1st Article of Faith

"We believe in God, the Eternal Father, and in His Son, Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Ghost."
- Article of Faith 1:1

Yes, I believe that they are three distinct individuals who work together for one divine purpose.
In Matthew 3:13-17, we read of the Savior's baptism. The Savior and Redeemer of this world led the way to fulfilling all righteousness by performing all the requirements His Father laid forth. After that was fulfilled and before the Son went about his duties as Lord and Savior, His Father send the Spirit of God to Him in the form of a dove. Then God, Himself, spoke from heaven. This loving God we read about in all the testaments laid forth by the prophets, who speaks against pride time and time again would never say, "Yea, I am well pleased with myself." No, He spoke from heaven on behalf of His Son and those of His other children - testifying that indeed this individual was His Son and He was pleased with what His Son was doing.

Three individuals. You cannot have a Son without a Father, and thus you cannot have a Father without a Son (or daughter). The Holy Ghost was left behind after the Savior left. None of this could happen if they were all one in the same.

I testify that I know this to be true. I have felt each work separately in my life and the lives of my family. I know that if you search and pray, you will find them working in your life as well.

Our need for morality

"Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other."

-John Adams


"Only a virtuous people are capable of freedom. As nations become corrupt and vicious, they have more need of masters."

- Benjamin Franklin



"Neither the wisest constitution nor the wisest laws will secure the liberty and happiness of a people whose manners are universally corrupt."

-Samuel Adams

Patience

"Patience is tied very closely to faith in our Heavenly Father. Actually, when we are unduly impatient, we are suggesting that we know what is best - better that does God. Or, at least, we are asserting that our timetable is better than His. Either way we are questioning the reality of God's omniscience."

- Elder Neal A. Maxwell

Came across this quote while studying Romans 5:1-5

Quote of the day

From my friend, Traci (editted slightly)

Quote of the day:
"Whatever you give a woman, she will make greater.
If you give her sperm, she'll give you a baby.
If you give her a house, she'll give you a home.
If you give her groceries, she'll give you a meal.
If you give her a smile, she'll give you her heart.
She multiplies and enlarges what is given to her.
So, if you give her any 'crap', you better watch out!"

The Heart

"At the heart of silence is prayer.
At the heart of prayer is faith.
At the heart of faith is life.
At the heart of life is service."

- Mother Teresa

Liberty

"The God who gave us life, gave us liberty at the same time; the hand of force may destroy, but cannot disjoin them.


"In question of power, then, let no more be heard of confidence in man, but bind him down from mischief by the chains of the Constitution.


"A wise and frugal government . . . shall restrain men from injuring one another; shall leave them otherwise free to regulate their own pursuits of industry and improvement, and shall not take from the mouth of labor the bread it has earned. This is the sum of good government."

Hope

"Looking forward with hope has defined Christmas since the beginning. For millennia, prophets anticipated the coming of the Messiah . . . Each year we,too, look forward with hope. Christmas is the sweet assurance that we can rest our hope in Christ and look to the future with faith. Christmas is marked by a spirit of hopeful anticipation, of joyful preparation, of earnest longing for good things to come. At Christmas, we fill the world with hope one child, one person, at a time."

- Lloyd & Karamel Newell
A Christmas Treasury for Latter-day Saint Families

Count your blessings!

Living in thanksgiving daily is a habit that will enrich our lives and the lives of those we l♥ve...



It isn't what you have in your pocket that makes you thankful, but what you have in your heart.



It is impossible to feel grateful and depressed in the same moment.~ Naomi Williams



~Gratitude can turn a negative into a positive. Find a way to be thankful for your troubles and they can become your blessings.



I am thankful to all my friends, both cyber and demestic! May the Lord bless you and your families during this Thanksgiving Holiday season :) ♥ Hugs!

The purpose of life ~

"The purpose of life, after all, is to live it ~
To taste experience to the utmost-
To reach out eagerly and without fear for newer and richer experiences."

- Eleanor Roosevelt

Cheerful and Happy

"I am determined to be cheerful and happy in whatever situation I may be in ~ for I have also learned from experience that the greater part of Our happiness depends on our dispositions and not on our circumstances."

- Martha Washington

Momma Needs to Know

This is a poem I wrote and took to my Writer's League today. (It got the best reviews out of what I took.)

