Live As Saints Should Live

Romans 13:11 “And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed.”

Ezekial 3:20 “Again, When a righteous man doth turn from his righteousness, and commit iniquity, and I lay a stumblingblock before him, he shall die: because thou hast not given him warning, he shall die in his sin, and his righteousness which he hath done shall not be remembered; but his blood will I require at thine hand.”

Doctrine and Covenants 14:7 “And, if you keep my commandments and endure to the end you shall have eternal life, which gift is the greatest of all the gifts of God.”

Are you curious to know the relationship between these scriptures? Well, here is what I think. The most important thing we can do for ourselves is work out our own salvation through our deeds and whatnot. Personal Salvation. Like the Romans scripture says, our salvation is “nearer” than ever, so what should we be doing? Well, we should NOT be committing iniquity (lying, cheating, stealing, fornicating). We need to keep the commandments (those new and old. i.e. not committing adultery, and not having more than one set of earring holes for women), and we need to endure to the end. This is the part that gets me. Sometimes I just feel like enduring is difficult. But it truly is the MOST important. Anyways, when we do these things, we get our salvation.

We receive a lot of counsel from Paul in Romans. He says in order to be able to work out our salvation we must:

·         Our bodies

·         Service

·         Accepting God’s will as your own

·         Love

·         Cleave to that which is good

·         Despise evil

·         Give

·         Be humble and think of those who do not have what you do

·         Overcome evil by doing good.

·         Heed the Lord God, and be submissive to His will

·         Pay your debts

·         Do not commit adultery

·         Do not kill

·         Do not steal

·         Do not bear false witness

·         Do not covet

·         Love thy neighbor as thyself

What cautions did Paul give about judging? People May have different opinions and practices, but what is most important to remember?

Paul said that in judging we should be weary of our weaknesses, and to let people make their own decisions. Don’t judge others because they do things differently than you. Don’t worry so much what others do for everyone lives and dies in the Lord. Worry about you yourself worshiping God. Help others as much as you can. Additional insights come from Doctrine and Covenants 38:25-27 which reads that we are all God’s children; not one is better than the other so we need to treat everyone as we would want to be treated.

FYI:

Paul referred to members of the church in his days as “saints” just like we do nowadays. 

The Relationship Between Faith, Grace, and Good Works

Choice Two: Romans 2-5 Faith, Grace, and Works

Faith and Grace

Good Works

·         God will justify us when we are judged. (Rom 2:4) ·         Righteousness of God is by Faith in Christ. (Rom 3:22) ·         Justice by grace through the redemption. (Rom 3:24) ·         Grace can only come to us through our faith in Christ. (Rom 3:25) ·         Justice comes by faith. (Rom 3:28) ·         Law established through faith. (Rom 3:31) ·         Faith in Christ is righteousness. (Rom 4:5) ·         Ye are justified of faith and works, through grace. (Rom 4:16) ·         Being justified by faith, we have peace with God. (Rom 5:1) ·         We have access by faith into this grace. (Rom 5:2) ·         Grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord. (Rom 5:21)

·         Patient continuance in well doingàeternal life. (Rom 2:7) ·         Glory, honor, peace for those that to good. (Rom 2:10) ·         Ye are justified of faith and works, through grace. (Rom 4:16) ·         Strong in faith, giving glory to God; And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised… he was able also to perform… And therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness. (Rom 4:20)

2 Ne. 25:23 helps me to better understand the relationship between Faith, Grace, and Good Works. Faith and good works come before grace. Grace is given to us after we have exercised faith in Christ and done good works.  

I think that Paul chose Abraham as a model of faith because Abraham had to live by faith if he was to be a father of nations. His wife was barren, and unlikely to have children. He probably wondered at times, “how am I supposed to become a father of nations when my wife cannot have children?” But he had faith that things would work out, and they did!

We can learn from Abraham, when we have faith that God can make anything happen, we will be blessed and it will be counted unto us for righteousness. I guess I need to take some lessons from Father Abraham because I second guess a lot of things, and I just need to have faith. Everything will work out. It will.

