Football miracle

This is a difficult blog to write. You may remember me blogging about football and the passion my son has for the sport. I have also written about those frightening hits in football that everyone hears.

My son was involved in one of those frightening hits during football camp. It was the kind of hit that causes the coaches on both sides of the line to feel their stomachs lurch and send them all running onto the field even before the players have climbed back to their feet.

But my son didn’t get back on his feet.

He lay on the field, his limbs convulsing spontaneously—the sign of severe spinal trauma. Though he remained conscious, he was unable to feel anything below his neck. He later told me it was the most frightening two or three minutes he has ever experienced.

When feeling did return to his limbs he knew one of his coaches was kneeling beside him, tightly holding his hand. “Mom, Coach Bryan never let go of my hand the rest of the time,” he said. "He stayed right there with me the whole time."

And they took time with him.

Finally, after taking all the precautions--including immobilizing his neck--the trainers and emergency staff decided he had experienced a severe back spasm. It was a hot day and my son has had leg cramps before. They iced his back and my son asked to go back into the game. He pestered. He said he was fine, just a bit sore. Reluctant, the coaches finally agreed.

My son finished that game as their running back and defensive end. An hour later he played, both ways, for a second full game.

In his positions he was a constant target. Each tackle, he told me, brought him excruciating pain. Even his head hurt with every step.

In one touchdown run, pain kept him from diving over the goal line and he was brought down one yard short. At any other time he would have made those final three feet but he told me later “it hurt too much Mom. I couldn’t do it.” He felt bad, genuinely hurt, that he'd let his teammates down.

No one knew he was playing with his back broken in two places.

When I picked up my son after the camp I knew instantly something was wrong. I could see it in his eyes. They were a different color.

We took him into the doctor and discovered the broken vertebrae and the dislocated neck.

The doctor told him he was lucky. He could have been paralyzed at any time. He was amazed my son had kept playing--even more amazed he had gotten up and walked away from each subsequent tackle.

Later, a back specialist confirmed what the first doctor told us. Then he said, “you need to realize how serious this injury is. If anything had been even a fraction of an inch different, you’d be in a wheelchair right now and you’d be there for the rest of your life.”

My son--who is so passionate about the game that he played football for two hours with a broken back--wept uncontrollably...not because of the possibilities but because of the reality. His football career was over. And I wept right along with him. There is deep, deep pain in seeing something taken from your child that means so much to him!

At some point, when the doctors left us alone, I told him, "Even though you don't feel like this is a blessing right now, you need to realize that the Lord truly protected you during that accident and has blessed you in every single step you've taken since."

Then I made a call to my husband who was out of town. He, too, was devasated--made worse by the distance and his inability to get back to us.

Though he couldn’t be there that night, he fulfilled his role as husband and father perfectly. He called a close friend and asked him to give our son a priesthood blessing that night.

The friend did--changing his schedule to help us through our crisis.

The blessing was the most amazing experience I and my son have ever had. Promises were made that astounded all of us, even our friend. The Spirit was tremendously strong...and with it came understanding and courage to move forward. And hope for my son's future.

Tonight my son is going to his team’s preseason scrimmage game. He will be on the sidelines, encouraging his teammates while wearing a back brace. But he will be standing and walking that sideline, something the doctors say is a miracle.

Because of the gift of the priesthood, we know that many more miracles are still ahead of him. I am anxious to see the 'other' miracles my son will experience in his life.



<--My son breaking tackles and heading for the goal line. His determination on the field follows him off the field, too.


Watching from the sidelines. He was never content to sit there long and, even with a broken back, he still isn't content to sit there. He now goes to every practice and helps with the coaching. His teammates have commented how much they appreciate having him there with them. -->



<-- Ready to face whatever is coming. Though his senior year dreams have suddenly changed, he's still ready to face whatever is coming.

A lesson from the earth.

Lately I’ve been enjoying some conversations about science and religion with Church members who are involved in various scientific fields. Like them, I believe religion and science are more closely connected than we now know; and I disagree with scientists who say you can’t believe in God if you want to accept science. Phooey. (Those who claim that are probably too closed minded to even be in the scientific field. We all know any scientist worth his salt would never throw out any possibility.)

The other day, as I was doing some scientific and doctrinal research into the history of the world and its future, I made a startling, yet comforting realization.

Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints know that when God created the earth it was in a paradisiacal or terrestial state. Not fully glorified, but pretty close. Then Adam fell and that affected everything. (We also know that no choice affects you and you alone.) At that time the earth also ‘fell’ and became the telestial world we now know.

So here we all are: telestial bodies living on a telestial world.

Latter-day Saints also understand that when Christ comes again the world will “be renewed and receive its paradisiacal glory.” (See 10th Article of Faith.) Again, not fully glorified, but pretty close. During that time men on earth, under the direction of the Savior, will work hard to burn the leftovers of war, beat their swords into plows and restore the earth to its Edenic state. It will take time, years, to restore what was lost and fix the damage done.

Then, following this millennium of time, peace and work, the earth will then pass away “and there shall be a new heaven and a new earth.” This ‘new earth’ shall be our earth in its glorified “sanctified, immortal and eternal state.” (See Revelations 4, D&C 29:22-24 and D&C 77.)

Can you see a familiar pattern there? The earth existed in God’s presence--not yet glorified but pretty good. It fell and left His presence, becoming a telestial sphere. Christ will return to the earth to help restore the earth to a higher state—not yet glorified but pretty good. Then, when all things are ready, the earth will finally be glorified.

It has taken, and will continue to take, quite a bit of time to get the earth glorified. In fact, you could say the creation of the earth still is not complete. It’s an ongoing process.

Now, people quibble over the age of the earth depending on whether they view the earth scientifically or Biblically. (And even those who believe in the Bible quarrel about the length of the creative period: was it six literal days or six figurative days?)

But the age of the earth really doesn’t matter. What matters is the lesson we learn from the earth and the hope it can give us. However you look at it, the earth has been in existence for a tad bit longer than my 48 years and it still is not glorified! It is still a work in progress.

Now, if the earth has been given that much time and even promised the personal help of the Savior to get it sanctified and ready to meet God, doesn’t the same truth apply to you and me? The worth of souls in great in the eyes of the Lord. We are His greatest creation! His entire work is directed at helping us become glorified; and He plans for it to take a bit longer than 48 years.

Whew!

We don’t have to be perfect now. Our children and spouses don’t have to be perfect now. Neither do our neighbors. We just need to keep heading in that direction and appreciate the pattern He lovingly and quietly shared with us when He placed us on this wonderful work in progress we call Earth. The Earth is our testimony of hope.
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The clock is ticking.

My neighbor didn’t see me in the gym this morning and, upon arriving home, discovered the reason. I was in the yard, weeding. We laughed when I explained I’d probably be more sore after weeding than after hitting the treadmill.

The truth is, with limited time I had to make a choice.

Our conversation stayed with me as I dug and pulled at more weeds around the yard. I reflected on the choices we have to make every day and the fact that no one has enough time to accomplish everything on their “to do” list.

That means things will be left undone.

No one has enough money to handle every situation that comes their way. That means there will be financial stress.

No one has enough self-esteem that they don’t feel pain. That means there will be hurt and aching hearts.

The test was never meant to be about what we would do with enough. If so, we would all have enough, and to spare.

The test, then, is about what we will do when there is not enough. Will we still choose the Lord?

When time is tight, will we still go to church on Sunday or will we choose to work, recreate, or relax? With limited time, will we choose to read the scriptures each day or pray, or will we choose some other worldly thing to fill our day?

When money is tight, will we still choose to share tithes and offerings with the Lord? Will we choose to send our children on missions or go ourselves? Will we serve others with those funds, or will we spend that money on things for us?

When someone offends us, will we choose to do as the Lord has asked and forgive them, or repent and change if they are right? Or will we choose to brood and sulk, blame others, blame the church, or even blame the Lord?

Each choice truly is ours.

Our love for the Lord isn’t found in a singular decision of devotion that will carry us for the rest of our life. It is announced in each of those daily, quiet moments when we realize we don’t have enough. Will we still choose the Lord?
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The parable and miracle of the goldfish

Our day started out with a death and a trash can burial. A silver-colored goldfish, named Smokey, jumped out of the aquarium at some point in the night and we found him on the floor this morning—stiff and dry. All traces of water on the hardwood floor from his unexpected arrival in our waterless world had long since dried up. Even the floor directly beneath his body was dry.

Four years ago, we purchased Smokey from a tank of mostly dead and sickly feeder goldfish. He cost us 10 cents. We had saved him, along with several others feeder fish that day. Now our rescue fish was dead, lying on the hardwood floor, dark and stiff.

