There is so much to learn...

I went to the baptism of a woman in our ward last night. She stood up and spoke afterwards of her gratitude to the Lord for bringing the gospel to her life at this time when she needs it most and how his timing is perfect. She thanked all of the people who have helped to teach her and fellowship her. She spoke about Brother Bentz and she said, "Your knowledge and ability to help me understand things has been so wonderful. There is so much to learn!" That comment gave me pause to think and I realized how blessed I am that I was raised in the gospel so that I could learn from my childhood. What if I had to start from scratch right now? Would I have the personality or the will power to learn all that I would need to learn? Sometimes I guess I take what I know for granted. And even now, there is still so much for me to learn and to become better at. I have gained a perspective on our belief in eternal progression and growth. I also realize even more how well the Lord knows me and each of us on a very personnal level. That is so comforting and it makes me know that we are all truly God's children.

Sad News

Steve and Marty, our Cornish cross chickens, died today. I think it was the heat, although the other 4 chickens are doing fine. These two chickens were bred to be butchered, but I think because of their large and fatty size, they couldn't take the heat. It was sad. I was at work today, but it looked like Glen had checked on them during the day, they are all mostly in the shade, and they had food and water. Madalynn was especially upset because the chickens have been her project. (literally, her science project.) I had to go and put them in a garbage bag out of the cage. They are in the outside refrigerator waiting for Glen to get home. I didn't know what else to do with them. I called Tyler and told him because he had purchased these chickens after we had the first four. He said that since the chickens seem to be breathing heavily, they may have respiratory problems and that I should give them an anti-biotic. So, I raced to Pratt's, bought that and some seven dust to prevent lice, then dropped Jacob at his game, raced home to help Madalynn give the meds to the chickens, then raced back to Jacob's game. It is all rather unsettling. You don't realize that you can get attached to chickens until you have them eat out of your hands. Our chickens are very tame.

So, Good-bye Steve and Marty! We will miss you!

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Don't tell me what I believe!

I was watching a news program the other night and there was a woman on it who has a blog that has become famous because she says things about motherhood not being that great and blasts the LDS church, BYU and other things. She lives in Salt Lake City, so wow, like all of that has never been done before. Her blog takes in about $40,000 worth of revenue per month from advertisers. One of those advertisers is the LDS church, telling people where they can order a Book Of Mormon, Bible or video. I think they figure after people read her blog, they many want to know what is really going on in our religion. (I wonder if I can attract any advertising to my blog?)

Anyway, after listening to her, I have a few thoughts about people who feel the need, after deciding not to be a member of the LDS church anymore, to blast out to the world what their beef is. When I read what they say and what their experiences are, they are so foreign to me and my experience and is hard for me to decipher where they are coming from. This woman, for example, said that she wrote some strongly worded sentiments against religion in general that had been fueled by a martini. I found it interesting that she had to throw in the whole alcoholic beverage thing, a not so subtle way to show that she had distanced herself from the LDS religion. Then she said that when her LDS family saw it, they were so upset that her father didn't speak to her for 3 months. Well, naturally, they were hurt. She had taken everything that they believed in, something deep and sacred and laid it out before the world to be trampled on. Why? Couldn't she just decide not to believe and go on? That would be painful enough for her family without her open assault.

I try to stay away from most anti-Mormon literature because it hurts my heart, just like this woman's family must have hurt. Many of the things that I have read are people saying that there is too much required of Mormons and they feel guilty if they can't live up to those standards, and they don't want to feel guilty, so by giving up the religion they feel better about themselves. Well, I feel guilty because I need to lose weight, but I don't stick to my diet and I don't have the will power to exercise. That doesn't mean it is wrong to lose weight, it means I need to decide what is important to me and make changes in me. I can't blame the diet, or the creator of the diet, or the exercise machine that I am not using. Getting fatter isn't going to make me feel any better either. So, you can tell yourself that living your religion is too hard and that you will feel better without it, and you can blame everyone else who does try to live it for your unhappiness, but in the long run, you have to decide what is important to you and how to achieve the end results. I know what I want my results to be.

Other comments I have seen claim that LDS people have a "holier than thou" attitude. Well, I have found those kinds of people in every aspect of life, within my church and out. I feel badly that people have been driven away from our church because of an other's attitude. But, that attitude is not what our religion teaches us to be like. Although, I would like these people to consider a couple of things. First, by writing an article telling everyone how wrong our religion is and how right you are, aren't you also placing yourself up as a know-it-all authority and better than me or anyone else who doesn't believe as you do? Second, I don't belong to my religion because of the people who are in it, but I truly believe the teachings. I could have decided not to attend many times if I based my belief on the actions of others. No one is perfect, and part of striving to be like Jesus Christ is to love others anyway, inspite of their imperfections.

