Ponder:

How can I get rid of guilt? How can I put myself in a position to have the power of atonement cover my sins? Do I understand what Christ did for me? Do I comprehend the great love He has for me?

Learning by the Spirit

Today, was an awesome day, to learn by the spirit. I love it when Brother and Sister Holm comes to visit. I love Sister Holm's spirit and testimony of the power of missionary work. She makes it sound so simple.

Then in Relief Society, Bro. Clemmons shared his story and testimony about his travels to Israel. he shared with us the principals of the Abrahamic covenant and how it applies to all of us and the land of the Jewish inheritance. I felt the spirit so strong, I am excited to visit some more with him and do some studying on my own. I am very grateful for the opportunities I have to be here and to be able to be part of this ward. I guess you could say moving here to Myrtle Beach is one of those less traveled paths that I was referring to yesterday. But I feel very blessed to be able to call the place home! :)

Contemplating the paths around me...

Life is full of many paths... Many that we don't even realize could be for us. Sometimes we stick with one path not because it is right or wrong, or because it is simple or makes good money, maybe we stay on one path because of the family or ego power. Maybe because we are not adventurous or not brave to try something new. Sometimes maybe we just feel a sense of loyalty or just scared to try something new. And in spite of all the nuggings from The Lord we don't choose a new path. Then all of a sudden, when the path has unexpectedly come to an end. The Lord directs you to another path that after a short incline you realize that you should have taken the path a long time ago... :)

Reminds me of Robert Frosts poem...

The Road Not Taken

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,

And sorry I could not travel both

And be one traveler, long I stood

And looked down one as far as I could

To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,

And having perhaps the better claim,

Because it was grassy and wanted wear;

Though as for that the passing there

Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay

In leaves no step had trodden black.

Oh, I kept the first for another day!

Yet knowing how way leads on to way,

I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh

Somewhere ages and ages hence:

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—

I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference.

Mosiah 5: 7-9; 7 And now, because of the covenant which ye have made ye shall be called the achildren of Christ, his sons, and his daughters; for behold, this day he hath spiritually begotten you; for ye say that your hearts are bchanged through faith on his name; therefore, ye are cborn of him and have become his dsons and his daughters. 8 And under this head ye are made afree, and there is bno other head whereby ye can be made free. There is no other cname given whereby salvation cometh; therefore, I would that ye should dtake upon you the name of Christ, all you that have entered into the covenant with God that ye should be obedient unto the end of your lives. 9 And it shall come to pass that whosoever doeth this shall be found at the right hand of God, for he shall know the name by which he is called; for he shall be called by the name of Christ.

Mosiah 4: 2-3; 2 And they had aviewed themselves in their own bcarnal state, even cless than the dust of the earth. And they all cried aloud with one voice, saying: O have mercy, and apply the datoning blood of Christ that we may receive forgiveness of our sins, and our hearts may be epurified; for we believe in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who fcreated heaven and earth, and all things; who shall come down among the children of men. 3 And it came to pass that after they had spoken these words the Spirit of the Lord came upon them, and they were filled with joy, having received a aremission of their sins, and having peace of bconscience, because of the exceeding cfaith which they had in Jesus Christ who should come, according to the dwords which king Benjamin had spoken unto them.

Week 4 ~ Am I a Daughter of Christ?

Week 4 - Walk With Christ - Am I a Daughter of Christ?

D&C 19:15-24 
15: Therefore I command you to repent—repent, lest I smite you by the rod of my mouth, and by my wrath, and by my anger, and your sufferings be sore—how sore you know not, how exquisite you know not, yea, how hard to bear you know not. 
16: For behold, I, God, have suffered these things for all, that they might not suffer if they would repent; 
17: But if they would not repent they must asuffer even as I;
18: Which suffering caused myself, even God, the greatest of all, to tremble because of pain, and to bleed at every pore, and to suffer both body and spirit—and would that I might not drink the bitter cup, and shrink— 
19: Nevertheless, glory be to the Father, and I partook and finished my preparations unto the children of men. 
20: Wherefore, I command you again to repent, lest I humble you with my almighty power; and that you confess your sins, lest you suffer these punishments of which I have spoken, of which in the smallest, yea, even in the least degree you have tasted at the time I withdrew my Spirit. 
21: And I command you that you apreach naught but repentance, and show not these things unto the world until it is wisdom in me. 
22: For they cannot bear meat now, but milk they must receive; wherefore, they must not know these things, lest they perish. 
23: Learn of me, and listen to my words; walk in the meekness of my Spirit, and you shall have peace in me. 
24: I am Jesus Christ; I came by the will of the Father, and I do his will.

Early Christmas for Parker...

We surprised Parker tonight with an early Christmas present. He has been wanting to go see the Pirates Voyage here in Myrtle Beach and this evening we were able to take him to see the Christmas show. Excellent performance by the whole crew and the food was pretty tasty too. I highly recommend it to everybody of all ages. 

The big surprise for me was in the middle of the performance they reminded the Old Sea Captain (and all of us) about the true meaning of  Christmas by sharing the story of the Savior's birth. It was great to see how they added it into their story line and it was awesome to know that in general people are still very receptive of the public display and depiction of the story. It was heart warming to know that their are people among us that still believe and are not afraid to let the world know.