Because of the fall of Adam, we now have life with blood and death of the body, and possible death of Spirit. Paul answered the question of why we needed a Savior for all mankind by reminding us about the 

Too Much Cuteness to Handle

So, I finally caught Madeline laughing on film. Oh man, she's too cute! Here's my girl:

CLICK!

Today I made some colored noodles for my Toddler Lab. It will become an art project. We are going to make noodle necklaces, and maybe if they finish the necklaces we can make noodle art. It was really simple to make. All you do is divide the noodles into different ziploc baggies and then put a table spoon of rubbing alcohol and however much food dye you want to use; I used 4-6 drops. They turned out great!

One of Those Days

Today was one of those days where I wanted to just quit. I feel like sometimes everyone in this one class I have expects me to be perfect, and I am far from it. They point out all the mistakes that were made and maybe one or two things that were good. Today was just bad. I am on my cycle, and I just got sick or maybe it's horrid allergies but my eyes are watery and my nose is runny. My mommy and big sister just left and now it's just my little family again; definitely a bitter-sweet feeling. All these things just make me tired. Plus I have the responsibility of motherhood. It's a joyous calling, but still a lot of work. Also, when I came home today...the house was a true mess.-sigh- I don't want to clean. I just want to sleep right now. Cuddle in my bed and sleep sleep sleep.

On the up side...

Maddy is so cute! She is a ticklish little girl. I tickle her sides and her feet and her neck. She giggles and giggles. It makes me love her more and more. One thing that she does that is really funny but probably shouldn't be laughed at is when she is really into eating her bottle and then it slips out of her mouth she cries hysterically. It's a quick fix in those situations. We love her so much. Also, she has the best bottom-lip frown anyone has ever seen. I've tried to get it on film, but she moves around too much to get a really good one.

Auf Wiedersehen

Forgiveness

To me forgiveness is a necessity, but I have a knack for holding onto grudges. It has been something I have been working on for a while.

I have been reading in 2 Cor 2:1-11 about the people of Corinth and how forgiveness is a witness of the love you have for others. In verse five and six we read “But if any have caused grief, he hath not grieved me, but in part: that I may not overcharge you all. Sufficient to such a man is this punishment, which was inflicted of many.” This, to me, is talking about guilt. The guilt which is felt when we choose to wrong someone, or even when we wrong someone and then apologize and they do not forgive us; that feeling is such a downer.

The blessings we reap from forgiving others is forgiveness for our own sins. Also, with the gift of forgiveness comes the power to defend against Satan, as it reads in verse 10 and 11: To whom ye forgive any thing, I forgive also: for if I forgave any thing, to whom I forgave it, for your sakes forgave I it in the person of Christ; Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices. However, if we do fail to forgive, we will be taken advantage of by Satan. 

The Impact of Example

It is my dream to be the best example to those around me so that they will know just by my actions and my countenance that I am a Latter-day Saint. Here are a few of my thoughts about being an example

Servants of the Lord are required to be faithful. The apostles are selected to be examples. Being an example applies to more than just the apostles though. It is important for everyone to be an example of the Lord. We, when we were baptized, took on his name and made a promise that we would be witnesses at all times and in all things and in all places. To be a witness is being an example. I just think about how it is my responsibility to be an example to my children. I am the one that will be with them all the time. I want my children to be able to say as the sons of Helaman said about their mothers; “we do not doubt our mother’s knew it.”

A lot of what we do is observed by others and our actions explain who we are. I think about little children, once again, and for example how that child could be playing with blocks in the living room minder her own business and then you walk in and stub your toe and say a naughty word and go back to your business. The next day the child is saying that naughty word. She learned by example. I think it is difficult to teach someone something and then you yourself do a different; like a hypocrite. It’s a good way to lead away many people. I think if someone isn’t acting the way they say they believe then that someone doesn’t actually believe what they say they believe. This reminds me of the account read in Alma 39:11-12.

