Finding Balance: What is Real?

Years ago there was an LDS video called What is Real?  It was about a father worrying about his newborn daughter and what she was going to face in her life and how he was going to protect her.

When this video was made, which was state of the art at that time, (early 1990's), the focus was on bad friends, drugs,and  alcohol. I don't mean to minimize how serious these concerns are.  They are still on the short list.  BUT technology and how fast and accessible and addictive it is, is What is Real  right now.

I am so inspired by the Ensign magazine.  I  L.O.V.E it!  While I was waiting in the orthodontist office I read this article in the February 2012 issue:

Keeping Safe and Balanced in a Google-You tube-Twitter-Facebook-iEverthing World

How applicable and needed is this article!!  At least that is what I was thinking the whole time I was reading it.

As far as parents go, I am about as normal as normal gets.  My kids spend way too much time on facebook in my opinion.  They are also really into You tube videos that I have mixed feelings about.  Some are really funny I admit, and others super inspirational.  It has its mix,  but my husband and I are worried about all the other garbage on there that usually pops up on the side-bars.

Maybe you can relate to some of that.

I am concerned how much time by girls spend on facebook. Maybe it is more of a girl thing as we as females are naturally have more social needs. We don't have issues with our Wii at all.  It is there, and we like it, but they never think of playing it unless friends come over.  Moms of boys seems to have more problems with video games and regulating that.  I don't know if that is a true stereo-type or not.  Just an observation. 

We have tried many different rules and regulations to keep face-book under control. I noticed it was taking that WAY too long to do homework because they would flip to facebook every few minutes. Ya, see my issues?

 We only have one computer in the house which is in our kitchen area, so whenever they are on, we are aware of it.  That helps. 

My main concern, and this if for myself too...is although there is good in facebook and most technology, it is going extremely fast, and I am worried if I can keep my children spiritually grounded, tuned in, and safe.

Here is what we have tried:

• giving them a day that they can be on facebook
• setting a timer
• putting little sticky notes on the computer "Computer is off limits today"
• Yelling: "Get off the computer...now!" 
• Teaching them correct principles of WHY
• etc...

If I had to pick the post effective ones, I would say setting the timer and teaching them principles has been the least contentious and most effective.

I am always up for inspiration and revelation on this subject.  I know my example is very important, so I have to watch myself too.  I do so much on the computer from preparing for young women lessons (huge), e-mail, face-book, and just basic research on products I buy, some shopping, photo editing, and blogging ; ), etc.  Your list is probably very similar.  It is kind of taking over my life! 

The more time we spend in front of a computer screen, the more desensitized we feel to the real world going on  behind our backs.  Face-book is extremely addicting if we constantly check it.

It is a place where we feed that side of us the yearns to be noticed, appreciated, and validated.  We all love and need to be noticed...and face-book is great for that.  See the addiction?  It is not bad, we just have to make sure we are grounded in the real world more than we are in the virtual world.

How do we find the balance on what is real?  How do we stay safe, grounded, and stay tuned in to our Heavenly Father?
Elder Bednar gave a must read talk at a CES fireside called Things as They Really Are

Here is a short You Tube Video that goes along with this talk

 2 questions to ask ourselves in the use of the various technologies-

1. Does it invite or impede the Holy Ghost?
2. Does it impede or restrict your capacity to live, love, and to serve

Staying connected to our Heavenly Father and our Family--that is what is real!

Teaching our Children to be Reverent

A must read talk from Elder Dallin H. Oaks: {Sacrament Meeting and the Sacrament}

Teaching our children to be reverent at church is one of the most important lessons we can teach.
Our example is paramount.

What is reverence?  Reverence is about respect and is a form of worship.  Elder Hales has taught, "Reverence invites revelation." We know it is important.  We were taught to fold our arms and be quiet at church since we were born. 

We go to extremes to keep our children quiet during Sacrament Meeting.  We make quiet books, bring Cheerios, their favorite small quiet toy, colors, papers, gum, fruit snacks, and anything we can scrounge up in our bags that might be entertaining,  etc.  Of coarse this didn't exist when we were starting out, but i-pads.  What ever it takes that is quiet we let them do.  Just get through sacrament meeting as reverently as possible. 

