An unexpected rant....

This excerpt from Elder Boyd K. Packer's speech (What Every Freshman Should Know), to graduates of University of Utah in 1973, was quite interesting. I have always loved Shakespeare and I have also, long felt the 'higher education system' strips the innocence away from our youth. Mainly, my biggest concerns are with the increasingly, progressive curriculum and overtly, liberal leaning professors who use academia to distort the truths which have been taught in the childhood homes of wide-eyed Freshmen. *Disclaimer: Please do not think I feel this way about all professors, this is a result of the experiences I have had in my own education, as well as those of close friends and family members.

What Every Freshman Should Know is a powerful talk. I feel there are some important points which, considering the date it was given and looking at our own societal turmoil, I feel are deeply prophetic. I will try to highlight a few but strongly urge the reader to study the excerpt for themselves.

Dissenters:

Be assured that one who strives to widen the breadth of accepted moral conduct does so to condone what he is doing. Not infrequently you will find him unworthy. If he derides spiritual development, it can generally be concluded that he has failed in the subject. He defends himself by declaring it an unnecessary discipline. He is the one to ridicule faith and humility, to smile in contempt when anyone mentions virtue, or reverence, or dedication, or morality.

Let me give you a clue. There is something very interesting about a person who is anxious to forsake the standards of his church, particularly if he leaves them and encourages others to do likewise.

 Speaking of the treasonous Iago (Othello) :

You may meet an Iago one day. Through innuendo and sly remarks, through an inflection or a question, in mock innocence he might persuade you to kill your faith, to throttle your patriotism, to tamper with drugs, to abandon morality and chastity and virtue. If you do, you have an awakening as terribly tragic as that of Othello.

This is the man that ridicules belief in a hereafter and says there is no such thing as God. He’d better hope he is right. For if, as some of us know, the opposite is true, the final scene will be his, and justice more than poetic and penalties adequate in every way will be exacted from him.

Ultimately we are punished quite as much by our sins as we are for them. (Boyd K. Packer, What Every Freshman Should Know University of Utah Commencement 1973)

Patriotism and Political Correctness:

Some years ago a plaintiff prospered in her grievance concerning the saying of prayers in public schools. The practice was declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court. The decision was partial. The effect was to offer great encouragement to those who would erase from our society every trace of reference to the Almighty.

She wanted to protect her son from any contact with religion. Her son is protected from my type of religion—my son is exposed to hers.

There is a crying need for the identification of atheism for what it is, and that is, a religion—albeit a negative one, nevertheless it is a religious expression. It is the one extreme end of the spectrum of thought concerning the causation of things.  (Boyd K. Packer, What Every Freshman Should Know University of Utah Commencement 1973)

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Remember, there are some rights and wrongs. We must come to understand that there are basic truths and basic principles, basic conformities necessary to achieve happiness. There are some things that are false, that are wrong. We cannot be happy and at once be wicked. Never, regardless of how generally accepted that course may be.

If it were printed in every book, run on every news press, set forth in every magazine; if it were broadcast on every frequency, televised from every station, declared from every pulpit, taught in every classroom, advocated in every conversation, still it would be wrong. Wickedness never was happiness, neither indeed can it be, neither indeed ever will it be. (Boyd K. Packer, What Every Freshman Should Know University of Utah Commencement 1973)

 And ultimately, the strong reminder of how we ought to respond to infringements upon our God-given rights:

I declare in favor of full academic freedom. If prayer is to leave our schools, let the ridicule of prayer leave also. I speak for humility, for faith, for reverence, for brotherhood, for charity, for patriotism. I speak for temperance, and I likewise speak for justice. (Boyd K. Packer, What Every Freshman Should Know University of Utah Commencement 1973)

 It is vitally important for us to stand firm in our standards, to hold strong to our faith, to pledge openly our devotion to God, Country, and Family. If it were imperative for a servant of God to preach this to a graduating class, how much more crucial is it for us to follow this counsel now? We cannot back down to those who would bully us or shame us for doing that which our Heavenly Father instructs us to do.

