tents facing Sodom or the holy temple."

-Neal A. Maxwell
CLICK HERE for his full message