Feeling sorrow for his lonely death, I picked him up by the hard tail fin, carried him into the kitchen and buried him in the trash can. At the breakfast table, my children saw and they, too, expressed sadness at his demise. After all, Smokey had lived for several years, grown to be the second largest in size, and was the only silver goldfish in the group.

During breakfast my children reminisced about Smokey while I started doing dishes. But I keep hearing the Spirit whisper to me. “Don’t give up on him yet. Don’t let him die this way. Give him a chance to live.”

You may recall the Spirit's whispering on behalf of the world's grumpiest cockatiel (see blog dated....) Yet this fish was dead. This whispering was after the trauma, not before.

Then I recalled a similar fish incident years ago, when my firstborn child was only two. He decided to go ‘fishing’ in our tank and managed to catch one of the fish. When he proudly told my of his feat I looked in the tank and, sure enough, one fish was missing. I went searching for the fish. After an hour and a half I found him. He had flipped up under the couch and was dry and stiff. As I picked up my son’s ‘catch’ to throw it in the trash can I saw its gill move. Quickly I filled a bowl with water and dropped in the fish. He started breathing and went on to live for several more years.

Now, as I did the dishes, the whispering continued. “Don’t give up on him yet. Don’t let him die like this. Give him a chance to live.”

So, when my children were not looking, I retrieved Smokey from the trash can, filled up a bowl with water from his fish tank and dropped in the fish. By this time he had been in the trash can for 45 minutes and on the floor for much longer (possibly hours) yet, amazingly, he immediately responded and started to breathe.

I still didn’t tell my children—I didn’t want them to get their hopes up—so I sent them to school and continued to watch Smokey’s recovery. Within an hour he was swimming upright, though rather slowly, and I put him back into the tank.

I then went to the gym to workout. While on the treadmill my heart, and even my prayers, went out to this little fish. I don’t feel guilty praying for animals. I don't feel anyone should. I have come to know in my life that God loves all His creations, even the animals.

As I jogged I realized that Smokey had not jumped out of the tank on purpose. In the guise of ‘having a good time’ Smokey obviously went a bit too far and landed outside the safety of the water. There he found himself alone and needing help. He floundered and fought for life yet could do nothing to save himself until, finally, he succumbed to the consequences of his actions.

And I saw a gospel parallel. Often, in the guise of ‘having a good time,’ people go a bit too far and land outside the safety of the living water of the gospel. They break the commandments, they don’t feel they need to be in Church, but they are floundering and, soon enough, they will face the full effects of their actions. If someone isn’t there to help them, the consequences can result in spiritual death, the drying up of a testimony and the stiffening of a soul.

And then I thought of those people I know who are struggling to live outside of the gospel. They break the commandments and think they are happy but I see their floundering, gaping, open-mouth attempts and I know that, sooner or later, they will face the full effects of their actions.

We all know and love people like that. Maybe we see them and feel they are, somehow, too far gone to help. We may have even mentally placed them in the trash can of life, claiming they are gone for good, yet “Don’t give up on him yet” is powerful advice for all of us. The Lord runs on a different timetable. He doesn't care how long we've laid spiritual dead or even in the trash can. He just wants someone to pull out each precious soul and give them a chance to live. There is no one so far gone, or so long gone that the Savior cannot yet reach them. We just have to keep trying. We should never give up on anyone.

And the Spirit also taught me another truth. By not telling my children that I had placed Smokey back into a bowl of water, I thought I was protecting them from disappointment in case he should die later. What the Spirit told me was that I had cut Smokey off from the power of their prayers. That was not a door for me to close for anyone or anything.

So, as I ran on the treadmill this morning I prayed for those friends of mine outside of the living water of the Gospel. If the Lord clearly tells me to not give up on a goldfish, I know He does not want me to give up on them.

I also prayed prayed for forgiveness for not allowing my children to tap into the greatest power they possess…the power of prayer. I asked that my lesson to learn be mine alone, without Smokey or my children suffering.

And the Lord heard those prayers. Smokey is swimming with more strength and his fins are starting to open again.

Great miracles and lessons often come in little packages.

They had it without me.

For years I have wanted to go to a writer's conference but, alas, timing, distance and money have all conspired to keep me away from those gatherings of verbiage and knowledge. Finally, however, I learned of a writer’s conference that would fit my schedule, my budget, and my travel constraints. So, I sent in my fees almost two months ago, reserved a spot at the conference, marked the date on my calendar, submitted my first chapter for critique, and waited.

This morning I arose bright and early and left the house shortly after 5:30 a.m. to make the three and a half hour drive to the much anticipated conference.

But this time a late spring blizzard was my conspirator and I managed to travel only 80 miles in two and a half hours.

Earlier this week I had a feeling I should not attend the conference. Now, traveling through a steep, unplowed mountain pass those feelings increased until I could not shake the impression that I should turn around. For miles I fought the impression, prayed for guidance and, finally, managed to bring the car to a stop in the deepening snow. But there I hesitated. I wanted to go to the conference!

Yet the impression would not leave and finally, very reluctantly, I followed the prompting and turned around.

Ten miles down the mountain my human side returned. I turned my car around and headed back toward the conference. After all, I really wanted to go. Besides, I’m a Montanan. I’m used to driving in snow storms. It’s what we do.

As I headed toward the conference the impression returned, stronger this time. If you go, it said, the trip will be dangerous for you. You need to be home today.

It took several miles before I listened to the prompting. Feeling sad about not going, I turned the car toward home again, consoling myself that it is never wrong to choose family over other things.

This time, though, I only made it about five miles down the road when I started arguing the prompting and justifying the trip. I’d paid a non-refundable fee. I had wanted to go to a conference for years and this one was close, relatively speaking.

So I stopped justifying and decided I was going to the conference--no arguing about it. I turned around again and headed back toward the conference when a powerful voice said, Terri, do not go. I will not tell you again.

Okay. That caught my attention and this time I turned back toward home, for good.

Yet I cried over the decision. I really, really wanted to go to the conference. Worse, I wasn’t sure the impressions had come from the Lord or my own subconscious. Because of that, I felt added frustration I may have chosen wrong.

Don’t you wish you could see into the future and know for sure if your decision was really the one He wanted you to make?

That is when I felt a whispering in my mind. On those times when we make a decision because we think, hope, we are following the Lord—He is still pleased.

Remember when your young child tried to please you by making breakfast? I bet you smiled warmly and gave that child a big hug even though the eggs were not cooked, the toast was burned, and orange juice had spilled on the counter and floor. Why? Because it was the sincere effort that pleased you, not the outcome.

And I realized this morning the Lord often feels that same way about us.

It's the effort to follow Him, not the outcome, that means so much to Him.

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Save $$$ at the grocery store!

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Recently I received a call from a church leader. He wanted to know how I budget my groceries. As a leader, he is often called upon to counsel families and individuals who are struggling—spiritually, financially, emotionally. He knew we run a tight budget and wanted to know how I control things in the grocery store.

So how tight is our budget? I guess that depends on your perspective. We currently feed a family of seven on about $350 a month; and that is a very large increase from just a few years ago when all my children were home and we fed our family of eight on $150 a month.

Outside of a house payment, groceries are the second largest cost of living families encounter. Did you know that? While most bills are fixed and cannot be lowered by much, with a few tips families can dramatically reduce their grocery bill and free up needed money. If you want, or need, to ease your financial outgo look to your food bill first.

Don’t eat out. To take our family out for hamburgers and fries will cost us $40. I can feed my family for several days on that amount. Besides, my children would rather make their own hamburgers at home anyway. We can custom make our own burgers, just the way we want, for less than $10. With savings like that, we can even splurge on something extra--like ice cream. This doesn’t mean we don’t eat out occasionally but we keep it selective and special.

Plan a menu. Each month I sit down and plan out a menu for the entire month. It helps me know so I’m not tempted to resort to quick, more expensive solutions. First I first plan Sunday meals. Since those meals are generally a bit more costly I spread that cost into a second meal as I plan on how to use the leftovers. For example, if we have roast on Sunday, I may plan stew a few days later to use up leftover meat, gravy, and vegetables and I will write that on the menu: use leftovers. Besides adding leftover ingredients to soups or stews, I have learned to add leftover mashed potatoes—even cooked oatmeal--to a loaf of homemade bread or throw vegetables into a new stir-fry or pasta dish. Get creative!

Plan inexpensive meals. During the winter, I serve homemade soup once a week. During the summer, I try to have a meatless or salad night each week. A couple of times each month I schedule breakfast for dinner. Pancakes or homemade waffles are inexpensive and with some homemade chokecherry syrup or fresh fruit and whipped cream on top they produce a meal my family enjoys.

Shop to the menu. After I make my menu, I make my shopping list from my menu and then I take my list with me to the store. I do not deviate from my list very often and my children have learned the importance of shopping to that list and comparison checking for the lowest prices. Two of my children are already turning into price-savvy shoppers themselves and find it challenging to look for the best buy.

