Cleave

D&C 89:15: "...study and learn, and become acquainted with all good books, and with languages, tongues, and people."

In the past, I've had discussions with people regarding scriptures and how they help me become a better person.  Sometimes I've expressed interest in reading things from other religions, maybe some Buddhist stuff, to see what kind of things they can teach me about being a better person.  Some people encouraged me, some people laughed, and there were some people who freaked out a little and asked if I was okay and if my testimony was strong and if I was looking to convert to something else.  It was funny because they were so puzzled.  They couldn't understand that I would want to read something for another religion without being interested in actually converting to that religion.

I just wanted to make note of this scripture as I came across it, because we've been told to seek out the good books of the world.  Just because they are from a different religion doesn't mean they won't benefit us.  Not saying to go join another Church because they have something right. I believe most if not all religions have some truth and goodness in them, otherwise they wouldn't have followers.  But we've got the truth all put together here.  As we learn more about the gospel, we learn more about how the puzzle pieces fit together.  And as we learn more of the good things the world has to offer, the easier that puzzle will be to solve.

Choose to Cleave.
*Read my first post, "Preface," for more information about Cleaving

I have been reading but not blogging.  I apologize.  I might make several posts in the same day, but that doesn't mean anyone should feel obligated to read them all.  Remember, my first priority is to document my own thoughts about what I study so that I actually learn something and so that I don't forget what I learn.  I don't expect you to read everything, whoever it is that you are.

D&C 88 talks about the varying degrees of kingdoms and such, but when I read verses 44-45, I thought of it in a little different way than I think most people have thought of it.

"And they give light to each other in their times and in their seasons, in their minutes, in their hours, in their days..."(44). "The earth rolls upon her wings, and the sun giveth his light by day, and the moon giveth her light by night, and the stars also give their light, as they roll upon their wings in their glory, in the midst of the power of God"(45).

Okay, so here's what I thought about this passage regarding the cosmos:

The "They" in verse 44 represents us, God's children, and the "light" we give to each other is our service, our friendship and love, the gospel...you know, all that good wholesome stuff that light represents.  So 44 says that we brighten each other at various times throughout our lives.  In 45, it says all of us (we are the earth, sun, moon, stars) are going about our lives (the rolling of the earth is the turning of the earth, and that's what the earth does, it turns.  what we do is live our lives), and as we go about our lives, we give light at different points of time for each other.

Or another way to interpret it along the same lines: the earth doesn't really shine, so imagine you are the earth, and there are all these different factors of the gospel that are continually present, but for some reason, specific parts of the gospel seem to shine brighter at certain points in your life.

Either way, I think there's more to these scriptures than just the shallow interpretation that the sun, moon, and stars shine at different times.  I see a lot of symbolism there regarding the light we give and receive.  I'm sure there's even more, but I don't want to make this any longer.

Choose to Cleave.
*Read my first post, "Preface," for more information about Cleaving

"The shepherd and his flock have been ever-present symbols of the Lord and the people of His pasture.  The ancient role of a shepherd was much more than an assignment to herd sheep.  The shepherd loved his sheep, he knew them, named them, provided for and protected them.  In return, the sheep responded to their shepherd and recognized his voice.  His call alone could bring them back from their wanderings in unfamiliar paths.  If lambs were lost, he sought them out and brought them back to the fold.  Those who hear the Master's call and then seek to follow His path will find Him and there enjoy contentment and safety at His feet"("Lost No More" Item Description at The Original Greg Olsen Art Gallery).

My home teachers last school year gave me a postcard with this picture because last year, my testimony grew faster and larger than it had ever grown in my life.  I've grown up in the Church, but it was easy for me to just ride along with everyone else and trust what people were teaching me.  Last year, I really began believing it.  I watched as my roommates read the scriptures on their own, not just because they had to, but they looked really into it.  And I heard about how long my one of my roommate's personal prayers always were.  I wanted that.  I wanted to look forward to scripture study and to be lost in prayer.  So I read the Book of Mormon cover to cover and for the first time, I really paid attention to what I was reading.  It was an amazing experience, and I still get something new out of the Book of Mormon each time I open it.  That book was a way that I was brought back into the Lord's presence.  Not that I ever entirely left it--I just hung out on the edges of the herd most of the time.  And now one of the thoughts that most often runs through my head is "What should I read today?"

Choose to Cleave.
*Read my first post, "Preface," for more information about Cleaving

Doctrine and Covenants 82 is a great chapter.  I knew it was going to be a great read from the very first verse:

"Verily, verily, I say unto you, my servants, that inasmuch as you have forgiven one another your trespasses, even so I, the Lord, forgive you."

