Week In Review 5/15/16

Kalel had an opera with his school class this week.  Apparently they came up with the story, wrote the lyrics, painted the backdrop, and acted and sang.  Pretty impressive for 3rd graders!  The story was about building the railroad across the United States.  Kalel played the Indian chief who didn't like trees being cut down.  He even had a couple of very short solo parts.  

The week was busy with a lot of normal, every day things like work, dishes, laundry.  It rained during the first part of the week then cleared up for Friday and Saturday.  Kim and I squeezed in some time to spend together (yeah!)  We spent a couple of nights staying up late playing an electronic game called 100 Pics

We love these kind of quiz games, it was so fun spending time with him doing something we both enjoy!  It kind of reminds me of when we were first married and would play cribbage together.

Saturday we hauled a load of stuff to the recycle center.  Kim said that it was almost like a date!  Whoo Hoo!  Lots of dates this week!  Actually, later that day we decided to go get an ice cream together (another date?), we stopped and picked up my dad and drove to a fast food place.  However it was much to busy so we tried another, the next place said that their ice cream machine was down so we just drove through Wendy's and got a frosty.  We got to spend time together, so date, right?

Saturday night and this morning were Stake Conference.  I loved every one of the talks (even if they did make me do a character analysis that found me lacking!)  I wrote down some notes, thoughts, and impressions from the conference:

Carol Harrison reminded us that whenever we want to improve in something it takes time and hard work - there is NO SHORTCUTS!  She illustrated this by telling a story of her brother learning to play the dojo.

He was able to take a lesson from a renowned dojo teacher who taught him to play a scale and then told him that he needed to play that scale about a million times in order to play the dojo well.

She continued by saying that in order to improve our faith we need to do the following about a million times:

1:  Pray - have real conversations with the Lord

2.  Scripture study.  This is how the Lord can teach us if we seek answers.

3.  Recognize and Responding to the spirit.  Eliminate distractions - how can we hear with all of the noise going on around us?

4.  Pondering, meditating, and fasting

5.  Making and Keeping covenants - both sacramental and temple worship

6.  Making choices - conscious choices and not just letting things happen to us.  

7.  Repentance - add "repent often" to our to do lists

8.  Forgiveness - lift others instead of comparing and tearing down

9.  Serve (and sacrifice) with no thought of reward.

She reminded us not to get discouraged and to look for the hand of God in all things.  Rejoice and trust in the Lord.  He only wants the best for us.

Dennis Tolman talked to us about symbols of faith.  He reminded us about the children of Israel who were wandering in the desert.  The Lord gave them a cloud by day to give them shade and a pillar of fire by night to give them light.  These symbols are represented in the original Ogden and Provo temples.  

Another symbol the children of Israel had was the serpent on the pole.  They had been tormented with fiery serpents.  When bitten many people died.  When Moses presented them the serpent on the pole and instructed them to merely look at it and they would be healed.  Because of the simpleness of the task many people did not look at the symbol and perished.  The serpent on the rod is now the symbol of healing for physicians

As Moses and his people were trying to escape bondage in Egypt, the Lord decreed that all the firstborn sons in the land should die.  He provided a way for the Israelite children to be saved and that was by placing blood from a sacrificial lamb on the door post as a symbol which would signal the destroying angel to pass over those homes.  

Brother Tolman asked if it could be that we are still in need of symbols of faith to be a shield and protection from the world.  Trials have a way of preparing us to dwell with God.  The price we pay to become acquainted with God is more than worth it.  He then reminded us of the members of Martin Handcart Company who endured horrific conditions yet every one of them thanked God for the blessing.

How can we learn, grow, or learn who we are (a Child of God) if everything is always going well?  We need the trial of faith.  We need to struggle, to work, to exercise to do hard things!  If something is given to us we don't appreciate it like we do if we earn it ourselves.  It can't be easy.

We must find the symbols of faith to help us get through those tough times - take the gifts that we are given.  Even though it may be hard, remember WE DO NOT HAVE TO DO IT ALONE!  

Experiment on the word.  It takes practice to exercise faith.  Have even a hope.  

In Alma 32 we learn that faith will grow if we use the 3 ifs:

IF - you give place for it to grow

IF - it be a good seed

IF- you don't cast it out

As it grows you will feel a swelling in the breast, it enlightens the soul.  All of us need to find our symbols of faith to help us in this life.

John Weese continued teaching us of faith.  He said that it is faith that allows us to achieve eternal life.  FAITH DEMANDS ACTION -  are we willing to change our lives to do the will of God?  Faith is a saving principle.  Faith is either growing stronger or getting weaker at any given time.  We must CHOOSE to act with faith.