Of coarse there are the un-planned noises or out bursts that always seem to happen during the most quiet noticeable times of the meeting.  My newborns would always loudly fill their diaper during the sacrament which would always bring snickers from those sitting around us.  I remember as a small child screaming as my mom took me out, "Don't spank me mommy!"

If we can teach them the principles of reverence to our children when they are young, we are saving ourselves a lot of work in the future.  It feels like and IS a lot of work at first when they are young, but once they are taught and know about being reverent we are essentially opening up their minds and hearts to feel and hear the Spirit through out their lives.  This is one of the greatest gifts we can give them. 

 The 1st Principle of Reverence:  WHY?

When we are at church we are in Heavenly Father's literal house. We should dress, act, and speak reverently.  As a child my favorite song was The Chapel Doors [seem to say to me shhhhhh  be still, for this is a reverent place to be....shhhhhhhhh be still] I loved that song as it taught me the importance of reverence.   As a little girl of 6 or 7 going to church in my tights that had a hole in the knee, I remember my mother telling me we are in Heavenly Father's house and we should wear our best clothes.Although I wasn't capable of buying my own clothes at that age, my mother taught me that the clothes we wear to church matter.  They should be our very best.  My mother instilled within me strong feelings of special-ness and respect for Heavenly Father's house.

The Sacrament is the most important part of our Sacrament meeting.  It is WHY we meet. To renew our covenants we made at baptism and to make new ones.  We can teach this to our children when they are very young. Before they are baptized and are old enough to make covenants, they are taught.  And reverence is a big part of that worship.

The 2nd Principle of Reverence: HOW?

Years ago on  a particularly bad week at church, I had 2 rambunctious toddlers, and two new-born twins.  I am sure we were the circus show of church.  An elderly lady came up to us after church and said, "I think your quiver is full"  Ya, I was feeling that same thought too... right about then.  I was determined to not only survive that period of my life, but to become the champion of it. 

The thought of not coming to church, or coming late, or leaving early...was never an option.  We went to church every week, second row, on time,  and we came equipped with plans to accomplish the impossible: have reverent children at church.  This is what WE did:

• We prepared for Sunday on Saturday, so Sunday morning was not chaotic (or was less so : )
• We taught reverence at home in Family Home Evening a lot.  I made a picture of eyes, ears, mouth, hands, feet, etc. and we taught them how to each part of our body can be reverent.
• I practiced church at home sometimes where we would set the timer and sit on the couch together like we were in church.  They learned how to be reverent at home first.
• When they were noisy at church, they got taken out by their dad.  This wasn't a run and play in the church foyer time.  Their dad made it an uncomfortable for them. He would find an empty class room and set them in a hard metal chair with their arms folded for a designated period of time.  They learned that church was a better place to be than out with dad.
• If it was a "bad" week of reverence in church, they got to practice being reverent AFTER church on the couch at home.  Little by little, they learned how to be reverent and that Mom and Dad meant business!
• I had my Sacrament Meeting survival bag of books [touchy-feely, texture books are great, or cloth or felt books], treats [make sure the wrappers are not noisy-or put them in a Ziploc bag before church], and tricks to make it through each week when they were very small.  If they were extra noisy with a certain toy, that toy didn't come back the next week.   There were many times  I felt I deserved a T-shirt that said, "I survived church this week"
• We taught them they had to wait to get drinks or go to the bathroom.  We weren't making a million trips to the bathroom or drinking fountain during the meeting. Going in and out, up and down, back and forth is not reverent for you or those sitting around you. [ Sometimes you cannot help it with young babies and toddlers.  You get points for showing up! ]  When they are really bored, by girls like to "fake" thirst or bathroom needs.  Now they have to wait until after the meeting,  unless it is a real need or emergency. 
• As the children grow, so do the expectations.  Make sure they are age appropriate. 