How many times have I read this verse and heard this verse in Church?!  Right, a lot.  But this time for some reason, something completely jumped off of the page and bit me in the nose.  Lately I've been thinking about how we are our own worst critics, how we forgive our family and friends so much more easily than we forgive ourselves.  But lo and behold!  This verse offers comfort!

I've always heard this verse interpreted as we must forgive each other in order to be forgiven.  Today, I interpret it a different way.  I see that even as I readily forgive my family and friends, and even strangers, the Lord readily forgives me.

That doesn't mean he'll forgive me just like that (you didn't see it, but I just snapped my fingers on the word "that").  At the beginning of this verse, the Lord addresses His servants.  That means this applies to people who are striving to live in accordance to the Lord's will, the people who try to obey the word of God.  So yeah, you have to put forth some effort in order to change (by the power of the Atonement in order) to be forgiven, but the Lord is willing to forgive you, even as you are willing to forgive a family member or a friend who has done something wrong, feels bad, and who wants to fix it.  When you know they are sorry for what they have done, isn't it natural to forgive those who you love?  The Lord loves us, and He forgives us our trespasses.  Believe this.  It's an important concept to grasp, or He wouldn't say "verily" twice in this verse.

Choose to Cleave.
*Read my first post, "Preface," for more information about Cleaving

"The beauty of the gospel of Jesus Christ is that it pours knowledge into our souls and shows things in their true light. With that enhanced perspective, we can discern more clearly the choices before us and their consequences. We can, therefore, make more intelligent use of our agency. Many of God’s children fall into unanticipated traps and unhappiness because they either lack or ignore gospel light. They are unaware of their options or are confused about the outcomes of their choices. Ignorance effectively limits their agency"(D. Todd Christofferson, "Moral Agency," Ensign, Jun 2009).

I know that most of my problems in life are my fault--I've been ignorant of something the gospel teaches, or I've ignored what I've learned.  Strange how ignorance and ignore use the same root, isn't it?  Just like the saying money is the root of all evil, maybe ignor is the root of all problems.  I've been looking up what ignor or ig might mean in Latin, but that is my assumption that the Latin language holds the answers.  I couldn't find this word, but the word ignorance is based on the word ignore, so I know the history of this word will be interesting if I can figure it out.  I will have to ask my linguistics professor from last year if he knows anything about it.

The point is, though, that I think ignor is the root of our problems, and the simple answer to fighting ignor is to become educated, to study the gospel and be educated in the world.  But that isn't simple.  You can't just expose yourself to the answers.  You have to study them out in your mind and think about how to apply them.   If you don't apply them, you'll forget, and that's just as bad as being ignorant or ignoring what you know.  If you can't read the stop sign, that doesn't mean you'll be safe not obeying it.

Choose to Cleave.
*Read my first post, "Preface," for more information about Cleaving

Tomorrow is my last day in my Doctrines of the Gospel institute class.  For a while, I was really sad about this, but then I got a picture stuck in my head right before I went to sleep, so here I am blogging at an insane hour.

I usually dread the last of anything.  The last bite of a cookie is a simple example.  The last night I spent at my apartment last school year with all of my roommates.  The last hug from my mom before we both return to our homes in different states.

But then I remembered the phrase we hear so often at church: "The Last Dispensation."  I don't dread the end of this dispensation.  I try my best to be prepared for it, and sometimes I get worried that I won't be my best by the time the end comes, but I don't dread it because I know it's just a beginning of something magnificent.

Most of the time, things don't end.  Not the good things anyway.  And the end doesn't have to be bad.  It's like climbing stairs.  Getting to the last step means getting on with what you really need to be doing.  And if this institute class is a set of stairs, I'm glad I climbed them, and I can't wait to see what's on this floor.  Hopefully it's as enjoyable as Doctrines of the Gospel.

Choose to Cleave.
*Read my first post, "Preface," for more information about Cleaving

President Monson was talking about gardening, and he taught a really good gospel principle with it:

"Self-reliance is a product of our work and undergirds all other welfare practices.  It is an essential element in our spiritual as well as our temporal well-being"("In the Morning Sow Thy Seed," Ensign, Jun 2009, 40-43).

