God's Hand of Providence

 

Columbus Day was on Monday, and it seemed to kind of come and go without even a thought.

What are your feelings about Columbus?

To me, he was a man who was guided and directed by God who had an important work to do in his time. And he did what he was fore-ordained to do.

In the Book of Mormon, Nephi actually had a vision of a man who we believe to be Columbus.

1 Nephi 13:12 "And I looked and beheld a man among the Gentiles, who was separated from the seed of my brethren by the many waters; and I beheld the Spirit of God, that it came down and ^awrought upon the man; and he went forth upon the many waters, even unto the seed of my brethren, who were in the promised land."

* note that the Spirit came upon him

Others, like Columbus were also led by the hand of God:

1 Nephi 13:13 "And it came to pass that I beheld the Spirit of God, that it wrought upon other Gentiles; and they went forth out of captivity, upon the many waters. "
 

The Lord had a purpose for His children and for this earth, and these people were key in that plan.

President Gordon B. Hinckley in his talk Building Your Tabernacle said this about Columbus:

"I recognize that in this anniversary year a host of critics have spoken out against him. I do not dispute that there were others who came to this Western Hemisphere before him. But it was he who in faith lighted a lamp to look for a new way to China and who in the process discovered America. His was an awesome undertaking—to sail west across the unknown seas farther than any before him of his generation. He it was who, in spite of the terror of the unknown and the complaints and near mutiny of his crew, sailed on with frequent prayers to the Almighty for guidance. In his reports to the sovereigns of Spain, Columbus repeatedly asserted that his voyage was for the glory of God and the spread of the Christian faith. Properly do we honor him for his unyielding strength in the face of uncertainty and danger."
 

To add another perspective, in the Book of Prophecies [a book I want to own] Columbus tells how he was visited by an angel. Did you know also that Columbus was a Jew?  Kind of interesting!

George Washington prays while at Valley Forge

Columbus wasn't alone in this.

 George Washington says he was visited by an angel while at Valley Forge.

These were men of God, who trusted Him and had an important mission to perform on this earth. So important that "an angel visited them" !  Very awesome thoughts.



Other miraculous experiences :

• Paul Revere claims to have been "saved by the moon" during a lunar anemone which caused the moon to go to the south behind some buildings which allowed him to go by in a boat-undetected.

• Weather played a significant role in the revolutionary war in protecting our troops such as the freezing of the Delaware.

• Balls of the Revolutionary War would bounce off of the ships and fall out. The Hand of God definitely at work.

 As we think back to the days of Columbus, George Washington, the Revolutionary war, Civil War,and so on... we are awe-struck by who they were and  the times they lived through.

 We are living in times that THEY would have wanted to read about and see. The times we live in now are as exciting and epic as in any time time period in history

The Lord has always had His Hand of Providence over His people during all time periods of the earth.

He is in charge--a very comforting thought.

Good, Better, Best in Motherhood

Alyssa is in the middle

This week we have added in two new activities. Our daughter Alyssa who is just ending her Cross-Country running season, started piano lessons today, and starts the high school swim team tomorrow.  She is a Freshman in High School and the girl is busting with talents.

Many times she has to choose between several good things.  That can sometimes be the hardest choice.  What do you choose?  What do you leave out? They are all good.

She really wanted to be in the Jr. High play.  Really badly.  It is all she has talked about since the last play she was in. She has always liked to be up in front of others.  She also has been waiting for 2 years to join the High School Swim Team.  If that wasn't enough, Alyssa also decided she needed to up her expertise on the piano by taking lessons from a hard teacher.  OK!  All good, right!

With all the good choices in front of her, we had to help her choose the BEST choice for the BEST reasons. 

It was hard.

There were tears.

There was heart ache at leaving one choice behind, but feeling good at choosing another.

The question arises:

How involved do we allow our children to be in extra activities?

What do we consider too much?

Here is my checklist:

• Do I feel like this is right for them,  and our family?
• Do they have a true gift?
• Do we have enough money in our monthly budget to incorporate this expense?
• Does their activity schedule make sense for our family?
• Is there benefits involved like, scholarships, part-time jobs, building self-esteem?
• Is this strengthening our family?
• Is it strengthening them?