 This might sound a little rough, but we only had to teach it this strongly at the beginning.  They learned what the expectations were and learned to be reverent in church.  We are not perfect by a long shot,  but we are always striving to teach these principles to our children. 

We know that teaching our children reverence is one of the most important principles they can be taught.

The Family is Ordained of God

"I believe in the family where there is a husband who regards his companion as his greatest asset and treats her accordingly; 

Where there is a wife who looks upon her husband as her anchor and strength...

The cultivation of such a home requires effort and energy, forgiveness and patience, love, and endurance and sacrifice; but it is worth all of these and more."- Gordon B. Hinckley

This quote was found on the back of an Ensign magazine.  I don't know the date.  I framed it and it has hung in my bedroom for years.  I love this and aspire to have that kind of marriage and family.

It is much like the marriage and family values described in The  Family: A Proclamation to the World:

"The family is ordained of God. Marriage between man and woman is essential to His eternal plan. Children are entitled to birth within the bonds of matrimony, and to be reared by a father and a mother who honor marital vows with complete fidelity. Happiness in family life is most likely to be achieved when founded upon the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ. Successful marriages and families are established and maintained on principles of faith, prayer, repentance, forgiveness, respect, love, compassion, work, and wholesome recreational activities. By divine design, fathers are to preside over their families in love and righteousness and are responsible to provide the necessities of life and protection for their families. Mothers are primarily responsible for the nurture of their children. In these sacred responsibilities, fathers and mothers are obligated to help one another as equal partners. Disability, death, or other circumstances may necessitate individual adaptation. Extended families should lend support when needed" (The Family: A Proclamation to the World)

Here is the talk President Hinckley gave when he announced The Family: A Proclamation to the World: {Stand Strong Against the Wiles of the World}

Becoming Like the Brother of Jared

I am still thinking about  the Brother of Jared.

{This goes along with my earlier post:What I have Learned from the Brother of Jared}

I am reading the book of Ether very carefully and pretty slow so I can capture all the good stuff. This scripture has been with me for a few days as I have been mulling it over in my mind on HOW I can personally become like this:

Ether 4:7 "And in that day that they shall exercise ^afaith in me, saith the Lord, even as the brother of Jared did, that they may become ^bsanctified in me, then will I ^cmanifest unto them the things which the brother of Jared saw, even to the unfolding unto them all my ^drevelations, saith Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the ^eFather of the heavens and of the earth, and all things that in them are."
Can I become like the Brother of Jared was? Can I  ever have enough faith like that? 

The answer is yes.  I can.  And you can. We all can. But like the Brother of Jared, we have to pay the price of exercising our faith and obedience like He did.

I know I have had moments in my life when I have been in the mode of exercising pure faith in God.  I have felt the Lord beginning to "unfold" personal revelation to me. Those are extremely touching spiritual moments. At those times, I have tried to remember to grab a pen and write those thoughts, feelings, and impressions from the Spirit down as I have learned they can be very fleeting.

So because of these moments of exercising pure faith, I know it is possible.

The Lord then refers to being sanctified. I am not really sure if I fully understand what that means: to be sanctified.  The dictionary defines it as being holy or sacred.

Sanctified= holy or sacred

 So...{I am thinking out loud here}  sanctification comes as a result of our exercising faith.  THEN when we have become sanctified we are on our way to "paying the price" and becoming full of faith possibly like even the Brother of Jared.   Very cool!  I have such a LONG way to go!!

Here is what Elder David Bednar said in his book Increase in Learning;

"The things of God are of deep import; and time, and experience, and careful and ponderous and solemn thoughts can only find them out." (Teachings, Joseph
Smith, 267)

"Every man and woman should seek the Lord for wisdom, that they might get knowledge from Him who is the fountain of knowledge.." (Teachings, Joseph Smith, 266)

"Each of us can be blessed abundantly as we come to understand our individual responsibility to learn as well as what we should learn, how we can learn, and ultimately what we are to become." (page 8)

"Put forth your ability to learn as fast as you can, and gather all the strength of mind and principle of faith you possibly can" (Teachings, Brigham Young, 194) 

source

I love this picture.  The artist did a beautiful job of capturing the faith in his face.