So, now that I have mentioned the Savior's name, let me talk about that tender subject a little. One day, quite a few years ago, a man came to my door to invite me to attend his church. I thanked him and told him that I already attended the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. He then began to tell me in a harsh tone that I didn't believe in Jesus, that I worshipped Joseph Smith and didn't believe in the Bible. I told him that he was wrong and I said how dare he tell me that I didn't believe in Christ. I was so offended. After he left, I quickly called my dear friend Ruth, who is not LDS, and asked her if she doubted that I believe in Jesus Christ. She told me that she knew I did. That experience has stayed with me because many people think that Mormon's do not believe in Christ the same way that they do. I don't understand what way they believe in Him then, because here is what I believe: He is my Savior and my Redeemer. He is the only begotten son of God the Father. He atoned for my sins and the sins of the world in the Garden of Gethsemane. He died on the cross and was resurrected the third day. Because of Him I can repent of my sins and I will be resurrected. I will be able to live with Him and His Father and my loved ones again some day. I love Him and I know that He lives and loves me.
I do believe the Bible to be the word of God. Certainly, it was a verse of the Bible, in James that led Joseph Smith to pray. I also believe the Book Of Mormon, which also bears witness of the Savior with the Bible. I do not worship Joseph Smith. I honor him for who he was. To quote a favorite hymn, "I believe in Christ, He is my King. With all my heart, His praise I'll sing..."

So, are my beliefs so different that yours? One main difference is that we believe that God still speaks to his children today through a living prophet. What did Amos say in the old Testament?
"Surly the Lord God will do nothing, save it be through the mouth of his prophets."

Anyway, this wasn't going to turn into an explanation of the LDS religion, but just sort of a venting about how this woman made me feel. I guess you can tell that I felt a lot. I also hope that if you are judging my religion, you will remember this passage of scripture as well, "By their fruits, ye shall know them." Our church does so much good in the world. Check into it if you wonder. I can also see the fruits of the teachings of the gospel in my own family with my own children. I want you to know that my religious beliefs are what give me hope and joy in this chaotic world and bring peace and joy into my home. I love my life, my family, my friends, my religion and my Savior. Don't try to tell me what I believe, because I already know!

When do they send the money?

My blog is worth $1,129.08.How much is your blog worth?

Happy Mother's Day~

I enjoy Mother's Day. Not only because I am a mother and my kids always make me breakfast, but because I think about my mother and what a blessing she has always been to me and to my brothers and sisters. When I hear the stories of other people and the lives that they have led and see the world today with mothers whose hearts are cold towards their children, I realize more and more what a saint my mother is. I hold her as my ideal and I know that I fall incredibly short of that ideal.

My mother went through a lot of difficulties in her life. She was raised during the depression in a family with 8 children. Any money she made was used for the good of the family. She married my dad and raised 7 children and she never had much money or things of the world. But, she always found ways to give us what we needed and made us feel that she was proud of us and served us throughout her life. Her service to us and to others was remarkable as I look back at her life.

People make so many excuses today about why they fail in their family life or why they can't parent as well as they should. What the problem boils down to is selfishness and an unwillingness to love and fulfill personal responsibilities. Even in the most dire of financial situations, my family never became disfunctional. I am so thankful for that and I love my parents so much for their love and hard work. I especially love my Heavenly Father who blessed me with that love in my life. I hope my own children know of my deep love for them and that they can continue this righteous tradition of caring for their own families that has extended from all of their grandparents to them as they carry on in their lives. It is in family that we find true happiness and joy.

I Can Tell it is May!

The End of the school year is just a few short weeks away. This is always the time of year that gets so busy with last minute activities and ceremonies and I seem to work a lot for teachers who also have last minute activities and ceremonies. My house becomes more and more out of control and I start feeling restless and wanting to get everything in order. I just have to hang on until the summer break gets here. I can hardly stand it. This year seems to be particularly bad for me. Next week, Lindsey is leaving for Provo, Glen is going to follow her at the end of the week with her household goods. (She is flying in order to get there in time for job interviews.) Madalynn is leaving on Weds. Night for her trip to San Diego with her 6th grade class. Our backyard is like the ultimate white-trash yard now that the shed project is coming to an end. We now own 6 chickens. While I have enjoyed having almost all of my children at home, the bigger ones seem to take up a lot of space now and we are bursting at the seams. I need to do an extreme over haul of all of the bedrooms. Tyler has purchased a drum set which is in my living room. Aaron has sound stuff in there as well. It is all very difficult to clean around. Jacob has baseball 2-3 times per week. I am in charge of cub scouts and I am the camp director for the young women this year. Cub scout day camp is June 9,10 & 11. Girl's Camp is June 19-23. I haven't seen Alicia since Easter and I worry about her. I am glad that Glen is going up there to check in on her. But, all of this travel is costing us a lot of money and I really want to get the credit card paid off, but with summer here and that means I won't work for the duration, there won't be much extra money to do that.

I don't mean to complain. I know that I am so blessed. I think that I would be able to cope if I could just get my house in shape and organized. Something needs to feel orderly. Now, If I can just organize myself this summer to get a lot of work done, and have the energy that I need........
Pray for me!