Tidbit Tuesday - Petitioning in Prayer

"Petitioning in prayer has taught me, again and again, that the vault of heaven with all its blessings is to be opened only by a combination lock. One tumbler falls when there is faith, a second when there is personal righteousness; the third and final tumbler falls only when what is sought is, in God’s judgment—not ours—right for us. Sometimes we pound on the vault door for something we want very much and wonder why the door does not open. We would be very spoiled children if that vault door opened any more easily than it does. I can tell, looking back, that God truly loves me by inventorying the petitions He has refused to grant me. Our rejected petitions tell us much about ourselves but also much about our flawless Father."

-Neal A. Maxwell
New Era, Apr 1978

Time Management

So I've been home from Trek for a week now.

And I miss it.

Is that peculiar or what?!

Okay, so I'm not necessarily missing all the walking or the hot days or cold nights (we woke up one morning with frost on our bags) or the stinky porta-potties . . .

But there is something incredibly peaceful about not being slave to a clock.

Because, as we all know, most Treks and the like are very rarely, if ever, on schedule.

And I've been thinking that maybe that is one of the keys to happiness.

One of the mysteries of heaven, even.

One of the reasons that time is not numbered by God.

One of the many, infinite reasons why He is so happy.

Because going by man's clock is rush, rush, rush, go, go, go, do, do, do, gone, gone, gone.

But God's timing - His eternal clock - takes into consideration -

every wrong turn;

the hole in the middle . .  and the ones on the right and the ones on the left;

the aching, blistered feet that slow, and stop, and rest;

being overloaded and overwhelmed;

food overdone or undercooked;

the majesty of a sunrise;

the grandeur of a sunset;

the waiting,

the sorrow,

going another extra mile, when you thought you just did;

and pulling up the hardest hill without the men.

And miraculously, instead of being drained with rush, rush, rush, go, go, go, do, do, do, gone, gone, gone,

We "stand still, with the utmost assurance, [seeing] the salvation of God."

Drinking and Swallowing

Here is what I discovered while studying our Gospel Doctrine lesson a few weeks ago.

Matthew 26:39
And he went a little further, and fell on his face, and ^aprayed, saying, O my ^bFather, if it be possible, let this ^ccup pass from me: nevertheless not as I ^dwill, but as ^ethou ^fwilt.

Mosiah 15:7
Yea, even so he shall be led, ^acrucified, and slain, the ^bflesh becoming subject even unto death, the ^cwill of the Son being swallowed up in the will of the Father.

I wanted to connect the phrases "let this cup pass from me" and "the will of the Son being swallowed up in the will of the Father."

Emphasis on CUP and SWALLOWED.

Here is what I found when I went to this link here: Blue Letter Bible
First of all, here is the word swallow in Greek:  καταπίνω

It comes from the root words: kata and pino.

Kata means down from or through out.

Pino meaning to drink.

katapino, in effect, means to drink or swallow down, to devour or destroy

Swallowing is what I should do with my pride. 

It is what Christ did in order to submit to God's will.

When I do the same I destroy that which hinders me from partaking of the divine nature.

His divine nature.

And ultimately His divine love.

Tidbit Tuesday - Forgiveness Flour

When I went to the door, at the whisper of knocking,
I saw Simeon Gantner's daughter, Kathleen, standing
There, in her shawl and her shame, sent to ask
"Forgiveness Flour" for her bread. "Forgiveness Flour,"
We call it in our corner. If one has erred, one
Is sent to ask for flour of his neighbors. If they loan it
To him, that means he can stay, but if they refuse, he had
Best take himself off. I looked at Kathleen . . .
What a jewel of a daughter, though not much like her
Father, more's the pity. "I'll give you flour," I
Said, and went to measure it. Measuring was the rub.
If I gave too much, neighbors would think I made sin
Easy, but if I gave too little, they would label me
"Close." While I stood measuring, Joel, my husband
Came in from the mill, a great bag of flour on his
Shoulder, and seeing her there, shrinking in the
Doorway, he tossed the bag at her feet. "Here, take
All of it." And so she had flour for many loaves,
While I stood measuring.

- Marguerite Stewart

And It Came to Pass . . .

For the last eleven months my husband and I have been part of a Stake Committee to help plan and carry out a pioneer Trek.  Our responsibilityhas been to train the couples who were called to be the Ma's and Pa's.

During the past four weeks we have had to rearrange our priorty list to get everything squared away for 16 Ma's and Pa's who were absolutely amazing in leading their families.

And the beginning of last week was filled with enough run-around details that thankfully, were finished before I ran out of time, to get Trek things together for my husband and me - and three of our boys who were also able to attend.

All I can say is - Trek was one. incredible. experience.

It was e.v.e.r.y.t.h.i.n.g. I had expected it to be - and much, much more.

And like everything good (and everything bad) - it came to pass.

I'll be forever grateful for the awesome journey.

I TOTALLY Crossed the Line

I really couldn't help it when it was pointed out to me that on occasion it is okay to cross the line . . .

Of course I don't recommend this as a regular practice . . .

And it really depends on what line . . .

But here is the line that I crossed . . .

And I share with you what I discovered . . .



1) A surety that God's words do come to pass.

2 Nephi 25:4 and 7

2) Que sera, sera. Whatever will be, will be.  The future's not mine you see.  But I resolve to endure it well.

2 Nephi 28:2 and 7

3) Not only did God create ALL things, He created me.

Mosiah 4: 9 and 12

4) Charity = Christ = Charity

Moroni 7:38 and 44

5) He can show me all things, including those things that hurt me the most.  But when those things are let go, I can become like Him.

Moroni 10:29 and 32

6) And for my very favorite. These ten words are why I began blogging in the first place.

Moroni 7:26 and 31

Tidbit Tuesday - What He Allows

God allows U-turns!