I've already discussed what I think about welfare a bit.  Right now I just want to say that a lot of us forget that we have to be spiritually self-reliant, too.  We have to be strong in ourselves and use that strength to carry forward through life by choosing the right and looking for ways to improve ourselves and our surroundings.  We need to depend on ourselves to read the scriptures and ponder what we learn from them and what we learn in Church.  We need to strengthen ourselves in our ability to feed our spirit.  We need to know where to look and who to call on when we need help coming out of the darkness.  Once we have established our self-reliance, we will be able to and desire to help others become self-reliant as well.  We need to have a garden of spiritual veggies and fruits.  That was my thought today.

Choose to Cleave.
*Read my first post, "Preface," for more information about Cleaving

"In most of the world, we have been experiencing an extended and devastating economic recession.  It was brought on by multiple causes, but one of the major causes was widespread dishonest and unethical conduct, particularly in the U.S. housing and financial markets.  Reactions have focused on enacting more and stronger regulation.  Perhaps that may dissuade some from unprincipled conduct, but others will simply get more creative in their circumvention.  There could never be enough rules so finely crafted as to anticipate and cover every situation, and even if there were, enforcement would be impossibly expensive and burdensome.  This approach leads to diminished freedom for everyone.  In the memorable phrase of Bishop Fulton J. Sheen, We would not accept the yoke of Christ; so now we must tremble at the yoke of Caesar.

"Our increased reliance on laws to regulate behavior is a measure of how uncivilized we've become" (D. Todd Christofferson, "Moral Discipline," Ensign, Nov 2009, 105-8).

I think that just about says it.

Choose to Cleave.
*Read my first post, "Preface," for more information about Cleaving

Let me quote Proverbs 29:7 before I say what I thought about it.  It's a short one, but it says more than what its length implies:

"The righteous considereth the cause of the poor: but the wicked regardeth not to know it."

I'm looking at one word: cause.  The righteous are considering the reason people are poor.  Once the righteous identify the cause, they can eliminate the effect, they can make the poor people not poor anymore.  We can't just give people fish, we have to teach them how to fish, and if they already know how to fish, we then don't you think we should give them a rod?  They can figure the rest out from there.  I believe in helping the poor not just by giving to them, but by helping them become self-sufficient, self-dependent.

The wicked don't look for the cause of poverty.  If they aren't stirred by the Lord's words in Matthew 25, "Verily I say unto you, inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me," then maybe they should continue reading the chapter to discover another verse: "Verily I say unto you, inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me"(v 40, 45, italics added). Personally, I'd be more worried about what I didn't do to the Lord rather than feel content about what I have done for the Lord.

Choose to Cleave.
*Read my first post, "Preface," for more information about Cleaving

"...the uninvited enemy called death enters the stage of our mortal existence and snatches from our grasp a loving husband or precious wife and frequently, in the young exuberance of life, our children and grandchildren.  Death shows no mercy.  Death is no respecter of persons, but in its insidious way, it visits all.  At times, it is after long-suffering and is a blessing while in other instances, those int he prime of life are taken by its grasp" (Thomas S. Monson, Ensign, Nov 1994, 68).

This quote stood out while I was reading this talk because my great-grandmother recently passed on, and it was really a blessing because she was suffering for a while.  I've been focusing on the blessing part of it, but death is still death, so it's not an entirely happy blessing, if that even makes sense.

For now, I am very thankful that I am not a parent and I have not had the terrible experience of a child dying.  I am also so thankful that I have not lost any of my sisters or precious friends to the grave.  I'm grateful that my parents are all living and well.  I've seen people lose people they love, and I am not looking forward to the grief of losing any more of my loved ones.

I cannot imagine dealing with death if I didn't have the comfort of the gospel.  I cannot imagine how different I would be without knowing the plan of salvation.  What would I think the purpose of life is?  Would I be afraid of my own death?  How would I live and treat people if I didn't think there was something after this?  Would I still feel so strongly about family?  I'm not sure.  Just some questions that came up during my study.

Choose to Cleave.
*Read my first post, "Preface," for more information about Cleaving

"Daily simple, sincere, and mighty prayers lift our lives to a higher spiritual altitude.  In our prayers we praise God, give thanks to Him, confess weaknesses, petition needs, and express deep devotion to our Heavenly Father.  As we make this spiritual effort in the name of Jesus Christ, the Redeemer, we are endowed with increased inspiration, revelation, and righteousness, which bring the brightness of heaven into our lives"(Dieter F. Uchtdorf, "Prayer and the Blue Horizon," Ensign, Jun 2009, 4-7).

