Category Archives: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Saturday Morning Conference WOW

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We just returned home from a road trip to Palmyra, New York, and Kirtland, Ohio. I felt so strongly the testimony I have that Joseph Smith was called to be a prophet.

I also finished reading the newly published book The Saints, which is about the early history of the church. And then I just tuned in to the first session of general conference. I was struck by how quickly the Spirit confirmed to me that President Russell M. Nelson is the prophet for this day and age.

The new change right off the bat is that our church meetings are going to be shorter….two hours instead of the 3-hour block. My mind and heart is so full right now. So hard to think through all that is swirling through my mind.

I’ve been so overcome this week by the changing roles of motherhood throughout the history of the church. I’m talking about this new dispensation as started by Joseph Smith. I’m also feeling I should take notes on what I hear so that I can process all my thoughts.

Elder Rasband focuses on overcoming fear in this day and age and our need to stand in Holy Places. Perfect love casteth out all fear. This day is full of temptations and discouragement. His message is perfectly timely because as I listened to President Nelson’s encouragement to  make our home a place of gospel learning. I felt a twinge of fear. All the difficult things the early Saints faced came right after amazing revelations about God and spiritual blessings. Right now there is such an outpouring of blessings and inspiration coming to us.

What will happen in the next years? To prepare for the coming of the Savior? Our society is going to get more and more difficult. Can I keep the spirit in my home? Can I teach my kids what they need to learn?

“You must!” realized Elder Spencer W. Kimball when he worried upon his call to the Council of the Twelve. He had to rely on the Lord for the strength he needed to be worthy and qualified. We need to do the same. I can’t let fear get the best of me.

Elder Bednar brings up ropes, just as I did in my lesson last month. Even ordinary materials can be made strong when combined. His reminder is that our Sunday meeting schedule is not shortened….it’s rearranging our time so we can better make the Sabbath a delight. We need to work on converting our hearts in our homes.

Checklists for our Sabbath may distract us from yielding our hearts unto God. Focus on what is most important. Focus on the Savior. We need to become a unified, complete whole. For example, fourth Article of Faith shows how all things are combined in one for Christ.  All of the revelations of the last 40 years are comprehensive to make a stronger homes and conversion to the gospel of Jesus Christ. It is all one great world-wide work.

President Dallin H. Oaks counsels us to not listen to popular stars to get our information when we conduct a search. “Priestcraft” may be found from the wrong sources. Use qualified sources that are free from selfish motivations. Use spiritual resources when searching for truth. Secular teachings can be self-inflicted spiritual blindness. Scientific truth is not all of life. Consider spiritual truth, by study and by faith. Don’t put your souls at risk.

He reminds us that restored gospel truths should be considered carefully. Reread the Proclamation to the World on the Family. God has given us His plan. The family is ordained of God. Mortal life is safe to us.

So why all this? I don’t think our generation really is any better than those in Joseph’s day. His work and the line by line learning they experienced from New York to Ohio to Missouri to Illinois to Utah was what they needed. I read the revelations from the Doctrine and Covenants and I know that they were not any more privileged to revelation than we are. Our prophet is just as amazingly in tuned to revelation in our day.

So if these revelations are just as significant as those Joseph and Sidney Rigdon had (in Sec 76 for example), then WOW. That was teaching doctrine. This is showing us what we need to do to live the doctrine.

So much to think about.

 

Paul’s Christmas Primary Talk

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Paul’s assignment was “Jesus Christ is the Son of God.” He told me what to write and I wrote it verbatim. Then he read it. (Yes, he actually read my sloppy cursive/print combo writing.) He didn’t want to change anything. He had to draw a few pictures himself because he knew just what he wanted and did not find the picture he liked! I found his picture of the king sitting on his throne telling people to pay taxes to be amusing.


I was proud to hear my son bear his testimony to his primary peers yesterday!

P.S. Yes, there are Nauvoo pictures and videos to show. But with Christmas decorating, working on making Christmas presents, getting sick again, and a failed computer hard drive and the necessary re-install and recovery, it’s been a busy few weeks.

A Family Trip to Palmyra

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We’ve been wanting to do something special as a family. With the Memorial Day weekend, we especially searched for the right thing. Ryan felt inspired to take our family on a trip to Kirtland and Palmyra so off we went on Thursday afternoon.We came back Monday.

It was a whirlwind of a trip. Paul and Caroline did great on the way East but I’m sure no one would be surprised to learn that the long drive back Sunday night and Monday was long. Caroline spent most of the trip through Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois on Monday screaming because she was mad to still be in the car. We took lots of breaks and she still was pretty mad. I didn’t put her in the carseat again until Wednesday afternoon but as soon as I did she started screaming again! I think she’s calmed down for now, because she’s been okay since then. Paul did well but got pretty tired of that car!

