Heaven and Earth

About ten days ago my cousin's daughter was killed in a bus accident. She was the band director at a Utah high school and was returning with the band from a competition in Idaho. When the bus driver blacked out and the bus headed off the road, she tried to take control of the bus and was ejected. Several students were injured, Heather was the only one who died.
Just over two years ago our family went through a similar experience. Rick's friend and business partner was killed in a helicopter accident. Rick came to stay with us for several days; days filled with shock, grief, and heartbreak, it was probably the most difficult thing he had ever dealt with.
We spent a lot of time praying with him, relying on the mercy and love of the Savior to give comfort and understanding.

I love this statement by Elder John H Groberg ~

There is a connection between heaven and earth -
Finding it makes everything meaningful, including death.
Missing it makes everything meaningless, including life.

I am so grateful to know that life goes on after death, that this life is just one part of our loving Father's plan for our happiness. Although death always brings unbelievable sorrow and heartbreak, it is tempered by the peace and love of Jesus Christ who stands waiting for us to turn to him in our times of need. He is the one sure source of comfort, understanding, and peace. Rarely does our problem disappear when we turn to him, but always he offers to bear it with us.

The Book of Mormon

A few days ago I finished the reading the Book of Mormon again. This time it took about a year and a half; I looked up cross references and the meaning of words, and wrote thoughts and impressions I had.

I love the Book of Mormon ~ the more I read and study it, the more precious it is to me. I love the witness it is for my Savior, the many testimonies it contains about his gospel, his plan for our happiness. I love the way I feel when I read, when I think about those people who lived so long ago, yet loved and obeyed the same God I love and try to obey. I learn from their struggles and am encouraged by their victories and successes.
Here are just some of my favorite parts of this amazing book.

King Benjamin and his people lived about 125 BC, he taught his people about the coming of Christ. (Mosiah 3 is beautiful). I especially love the part where the people respond to the king's teachings of the coming of Christ and his mission, Mosiah 4:1-3, and 5:1-5.

Abinadi was called to preach repentance to a wicked people. He was taken before King Noah and questioned. He bore a powerful testimony of Jesus Christ; he was then threatened with death unless he would recall his words. When he refused to deny his words, he was beaten and burned at the stake. Mosiah 13:1-7; 14; 17:5-10,13-20.

Ammon who had at one time been an enemy to the church, became a great missionary, much like Paul in the New Testament. He labored among the Lamanites, the enemy of his people, for 14 years (Alma 17-26). In Alma 26 he expresses his feelings about being an instrument in the hands of the Lord to bring others to Christ.

Captain Moroni was a righteous military leader who loved freedom, and ‘did not delight in bloodshed’. He reminded his people that some things are worth dying for, ‘...our God, our religion, and freedom, and our peace, our wives, and our children’ (Alma 46:12). Two of my favorite passages about him are Alma 46:10-13, and 48:10-13.

Mormon and Moroni ~ These two men, father and son, are examples of enduring, being true to our testimony of the Savior under all circumstances. They witnessed the fulfilling of prophecy, much wickedness and hard heartedness, and finally the total destruction of their society. Some very poignant and touching passages are Mormon 8:1-7, and Moroni 1.
And I love that Moroni was the one who was chosen to tell Joseph Smith about the ancient record he had buried in the hill so many years before, about 420 AD.

I can’t leave out a few of my favorite verses from the book.
2 Nephi 25:26 we talk of Christ...
Jacob 7:10-12 three sources of truth identified
Ether 12:27 seek this Jesus
3 Nephi 9-28 the Savior visits the Book of Mormon people
1 Nephi 18:3 Nephi prays often and receives divine knowledge
Alma 32:28 the gospel is delicious
Alma 36:6-22 the mighty change

I invite you to read these passages, and share your favorites with me.

I share with you my witness that the Book of Mormon is true, it contains the gospel of Jesus Christ. It is another witness that living according to the teachings of our Savior brings blessings and happiness, and that salvation in available to all of us only through his name.

what we have been doing lately

Last week Dave and I were invited to have dinner with several couples we know from our Provo ward. It was a fun evening, so good to reconnect with such great friends.

