Faith

Here is the last experience for Faith that I have chosen:

Increase your understanding of the Atonement of Jesus Christ by reading: Isaiah 53:3-12;

John 3:16-17; Romans 5:2; 2 Nephi 9:6-7, 21-26; Alma 7:11-13; 34:8-17; and D&C 19:15-20. In your journal write your feelings about the Savior and what He has done for you. Share your feelings in a testimony meeting.

I need to explain why I chose this one. And just as a warning, I really have a hard time explaining what I am feeling and thinking. I think that is why I am a dancer. It is easier for me to use my body to express how I am feeling than using words. Sometimes I feel like Moses. He had a hard time too, that is why the Lord provided a mouth piece for him....Aaron. I don't have a mouth piece, so please bear with me on this. I will probably ramble.

I know I am probably the only one, but every time I would hear someone in church talk about how they had used the Atonement to overcome their weaknesses, I didn't really understand. I was sure that it was a big secret and only those who had served missions could understand. Until this morning, I really didn't know how to use the Atonement. There is a reason there are so many scriptures that we have to read! Get out your scriptures right now and let's read a couple of them together. Are you ready yet? Please open to Alma 34:8-17 . Now, I knew that the Atonement was when Christ came to the Earth, suffered for our sins in Gethsemane and died for us. Please read verses 16 and 17......I'll wait.

When I read that I was like "WHAT!?! Wait a minute! Repentance?? That is it?!" I was truly shocked that THAT is the way we use the Atonement. Please don't think I'm an idiot, but I really didn't know that. I knew I needed to repent, but the two just didn't connect for me. I thought there was some great secret thing that I needed to do but nobody was telling me. I was shocked. It was too easy. I think we forget how important Repentance is. Now, turn to D&C 19.

Let's read verses 15-20. Go ahead.

Wow!!! Holy Cow!! Repentance is SOOOO important! Just reading verse 15 made me want to jump to my knees and start repenting! "-how sore you know not, how exquisite you know not, yea how hard to bear you know not." That gives me the chills!

To sum it all up, if we- and especially WE because WE have the FULLNESS of the gospel! We have been taught!! We know! We can't get to the judgment bar and say..."Uh, I didn't know." - if we don't repent, we will be -"exposed to the whole law of the demands of justice"(Alma 34:16). It will be like Jesus never did anything for us. I don't know about you, but I don't want that! I need every bit of mercy the Lord can give me!

Sometimes I wish I didn't know, but what would my life be like with out the gospel? What would I be doing? I think I would be a very selfish person. I'm selfish with the gospel, so I would really be bad without it!!

I am so grateful to have the scriptures, the ensign ( by the way, you all need to read in the Conference Ensign, turn to page 60. It's from the Priesthood session, but it has many points that we women-folk need too!-Plus, I could hear Pres. Monsons voice as I read it this morning. I love him!)- anyway, I am grateful to my Savior. I am thankful that I can repent when I make mistakes and that I can be washed clean through His infinite sacrifice.

Remember to Change Your Choices today!

Faith #4-7 continued

Wow! Can I just say, this Personal Progress Program is amazing! If you aren't doing it with me, I really encourage you to start. It is not just for the Young Women! Here is the second experience that I chose:

Increase your understanding of the plan of salvation. Resources for study include:

1 Corinthians 15:22; Revelations 12:7-9; 2 Nephi 9:1-28; 11:4-7; Doctrine and Covenants 93:33-34

76:50-113; Moses 4:1-4; and Abraham 3:24-27. Draw or obtain a picture that depicts the plan of salvation, incuding the premortal existence, birth, mortal life, death, judgment, and life after judgment. Using this picture, explain the plan of salvation to your class, your family, or a friend. Discuss how knowledge of the plan affects your actions, helps you understand your identity, and has strengthened your faith.