 If I have to answer no to any of those points, then we need to re-evaluate our purpose and priorities.

As mothers, we all want to see our children excel and do well in life. We want to give them every opportunity we can.  We want to see them reach their full potential! 

What is good? What is better, and What is the best?

Elder Oaks talk: Good, Better, Best is a must read talk about establishing priorities and purpose with all that the choices and activities we have in families.


He states:

"We should begin by recognizing the reality that just because something is good is not a sufficient reason for doing it. The number of good things we can do far exceeds the time available to accomplish them."

"In choosing how we spend time as a family, we should be careful not to exhaust our available time on things that are merely good and leave little time for that which is better or best."

"The amount of children-and-parent time absorbed in the good activities of private lessons, team sports, and other school and club activities also needs to be carefully regulated. Otherwise, children will be over scheduled, and parents will be frazzled and frustrated. Parents should act to preserve time for family prayer, family scripture study, family home evening, and the other precious togetherness and individual one-on-one time that binds a family together and fixes children’s values on things of eternal worth. Parents should teach gospel priorities through what they do with their children. "

A paragraph from The Family: A Proclamation to the World resembles this above statement:

"Husband and wife have a solemn responsibility to love and care for each other and for their children. “Children are an heritage of the Lord” (Psalm 127:3). Parents have a sacred duty to rear their children in love and righteousness, to provide for their physical and spiritual needs, and to teach them to love and serve one another, observe the commandments of God, and be law-abiding citizens wherever they live. Husbands and wives—mothers and fathers—will be held accountable before God for the discharge of these obligations."

Soul-searching questions for parents:

• Are my child's extra-curricular activities  for me so I can "fit in" with the motherly trends of the day?
• Do they want to do this?
• Am I doing this so my child will be popular? 
• Is there anything about this choice that I have to keep secret from my husband? [like the total cost, uniform cost, expenses for out of town trips]  I would encourage  you to stay up front about all of it, before signing up.
• Is the atmosphere, of the activity or peers they will associate with, where I want my child to be?
• In 10 years will this be a positive experience and memory? Will I have any regrets?
• Is this bringing us to Christ now?

Choosing between many good things, is one of the hardest choices we have! 

 

My twins and two of their friends feeling pretty happy!

Being Free from Addiction

As I am approaching my 45th Birthday....I can't help but think back over my life...and all those experiences that have had long lasting affects upon me.  A few stand out.

One in particular comes to mind...with a lesson attached to it.

When I was nine years old, we lived in Bemidji, Minnesota.

If you are unfamiliar with where this is...this is in northern Minnesota . COLD country!  The Land of 10,000 Lakes, 10,000 mosquitoes and the best childhood you could ask for.

 We had a Paul Bunyan Amusement Park in our hometown...everyday!  We were a short distance from Lake Itasca State Park, the place where the Mississippi River begins.

Our lives revolved around the lakes that literally dot  that area.  In each town you will find many lakes, some right in your back-yard. We floated down canals, fished, swam in the lakes, skied, ice-skated, and ice-fished.

It was mandatory for every child to take swimming lessons.  I had  swimming lessons all year long. In the summer we were taught in the lakes, and in the winter as part of our PE coarse we were taught in pool which was a part of our Jr. High. When we weren't in swimming lessons we were just in the water.  I didn't dance, play soccer, or play any sport whatsoever. We swam, and swam, and swam. We didn't have time for all the other extra-curricular activities. We were having too much fun just swimming and being in the water.

When I was nine years old I did something really dumb.  I know, hard to believe.

It was in the late fall, and my younger brother and I were checking to see if the lake behind our house was frozen enough to walk on.  We did this by just looking, but also by walking a certain distance to see how far we could go. 

We were in full Minnesota gear, which was a necessity due to to the cold Minnesota weather.  The average Minnesota day can be 30 below.  Minnesota gear was a full snowmobile suit and boots designed for the temperatures. I remember them being warm, but clunky and heavy.