I think this quote is a good reminder of everything we should be doing while praying.  Also, if you consider that you should be praying always, maybe you don't have to be literally praying, but you could be looking for things to pray about throughout the day.  You can look for things praiseworthy, things you are thankful for, your weaknesses you'd like to overcome, the needs you have, and why you love Heavenly father.  I think that this will help us say prayers daily because we will realize just how much we have to pray about, and it will help our prayers be "sincere and mighty" because we will have been dwelling on our prayers long before we say them.

Choose to Cleave.
*Read my first post, "Preface," for more information about Cleaving

Another late night post...I need to change this pattern rather quickly here...

I read half of D&C 76 tonight.  Verse 29 says that Satan makes "war with the saints of God, and encompasseth them round about."

It was a reminder that we are in a war and that we are surrounded by an enemy that is both visible and camouflaged.  If I were a general in an army, and I saw that I was surrounded by legions that outnumbered my army as far as and farther than the eye could see, I would not give up, but I would not delude myself into thinking I would survive the battle.  It would take a miracle.

Luckily, we live in a miraculous period of time, the miracle simply being that we were born where we can receive the Gospel and all the blessings that come with it.  We cannot fight this war alone, and even with the support of other members of the Church, we cannot fight this war alone.  But we are blessed enough to be part of this Church and to know that we have the support of our Father, His Son, the Holy Ghost, and the armies of Heaven, which are about two thirds as large as the forces of Satan.  We are as the army of Helaman.  We are the Lord's Warriors.  The only way we can lose is if we disobey orders, or disobey commandments.  So prepare your armor, ready your sword, and start fighting, for yourself and all the ones you hold dear.

Choose to Cleave.
*Read my first post, "Preface," for more information about Cleaving

Sorry for another late night or early morning post.  Sometimes that happens.  But here's a strange coincidence: the beginning of my day matched the end of my day, and this is a very simple statement to explain.

In institute today, we learned that we are instruments in the hands of the Lord and we need to be in tune in order to be worthy to receive true revelation.  My instructor related us to pianos with the fact that even if an expert pianist were playing an out of tune piano, it still wouldn't sound great.

Just a few moments ago, I was with my roommate/friend correcting some tabs to "Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing" so that she could learn it and we could play a guitar duet.  Something was wrong with her lowest string, and it took us a while to get it to sound right.  It was because the tuning was off.

But I think we need more than tuning.  We also need practice, or we won't be ready.  My roommate/friend is excellent at picking, and I am not.  Mostly it's because I'm comfortable with strumming, no matter the strumming pattern, but it takes me longer to understand and play a picking pattern.  I know that if I would just stick with it and practice until I developed my skill level a bit further, I could pick as easily as my roommate/friend.

I related that to the gospel too.  If we only serve the Lord in ways that are comfortable to us, we aren't going to learn all of the skills that would make us better instruments in His hands.  It might be awkward at first, but we are here to learn, so we shouldn't worry about making mistakes or being slow.  We should just worry about doing our best for however long it takes for us to master the skills that have been set before us.

So I made a goal to learn a song by picking.  I need to develop the talent of reading tabs and learning picking patterns without being scared or frustrated (too much).  I don't know what song I'll do yet, but I'll pick it by Sunday night.  I'll post what song I've chosen on this blog, so if I forget, give me a hard time.  I don't want to forget about this goal.

Choose to Cleave.
*Read my first post, "Preface," for more information about Cleaving

In D&C 69:8, John Whitmer is told to preach, expound, write, copy, select, and obtain "all things which shall be for the good of the church, and for the rising generations that shall grow up on the land of Zion, to possess it from generation to generation, forever and ever."


If anyone can help me with this reference, I remember a conference talk wherein some Elder of the church told a great story (maybe it was about a goat stuck on a very steep cliff face?) and in his mind, he related it to the gospel. After he thought this, a still small voice told him to write it down. He was told, more or less, that "I do not give you these things solely for your own good," which meant that his spiritual experiences were to be shared, that his eyes had been opened to receive spiritual lessons not just so that he could learn from them, but also so that others could learn from them. This inspired un-named Elder to write down his spiritual experiences more often.

I've been trying to write down my spiritual experiences ever since I heard that conference talk, and it is surprising--once I made an effort to try to write those things down, I realized that there were more to write than I expected. One of my friends told me something about journaling that I've used to help me not feel overwhelmed with how many things I have to write down. She said that if you start journaling, start with today. You will never be able to catch up if you tell all of your past experiences first, and a lot of the time, that's what keeps people from writing. They feel overwhelmed and they become discouraged, so they just don't record anything. But if you start with today, then I promise there will be days when you don't have anything to say, so you can flashback to one or two previous experiences that you remember.

