Sunday Scripture: Tender Mercies of the Lord

1Nephi 1:20

And when the Jews heard these things they were angry with him; yea, even as with the prophets of old, whom they had cast out, and stoned, and slain; and they also sought his life, that they might take it away. But behold, I, Nephi, will show unto you that the tender mercies of the Lord are over all those whom he hath chosen, because of their faith, to make them mighty even unto the power of deliverance.




I pray that my intent is felt in these words today. For most of my life I have struggled with depression, it has nearly consumed me at times and yet through my Heavenly Father I am still here battling the demons that feel closer to the service more recently. I know that I am not the only one that has been dealt this hand, and I strive every day not to allow it to overtake me. I know with all that I am that the Lord has delivered me from the pain of depression multiple times and He will again, I don't know the whens or whys, but He will. I trust in Him, in His will, this is my trial and with Him I can endure. If your prayers might be offered in my behalf, I ask of them now. Even if you do not believe the same as me, I would appreciate it.

Humbled and Happy Sunday

All my love

Sunday Scripture; Prayer

I have such a testimony of the power of prayer in my own life. It has strengthened my relationship with my Heavenly Father, it is how I can communicate with Him and let him know of my gratitude. It is also how I am able to talk with him and let him know of my concerns, as He is All Knowing I realize that He knows what our concerns are before we tell Him, but He would so much rather hear from us. As any would Father, He wants to be in communication with His children, it makes the distance between us feel small.

I would like to share a personal experience and testimony building moment with prayer that I had some years ago.

January 20, 2005 I entered a hospital E.R via ambulance at around 2:30am after suffering excruciating pain in my abdominal area. They ran many tests on me and pumped me with Morphine to ease the pain and then informed me that I was going in for emergency surgery because my appendix had burst! They performed the life saving surgery, and after, told me I was lucky to be alive because the infection was throughout my entire body and that it had probably burst 3 to 4 days before I had any pain (which I guess is really unusual). Well due to the wide spread of infection my stay in the hospital would be prolonged, included in my stay was a catheter and a tube that went up my nose and into my stomach to aid in pumping the nasty stuff out!!

Well on the night of my 4 day in the hospital my nurse removed my i.v because the spot it was in was getting old and she wanted to move it to a new location on my other arm. Now keep in mind I had been unable to eat anything but broth and ice chips at this point so I was EXTREMELY weak and dehydrated! Well as she poked me once, twice, three and then four times she wasn't able to get the iv back in, (which is very bad when you are depending on it to give you all the medication and vitamins). Well she gave up and called in another nurse who tried multiple times and was unsuccessful and then a third nurse before calling in a lab tech who was "Very good", they began discussing that they would have to put it in my forehead if she was not able to get the iv in! Well by this point I had tears running down my face I was extremely scared and alone, since it was very late at night and my husband and mother had gone home. The idea of having it in my forehead was not pleasant and so as I heard them say "Ok we will try one more time, but after this...." I closed my eyes and prayed harder than I ever remember NEEDING to pray in a VERY long time, I pleaded with my Heavenly Father to be with me and to enable them to get the iv started in my arm and as I opened my eyes I saw the relief on the faces standing over me and felt the iv begin to work again.

It felt as if He had just answered the most important prayer I had ever said, I knew that He was with me, that He had guided her hand with steadiness and that I was not alone! I remained in the hospital for several more days and had many more miracles take place on my behalf during that time, but that moment when I felt His arms around me, and His comfort during and hour in which I dearly needed Him, it changed me. I was never the same after that, I was better for it, more humble, more compassionate, more open to His miracles and to His unwavering love for me. Little ole me, sick in a hospital, scared, and He was there for me!

I know that through Him all things are possible, and that He watches over us and is eager to hear from us. I know personally of His mercy and love and I am grateful for His hand in my life.

Sunday Scripture! A Year In Review

Matthew 22: 37-40

37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt ^alove the Lord thy God with all thy ^bheart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy ^cmind.

38 This is the first and great ^acommandment.

39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt ^alove thy neighbour as thyself.

40 On these two commandments hang all the ^alaw and the prophets.

As 2009 comes to a close I find myself reflecting on all that has come about in the last year. It has been a year of ups and downs but mostly ups. How can I complain even for a moment when all the trials that the first half of the year brought were more than made up for with the blessings that followed! Jimmy losing his job ended up being one of the best things that has happened for our family, we were fortunate to have all that time with him and then when employment found him again it took us to a place unexpected, yet exactly where we needed to be. I have found the transition to be seamless, it fits like a glove, I don't really know how else to explain it. The friends I have made in such a short time are women I have come to love and admire and pray to know them for many many years to come!

It has also allowed me to be reminded of the wonderful friends I have in Las Vegas, the ones that I talk with regularly on the phone, through emails/facebook/blogging. I am grateful for technology that allows me to keep up with all that are far from me, I miss you and feel blessed to call you friends no matter where we might end up.


I am excited for the year ahead, for what may come, for what might be and for the lessons we will undoubtedly learn. Watching my children grow faster than I could ever permit, if it were up to me, has been a true joy in my life.