In 3 Nephi 8:1 we read that a just man can work miracles in the name of Christ. A just man is honest and an example. We reap great blessings from being an honest example. 

1 Thessalonians 4: The Resurrection

Here is a section of scripture that talks about the resurrection of our Savior Jesus Christ, and some questions and answers.

1 Thessalonions 4:14-17, Doctrine and Covenants 88:96-102, 45:54

• Who will "rise first" to meet the Lord?
• Those who died in Christ, or rather followers of Christ.
• Who, in addition to the righteous dead, will be caught up to meet the Lord?
• Those Saints that remain on the Earth who are alive.
• Where will they be caught up to?
• In the midst of the pillar of heaven.
• How will the righteous saints participate in the Second Coming?
• They will prepare the way by missionary work, building temples, temple work, and building the kingdom of God.
• Who will be resurrected at the Second Coming?
• Followers of Christ.
• How do the Joseph Smith translation changes for 1 Thes 4:15, 17 clarify what Paul taught about who would be alive when Christ comes again?
• Well, verse 15 is quite vague and a bit confusing. With the translation we can see that those who are alive and those that have passed will be able to arise unto the Lord together, and the JST helps in the clarification of those who are "them in the clouds."
• Who will not survive the Second Coming?
• Those who are found under condemnation, and those that will remain filthy still
• When will they be resurrected?
• When the thousand years have ended, and never. 

Thessalonians

 14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which ^asleep in Jesus will God bring with him.

 15 For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, ^athat ^bwe which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not^cprevent them which are asleep. 

(a. JST 1 Thes. 4:15 … that they who are alive at the coming of the Lord, shall not prevent them who remain unto the coming of the Lord, who are asleep.)

 16 For the Lord himself shall ^adescend from heaven with ^ba shout, with the voice of the ^carchangel, and with the ^dtrump of God: and the dead in Christ shall ^erise first:

 17 ^aThen we which are alive and remain shall be ^bcaught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the ^cLord in the ^dair: and so shall we ^eever be with the ^fLord

(a. JST 1 Thes. 4:17 Then they who are alive, shall be caught up together into the clouds with them who remain, to meet the Lord in the air; and so shall we be ever with the Lord.)

Peter and the Book of Acts in Bullet Point Summary

Several Themes the Book of Acts Emphasizes

• Repentance
• Baptism
• Gift of Holy Ghost
• Resurrection
• Being persecuted for belief in and preaching of Christ
• Order of the priesthood
• Missionary work as a means of spreading the gospel of Christ to more parts of the world

What Was Peter Doing During This Time?

• He was testifying of Jesus’ resurrection. He explains how to gain salvation and speaks of the gift of the Holy Ghost.
• He performs miracles in the name of Christ. He bares testimony and preaches of Christ and His resurrection, and the second coming.
• He gets arrested but continues to bare testimony of Christ.
• He gets arrested again and the Lord delivers him from prison.
• He preforms the laying on of hands and the giving of the priesthood and rebukes Simon for trying to purchase the gift of the priesthood.
• He  heals Æneas and raises Dorcas from death.
• He has a vision to take the gospel to the gentiles.
• An angel frees him from prison. 

Sex on TV Disgusts Me and Short Hair.

Dear world,

I am so tired of television. I mean...I'm tired of sex in television shows. For instance, I'll be watching a perfectly great tv show and the producers seem to think that sex is a MUST in a show. But I remember Boy Meets World and how that show was amazing and sex was brought up, but it was never really the reason for the show. I feel like nowadays tv shows revolve around sex and intimacy. Guess what...I'd rather watch the Food Network, or HGTV. I am just annoyed. Bones, the television show, is such an intriguing show and then they started putting sex in pretty much every episode and now I can't find out what happens to the characters because I feel the Spirit of Christ leave my home when that show is on. It sucks. Stupid sex. I also would hate for my husband to see another woman's bare back or stomach...not to mention other body parts.

