No need to fear

Sorry to have back to back posts but I was reminded of this quote this morning and wanted to share. Shannon shared this quote with me a couple of years ago and it's now one of my favorites. 

"Some years ago we visited a country where strange ideologies were taught and “pernicious doctrines” were promulgated every day in the schools and in the captive press. Every day the children listened to the doctrines, philosophies, and ideals their teachers related.

Someone said that “constant dripping will wear away the hardest stone.” This I knew, so I asked about the children: “Do they retain their faith? Are they not overcome by the constant pressure of their teachers? How can you be sure they will not leave the simple faith in God?”

The answer amounted to saying “We mend the damaged reservoir each night. We teach our children positive righteousness so that the false philosophies do not take hold. Our children are growing up in faith and righteousness in spite of the almost overwhelming pressures from outside.”

Even cracked dams can be mended and saved, and sandbags can hold back the flood. And reiterated truth, renewed prayer, gospel teachings, expression of love, and parental interest can save the child and keep him on the right path." Spencer W. Kimball

I love that quote because it goes along with one of my favorite scriptures in 2 Sam. 22:2-4

 2 And he said, The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer;

 3 The God of my rock; in him will I trust: he is my ^bshield, and the horn of my salvation, my high ^ctower, and my ^drefuge, my saviour; thou savest me from violence.

 4 I will call on the Lord, who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from mine enemies.

It reminds me of Rolinda's saying "Faith in Christ is still the answer!" and always will be.

God Bless the USA

      60+ hours of driving across 11 states without anyone in the passenger seat gives you lots of time to think.  As I prepared for this trip I kept checking on the government shutdown to see if all the sights we were going to would be opened. To be totally honest I was a little frustrated that my trip was going to be limited because the politicians of this country couldn't get along. I think in general over the last few years part of my patriotism to this country has been a little tainted by all the never ending fighting in Washington.

     Well that all changed this last week as I was reminded that this land truly has been blessed by the hand of God to bring forth his gospel. As I drove through the Appalachian Mountains in full autumn bloom I was reminded that all things beautiful testify of Christ. As we walked the streets of New York City I asked Grace “can you believe that Jesus knows and loves EVERY single one of these people?” In Philadelphia I was reminded how little I know about the founding fathers and their yet I could feel the spirit testifying that they did in that very room of Independence Hall was guided by the Holy Ghost.

      In D.C. I took the kids to see “THE Star Spangled Banner” (the flag that hung over Fort McHenry and inspired Francis Scott Key to write the National Anthem) It was there that I was reminded that even the fighting that takes place in Washington is a sign of the Lords hand in this country. It was the bombs bursting in air that gave proof to Francis Key that the flag was still there. As long as there was fighting going on he knew we were still a country. I thought of how that applies to us now. As long as there are differences of opinions that are allowed to be spoken we are still a free nation. As crazy as it sounds the constant fighting is proof of our freedom and agency in this blessed country.

      The other thing that struck me from the anthem that I’d never noticed before was that it ends in a question mark. “Oh say does that star spangled banner yet wave or’ the land of the free and the home of the brave?  “  It reminded me of a quote from Thomas Jefferson “ the price of freedom is eternal vigilance”  Every time we hear the National Anthem we should be asking ourselves are we being “the brave” and doing our part to preserve the freedoms we enjoy in this beautiful country.

     

      I’m not a really political person and I cringe when I hear a talk that mentions how we as Latter day Saints need to be more involved in the political process.  I’m easily swayed, I just go with whoever seems nicest, I think people should just all be left alone and I’ll lose any debate I ever enter so I just stay out of it. I learned this week what I need to do to do my part.  It’s the same pattern as the gospel. I need to recognize the Lords hand in all things, learn the history of those who have gone before me, appreciate what already exists while finding ways to make it better and finally making that happen with the guidance of prayer.