WOW!!! I mean, that is great! First of all, don't be intimidated by all the scripture reading! Especially the 50-113. It is really fast reading and I learned so much!! Did you know that in the Telestial Kingdom, there will be different degrees of glory? Reading those scriptures really boosted my motivation and has helped me get back on track. I will admit that I have been lost lately. I haven't been making the right choices that will help me be who I want to be.

When I was a teenager, I remember over-hearing my Dad talking about what his new goal would be for the following year. I learned that my Dad would have a Theme Of the Year that he would post up somewhere at work and he would use it to help him stay on track. I don't know if he still does this, but it's something that I want to start.

I got my Theme from the December 2011 Ensign. Seriously, this was amazing! After doing the required scripture reading last night, I got up early today and made a list of all the things I want. Ex: I want to be strong. I want to stop being lazy and I want to be a better mother and wife.

I made some daily goals to help me reach these, and other goals that I had written down. One of the goals was to read one article from the Ensign every morning. I opened it up and I turned to an article entitled "Lost and Found". It was exactly what I needed!! It is about a woman who, through making small wrong choices each day, found herself spiritually "lost". She stopped going to church, she ended up living with her boyfriend and then had 3 children with him. To make a long story short, through changing some of her daily choices, she got married to her boyfriend, he joined the church and they were sealed in the temple. Did it happen over night, you ask? NO WAY! In fact, it says how it took over two years just from the time that she was going back to church. It took many months before that just to get her back on track. At the end of the article, there is a quote from her boyfriend/now husband. He says: "When you realize there is more to this life that what's Now, it changes your choices."

That is what the Plan of Salvation means to me. It helps me see past the Here and Now. There is so much more waiting for us in the next life! It is time to Change our Choices! As you can guess, that is my Theme for 2012. I want to Change my choices to keep me on an eternal path that will lead my family back to Heavenly Father.

I love my family so much and I want to be with them Forever!

Faith #4-7

Okay, Here is the rest of Faith. You get to choose 3 out 4. Here is the first that I have chosen:

- The Lord has commanded us to pay tithing. Read Doctrine and Covenants 119 and Malachi 3 :8-12/ Since obedience to the law of tithing is an evidence of your faith, pay a full tithe. After 3 months record in your journal how paying tithing has helped your faith grow. List blessings in your life, both large and small, that have come because of your faith in the principle of tithing.

I know it hasn't been 3 months, but I'm going to pass this one off now anyway. Tithing is something that I have never had a problem with and I'm very grateful. I don't even think twice about not paying it and I know that Kyle and I have been really blessed because of it. A few years back (well, more than a few), when we just had Audrey and Natali, my dad came to visit and did our taxes for us. We had only made $3,000 for the entire year. He stared at us and asked how we were even still alive! We had a warm home, food in our fridge and an old car that hadn't died on us once. The only way we had made it was because of our tithing. We are still receiving so many blessings from it. Our kids are hardly ever sick, we don't have any insurance, yet we are always protected from harm. We just refinanced our home so we could pay off some debt and lower our interest rate. We should have had some extra money every month and when we did our budget, we are still just barely making it....Kyle asked me how we had been making those extra payments that we just paid off and I told him it's because we pay our tithing.

I gave a lesson to the YW on this subject and President Benson said that paying our tithing is paying off a debt to the Lord. He has given us everything, even our very lives.

We owe Him so much! I owe Him so much! I love my Heavenly Father and I am so grateful for the many blessings that He has given me!

Faith #3

Wow! I'm sorry it's been a while! It's been so crazy here! I started this week with an eye infection, then I had my Christmas Dance Recital and that was super stressful! I ended up having a nightmare about it and I woke up at 1:30 a.m. and I couldn't go back to sleep. I watched the first Pirates movie (love my Johnny Depp!), then Emily got up so we watched Hairspray; my dad was on Facebook, so I chatted with him for a while; then I made banana bread and folded laundry while I watched my all time favorite movie "Moonstruck". Then by 6:30 the kids were up and we were off for the day! I ended up staying up until 10:30 that night and it was a long day!

