As the Sun Rose

Tuesday, July 28, 2009

The Light of Love


I love my husband, my children, their spouses, and my grandchildren so much it almost hurts. The only thing I want is to be with them forever and ever. I can't imagine life without them. Why does it feel like a hurt sometimes? What do I have to do to ensure an eternal family? How can I share that with my family?


I Read DC 88. I learned, laws are gifts to teach us to be like God. As we live each law or commandment we become more like Him. It is through keeping the laws that we are sanctified and redeemed.


God is love. As we learn to love God and become more like Him our capacity to love grows. Elder Eyring said in Ensign NOv 1996: The fruit of keeping covenants is the companionship of the Holy Ghost and an increase in the power to love."


We have to love God more then our spouse, children or grandchildren. As we do we will come closer and closer to the longed for Godlike attribute of eternal families.

So, what is it that I must do now?

Ask yourself this question, How do I qualify more fully for the Holy Ghost to guide me and help me know what I must do? Or some similar question. Then start reading the scriptures, in what ever way you need to. The answer will come. Mine came like this. I decided to just keep reading the D&C as usual, with my study guide. I read section 93 vs 1 says...every soul who forsaketh his sins and cometh unto me, and calleth on my name and obeyeth my voice, and keepth my commandments, shall see my face and know that I am." Wow great promise, but lots to do. What again do I need more specifically in my life? So the section goes on and tells me what the Savior is, and what is light and truth and then....93:48 Your family must needs repent and forsake some things, and give more earnest heed unto your sayings (the prophets), or be removed out of their place. .....Pray always lest that wicked one have power in you, and remove you out of your place." Pray, for me, is where I need to draw closer to Him. My prayers have got to be able to draw the spirit in to me. My prayers have got to be more exact. I was then reminded of Elder Eyrings article in the Aug 2009 Ensign "That He May Write upon Our Hearts." So I read, and again Prayer is the answer. Personal prayer, and when we are together we must not let a day go by with out family prayer.

Sunday, July 12, 2009

The Light of the Temple



We have talked about the three purposes of Relief Society:

Increase faith and personal righteousness.

Strengthen families and homes.

Serve the Lord and His children.

All three of these things can be accomplished simultaneously, (talk about multi tasking sisters) As we go to the temple.

I remember Elder Eyring saying once that We better give heed unto the word of the Lord especially when it gets repeated several times.

1. April Conference we heard three talks on the power of temple worship

2. In May we received our conference Ensign where we could really study

3. In June our Joseph Smith lessons were

a. Redemption for the Dead

b. Receiving the Ordinances and Blessings of the Temple

4. In July the VT message is

Qualify for and Partake of Temple Worship

5. In July our stake is having a Stake temple day

6. On August 23rd our Church services will be replaced by a Temple Dedication.

In the impoverished days of the early church, as the apostles were trying to decide how to allocate the Church’s meager resources, Joseph Smith said” “We need the temple more than anything else.”

Today, as we live in a spiritually & temporally impoverished world, our leaders are saying once again: “We need the Temple more then anything else”

President Benson said “Many parents, in and out of the Church, are concerned about protection against a cascading avalanche of wickedness, which threatens to engulf the world. There is a power associated with the ordinances of heaven, even the power of godliness, which can and will thwart the forces of evil, if we will but be worthy of those sacred covenants made in the temple of the Lord. Our families will be protected, our children will be safeguarded as we live the gospel, visit the temple, and live close to the Lord.

There is a moment in almost every couple’s life that is very profound, very powerful, and that is the moment after much travail that we bare a child into this world. The feelings are unexplainable. Russell M Nelson said: When a woman bares and care for a child she glorifies God. That’s why that moment is so powerful. You are glorifying God.

When My children were finally placed in my arms, and I knew they were safe, and I am finally free from pain, we were together at last, happiness, love and the spirit of the Lord filled the room. And I said can it get any better then this?

But then as I was raising my kids, I experienced other moments. One of my favorite moments ever, was watching them all play together outside in the dirt, Pretending to build huts and roads or whatever and I could see them all, they were together. They were safe, they were free, content, and happy, and I was filled with love and the spirit of the Lord. It can’t get any better then this..