I just think it is important to write down what you can when you can so that others can benefit from your experiences, because sometimes, others benefit more from our experiences than we do ourselves.

Choose to Cleave.
*Read my first post, "Preface," for more information about Cleaving

Elder Bruce D. Porter of the Seventy: "Personal prayer, study, and pondering are vital to building the kingdom within our own souls.  It is in quiet moments of contemplation and communion with the Almighty that we come to know and love Him as our Father" (in Conference Report, Mar.-Apr. 2001, 105).

Without any one of prayer, study, or pondering, our building efforts will lack in efficiency and effectiveness.  And no, I was not just redundant.  Efficiency and effectiveness are not the same thing.  To be efficient, you only have to do something quickly.  To be effective, you only have to do something correctly.  Illustrating my point, I recall a story about two sandwich artists at a popular sandwich joint.

One worker would make the sandwiches faster than anyone else--her speed was astounding--but customers frequently complained at the sloppiness of their sandwiches.  The second worker would make beautiful sandwiches, but he was consistently slow, even after working at the popular sandwich joint for several months.

Neither of these workers were both efficient and effective.  The first worker was certainly efficient, making many sandwiches in a day, but their quality was lacking, so she was not an effective worker.  The second worker, however, made good quality sandwiches, but he made them at such a slow pace that he couldn't serve the customers in an acceptable amount of time, so he was not efficient worker.

Heavenly Father needs workers who are both efficient and effective.  Although it is commendable to desire to spend all day praying, studying, and pondering, there are other things that need doing to build the Kingdom of God.  We need to spend our time wisely and build our souls efficiently so that we can do other things in service of the Lord.  But we should not be too hasty in building our souls, or we will not be effective.  What good is it to pray and read the scriptures if we don't take the time we need to really ponder what we have studied and prayed about?  We must be efficient, but we cannot afford to be so fast that we are not effective. I want to challenge whoever read this to ask yourself at the end of your studies to ponder on the things you have learned, to pray about them, and then to see if you have come to know and love your God as your Father who is in heaven.  If not, you might be able to get more out of this gospel than you are already getting.

Choose to Cleave.
*Read my first post, "Preface," for more information about Cleaving

"During a difficult time while serving as a missionary, I started to believe that despite my obedience to mission rules and hard work, I was a constant disappointment to God because of my weaknesses.  In dark moments when I was viewing God as a harsh judge, I would think about my earthly father and how deeply he loves me.  I knew that I could always turn to him for love and comfort.  But then I realized that it is impossible for my mortal father to love me more than my Heavenly Father does...

"...When we feel ourselves slipping into the "despair, discouragement, despondency, and depression" that President Benson described, we can ask ourselves if we may be holding onto a lie about ourselves or about God.  We can seek out the truth in the words of the scriptures and the living prophets.  We can pray for the ability to discern between truth and error.  Empowered by the truth, we will find the strength to keep Satan at bay and experience the joy of having "the truth of all things" abide in us (Moses 6:61)," (Jennifer Nuckols, "Truths and Lies," Ensign, Oct 2009, 62-65).

I am thankful for my mother and the love she has offered me no matter what I did wrong.  I am thankful that she showed me that love, because it helped me better understand that God loves me no matter what I do.  She has repeatedly told me, "I cannot even imagine what it is like to be God, because I think about how much I love you, and I can't imagine how anyone could love you anymore than that, but I know that he does."

This has been one of the most important lessons in my life, because I realize that I am not disappointing to Heavenly Father because of my weaknesses.  He knows the truth about me and who I am, and even if I'm not a great person all of the time, he knows that I am an overall great person.

It might seem like a silly example, but I sometimes I think of kittens when I need to convince myself that God isn't disappointed in me. Kittens love to play and cuddle and they're just the cutest things little creatures you could have wandering around your home.  But sometimes, especially when they are sleepy, they'll dig their claws into you while they purr.  It's not like they want to hurt you, and they don't know that it hurts you.  It's just something cats do.  I've been clawed plenty of times, and even though I don't like the pain, I still can't help loving the kitten.  So I figure that God knows that sinning is something people do, and it's not like most of us wake up thinking, "How can I sin today?"  It just happens as a result of living and being mortal.  But He still loves us.  So there's my silly example for the day.

Choose to Cleave
*Read my first post, "Preface," for more information about Cleaving

I hear time and time again in the Church to forgive one another that we may be forgive, to forgive all men, to let God judge others for their sins.  I was reading D&C 64 today, and verse 8 jumped off the page and danced a bit for me, kind of shoving itself in my face:

"My disciples, in days of old, sought occasion against one another and forgave not one another in their hearts; and for this evil they were afflicted and sorely chastened."