 WE can become like the Brother of Jared

What I have learned from the Brother of Jared

I love the story of the Brother of Jared from the Book of Mormon

It gives us a glimpse into the lives of people who seem very real (they could be you and me) who lived at the time of one the most pivotal events in the world

The Tower of Babel

Sometimes I wish I could have been a fly on the wall back then just to be able to observe that whole scene unfold.

 I have always had one question:  Did they REALLY, seriously believe they could build a tower high enough to reach heaven?  Really? 

Well, I guess they did because they were doing it!

Which is where the brother of Jared comes in.  Well, actually he comes in when the Lord is confounding the languages and scattering the people.  This had to be a time of great chaos and panic.

Ether 1: 34  talks about some of the spiritual and physical features of the Brother of Jared:

·         He was large and mighty ( I would guess mighty both physically and spiritually)

·         The Lord LOVED him

·         He had an immense faith bordering on sure knowledge of Jesus Christ  from the beginning

·         He was a great spiritual leader among his family members as well as his friends

Then it seems to me that the Brother of Jared asks the Lord kind of the long shot question of the day by request of Jared, his brother: 

1.       “Cry unto the Lord, that he will not confound us that we may not understand  our words”

            And the Lord compassionately complied.  Then Jared asks his brother to pray a little more:

2.       “Cry again unto the Lord that He will turn his anger away from them who are our friends”

And the Lord compassionately complied. Then Jared had one more big question for the Lord.

3.       “Cry unto the Lord whether He will drive us out of the land, and if he does, where shall we go??”

       And the Lord compassionately complied, again. 

The Lord must have been just waiting for that question because HE HAD A PLAN FOR THEIR LIVES, but He was waiting for them to ask.

 Ether 1:43 “And this I will do because this long time ye have cried unto me”)

Then after a serious of miracles, they are driven, guided, and led by the hand of God to the promised land. It wasn’t just a better, safer land…it was the promised land-their promised land.

Ether 12:43  "And there will I bless thee and thy seed, and raise up unto me of thy seed, and of the seed of thy brother, and they who shall go with thee, a great nation. And ^athere shall be none ^bgreater than the nation which I will raise up unto me of thy seed, upon all the face of the earth.

And thus I will do unto thee because this long time ye have cried unto me."

You can, of coarse,  read the book of {Ether }to get that full account

___________________________________________________________

I think about this story and how the Lord so compassionately complied.  How He delivered them and saved this group of people.  Literally.  It was a physical and a spiritual rescue, like it can be so many times with us.

There are so many times the Lord has delivered and saved me personally.  It has been going on from my childhood and is still on-going.   I remember a time when I was 9 and fell through an icy lake and almost drowned.  Just when I thought I might not survive, I was able to pull myself out and walk home.  He has saved me. And has been doing it my whole life.

His rescue is has been on-going in my marriage and family I am raising now.  I have been amazed over and over again how the Lord loves us and continually guides and leads us to our kind of promised land.  Blessings that are especially perfect and catered to us.

Like the Brother of Jared and his family and friends, I have seen how the Lord does His best and greatest work in impossible situations.  Nothing is impossible to Him, only to us. 

I have also learned that the LORD HAS A PLAN for our lives…and a promised land for each of us.  If we trust in Him, and let Him lead us…He will write a better story for our lives than we would ever come up with on our own.

A Powerful People

"God wants a powerful people"

Sheri Dew, God Wants a Powerful People

 He needs "mothers who know" and he needs exemplary fathers, and sons and daughters who are being raised up "to know".

 He needs husbands and wives who have not just "been to the temple"...but who "go to the temple".

 He needs pure, righteous, obedient people, who both qualify for and have access to the gift and power of the Holy Ghost and the priesthood. 

He needs a people who don't just own scriptures, and carry them to church in designer scripture totes, but a people who READ them, study them and live by them. 
In other words, He needs a people who know, that they know, that they know
{ see this talk:Knowing that We Know}

We can be that people. And the temple has a lot to do with it. Here is a great scripture in Doctrine and Covenants 109: 22 which is part of the Kirtland Temple Dedication, but applies so much to us today.