Use wisdom in the store. Never grab the first thing you see! The best buys are often way down low or up high. The expensive products are easy to reach. Look harder for the less expensive item.

Don’t buy the label. Buy the product.

Buy in bulk when possible.

Avoid convenient food. You also won’t find individual yogurt, applesauce cups, or pudding cups in my house. If I buy yogurt, applesauce, etc., I buy them in large containers the family can share. No individually-wrapped slices of cheese or small packages of expensive grated cheese, either. At a warehouse store I can buy five-pound blocks of cheese slices for only a few pennies more than a one-pound package of individually wrapped slices at a regular grocery store.

Avoid instant foods. While in the store, a man and his daughter approached me looking for the rice. The inexpensive long-grain rice was right in front of us. “No,” he said, “My wife doesn’t know how to cook that kind.” So I looked and pointed him to the vastly more expensive instant rices. Again he said his wife didn’t know how to cook that. She had only cooked rice in a bag. At which point I couldn’t help him. I’d never picked up boil-in-the-bag rice in my life. He eventually found a package and left. After he left I looked at the price and felt horror. He was paying $4 a pound for the item. I loaded my forty-cent a pound rice in my bag and went home.

Decide about coupons. I used to clip coupons but not any more. Most coupons are for the most expensive brand out there so, unless I’m getting double coupon value, which my area does not offer, I can find generic versions cheaper. In areas that still offer double or triple coupon days or other coupon perks, it may be worth it. Compare prices and decide for your area. Also, be aware of the temptation of using coupons you don't need. Unless the item was originally on your list to buy, using a coupon will cost you money, not save it.

Stock up on good buys. This means you have to know your prices. When you see a good buy, stock up. This keeps you from being forced to buy the same item later, when the price may be high. You can just wait until the price comes back down.

Pay cash. This is the biggest budget controller there is! When you go into the store with $200 cash in your wallet, you can’t go over. It is too easy to add a few extra items to your cart when you are using a credit card, debit card, or writing a check. Cash doesn’t stretch. You have to. That is what makes it the best budget controller around. If I can’t afford it, I get it later. If I have to have it, I put something else back. It’s that simple.

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My kids are excited for "Superbowl" Conference

This weekend is a very special time for Latter-day Saints around the world. Known as “Conference Weekend,” members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints spend time during the weekend listening to the Lord’s chosen prophet, His 12 apostles, and other general authorities of the Church.

Conference happens twice a year, on the first weekend in April and the first weekend in October. This year "Conference Weekend" coincides with the celebration of Easter and I can think of no better way to spend it than listening to talks about the Savior, His life, love and example.

During conference the Lord's called and ordained leaders offer words of encouragement and counsel. Using the Spirit, scriptures, wisdom, personal stories, clarity, warmth and even humor they help lift us above the things of this world. Common topics include the Savior and His atoning sacrifice for us, how we can better keep the commandments, the need for repentance from weaknesses big and small, and how to remain hopeful in an increasingly darkening world.

While talking about the Lord’s plan for our salvation and happiness, they teach us about the sanctity of marriage and share ways we can build better, happier marriages. They offer parents hope and insight during the struggles of raising children. They talk of the importance of forgiving others, serving others, comforting others. You cannot listen to their talks without feeling the Savior’s love. Through that love you feel better about yourself and those around you. Suddenly life is easier, the way more clear, and Christ closer.

Despite the wonderful Spirit and eternal messages, though, teenagers and young children often struggle with listening to conference. For years we had to coax, encourage…at times require…that our children watch at least one session of conference over the weekend. Now all of our children eagerly gather in the room to watch and stay awake for almost all four sessions.

The difference?

Food!

My sister-in-law told us of something they did in their home. We tried it, and it worked. My children have named it “Superbowl Conference.”

Prior to each session we fill bowls with a variety of snacks. (We use different snacks at each session so they don’t get bored with the snacks.) I let the children label each bowl with a word they think we will hear during conference. They choose words such as repentance, Jesus, baptism, prayer and others. Then, during conference, if they want to take a snack they have to wait for the appropriate word.

It is fun to see everyone diving for a Holy Ghost chip or a scripture M&M. Some speakers will wipe out an entire supply of prayer grapes while others will send my family snacking through all the bowls. (Over the years we have learned to include healthy snacks as well, such as grapes, apple pieces, dried fruits, nuts, cheeses, jerky, etc.)

Food really does help our family feast on the words of Christ!

The Church is also helping families with children keep them involved before, during and after conference. They have a new Web site filled with a variety of activities for all ages. There are coloring pages and games to print off and take with you. For fun at home there are also matching games on the computer, slideshows and videos, stories to listen to and ideas for things to make and do. If your children are Matt and Mandy fans they also have a section just for them.

The games are not just for conference but any time. Here is the link. Some of the games take a while to load, but they are a fun, entertaining ways to encourage them to listen and learn.

LDS Conference Games for Children

Thanks to modern technology, anyone can watch conference on television, by satellite, over the internet at lds.org (see link below), or get printed copies of the talks to read. If I counted right they can listen to conference in 67 different languages and get printed copies of it in just as many. Copies of past conference talks are also available and all of it is for free. For more information on the conference broadcasts, go to

LDS General Conference Page

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Guillermo's cell phone

While in Peru in 2008, I met Guillermo—a young man with Down Syndrome--who visited with us like old friends. He showed us karate moves and told us of his talents and interests.

At one point during our visit a cell phone rang. Every American checked their pockets. Nope, it wasn’t any of their phones.

The call was for Guillermo. He had his own cell phone.

I was touched by the thought his parents had lovingly provided him with one so they could stay in touch as he grew and developed the freedom he needed. I was also amazed to find cell phones had become such a complete part of world society, even in a struggling country like Peru.

Have you ever thought about cell phones?

We spend a small fortune each month just for the privilege of carrying them around with us. If we forget them, we go back to the house to retrieve them.

Each night we carefully plug them in to make sure they are charged and ready to go the next day.

During the day we spend countless minutes--even hours--texting, calling and staying in touch with others. (Our monthly phone bill lets us know just how much time!)

And if we don’t want to be interrupted, we can turn off the phone simply by pushing a button.

Most of us don’t, though. We leave our cell phones on all day long. We send and receive calls, texts, photos, songs, videos and more. If our child at home takes those first steps while dad is at the office, he can still see that event thanks to the marvels of cell phone service.

Best of all, they are great for emergencies. If you break down or forget to bring your son’s shoes to a wrestling meet, just whip out the cell phone, punch a few buttons and help is on its way. (As long as you are in an area that has cell phone coverage.)

Cell phones are pretty cool.

Now, have you ever really thought about prayer?

Isn't it touching that our Heavenly Parents have provided us a way to stay in touch as we grow, develop and experience the freedom we need?

But He doesn't send us a monthly bill for the service. Prayer is free. You don’t have to spend any money to commune with God. If you leave the house in the morning and forget to pray, you don’t have to turn around, either. You can pray right where you are. And what if the whole world was as committed to carrying a prayer with them when they left their house in the morning as they are their cell phones!?

At night, what if we carefully made sure we were plugged into Heaven through personal prayer to recharge our souls so we would be ready for the next day?

Do we spend more time texting and chatting with friends during the day than we do with the Lord? Sadly, I think that answer for most of us is yes. But what if we changed that? What if we spent more time during the day thinking of God and communing with Him while we drove down the road or as we took a break from work?

And what if we never turned off our spiritual phone?

Think of all the texts, calls, messages, thoughts, impressions and spiritual moments He could send to you each day? See that beautiful flower or a child's smile? God sent it to you to tell you He loves you and is thinking of you.

And what if, every time we saw a beautiful flower or something wonderful, new or exciting happened to us during the day, we immediately thought to call God in a prayer of gratitude? Or what if we called in prayer just to visit or share with Him moments from our day?

We can even have Him on speed dial!

Best of all, we don’t need cell phone coverage to call for Divine help. We can call on Him anytime, anywhere and He will hear.

Prayer is pretty cool. Wouldn't it be neat if it became as much of a valued part of world society as cell phones?
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Did Judah sin with Tamar?

"Hollywood doesn’t need a script, they just need the Bible," someone joked in Sunday School.

The entire class laughed. After all, we were going through the lesson of Joseph--who was sold into Egypt by his own brothers--and our 21st century Anglo-Saxon tour bus was taking some interesting side-trips into the lives of those siblings.

But to judge the people of the Bible by our own society is unfair…to them and us.

Take, for example, the story of Judah. Judah married a Canaanite woman. The Canaanites were descended from Canaan, who was the son of Ham, Noah’s son. Remember, Noah said, “Cursed be Canaan; a servant of servants shall he be unto his brethren…Blessed be the Lord God of Shem; and Canaan shall be his servant” (Gen. 9:25-26) That was not just a statement but a divine promise and prophecy! Through Shem would come the blessed lineage of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, David and eventually, Jesus.

