Alma 5-6

Quote "The Lord works from the inside out. The world works from the outside in. The world would take people out of the slums. Christ takes the slums out of people, and then they take themselves out of the slums. The world would mold men by changing their environment. Christ changes men, who then change their environment. The world would shape human behavior, but Christ can change human nature."

~President Ezra Taft Benson

Question "What would someone see in your countenance?"

Hopefully, I have a Christlike countenance. I do desire more than anything to follow Christ. I am wayyyy far from perfect, and make daily mistakes, but the righteous desire of my heart is to keep the commandments, and do good, and be good.

I couldn't agree with today's quote more. What a profound statement for today's constant struggle with "social justice". I have a hard time swallowing this "extreme equality" for all men, that this government is trying to force down my throat! The sad thing is, if people were free to keep the money they've earned, they would be a lot more generous with giving it to people in need. But since all of us are forced to give more than we can afford to, we can't donate to any extra causes that we might want to. Sad. Just because you move a person from an environment, doesn't mean that person is going to appreciate it, or change because of it. The changing of the person does need to occur first.

I remember, not too long ago, seeing Bill Cosby on some show, and he wasn't trying to "save" everyone in the slums, but he was saying to them "...start taking pride in your residence, and communities. If you have a hole in your wall, patch it up, if you see litter, pick it up...etc". He was basically saying take pride in your community and set an example, rather than contributing to the problem, in hopes that the government will come in and "save" you.

There is only one Savior in this world, and His name is Jesus Christ....it is not the United States Government!

Alma 2-4

Quote "Safety can't be won by tanks and guns and airplanes and atomic bombs. There is only one place of safety and that is in the realm of the Almighty God that he gives to those who keep his commandments and listen to his voice."

~President Harold B. Lee

Question "Why were the Nephites strengthened by the Lord? How can we receive the Lord's help in the challenges we face?"

The Nephites were always strengthened by the Lord, when they humbled themselves and asked for help. It is the same for us...when we humble ourselves, and strive to keep the commandments, we are blessed, and strengthened.

This is an interesting question to me because this is a very scary time that we live in today. We may not have our cities and homes literally under attack....but we are under attack never-the-less. Things in the book of Revelations are happening every day, and everywhere we look. This government is sucking the life out of what made this country....freedom. More scary for me is the challenges that my children will face....what will their futures be like? I have a hard time planning in my mind, missions, and weddings, and college, because I don't know what the state of the world will be in in the next fives years, ten years, and so on...it's rapidly changing.

And in this state of chronic chaos, I find myself at times feeling scared, and worried....and I have to constantly remind myself that fear is the opposite of faith. I know that the Lord will help me, and He will help any of His children that ask for His help. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is the only thing in this world that brings me true comfort....for if my faith was only in this world....I would be in a serious state of depression!

Mosiah 29-Alma 1

I need to start this post by saying that I miss my sister terribly...Stacey Lynn Cope...it was 12 years ago that she died! I love my Tatielyn!

Quote "The Nephite prophets repeatedly identified the wearing of costly clothing with apostasy and failure to live by gospel standards."

~Elder Bruce R. McConkie

Question "What might your way of dressing say about you?"

It would say...."girl, you need a trip to Ross!" :) I agree that wearing expensive clothing just seems like such a wasted luxury. Everyone likes to have nice things, and I am no exception to that, but when I see the people in Hollywood, wearing only "designer" stuff, and their followers, who will buy anything because they saw their favorite celebrity in it, just blows my mind. I would never spend $1,000++ on a dress or a purse, or shoes...that's just craziness! All of that wasted money could clothe a lot of needy people, or feed a lot of needy people.

I don't think that the gospel teaches us to wear rags and give every cent we have....rather...in my opinion....teaches us to look clean, and presentable, and to give what we can, when we can. If our hearts are set upon looking perfect in this world, and having the praise for it....then we better enjoy every second of it....'cause we are not taking it with us!

On a side note, in today's reading I came across this verse...Mosiah 29:27 "And if the time comes that the voice of the people doth choose iniquity, then is the time that the judgments of God will come upon you; yea, then is the time he will visit you with great destruction even as he has hitherto visited this land." I think this has been a long time coming in this country, and the past year has been unbelievable! I feel it is important to speak out for righteousness, even though it is not the "popular opinion".....but I truly feel that there are more Christians that have good hearts in this country than these evil people trying to force their ways upon us....but we are so silent....in voice and in vote....and that needs to change!!!!