     

       I feel like this trip really helped me on my path to recognizing the Lords hand in this country. The landscape, the people, the history and even the politics! It all testifies of our Savior and I am so blessed to be a part of it!  -Special K

Drink It and Be Strong

 "If the bitter cup does not pass, drink it and be strong, trusting in happier days ahead"  This was said by Jeffery R. Holland in this last Conference. I after reading Kelly K.'s post and talking about Alma's people being brought into bondage in seminary, have been thinking a lot about adversity.  Alma's people even thought they were living righteously were brought into heavy slavery even to the point that they were not allowed to pray. But God made this Covent with them that if they endure their trial with cheerfulness and faith in Him that He would eventually bring them out of bondage and that until that day He would make them STRONG so that they could lift their burden. God also makes this promise to us. And remember in Mosiah chapter 26 Alma (and probably countless of his people) were promised Eternal life. One of the many blessings of trials is that they are the way The Lord tunes us to be the kind of person worthy and fit for the Kingdom of God.  Jeffery R. Holland also told another story in some conference which I could not find so I will just summarize. ( if anyone knows which one it is I would greatly appreciate it if you would post it in the comments section) He Told the story of when He was a young father and was moving his family across the country to go to graduate school.  They had almost no money and were running on fumes of faith. On their way across the country their car broke down twice and Holland had to walk for miles to the nearest town to get help. Holland said that as he drives by the place where he broke down he often see's that young family broken down at the side of the road and wishes he could tell that young frustrated father not to give up and to tell him of the many years of happiness ahead and how this time of trial will be as a small moment compared to the happiness of the future.  I feel that if we all look back on our past trials we will see how small they seem to our happiness we have had and how much better they had made us.  Like Kelly K. said it is in the times of our trials that we see the love of God the most. So I hope we can all remember that when we go through our next, because even in my short 18 years of life I have learned that trails don't stop coming so we need to ALWAYS rely on our Heavenly Father.

 Thank you Kelly K. for your post it really meant a lot to me at that time. I am grateful for all of you and I really do love you guys and I'm grateful for your examples. This weekend when I was hunting with Josh I realized how blessed I was to be one of the younger kids.(sorry guys) I have so many great examples in my life who are so willing to show me the way by their example. I know that this Church is the true church of God and we are truly blessed to know who are Father is. 

-Cheesy McNeilis

Blessed by the Service of Others

I can't hide it from anyone, I didn't really watch Conference this time around. Jenna was passing out snacks and I'm pretty sure I missed every single one. Maybe I'll post on Conference later when I get my thoughts all sorted out. We've been very blessed, almost an overwhelming amount by the people in our ward, and within our little LDS student community out here in Iowa. Everyone has offered to help as I've transitioned to having two kids and with my mom dislocating her knee cap plus my C-section recovery it's been interesting to say the least. My friends and of course Karen come and take Landon so I can just lay around all day like a bum which I am very grateful for. We were showered with offers of dinner, friends brought meals, freezer meals, and took Landon for a few hours or more to play. Karen carried Landon upstairs so I wouldn't have to make the extra trip and put him down for a nap. I think of the Savior often as I am blessed by the service others have offered me. I can feel his love for me and my little family as I see others doing as He would do. I am reminded of the scripture in Joshua 24:15 which says, "...choose you this day whom ye will serve..but as for me and my house we will serve the Lord." I know that those who are even now still offering the great gift of service have chosen to serve the Lord because they are doing as He would do if He was here right now. He would succor those that are in need, and do things for me that used to be so simple like pick Landon up and carry him around when he needs to be. I usually have a hard time receiving any kind of service from others and it is only now not being able to do everything I used to that I have truly been humbled and blessed by the great love my friends and family have for the Savior, and my family.

Kelly Kelly :)

Trust the Lord

  I am so grateful for life, the ups and downs and all! I feel like over the past couple of years I have been asked to do "hard things". It would be cake walk for the rest of you but for me I have really had the opportunity to learn to trust the Lord.