So why did Judah marry a Canaanite? Jewish scripture records that Judah’s brothers were angry with Judah for influencing them to sell Joseph. "You told us to sell him. Had you told us to return him to our father we also would have listened to you." (Exodus Raba, 42,3)

So, Judah sought refuge with his friend, Hirah, in Adullam and--as the Jewish sages point out--the sale of Joseph resulted in the loss of two brothers not just one. And “Judah went down from his brothers and turned away towards an Adullamite man whose name was Hirah.” (Genesis 38:1) (Later King David would also flee to Adullam and hide from his own enemies in the protective hills and caves there.)

While there, Judah married the Canaanite woman. Maybe, after what he did to Joseph, he felt he had lost the right of fathering the promised line, we don’t know--but we do know this…the Lord grants forgiveness and you can’t run from the Lord. The story of Judah and Tamar is a story of restoration and forgiveness.

Still trying to avoid the divine plan, Judah married his son to a righteous woman, Tamar. In fact, the Jews tell us she had been prophetically told she would be the one to bear great kings and leaders through Judah's family. Yet, with Canaanite blood flowing through their veins, Judah’s sons could not carry on that blessed lineage!

After Er and Onan were taken out of the picture, Judah told Tamar to wait for his youngest son to grow old enough to marry her. But we know those prophesied kings and leaders could not come from Judah’s Canaanite sons, no matter how hard Judah tried to change or avoid that calling! The responsibility lay with Judah, himself!

Tamar knew that, too.

Ancient marriages were not unions of couples but unions of family! If a husband died, another man from the same family was expected to complete any unfulfilled marriage promises made to the bride and her family--including the producing of heirs. (Later it was designated that an unwed brother would fulfill that calling but, at the time of Judah, any male in the family could accept the responsiblity.)

So the Lord made Judah a widower, hoping to nudge him toward providing the completion of marriage vows for Tamar and produce the promised heirs through the promised lineage. Still Judah tried to avoid the call and left the area.

His plan didn't work. (Our own plans, separate from the Lord's, rarely do.)

When Judah saw a veiled Tamar, not knowing her true identity and living beneath his own worth, he asked to sleep with her and promised to pay her a goat, giving her his signet, bracelets and staff as tokens of that promise. She, knowing her legal right and legal and divine claim on Judah, agreed and conceived.

Later, when Judah discovered that Tamar was pregnant, he grew furious. Afterall, he had not married her to his youngest son! Believing she had been unfaithful he sent for her, ordering her legal execution. (He had to send for her because he had still been avoiding her. We often do that. We avoid people when we try to avoid the Lord.)

When she arrived she spoke to Judah in private and showed him the signet, bracelets and staff. At that moment Judah realized two things: he was the legal father and Tamar did not sin! Despite the fact that Tamar had been veiled, no marriage laws had been broken. That is why he halted her execution and said “She hath been more righteous than I.”

As the patriarch of the family Judah was legally bound to provide for Tamar through the union of marriage, either through his sons or himself. As the man of promised lineage, Judah, never his sons, was the one divinely established by the Lord to provide her with those promised blessings. And so it was that through their son, Pharez, came the prophesied royal lineage of King David and, later, the Messiah.

It is interesting to note that this event seemed to be an awakening for Judah. He understood he could no longer run from his responsibilities or his divine worth and he returned to his family. Still later, Judah offered himself as surety for Benjamin in order to save the entire family from famine. Judah, once cast out, now understood the importance of his family. Now, as a strong protector of that family, he stood forth to take the blame and face the consequences personally if anything happened to his younger brother.

So the story is about repentance and real change and restitution and it has lessons for us all.

Maybe Hollywood really does need the Bible.
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Saving the World's Grumpiest Cockatiel

Twelve years ago our family welcomed a newly hatched cockatiel into our home. We were all excited to raise the hand-fed pet. We had visions of him sitting on our shoulders and being our feathered companion.

But the reality is very different. Crackers does not speak a word. He will ride on our shoulders and is finger trained, though he will most often bite those fingers. He does dance to certain songs but only if he is in the mood. Occasionally he falls out of bed in the middle of the night. (That means he falls off his perch then squawks in anger, flapping around on the bottom of the cage until someone comes and turns on the light so he can see to climb back up.) He also loves to taunt our poor dog who, obviously, has a lot of bird dog in his lineage and looks at us in confusion as if asking our permission to follow instinct and swallow the bird whole.

Despite all of our efforts to befriend Crackers and care for him, he has only bonded with one member of our family—my teenage son. As soon as that son walks by Crackers starts to whistle and sing until our son comes and holds him. The bird absolutely adores him.

The other night I moved down the dark hallway, intent on placing a backpack in the closet next to the bird’s cage. I knew where I was and felt I did not need the light; but a split second of counsel flashed in my mind. “Turn on the light so the bird is not startled.”

The thought did not make 'sense' to me. Afterall, I walk by his cage all the time in the dark. I ignored the counsel and walked into the dark room with a noisy backpack. Crackers, deep asleep on his perch, let out a squawk of fear and erupted into panic.

Hearing the chaotic flapping of wings and horrid screeching from the bird I turned on the light only to see the bird now stuck between the bars of the cage, his body halfway out of the cage, his wings twisted around and caught between the bars in a way that both amazed and shocked me. How did he manage that? He has never fit through the bars before.

Angered and scared, the bird fought to get free. I worried he would break a wing in his attempts and quickly moved to help him.

Now, you must understand that Crackers tolerates me because I feed and water him. Tonight, though, he was not in a tolerant mood. When I placed my hands around his tiny body to carefully fold back his wings and release them he turned his head and bit my finger hard enough to draw blood. He had never done that before and I knew there was only one person he wanted--only one he would relax for--and that was my son.

My son came upstairs and, with the help of his father, freed the cockatiel with only a few ruffled feathers. Then my son spent the next hour and a half petting and calming the bird before returning him to his cage.

The success of my son in freeing Crackers made sense to me. What surprised me was the split second of counsel and inspiration the Lord gave me before it all happened. He told me what to do because He wanted to protect the world’s grumpiest cockatiel!

It has made me reflect on the comment made the Savior. When speaking of captive sparrows he said, “Not one of them is forgotten before God…Fear not, therefore: ye are of more value than many sparrows.” (Luke 12:6-7, also Matt. 10:29-31).

If God would send a moment of inspiration to prevent undue stress to an ornery cockatiel, it is because sending inspiration and giving revelation is what He does! He wants to protect and guide us in all aspects of our lives, even with the smallest of things.

I wonder how many times He does actually inspire us and we don't listen, or we choose to ignore it because it is so small? If we don't respond to His small counsels, why would He want to trust us with the bigger inspirations?

The night Crackers got stuck I chose to ignore His seemingly "small" inspiration and continued working in the dark. It didn't turn out very well.

I have decided there is a lesson in that, too.
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Sarah and Hagar

What happened between Sarah and Hagar? Were they a couple of jealous, fickle, manipulative women who wound up being married to the same man?

No. Abraham wasn't stupid.

Let us remember that they were both righteous women who did whatever the Lord requested. And Abraham was blessed by their presence in his life.

So who was Sarah? The Jews hold up Sarah as a woman worthy of Abraham. The Midrash says she was a blonde beauty and her intelligence, wisdom, compassion and gentle spirit amazed all who knew her. Additional records tell us she was spiritual, devoted to God and her husband, and full of truth—preaching the gospel to the women while Abraham taught the men.

Isaiah, Peter and Paul all hold up Sarah as an example of a righteous, faithful woman. (See Isaiah 51:1-3, Heb. 11:11 and 1 Pter 3:5-6.) Even the Lord tells Abraham to "hearken" unto the voice of his wife when making a difficult decision (Gen. 21:12).

And who was Hagar? Many records tells us that Hagar was not just any slave given to Sarah by the Pharaoh but, rather, his very daughter. Hagar was true royalty--a princess in the eyes of the world. Some accounts state that the Pharaoh gave Sarah his daughter so Hagar could learn the doctrines which Abraham and Sarah knew and taught.

Think about that for a moment. Sarah knew of divine birth. Hagar knew of royal birth.

So, an earthly princess appears on the scene. She goes from palaces to pasturelands...and she does it remarkably well. In fact, the Lord said Hagar helped fulfill "among other things, the promises" (D&C 132:34).

Hagar served as Sarah’s handmaid for ten years before Sarah made the decision to give her to Abraham as a maid-wife. Law stated a covenant wife could do that—she could give her maid to her husband for the purposes of childbearing. So, that is what Sarah did.

Now, we can be sure Sarah had more than one servant. So why did she select Hagar? Because she deeply and truly loved Hagar.