 As we were walking near the shore of the lake, a neighbor came out, and noticed our precarious activity. He specifically warned us to not walk on the lake because it wasn't frozen yet. {note to nine year old self:  great advice!  Wished I would have listened.} 

You know how WISE  a nine year old can be. They aren't always known for having the best ideas or using the best judgement. They are also beginning to think they know what they are doing and can take or leave certain advice. That would be me that day.


We left the view of the neighbor and walked closer to our home. Being the oldest, I walked out on  the ice the furthest, precariously stepping and getting lucky. 

My luck suddenly wore out. You know where this story is leading... I fell  through the 'not frozen yet lake', into the icy waters.

There was the initial shock of cold icy waters consuming me.

The waters were only chest high, but an overwhelming heighth for a frozen nine year old who is just learning to swim. 

Could I reach the ground?  I remember the tippy-toes of my boots barely being able to touch the bottom of the lake. I was far enough away that that wasn't a leverage I could count on.

So I grasped, splashed, and thrashed for a good amount of time trying to save myself. This was highly unsuccessful.  Each time I tried to get up on the ice around me, it was just break making the area I was in bigger and bigger.

The water seemed very deep and completely overwhelmed me.. The Minnesota gear I was wearing was completely saturated, very heavy, and difficult to move in. My boots were like a dead weight on each foot, pulling me down further and further.

I could see my brother on the shore, and longed to be where he was, safe and sound on solid ground.  Because of the precariousness of the icy lake, he couldn't get close enough to help me.  I can still see him standing on the shore screaming my name.

I honestly don't know how long I was in the water.  It probably wasn't as long as I remember it being. I do remember this: the last thought I had while I was stuck in my predicament- "well, I guess this is how I am going to die"  Very dramatic, but nonetheless, my last thought.

Then, suddenly out of no where, I  miraculously pulled  myself up onto the frozen ice around me.  How I did that, I dont' know. But it was very timely and I was so grateful. 


Why do I tell you this story? What is this all about?

This story has many lessons and has been an experience I have learned countless principles from. Mainly about the Atonement, and how the Savior saves.

Today, this leads me to think about addictions and how consuming and overwhelming they can be to those who struggle to free themselves.  We all know someone or of someone 'stuck' in an addiction. 

It doesn't have to be pornography, although that is destroying a lot of families right now. It could be perscription drugs, food, games, TV, computer time, sugar, or what ever has taken over your ability to stop the behavior and choose for yourself.

There is a feeling of hopelessness, of despair, of I cannot get out, of giving up. 

If you'll allow me to be symbolic for a moment:  in my nine year old story, I  got myself into a terrible situation through my own foolishness.  I got there on my own doing, but now I was stuck somewhere I didn't want to be. And I could not get out by myself.

Try as I might, I could not save myself.  The circumstances were too much. The water was too icy,  my Minnesota gear-too heavy, and I was too inexperienced to know what to do.

Like in an addiction, our options become very narrow, and actually narrow down to only one source: The Savior.

In my situation that is who ultimately saved me, and continues to save me time and time again.

Through the  Atonement of Jesus Christ  we can be freed from the addictions we find ourselves in.

If you are in an addiction, turn to the Lord.  Call upon His name, who is mighty to save. And have patience as this is a long process.

I am not an expert in this area, and don't have the answers except to turn to the Lord...He Will Save You.

As we walked back home, frozen, and me wet, we sang the song from the Alka-seltzer commercial of that day: "Plop, plop, fizz, fizz"  We tried to tell our mother of the experience we just had...but how do you describe to your mother an experience so frightening, you came desparetly close to not coming home at all.


After taking off my wet gear, I climbed into  bed with a warm electric blanket covering me. Nothing has ever felt so good.   Like the sweet feelings and power of the Atonement that covers each one of us,  that day, I was delivered and saved.

 _________________________________
Other posts I have written on the Atonement:

The Atonement is Like a Blanket
In the Strength of the Lord

Proclamation FHE Chart

It is the 3rd day of the 3rd Annual Celebration of The Family: A Proclamation to the World.   Have you joined in or checked out the  wonderful blog posts that have been written?  They are all testimonies of how others are applying the principles of the Proclamation into their families!  LOVE it!

