Tax Time...Ain't it Grand!

I began this month with the anticipation of beating myself out of procrastination and settling in for a couple of night of getting everything ready for when all my paperwork had arrived through the mail. You see, every year I wait till the last possible second then in some kind of crazy rush that usually leads to a angry rage of hating the government and all those extra forms, I find myself e-filing at midnight April 15th, or the day after and paying a fee. This year I was ahead of the program, I have everything ready to go, I use TurboTax, and have for several years...believe it or not it works great . Anyhow I got all my papers ready to go, the last one's I was waiting on came in the mail yesterday, so tonight I sat down and began filing.....everything looks good, almost done get to the end...press the button that says (e-file) and bam.............seems the IRS is in the middle of revamping one of the forms I have to file for my child support and therefor I can't file yet. They will let me know via e-mail as soon as possible as to when I can file..LOL I about went nuts! But hey I guess its better than procrastinating.

salvation through prayer

I read the blog of a dear friend of mine often and never have I been more amazed or inspired as when reading hers! I can't understand sometimes why we as Latter-Day saints struggle so much with things the way we do. Perhaps it is because Satan would like nothing more than to see us fail at everything we do . I understand that as we understand the gospel more clearly we are more at risk of being tempted...at least it seams this way for me. I seem to fall short in areas where I work the hardest to perfect, maybe I set my goals to high or maybe I just don't try hard enough . Either way I can understand the struggles that people go through. With all things we stand in need of we can call upon the name of the Lord for strength...my problem seems to be I don't cry out enough. So with that thought in mind I feel as though this a good place to stop and just say, that in all things we can find strength through prayer and fasting. I think I will go and pray. May God Bless us all.

Mighty Change

Although we are in store for some big changes I feel inspired to say that I feel our new President Barack Obama will do a good job! I know that his views and the general Christian movement throughout the world do not agree on the same principles, but I still feel inspired that his being in office will bring about great change in this nation. One can only hope that as the time arises when our morals are under fire that those who will stand , do stand when they need to .

As we have been instructed and from the deepest parts of my soul, I know that it is very important to be praying for President Obama. Our Prophet Thomas S. Monson and those that have stood before him as Prophet, Seer, and Revelator to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints have always stated that we are to sustain our elected officials and pray that God will guide them in leading us. Never in history have we needed to be praying more than we are right now!

With the world in such religious and economic turmoil, we as Christians need to be at our best when it comes to praying. Oh I know that many do always pray and you may even say this doesn't apply to me, but I would like you to consider a few points of view that may not be your own. The fact that President Obama is an African American is huge, not only for the demolition of racism and segregation, but in the eyes of every person, nation, and country, will his entire family and himself be under a microscope. Ever step he takes, every decision, and word that is uttered from his lips will be under review, and persecution. This President will be watched and anything that he says will be used against him by those that only know hate and deceitfulness in there hearts. We as people today have an opportunity to put away hatred towards people of other nationalities forever and we as Christians have that solemn responsibility to not only do so but set an example to those around us.

We don't have to agree with all that the President stands for but we do need to stand behind him and do our parts to go to the one that can guide him ....God, through whom all things are made possible. If things go our way in the upcoming decisions made by those elected to office, understand that God allowed that to happen and thank Him, if things happen in the near future that we don't agree with by way of those elected to office, understand that God allowed that to happen and thank Him. We don't always have to understand why things happen the way they do, but as Christians we do have to understand that God is in charge and for His reasons things are as they are. If we choose to listen and do as we are instructed by our Father in Heaven and allow His will to be done, not ours, then we will be at peace no matter what may come.

May the Lord bless our new President and his family and may he be guided and directed by the Holy Ghost, that his decisions we be in conjunction with the Almighty. I can only pray.....with great faith.

Common Topics

The subject of both growth and mercy seems to be big topics in not only my blog, but also the blog of a dear friend of mine. I get to thinking about these topics and think about all the wonderful opportunities we have to grow from the struggles of day to day life. Even upon the most dreadful things that we are forced to over come and learn from , with each struggle comes those two same things , growth and mercy.

