Blessing Day

Molly has such an awesome father who gave her a blessing last week. In our church (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day-Saints) it's customary to give a baby a name and a blessing during sacrament meeting in front of the congregation. Matt gave a beautiful blessing, and I am so glad that I have this gospel in my life and the eternal perspective that it gives me.  It was fun to have both sets of grandparents and Aunt Sandy there with us.

To read more about baby blessings go here: baby blessings

I am a Mormon woman...

And I love my role in the church.

I have been crushed by all of the protesting that women have been doing in the LDS church lately.  It makes my heart sad every time I read something strongly written from these "Mormon Feminists".   Sometimes, I literally cry.  They may have good intentions, but I really believe they are missing the mark.

Women and men have different responsibilities and divine qualities that are God-given.  They have been outlined for us in The Family: A Proclamation to the World that was written by the prophets who speak for our Heavenly Father.  I know and understand that there are so many exceptions to the rule, but we are counseled to follow this guidance as best as our circumstances let us.

The reason I am writing this is I finally burst with frustration when I heard about the women protesting at general conference!  How selfish are we that we would protest the leaders of our own church! This is no different and no better than the anti-Mormon protesters that line the street at general conference.

These women wanted to be admitted into the Priesthood session of general conference which is where our leaders give counsel to the men of the church.  It is directed to the MEN about their responsibilities as MEN in the church.  Of course these meetings can be applicable to women as well, but it is more important for MEN to hear this counsel since it was prepared, prayed and fasted about, and directed to MEN.  Women can now watch this session live at home which its great! However, this meeting should be attended in person and should be more special for the men of the church.  I don't want to take up a seat that could hold someone who needs the counsel more than me. I don't see the men get angry when they can't watch the Relief Society session with us at the church or tabernacle.  Watch it at home, ladies.

What irks me even more is the group of women who think that eventually women will receive the priesthood.  This is NOT okay with me.  These groups are getting away from equality and into "We should have all the qualities and responsibilities of women and now we want everything the men have too."  That is why God created men AND women.  And He created them differently.  For a reason.  We are going too far... Before long we won't even need men anymore.  A gender-less society is NOT what God wants for His children.

I could go on all day, but here's this short of it.  I KNOW that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day-Saints is the Lord's church.  I know that my gender is essential to my growth in this life and in the next.  I know that Heavenly Father loves me and would never want me to feel like I am not worth as much as a man. I believe the Mormon feminist movement has gone way too far.  It is very detrimental to missionary work. If we complain about the church, who's going to join? It creates contention in the church which is the most deadly thing we can bring into Zion.  I am confident that Heavenly Father and his prophets will do ALL that they can to make the Church as perfect as it can be here on earth where it's lead by imperfect people.

I am a Mormon woman.
I wear a skirt to church to respect the Lord's house. (And because I like it)
I understand that for now the priesthood is for my use through His sons.
I know that my Heavenly Father loves me. And that's all that matters.

Past the Parking Lot

A few weeks ago in sacrament meeting, one of the counselors in our bishopric talked about a phrase his mother used to use: "Take it past the parking lot." 

We often go to church, firesides, activities, conferences and hear wonderful things that make us want to change.  We may even take notes, and write down quotes that we like.  We make goals while listening to wonderful speakers and have every intention of going home and improving ourselves, but for some reason it all disappears as soon as we get to the parking lot.

I've been thinking about this a lot lately and have realized just how guilty of this I am.  I get so much inspiration at church, but as soon as I get back to my weekly schedule I forget about all those things that I wanted to do or change.

This week we had an awesome Stake/Regional conference, and general conference is just around the corner.  I am really going to try to make a conscious effort to take what I learn "past the parking lot".