Our visit in Kirtland and Palmyra was a perfect amount of time. Paul was very excited to see the Sacred Grove. The week before we went, he told everyone. (This provided some interesting missionary moments for me. How great that a family vacation lets me explain to people what Mormonism is, and why we find it so important that the heaven are open to prophets in this era, just as in the past!)

Paul did tire of the old houses and lengthy sister missionary tours, so we did not see everything in Kirtland or Palmyra. We did see the Kirtland Temple with a Community of Christ tour and the N.K. Whitney store and house in Kirtland, and in Palmyra we saw Joseph Smith’s log home, the frame house, the Sacred Grove, the Grandin print building where The Book of Mormon was first published, and the Hill Cumorah statue. (I dropped my camera at the Hill Cumorah, breaking the lens, so the only pictures we have from that are those Paul took.)

The trip was just what we needed to create memories as a family. I think Paul now has a frame of reference. Although not everything will remain memorable, I suspect he will not forget that he has seen where Joseph Smith prayed.

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Here are some of the pictures Paul took. He played with the camera as we drove, so he had tons of pictures of Caroline (who was right next to him). My favorite is the ultimate bored look in the second picture of my baby.

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Paul’s First Primary Talk

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The subject Paul was given for his talk was “Jesus Christ is my Savior and Redeemer.” We got our favorite pictures of Jesus from the gospel art kit, Mommy put it in order, and to help herself, she wrote the words of Paul’s talk on a paper on the back. To her surprise, Paul was reading the words on the back. Here is Paul’s talk for Sunday.

We watched this video together and Paul said, “Mommy, I want to follow Jesus.” Yes, dear. I do too!

What Makes a Prayer a Prayer?

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The other day, Paul, who is obsessed with the ABCs and sings the “ABC Song” a dozen times a day, said he’d say the prayer for lunch.

“This is the new prayer, Mommy.” And then, in the melody of the ABCs, he continued, “ABCDEFG, Thank you, God, for everything.”

“That’s not reverent, dear.” I responded. “We don’t joke about prayers. That sounds like the ABC song to me.”

“But that’s my prayer,” he insisted, frowning when I asked him again to say a proper prayer.

Today, when I dropped him off at preschool, I was telling his teacher about the ABC Book he made, and how he just loves the ABCs.

“Oh, we have a new snack prayer they just love,” she said. Then she sang the song I’d heard from Paul, except at the end it said, “Thank you, God, for feeding me.”

“Oh, I get it now!” I responded, “Paul had told me that but I hadn’t believed it was a prayer.”

“Oh, well, it has the ‘Thank you, God’ so it is the snack prayer,” she responded.

And since then, I’ve been pondering prayer. Does really saying “Thank you, God” make something a prayer? To me, a casual “Thank God” sounds like taking his name in vain. People say that all the time, and how often are they sincerely thanking him?

That said, everyone prays differently, and I certainly don’t believe God ignores sincere prayers. The Lutheran service that my son sang at during the fall was a “contemporary” service, with a rock band. Yet, I still felt the spirit as I listened to the pastor talking about how we can all be more loving to each other. Just because something is done with a different degree of reverence does not mean there is no spirit or sincerity.

But to my sensibilities, it is irreverent. In my home, I don’t want my son praying by singing an ABC Song prayer that sounds like it’s using God’s name in vain. I want him to bow his head, close his eyes, and pour out his own words of thanks to his Heavenly Father, speaking to him as the son of God that he is. I don’t want my son sitting at the piano, making up a melody for a song with the only lyrics being “God, God, God.” (He wanted to sing that for Family Home Evening this week.) To me, that is irreverent. I’d rather he sing of his relationship with his Heavenly Father through primary songs.

I just signed him up for his second year of preschool at the Lutheran preschool he’s been going to. Now I’m wondering if he’s just going to be confused. He’s already learned the distinction that, “At home I pray to Heavenly Father, but at preschool I pray to Jesus.”

Is learning reverence for our Heavenly Father, especially during prayer, something I should worry about? I do want him to learn the gospel of Jesus Christ correctly, and maybe the Lutheran influence will only confuse him.

Thoughts on Presidents Gordon B. Hinckley and Thomas S. Monson

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Oh! How I loved President Hinckley! When Paul said he wanted to watch the October 2007 General Conference, I was excited to hear my beloved prophet speak once again. October 2007 was his last conference. He died in January 2008. October 2007 conference was the conference I watched as I was in labor. It is a special conference for me.

But is was so interesting that now, even though I still got a feeling of love when I saw him get up at the podium, I no longer got that warm tingly feeling inside when I saw him speak and heard his voice. That warm testimony now goes to President Monson, and it came when the camera panned over him.

It was amazing how seeing President Hinckley speaking felt so different, but it is a comfort to know that I do have a testimony of President Monson. He is the prophet for our day. God lets me know.

General Conference Revisited

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I mentioned on my blog how I was impressed by how much of General Conference Paul understood. Sunday afternoon I found out just how much more than I realized.