Our Father in heaven , and His son Jesus Christ are always there for us, one pleading the cause the other helping us along, both with the same out come in mind, They sit upon there holy thrones and hope that we as children of God will make the correct choice to help someone, or show compassion on another, or follow the promptings of the Holy Spirit, hopefully strive to follow the commandments to the tee. I can't say for sure, because I haven't yet sat and talked to God the Father, but I am pretty sure that when we don't do the things that we should be doing, it hurts Him. In Genesis 6:6 it states " And it repented the Lord that He had made man on Earth, and it grieved Him at His heart " And this was at the time of Noah, can you imagine. He already knows what the future looks like and here we are in the infancy stage of humanity and already He is suffering from our iniquities!

As I thought about that point of view, and it made my struggles seem a little less huge! I want to understand my Father in Heaven enough to know before I do something that might grieve Him to His heart, that I choose not too. That, for some, can mean a little changing to be better, for other, a large need of improvement. Either way we all need to aspire to be Christ like and that's why we have things like growth and mercy, and honestly we can't make it without them.

The growth aspect for me is evident in ever choice I make and this applies to all. We all choose to look at things any way we see fit, our agency was a gift for just this purpose. I try my best , and not always do, but I try to look at challenges as a spiritual stepping stone, for every step that requires a struggle, is just one more step towards righteousness. And without His tender mercy we would never make it out of bed in the morning. I can't even tell you how many times I have fallen short, and although I struggle, His tender mercy allows me to grow from those struggles and pick my self back up, the Savior stretching out His hand and offering the mercy of forgiveness, and no matter how great or small, repentance is always there for us. Something that is definitely a mercy from God himself and not to be procrastinated, "do not procrastinate the day of your repentance until the the end" Alma 34:33.

Both of these gift are wonderful to have in our lives! We are all so fortunate to have a Father in Heaven that can look down upon us with love and knowing all that has transpired in our lives from day to day, even those things that grieve Him to his heart, can show us how to grow and share His infinite mercy. When I can read a passage out of the scriptures that tells me that God's feelings were hurt or that He wept, it truly makes it all the more possible to view him as He was intended to be seen ...............as a Father.

Tender Mercy

Today I was working in one of the Lord's buildings that I tend to and felt, as I do often, to go and look at something up in the furnace room near the gymnasium. I entered the room, tended to the thermostats and noticed that one of the settings was not correct. After adjusting it to the correct settings I realized that that particular furnace was not working. Now today was one of those days where I was supposed to be able to quit early and be home in time that Hope could get some sleep before she had to go to work at 6:00pm for a 12 hour shift, so a broken furnace, that by the way I did not have parts for on my truck, " shame on me", was going to put a damper on my schedule. I took a minute to think and ponder what to do....... I knew what was wrong and could fix it easy enough with the correct part, but the parts were 45 minutes away in Toledo. It was already 11:30 and I needed to get home to help with the baby and get the kids from school.

I said a short but direct prayer and the answer came..... " go get the parts, go home and go back later to fix it". I followed the promptings just as I had to go up there in the first place. It had started to snow and pretty heavily, I was concerned with lunch time traffic and for heading down the interstate from Bowling Green to down town Toledo was gonna be hectic. Before I left the parking lot I was on the phone to the supply house as to the availability of the parts I was in need of and sure enough they had 1, only 1! "Not a very hot Item" the salesman told me, so I said to him "well I am in Bowling Green, I'll be there as soon as I can". When I walked through the door, the guy behind the counter looked at me funny and said "I thought you were in B. G. when you called?", I said "I was "and he said "boy that didn,t take you very long"! I didn't have any traffic at all in fact that was the fastest I had ever made it there and I didn't speed! I grabbed the parts , had him order me 2 more for stock on the truck, and headed for home. When I walked through the door it was 1:15! Now I swear that I was not speeding at all. Were talking , B.G. to Sylvania & Jackman in Toledo, to Home in Liberty Center in 1hr 45min, with parts. Seemed hard to believe and then I thanked my Father in Heaven for His Help and Protection and anything else He helped with.