Think about that for a moment. You certainly wouldn't send your enemy into your husband's bed. If asked to make that difficult decision you would send the woman you loved and trusted with all your heart!

Earthly law saw Hagar as a maid-wife. Hagar could not receive a legal inheritance nor stand in equal position with the covenant wife. As a maid-wife, Hagar would always be a maid first, a wife second. Her children would also be of a lower status in the eyes of the law. Yet Hagar--who was still learning the gospel--must have thought the eternal promises made to Abraham would now be hers...shifting from Sarah to Hagar so that she would be the 'covenant' wife.

But eternal families require more than just conceiving and delivering a child and Sarah, Abraham, and the Lord knew that. Hagar had just been legally wed, not eternally sealed to Abraham.

Sometimes the truth hurts. It can feel like someone has dealt "hardly" with us, which is how Hagar felt. But you can never run from the truth, even if you don't like it. It will find you and the Lord did find Hagar in the wilderness.

Despite being new to gospel understanding, Hagar was righteous and worthy enough to receive a visit from an angel—not once, but twice. In the first visit the angel told her to return and submit to Sarah—not Abraham. Why? So she could learn, from another woman, what she needed to know to be a righteous and virtuous wife in the eyes of the Lord--one worthy of receiving promised blessings from the Lord. Then the angel told her of those promises and Hagar knew He held great blessings in store for her, too.

So Hagar did as the Lord requested. She returned and learned how to submit to righteousness. And righteousness always involves loves. Sarah, we know, was a compassionate, righteous and loving woman. So was Hagar. Josephus also tells us that when Ishmael was born Sarah loved him as her own. She raised Ishmael and educated him and, even when Sarah later gave birth to Isaac, her love for Ishmael was “not inferior to that of her own son.”

So why did Sarah cast out Hagar and Ishmael after Isaac was weaned? Was she truly upset because a 13-year-old, that records tell us she loved equally to her own son, was making inappropriate comments?

Please, give the woman more credit that that. Sarah had lived 100 years. She knew the weakness of teenage words.

Many scholars believe that Sarah released Hagar and her son precisely because she loved them. She granted them the only thing she could by law: their freedom. Sarah could not leave Hagar and Ishmael an inheritance—the law forbid it. Hagar, the woman she loved enough to share with her husband, and Ishmael--the son she loved equal to her own son--were slaves. She did not want them to live that way or die that way, so she gave them their freedom.

Jewish accounts tell us that was not the end of their relationship. Abraham and Sarah watched over Ishmael and Hagar, and Hagar remained true to her vows. Later, Jewish records tell us Hagar changed her name to Keturah and this time, as a free woman, became a full and equal wife to Abraham, becoming the mother of a multitude through the only man she ever married. We see the name change as symbolizing her acceptance of the gospel and entrance into the Abrahamic Covenant.

These two women, Hagar and Sarah, were chosen by God to become the mothers of multitudes. They were not perfect--that we know. But we must also know that they were not jealous, controlling, manipulative women. They learned to love and respect the other and do what the Lord asked of them.

They were not rivals. They were sisters.
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Scriptures from the Heart

Walking down the hall at Church yesterday I noticed a brown, leather-bound Book of Mormon lying facedown on a shelf. Immediately I stopped my trek, took a step back to view the face-down book and said out loud, “that looks like my old Book of Mormon.”

By old, I mean really old…the one I took on my mission 27 years ago.

I picked up the book, turned it over and, sure enough, there was my missionary name embossed on the cover: Terri L. Christensen. (See photo in blog.)

Now this isn’t a story about an amazing discovery of a favorite set of scriptures that had been lost for decades miraculously showing up on a shelf in a church building several moves and years later (although I know that has happened to people).

Nope. My missionary scriptures had not been lost and sought for years. In fact, I didn’t even know they were at church. I thought they were safely at home, sitting in my office.

Nonetheless, as I lifted that very special book and saw my name on the cover I felt chills envelope me and tears come to my eyes. Why?

Because the amazing part of the story is this: I knew my scriptures. Walking by that shelf, seeing only the back cover of an old Book of Mormon, I instantly recognized it as the back cover of my Book of Mormon. I knew every mark, every flaw, every scuff and faded rub on that book; and when I saw only the back cover on a shelf (while focused on keeping track of my youngest child), I instantly stopped in recognition. I could not walk by it with out retrieving my scriptures and taking the book home with me, where it belongs.

Even though that old missionary Book of Mormon has been 'released' from daily service for years, and I use a different set of well-worn scriptures, that precious book was still part of my heart and I knew it in a heartbeat.

Brothers and Sisters, do you know your scriptures so well that they call to you from a passing shelf? Can you identify them because they have well-worn pages and you have placed every sign of wear on them, or do you have to check the name on the cover?

If you have to check the name on the cover I suggest you open those sacred books even more until your name and your heart are engraved on the inside and on every one of those pages. Then you will come to understand the sacred union, and joy, I felt yesterday as I lifted my old scriptures from a shelf.

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My Son's Ox

My son purposely rode his ox into the mire today. Then, when he realized his ox was stuck, he got upset and vowed to leave it there.

It wasn’t his fault, he defended, someone else made him ride his ox into the mire. The other person needed to solve the situation and get the ox out of the mud, not him.

But I tell my children all the time--“solve the problem yourself.” Do not expect others to fix life for you.

My husband and I both talked to our son. We told him he had a responsibility to solve the problem. We let him know we knew the situation was hard and his feelings were understandable, yet he needed to put his own personal opinions aside and work to get that ox out of the mire.

As most very upset teenagers do, he didn’t like what we said. He dug his heels deeper into the mud, saying he would not do anything to fix the problem.

But I knew he would. He is a good kid with a heart of gold. He doesn’t like problems in his life and he will do even difficult things to fix problems. He just needed some time to process our counsel.

Sure enough, a few minutes later he came to me and said he would try to fix the problem but he wasn’t happy about it. Nor was he hopeful he could get it fixed in time. You see, there was also a deadline involved.

Nevertheless, he took a deep breath, sucked up his courage, and waded into the mud.

I watched my teenager start the task of digging his ox out of the mire. I knew his time to solve the problem was very limited and he would fail if left alone. I also knew how hard it was for him to even do the task, so I joined him. I got right down in the mud with him and, together, we worked and labored and dug his ox out of the mire.

Then he went, on his own, to face the adult he did not get along with and present him with the unstuck ox.

I was very proud of him. People may say he drove is own ox into the mire—that it was all his fault. But my memories will always be of him digging deep within himself and working extremely hard to resolve a very unpleasant situation.

My son purposely rode his own ox out of the mire today.

He is becoming a very good man.
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You married who??!!!

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How well I remember the phone call my husband received. His sister called to tell him the big news: she was engaged.

She then enthusiastically told him of every quality her future husband possessed. My husband hardly spoke at all.

After the phone call I asked my sweetheart, “So, how is he?”

“Apparently perfect.”

Smiling with knowledge I said, “Ask her if she still thinks he’s perfect 20 years from now.”

We both laughed over that one.

It has been said we should enter marriage with our eyes wide open and after marriage keep them half shut.

All too often the opposite happens. Because of giddy romance we don’t see clearly before marriage and after marriage our eyes fly open wide—in horror! We can’t believe we married that!!

Well, prior to my marriage I vowed I would find the perfect husband. I spent hours of teenage time creating lists of attributes he would have to have for me to love him for eternity. My list varied over time but the first five qualities were always the same: tall, blonde hair, blue eyes, love spaghetti, want to live in Arizona.

So, how did I do?

We live in Montana and I also struck out on the tall, blonde-haired, blue-eyed pseudo Italian part. In fact, I can safely say that spaghetti is far down on his list of favorite meals.

But you know what? He eats it anyway! And there are times, when things are hectic at home, he actually suggests it for dinner--and even helps me make it! How can you not love a man like that? What I originally thought was a ‘weakness’ has endeared him to me more than if he loved spaghetti!

"I will make weak things become strong unto them," promised the Lord. (Ether 12:27)

We don’t need perfect spouses. (In fact, none of us have them.) But marriage isn’t about marrying perfect, it is about becoming perfect.

We must make the choice to keep our eyes wide open after marriage—in appreciation. We can and should see the sacrifices and small gestures of devotion that surround us…both spoken and unspoken. And then we should verbally express gratitude for them.

A friend and college professor said something very wise. “I find that when I remember to praise my students and point out their gifts and make assignments clear, their work improves as they try to meet that standard. Criticism never seems to bring improvement, although it is easier to give and seems so necessary. It also crushes the spirit.”

He is so right. Good feelings escalate and enlarge. Criticism defeats and deflates their spirit…not just in the classroom but in life.

Mostly, though, criticism crushes us.