Momma Needs to Know
My children, come to Momma. There are things that I must know.
Why do shoes only disappear when it's time to go?
I want to know why you can't play in a dirty room?
And how can you miss all that stuff, with that big, old broom?
Why are babies allergic to the smell of my clean shirt?
And why are my dinners "passed" for the taste of garden dirt?
Who keeps eating all the soap to make it go so fast?
And why, of all who sleep round here, I am always last?
Why is mine the only cup from which the toddlers drink?
And who made the TP pyramid underneath the sink?
I really do not understand how a spider can be a pet,
Or why the milk is gone again, and the floor is always wet.
Can someone please explain to me how a hose gets on the roof?
Or why granola's in my bed? It's not a funny spoof!
Why does everything get blamed on those called "I don't know"?
And how come every time I look, you always seem to grow?
How can it always be so loud, so loud I can not hear?
Or why the walls are always smudged, and the windows never clear?
Just one more thing, my little ones, before I let you go.
Why is it, when you're gone from me, I always miss it so?

Motivate For Good.

"Parents, work hard at the matter of creating atmosphere in your homes. Let your children be exposed to great minds, great ideas, everlasting truth, and those things which build and motivate for good."
-Gordon B. Hinckley

Quote

"He who trims himself to suit everyone will soon whittle himself away."
-Raymond Hull

Chinese Proverb

If you think in seasons, plant cereals.
If you think in decades, plant trees.
If you think in centuries, educate your children.

Teaching

"No teaching is equal, more spiritually rewarding, or more exalting than that of a mother teaching her children."

- Elder Boyd K. Packer

Who is the happiest of men?

"Who is the happiest of men?

He who values the merits of others, and in their pleasure take joy, even as though 'twere his own."

_Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Green Chili Chicken Enchiladas

This was requested by the friend I went to lunch with today. First you start with her recipe for Enchilada sauce.

4 T oil
5 T flour
3 c water
3 beef bouillon cubes
2-8 oz. cans tomato sauce
1 t salt
1/2 t cumin
1 T chili powder
(Secret Ingredients)
1/4-1/2 t baking cocoa
1/4-1/2 t creamy peanut butter

Cook oil and flour together in a med. pot for 5-10 minutes. Whisk in remaining ingredients. Stir occasionally over low heat until all flavors are combined and heated through.

2 chicken breasts
seasoning salt & water
2 T corn starch
1 t dried minced onions
1/4 t cumin
1- 8 oz can diced green chilies, drained
1- 15 oz can black beans, drained & rinsed
1- 15 oz can whole corn

Place chicken breasts in a med. pot; cover with water and season with seasoning salt. Cover with an over-sized lid so that steam escapes while it cooks. Bring to boil. Turn down and simmer for 20 minutes.

While the condensed broth cools in pan, shred the chicken. When finished, add the cornstarch, onions, and cumin to the broth. Heat over low heat until thickened. Remove from heat, add shredded chicken and remaining ingredients, stirring well to combine.

Chicken mixture
8 burrito sized flour tortillas
Enchilada sauce
1 1/2 c shredded cheddar cheese

Spoon about 1-1 1/2 c sauce into a 9 x 13 pan. Roll about 1/3 c (or two large serving spoons full) of chicken mixture burrito/egg roll style in each tortilla; place in pan. Top with remaining sauce. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes.

Soo good!

Life

"Life is always going to throw some craziness your way. Sometimes you have every right to feel frustrated, but you also have every right to move on and be happy. Eventually you just have to pick one or the other."

-Cherie Call
Gospel Singer & Songwriter

Audrey Hepburn's Beauty Tips

-For attractive lips, speak words of kindness.

-For lovely eyes, seek out the good in people.

-For a slim figure, share your food with the hungry.

-For beautiful hair, let a child run their fingers through it once a day.

-For poise, walk with the knowledge you'll never walk alone.

Journal Writing

I would like to share the scriptures of one of the 'pillars' that hold up our 'house of faith' in school. First is Revelation 1:19, and it reads:

"Write the things which thou hast seen, and the things which are, and the things which shall be hereafter;"

I love this scripture, because it encourages us to write about life- ours, our family's, our community's, our nation's, and the world's. Writing is near and dear to my heart. It is one of the joys that lift my heart, and it is nice to have a scripture on my side when I tell my kids that "yes!" they do have to write.

The other scripture that goes with this pillar is found in 2 Nephi 29:11. Now I know not everyone believes the Book of Mormon to be scripture, but I do. In fact I know it is! I have read it too many times and felt that confirming witness too often to doubt it. But regardless, you really can't argue with wisdom. This passage reads:

"For I command all men, both in the east and in the west, and in the north, and in the south, and in the islands of the sea, that they shall write the words which I speak unto them; every man according to their works, according to that which is written."

Now when I came across this in my reading, the thought hit me hard that I need to write the things going on in my life- especially the good thing, both that I have done, and that the Lord has done for me and those around me. The reason is in these two questions. (According to this scripture) What if only my 'bad' works are written down? Do I really want that to be the only gage by which I am judged?

Hmmm, think about it. Better yet ~ write about it! :o)