So the time came to go back and fix my furnace, I asked the boys if either would like to go and Connor said he would. When we arrived at the Church we took in the tools and parts and went right to work. Everything went smooth the furnace fired right up and we were able to look around the church. I showed Connor all around and showed him all the cool mechanical rooms even those ones that are up in the ceilings that most members don't even know exist, he just loved it! Then we went into to look around in the chapel, and he was in aw of the size verses our branch chapel. We looked around and then I said let us go up to the front and have a prayer, he said ok. Went up and knelt down in the very front, as I do much of the time when I am either enter or leaving a building, and I spoke a simple prayer and thanked our Father for giving safety, and skill, and for providing with safety as we drove in the wintry conditions. When I finished I looked at Connor, and there in his little eyes were tears, I asked Him "can you feel the Spirit of the Lord" and he said "That's why eyes are wet". I told him that that was God speaking to him In the presence of His Son in His house, and that we were fortunate to be able to feel that , I then explained that Those Buildings are Jehovah's and He is there if you only have enough faith to believe it. Through simple expression of innocents, my little treasure of a Son says "Oh I know He's here."

I never cease to be amazed at the infinite Power of God! He is truly mindful of our every need, whether it be time, availability, or comfort in knowing your children know, He is always there. His tender mercy's are always available if we but have the faith to believe! I cant help but feel that the reason I needed to go back tonight was for a purpose greater than my comprehension!

UNITED !

With the days filled with struggles more and more for everyone in the world, times really start to look dim. I have been thinking much lately about the concept of sharing the Gospel of Jesus the Christ with people and how the things we do and say impact those around us. It amazes me most when I think of how ridicules it is for all of us out there that claim the title of Christian but don't act like Christ. I feel that we as Christians should be more willing to support others in there attempts at being good Christian people instead of allowing doctrinal principles to get in our way. I am in no way saying that I would share the Gospel any different that I do now, as a stalwart Mormon , ordained to the office of Elder, I am saying that we should attempt to be more understanding of one another's religious beliefs. Those who know me, know that my parents and brother and I do not see eye to eye on religious belief very often, but I got to thinking about our differences and came to some conclusions. I realized that they do not have to believe the same way as I do to have a place in the eternities, I realize that our understanding of what the eternities are going to be like is very different, but we both believe that there is an eternity with Jesus to those that believe on His name. We all pray generally in the same fashion, with honest intent and a heart full of faith " hopefully" that the things we pray for will be heard. I know that we all, " those claiming to be Christian" believe that Jesus is the Christ and that His Atonement set us free from the bond of death , and that He is now with His Father in the eternities.

There are plenty of generalized similarities to our beliefs, it is our own attitudes towards one another that separates us as people. We are all children of our Heavenly Father, no matter where we choose to worship. I feel that we as Latter-Day Saints need to reach out more to our brethren of different faiths and let them know that we are here to testify of Christ and that we bring a similar message to all those willing to listen. The fact that we as Christian everywhere choose to slander one another for the religious beliefs is childish and not Christ-like at all, Satan plots us against one another by feeding on instigating thoughts and slanderous words. As we allow ourselves to get caught up in mocking people of other Christian Beliefs, or talking out against there doctrinal views then we are allowing Satan into the very core of Christ's central location, the temple that we call bodies. If we are the body of Christ then we had better be acting more like Christ! Christ would have never turned away from His fellow man merely because they thought differently than He did. He was the greatest teacher the world has ever known, and his basic message was how to return to our Father in Heaven.

The fact that we as Latter-Day Saints are fortunate to have the true Gospel, as Christ Himself had original set up on the Earth is magnificent! We are very fortunate to have the revealed words of The Book of Mormon, another witness of Jesus Christ and His teachings to another set of his Sheep which were not of His fold in Jerusalem, but upon the American continents. To be able read from the Doctrine and Covenants and Pearl of Great Price, scripture given through a modern day Prophet, is a wonderful gift to have. To be part of a His true Church reestablished, today , led by a Prophet, His councilors, and a Quorum of Twelve Apostles is beyond magnificent it is heavenly in all aspects of the word! We are fortunate, we are blessed and we are a gifted, chosen people of God. It is our duty to share the Gospel with those we come into contact with, however we need not take offense to those that choose not to believe, for some day they will come to know as we do, that the truth is revealed through the Prophet that stands at the head of this church and says " Thus saith the Lord" .