We’ve decided to make Sunday afternoon a “Church movie” afternoon. This means that Paul can only watch movies about the scriptures or church history: essentially, he can watch any of the dozen church DVDs that we have. Now, these are not normally geared toward three year olds, but it’s motivation to do other things on Sunday afternoons. Normally, Paul wants to watch the “Temple movie” (The Mountain of the Lord”) because he loves to see the temple (and not just in song).

The other day, I was listing the titles of all the movies he could watch and he didn’t seem interested in any of them. I came to the end of them and noticed we had October 2007 General Conference on DVD. I mentioned “Or you could watch General Conference from a few years ago.”

Suddenly there was interest. “Yes, I want to watch General Conference!” Paul exclaimed.

“OK,” I said, not expecting this to last very long.

Well, he got through the opening song and then President Hinckley got up to talk and Paul kept watching. And then they were panning through the other general authorities and I heard Paul get excited again.

“Look! It’s President Monson! And Look! It’s President Eyring!”

Now, I knew Paul knew the prophet. But the only way he could have learned President Eyring was through the fact that President Eyring had spoken at General Conference and he heard his name a few times. He remembered.

So never underestimate a three-year-old. They are listening.

(And in case you are wondering, I think Paul got through one more song before he’d had enough.)

Reflections On General Conference

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Semi-annual and annual General Conference is a touchstone each April and October. As I turn on the computer and tune in to prophet’s messages, I find myself reflecting on where we were six months ago, a year ago, two years ago.

Three years ago, on a Sunday morning, I was in labor. I awoke at 3 a.m. Melbourne time, finally waking Ryan up at 5 a.m., just as the morning session of Saturday conference was beginning (or ending?) in Salt Lake City. I watched the majority of the session on the internet as I curled up in laboring ball on the bed and as I paced the bedroom back and forth. I was not feeling very well and I don’t remember much, but I do remember Elder Cook was called that session. I got through most of the session, then we called our parents and told them we were headed to the hospital. A few hours later (at 3:13 p.m. Melbourne time), Paul was born, just about midnight in the USA.

Two years ago, Paul celebrated his first birthday at Grandma and Grandpa’s house. I turned on my computer and we watched it on my little screen in my parent’s family room. Paul was a new walker, happy to giggle and play with toys and listen to the songs. He was very tired when we had birthday cake in between sessions.

Last October, we had invited some friends to come to our house for dinner and conference. But then Ryan and I and Paul were a bit sick and we canceled. I don’t recall that we really watched much. We were sick a year ago April, too. I know because we had invited the same friends and had to cancel. Ah well, some years are more memorable than others. I don’t think it was very memorable with toddler-Paul.

This year, Paul gets it. He recognized the prophet and I borrowed Frank and Elizabeth’s idea and had a few key words we are listening for: Temples, the Book of Mormon, and Prophets. When he heard each one he would get to put a sticker on the page. He lasted through a bit of each conference and even when he’d be playing with his toys and we’d think he wasn’t listening, he’d suddenly stop and say, “Alma in the Book of Mormon! I get a Book of Mormon sticker!” And he’d stop playing to put a sticker (or three) on the Book of Mormon page.

This is a testimony to me that it is never too young to give full attention and expectation on your kids. They are listening to the prophet even when you may not think so. Beyond that, they recognize the spirit and the mantle on the shoulders of those who have been called.

It was a few months ago that, at a baptism, Paul saw the Bishop on the side of the room and said, with barely contained excitement, “Mommy! Look! It’s that guy!!!”

“Oh, do you see the Bishop?” I asked. Our bishop is not very outgoing and talkative unless he has a reason to be, so I was quite surprised that Paul had noticed the Bishop as someone special. But, seeing it as a good opportunity, I walked him over, had him shake the Bishop’s hand, and told Paul that the Bishop was special because he was called of God to serve the ward.

Ever since then, Paul has always been very, very excited to see the Bishop, and always wants to shake his hand. At another baptism last month, he saw the Bishop and I again walked him over to shake the Bishop’s hand.

“Yes, it’s the Bishop!” I said.

The Bishop heard me. “One of many,” he responded.

“But the only one of our ward.” I said. I told him how I was sure Paul had a testimony of his calling as Bishop. He got tears in his eyes.

Yes, our children have the spirit. They know.

The New Mormon.org

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I made a profile for the new Mormon.org. Have you?

Go to http://mormonorg.lds.org/profile to set up your profile. Log in with your lds.org site login. (Obviously, this is just for members of the church to log in to. You need your membership number if you don’t already have an lds.org account.)

I think this is a nice way for people to put their social networking to good use. I don’t know how many people (if any) will view my profile out of the thousands of interesting profiles on Mormon.org, but it’s nice to know I’m doing something. I look forward to adding much, much more. It feels so good to bear testimony of what I know to be true.