Mosiah 26-28

Quote "You always need to confess your sins to the Lord. If they are serious transgressions, such as immorality, they need to be confessed to a bishop or stake president. Please understand that confession is not repentance. It is an essential step, but is not itself adequate. Partial confession by mentioning lesser mistakes will not help you resolve a more serious, undisclosed transgression. Essential to forgiveness is a willingness to fully disclose to the Lord and, where necessary, His priesthood judge all that you have done."

~Elder Richard G. Scott

Question "Why is confession an essential part of repentance?"

Confession is a very important part of repentance because it means that you are humbling yourself to be subject to judgement....that's not easy for anyone. Even if you know what the punishment will be, it is not an easy thing to say "I messed up, and here's what I did, even though I know it was wrong". You can't have a truly repentant attitude, and not be willing to openly admit that you made a mistake, or committed a sin.

The Lord already knows what we think, feel, and do every second of every day....He doesn't need us to tell Him, however, when we humble ourselves, and acknowledge our sins, through prayer, it is an opportunity for us to exercise faith in Him, that He loves us enough to forgive us our sins. Saying that you're sorry always makes you feel better, and so it is with repentance. The whole process of repentance is recognizing how bad you feel for breaking a commandment, and feeling unworthy to receive blessings, acknowledging or confessing that you broke a commandment, then apologizing for breaking that commandment, and trying your best not to do it again, and finally accepting any consequence of that decision. All of these elements are important to the repentance process.

Get on Schedule

If you are up to date with your reading, take time to study Mosiah 14-15.

Question "Abinadi quoted Isaiah to testify of the Savior. What did Isaiah teach about Christ? What can you learn about th eSavior from Abinadi's testimony?"

Mosiah 24-25

Quote "We should seek to be happy and cheerful and not allow Satan to overcome us with discouragement, despair, or depression."

~Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin

Quote "The Lord...loves us..., comforts and strengthens us, and enables us to bear our afflictions with patience and fortitude."

~Elder George Q. Cannon

Question "How can we submit more cheerfully to the will of the Lord?"

Interesting that this question comes on a day when I am not in a particularly good mood...and of course these quotes make me reflect and want to be more cheerful.
So, in answer to the question, it has been my experience that life, in general, is easier when we are cheerful and look for the good. It doesn't matter what hardship we are facing, there is always something good that we can focus on, there is always something we can be grateful for (not saying we have to be grateful for the actual hardship, but other things in our lives at the time of the hardship). I think that every single time we do turn over our burdens to the Lord, he will happily take them IF WE LET HIM. Many people don't really want to completely turn over their burdens, because they feel the need to continue to carry it...but when they are ready, He will take it!
I have seen the Lord make unbearable things bearable. I have seen Him turn something horrible into something good. The scriptures teach us this very thing. In fact, in today's reading assignment, Alma's people were put under horrible burdens by Amulon and it was a hard thing to bear. Yet, they kept a prayer in their hearts all the time, and the Lord made their burdens seem lighter. He helped them to complete their tasks in an easier manner. I sort of liken that today to maybe someone in debt (no of course not me, I would never go into debt...:)). When you have a lot of debt, it seems so burdensome to pay everything on time, and when you don't pay on time, you get letters, and a bazillion phone calls (I've heard...never had one :)) and you feel sooooo trapped, and helpless. Alright, alright, I admit, I've been there. It's depressing. Here's what I've learned. When I talk to my debtors, I try to talk to them cheerfully. I apologize for being late on my payment. I assure them that I have every intention of paying them back. I try my hardest to remember that it is just a person on the other end of the phone being paid something around minimum wage that has a job to do. It can't be a very pleasant job for them, so I try to be nice, which is probably unique for them. I feel happier when I do this. If I can pay half of my bill, I feel grateful that I was able to do that. I feel grateful that my husband works so hard to pay for the things that we need, and that he has allowed me to stay home with my children, which is the greatest desire of my heart. I have much to be thankful for, even in a burdensome time.
So to re-cap, pray, give thanks for all the things that are good, and be willing to allow the Lord to remove the burden from your shoulder. Look for the good, and look for every opportunity to laugh that you can find. If you wait for perfect circumstances to be happy, you won't ever be....it is possible to be happy even during difficult times. And that is my take on today's question. Have a wonderful and cheerful day!

Random Spring Catch-up!