We still need to be ever mindful that God gave us all our own agency, and no matter how hard we try to explain the Gospel as we know it some will never come to believe for they are set in the beliefs that are comfortable to them, It is indeed challenging when faced with the opposition of one who not only chooses not to believe what we have to share, but then turns on us with slanderous and hurtful remarks. Remember brethren that they too are children of the same God and whether your Mormon, Methodist, Catholic, or even atheist, He still loves each of us the same. " God is no respecter of persons" He care's for the one and will seek him out just as the lost sheep of the 100, he will leave the 99 to save the one, so be it for us.

We need not be bitter towards others but exhort our attitudes as one of love towards all people everywhere. Share your testimony and share your love with those around you. Express the kind of understanding that Christ would have, and try to remember your purpose as a Christian, to share the good news.

We should be united as one form of Christian body in the fight against moral in-justice, to stand up together as men and woman of Christ and say that we will not bow to the horrible trash that is being presented as normal society. We should be representatives of one another as a believer in the Savior.

I would like to bear my testimony that I know that Jesus is the Christ, That He dwells with His Father, our Heavenly Father, that they as well as the Holy Spirit are in fact Three separate and distinct individuals. I bear my witness that Jesus Christ Did in fact take upon Himself , by the plan of His Father, the sins of the world, for those that had and have lived, were living at the time , and are living today. That He did suffer and die on the place of the skull known as Golgotha, and did in fact set us free from Satan's evil plan. I bear you my witness that I was baptized by immersion in water by one holding the Holy Priesthood of God and the authority to act in His name, and as I was then ordained a member of His Holy Church by one Holding the Holy Melchizedek Priesthood, by which I was baptized with fire and received as my constant companion the Holy Ghost. I have been given the blessing of His holy Priesthood to act in the name of God and to administer blessings in and Through Him. I have stood in the Holy Temple of God and Have been able to receive of His rich Blessings, I have been part of a blessing that healed a woman instantly, I have felt the Spirit of the Lord so strong that it made the very core of my body shake with the understanding of what He had in store for me. There is not a shred of doubt that enters my being when asked Do I know Christ? I know Him and I love Him and I serve Him. In the name of Jesus Christ , Amen

As we draw closer to Thee

As I stumbled through my last post, drifting through thoughts that are not pertinent to full filling any part of my calling as Elders Quorum President, I was reminded of something important,"of course by a dear friend", as we draw closer to our Savior , we become more at peace than we know. I was struggling with some things that always seem to be in the back of my thoughts and after allowing myself to be tempted , I was suddenly under the distinct impression that I was some where spiritually I was not supposed to be. After a review of my present situation, I was able to go to the one place where I can always find peace....my knee's. I felt of the love that my Father in heaven has for me and truly was able to be spiritually fed and reminded as to what my purpose was here. I was able to feel of the Spirit and to know that His mercy and grace is infinite! I am truly blessed to be able to have the Son pleading for my ever mistake.

I wrote a letter to the Elders Quorum tonight as to the upcoming month and that was the first thing I have addressed to them since Matt left, I think that maybe his leaving left a empty hole in me , now I know that might sound funny to some of you, but I can assure you all that there is nothing like the love that can be found in the camaraderie of your fellow man. His spirituality and motivation helped form a great presidency and I felt the wrath of being left without his guidance. Now if you will think about that for a couple of minutes, that kind of impact allowed me to slip a little from the place I am supposed to be, image when we grieve the Spirit and walk away from Christ. Just the slightest gap in our armor and the adversary steps in, a few sprinkles of doubt, perhaps a sin or two, next thing you know, you don't feel worthy of much, let alone forgiveness. I want to tell you that no matter what we always have the capacity to ask and be forgiven , no matter the offense. I can tell you that I know that we all are being plead for at each time that we go before God and cry out confessing our deepest secrets and sin. If we fail to see ourselves as worthy we are then again grieving the heart of God and thus making the Atonement a waist. "We all come short of the glory of God"

Some times the things we do may seem huge, sometimes tiny, either way all can be used for good if we so choose to look at things this way. I fell that as I struggle I am being made stronger for something else later. I have noticed that each time I fell that I am not in the correct frame of mind , God steps in and helps me to understand.