Hope from an Apostle:

 Take with you your faith, your patriotism, your virtue. If they are battered a bit, carry them away with you nevertheless. They can be renewed. You will come to know in the years ahead that life has precious little to offer without them. (Boyd K. Packer, What Every Freshman Should Know University of Utah Commencement 1973)

Our children look to us, depend on us, to remain vigilant and to prepare them adequately for the onslaught which awaits them, in the world. the way to accomplish this is by following the counsel of those, loving servants, send from the Father to watch over and guide our day.

Russell M. Nelson quotes

These are a few more entries for my Inspirational Quote Book assignment for the BYU-Idaho Pathway Program. I decided to pick an apostle from the Twelve, Russell M. Nelson, whom I have always enjoyed listening to during conferences. As you will see, I found a wonderful amount of "quotable" insights in his talks.


SCRIPTURES

"In His great love, He did not leave us alone. He provided a guide—a spiritual road map—to help us achieve success in our journey. We call that guide the standard works, so named because they—the Holy Bible, the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants, and the Pearl of Great Price—constitute the standard by which we should live."  Living By Scriptural Guidance, October Conf. 2000
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"We begin with a determination to “liken all scriptures unto us … for our profit and learning.” If we “press forward, feasting upon the word of Christ, and endure to the end, … [we] shall have eternal life.” To feast means more than to taste. To feast means to savor. We savor the scriptures by studying them in a spirit of delightful discovery and faithful obedience. When we feast upon the words of Christ, they are embedded “in fleshy tables of the heart.” They become an integral part of our nature."  Living By Scriptural Guidance, October Conf. 2000

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OBEDIENCE

“Danger lurks when we divide ourselves with expressions such as “my private life,” “my professional life,” or even “my best behavior.” Living life in separate compartments can lead to internal conflict and exhausting tension....Inner peace comes only as we maintain the integrity of truth in all aspects of our lives. When we covenant to follow the Lord and obey His commandments, we accept His standards in every thought, action, and deed.” Living By Scriptural Guidance, October Conf. 2000 
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FAMILY

“Marriage is sanctified when it is cherished and honored in holiness. That union is not merely between husband and wife; it embraces a partnership with God (see Matt. 19:6).” Nurturing Marriage, April Conf. 2006

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"Worldly trends to define marriage in some other way would sadly serve to destroy the institution of marriage. Such schemes are contrary to the plan of God."Nurturing Marriage, April Conf. 2006
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"Children born of that marital union are “an heritage of the Lord.” Marriage is but the beginning bud of family life; parenthood is its flower. And that bouquet becomes even more beautiful when graced with grandchildren. Families may become as eternal as the kingdom of God itself."Nurturing Marriage, April Conf. 2006
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"Fathers, you understand the principle of temporal self-reliance and try to provide for a year’s supply, stored at home. Please also consider the need for spiritual food and self-reliance—not just for a year, but for a lifetime—also stored at home. A worthy father should have first opportunity to administer a blessing to members of his family. As time moves on, his sons may then draw from that spiritual reservoir, worthy to administer to their own families and to their parents." Honoring the Priesthood, April Conf. 1993
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 "Time for scripture study requires a schedule that will be honored. Otherwise, blessings that matter most will be at the mercy of things that matter least. Time for family scripture study may be difficult to establish. Years ago when our children were at home, they attended different grades in several schools. Their daddy had to be at the hospital no later than 7:00 in the morning. In family council we determined that our best time for scripture study was 6:00 A.M. At that hour our little ones were very sleepy but supportive. Occasionally we had to awaken one when a turn came to read. I would be less than honest with you if I conveyed the impression that our family scripture time was a howling success. Occasionally it was more howling than successful. But we did not give up." Living By Scriptural Guidance, October Conf. 2000 

PRIESTHOOD 

"Priesthood authority has been restored so that families can be sealed eternally. So brethren, your foremost priesthood duty is to nurture your marriage—to care for, respect, honor, and love your wife. Be a blessing to her and your children." Nurturing Marriage, April Conf. 2006
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"This is The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He who stands at the head of His restored Church so ordered His priesthood “that every man might speak in the name of God the Lord, even the Savior of the world.” (D&C 1:20.) Remarkable! He chose to honor us with His priesthood. So we honor Him by honoring His priesthood—both its power and those who bear it. By so doing, men, women, and children throughout the world will be blessed. Honoring the priesthood fosters respect, respect promotes reverence, and reverence invites revelation."  Honoring the Priesthood, April Conf. 1993