Is anyone doing the Personal Progress with me? Now that my life has slowed down just a bit more, I'm hoping to get more of this done. Here is #3 in Faith:

Living the gospel principles requires faith. Read about faith in the Bible Dictionary or True to the Faith. Faith in the Savior Jesus Christ leads to action. Choose a principle such as prayer, tithing, fasting, repentance, or keeping the Sabbath day holy. In your own home or another setting, plan and present a family home evening lesson about how faith helps you live that gospel principle. If possible, ask a family member to share an experience that has strengthened his or her faith. Share your own experiences as well. In your journal write down one of those experiences and describe your feelings about faith.

Here is what the Bible dictionary says about Faith: "Faith is to hope for things which are not seen, but which are true".

I think that this is a great experience and it's something that I need to do!

Faith #2 comment

I just got around to reading the scriptures that go with Faith #2. Here are my thoughts, since no one else is commenting......

I wish that Helaman would have written down what their mothers had taught them. Obviously it was to be obedient, but what did they say to inspire such obedience that their sons actually listened? I am trying to teach my kids to be obedient and I can say that for the most part they listen, but not with such exactness! I want to be an inspiration to my children the way that my mom is an inspiration to me. She's 55 and she is still teaching dance and exercising. She is AFAA certified and she is so great with kids! My dad said that she is like a celebrity at her dance classes. The kids come running when they see her and just want to be around her. I want to be someone that other people want to be around. I want my kids to succeed and be strong, independent women! Does anyone have any ideas how I can do that?? Is anyone still reading this??

Brain Dead!

I am going back to school!! Well, kind of. Right now I am starting with getting my AFAA (Aerobic and Fitness Association of America) Certification. I have started studying and I really think that I am brain dead. It's been 8 years since I went to school and I guess my brain is out of practice. I have to remember every detail of my family's schedule, but I can't remember the 5 basic questions of Fitness....AH!

On another note, How is everyone's Personal Progress going? Are you ready for the next experience? Here is Faith #2:

Discover the principle of faith taught by the mothers of Helaman's stripling warriors. Read Alma 56:45-48 and 57:21. Review what "The Family: A Proclamation to the World" says about a mother's role. With a mother, grandmother, or leader, discuss the qualities a woman needs in order to teach children to have faith and to base their decisions on gospel truths. How can these principles help you in your life today and help you prepare to be a faithful woman, wife, and mother? Record your thoughts and feelings in your journal.

Wow! What a great one! I think this is perfect for us as mothers and wives to review and discuss! I know that I need this! Off the top of my head, I remember that in the Proclamation it talks about mother's being nurturing....what does that entail? When I think of nurturing I think of gardening. When you have a seed, you give it warm soil full of nutrients to help it grow. It is cuddling with my kids, reading them stories, rocking them to sleep, holding them when they are sick or crying, rubbing their sore legs when they have growing pains, dancing with them in the kitchen, sitting at the piano helping them learn their recital songs, having snowball fights, teaching them to cook, sewing blankets for them, etc. I think that it should also mean that we teach them to be responsible. Not letting them grow "wild". Keeping them "Trimmed and weeded". I think that this is teaching them right from wrong. Having FHE EVERY week, reading scriptures everyday, never leaving the house without having Family Prayers, grounding them when they lie or steal, teaching them what it really means to say and be Sorry for their mistakes, Teach them to do chores around the house and help them learn to take care of their clothes and shoes and the furniture. Being a mom is HARD! We have to do so much and we are responsible for SOOOO much! I am tired from just typing all that we are responsible for! But if we can go back to that word, Faith. After all is said and done, you have to then give your children space to grow and make their own choices and have Faith that they will Choose the Right. I think that is the Hardest part, but Heavenly Father sent us here with Faith that we would Choose the Right. We are so blessed to have the gospel in our lives to help us know what He would have us do! I am so thankful to be a mother and wife and to know that I am a daughter of God and that He loves me and He loves my children!