So aside from being wayyyy behind in my Book of Mormon reading assignments, I'm also wayyyy behind in family stuff....so here is the last few months of the Shiflet family...

In April, the boys had their annual Father/Sons Campout, which the boys were soooo excited about!

Jeff had a hard time getting Tyler out of the tent after he set it up...(first camping trip and all)

They enjoyed their lunch...

went for a walk....

Sat around the campfire...

Got to sleep in their sleeping bags (Tyler still talks about his Buzz sleeping bag...so cute!)

The next morning did a little fishin'

What do ya know....beginner's luck!

Whew...camping is hard work!

I had scouts at my house in April and the theme was "Spring Into Action" and I try to find "themed treats" for the boys so I found this recipe...

Bird nest cookies...they didn't taste all that great, but they looked the part I guess....(hey, I told you this was random)

Then at the end of April, my kids had their annual "Spring Sing" end of the year concert. Right next door to the school is a little farm, and they have this baby horse that Katelyn is obsessed with, so on the way to the concert, I let her stop for a minute and say hi...

Katelyn getting lined up, freezin' (it was chilly and windy out there) and she had just gotten over her second round of pneumonia...but she really wanted to go and sing.
Austin's class getting ready, (he's in the blue shirt near the top)...the kids did a great job, I love all the cute little patriotic songs that their music teacher teaches them...

We are also rounding up this season with Desert View Little League...this was Austin's second year, and it was his first year of kid pitch.

Even though his coaches never let him try to be pitcher, he likes to pretend...
This year, he was on the Raptors, which I guess is a minor league team in Ogden...

Batter Up!

May brought a lot of extra activities for us....all of the end of the school year stuff, and some other surprises...

The kids finished their second year of Let's Play Music...here they are with their beautiful teacher Carolee Brown...

Katelyn getting warmed up before the recital...

Austin getting ready...

Katie with her graduation of Yellow Indians certificate (I'm so proud of you Katie!)

Austin using his for a guitar....(I'm proud of you too!)

Austin yawned through a lot of his concert, and wasn't acting like his usual self, the next day I found out why....came home from school with a fever, and then wah-lah

The Pox Baby! Poor Baby got the Chicken Pox....

After finally getting him over that...Katelyn had her end of the year dance recital...and she did wonderful!!!

Her first outfit for swan lake beautifully done...
Katie posing as a lion for her "Lion King" number...so cute...to "I'm gonna be a mighty king..."

Of course her daddy gave her flowers...

Her Mimi and Pops came to see her perform...

and of course Katelyn with her darling dance teacher Sara Jones (who worked so hard and did an outstanding job...inspite of being 7 months preggos)!

So, that has been our lives the past few weeks. I am determined to catch up my reading assignments, and send apologies to anyone that was doing it with me, that I let down. I hope that the summer brings some much needed rest, and lots of non-scheduled fun!

Mosiah 21-23

Quote "Life is full of difficulties, some minor and others of a more serious nature. There seems to be an unending supply of challenges for one and all. Our problem is that we often expect instantaneous solutions to such challenges, forgetting that frequently the heavenly virtue of patience is required."

~President Thomas S. Monson

Question "When is it most difficult for you to be patient? Why is patience important?"

Patience is difficult for just about everyone I know when they are struggling. I am sure that there are several reasons that we do not even know about for the need of having patience. I know that one of the reasons is because if we had instant gratification all the time, we would have no appreciation. The longer we struggle, the more grateful we are for the relief when it is over....just like a city in severe drought for years, is so grateful for every little drop of rain, while, other cities that have sufficient don't even care one way or the other.
Another reason, in my opinion, is because it draws us closer to the Lord to have challenges. We need to rely on Him and His timing, which is difficult because we can't see what He sees, and we don't know what He knows. Patience, gratitude, faith, knowledge, and charity are all intertwined with each other....it seems as though one depends upon the other. The more we have of one of these virtues, the easier it is to obtain the others.
It is definitely most difficult for me to be patient when it comes to children's sufferings (especially my children). I hate to see children have to go through unjust and terrible things. I have to constantly remind myself that their trials are necessary for their growth of faith and character for them. I truly believe in my heart that Heavenly Father does not allow "unnecessary suffering" on this Earth. I don't think He causes it, we do have free agency, but all of the suffering we endure teaches us, strengthens us, and will eternally help us.

Mosiah 18-20

Quote "We show by our behavior what we believe. Surely we are standing as witnesses of God when we sustain his living prophets, especially when we know what it means to sustain. We will abide by the direction and counsel of the prophets. We indeed become witnesses when we make this solemn covenant."