Here are the blogs hosting this family celebration:   

We Talk of Christ, We Rejoice in Christ

Diapers and Divinity

Chocolate on my Cranium

Middle-Aged Mormon Man

 

Today is a blog-hop sharing any crafts, Family Home Evening ideas, or other creations inspired by the Family Proclamaion. Here is mine, and this comes from a previous post. 

I really wanted a Family Proclamtion FHE Chart

to make  the Proclamation the focus of our Family Home Evenings.

 

 

Our previous Family Home Evening board was out-dated and was needing a face-lift.

I am not the most creative crafter out there by any means. I am not a scrap-booker, although I have a thing for buying scrap-book paper. The desire is there, I just don't know what to do with it all.

I knew I wanted the Proclamation on our chart, front and center.

I grabbed my scrapbook paper and pretty much let the creative juices flow.

I used my same FHE board and painted it black. 

My board is 9 X 24 to accomodate our family of 10. 

 

 

You will notice my previous hook holes, which I will need to use again.

Grab some Mod Podge and sponge paint brushes. You will notice that I have something under my black board. Don't forget this. Mod Podge is not Elmer's Glue, and will not come off of your wood tablIe. I found  that it does come off of the counter, but why  give yourself another job? If you keep your surfaces covered you are safe.

Your next step, if you haven't already done this, is to pick out the scrapbook paper you want to use on your board. This is the pack I used. I bought it at Wal-Mart for $5.

After you have selected your paper, cut your bottom piece to the right size and set it aside. You want to have it ready. Paint Mod Podge on your board. Work fast because it dries quickly. 

 

Adhere your bottom piece of paper to your board.

I think I actually did mine the hard way and cut my paper after I "adhered" it.

Craftiness to me is living and learning as I go along.

Mod Podge has a way of bubbling-up. This roller worked extremely well with the bubbles. Mod Podge did get on the roller part, but it came off easily.

Select your contrasting paper and cut your Proclamation into parts.

You will need to cut your contrasting piece in half, and use just one of them.

I like the torn edge look, so next I tore my edges and Mod Podged it (that is a verb) to my paper.

Next you need to decide how you want it to look, so play around with different layouts, then Mod Podge that layer.

You will need to cut some paper for the names of your family. I wanted a border, so

this is how I did mine. Add those to your board along the bottom edge, and

Mod Podge those before you write on them.

When you are done, sand the edges down a little. This gives it a cool antique look and also gets rid of any messy paper edges you may have

Screw small cup hooks in and add your FHE pieces and you are done!

God's Way/My Way

I know it is tempting sometimes to want to make all of our decisions alone ["My Own Way"] It is interesting though, that the picture depicting  two signs," God's Way" and "My Own Way" are perpendicular signs, not parallel. One denotes pride and the other humility.

Now we don't consciously WANT to do everything alone. We think we know what is best and what we want. There are times when  we don't want anyone getting in the way to tell us different because we know. We forget to turn to the Lord and rely on Him.  In that case, we are doing it alone, or our own way.

I have personally been reminded several times, to rely on the Lord. Which leaves me with the same "a-ha" moment:  "oh, YA!"  It is so easy to forget that there is someone who knows better and more, and we should rely on His wisdom more than our own.

God is our Father in Heaven and has known us before we were born for an infinite amount of time.  Think about that for a moment.  OK here is the next principle:  our Savior Jesus Christ, Atoned for our sins, our pains and sufferings of life. He also knows what it feels like to be us, and what we experience. He has felt it.

 In Doctrine and Covenants 38:1-2  it describes how God has the whole picture before Him at once.  He sees the whole picture from the beginning to the end and knows how to succor us, lead and guide us for our greatest happiness.

1 Thus saith the Lord your God, even Jesus Christ, the Great ^aI Am, Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the same which looked upon the wide expanse of eternity, and all the seraphic hosts of heaven, before the world was made.

2 The same which knoweth all things, for all things are present before mine eyes;

God knows all. Sees all.  All at once. This can be difficult for our mortal brains to understand.  'All things are present before His eyes.'   He sees our pre-mortal past, our earthly past, the present, and our future in one view. AND He can do this  without ever touching our free agency to choose.  Mind boggling isn't it!