But then they grew up: We experienced More ultimate moments as we watched three of our children be sealed in the house of the Lord: We were safe, we were free, we were together, content, and happy. Love and the spirit of the Lord was thick. I’ve never loved my family more. It can’t get any better then this. We are anxiously waiting for the day the other two will be with us in the temple. It may take more travail and more labor to get one of them there, but labor we will until that day..

But in the mean time the grandchildren have started coming: It’s worth being parents just to have grandchildren. Last week end we had 3 of them and their parents at the house, and at 4:30 in the morning little Gracie was ready to get up and play. “Hello Mommy, she happily said.:, mommy wasn’t quit so happy. But Grandma and Grandpa were. So when it got light enough Grandpa and I took her outside. There she was floating through our yard chasing butterflies. And then I was picking my green beans and there she was sprawled out beside me in the dirt on her belly , barefoot and in her pajamas pretending who knows what. But She was safe, she was free, content, happy and I was filled with love and the spirit of the lord. Can it get any better then this?


Tomorrow I head out to Alabama to help to bare another special spirit into this world. I am anxiously waiting for the moment that she will, after much travail, be placed in her mothers arms. She will be safe, Mom will be free from pain, happiness , love, and the spirit of the Lord will fill the room once again. And so it keeps going.

Well, there is another very similar but even more profound and powerful moment that we all should be preparing for and that is the moment, after much travail, that we bare our families back in to the presence of our Father. That is the day we will truly glorify God, There we will be safe, we will be free, together, content and filled with a fullness of love and joy and a fullness of the spirit. and there is no other way to reach that moment then through the Holy Temples and the sealing power of the Priesthood. It won’t get any better then that, will it?

That is why I go to the temple. So I can be taught what it is I need to do so I can have that ultimate experience with my famiiy.

We invite everyone to do something to bring the temple closer to you. As we touch the temple, the temple will touch us. Pres Monson.

And on July 29th , our stake temple day, everyone of us can do something that will bring the temple closer.

Family History or Indexing - Enrichment

Read one of the articles on the temples in the Ensign

Set a goal, that day, to do something to make yourself more temple worthy

Come to the Temple. Spend the day and live the experience.

LIght of my Life

Everyone of us is born with a light, "that lighteth every man that cometh into the world." John 1:9. You can see it in our little new born babies that have just recently joined the family. They glow from having just been in God’s presence. The love that flows from them to us, is a message sent from Him above; a brief reminder of what we also once knew and felt.
Light feels good, dispels darkness, and forsakes the evil one. It opens our minds and hearts more and more to who we are and what we can become.24 That which is of God is light; and he that receiveth light, and continueth in God, receiveth more light; and that light groweth brighter and brighter until the perfect day. D&C 50: 2467 And if your eye be single to my glory, your whole bodies shall be filled with light, and there shall be no darkness in you; and that body which is filled with light comprehendeth all things. D&C 88: 67
Since this light comes from Christ, it is through contact with Him that we receive more of it. HOW? The price to be paid is quiet, focused, concentrated TIME.

They Light Up My Life

Light of Prayer

Light of Prayer
The bible dictionary states: "As soon as we learn the true relationship in which we stand toward God (namely, that God is our Father, and we are his children), then at once prayer becomes natural and instrinctive on our part (Matt 7:7=11). many of the so called difficulties about prayer arise from forgetting this relationship. Prayer is the act by which the will of the Father, and the will of the child are brought into correspondence with eadh other. The object of prayer is not to chagne the will of God, but to secure for ourselves and for others blesings that God is already willing to grant, but that are made conditional on our asking for them. Blessing require some work or effort on our part before we can obtain them. Prayer is a form of work, and is an appointed means for obtaining the highest of all blessings. "

Child's prayer

Child's prayer

Prayer

The Lord hears and answers prayers from all who are willing to ask with humble hearts.

Prayer for Freedom

Prayer for Freedom

Freedom

36 Behold, I am Moroni, your chief captain. I seek not for power, but to pull it down. I seek not for honor of the world, but for the glory of my God, and the freedom and welfare of my country. And thus I close mine epistle. Alma 60:36

16 And therefore, at this time, Moroni prayed that the cause of the Christians, and the freedom of the land might be favored.Alma 46:16




Prayer for truth

Prayer for truth

Prayer for the world

Prayer for the world