“He hath given unto you that ye might know good from evil, and he hath given unto you that ye might choose life or death; and ye can do good and be restored unto that which is good, or have that which is good restored unto you; or ye can do evil and have that which is evil restored unto you.” (Helaman 14:31)

When we do something good for our spouses--when we praise them and point out their special gifts--our marriage improves, positive feelings and works escalate, and the Spirit returns.

It’s a promise and eternal principle from God--

“For that which ye do send out shall return unto you again, and be restored.” Alma 41:15
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My book is finally released!

It was a delight to receive my book in the mail. Entitled Tombs of Terror, the book takes place in Peru and is based on fact. It is geared toward young adults, especially young men, but other readers have also enjoyed it.

Here is what the back cover says:

"When Jonathon Bradford reluctantly accompanies his father on a research trip to Peru, all he can think about is going home. In the majestic ancient city of Machu Picchu, Jonathon hears the legend of the Inca people--how an entire civilization vanished in a single night, hiding their gold and sacred mummies in secret caverns carved deep in the Andes Mountains.

But when Jonathon loses his way in the mountain tunnels, he finds himself battling to survive lethal traps, starvation, and his own fear in order to discover the shocking truth behind the legend--a truth that lands him in the custody of Severino, a reckless Peruvian teen obsessed with avenging his father's death and protecting his sister, no matter the cost.

Tombs of Terror is the gripping tale of how Jonathon must prove his bravery and loyalty as he is catapulted into an epic struggle between greed and honor, all while holding the precarious fate of an entire civilization in his hands."

The story is something I would want my own children to read. I have kept it clean but also fast-moving. It whispers at the importance of family while blending fact with fiction. It also introduces the reader to the rich heritage of Peru and brings them into the ancient Inca culture.

If you would like to read the book you can order it from your nearest bookstore. The title is Tombs of Terror, by T. Lynn Adams. And, if some bookstore clerk should ask, the ISBN number is 978-1-59955-326-9.

Oh, for every book you order, the bookstore will also order in extras to sell to other customers.

A trip to Peru

"Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me." Matt. 25:40

I received a fun surprise in my inbox today, a link to Project Pirca: Un Obra de Amor.

This humanitarian project is the brainchild…or should I say the heartchild…of the Elmer family in Texas. The Elmers felt the desire to help others and have been assisting in the remote Peruvian village of Pirca for several years.

Pirca is the oldest known Andean village and has been inhabited since the time of the Incas. The people have very few worldly comforts but they are generous, happy and giving.

I served my mission to Peru from 1983-1984. In 2008 I was blessed to accompany my brother's family and the Elmers to Pirca. The mountain weather was brisk, the air at that altitude was thin, but the experience was unforgettable. How I would love to go back. Peru truly is my second home.

Viewing the beautiful photos on this blog site warmed my heart. How I loved seeing those familiar faces again, and what they are accomplishing together as a village. The people are hard-working and only need a little help to accomplish great things.

If you are interested in helping the Elmers expand their service to the wonderful people of Andean Peru, please contact them through their Web site. It doesn't take much money to donate a pound of flour or a warm blanket.

I hope you enjoy this visit to Pirca. Project Pirca
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Love and laughter are the music of home

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I have often said that the sweetest sound I hear is the sound of my children laughing together and enjoying each other. How grateful I am that we hear that sound often in our home.

However, when they do argue or spit out insulting words at one another, a spirit changes inside of the home and something inside of me grows grey and aches. It is a sorrow I cannot explain but it is a feeling I know Heavenly Father understands, personally.

In Moses 7 Enoch beheld the heavens and the earth. He saw generation upon generation and he beheld Satan and his angels rejoicing at the darkness upon the earth.

Then he was blessed to see righteous “angels descending out of heaven, bearing testimony of the Father and Son; and the Holy Ghost fell upon many, and they were caught up by the powers of heaven into Zion.”

Then, after this marvelous sight Enoch records “that the God of heaven looked upon the residue of the people and he wept.

“And Enoch said unto the Lord: How is it that thou canst weep, seeing thou art holy, and from all eternity to all eternity? And were it possible that man could number the particles of the earth, yea, millions of earths like this, it would not be a beginning to the number of thy creations.”

Then Enoch points out the wonderful things the Lord has done: He is always there for us, He has taken Zion to his own bosom and “naught but peace, justice and truth is the habitation of thy throne…how is it thou canst weep?”

Then God, the ever-loving and involved Father replies, “these thy brethren, they are the workmanship of mine own hands and I gave unto them their knowledge…(and) agency…And unto thy brethren have I said, and also given commandment, that they should love one another and that they should choose me, their Father…but behold, they are without affection, and they hate their own blood.”

He saw His children hating each other, bickering, arguing, not getting along...and worse.

And because they could not get along, He saw someting more--“misery shall be their doom...wherefore should not the heavens weep, seeing these shall suffer?”

He did not want them to suffer because they could not love each other and get along. He felt concern for their future.

Then, when Enoch saw that the Lord’s plan, when he understood the depth of love--and of the sorrow--the Lord felt, and comprehended the sacrifice He and his Only Begotten were willing to make so His children would better understand love, “Enoch knew..and wept, and his heart swelled wide as eternity; and his bowels yearned; and all eternity shook.”

God doesn’t just want us to learn to share the toys. He wants us to learn to share the world and He weeps when we cannot do so simple a thing as love one another. He weeps because He knows if we can't share and love each other here, we won't be able to there.

Why? Because we won't make into Heaven. "that same spirit which doth possess your bodies at the time that ye go out of this life, that same spirit will have power to possess your body in that eternal world." (Alma 34:34)

Heaven is for families who love each other and for people who love all mankind.

How I love to hear the music of good, righteous laughter; of loving families enjoying each other; of strangers loving and helping strangers. It lifts home--and the entire world--a little closer to Heaven.

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A lesson from Cain and Abel

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The story of Cain and Abel is well known; the lesson less so.

Sure, we all know the story—Cain and Abel were brothers who offered sacrifices to the Lord. Cain brought "fruit of the ground” and Abel “brought of the firstlings of his flock.”

“And the Lord had respect unto Abel…but unto Cain he had not respect.”

Later “Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him.” (see Gen. 4:3-8)

The entire story in the Bible is told in 16 verses. That is a lot of condensing.

From the book of Moses we learn a bit more about the story. Adam was commanded to “offer the firstlings of their flocks for an offering unto the Lord” in “similitude of the sacrifice of the Only Begotten of the Father.”

And “Adam and Eve made all things known unto their sons and daughters.”

That means Cain knew the proper sacrifice needed to be of the firstlings of the flocks. He also knew why...the sacrifices were to be a representation of the coming sacrifice of the Savior in the meridian of time.

When Cain brought the ‘fruit of the ground’ instead, it was because he chose to sacrifice on his terms, not the Lords.

Cain knew the commandments and chose not to keep them.

Oh, sure, we can see an easy parallel with Cain's decision in those who know the commandments but choose not to keep them. Or those who know the Lord has told them to keep the Sabbath Day holy and worship Him but they still don’t go to Church. Many such people honestly believe they are spiritually fine because they say they love or have accepted the Lord in their heart.

We can point invisible fingers at them and say they are offering the "fruit of the ground" to the Savior instead of the "firstlings of the flocks." We can say--and often do in our minds--that most of them could offer the Lord more if they wanted to.

Yet they will continue to offer Him the 'fruits' they choose and to live life according to their terms, not the Lords. Why? Because, ultimately, what they decide to lay on the Lord's altar is their choice.

But the lessons in the Bible are for us---not others. That means the lesson from Cain's experience is our lesson; and many of us are a bit Cainish even if we do go to church. We, too, know what He asks of us and yet we offer something different.

Recall that Cain did bring sacrifices to the Lord. He showed up at Church.

So often we show up at Church and make an effort to worship Him---but we do so on our terms. We come only willing to sacrifice what we think He should accept. We turn down callings or assignments because we don’t want to do them. We refuse to give a talk in Sacrament meeting because we don’t want to. We don’t go home or visiting teaching because we don’t want to. We don’t read the scriptures because we don’t want to.

And the list goes on and on.

Like Cain, our sacrifices come from the ground. With private justifications we try make it appear that our fruit offering is fine. We try to make the Gospel fit our lifestyle rather than make our lifestyle fit the Gospel. Like Cain we often think the Lord should accept what we offer Him, as if He is the one in need of our offerings. Then we get upset with the Lordwhen things don’t work out.

Maybe we need to remember that doing things his way caused Cain to be shut out from the Lord's presence. We can’t live a personal lifestyle and expect to share in His spiritual lifestyle. We must try harder to offer the firstlings of our flocks, the first and finest hours of our time, and the best offerings of our souls.
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Cut fingers, bandages and the Atonement

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On Saturday I managed to cut three of my fingers in just a few minutes.