Hi, my name is Brittany, and I'm not an alcoholic, but I do have a problem with something.  I forgive people out loud, in action, and in every outward manifestation there is possible.  But there are some people who I have not forgiven in my heart.  Is there anyone else in my support group?  Does anyone else have this problem?  I know there is.  I know it because acting out forgiveness is easy, but total forgiveness can be hard to offer.

But I know it's possible, or we wouldn't be commanded to do it.  As Nephi was sure that the Lord would provide a way for him to complete the commandments He had given, I'm sure that the Lord has, does, and always will provide a way for me to forgive others AND to forgive myself. That doesn't mean I know how to forgive in my heart yet, but I know that as long as I try and I don't give up, it is possible as long as I have patience and trust in the Lord and myself to overcome my injustices.

Because the second half of D&C 64:8 is true.  The unforgiving heart will always be afflicted with sorrow, anger, hatred, animosity...the list goes on.  And maybe I won't be chastised for an unforgiving heart in this life, but come judgment, I'll be chastised and it will not make it easy for me to be forgiven my sins.

Choose to Cleave.
*Read my first post, "Preface," for more information about Cleaving

From Elder Howard W Hunter, then of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles:

"Man distinguishes between the temporal and the spiritual, probably because living in mortality between the spiritual pre-existence and the spiritual life hereafter, he fails to recognize the full significance of his activities during the years he spends on earth..."

"...There is no way we can separate the activities of worship on the Sabbath day from the many pursuits of the weekday by calling one religious and the other temporal.  Both are spiritual.  God has ordained them thus, for they consist of our thoughts and actions as we wend our way through this part of eternity.  Thus our business transactions, our daily labors, our trade or profession, or whatever we do become part of living the gospel," (in Conference Report, Oct. 1961, 109).

Reflecting on this, I can't help but think that no matter what I do on what day, I should be able to keep a spiritual perspective.  I feel anxious (which is a worry word) and excited at the same time knowing that everything I do can and should contribute to my spiritual growth.  Plus, everything I do should be in accordance with what I believe, so I can work on only doing things I would want to call spiritual in the long run.  For example, my education is definitely contributing to my knowledge and hopefully wisdom.  My jobs and volunteer experience allow me to develop skills that are already becoming useful in my church calling.  My leisure time should be more spiritual.  That's what I studied and thought about today.

Choose to Cleave.
*Read my first post, "Preface," for more information about Cleaving

I was reading D&C 63 today, and I want to share my thoughts on one verse in particular: D&C 63:61.

"Wherefore, let all men beware how they take my name in their lips--"

This is the Savior speaking, and it reminded me of how often I hear His name taken in vain every day.  On campus, in movies, at grocery stores...it's happening everywhere, and I wish I could just shake people and say to stop it, because they apparently don't know what they are doing.  If they knew, if they truly understood, I doubt they would continue using His name so easily as they do.  And there are far too many people and far too many lips using His name inappropriately.

I remember a story (maybe I read it in an email...my citations are clear for this story) in which an old man with terrible wounds was rushed into a hospital (let's say he jumped in front of a bus to save a girl--heroic and deadly) and it didn't look like he'd make it through the night, and as one of the men on the ER staff is rushing beside the gurney, the ER guy lets out this profanity.  The old man grabs his arm and says softly to the ER man, "Why do you take my Lord's name in vain?  He is so precious to me," (or he says something to that effect).  The ER man was taken aback.  It wasn't something he thought about as profanity, and it wasn't something he really cared about because he wasn't Christian, but the old man was so distressed by this that he gained a new respect for things sacred to other people.  The ER man said, "I'm sorry."

I didn't give the story justice, so just trust me that it was really heart-touching when I heard it.  I don't have a problem with taking the Lord's name in vain, but I hope that I can build the tact and courage it would take to stand up and say something to those people who do have a problem with it.

Choose to Cleave
*Read my first post, "Preface," for more information about Cleaving

Has anyone wondered the difference between might and strength?  I have.  Today D&C 4:2 has been going through my head, and it's come up in lots of places throughout my life.  "...serve Him with all your heart, might, mind and strength..."

I know that this verse is mainly concerned with missionary work, but I can still serve Him even though I'm not a missionary.  So I'd like to follow this scripture, but it's hard to follow scriptures when you don't completely understand them.  I don't want to serve Him with double strength and no might (or vice versa) because I think might is the same thing as strength.