This is Dave's mom's cousin Linda. We met her one morning on our daily walk as we wandered through the city cemetary. She was parked by Dave's mom's families graves so we asked about her family and made the connection. She visited at our house and we compared genealogy information and family pictures.
Who knew we would meet family here when we moved to Spanish Fork?

Mostly we spend time with Cache. He is so much fun, and he gets all our hugs and kisses, in place of all the other grandbabies who are so far away.

the wisdom of Abraham Lincoln

"You cannot help the poor by destroying the rich. You cannot strengthen the weak by weakening the strong. You cannot bring about prosperity by discouraging thrift. You cannot lift the wage earner up by pulling the wage payer down. You cannot further the brotherhood of man by inciting class hatred. You cannot build character and courage by taking away people's initiative and independence. You cannot help people permanently by doing for them, what they could and should do for themselves."

Abraham Lincoln

I LOVE this statement by one of our greatest presidents, we need more men and women like him.

Prophets

I love to read the accounts of the prophets in the scriptures. Their stories are inspiring and hold much personal application for me. I marvel at the job the Lord gave them: they preached repentance, they spoke the words of the Lord, they often went to unreceptive people who mistreated and even killed them. They delivered divine guidance to the people to meet the challenges of their time.

Noah warned the people of his day about the Flood, and called them to repentance that they might be saved.
Adam was able to bear witness of the reality of God and his Son, taught his children to love the Lord, and to obey his commandments.
Joseph was able to interpret the dreams of the Pharoah, and helped Egypt prepare for seven years of famine, saving his own fathers family in the process.
Moses was responsive to the call of the Lord and returned to Egypt to free Israel and return to their God. During forty years in the wilderness, he was a spokesman for God to his people, performing miracles that they might leave Egypt behind and embrace the true and living God.

How grateful I am to live in a time when there is a prophet to lead, to warn, and to speak for the Lord. Every spring and fall we are able to hear the counsel of those who have been chosen as ‘prophets, seers, and revelators’ in our time during General Conference.
This Saturday and Sunday will be full of divine counsel, and sacred teaching. I invite all to take this opportunity to hear the words of modern day prophets, to feel the power and authority they have to speak for the Lord, to have personal sacred experiences as their words sink deep into our hearts. Moroni promises us in his closing words of the Book of Mormon that by the power of the Holy Ghost we can know the truth of all things. I know that all who prayerfully listen to the words of these men, with a soft heart and true desire to know, will know that they are true.

In the book of Amos we read, “Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets.” (Amos 3:7) The promises of the Lord are sure, He does have a prophet on earth today to reveal His will to us.
General Conference is available on BYUTV and KBYUTV; also on the internet at generalconference.lds.org.
The sessions are held Saturday and Sunday, Oct 3 & 4 at 10 AM and 2 PM, lasting 2 hours each.

It has become a tradition that we have Butterscotch Rolls every Conference weekend.
Here is the recipe, they are pretty good.

Butterscotch Rolls
1 small package butterscotch pudding
1½ cups milk
2 Tablespoons yeast
¼ cup warm water
1 Tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons salt
2 eggs
½ cup butter
4½-5cups flour
Cook pudding with the milk; bring to a boil then cool. Soften yeast in water; add sugar. Mix salt, eggs and butter into yeast. Add pudding and flour; stir well. This will be very sticky, just cover with oil and a cloth and let rise for 1½ hours.
Divide dough into 3 equal parts. Roll to circle shape and spread each with 1/3 of filling. Cut pizza style into 12 pieces; roll up from wide end. Place on greased cookie sheet and let rise 30-40 minutes. Bake at 375° for 10-12 minutes. Spread with icing while still warm.
Makes 3 dozen rolls (a Christmas tradition)
Filling:
½ cup brown sugar
½ cup butter, softened
2/3 cup shredded or flaked coconut
2 Tablespoons flour
Mix all ingredients well.
Icing:
2 Tablespoons butter
½ cup brown sugar
¼ cup water
1½ cups powdered sugar
Stir all ingredients together until smooth.