Bodies are supposed to be sacred like temples. Showing them off and showing off how you use them during intimacy is wrong, crude, and frankly it disgusts me. I do not want my daughter to be exposed to the lack of care people have for themselves. Not that I think sex is a disgusting thing...but it should be a prized thing and a sacred thing between you and your spouse. No one else should know what goes on between the two of you. Isn't that part of the fun of it? Being able to have a secret between husband and wife...a secret that no one else knows or ever will know?

END OF RANT ON SEX IN TV.

Now, I have been thinking about getting a mom-do for a while now. We're talking at least five months. I absolutely love long hair and how beautiful it looks when it is curled, and how good it looks if I straighten it. But here's the thing... I don't do m hair anymore. I don't. I have a three month old and school and homework. I juggle a lot of things and I feel frumpy when I go out in public because I do not have time to do my hair...and when I do have time I am usually so tired, or it's the end of the night and then what's the use? I want to look presentable all the time with little effort. The best way I know how is to chop off my hair. I have natural curl so I can quickly put mousse in it and there you go; cute short curly bob in 2 minutes. But everyone I am telling about cutting my hair says not to... It's very discouraging. Like...will I look bad if I do it? Would it be worse then when I don't do my hair at all? Also, another thing I forgot to mention... Maddy is starting to pull at hair... I don't want her to pull my hair out. It's already falling out naturally all by itself. That brings me to another point--I am losing my hair. I hear that happens a lot after you give birth. Well, my hair is EVERYWHERE. When my husband cleans out the shower pipes there's huge clumps o' hair. I find it on the sofa, the area rug, Maddy's clothes, my bedding--EVERYWHERE. A solution? Chop it off.

I want to be cute. I want to be elegant. I want to be beautiful. Throwing my hair inn a messy bun everyday does not say any of those things. Rather that says: frumpy and lazy. So, I think I've made my decision. Please don't try to convince me otherwise. It has been one of the toughest choices, but you'll understand when you have kids and work and homework and cleaning and errands. I guess it would be alright if you wanted to come over and do my hair everyday while I did my homework. That would be awesome. Until then... I am going to chop it off and buy some mousse.

My honey supports my decision and in fact...he encourages it. He thinks I will look AWESOME with a short haircut. He's been trying to convince me for a few months... and also I am feeling a bit rebellious since people have been telling me not to do it. I love you guys, but telling me not to do something just makes me want to do it. I'm not usually one to rebel and displease, but this seems like something I can get away with while still obeying the commandments and following church doctrine. Although, admittedly I sometimes don't stop at this one stop sign because I feel it is more of a yield sign.

Acts 7: The Martyrdom of Stephen

To me, Stephen's last words were beautiful, and somehow they were exactly what I needed to hear today. He touched my heart even hundreds of years after his death. It just proves that the truth rings true forever. 

To summarize his last words: Stephen was being persecuted by the nonbelievers and they were beginning to stone him. He said he saw the heavens open and he saw Christ on the right hand of God. The people did NOT agree. They got so angry, but Stephen (an apostle of God) stood by the truth and bore testimony by asking Jesus to receive his spirit. His very last words were the ones that touched me the most. "Lord, lay not this sin to their charge." The ultimate forgiveness and mercy. He was a true follower of Christ.

I think about how hard it is for me to forgive wrongs against me. I try to forgive, but I tend to hold grudges, and I am trying to be better. However, if someone were in the midst of murdering me I definitely do not think I would be so ready to forgive. But my heart melts with the Spirit when I see people like Stephen so ready to forgive, especially with such a serious offense. 


Another thing that impressed me about this section of scriptures was that in verse 55 it bares witness of the Godhead; Holy Ghost, God, and Christ as three separate entities. It reads "But he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up steadfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God." Tell me, how can you stand on the right hand of God if you are God? Two separate beings! And then Stephen was filled with the Holy Ghost at the same time he was seeing God and Christ; you need the Holy Ghost to be able to witness the Glory of God and His son Jesus Christ.  