With a large family and a demanding job I like to freeze up to a month's worth of meals so I can grab something already made and throw it in the oven or crockpot. Over the years I’ve learned to make ten or more meals in just a couple of hours.

Saturday I was meal making. Using a sharp knife I found myself slicing some food when the Spirit whispered for me to change the angle on my knife. I ignored it. After all, I’ve been slicing, dicing and julienne-ing food for decades. I am careful and, with this particular stubborn item, I was cutting slowly to avoid injury. I didn’t need to pay attention to the prompting.

As always when I try to debate the Spirit, I lost. The knife hit a soft spot in the food, sliced through it and into two of my fingers in less than the beat of a heart.

Well, I quickly cleaned the cuts, applied bandages, and went back to work.

Not two minutes later I was sealing tinfoil around a completed meal when I sliced another finger on the edge of the tinfoil. I didn’t even know you could get cut by tinfoil! I discovered that it cuts as fast as paper cut but, because the foil is metal, it slices through skin like a razor blade. The very top of one of my fingers was almost entirely cut through.

Well, I cleaned that cut, applied a bigger bandage, and went back to work.

And, for the rest of the time, I kept wondering if something was wrong with me. Was I growing so old and senile that I could no longer handle a knife? Were the three injuries somehow my fault?

So I analyzed the situation.

My first two cuts were the result of my foolish decision to ignore the Spirit. I had been warned. Because I thought I knew better, I got hurt. The cuts inconvenienced me for a few days but, thanks to the miraculous gift of our bodies, are now mostly healed.

The other cut, which caught me completely by surprise, bled for 24 hours. I had to keep changing the gauze bandage and, in retrospect, probably should have had stitches (but those have always sounded like they hurt worse than the original injury). Now, even though the bleeding has stopped, I still have a bandage on that finger as it heals more slowly than the other wounds.

These two incidents caused me to reflect on the wounds we suffer in life that afflict our souls. Some of them are the results of our foolish decisions to ignore what we know or have been told is right. Thankfully, though, because of the Atonement, we can repent and our spirits can heal miraculously--just like our bodies.

Other wounds catch us completely by surprise and have little to do with our personal foolishness. I am thinking of those wounds that are caused by others who choose to ignore or break the Commandments. Some of these wounds may cause our souls to bleed for years. We may even wonder, as I did, if we somehow caused or deserved the wounds. We may think there is something wrong with us.

If I had been a better husband or wife…

If I had been a better mother or father…

If I…

Or we may grow angry and our thoughts may keep those wounds bleeding for years. President Hinckley said “There is no peace in reflecting on the pain of old wounds.” (See “Of You It Is Required to Forgive,” Ensign, June 1991)

President Hinckley clearly understood there is another part of the Atonement. Besides seeking healing through repentance, we can and must find spiritual healing through forgiving others.

And yet the Infinite Atonement does not even stop there!

Not all human sorrow is connected to sin. Some pain and hurts just happen.

Stephen E. Robinson said, “He knows the loneliness of those who don’t fit in or who aren’t handsome or pretty. He knows what it’s like to choose up teams and be the last one chosen. He knows the anguish of parents whose children go wrong. He knows the private hell of the abused child or spouse. He knows all these things personally and intimately because he lived them in the Gethsemane experience.”

How I love the promise in Revelations 21:3-4. Throughout the scriptures the Lord says he shall send a Comforter to the righteous or He shall cause that they receive this blessing or that blessing; but in the end the promise is personal…one on one.

“Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them and be their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain.”

God will personally wipe away our tears. He will stand before us, hold our face lovingly in His hands, and personally heal us of all our hurts.

That is the power of the Infinite Atonement.

That is the true power of His love.

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Polygamy and funny underwear...

This year I was called to teach early morning seminary to the youth in our small branch, our local congregation. Currently I have a grand total of two students: my son and one other. We meet at my house every school morning at 6:30 a.m. to study gospel principles and scriptures for an hour before school.

Fridays are game days. We play games related to the scriptures, try to memorize scriptures and have fun recalling things we have learned during the week. We also have breakfast on Fridays—a favorite bonus.

This morning, after they dished up their breakfast, my son said, “Mom, do you know what I would rather do than play a game this morning? I would rather find out how I should answer people when I get asked about polygamy.”

Apparently yesterday they had both been asked, by several people, about polygamy and “our funny underwear.”

Several, in one day? I thought. Hmmmm....

I smiled and put away the game.

“Find out what they believe first,” I suggested. “Find out if they believe in the Bible and, if they do, try to use the Bible to help them understand our beliefs.”

Many people do not realize we believe the Bible to be the word of God. We honor and use it as a strong, foundational part of our religion.

“If they do believe in the Bible, remind them that great Biblical prophets and other men and women of God were called by the Lord to practice polygamy,” I said.

We discussed a few of these men and women, and what made them so great in the eyes of the Lord. We also talked about how polygamy was not used in the Bible very often and only lived by a few chosen of God, but that He did require it at times to fulfill just and wise purposes. We then talked about some of the blessings we have in our lives because those men and women of God lived the law of polygamy in accordance to God’s will and at the right time.

We then discussed Peter, who was called and ordained by Christ to lead His church after the crucifixion. Peter prophesied to the Saints that in the last days, before the second coming of the Savior, there would be a restoration or restitution of all things (Acts 3:21). For that to be true the restoration or restitution of all things must include God’s divinely instituted law of polygamy, lived by men and women called of God.

They got excited. Suddenly polygamy wasn't a point of contention. It was history. It was prophecy. It was a call from the Lord for just and wise purposes.

Next, using the Bible, I helped them understand how they could also answer their friends comments about the “funny underwear.”

Opening to Genesis 3:21, I suggested they show their friends our garments are given to us in similitude of the coat of skins that our loving Heavenly Father placed on Adam and Eve to protect them from the harsh and difficult things of the world before they left the Garden.

And, since coats of skin can only come from an animal, life had to be sacrificed and blood shed for Adam and Eve to wear them…just as the Savior would have to sacrifice His life and shed His blood to clothe and protect all of us from the trials and temptations of this world. Garments, therefore, remind of us that God stands ever ready to protect and clothe us, even to the shedding of His own blood, from the sins and stains of this world.

They went to school this morning carrying a great spirit of peace with them.

This morning we didn’t get a game played--we accomplished something much more.

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Truths found in Genesis

There are a couple of profound truths found in the very beginning of the Bible. They are put there, right at the start of the word of the Lord, for a very clear intent--yet many people overlook them.

Right there, in the very first chapter, we learn during the physical creation of the world that God also physically created man...in His own image.

Truth: we are in the similitude of God. We are not perfected and glorious as He is but He truly did make us in His own image.

And God wasn’t done.

“…male and female created he them. And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful and multiply and replenish the earth…” And then God reviewed all He had made and proclaimed it good, “behold, it was very good.”

Then we get a little bit more information on the creation of Adam and Eve in chapter two but, once again, God brings the two together. We know this because Adam, beholding Eve, affirmed what he had learned from the Lord. “This is now flesh of my flesh…Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother and shall cleave unto his wife; and they shall be one flesh.”

Then the final verse refers to the couple as man and wife.

Truth: The sacred union between a man and a woman was instituted in the very beginning. Furthermore, that union clearly established them as man and wife. In other words, they were married. (Do you honestly think God would have given them the command to be fruitful and multiply and replenish the earth without having them enter into the sacred covenant of marriage first? I don’t believe God ‘winked’ at co-habitation simply because they were in the Garden. His standards do not change.)

Now, here is another truth that most people miss. They were married by the Lord, united by Him in that union, before death even entered the picture! God ordained their union (and proclaimed it very good) even before they partook of the fruit! From the get-go marriage (which is very good) was created by the Lord to be eternal!

But the book of Genesis isn't done revealing things to us yet. Remember what Adam said about a man leaving his father and his mother and cleaving unto his wife? Are you aware of how that statement is packed with prophecy and doctrine?

Truth: The prophetic statement was that Adam would be leaving the presence of his Heavenly Father in the Garden and cleaving to his wife.

And the doctrine is this--Adam came from a Heavenly Father and a Heavenly Mother! Else wise, how could he have known about the mother part of things? Why would he even have mentioned a mother? How could he have understood the title and role of motherhood if it had never before existed?

I testify that he did know! He knew and understood what God had already taught him about marriage and family! He even knew enough about the Plan of Salvation and the role of motherhood to call his wife Eve, and then prophecy that she would become “the mother of all living.”

So when Adam was faced with the decision of remaining in the Garden of Eden or staying with his wife, he knew what to choose. He knew his role and he knew hers. He would leave his Heavenly home, leave his Heavenly parents, and cleave to his wife.

Then he would learn to make his own family in the image and similitude of God.

Have some Kleenax's ready...