Personal revelation is for each to be shared as we see fit, to be written in a journal perhaps or never spoken , either way the receivers choice. This is my journal...... I laid a sleep in my bed this morning and as I felt like I was going to start to wake up a very distinct voice came to me and shared with me a few things that I had allowed myself to forget, I was reminded of my calling and to the present responsibility I hold. I expressed my gratitude and also my sorrow for not being the best I could be, and I was comforted and told that I was still a son of my Father in Heaven and that He loved me very much, I was reassured that I was forgiven for those things that I stood in need of forgiveness and then I was admonished not to sin again. I felt very comfortable and at peace as I arose from my sleep and I knew in my heart that my Savior is ever mindful of the things we all stand in need of. Praise be to God in the highest. As I draw closer to Thee oh Lord, I can feel thy comforting hand touch my heart and ease my troubled soul. I love you Father and My Savior Jesus Christ.

winter blues

Although I've been told that people read this, it never feels as though any one is truly reading, I know that its probably because I don't have a whole lot to say these days. I seem to be caught in a rut of sorts, a sort of depression. I was listening to a talk on my way to one of the buildings I work in, and I heard the man say how everyone gets into that stage of depression every once in a while. Reviewing my own personal life I realized that I'm in one of those places. I don't know exactly when it began but I do know that its been going on for at least several weeks now. I don't feel very spiritual and I've tried increasing my scripture studies , and I realized that I had not been praying as often as I should , But even still, I don't feel that I am in tune with the Spirit the way I should be. Times between Hope and I have seemed kinda ruff lately and money always seems tight, even when there seems to be enough. I cant seem to shake the feeling of not caring much about too much , and for me that's a bad thing. I love my job and it truly is a huge blessing in my life , without it who knows what I would be doing. I enjoy being at church most of the time but get very tired of all the worrying about everyone else's problems. I think that maybe I need a break from some of the responsibilities included in my calling , but if I tell anyone that there liable to release me, thinking I'm not doing a good enough job, and I definitely don't want to be a slacker! So I'm kinda caught in a strange place , the Lords work never ends and to do it to the best of my ability is difficult , to give up is not acceptable and to go half way isn't getting results. So where do I go? I will try my best, but I need to pray that I do it with the correct frame of mind, It is to easy to get into the bluesy feelings about things. I don't want to let people down , but honestly I don't feel strong enough at this time to bare the burdens I'm already toting. Hopefully things will take a turn for the better soon, maybe someone out there will be able to give me a fresh perspective on ways to handle this funk that I'm in.

Why do some people have to be so mean?

The last post I had, I made mention of how Christmas and Christ need to be a separate thing. Now my reasoning behind that is that sometimes I feel that all to often we forget the real reason for the season. That does not mean that I don't think there should never be any talk of Santa!

I spoke with my sister in law today about the plans for this up coming next 2 days of what we are going to do and during our discussion some how we began to talk about Santa and the commercialization of the whole season, I expressed my opinion, as I always do , and I told her that I don't like all the hype that Santa gets and not Jesus..... So she informed me that my brother and I are on the same page that he feels like I do. Well at the time I thought nothing of that comment, Until I found out later by my Mother " who supports Tom completely" that not only does he not like the hype attached to Santa, but that he told his children that there is no such thing as Santa and that the whole Christmas story about him is one big lie and that the only thing they need to be thinking about is Jesus! His kids are 6,4,2.5, 1!!!!!! Give me a break! That is probably the most idiotic thing I have ever heard, I would never tell my kids that there is no such thing or tell them its all a lie. I don't like the commercial end of things , but I was dressed up as Santa last night for dear friends of mine for the enjoyment of many wonderful children who so patiently were awaiting Santa. It is up to each of us to share with our children the true meaning of Christmas and celebrate the birth of Christ, but I can't see crushing little children's hearts like that,, Frankly it makes me sick to my stomach to no that people are so wrapped up in there own personal religious beliefs that there own selfishness allows them to justify crushing a child's imagination and dreams. How can people be so mean?