Let's use this description taught to me by a friend: 

God is standing on top of a mountain where He can see endlessly in all directions. From where He is standing, He has the whole view before Him at once. He sees the past, the present, and the future.

We, on the other hand are at the bottom of the mountain  where all we see is what is directly in front of our eyes:  the rocks, the trees, and part of the pathway.  Our view is extremely limited! 

Sometimes this theory plays tricks with my mind and I get mind boggled over it!  But I know it is true.

The Lord has the whole picture.  He knows us, knows what we are going through, and will go through.  If we turn to Him, and choose His way, He will write a story for our lives that is better than anything we could ever come up with on our own. 

Proclamation Series: By Small and Simple Things

I love  The Family: A Proclamation to the World  and everything it stands for!  It's powerful, it's true, it teaches us what families have always been and should be. The paragraph above, I love especially because it teaches us timeless principles we need to have in our families, in order to be happy and successful.

We are reminded  that the family is ordained of God and that our families are our greatest blessing.

  All of my warmest memories are associated with  family

Favorite childhood memory:   I had to go back really far, and I saw myself sitting on the couch next to my Dad.  I was maybe 3 or 4 years old.  If you wonder what 3 and 4 year olds think about...I looked over at my Dad  and noticed how the couch cushion sunk down around where he sat...and with all the wishes of 4 year-old girl, I couldn't wait until I was BIG enough to make the couch cushion sink down when I sat.  I love my Dad and have always wanted to be just like he was.  And I am proud to announce, the couch cushion now goes WAAAAY down when I sit!

source

Food memories...the good, the bad, and the ugly...are also associated with home and my family. Ironically, or not, all of my siblings and I share the same food memories.  We all unanimously detest acorn squash and beets, and remember being forced to eat them as children.We were told that eating these foods would do amazing things to our hair,  eyes, and our growing abilities. We also love the same meal of meatball and scones made classic by our mother. We think of this meal...and we all melt and think of Mom and home. I  can't think of a family meal where we weren't sitting with all of our feet under the same table.  These are warm memories that I cherish.  I have always felt that the greatest way a mother nurtures her family is through food and family meals together.

Memories of  vacations and time together: ...there's many, but the top memory would have to be the year  when we were all grown up and came back home for Christmas.  I was still a single college student, but my older brothers were young marrieds with small children.  As soon as the little ones were all asleep, we "adults" stayed up and video-taped an impromptu version of "A Christmas Carol" complete with costumes and commercials.  We were crazy nuts. However, this has become a family classic that all the grand-kids and big kids love to watch. 

Working together was also time well spent.  We always had Saturday jobs, lots of work outdoors clearing rocks out of our yard, weeding the garden, laying sod for our Dad's landscaping business, as well as cleaning bathrooms and bedrooms.  When straightening up the house, my mother made up the word "razmatazz" which is a quick 15-minute-everyone-help clean-up that we still use in my family  today.  We sometimes forget that not all families use this word.

Memories of faith...were behind everything we lived. Reading scriptures, Family Home Evening, kneeling in prayer before school, attending Church, and preparing for missions and temple marriages.  Watching my parents quietly live the gospel and serve in the church, were all small and simple things for which great things came to pass. Alma 37:6

Elder Oaks in his talk Good, Better, Best, gave us guidelines that parallel the teachings found in The Family: A Proclamation to the World.  He said,

"The First Presidency has called on parents “to devote their best efforts to the teaching and rearing of their children in gospel principles. … The home is the basis of a righteous life, and no other instrumentality can take its place … in … this God-given responsibility.” The First Presidency has declared that “however worthy and appropriate other demands or activities may be, they must not be permitted to displace the divinely-appointed duties that only parents and families can adequately perform.”

"The Family Is Ordained of God and Central to the Creator's Plan for Eternal Destiny of His Children...Happiness in Family Life is Most Likely to be Achieved When Founded Upon The Teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ." The Family: A Proclamation to the World

Proclamation Series: Memorizing the Proclamation

The Family: A Proclamation to the World is an inspired document, and is scripture.  It was written by holy prophets for our day and time.  As the title says...it is a proclamation about families for the whole world. This is a powerful and timeless.