  When I got called to teach Gospel Principles, I asked the Bishop 5 times before I left if he was joking. Then when I would pray and think about it, I got kind of excited when my answer was "weak things will become strong". I was excited because I was going to become a great teacher and no longer afraid to speak in front of people. Well, that never happened. I did become stronger in my trust in the Lord and my love of the scriptures grew and I learned more of how much  Heavenly Father loves his children and He did bless me to love those I taught. 

  I am grateful for each day Heavenly Father gives us to learn and grow. I can see the wisdom in hard things more and more. I know the Lord speaks peace to our souls even in the hour of the hardest trial, if we let Him. I am grateful for prayer. And I KNOW a loving Father in Heaven hears and answers prayers!! Sometimes when I pray He refers me to Jacob 4:10. And when I take counsel from Him wonderful things happen and His arm is revealed.

  In conference I learned to work hard to strengthen my testimony and help others to do the same. "You must become the rock the river cannot wash away" Richard J Maynes. 

Love you all!

Shannon

  

It Never Was Between You and Them Anyways

People are ofter unreasonable, illogical and self-ceentered;

Forgive them anyway.

If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish motives;

Be Kind anyway.

If you are successful, you will win some false friends and some true enemies;

Succeed anyway.

If you are honest and sincere, people may deceive you;

Be Honest and sincere anyway.

What you spend years building, someone could destroy overnight;

Build anyway.

If you find serenity and happiness, they may be jealous;

Be happy anyway.

The good you do today, people will often forget tomorrow;

Do good anyway.

Give the world the best you have and it may never be enough;

Give them your best anyway.

In the final analysis, it is between you and God;

It Never Was Between You And Them Anyway.

-Mother Theresa

I love this quote because it's so true. How often do we not do what we know is right because we're afraid of what people think. But we "need not fear, only Believe" God is on our side when were doing whats right and that is the only friend we really need. Even if everyone else leaves us we will still have him and that is the greatest comfort in the world.

we need not fear

We need not fear the future, nor falter in hope and good cheer, because God is with us!... When our only desire is to please him, we will be blessed with a deep inner peace. -Elder Bruce D. Porter

Small and Simple Things

I just wanted to second  the anonymous writer and how much this blog has strengthened me. You all have no idea how many times I have asked myself how in the world did I end up in this family. And to be able to read through your testimonies whenever I want has really helped me. I was cleaning up the toy room the other day and I found Graces conference journal. For any of us who thinks we don't have something important to write I think her notebook pretty much sums up small and simple things.

"I know that He loveth His children!"

Amen to all that has already been shared. Thank you for the examples you are to me. Your testimonies strengthen mine.
This General Conference has caused me to contemplate many things, and I am grateful. The thought that keeps coming back to me comes from 1Nephi 11:17. I agree with Nephi, "I know that He loveth His children; nevertheless, I do not know the meaning of all things."
Before returning home from serving in beautiful North Carolina I had planned what I want to be and what I need to do to become that. After being home for a few weeks I realized I hadn't fully lived up to that plan. I felt like I was failing The Lord in many ways. In preparing for General Conference, I prayed that these feelings would leave me and that I would be able to get back up and be what He needs me to be.
Conference was wonderful and ALL of it was inspired, but there was a moment when I truly felt my prayer was answered. Elder Scott said The Lord sees weaknesses different than rebellion. He always treats weakness with mercy. It wasn't so much what was said, but the Spirit testifying to me that it was true. I knew that this applies to me. The Lord is merciful! All of us have weaknesses. That is why we have been provided a Savior, Jesus Christ. I will praise His name forever. Because of His Atoning sacrifice we can overcome our weaknesses. One of my favorite scriptures is Ether 12:27 (in the Book of Mormon- a MUST read),  this scripture reminds us why we have weaknesses and how we can overcome them. I am a believer of applying what I learn. I have been shown many of my weaknesses so now I need to apply what the Prophets have taught that I need to do to fortify. As I have been praying about this I have felt more love from my Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ and the sweet companionship of the Holy Ghost than I can describe.
I have once again been reminded that it isn't what I thought I should be that matters; it is what The Lord needs me to be. I may not always live up to it and I don't know all that I would like, but I know that He LOVETH His children. Because I know this, I will be what HE wants and needs me to be.