~Sister Janette Hales Beckham

Question "What commitments are part of our baptismal covenant? In what ways do you try to keep those commitments?"

The commitments that we make during our baptism include keeping the commandments, and serving the Lord with all our hearts, might, mind and strength. We are promising to stand as a witness of Him at all times, and in all things, and in all places. We are promising to bear one another's burdens, to comfort those that stand in need of comfort, and to mourn with those that mourn.
We should all be striving to follow Jesus Christs' example on this earth...and he did all of those things, and so much more. It is impossible for us to be perfect as He was, but we can look to see how He lived His life, and look at the commandments He has given us to live by, and strive to be better each day than we did the day before.

Mosiah 15-17

Quote "You don't need to compromise your standards to be accepted by good friends. The more obedient you are...the more the Lord can help you overcome temptation. You can also help others because they will feel your strength. Let them know about your standards by consistently living them...No one intends to make serious mistakes. They come when you compromise your standards to be more accepted by others. You be the strong one. you be the leader. Choose good friends and resist peer pressure together."

~Elder Richard G. Scott

Question "Why did King Noah not resist the pressure from the evil priests? What helps you to resist peer pressure?"

I'm glad to have this idea reinforced to me, because I have found myself struggling with my kids following the ways of their friends, even if it conflicts with the teachings of the gospel. I have had many conversations with my kids lately about setting the example instead of following other kids examples.
I believe King Noah loved his lifestyle too much to give it up. He did not want to humble himself to even consider that he was doing wrong. We see this in today's society, where people with wealth look at poorer people and judge them, and say "who are you to tell me anything?". There was one point where King Noah was fearful of Abinidi, and was about to release him, but his priests convinced him to stay the course of death. His priests did not want to give up their lifestyles, and they certainly did not want this random guy to come in and make them look bad as priests....that he would know more than they did....not good for the priests.
I think everyone in life is subject to peer pressure....some positive, some negative. We all give in at times, at least to some small degree. There are certain things that I never struggled with because I had made up my mind at an early age that I wasn't going to do them. An example of that for me was drinking. I went to a lot of parties where people drank, and I never wanted to and I never did, despite the attempts made to get me to do so. There are other things that I did fall under the pressure, for example, for me, on thing was cussing. I had a horrible mouth when I was younger. I still have a hard time not using any bad language ever, and I catch myself all the time. My kids have heard me use bad language, and I've heard them say those words...and I've told them that I'm sorry for setting that example, and that the best reason not to use those words, is because it is very hard to stop. It's much easier if you just don't do it to begin with, and I think that is true of all bad things. The best way to resist peer pressure, in my opinion, is just to make up your mind TODAY that you are not going to do A, B, C, D..etc... regardless of who is or what people think of you. You need to know for yourself why you don't want to do it.

Mosiah 12-14

Quote "When I was a little boy...I came home from school one day, threw my books on the table, and took the name of the Lord in vain in expressing my relief that school was out for the day. My mother heard me. She was shocked. She took me by the hand and led me to the bathroom...then proceeded to wash my mouth out with that terrible soap...and then said, 'Don't let me ever hear such words from your lips again.' The taste was terrible. The reprimand was worse. I have never forgotten it, and I hope that I have never used the Lord's name in vain since that time."

~President Gordon B. Hinckley

Question "How can we keep the Lord's name sacred?"

What an appropriate question considering the day and age in which we live. I can't believe how common place it is for people to take the Lord's name in vain. I hear it everyday, whether it be on tv, the radio, in the store, emails and texts (OMG....even Mormons use this and in their minds its meaning is Oh my gosh....but isn't that like ordering non-alcoholic beer?) My children hear it regularly, and have also said it themselves a time or two. It is very offensive to me. I cringe when I hear it. Especially when I hear it said in front of my children. They are so impressionable, and to hear it every day makes them more likely to be de-sensitized to it. In all honesty, I would rather my kids say a cuss word than take the Lord's name in vain. I have tried to set an example for them, and I try to talk about it with them on a regular basis...I don't know how to completely obliterate it from their lives, because it is everywhere, everyday. Kids they go to school with say those things all the time because their parents say it, and it is no big deal to them.

I actually find it ironic that so many people will take offense to someone making a comment about their "mamma", and yet they don't think twice about someone using their "creator's" name in a similar manner. Sad, really.