-Lexi is truly blossoming into a young women, she is a loyal daughter, sister and friend. She has such a happy heart and kind spirit although we are working on establishing just who is the mother of the household!


-Grace is full of spunk, she is making that transition between little kid to "big kid" and her wit just seems to increase in the process. I love her hugs and kisses and also her ability to find her independence, she is ready to take on the world, but she also loves to cuddle with me in her "off" time.


-James is turning into the 2 year old that is learning all the naughty things possible just to make sure I stay alert! I love his mischievous grin as he does the opposite of what I say. I seem to be much more relaxed in my parenting with him and while that could result in his one day criminal record, I guess I am rolling the dice and taking my chances.


Of all the gifts that my children received from us this year the most important is that of our time. My children will only remember that when they are grown, the trips to the park when I go down the slide with them, the road trips to visit relatives, time spent baking in the kitchen with them, all of the time just holding them on my lap or rubbing their backs and singing them to sleep. That is what I want to work on this year is doing all of those things more often, I am not a perfect mom by any stretch of the imagination but I try everyday to teach them of good things and to prepare them to be productive members of society. I know that I must continue in that same vane and then more, less time worrying about my "dirty house" and more time spent with my family.





The Lord has blessed us, has blessed me and I hope all good things for all of you in the this coming year. If your family has been challenged in finding employment or if you have lost a loved one, made a big move, had a big change or all of the above know that my thoughts and prayers are with you, I love you and wish all good things for you!!




I would love to post pictures from Christmas but as of now they are trapped on my memory card and it crashed so until I can retrieve them through a data recovery company or software program I have NONE! :(

Sunday Scripture : Personal Revelation

Alma 17:3

"But this is not all; they had given themselves to much prayer, and fasting; therefore they had the spirit of prophecy, and the spirit of revelation, and when they taught, they taught with power and authority of God.

There have been many opportunities for me to receive personal revelation in my life, and through the Holy Ghost, have done so, through callings in which I have served, for my children, for myself, and for those whom I have served. I believe that much of the time it comes to me in thoughts or ideas that have led me to help someone who was in need, to handle a particularly difficult moment with a child, or occasions where the promptings have kept me safe. I strive to keep my direct line to the Holy Ghost open, that I might be available at a moments notice to hear and then act upon that which I have been instructed to do. At times I will have a feeling and I will not know the exact reason or purpose but I try to to rely on the knowledge that my Heavenly Father possesses, knowing that His picture is much broader and that if I will listen, He will lead me to do what is right.

When Jimmy received the job offer here in Colorado, we both prayed to know if this was where we should be, and for me the feeling was one of comfort but also the instruction to "Follow my husband" I knew that I would not be led astray if I were willing to stand beside my best friend in his decision. When Jimmy accepted the position, I knew that this was where the Lord wanted us, it was not "Our" first choice of cities we wanted to be in, but the Lord knew we needed to be in this city. Coming here with that knowledge, made it much easier and we have truly been blessed in our new surroundings, it has been such a testament to me of the power that we are able to tap into to receive answers to prayers, promptings from the Spirit, and a greater knowledge of our Heavenly Father. I know that when I allow Him to guide and direct me I am blessed and strengthened.

In the September 1999 Ensign, Elder L. Lionel Kendrick gave instructions on how to prepare ourselves for personal revalation.

Fasting

“Behold, I say unto you they are made known unto me by the Holy Spirit of God. Behold, I have fasted and prayed many days that I might know these things of myself. And now I do know of myself that they are true; for the Lord God hath made them manifest unto me by his Holy Spirit; and this is the spirit of revelation which is in me” (Alma 5:46).

The sons of Mosiah prepared themselves by the same means: “They had given themselves to much prayer, and fasting; therefore they had the … spirit of revelation” (Alma 17:3).

Think pure thoughts. If we are to have the channels of communication open, we must clear our minds of worldly and impure thoughts. We must follow this counsel of the Savior: “Let thy bowels also be full of charity towards all men, and to the household of faith, and let virtue garnish thy thoughts unceasingly; then shall thy confidence wax strong in the presence of God; and the doctrine of the priesthood shall distil upon thy soul as the dews from heaven” (D&C 121:45).

Develop a spirit of reverence. To receive revelation, we must develop a spirit of reverence. Elder Boyd K. Packer of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles counseled, “Inspiration comes more easily in peaceful settings.” 2 He added, “Irreverence suits the purposes of the adversary by obstructing the delicate channels of revelation in both mind and spirit,” and “Reverence invites revelation.” 3

Irreverence not only shows disrespect to Deity but also makes it hard for the Spirit to teach us the things we need to know. The Savior said, “And your minds in times past have been darkened because … you have treated lightly the things you have received” (D&C 84:54). He counseled, “Trifle not with sacred things” (D&C 6:12). The process of receiving revelation is sacred. It is a divine discussion with Deity and must be reverenced if it is to work.

Happy Sunday and Love to you,