~Sister Na

Just a note to say...

Last night as I was reading my scriptures I realized how great this blog is. I was reading in 2 Nephi 27 where it talks about the coming forth of the Book of Mormon. That story is like this blog. None of us are professional writers and we are all on different writing levels, yet in all of the blog post that I have read I have felt the Spirit very strongly. As The Lord says in verse 29 He can do his own work. meaning he can get the spirit across all you need to do is take the leap of faith and post what you are lead to do. Now this being said others have posted on the blog things that I really needed to hear at that time. The fight with sin is real and what you say could be the means to preventing your brother and sister from falling or to help them get up. Remember by small and simple things doth The Lord confound the wise. So please do not be afraid to post on the Blog I or one of your other siblings will need you in the future and how great will be your joy if you are the means The Lord works through to  help your brothers and sisters. So Please! Post no matter how short and simple it is. Even if it is just a quote you liked. You dont have to even sign your name if your worried about people judging you (which they won't).
    Thank you Travis for following the inspiration to start this blog it has helped me come closer to the Savior and to my family.
--?

Choice and Consequence

This weekend I had the opportunity to visit Palmyra. I went to the temple there and also saw a few of the sights including the Smith family homes and the Sacred Grove. I had a thought which started while I was in the temple and that continued as I walked through the Sacred Grove. The thought came from two examples one was mother Eve and the other Joseph Smith. What these two have in common besides the obvious is that they were both faced with very big, world changing, choices (I would argue two of the three most important choices in the history of this earth) and both were left to the consequences of those choices both good and bad.
Mother Eve was presented with the choice whether or not to partake of the forbidden fruit. She new that by so doing she was going contrary to what she had been told but she also in her "counter intuitive way", as Elder Maxwell put it, saw that this was what was necessary to bring about Gods plan. And so they where thereby kicked out of the Garden of Eden and here enters death and pain and sin and sorrow and so forth. Her consequence? This story being passed down through the ages. She has been looked at as both gullible and naive for listening to the serpent and manipulative for getting Adam to join her. Furthermore I believe that the way women have been treated throughout the ages is at least in part a direct consequence of this. What most of the human race does not understand is what Lehi teaches us in 2 Nephi 2:23; "...they would have had no children...having no joy...doing no good..." In other words Gods plan would have been void. So she made the choice and partook perhaps knowing all the while both sides of the consequences of her decision but forgetting herself she chose the higher road.
Joseph Smith was given ten years between the First Vision and the organization of the church to contemplate the consequences of his choice. But in paraphrasing his words he had actually seen God the Father and his Son Jesus Christ and they had spoken to him. He knew it and he knew that God knew it and he could not deny it. Well his consequence for this was years of persecution and eventually his "untimely" death and his name is still being mocked by much of the world. But like Eve he saw the bigger picture and because he was also willing to forget himself, through him came the restoration of all things.
We all face choices every day that carry with them consequences. Although we are free to make our own choices we are not free to chose the consequences. Some of the consequences for choosing what is right are often very hard to bear. But I testify that the choice to forget ourselves and consecrate our will to our Heavenly Father carries with it the ultimate consequence of eternal happiness in the presence of our Father.
-Travis

I Have No Greater Joy Than To Hear That My Children Walk In Truth

    I think this blog is wonderful! Thank you Travy boy! Out of small things are great things brought to pass. What I got most from general conference was the incredible love Heavenly Father has for ALL His children. And speaking of love I love you all very much "Lo, children are an heritage of The Lord; and the fruit of the womb is his (or her) reward. As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are the children of the youth. Happy is the man (or woman) who has his/her quiver full"
My beautiful Arrows, The Lord is gracious, and full of compassion, slow to anger, and of great mercy! Be strong and of good courage, keep the faith and never give up it will be well worth it. Praise God from WhomALL blessings flow.
Tids wife and the Arrow's Mother and Grandmother