The Find-A-Wife Diet

Yesterday at church we have a fabulous lesson by our Relief Society president Kristen Price.  One part of her lesson really stuck to me, and made me think about my life and the relationship I have with my Savior.  She told a story about how her brother wanted to go on a Find-A-Wife diet to get himself in the shape he wanted.  He bought a book by a famous athlete (sorry I don't know what the book is) and got to reading on how he could get in his best shape.  Two great pieces of advice were given in this book.

1.  Choose good teammates.
This means don't work out alone.  Do it with a friend or family member who will encourage you and push you to do more.

2. Create a home-court advantage.
Don't have things in your house that you don't want yourself to eat.. like Oreos.  Instead surround yourself with lots of fruit and veggies for when you want a snack.


These are great pieces of advice if you want to lose weight or get in better shape, but let's think about this spiritually.  I call it the Find-Your-Savior diet.  These are also great ideas so get in better shape spiritually and come closer to the Savior.

1.  Choose good teammates. 
Surround yourself with people who uplift you.  Spend time with your family, and participate in ward meetings and activities.  It's much easier to live righteously if you are not doing so alone.

2.  Create a home-court advantage.
We can choose what goes into our home and into our lives.  We can make sure that there are not things in our lives that take us away from the spirit.  What kind of television and how much do we watch?  What kind of attitude so we have towards those we live with?  Make sure your home is a place where you will come out the winner and grow closer to Christ.

Seek Learning

I recently read a talk by sister Mary N. Cook called Seek Learning from the young womens' session of general conference.  Since I'm an educator, I am extremely passionate about this subject.  We need to learn all we can and keep learning even after we are done with formal schooling.  We should be learning every day.

Sister Cook says in her talk to make a list of things you would like to learn. So here is my list of things I would like to learn this summer or eventually learn sometime in my life:

• Decorate cakes
• Play hymns on the piano better so I can play in church
• How to sew
• Take and edit better photos
• Geography and capitols
• Some kind of formal dancing
• Exercise with hand weights
• A new recipe every week
• Play the harmonica
• Drive a manual car

This list was longer than I thought it would be.. I guess I've got a lot of learning to do! Any other suggestions?

To read Sister Cook's talk online go here!

Stop It!

This weekend was general conference for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.  Our church leaders speak and give us council on how to improve ourselves and serve others.

My favorite talk was by Dieter F. Uchtdorf on judging others.  He simple told us to "stop it."  We do not know what others are going through and why they act, dress, (or even drive) the way they do.  In church a few weeks ago, I heard a quote that said "You can't help but love someone once you know their story."  So shouldn't we love them anyways? We don't need to know their story to know that God loves them.

The best line from this talk was a bumper sticker that Elder Uchtdorf saw that read, "Don't judge me because I sin differently that you."  What an awesome statement! I am definitely not perfect, so what gives me the right to expect everyone else to be, or to judge them if they're not.

Here is the video if you'd like to watch the entire talk. It's a great one!

What was your favorite talk from general conference?

Brushing Your Teeth

If someone told you that they brushed their teeth once every couple weeks, but they did it for 3 hours.. what would you think?

GROSS! right?

Well, the same thing can be applied to scripture study.  We can't read our scriptures every once in while, and try to make up for the days we didn't read by reading for super long periods of time.  Just like teeth-brushing, scripture study must be consistent to be effective.  It removes the spiritual plaque that builds up every day, and really helps the spirit to be in our lives.

I love the scriptures! They are such a source of strength and light in my life, and I know I need to be a lot better about reading them consistently.  Think of all the blessings I could be missing out on!

Provo Tabernacle Temple

Last year, I almost cried when I heard that the Provo Tabernacle, and site of our engagement pictures, had caught on fire.  That poor building looked like this....

Then this week I almost cried AGAIN when President Monson announced that the tabernacle is not only going to be restored, but turned into an LDS temple!  I can't wait to see it look like this...

"Each holy temple stands as a symbol of our membership in the Church, as a sign of our faith in life after death, and as a sacred step toward eternal glory for us and our families."

—Russell M. Nelson

Want to know more about LDS temples? Click here!