Ponder & Reflecting - Week 3

Today is the day 4 of week 3 and we were suppose to Ponder the following questions...

• Have I truly sought forgiveness from the Lord? 
• Do I really believe He will Forgive Me?

These two questions are very easy for me to answer and understand. I have a fully testimony of the answers of yes to these questions. I have seen the miracle of forgiveness and the joy that comes from  power of repentance, not only in my life but in the lives of many others around me.

guilt of no repentance

Mosiah 2:38 - 38 Therefore if that man repenteth not, and remaineth and dieth an enemy to God, the demands of divine justice do awaken his immortal soul to a lively sense of his own guilt, which doth cause him to shrink from the presence of the Lord, and doth fill his breast with guilt, and pain, and anguish, which is like an unquenchable fire, whose flame ascendeth up forever and ever.

Ward Party times 2 (Conway)

Sister Webb had ordered mashed potatoes & gravy from us and we delivered... Upon reaching the church to drop their goodies, We found Sister Taylor laying on the floor just inside the door. She had tripped on the rug. They called for the ambulance and we ended up staying to help Sister Webb with their evening. They had a great turn out also... I enjoyed the live Nativity program. Great kick off to start the Christmas season.

Ward Christmas Party

Our ward Christmas party was tonight and we had a great time. We fed about 280 people, so we had food left over. We served the traditional dinner of Ham, Maashed Potatoes & gravy, Mac & cheese, corn, salad and rolls. This year was the first year we included the desserts in our catering. We served homemade cookies and two large sheet cakes.

forsaking our sins & become humble

Mosiah 4:9-12 
9 Believe in God; believe that he is, and that he created all things, both in heaven and in earth; believe that he has all wisdom, and all power, both in heaven and in earth; believe that man doth not comprehend all the things which the Lord can comprehend.
10 And again, believe that ye must repent of your sins and forsake them, and humble yourselves before God; and ask in sincerity of heart that he would forgive you; and now, if you believe all these things see that ye do them. 
11 And again I say unto you as I have said before, that as ye have come to the knowledge of the glory of God, or if ye have known of his goodness and have tasted of his love, and have received a remission of your sins, which causeth such exceedingly great joy in your souls, even so I would that ye should remember, and always retain in remembrance, the greatness of God, and your own nothingness, and his goodness and long-suffering towards you, unworthy creatures, and humble yourselves even in the depths of humility, fcalling on the name of the Lord daily, and standing steadfastly in the faith of that which is to come, which was spoken by the mouth of the angel. 
12 And behold, I say unto you that if ye do this ye shall always rejoice, and be filled with the love of God, and always retain  a remission of your sins; and ye shall grow in the knowledge of the glory of him that created you, or in the knowledge of that which is just and true.

Week 3 ~ Repentance

This week we start out with the question:  Do I Really Understand Repentance?

Scripture:

D&C 58:41-43 
41: And also he hath need to repent, for I, the Lord, am not well pleased with him, for he seeketh to excel, and he is not sufficiently meek before me. 42: Behold, he who has repented of his sins, the same is forgiven, and I, the Lord, remember them no more. 43: By this ye may know if a man repenteth of his sins—behold, he will confess them and forsake them.

When I thing of the opportunity I have to repent of my mistakes, it helps me to not be so afraid to move forward.

Ponder: 

•  Have I truly sought forgiveness from the Lord? 
•  Do I really believe He will Forgive Me?

The Making of Challah

I had so much fun learning how to make traditional challah yesterday... So much love, respect and culture involved.

   One of my most favorite scriptures can be found in John 15: 11-15, they talk about loving one another and being considered friends because of our obedience to the commandment. The original story behind the Challah bread is that is made for the sabbath and special holidays. They make it in remembrance of the miracle witnessed by the largest audience, when JESUS fed 5,000 with five loaves and two fishes. It talks about the love for each other that was present on the day.

There is a great children hymn entitled "Love One Another". Very simply put....
As I have love you,  Love one another. 
This new commandment: Love one another. 
By this shall men know ye are my disciples.
 If ye have love One to another.



Today was an awesome day to reinforce all the wonderful testimonies that were shared yesterday! :)

Ponder & Reflecting - Week 2

In the last half of John 15, Jesus talks about being hated and persecuted. As I have read and studied this week I have come to believe that if we seek out The Lord and try to learn a new principal or concept, The Lord provides opportunities for us the serve and develop a clearer understanding of the lesson desiring to be taught. Much like he did when he preformed the mircles himself.

One of the questions that we were asked to ponder this week as we studied was...

• Can He call me a Friend?

I would love to think that he could call me friend... 

Turning point in American History....

ON THIS DAY, 1 DECEMBER IN 1955 MS. ROSA PARKS, AN AFRICAN-AMERICAN WOMAN, REFUSED TO GIVE UP HER SEAT TO A WHITE MAN ON A MONTGOMERY, ALABAMA BUS. THIS ACTION LED TO THE MONTGOMERY BUS BOYCOTT--ONE OF THE OUTSTANDING DEVELOPMENTS THAT PRECIPITATED THE US CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT.

I couldn't help but think about all the wonderful testimonies that were shared today and then compared them to the testimony of faith, liberty and equality that Rosa Parks stood for. All of the testimonies shared today, both young and old, sums up the point of this weeks study plan.