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"In contrast, the kingdom of God is governed by the authority of the priesthood. It is not conferred for honor, but for a ministry of service. Priesthood titles are not created by man; neither are they for adornment, nor do they express mastership. They denote appointment to service in the work of the Lord. We are called, sustained, and ordained—not by ourselves, but “by prophecy, and by the laying on of hands by those who are in authority, to preach the Gospel and administer in the ordinances thereof.”" Honoring the Priesthood, April Conf. 1993

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“Elder” is a sacred title shared by all who bear the Melchizedek Priesthood." Honoring the Priesthood, April Conf. 1993

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"May I offer counsel of a general nature, first with comments about General Authorities. We recognize them as instruments in the hand of the Lord, yet realize that they are ordinary human beings. They require haircuts, laundry services, and occasional reminders just like anyone else."  Honoring the Priesthood, April Conf. 1993

PORNOGRAPHY

"For example, we marvel at computers and the Internet that enable transmission of data with remarkable speed. We are truly grateful for these electronic servants. But if we let them take over our time, pervert our potential, or poison our minds with pornography, they cease being servants and become instead false gods." Living By Scriptural Guidance, October Conf. 2000 
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" Because it is ordained of God, the intimate physical expressions of married love are sacred. Yet all too commonly, these divine gifts are desecrated. If a couple allows lewd language or pornography to corrupt their intimacy, they offend their Creator while they degrade and diminish their own divine gift." Nurturing Marriage, April Conf. 2006
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"A husband’s foremost priority should be the care of his wife. Be true to her. Don’t ever allow your eyes to gaze upon pornography or let your language be lewd. The very choices made by reason of agency limit one’s agency in the future. You cannot exercise agency and escape accountability and responsibility for each choice." Personal Priesthood Responsibility, October 2003

VIRTUE

"True happiness is predicated upon personal purity."Nurturing Marriage, April Conf. 2006
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"Marriage is the foundry for social order, the fountain of virtue, and the foundation for eternal exaltation."Nurturing Marriage, April Conf. 2006

Pleasing the Lord: The Joseph Millet Story

FOUND: Long-lost Posts from the Drafts File

** I loved this post, I can still feel the stirrings of pride and patriotism I felt the night of this lesson.
I feel it important that I do the memory justice by posting it now. **

It's been a while.... I've had issues. Hehe - yes...  I know, redundant.

Anyway, as life has been directing my every move, I've been keeping this blog in my head. Mostly on the days when I don't do "everything right". Like the numerous evenings when I've been so exhausted that I send my Littles to bed only to realize, for the fourth day in a row, we forgot to do scriptures. UGH!

I know that I cant do everything right.... or even most things right. I try hard not to get too down on myself. I try to keep myself up and going. I try to put on my big girl panties, so to speak, and keep on keepin' on. I try to do better tomorrow than I did today.

And some days I actually succeed!

Last Monday was one of those days. THANK GOODNESS!

We were busy getting Sister ready for Girl's Camp and cleaning house after the weekend. As we were running errands, I realized which day it was.... FAMILY HOME EVENING. Dun, dun, dun..... I had nothing planned. Again.

Enter: A Year of FHE. THANK GOODNESS!

If you have never visited this blog, you must peruse it soon. Perhaps in time for next week's Monday night ;-) The blog is exactly what it says, an entire blog devoted to Family Home Evening lessons, revolving around the blog's monthly theme. Owned by Emilie, it is wonderfully creative and super easy to navigate... and filled with years {past and present} of downloadable plans to make FHE a No-Brainer! You can go with her set lesson each week (they post on the Saturday prior) or pick a lesson from the archives. Emilie has tons of different topics to choose from- some that I am excited to pull out soon for my family are Prayer, Pioneers, Forgiveness, and Baptism. She also chooses a Song of the Month, complete with her own set of posters to help with teaching. Brilliant!