Stephen's death reminds me of Abinadi's death in The Book of Mormon. Mosiah 17:7-20 is the account of this story. They were both persecuted for testifying of the Lord, Jesus Christ. The difference, though, is Abinadi was burned to death by faggots (cigarettes), and Stephen was stoned to death. They both also were rebuking the people for their non-belief right before they died. They both asked God to receive them, and I have no doubt that they were received with warm greetings. 

These apostles' testimonies remind me that I need to be better at defending my Savior. He saved us all...if we let Him, that is. Why shouldn't everyone know about it? 

Fisher and Paykel Rant! Can I Get an Amen?

Dear Audience.

I would like those of you who read to comment more on my posts. My last two posts have had zero comments. I am going to be honest as I always am, I am not feeling the love. :(

We are moving to the University Village, like I mentioned in my last post, in September. It has washer and dryer hookups, so I have been doing research on washer and dryers. I really want a top-loading dryer because it would save me pain in the back, literally. There is only one company that makes top-loading dryers: Fisher Paykel. The very disappointing thing is that they are pretty expensive and have terrible reviews. I read 25 of them, and out of those there were only 4 that had positive feedback. It's like everyone is wishing for a great reliable dryer that saves them back pain. Here's my question: Why aren't more companies paying into this fabulous idea? No one wants to bend over to get the clothes out of the dryer, and then have some of their clothes drop on the ground as mine have done EVERY time I do a load of laundry. No one I know anyway. If dryers were top-loading we could take the clothes easily out of the dryer one-by-one and fold them and place them nicely on top of the washer. Easy-peasy. I want to write letters to GE, Whirpool, and Kenmore. I want them to understand that some people do not like to squat, and others cannot afford to purchase the drawers that go under front loading washer and dryer sets to make them taller. Front loading sets SUCK. But let me tell you how I really feel. haha. Let's fix this problem appliance companies! Save my back. Make the monopoly that Fisher Pakel has on top-loading dryers non-existent! Can I get an amen?!

Moving on.

I got Maddy's pictures done last weekend, and she looks like a vintage baby doll, don't ya think?

I love my little girl. Which is your favorite photo of her? I can't decide. Please let me know. She is being a crazy eater lately. Yesterday she ate 9oz in one feeding. She is definitely going through a growth spurt. I wish that meant she slept past 5am, but it doesn't. She still only sleeps from about 10pm to 5am. I can live with that much sleep, but the day when I get to sleep a full 8 hours in one shot will be amazing!
Here is some great news. Marcus' recruiter for the Collegiate Navy Program took us out to dinner the other night. I asked him a few questions like: Do you think my husband will be able to get past the interviews and make it into the program? His answer was, "It depends on if he is able to simplify the information to teach to 18-year-olds." And now may I say what a blessing it is that Marcus has been tutoring Mechanical Engineering for the last three semesters! Heavenly Father knew that this would be great practice for Marcus when he seeks a career. I am just so astounded at the details Heavenly Father can see ahead of time. We needed Marcus to get that tutoring job when he did so that we could live, but it has been a double blessing because it has enabled Marcus to develop necessary teaching skills, as well as developing the information of the classes (calculus, physics, dynamics etc.) into rote memory. We have been blessed as we have been over and over again.

If you think for a minute that there isn't someone watching out for you, you are WRONG. Someone, God, always has your back, and He knows what needs to take place in your life even when you don't. Trust that everything will work out. The dots will connect themselves.

I have been working my butt off in my class. I get frustrated from time-to-time because sometimes I feel that people are not being professional. I sometimes get off topic in conversations which can be deemed as unprofessional, but at least what I have to say is relevant to the children in our class. It just makes me a little upset when people assume that they are right...and then I don't have the nerve to say anything about how I feel. And that is why a blog/journal is necessary.

I hit the jackpot of sales today. There is a secondhand store called Mommy and Me here in my town, and it has new and used motherhood clothes as well as infant/toddler clothes/accessories. It was their $0.25 sale day today. Everything in the yard was only a quarter! I got a whole bunch of clothes for Maddy and my soon-to-be new nephew Zack. I also got a dress and a skirt for my almost-three-year-old niece, Emma. The whole bag with 18 items was only $4.77! WOW!