I am very blessed for the opportunity to speak quite a bit in my calling. The last 2 weeks I have spoken 3 times and I am speaking again next week. I really enjoy studying the subject and expanding my knowledge and testimony. I am a HUGE believer in teaching by the Spirit, hence you will very rarely catch me reading points from a paper for my talk or I stand up with no paper and speak from the heart.
Do you ever have that moment after you have given a talk where you say "Oh! I forgot to say that!! I totally blanked that thought." Etc, etc...
It happens to me all the time and I call it the Speakers Remorse.
Last night I gave a talk about the temple. Today, I have had a bucket load of speakers remorse and sadly it is not a talk I will give again anytime soon. So, I will share here what I totally left out of my talk yesterday intermixed with the things I did say.
You do not get to the temple by chance. The pathway may be strait and narrow, but it is a very clear path that can be followed. If you lived your life that maybe you will go to the temple, most likely you will not. With today's pressures and influences of the world, chances will take you anywhere but the temple.
The temple is the House of the Lord. Holiness to the Lord. We go to the temple to take out our endowments so that we can make sacred covenants with Him. With those covenants, we become His people and are annointed and are holy. Covenants means more blessings, but also greater responsibility. Everything we are, have, own, our time, talents are now His. We are mearly stewards over them and we are to use these gifts to help build the kingdom of God.
In the temple we feel peace, safety, comfort, and joy! There is nothing in the world that can compete with this eternal feeling. It is a place of refuge and is not influenced by the world outside. With the spirit there, everything is in "high definition" for learning, understanding, listening and praying.
Making it to the temple is not about a date that you go. It is the beginning of a Celestial life style or at least striving for that Celestial lifestyle. We learn the plan of salvation, how to be more like God and how to pattern our lives to return home to our Heavenly Father. We don't live like this for a day, it is a lifetime of remembering the promises we made and living by them.
One cannot expect to live the opposite of the temple standards and expect to freely walk into the temple the next day. You live your life in preparation for it to earn those priveledges to take upon yourself to actually live it. These are clear decisions made everyday. In the way we dress, the way we act, the way we treat others, our obedience, our daily and Sunday worship and truly living the desires of your spiritual heart. If we prepare, we are better at actually living the covenants we make.
I love the temple! With all my heart, it is my favorite place in the entire world. We go once a week to be rejuvenated and cleansed. To get grounded and remember the clearer perspective. I know who I am in the temple and I know that the spirit is there all the time. How lucky I am that I live in a valley of 4 temples.
My life is so blessed because of my temple life and marriage. Every day, Brian and I work on our temple marriage. It started as a set date of May 27, 1999 but it has been 11 years, everyday of working on my temple marriage. And every Sunday we take the sacrament, we renew our vows and it gives me the same butterfly feelings the first day we were married.
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Monday, March 22, 2010
1 Nephi 10: 15-16
15 And after this manner of language did my father prophesy and speak unto my brethren, and also many more things which I do not write in this book; for I have written as many of them as were expedient for me in mine other book.
16 And all these things, of which I have spoken, were done as my father dwelt in a tent, in the valley of Lemuel.
These are the 2 versus we read this morning for our FSS.
The cross references are very quick in that Nephi refers to the other set of plates that he records things on. I LOVE THIS! I love that even though my husband teases me about the multiple journals that I record things, it doesn't bother me because Nephi and I have this in common.
As I have studied my ancestors and their written histories, I long to read about their day to day activities. Was my heritage shy or strong willed? What did they think about on a daily basis? How I long to know these people and are only given just a small glimpse into who they were.
What if Nephi did that? I am sure he would not have because he was commanded to write things down, but what could have been lost if he was disobedient. One of my favorite scriptures is the end of 2 Nephi where Nephi is giving his last testimony before the plates are handed over to Jacob. What a powerful testimony to read of a great prophet. I feel so inspired when I read it. What if Nephi had never written that testimony? Would it have effected generations of his posterity? Absolutely!
I write and write on multiple plates not only for my posterity, but hopefully for my own spiritual growth. Not only are we commanded to read, but to ponder and meditate the things that we read. Writing it down allows my brain to flow freely. There has to be some kind of growth, right?
The second verse I also love as it refers to Lehi dwelling in a tent. There are multiple times that are referred to Lehi dwelling in the tent. Back then, their tent was a traveling temple. Lehi spent much time with God in the temple that was convient at that time.
Many times I hear the youth giggle when they recite "and my father dwelt in a tent!" as though the scripture has no meaning and easy to memorize.
When I hear it, it is a very bold command to me to GET TO THE TEMPLE a lot!
How cool would it be if in my daughters journal she recorded "and my parents dwelt in the temple and were good people because of it." I think I will follow Lehi's example and do some more dwelling in my tent. Why not? For it is the Lord's house!
16 And all these things, of which I have spoken, were done as my father dwelt in a tent, in the valley of Lemuel.
These are the 2 versus we read this morning for our FSS.
The cross references are very quick in that Nephi refers to the other set of plates that he records things on. I LOVE THIS! I love that even though my husband teases me about the multiple journals that I record things, it doesn't bother me because Nephi and I have this in common.