It will be a rough couple of days, I feel that we will be on are way home sooner than original planned, If the cat gets out of the bag, so to speak, about Santa at there house and my kids hear anything out of line ....its gonna be ugly!
Santa may not be real but he is in the hearts of children every where, I asked Connor this morning " Hey Connor" I said " what is Christmas about?" His response " Jesus " !
Enough said............................................

http://blacknright.wordpress.com/2008/12/17/a-mormon-mom-looks-at-jesus-vs-santa/

Check this out.

Jesus Time instead of Christmas time

With all the hustle and the bustle this time of year, we can if were aren't careful lose site of the miracle of it all. I am not one for the Christmas season....Santa and the toys department don't have my vote this time of year, oh sure I go along with things for the kids, but believe me if I had it my way you would never hear ho ho ho from me. I do however love the fact that this is the time that Christians around the world have chosen to celebrate the birth of the baby Jesus! That's our miracle for the hustle were in. I wish we could all be ever mindful of the true reason for this season of giving and remember that He came and gave us the best gift ever, Himself! Now I know that all those out there that read this that are Christian know the real reason and we all choose to be kind and generous and be helpful to the needy, but maybe just maybe there are one or two people that read this that haven't thought about why we need to remember Christ at the holidays.

To start off Jesus wasn't born on December 25, no that was the celebration day for the pagan sun god Saul, and when the Romans had adopted Christianity they chose to replace that day with the recognition of Jesus birth. If you read in the four Gospels in the New Testament you'll see that it talks about the Angel that visits with the Shepard's out in the field that are watching over the sheep, there aren't any sheep out in December because its cold out there also this time of year and the grass doesn't start growing until mid March, so they were probably out there in April. Any how the announcement was made that the Savior of the world had just been born and that the prophecies of old had been fulfilled, 600 years has passed since the writing of the Old Testament at this time and so those waiting were so over joyed that here at this time 4000 years after Adam now comes the Christ, the Holy redeemer of all of Israel. The scriptures in the four gospels say that it was such a glorious occasion , that the Heavens could not be held back and the Vail was torn and the angels sang so loudly that the Shepard's heard them as they say" peace on earth and good will toward man" . Now the important part is that He was born, the time doesn't really matter but the fact that He was born that was a big deal. Now we have our freedom to the ability to get back to our Heavenly Father. This is the part for me that mean so much, Christ being the Son of God could have came at any time , he could have chosen to come now a days when there are more rights that protect people's beliefs or values and non-values, He being the Son of God could have chosen to not come down here to face the persecution that He endured, but He knew it had to be that time. It was important to come unto a people that would be sure to disown and even kill him. Without the death there could be no life for any of us, it was all part of the plan from the beginning , in the creation period of the world, Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ knew it was necessary, and so did we. After being sent here to earth we as people loose that memory of knowledge of life with the Father, so as we are sent here to our probation period of our lives we forget the reasons we were created to begin with, so Jesus had to come down and show us and teach us so that we would remember and learn . So the reason for the Birth of Christ was a saving gift the Gift of life.

Through his eternal example we have been given the gift of life and the knowledge to do marvelous things in the name of God. We as Christians have a solemn duty to spread the gospel to every end of the earth, He did. We are blessed to belong to a Heavenly creator that loves us so much that He sent His Only begotten Son to be our savior. I am thankful to God that my real Christmas present this and every day was and is Jesus the Christ . I am thankful for his mercy, His grace , and His endless love for all of us. Out of all the people good and bad in this world, He loves us all the same, not one more than the other. The scripture tell us that He even loves the sinner , that's me! I don't know about you but I sure am glad you don't have to be perfect in order to have God love you.

Take this time of the year and tell the people around you how much you love them, then show them by making sure there where they need to be with Christ, pray with your family this holiday season, Love one another, and be kind to all you meet. Share the gospel of Jesus with someone who might benefit from the Good news of great joy that the angels proclaimed at His birth. Try to remember that it isn't Santa its the Savior, and that he is watching all the time to see if your naughty or nice.

To those of you out there that read this ...Merry Christmas, and may God bless you this holiday season and may He bring you joy as you remember His Son. I love you