Power

Power shall rest upon thee; thou shalt have great faith, and I will be with thee and go before they face. D&C 39:12

What a blessing to know that the Lord will go before me.

Loved Ones

I met a dear friend at the temple this week. I haven’t seen her for a few years, and it was so good to renew our love for each other. She is happy, upbeat and full of testimony and spirit. Her life has not been easy, and that has given her strength. It was an inspiration for me to bask in the maturity of her spirit.

She talked of angels being with her. Our conversation caused me to wonder about my own life. Do I acknowledge the angels in my life—on both sides of the veil. There are many times I feel their presence.

D&C 38:1, 2, 7 “I am . . . the same which knoweth all things, for all things are present before mine eyes; . . . I am in your midst and ye cannot see me.”

Service

Usually I show my love of God and my willingness to keep the commandments through service to others.

I always ask myself what I have done to help those around me? What is your answer today? What is my answer.

A Boy Scout is to do a good turn daily.  I like that motto and try to live by it.

Man is a knot into which relationships are tied. –Antoine de Saint-Exupery

Live by Covenant

"When we live by covenant rather than by convenience, we direct our lives toward our heavenly home."

Elder Donald L. Hallstrom

Heavenly Father is with us.

Read this this morning. It's my mantra for the day.

D&C 38:1, 2, 7 “I am . . . the same which knoweth all things, for all things are present before mine eyes; . . . I am in your midst and ye cannot see me.”

Service

St. Frances of Assissi said "Preach the gospel at all times and if necessary, use words."

A Willing Heart

A dear friend's granddaughter was baptized today. The new convert is a young adult that has just blossomed as she has studied the gospel.

I shared with her today the scripture in Doctrine and Covenants 64:34: "Behold, the Lord requireth the heart and a willing mind..."

The Savior told us "Thou shalt love the Lord they God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind." Matthew 22:37.

My grandmother was baptized in the Spree River in Berlin, Germany, the end of January. It was freezing cold, and she was wet--chilled through, but she had a willing heart. I'm grateful for her willing heart. She has given me a great gift.

Will I pass my gift of a willing heart on to those around me and those who follow after me? I hope through my actions that I will.

Reunion

We'll have our family reunion in August. We'll begin by going to a nearby temple so that all those over the age of 12 can participate in an ordinance.

It will take some travel, 'baby sitting' arrangements, and extra food assignments, but it's worth it.

I am grateful for the opportunity of teaching my children and grandchildren to love the temple.

True Joy

Our youngest daughter and her husband took their four-year-old son to a nearby temple open house. It was a ways away. They had to travel and stay over night, but they wanted this child to experience the sacred spirit of the temple and this was a good opportunity.

As a grandparent, I am so very grateful for the testimonies of these good parents. I love them for it. What greater joy could we have in our lives than righteous posterity.

The Temple as a Testimony

As I entered the Bountiful Temple yesterday, I thought of my father who has been dead for over sixty years. I know he is near and that he loves me. I've known that all my life. Each time I'm in the temple, I think of him and his influence over me. I think he has been as great an influence from the other side as he would have been had he lived.

"Each of our temples is an expression of our testimony that life beyond the grave is as real and as certain as is our life here on earth." Thomas S. Monson

The Temple as a Beacon

I love to see the temple.

"Each one [temple] stands as a beacon to the world, an expression of our testimony that God, our Eternal Father, lives, that He desires to bless us." Thomas S. Monson

Temple Attendance

President Joseph F. Smith said,

"Through our efforts in their behalf their chains of bondage will fall from them [ those beyond the veil], and the darkness surrounding them will clear away, that light may shine upon them and they shall hear in the spirit world of the work that has been done for them by their children here, and will rejoice with you in your performance of these duties."

Temples

I love the temple. One reason is because I feel the Spirit so strongly there.

"Temples are more than stone and mortar.  They are filled with faith and fasting. They are built of trials and testimonies. They are sanctified by sacrifice and service." Thomas S. Monson

The Temple

Found this quote on the Brigham City Temple page. Went to the Salt Lake Temple yesterday. I love the spirit of that building.

 

"I know your lives are busy. I know that you have much to do. But I make you a promise that if you will go to the house of the Lord, you will be blessed; life will be better for you."

—Gordon B. Hinckley

Be of Good Cheer

President Thomas S. Monson has said:
"I testify to you that our promised blessings are beyond measure. Though the storm clouds may gather, though the rains may pour down upon us, our knowledge of the gospel and our love of our Heavenly Father and of our Savior will comfort and sistain us and bring joy to our hearts as we walk uprightly and keep the commandments . . . My beloved brothers and sisters, fear not. Be of good cheer. The future is as bright as your faith."

Our Battles

The battles we and our children have today are varied. Satan creeps into our lives in many ways. God promises to save our children.

And I, the Lord, would fight their battles, and their children's battles, and their children's children's, until they had avenged themselves on all their enemies, to the third and fourth generation.
(Doctrine and Covenants | Section 98:37)

The Lord will Fight our Battles

The Lord has promised to save our children. What greater blessing could we have!

Even the captives of the mighty shall be taken away, and the prey of the terrible shall be delivered: for I will contend with him that contendeth with thee, and I will save thy children.
(Old Testament | Isaiah 49:25)

Faith

If we are faithful, God promises us blessings more than we can receive.

Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.(Old Testament | Malachi 3:10)

Love

Several of the sisters I met with in the temple had difficult trials during the past year. One had both her knees replaced, yet she could kneel. Another had by-pass surgery, yet she talked of working in her yard. A third was in a head-on collision when an oncoming driver fell asleep at the wheel and came across the median. She is fine, but her pinky on her right hand doesn't work as well as it could.

All of these sisters bless the lives of others, even through their own trials.

Therefore, he giveth this promise unto you, with an immutable covenant that they shall be fulfilled; and all things wherewith you have been afflicted shall work together for your good, and to my name's glory, saith the Lord.
(Doctrine and Covenants | Section 98:3)

Light

This week I met with dear friends of mine in the temple. To be with loved ones who add light to your life and to be in a place of light fills one with feelings of great joy. God has promised us all things if we have faith and believe.

And whoso receiveth you, there I will be also, for I will go before your face. I will be on your right hand and on your left, and my Spirit shall be in your hearts, and mine angels round about you, to bear you up.
(Doctrine and Covenants | Section 84:88)

The Temple

I find joy in many things in my life, but one of my greatest joys comes from serving in the temple. I not only love bringing blessings to others, but I bask in the goodness of my fellow workers. They are wonderful righteous servants of our Father in Heaven, and I am grateful for the light they bring to my life.

Enriching our lives

“It is not what we receive that enriches our lives, it is what we give.” George Albert Smith

Service

"May we show our love and appreciation for the Savior’s atoning sacrifice through our simple, compassionate acts of service." M. Russell Ballard

Giving

·         "We make a living by what we get, we make a life by what we give." Winston Churchill