This month's theme is: Book of Mormon Stories, which is great for us, considering two of my children are enjoying reading Book of Mormon Stories for Young Latter-day Saints right now. So Monday, we did this year's (2012) lesson #23: Captain Moroni and the Title of Liberty. I was so glad to have it, especially since Independence Day is less than a week away! We talked about the blessings of Freedom, most importantly the freedom of religion and how these rights give us the opportunity to worship Heavenly Father in they way He intended for us. We talked about how important it was for Captain Moroni and the Nephite people to be strong and faithful and to stand up for their rights and their families.... even though it was unpopular and even dangerous. It was the right thing to do. It's important that we respect others rights to their own beliefs, but we must never forsake what we know to be true. We have responsibilities to our families - past, present, and future - that make it most imperative that we stand firm and strong in the face of changing values.

{I feel like this is such an important message, in light of the near consistent infringements on traditional American values and founding principles. I was grateful to have a Gospel reason to discuss current events with my children.}

We talked about what the most important things are for us to be standing up for, and then we each made our own Title of Liberty. They included things like Family, our Home, the Temple, our Pets, and Chickens.... because they make eggs and we like eggs, apparently. :grin:

It was a fun little lesson.... especially since it required me to do exactly ZERO pre-planning! And, the final product made our vignette look complete!

Follow the [Living] Prophet

Adam was a Prophet, first one that we know,

In a place called Eden, he helped things to grow.

Adam served the Lord by following His way,

We are his descendants, in a latter day.

Follow the Prophet, follow the Prophet,

Follow the Prophet, don't go Astray!

Follow the Prophet, follow the Prophet,

Follow the Prophet, he knows the way!

Children's Songbook, p. 110

This is such a fun and upbeat song, all of the Primary children love to march and sing along. They sing with conviction, they sing with faith. They sing with the strength of a holy army! How is it that we can forget the strength of our childlike faith as we grow and "learn everything"? I was reading in my Teachings of the Living Prophets manual in which Elder M. Russell Ballard recounted the story of Naaman, a man with leprosy who was counseled by the Prophet Elisha to wash seven times in the Jordan River. After deliberating on this counsel and almost forsaking the promised blessing however, Naaman did what was required, washed, and was healed. Elder Ballard goes on to state that "his pride and stubbornness were keeping him from recieving the Lord's blessing through His prophet....  

What a humbling thing it must have been for Naaman to realize how close he had come to allowing his own pride to prevent him from receiving such a great, cleansing blessing." (Ballard, Ensign, May 2001) 

 The text spoke heavily of our responsibility to not only listen to the prophet, but to heed their counsel and ACT in accordance to it. The most important protection we can expect from the Lord only comes after the trial of our faith, after we choose to act on what we have been taught. We must not allow pride to overcome our desire to act and be one with our Father. It is the times when we think we know better how to run the Lord's church than He does, that we need deeper understanding and an opportunity to experience a broken heart and contrite spirit. It is important for me to remember that I am not living my life to gain the approval or acceptence of the children of men, I am living to be an example of faith and humility to my children, so that they might never lose the precious tendrils of faith that the Spirit has helped them cultivate as they ready themselves for the onslaught of the Adversary. I want to be strong so that I can recieve the blessings promised, so that I might pass on that knowledge to my children.

Inspirational Quotes Book Assignment

Last Fall I did something very exciting. I became a student at BYU-Idaho, via the Pathway Program! I have always wanted to attend a BYU school and was sure that because of my address, this would be a physical impossibility. I should have known better. As with all righteous desires, the Lord always has a plan and a way of making them come to pass in His own time.

I have really enjoyed my time as a Pathway student these past two semesters. This will be my last semester before I get to officially "matriculate" into an online degree program. As part of the program, we take a religion course each semester and this one is no different. This time it is the "Teachings of the Prophets" course, studying our living prophets and gaining deeper understanding of their roles in leading the Lord's church in modern days. I am really quite excited for this course. I can really see good Family Home Evening lessons coming from this manual too!