He suggested that if we are not sure about something, or lacking in faith, we should ACT.  Pray, read scriptures, ask what God wants us to do, and then DO IT!  ACT!  Remember that the spirit is how we learn.  We don't need visual aids, books, we need to be a vehicle so that the spirit can testify through us.

He then talked about obedience.  He suggested that it is best to only make a decision once and then don't let anything sway your decision.  Don't make the decision time and time again.  In the long run, what is more important?  Our desires (or laziness) or the Lord's?  He KNOWS what is best.  Why would we want to be the one planning our lives with our limited vision?  We must believe with enough conviction to act accordingly.

President Wilding told us that the theme for the conference is "ways to increase in faith".  He asked what things in our lives do we each have to save us that are as easy or as simple as looking at the fiery serpent.  Are we missing them because they are too commonplace, too easy?  He said that we need to LOOK!  Along with that he reminded us that we need to remember to be grateful, we are so blessed.  He then told us to "just do the best that you can".

Emily Lindsey proposed that we frequently ask ourselves, "Do my choices bring me closer to God".  She reviewed each of the values in the Young Women's theme and how to apply them in daily living. 

Faith • Divine Nature • Individual Worth • Knowledge • Choice and Accountability • Good Works • Integrity • and Virtue 

Flint Hollingsworth asked us to ponder the question of how can we obtain blessings and learn even though the situation does not meet our expectations.  We should keep an open mind.  He referred several times to the cycle: Desire → action → blessings → desire.  He said that if we desire more faith then we should act on that desire which will bring us more faith which gives us a desire for even more faith. 

He suggested we highlight the word "desire" in Alma 32.

In D&C 137:9 it says:   For I, the Lord, will judge all men according to their works, according to the desire of their hearts.

Desires shape our choices, choices define our actions.  We need to have the faith to align our desires to God's will.  How strong are our desires?

Chris White told of a Harvard study that suggests that it is the door's fault when we leave a room to get or do something only to forget what it was we were going to do or get.  Apparently as you leave one room and go through the doorway your mind files away the things from the room you left leaving a clean slate in preparation for the things you need in the new room.  

He reminded us that the Sabbath Day is a delight and that we should have a worshipful attitude.  Reverence in sacrament meeting, especially during the ordinance of the sacrament, is just as important as reverence in the temple.  Remember the importance of quiet reverence as we prepare for the meeting to start.

He gave us the advice to strive → survive → thrive.  Strive to survive in order to thrive in faith.  Alma 34:32 For behold, this life is the time for men to prepare to meet God.

During his talk I had a random thought that I wanted to remember and to work on:  I love hanging around with positive people who don't complain much, who smile, and who are grateful.  I want to be that kind of person.  

President Wilding spoke to us at the conclusion of the meeting.  He spent the first moments of his talk giving thanks and appreciation to everyone in the stake:  mothers, priesthood members, youth, adults, leaders.  I was thinking that he was just going to express his appreciation and that would be the end of his talk.  I should have known better than that!  He always has something wise and wonderful (albeit sometimes hard to hear) to share with us.  

He also spoke of the children of Israel and how they were sustained for 40 years by manna from heaven.

He reminded us that the manna contained everything that they would need to survive, but that they could only gather enough to last one day.  It did not last if they tried to save or store it.  They needed to gather it each day.  He called it their greatest commodity.

President Wilding likened that to our greatest commodity - time.  We are all given enough time to sustain us for one day.  Like manna we cannot save or store it.  If it is wasted, then it is gone.  How often do each of us use the excuse that we don't have enough time?  He reminded us that God gave us time and we are accountable on how we use it.  (Ouch!  that was a direct hit to me!)  He cautioned us not to waste the time we are given.  Satan uses distractions (even good ones) to get us to waste the valuable time that we have been given.

All it all it was one of the best conferences I remember.  I loved all of the talks.  I felt that they were all directed at me, answers to my prayers.  Honestly, I realized through these talks that I need to take some time and honestly appraise myself and my desires and actions.  I need to develop enough faith to be able to act how the Lord would like me to act.  I need to develop enough faith in the Lord to trust that He wants the best for me, knows much better than I, and that He wants me to succeed.  I need to quit relying on my own merits to accomplish things and to quit using the excuse that I don't have enough inside of me to improve - for He does have enough for me!  

After the meeting Kim was ordained a High Priest in the Melchizedek priesthood.  It was a very special blessing - especially since his brother Dave was able to perform the ordination!  It was absolutely beautiful.  What a special day!

THIS WEEK I AM GRATEFUL FOR:

The opportunity to feel the Holy Ghost testify of truth, to be able to hear leaders give counsel, and to know that God knows and loves each one of us personally.