About 5 years after it was given, my parents called all of their children and challenged us to memorize the Proclamation. They had just finished memorizing it themselves after being challenged by their Stake President in Stake Conference.  To the inspiration of hundreds, a thirteen-year old girl stood and quoted it in front of their whole stake.

There is something to memorizing ....  when we memorize--we internalize.

So I accepted my parents challenge and set off to memorize this inspired, but huge document.  I already knew it was true and powerful, but I didn't know it, like I came to know it through this memorizing journey.

And it was a journey...of the proclamation becoming apart of me. 

One paragraph at a time....I would would work on....

I carried a copy around where ever I was in the house.  If I was washing dishes, it sat in my window sill and I would memorize away while I washed and cleaned the kitchen. 

When I was vacuuming, I was chanting the verses out loud trying to instill them into my brain.

While I was running errands around town, I was going through the Proclamation...

While I was rocking babies to sleep, I had it in my hand reading and memorizing important phrases and and family principles...instilling them into me.

Within a few days, maybe it was a week, I had memorized The Family: a Proclamation to the World. 

It was now internalized! 

To read and print off The Family: A Proclamation to the World  {Click Here}

POWER in the Word

I want to add my witness that scriptures have power to change lives.

"Prophets and apostles have assured us that as we face the trials of mortality, we can find strength, comfort, and peace in the gospel of Jesus Christ. President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, Second Counselor in the First Presidency, said, “I testify as an Apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ … that the gospel is true, and that it offers the answers to all personal and collective challenges the children of God have on this earth today.”¹

Our individual circumstances may vary, but we can each turn to a divine source of power—the scriptures. ” (2 Nephi 31:20)."  (Ensign August 2012, Finding Power in the Scriptures)

 

Many years ago, I  was a young mother with 4 children under 4.  Two were toddlers, and two were newborn twins.  There is really only one word to describe my life back then...overwhelming! After all of my help left, (aka, my mom) getting through each day was a hard challenge. When I wasn't feeding or changing a newborn baby, I was taking care of my oldest two daughters who were 3 and 2. 

Can you imagine how busy and crazy that was!  I look back now, with fond memories, yet wonder how I did it? The answer is, I didn't do it alone.  None of us do and the scriptures had everything to do with how I successfully managed motherhood then and now.

 Without  a regular pattern of prayer and scripture study  in my life, I wouldn't have the power, strength, and guidance to magnify the most important calling in my life:  Motherhood.

 I learned very quickly, that reading my scriptures and saying personal prayers wasn't something I could opt out of as a mother.  I needed  the power that comes from daily prayer and scripture study.  

The very day I opened up my scriptures, the Lord immediately blessed me .  {See Mosiah 2: 24}

How have the scriptures changed your life?

Must Read Talks on the power of scriptures:

The Power of Scripture- Elder Richard G. Scott, November 2011 Ensign

Finding Power in the Scriptures- August 2012 Ensign, pg 54

Jeffrey R. Holland: Lessons From Liberty Jail

Joseph Smith in Liberty Jail by Liz Lemon Swindle

"One of the most trying times in the history of the Church, both in terms of its impact on the Church generally and in the life of the Prophet Joseph Smith personally, occurred during the winter of 1838–39. The Prophet, who bore the brunt of the persecution in that period, had been imprisoned in the ironically named Liberty Jail. Until his martyrdom five and a half years later, there was no more burdensome time in Joseph’s life than this cruel, illegal, and unjustified incarceration."

"In the Prophet Joseph’s letters, he spoke of the jail being a “hell, surrounded with demons … where we are compelled to hear nothing but blasphemous oaths, and witness a scene of blasphemy, and drunkenness and hypocrisy, and debaucheries of every description.”² “We have … not blankets sufficient to keep us warm; and when we have a fire, we are obliged to have almost a constant smoke,” he said.³ “Our souls have been bowed down”⁴ and “my nerve trembles from long confinement,” Joseph wrote.⁵ “Pen, or tongue, or angels,” could not adequately describe “the malice of hell” that he suffered there.⁶ All of this occurred during what, by some accounts, was considered the coldest winter on record in the state of Missouri."