 22 And we ask thee, Holy Father, that thy servants may go forth from this house armed with thy power, and that thy name may be upon them, and thy glory be round about them, and thine angels have charge over them;

Those who go to the temple, come away surrounded, armed, and protected!  Who wouldn't want an angel to have charge over them?! 

Through the temple we can become the powerful people God wants us to be.

The List

I realized today that I no longer have to remind my two youngest, Ashley and Jamee to make their bed

because they have their "list"

yes that does say "get brest" hopefully you can see the correction in orange pen to "drest"

They don't need me to remind them anymore, they just check their "list" to see what they have to do next.  Then they give themselves a sticker! 

My work is essentially done.

It is a great plan until they lose "the list"  which could very well happen after school today. 

Until then, I am going to enjoy this.

We Can Clearly See Between Right and Wrong

To end our year of The 13th Article of Faith we chose a black and white  theme to go perfectly with the theme:

We Can Clearly See Between Right and Wrong

We called one of our YW advisors to be a  program specialist, helping us out with planning New Beginnings and YW in Excellence.  She is an amazing decorator, as you can tell!

  

Food

• zebra cakes
• white chocolate dipped oreos
• chocolate cupcakes with white frosting
• white/ black gum balls {they were left-over from a wedding}

Dress-code

• Sunday best for everyone. Leaders in all black and white to emphasize the theme

This was our table{before anyone showed up} for the YW to display what they had accompished over the year in Personal Progress

Handouts

• Sunglasses

Our program outline

Skit: Shades of Grey- performed by the young women --this was originally a camp skit from the Jenny Phillips website  ( if you are interested in the skit, please email me and I can share the file with you) We thought it would be cute for an opening in our New Beginnings.


It is hard to clearly see between right and wrong sometimes.  In Isaiah 5:20 it says:

20 ¶Woe unto them that call ^aevil ^bgood, and good evil; that put ^cdarkness for ^dlight, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!

I love this skit and how it demonstrates what is going on in our world today.  It talked about things that are white, those that are black, and those areas that are grey.

Sometimes that is called "the gray area"  [Define what is the grey area]  It is that area where nothing is completely wrong and nothing is completely right.  [Refer to Lehi's Dream and the mists of darkness]  Satan wants us to believe that many of our commandments and gospel standards are grey area---and we can each choose how we want to follow and how we want to obey those. 

How blessed we are to have the gospel, righteous parents, good friends, prayer, the Holy Ghost, scriptures, personal revelation, and living apostles and prophets to lead the way.

With the Lord there are no grey areas.  We are for Him, or we are not.  He asks us to serve him with all our hearts, might and minds.

"Anything that does not draw us closer to God takes us away from Him.  We have no middle ground, no foggy gray area where we can sin a little without suffering spiritual decline." [Joseph B. Wirthlin, "Spiritual Bonfires of Testimony"  Ensign 1992, 34]

The 13th Article of Faith makes it clear what we believe and is a reminder that the Lord's standards are clear and that there is no gray area to Him.

13 ^aWe believe in being ^bhonest, true, ^cchaste, ^dbenevolent, virtuous, and in doing ^egood to all men; indeed, we may say that we follow the admonition of Paul—We believe all things, we ^fhope all things, we have endured many things, and hope to be able to ^gendure all things. If there is anything ^hvirtuous, ⁱlovely, or of good report or praiseworthy, we seek after these things.

Seek means to search or discover and is an active word.  We do not sit and wait for some-thin good to happen.  We are actively choosing the right.

I love this quote:

"Place me behind prison walls-walls of stone ever so thick, reaching ever so far into the ground--there is a possibility that in some way or another I may be able to escape, but stand me on the floor and draw a chalk line around me and have me give my word of honor never to cross it.  Can I get out of that circle. No, never! I'd die first" [Karl G. Maeser]

What are our convictions like?

In our Personal Progress book under the value of Choice and Accountability we are reminded of the scripture, Joshua 24:15

"Choose you this day whom ye will serve, but as for me and my house we will serve the Lord."