A great Sunday

Yesterday I had the privilege of being part of a Relief Society Leadership meeting. I got to speak for about 5 minutes about the importance of keeping records for this wonderful women's organization.
After much thought, and more than a little prayer, this is what I came up with.

I read some favorite scriptures about the role that the Savior offers to play in our lives.
Isaiah 53:5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities; the chatisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.
Matthew 11:29 Come unto me, all ye that are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
Matthew 18:11 ...the Son of man is come to save that which is lost
Luke 4:18 ...he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted...
2 Nephi 2:9 ...he shall make intercession for all the children of men
Revelation 1:5 ...him that loved us, and washed us from our sins with his own blood.
Isaiah 49:15-16 Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee. Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands...

I then told about dad's heart attack and surgery. I explained how we joined as a family in fasting and prayer the night before the surgery, and then waited together the next morning as the by-pass surgery was performed. When he was back in the ICU, connected to all the tubes, wires, monitors, etc. we again prayed as a family, surrounding his bed, to end our fast, and to thank our Father for the peace we felt, the successful surgery, and to ask Him for continued blessings on our dad, that his recovery would be complete. We had trusted a man whom we did not know with the life of our father, knowing that his heart needed to be repaired, and that this man could do it.
Sometimes we find someone that we love, a friend, neighbor, family member, or even maybe ourselves, with a hard, broken, or doubting heart. Then we are invited to turn to the Master Surgeon, He who can heal, soften, touch, and even change our hearts.
The purpose of the Relief Society is to turn women and families to Christ. We keep records of who attends our meetings, who gets visited monthly by their visiting teachers, and who attends our sacrament meetings, so that we may more effectively point our sisters to Him. We know that He is the source of peace, happiness, cleanliness, forgiveness, and worthiness. If we are to find these things in their lives, we must turn to Him.
I closed with a relating a sweet experience I had earlier that day. On Saturday night I attended the annual General Relief Society broadcast from Salt Lake City, and was surprised to see a young woman, Martha, who I met years ago in McCall, give the opening prayer. I felt excited, knowing that this wonderful woman who I heard pour out her heart to the Lord in prayer in this meeting being broadcast worldwide, knows me. As I sat in Sacrament meeting yesterday, thinking of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, and all it provides for me, and the cost to Him and to our Father that this gift might be offered, a sweet thought came into my mind. As thrilled as I was to see Martha the night before, and know that she knew me, I was struck with amazement that the God of the universe, Jesus Christ, knows me even better. I told the women in the leadership meeting that I had come to know that the Lord loves me, that he knows me, my heart, my joys and sorrows, as I have knelt by my bed in prayer.
I am so grateful for the knowledge I have of Jesus Christ, for my testimony of his redeeming and saving power. I am grateful that he was willing and able to rescue me, and make me clean, and worthy to return to my Father some day.

Economic security

This is a small excerpt from the speech by Ezra Taft Benson, the whole thing is wonderful, just what our country needs right now. He explains very clearly how to judge any proposed legislation, distinguishing that which preserves freedom from that which takes it away. I highly recommend reading or watching the whole thing, you will be glad you did. The links are on my last post.

Economic security for all is impossible without widespread abundance. Abundance is impossible without industrious and efficient production. Such production is impossible without energetic, willing and eager labor. This is not possible without incentive.

Of all forms of incentive - the freedom to attain a reward for one’s labors is the most sustaining for most people. Sometimes called THE PROFIT MOTIVE, it is simply the right to plan and to earn and to enjoy the fruits of your labor.

This profit motive DIMINISHES as government controls, regulations and taxes INCREASE to deny the fruits of success to those who produce. Therefore, any attempt THROUGH GOVERNMENTAL INTERVENTION to redistribute the material rewards of labor can only result in the eventual destruction of the productive base of society, without which real abundance and security for more than the ruling elite is quite impossible.