Ironically, Elder Holland  refers to the Liberty Jail as a temple

"Most of us, most of the time, speak of the facility at Liberty as a “jail” or a “prison”—and certainly it was that. But Elder Brigham H. Roberts (1857–1933) of the First Council of the Seventy, in recording the history of the Church, spoke of the facility as a temple, or, more accurately, a “prison-temple.”

"The speech and behavior of the guards and criminals who came there were anything but temple-like. In fact, the restricting brutality and injustice of this experience at Liberty would make it seem the very antithesis of the liberating, merciful spirit of our temples and the ordinances performed in them."

How then could something so horrible as the Liberty Jail experience be compared to a temple? 

I love this

' ... that you can have sacred, revelatory, profoundly instructive experiences with the Lord in any situation you are in. Indeed, you can have sacred, revelatory, profoundly instructive experiences with the Lord in the most miserable experiences of your life—in the worst settings, while enduring the most painful injustices, when facing the most insurmountable odds and opposition you have ever faced."

"In one way or another, great or small, dramatic or incidental, every one of us is going to spend a little time in Liberty Jail—spiritually speaking. We will face things we do not want to face for reasons that may not be our fault. Indeed, we may face difficult circumstances for reasons that were absolutely right and proper, reasons that came because we were trying to keep the commandments of the Lord. We may face persecution, we may endure heartache and separation from loved ones, we may be hungry and cold and forlorn. Yes, before our lives are over we may all be given a little taste of what the prophets faced often in their lives."

Read More {Lessons from Liberty Jail}

Church History Tour- Sacred Places

Looking towards the Sacred Grove from the
back door of Joseph Smith's childhood home

I have had a week I will never forget as I was part of a Church History tour of the Eastern States.  We began our tour in Boston, Massachussettes touching on American History and how it was intertwined with the early ancestors of Joseph Smith.  We went through Vermont, Pennsylvania, and New York. We ended our tour in Kirtland, Ohio which I learned is one of the most sacred places on earth.

I am forever changed by what I learned and experienced.

This picture you are seeing is one I took while standing in the kitchen area of Joseph Smith's log home as he had a perfect view of "the place he pre-designed to go" to pray to God. 

It was there that in answer to his question, "which of all the churches is the right one to join?" an innocent but heart-felt question by a young 14 year old boy -God, the Father and His Beloved Son Jesus Christ appeared to Joseph. 

Entering the Sacred Grove as it has been now named, is a sacred walk.  They have created a walkway where you can walk through the grove.  It is about about 1/2 mile long that loops around.  This is a very serene peace there that you don't feel many places. 
It is extremely quiet, reverent, and holy.

In the grove there are a few large trees that some call  "witness trees".  Trees that were possibly there to witnesses,  the First Vision. The one in the picture above is one of those trees.  It is much bigger than it looks in this photo.

Joseph Smith's home and the Sacred Grove are  two of the sacred places on earth!  You feel it and cannot be there without being changed.
 
Karl Anderson, who is the author of several books on sacred places in Kirtland, described these places best when he said, "they  are of the small and simple places on the earth not unlike the manger" When you think of the manger where our Savior was layed after his birth, you know that was the most sacred moment and place on earth, and the most humble. We can only imagine a mother giving birth in such circumstances.  Most if not all of the deeply sacred and holy places on this earth were in the humble simple places of the earth.
I love that the sacred grove has remained virtually untouched since 1820, preserving the sacredness of it like a museum of time. I love this place and know that Joseph Smith had a vision there seeing God the Father and Jesus Christ His Son in all their glory. 

Finding Faith in an Empty Tank of Gas

When the Savior was on the earth He asked,

 "When the Son of Man cometh, shall He find faith on the earth?" (Luke 18:8)

What is true faith?

 Faith is defined as "belief and trust in loyalty to God...firm belief in something for which there is no proof. We believe that faith is to hope for things which are not seen, but which are true...and our faith must be centered in Jesus Christ.

Faith is a power, not to just to be believed in, but to be lived.