One of the interesting assignments we have to complete is an Inspirational Quotes Book. We are to compile groups of passages for 10 Gospel-oriented topics (4 of which are assigned by the instructor, the other 6 we choose personally), along with references and insights. One of the suggested methods for this compilation was a blog. I immediately thought about this one and knew it would be a perfect way to put my quotes somewhere "permanent". It's also a great way for me to get back to blogging again - BONUS!

I don't know which topics I am going to settle on for this assignment, but I am really looking forward to all of the things I will learn from it. I think it will be a great thing for me and my family to focus on for these next few months!

Here are some of the topics I am leaning towards:

Mental Health
Virtue
Young Women
Raising Priesthood-holders
Priorities and Responsibilities
Overcoming Worldliness
Single Parenting in the Gospel
Divorce and Eternal Perspective
Dating as a Single Parent
Member Missionaries
Overcoming Pride
Health, Dieting, and the Word of Wisdom
Living Christ
Home Preparation/Food Storage
Church History
Patriotism
Addiction
Building Family Relationships

As you can see, the list of what I need to learn is extensive. I am going to tag each post with IQB-(topic) so that they will all stay together on my Topics list. I don't know if I will find pictures or get creative with each post, but if I like this project at the end, I might decide to have the posts published into an actual book for safe keeping.

 This is my first quote, from Sister Elaine S. Dalton, (former General President of the Young Women) given in the March 30, 2013 General Young Women's broadcast. Sister Dalton's loving determination to restore virtue to our society and to give our daughters strong and stalwart examples of chastity is an inspiration to me for many reasons. First, I am a mom of a Young Woman. She is impressionable and lovely, she is growing and maturing faster than I ever thought possible, I am grateful that I can share insights with her from a woman whom she has come to love and respect, and know that I will not have to be concerned with content or principles in other areas of that woman's life. Secondly, I am also a SINGLE MOM.... and let me tell you, just because you are old enough to already have children does not mean being virtuous is any less important when it comes to dating! I am so very grateful for women who give me reminders of who I want to be and how I want my daughters to be able to see me. I want my daughters to see me as an example of virtue, my son to see me as the kind of woman he would want his future wife to become. This quote is a huge reminder of the divine importance of virtue, whether you are young and just beginning to learn about relationships, or you are old like me with a brood of babies pulling at your shirt-tails.It is a reminder that virtue is not just some old-fashioned ideal... it is real! It is tangible. It is POWERFUL!

"Be not moved in your desire and commitment to remain virtuous and sexually pure. Cherish virtue. Your personal purity is one of your greatest sources of power." - Elaine S. Dalton, President, LDS General Young Women organization.

Recommit

I sit here and look over the beginings of more than a dozen blog posts that, for one reason or another, I have never been able to finish. Most recently, the reason was my lack of a decently working computer.... and while I am totally able, I truly despise trying to post via my mobile app.

I sit here looking at stacks of 'hand-me-down' items that were given to me by a family friend in need of downsizing. Mounds of laundry that need to be washed, folded, and put away. A kitchen that really needs the floors washed and the counters cleared (again).

And yet my heart only longs to make my children and apologize for the wasted hours. You see, school has started once again, for all of us. We are busy.... we are rushed.... we are exhausted. We run out the door in the morning, to after school activities and Mutual at night.... we storm through homework and dabble at housework. We scarf down meals thrown together in haste between chatter of friends and a nightly run down of the following day's happenings.

And I realize that I MISS MY KIDS! I miss my babies. I miss their snuggles. I miss their giggles and little mispronounced words. They are too grown, already. And each day I see them grow a little more.... And I long for the easy days. The ones before academics and achievements. The ones that were SO hard ... so exhausting... to trying. I long for the simplicity.

So. Even though I am going to be busy with school. Even though they are growing and busy. Even though we have commitments that we must keep. I am recommitting to something we called "Momma and Me"

I am going to make an effort each day to actively engage each child in loving and meaningful conversation even if it kills me seems silly. I will look them in the eyes and hold them close, tell them too many times how loved and important they are. I will be a better mother tomorrow than I was the day before.... EVERYDAY!

I will never give up! They are too precious for that!