Luckily, my friend-roommate had an answer for me.  She said that strength is your ability and that might is your will.  She also said that you can substitute "heart" with emotionally (and desire), "mind" with mentally, "strength" with physically, and "might" with spiritually (and will).

I remember one of my wards was very service oriented.  That ward worked so hard to serve the Lord and others around them that one of the Bishop's counselors compared the ward's strength to an ant.  I'm pretty sure ants focus all of their entire being on their job.  They are determined creatures, they are strong, and I'm always amazed when I see one of them carrying anything, even if what they're carrying seems pointless to me, like a leaf.  Maybe the ant thinks it's pointless to carry the leaf, too.  But it trusts its instincts.  It trusts that it's headed in the right direction and that the leaf will benefit the rest of its colony.  I should be more like that ant.

Choose to Cleave.
*Read my first post, "Preface," for more information about Cleaving

I was reading through my notes from institute today, and I found the scratch paper that I used to prepare for visiting teaching last month.  The lesson was about our responsibility to the rising generation, and I remember thinking a lot about how the world is becoming so much more of a difficult place to raise a decent person than it has been in the past (or so I hear/assume).

But I couldn't help thinking that's why God has preserved this generation for this time.  They can handle it.  And I took it a step further.  That also why God preserved us for this time--we can handle raising children in the world today.  We can handle the responsibility to teach them right from wrong, to raise them in the gospel, and to help them maintain the inherent goodness that each of them is born with.  It will be hard, but if God trusts me enough to bring me to Earth now and to give me the children that will be mine someday, I trust myself to know how to be the mother that those children need.

On that scratch paper, I also found an acronym I made to remind us to raise our children inside the gospel to help them develop good traits and characteristics.  The hymn is number 307, "In Our Lovely Deseret," and you can click here to read it.  It give some good, basic guidelines as to what we should strive to teach our children.  The acronym I made was based on the line "They must listen and obey the gospel's sound."  When I read that line, I realized how critical it was.  We can't just teach our children the gospel.  We have to teach them how to hear it, and not only how to hear it, but also how to obey it, even when it is hard.

So my acronym was LOGS: Listen and Obey the Gospel Sound.  I made bookmarks for the girls I visit teach with this acronym and a tagline that read "Build the youth of Zion with LOGS."  It seemed a simple way to remember that if we raise our children with LOGS and Hymn #307  in mind, we'll do alright.

Choose to Cleave.
*Read my first post, "Preface," for more information about Cleaving

I know this post is late in the day (or early in the morning), but at least I'm doing it.  I really thought about just going to bed, but I'm keeping this promise to myself tonight.  I'm posting every day that I possibly can (and I count a day as a measure of the time period that I am awake).

But I'm still keeping this short, because I really am tired.

Today I read a scripture that reminded me of a random Liahona article I read on Sunday.  Doctrine & Covenants 59:6--"Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. Thou shalt not steal neither commit adultery, nor kill, nor do anything like unto it."

The article was on abortion, how even if a mother doesn't perceive that she is actually killing the baby, abortion is like unto killing, which we have been commanded not to do.  The article was by Elder Russell M. Nelson, and he explained some rare cases when abortion could be acceptable, such as when the mother's health is threatened, physically or mentally (mentally as in she was a victim of rape/incest and she would not be able to mentally cope, and this must be verified by a proper professional).  Click here if you would like to read it (in English).  It's called "Abortion: An Assault on the Defenseless."  I know several people who wouldn't agree with this article, but I agree with it.  I don't know what more to say than Elder Nelson said in this article.  It touches all of the reasons that I cannot support abortion.

Choose to Cleave
*Read my first post, "Preface," for more information about Cleaving

"One of the great tragedies of life, it seems to me, is when a person classifies himself as someone who has no talents or gifts.  When in disgust or discouragement we allow ourselves to reach depressive levels of despair because of our demeaning self-appraisal, it is a sad day for us and a sad day in the eyes of God.  For us to conclude that we have no gifts when we judge ourselves by stature, intelligence, grade-point average, wealth, power, position, or external appearance is not only unfair but unreasonable...

"...Taken at random, let me mention a few gifts that are not always evident or noteworthy but that are very important...:

"The gift of asking; the gift of listening; the gift of hearing and using a still, small voice; the gift of being able to weep; the gift of avoiding contention; the gift of being agreeable; the gift of avoiding vain repetition; the gift of seeking that which is righteous; the gift of not passing judgment; the gift of looking to God for guidance; the gift of being a disciple; the gift of caring for others; the gift of being able to ponder; the gift of offering prayer; the gift of bearing a mighty testimony; and the gift of receiving the Holy Ghost" (Elder Marvin J. Ashton of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles in Conference Report, Oct. 1987, 23; or Ensign, Nov. 1987, 20).