Live in the world and not of the world

As I listened to the radio and hear all the things that are going on in the world if can build up a fear.  I don't so much for myself, but for my kids and grandchildren.  As I listened to conference, my notes were all about how to protect ourselves from the influences in the world.  We have that protection as we listen to the words of our Prophets and not just think how we felt then, but we need to put them into our lives.  We all need to act.  Or as Jenna puts it to become.  I learned we need to have added Scripture study and prayer.  We need to be able to say that Our Savior is our friend.   We have to be like minded in this.  As I was reading this morning i read 9 A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump.
10 I have confidence in you through the Lord, that ye will be none otherwise minded: but he that troubleth you shall bear his judgment, whosoever he be.   (Galatians 5:9-10  As I read this I thought how we can influence people just like leaven, we can effect others for good or bad.   We will be judged for how not only what we do to ourselves, but how we effect others.   To be protected we need to live in the spirit at all times.  We need to be guided in all we do to have the protection of the spirit. We need to make the promise that President Monson has made, to never ignore the promptings of the spirit.  We all need to take the noise out of our lives to be able to hear.  Another thing I learned was to look at our aflictions as a way to gruth, not a punishment.   I think about the pain I feel now, and I am greatful for it because it alway keeps me thinking about my Savior.   I don't pray for it to be taken from me because of that reminder to me.   I do sometimes pray for a little break from it and it has been lifted many times from me to let me rest.    That is another mirical in my life.   Live in the spirit and serve our Father and our brother and sisters.   This Gospel is the strength to get us through trouble times.       Father of the Blogg master

Christ's Grace is Sufficient

Usually listening to Conference leaves me with renewed hope and determination to be better. In contrast, this Conference left me feeling a little condemned. I was so keenly aware of my weaknesses as I listened and could easily recall recent moments when I had obviously failed to live up to the Lord's standards of compassion, charity, and self-control. Basically, I felt ashamed.

A few nights after Conference ended I was reading an article in the September Ensign by Brad Wilcox about the way Christ's grace works. I have listened to the BYU devotional version of the article, read the BYU devotional transcript in full, read the book about the same topic by Brad Wilcox and attended a Relief Society dinner where he spoke about Grace--but for some reason, as I read the Ensign article I felt like I was learning the truths for the first time.

Brother Wilcox said, "There should never be just two options: perfection or giving up....Growth and development take time. Learning takes time. When we understand grace, we understand that God is long-suffering, that change is a process, and that repentance is a pattern in our lives. When we understand grace, we understand that the blessings of Christ's Atonement are continuous and His strength is perfect in our weakness" (September 2013 Ensign, p. 37).

My weaknesses were still real after I read the article, but my perspective on them had changed. I no longer felt condemned. I knew again that Christ knows my weaknesses and loves me still. I knew again that because of the covenants I have made, He is walking WITH me, not yelling at me to catch up. I'm so grateful for the Atonement, and always marvel that it is a real power that is working in the life of little me.

The loving wife of #4

There is a safe place.

In my search for where we want to live for the next three years, I am always concerned about it being a safe place for our girls. I know they are young and I don’t need to worry so much, still there is so much bad in the world. I love my children more than I can describe and I don’t want anything bad to happen to them. I don’t want them to be led astray by bad teachers in school or bad friends. I don’t want this confused world to take influence on my innocent children. Thoughts like this make it difficult to live anywhere. We are very blessed to live in a time when the Heavens are open. God speaks to us. He answered my prayer through one of his apostles. During conference Pres. Packer addressed the exact concern that I had. In one simple sentence that spoke straight to my heart. “There is a safe place. It is in a gospel-centered home.” It doesn’t matter what the world is like outside. It matters what it is like in our homes. I am very grateful to have grown up in a gospel-centered home. I hope to make my home a gospel-centered home.

#4  

Opa you can do it now!