Making choices is part of our Heavenly Father's plan for us.  Agency or the ability to make our own choices is one of God's greatest gifts to His children.  HOW we use our agency will determine the outcome of our lives.  With each choice is a consequence that cannot be separated from it.

Value Experience #1 teaches that a daughter of God can make wise decisions and solve problems.  It points the YW to establishing a pattern of regular scripture study and prayer to aid them in receiving the help they need to make personal decisions.

See {Gospel Outcomes}

The Holy Ghost will help each YW to make correct choices as she strives for and lives worthy of it constant companionship.

Close with the young women singing We Believe  by Jenny Phillips

Thanks to Jennyphillips.com for all of her inspiration and ideas. The Black and White theme idea came from her.

Young Women Sacrament Meeting Program

Just wanted to pass along something great...


This is something we have done in our Young Womens that has had a powerful effect on our young women and our whole ward. 

It is similar to a Primary program where you have music with speaking in between. Having done both  Primary Programs and Young Women programs.  I have found the YW programs to be much easier to put together. Because the YW are older, everything is easier.  You basically have to learn the songs which we practiced each Sunday starting in the fall with the program in the Spring.

Should we do a YW Program?

*I would say yes!  It will be worth it and the YW will remember the songs and the spirit they felt participating for a long time afterward.

* The Young Women can pass of a project in various areas

*Young Women who play musical instruments such as the piano, flute, violin, harp, or voice can share their talents.  (check the church handbook for musical instruments in Sacrament meeting)

* It is a great way to focus on the Mutual theme for the year

*There is nothing more angelic than hearing YW sing

*You can incorporate The Living Christ and/or The Family and Proclamation to the World into your program.  The YW can work on memorizing it through the year, then stand and quote it for part of the program (very powerful).  This accomplishes a lot of purposes of the YW program in bringing the YW to Christ.

*As the YW learn the songs, the words are internalized and touch them in a way that nothing else can

*Your entire ward will be touched by the spirit as you share your testimonies with them

* It is a great way to involve EVERYONE


Where do you find a script and songs?

For the script-we base our programs off of the mutual theme each year.  We also use quotes and ideas from the General YW Conference each year.  This is extremely valuable as you hear the talks from our General Yw leaders based on the year's  theme.  We use conference talks, personal testimonies, The  Living Christ, The Family Proclamation,  YW theme, etc. We  have also used  Jenny Phillips.com where she has some excellent ideas for various YW programs. Each year it has been a powerful experience for our YW program and our whole ward.

For the songs-we use several of Jenny Phillips songs, Hymns, old YW songs, and primary songs...just depending on the song and what the program needs. We are very careful to keep the songs in reverence of the chapel and the meeting. 

How do you get the YW to participate?

Generally, how you introduce and approach it as a leader will reflect their attitude.  This is something GREAT, and most youth want to be a part of something great.

 The first year we did a sacrament meeting program the young women were good sports and went along with our idea of a program.  It was AFTER the program was over, they KNEW they had just participated in something great that touched many lives.  Now each year, they look forward to it and are anxious to be apart of it again.

We also let them choose what they wanted to participate in.  We sent around sign-up sheets for speaking parts, playing the piano, or being a part of a special song group. 


For a program script example from 2011 We Believe {go here}:

Toilet Paper Roll Pillow Boxes

I found the idea and pictures@  thepaperartstudio.com, Her Beautiful Mess, InkaBlinka.com

This is a craft using none other than TOILET PAPER ROLLS.
I am not kidding.  They are so cute and so....affordable.  Start saving your rolls!!

InkaBlinka.com

InkaBlinka.com

You can use scrap-book paper to dress it up or leave it with-out

 thepaperartstudio.com

 thepaperartstudio.com

Although these look a little wider than toilet paper rolls....

 thepaperartstudio.com

the idea is still there of what you can do to make it look cute

I am thinking....this might be a cute something for my Laurels for Christmas.  I am not sure what to put in it...maybe some candy, or a picture, or a quote...etc.