Oh, how I love our country! How I loved our armed forces! I cried all the way through this video. I hope it never disappears from the internet.

That's what we do. We're Americans.

Just make sure you have some Kleenax's ready; and don't be surprised if you want to stand up and applaude our armed forces when it's done.

A Father's Blessing

I watched a father give a blessing to his baby today. It was very touching, in part, because three years ago the father was not a member; and he and his wife could not have children. He is now sealed to his wife in the temple and last month his wife gave birth to a healthy boy. The change I have seen in his life and the life of his family has been amazing and touching.

So today he--a special man in his own right--took that miracle infant in his arms and, as a new member and a new father, gave his precious son a name and a blessing.

In our church we do not baptize infants. We wait until they know the difference between right and wrong and can choose to follow the Savior. Usually young members choose to be baptized by immersion about the age of eight years old. However, when they are infants their full name is officially recorded and they are given a special a blessing in front of the congregation.

As this father, surrounded by family and close friends, held his infant in his arms and gave him a blessing I was also touched by this fact: We are the only church I know of that allows fathers the opportunity--and the eternal priesthood authority--to officiate in key spiritual ordinances during the life of their family members. What a wonderful, bonding blessing for the recipients and the givers. This opportunity and right falls to the fathers.

God does not expect or require paper diplomas, certificates or theological training to do His work. He doesn’t require status, wealth or education. Through the restoration of the priesthood God has given true authority to worthy fathers, worldwide, to bless the lives of their families. Why? Because He wants us, imperfect as we are, to experience a portion of the love for our children that He holds for us. He wants us to feel a small piece of what He feels. All things are in similitude of Him.

Therefore, in our church, fathers holding the priesthood are able to bless their infants. That sacred, special ordinance and bonding moment can belong to them. It is their privilege and their cherished memory forever. These special moments help unite the family forever and for right now.

If their children desire to be baptized unto the remission of sins and a new life following the Savior, again a family member holding the priesthood can take them down into the waters of baptism. How special!

The gift of the Holy Ghost can also be bestowed upon them by a family member. Blessings of comfort, guidance or healing can be given to them, all by those who love them and know them best.

It is the perfect way in an imperfect world. After all, who holds more right to preside over the lives of their family than a loving, righteous father?

Our Father in Heaven knows that perfectly.

The tough questions in life

Ever have a really tough question in life? Ever want to see the Big Picture or maybe know the future...not just the physical future but the more important spiritual future? Have you ever wanted to understand, truly understand, how all things fit together eternally?

Most importantly, does God answer those really tough, really deep questions?

Maybe that's why I loved last week's lesson in Gospel Doctrine.

Moses tells Satan to go away because he has more things he wants to "inquire" of the Lord. Satan, disobedient from the beginning, doesn't leave. Moses really has to work to get him out of his life. (Don't we all?)

Once Satan is finally gone, Moses goes to the Lord and asks Him two really deep questions...questions far beyond what's going to happen tomorrow. After beholding the entire earth and every soul thereon, Moses asks the Lord, "Tell me, I pray thee, why these things are so and by what thou madest them?" (Moses 1:30)

Now here is the part that really jumped out at me...the Lord answers him!!!

Here are two of the deepest, more profound questions regarding the creation of the world and all of mankind--and the Lord clearly answers him! He withholds nothing. No beating around the bush, no cryptic response. Just direct and clear answers to Moses' questions.

How did you make them? "By the word of my power, have I created them, which is mine Only Begotten Son, who is full of grace and truth" (Moses 1:32).

And why did you make them? "to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man"(Moses 1:39).

It struck me: the Lord really, truly stands ready to give us answers to our toughest, deepest questions. He is not a god of secrets or of leaving men in darkness. He is a God of light and intelligence who--as the scriptures proclaim--really wants to share all that He has with us. And that includes sharing His knowledge. All we need to do is be ready and worthy by truly getting Satan out of our lives and then humbly asking Him.

We truly can ask Him anything and He will answer.

The Prodigal Son is about pride...our pride

In recent years the tale of the prodigal son in the New Testament has become one of my favorite stories. I have fallen in love with it because of its layers of depth and meaning. Christ taught in parables for that very reason.

As a child I always thought the prodigal son was a story about the youngest son who wasted his inheritance. Later I discovered that the word prodigal means to waste or throw away; and that is certainly what the young son did with his money.

But the parable never uses the term prodigal. And it especially never identifies the young son the prodigal son. We do that. We hang the label and moral of the story on the youngest son.

Yet, what about the older son? As I’ve grown older I have discovered more deep, relative truths in the older son’s life than the younger son.

In truth, the older son is also a prodigal or wasteful son. In fact, he may be the prodigal son. He wastes something infinitely more precious and eternal than money. He stands ready to waste or throw away his relationship with his family.

Like the older son I have lived a relatively steady life. I have tried to do what is right throughout my life. So how do I feel when I see someone else, who has scoffed at the commandments of God, getting the fatted calves and best robes in life—not to mention all the symbolism that goes with getting a ring on their finger and shoes on their feet?

But the story is deeper than even that. The father is, so clearly, our Heavenly Father. He has welcomed into heaven one of his own children who has made the effort to return home. He does not care where the youngest son was. He cares where he is...and that is right where he should be, back in heaven.

Entrance in to Heaven is by choice…our choice. The young son chose to return and enter home. The elder son chose not to enter but stood outside sulking—nursing a grudge, grumbling over a perceived wrong, wasting time and damaging relationships with his grumblings and grudges, even when no one else was around to hear it.

Finally the father comes to the elder son and ‘intreated him’. He begged and implored the son to join them—to let go of those feelings and enter into the feast.

We never find out what the elder son did.

Maybe that is because the story isn’t about what the younger son did so much as the elder son is going to do. That answer cannot be given, for it is up to us to decide by searching our own personal thoughts and feelings. The story of the prodigal son is our story. We are supposed to write the ending.

So how will our story end? Are we nursing a grudge against someone? If we are, then we have placed ourselves outside of Heaven, unwilling to join the feast. That makes us the wasteful son. Relationships should never be thrown away.

Mouth of Babes

Thanks to a scene from Madagascar II my children were discussing abdominal muscles. They were talking about six-pack abs and eight-pack abs. My youngest son looked at me...a woman approaching 50 who has given birth to six children, and he innocently said, "Mommy has family pack abs."

I laughed out loud! What a great name for it! I can honestly say I am proud to call them family pack abs!

The worth of man

In Sunday Schools worldwide the members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are going to be studying the Old Testament this year. A lot of people find the Old Testament difficult to study. I find it exciting and deep, like visiting with a wise old neighbor and hearing their view on life. It is timeless wisdom and refreshing in its wordage.

I also find it compelling that before we begin our study of the Old Testament we are to spend two weeks reviewing the life of Moses and the Lord’s plan for our salvation.

The Book of Moses, found in the Pearl of Great Price, contains “the words of God, which he spake unto Moses at a time when Moses was caught up into an exceedingly high mountain, and he saw God face to face, and he talked with him and the glory of God was upon Moses; therefore Moses could endure his presence.”

As I studied the lesson for the coming week I, as always, was impressed with the differences between God and Satan. God called Moses “my son” and told Moses he was “in the similitude of mine Only Begotten.”

Satan, on the other hand, degrades Moses and calls him a “son of man.”

Our Heavenly Father wants so much to lift and edify us, to tell us of our worth and potential.

Satan wants to make us feel that we have nothing divine within us, that we are fallen and only have an earthly heritage ahead of us.

God lovingly takes the time to show Moses a vision of “the world and the ends thereof.” After this grand vision “it came to pass that…(Moses) said unto himself: Now, for this cause I know that man is nothing, which thing I never had supposed.”

So here is Moses, saying because of his vision he knows, absolutely knows that man is nothing. Hmmm. Isn’t that what Satan wants man to believe, that he is nothing and has no divine worth? What gives?

Moses had been raised in Pharaoh’s court. The Pharaoh was considered god incarnate. Moses was a prince in Egypt, trained to inherit the throne. Moses had the entire world before him in terms of wealth, power and respect. He commanded palaces and armies yet God came to him and tenderly showed him things from His viewpoint. Moses gets, for the first time, the Big Picture; and it is then he realizes his earthly wealth and power and respect play no significant role in the eternities. He finally, truly, understands that no matter how much worldly glory he could achieve, it does not compare to God’s glory—the glory He has waiting to share with him and with us.

Later, when Satan appears to Moses and tries to twist his new understanding into something degrading by telling Moses he is a son of man, Moses is able to resist Satan by recalling his divine worth.

How important it is to know that we truly are sons and daughters of God, the King of Heaven. We are created in His image and we are of divine worth. Yes, we are imperfect—but that does not change our heritage. That just explains why He sent His son to the world atone for our sins. He wouldn’t make such a great sacrifice for something of little or no value.