As I have studied my ancestors and their written histories, I long to read about their day to day activities. Was my heritage shy or strong willed? What did they think about on a daily basis? How I long to know these people and are only given just a small glimpse into who they were.
What if Nephi did that? I am sure he would not have because he was commanded to write things down, but what could have been lost if he was disobedient. One of my favorite scriptures is the end of 2 Nephi where Nephi is giving his last testimony before the plates are handed over to Jacob. What a powerful testimony to read of a great prophet. I feel so inspired when I read it. What if Nephi had never written that testimony? Would it have effected generations of his posterity? Absolutely!
I write and write on multiple plates not only for my posterity, but hopefully for my own spiritual growth. Not only are we commanded to read, but to ponder and meditate the things that we read. Writing it down allows my brain to flow freely. There has to be some kind of growth, right?
The second verse I also love as it refers to Lehi dwelling in a tent. There are multiple times that are referred to Lehi dwelling in the tent. Back then, their tent was a traveling temple. Lehi spent much time with God in the temple that was convient at that time.
Many times I hear the youth giggle when they recite "and my father dwelt in a tent!" as though the scripture has no meaning and easy to memorize.
When I hear it, it is a very bold command to me to GET TO THE TEMPLE a lot!
How cool would it be if in my daughters journal she recorded "and my parents dwelt in the temple and were good people because of it." I think I will follow Lehi's example and do some more dwelling in my tent. Why not? For it is the Lord's house!
Sunday, March 21, 2010
Sunday Morning Woes!
It's Sunday morning at 7:45 am and I have been up since 6:15. My daughter came into the room and told me that she feels like she is going to throw up and her throat hurts.
"Oh great!" My mind immediately becomes angry as I reflect back to yesterday as I caught her playing outside with wet hair and no coat on. I just wish it wasn't this Sunday that I have to deal with this.
My husband and I are scheduled to visit another ward and of course it has to be the 9:00 am block. So, my original plans of taking Shae over to a friends house has been thwarted because who wants to take someone elses sick child?
As I sit here thinking of what my options are and waiting for 8:00 to come so I can start making phone calls, my mind is drifting to one of the sisters that I VT this week.
She is struggling right now. Her husband has lost his job, she was in a car accident a few weeks ago and when I saw her last Friday, her purse had been stolen out of her car. They left the garage door open during the night.
As I sat and listened to her pour her heart out, she cried as she told me about her new found friend who is teaching her sign language. She moved here from California and is very sick but wants to live in Utah. This deaf woman and my friend have found each other to comfort each other through their trials. Are they solving each other's problems, no. But they are there for each other and lifting each others spirits by loving each other. I am so happy for my friend that she has found this angel in her life.
My heart is full as I think about these two women who are facing some nasty trials in their lives. Somehow, my little Sunday morning woe seems to be but a minor hiccup to what could be an incredible day. If there's a will, then there's a way. Have a wonderful Sabbath Day!
"Oh great!" My mind immediately becomes angry as I reflect back to yesterday as I caught her playing outside with wet hair and no coat on. I just wish it wasn't this Sunday that I have to deal with this.
My husband and I are scheduled to visit another ward and of course it has to be the 9:00 am block. So, my original plans of taking Shae over to a friends house has been thwarted because who wants to take someone elses sick child?
As I sit here thinking of what my options are and waiting for 8:00 to come so I can start making phone calls, my mind is drifting to one of the sisters that I VT this week.
She is struggling right now. Her husband has lost his job, she was in a car accident a few weeks ago and when I saw her last Friday, her purse had been stolen out of her car. They left the garage door open during the night.
As I sat and listened to her pour her heart out, she cried as she told me about her new found friend who is teaching her sign language. She moved here from California and is very sick but wants to live in Utah. This deaf woman and my friend have found each other to comfort each other through their trials. Are they solving each other's problems, no. But they are there for each other and lifting each others spirits by loving each other. I am so happy for my friend that she has found this angel in her life.
My heart is full as I think about these two women who are facing some nasty trials in their lives. Somehow, my little Sunday morning woe seems to be but a minor hiccup to what could be an incredible day. If there's a will, then there's a way. Have a wonderful Sabbath Day!
Friday, March 19, 2010
In the beginning....
In the beginning, I am starting this blog to record all of my spiritual thoughts and inspirations so that they are recorded as I am reading, studying and experiencing life. I chose the title of this blog because it is one of my favorite scriptures. Not sure if it is THE favorite, but definately in the top 3.
Isaiah 6:10
Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and convert, and be healed.
In a nutshell, this pretty much sums up my life experience. To learn to see, hear and understand all the things that my Heavenly Father has given me so that I may be converted and allow the Savior to heal me in the process. What a beautiful life plan this is. I LOVE IT!
So, now you know why and I am hoping that I can encourage my soul to want to study and learn and write down all the amazing miracles that happen to me on a daily basis!
I say: Let it Begin!
Isaiah 6:10
Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and convert, and be healed.
In a nutshell, this pretty much sums up my life experience. To learn to see, hear and understand all the things that my Heavenly Father has given me so that I may be converted and allow the Savior to heal me in the process. What a beautiful life plan this is. I LOVE IT!
So, now you know why and I am hoping that I can encourage my soul to want to study and learn and write down all the amazing miracles that happen to me on a daily basis!
I say: Let it Begin!
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