Right now I'm studying talents and abilities that I might have, and I'm looking for them in others.  I don't have much to say about it, just another quote that I've been reflecting on:

"During the ages in which we dwelt in the premortal state we not only developed our various characteristics and showed our worthiness and ability, or the lack of it, but we were also where such progress could be observed.... Under such conditions it was natural for our Father to discern and choose those who were most worthy and evaluate the talents of each individual" (Elder Joseph Fielding Smith, then of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, The Way to Perfection [1970], 50-51).

Quick thought on that quote: we've already developed talents and characteristics that Heavenly Father knows about, and since He knows about them, I'm pretty sure He allowed us to come here at this time for a reason, and the reason has to do with our unique talents and abilities.  So I'm keeping an eye out for my talents, what I love doing, and how those things might direct me to fulfill whatever He sent me here to do.

Choose to Cleave
*Read my first post, "Preface," for more information about Cleaving

Sometimes I read hymns instead of the more traditional scriptures.  Today I was reading through the lyrics of "Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing," and I again thought of how strange it was that this song isn't in the hymn book.

Naturally, this thought let me to Google, and after performing some rather frustrating searches, I found absolutely no given reason as to why this particular song was taken out of the hymn book.  The best information I found was that the Church was adding and removing songs from the hymn book to make it more applicable internationally, and even when they took out the songs about Utah mountains and such, they still didn't have enough room for all of the hymns.  (Thank you to various sites, including the wonderful and "always correct" Wikipedia.)

So if anyone hears anything more explanatory and credible about this hymn (and yes, I still consider it a hymn though it isn't in the book--the Church said that there wasn't enough room for all of the hymns, not that there could only be a specific number of songs that could be called hymns), let me know.

Moving on, I remember my mother asking me about the meaning of some of the words/lines in this hymn.  In high school, I had an institute choir director come in one day.  He taught us about a few songs, but the one I remember most is this song.  I'll share a few pieces of random information I learned about this song (but don't worry, I won't tell you everything I know about it).

"Here I raise mine Ebenezer; hither by thy help I'm come;"

What's an Ebenezer?  If you look it up in the dictionary, it's a "stone of help," and in terms of the gospel, the dictionary is not very far off.  The word Ebenezer comes from two Hebrew words meaning "help" and "stone." What the dictionary fails to mention (unless you have dictionary that discusses the history of words--I would love that dictionary if you have one, by the way) is the biblical use of this word.  Samuel once raised a stone at Mizpeh, the site where God's people were victorious over the Philistines.  He called this stone Ebenezer, a stone meant to remind the people of God's help in their victory in battle, and as such, their success in reclaiming the Arc of the Covenant.

If you read 1 Samuel, you'll realize that the Israelites actually lost many battles to the Philistines before they were able to reclaim the Arc of the Covenant.  So it is with our lives, and so it signifies in this hymn.  We raise our Ebenezer after we've won.  This line talks about the end of our mortal life, when we raise our commemorative Help Stone and acknowledge that we've come as far as we have with the Lord's help.  It's a powerful line.  So is the rest of this hymn.

One more line and question for my mom:

"Let thy goodness, like a fetter, bind my wandering heart to thee."

What's a fetter?  This is an easier answer.  You know those shackles people put on prisoners' feet?  Those shackles are fetters.  Doesn't sound like something you'd ask someone to put on you, right?  But if you love the Lord enough, you'd want to bind your heart to him, especially if it wandered a lot.  I don't remember much about what the Choir Director told me about this part of the song, but I can't help thinking that the Lord wouldn't shackle us to him, even if we begged.  Referring to doctrine about the Premortal Life and the Plan of Salvation, shackles would've been a tactic Satan used.  I don't even think the Lord would put us on a leash.  He eventually needs to depend on us and count on our decisions.  It's a beautiful expression, to say that you fear wandering so much that you are willing to wear shackles so He can keep you better, but He needs us to make our own decisions, to choose to cleave to Him even when we feel ourselves wandering.  Otherwise, His plan means nothing.  So instead of giving him permission to force you to stay with him,

Choose to Cleave.

I'm not new to blogging--I've been doing it for quite a while now, and there have been times when I've created posts that included beliefs of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.  That's because I'm a member of that church.