This conference helped me remember how simple and profound the Gospel is. One thing that stuck out to me was Elder Uchtdorf's priesthood talk. He told the story of how he had fallen when skiing and he couldn't get up until his grandson said to him "Opa you can do it now!". Because of the atonement of Christ I know I can do hard things. I can face the future with confidence because through the atonement I can change and become a better me. With this knowledge I should always be  someone who tries to encourage others and inspires them to be their best selves. We are all children of a Heavenly Father with a greater potential than we realize. With having a testimony of the Savior we should be positive and uplifting people with ourselves and those we associate with.

Tyler T.

If your Cheeseman and you know it raise your hand!

  One thing that was on my mind before conference was a quote by C.S. Lewis in his book The Great Divorce (a must read), He said "In the end there are two kinds of people, those who say to God thy will be done and those to whom God says thy will be done." I found this quote to be true we can either align our will with Gods and enjoy the consequences or we can have it our way and suffer the consequences. After all God is all knowing and only wants the best for his children and again he knows what is best for his children. So coming in to conference I was slightly discouraged at the difficulty of the task ahead of me. It sounds so easy to do the right thing but when it came down to it I always seemed to find a excuse not to do it.  Thankfully conference gave me some good advice and encouragement on the subject.
    First, Boyd K. Paker said "Be not afraid, only Believe". This meant a lot to me because I realized that one of the things holding me back was my fear of failure. I thought that if I tried to do Gods will and failed then I would be worse off then if I didn't try. This is not true and I felt the Gods love at this time and reassurance that any effort I put in he would be proud of and any failure I made could be repented of.
     The next thing that helped me I believe was by Dieter F. Uchtdorf. I don't know how many of this he said exactly, but I got the impression to keep in my journal each day ways that I did Gods will and ways that I did my own will. Doing this has helped me realize my progress and inspires me to improve each day by realizing what areas of my life I am weak in. But to do this you must remember that you are only human and God loves you no matter what, because at least for me the mistakes side can get pretty big. But I know that I can repent and through the Atonement of Christ I can be better the next day.                -Eli "the blog master's brother"Tidwell

Spiritual Ears

Wow! That's all I can say about this conference. I kind of thought going into it that I wouldn't really be able to listen. Me alone with 5 kids and a tiny computer screen just didn't seem like much listening would happen. But as I've seen time after time over the last few months little miracles happen. The kids were insanely good and I feel like I was able to listen better than I have in years.

Part of the reason I think this happened was due to Elder Hales' talk. When he spoke about how he takes notes to what the spirit teaches him and not necessarily what the speaker says it changed the way I listened to conference. As I looked back through my journal at the end of conference there weren't alot of direct quotes but there was a lot of direction given by the spirit specifically to me. I came in with 2 questions 1) How can I be a better mom and 2) How can I focus better on important things and let go of the unimportant time wasters in my life.

Even though I don't think I heard the word mentioned in a single talk the word temperance appeared in my journal over and over. To be totally honest I've never really studied temperance and always assumed it was just the equivalent of moderation. However ,in looking at the definition I found that it also means restraint among many other things. I think that is so fitting for both of the things I'm working on. As a mom I need more restraint from getting upset too easily, the urge to be lazy, being too social, judging others, and a million other weaknesses I have. As far as wasting time and not focusing more on spiritual matters I think temperance pretty much sums up what I need in order to strengthen my relationship with the Savior.

So who knows maybe the kids weren't as quiet as I thought they were. Maybe because Elder Hales' talk taught me to listen with my spiritual ears instead of my physical ears I was able to tune out any excess noise. Either way I'm grateful for the way this past weekend went and I can't wait to study temperance more in depth and apply it to my weaknesses. I also can't wait to learn from all of your experiences.
-Karen

Conference Inspiration

This is one thought that I wrote down as I listened to Elder Vinson speak. I'm not sure how much he actually said an how much were my thoughts but here it is.
How would I feel if someone promised me something every week and never kept the promise? How long would I take the promise seriously? Every week as I partake of the Sacrament I promise to keep the Lords commandments and to always remember the Savior. What kind of effort am I putting into keeping that promise every week? True I am not expected to be perfect right now but I am expected to put my best effort in every day.
-Travis "blog master" Tidwell