Here is my attempt at it:

To make these all you need is:

toilet paper roll
paper cut to 10 1/2 X 14 cm
any accessories

Family Scripture Study & Following the Prophet

Our family scripture study this past year has been PATHETIC

My only consolation is that I knew that our teenager group was reading on their own every night-because of Seminary (ya for Seminary!)

When our children were younger (non teenager-ish), family scripture study went pretty well.  We let everyone know what time it would be, and they obediently came and participated. 

 We started family scripture reading when our oldest, Amber, who is now 20, was just barely learning to read. She would read the easy words like: was, if, and it came to pass, etc.  We would help her say the bigger words like: nevertheless, stiffneckedness, and exceedingly. Reading scriptures was kind of a reading practice time.  For even the younger ones, we would tell them what to say and they would repeat us.

We then progressed to the point that everyone could read a little bit on their own without help...and we would try to explain what was going on in those verses.  Richard had to leave for work by 6:30, so we had family scripture study at 6:15 AM. 

 We decided that we needed to get everyone their very own Book of Mormon that was just for family scripture time. 

 

 We went and bought one Book of Mormon for everyone in our family. They were $3 a piece.

We then found a basket (the top picture) that fit them all in nicely and that became kind of our "thing" for family scripture study.

And as a family we were blessed for following the prophet...

________________________________

WELL....lately our family scripture hasn't been so shiny and so good.

My husband teaches early morning seminary and has to leave the house at 6:00 AM every morning.

Our older girls have part-time jobs, and are involved with high school sports where they are getting home very late some nights.  We have 2 college daughters living at home who work and have busy lives and  ask "do I still have to get up for family scriptures?"

We really struggled with our schedule and fitting family scriptures in.  A lot of the time it was me reading with the kids after Dad was already gone.  That was better than nothing...but not much better.

Even at that it was very hit and miss...and without the priesthood, our Dad, there...it really didn't feel the same.

We tried reading at night...I think we did it one time.  That didn't work for us because so many people were gone. It wasn't our normal tradition, and we kept forgetting.  (did I mention that it was pathetic?)

Without the consistency and power from daily family scripture study I noticed a lessening of the Spirit in our home.  I still felt it, but not as strong. 

We also felt that the shield around our family was becoming thinner. (that is a scary thought)

We all seemed more susceptible to temptations and the negative influences around us.

We have been counseled on the importance of having family scripture study.  We know the promises {See Gospel Outcomes},  and we know what we need to do!

We had to stop and ask ourselves a few personal questions:

       What is the most important thing in our lives?

  Are we putting God first?

What sacrifices are we willing to make[or need to make] to follow the Prophet?

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So we are starting over with reading the Book of Mormon as a family...with our Dad.
We are waking up at the bright and early hour of 5:45 AM to do that. 

We had a few grumpy attitudes this morning.  Surprisingly not from the teenager crowd, but our two youngest.  So before we started, we knelt down and had our family prayer.  Everyone grumbled about leaving their soft place on the couch and their blanket that they were half asleep in. After prayer, Richard went around the room and had everyone s-m-i-l-e.  That seemed to wake everyone up.

This morning in our family scripture study.... we bumped into this:

2 Nephi 2:11-12

11 Now this he spake because of the ^astiffneckedness of Laman and Lemuel; for behold they did ^bmurmur in many things against their ^cfather, because he was a ^dvisionary man, and had led them out of the land of Jerusalem, to leave the land of their inheritance, and their gold, and their silver, and their precious things, to perish in the wilderness. And this they said he had done because of the foolish imaginations of his heart.

12 And thus Laman and Lemuel, being the eldest, did murmur against their ^afather. And they did ^bmurmur because they ^cknew not the dealings of that God who had ^dcreated them.

Richard asked the girls:  What are you willing to do to follow the prophet?  Would you move if we were asked to?  Would you give up your precious things if that was required of you? Would you wake up at 5:45 AM to read the scriptures if that is what we needed to do?

I loved that insight and application into our personal situation.

What are we willing to do to follow the prophet?