I believe in Christ

Today is Christmas. :)

Often, in our world of Christmas trees and gift giving, we forget that the holiday began with and is really about Christ, our Savior.

Today I want to tell you what I know. I know that there is a God. He is a loving God, whose entire purpose is to secure our eternal happiness. Seriously, he loves us so much. He loves you, individually. He knows who you are. He cares about you. He wants you to be happy. I've felt it in my life. I know he loves me. I know he cares about even the little things that are in my life. I know that He wants me, and you, to be happy.

I know that Jesus Christ lives. He is our Savior. He lived a perfect life and then sacrificed himself so that he could pay the price for our sins. Because he paid for them, we can be clean if we repent and believe in him. We can be clean.

I know these things. Because I do, I have peace and happiness in my life.

I invite you to read this, The Living Christ, which is a short explanation and testament by prophets and apostles living today of the divinity of Christ and why he's important in our lives. If you just have one minute, read it.

Merry Christmas. I hope you have a very happy day. :)

Homemade Ornaments

Last year, when Jason and I were engaged, we decided we wanted to start a Christmas tradition, where every year we make homemade Christmas ornaments for our tree. When we have kids, they'll make them too. So far this has been the best. :) Both this year and last year we used modeling clay to make our ornaments, and we've loved it. It's so fun and rewarding. Our little tree is full of ornaments we made ourselves, and one day we'll have a full-sized tree full of ornaments we and our kids have made!

Christmas Comes

Watch this. Awesome message, beautiful music. :)

Our True Identity

"How grateful we are that the heavens are indeed open, that the gospel of Jesus Christ has been restored, and that the Church is founded on the rock of revelation. We are a blessed people, with apostles and prophets upon the earth today."
- President Thomas S. Monson

Prophets

Hi everyone! I hope you're having an awesome Sunday. Today, instead of sharing a video with you, I wanted to share one of the talks from the last General Conference. The talk is entitled "Obedience to the Prophets" and it was given by Elder Claudio R.M. Costa of the Presidency of the Seventy. It's an awesome talk.

I want to tell you that I know these things are true. There is a living prophet of God on the earth today. God loves us and will always give us guidance. Not only do we have personal prayer and the holy spirit to guide us, we have the prophet, who can see farther than we do, who is given revelation by God to guide the whole church. He speaks for God. If we follow him we will be happy. :) It really is that simple when it comes down to it. I know God lives. I know that President Thomas S. Monson is his prophet on the earth today.

If you have a minute, read this talk. It really is just so good and explains prophets so well.

And without further ado, Elder Costa. :)

"I am a convert to the Church. I am so grateful that God answered my prayer and gave me a knowledge and a strong testimony that Joseph Smith is a prophet of God. Before I made the decision to be baptized in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, I studied extracts from the history of Joseph Smith. I prayed after carefully reading each paragraph. If you would like to do this yourself, it may take you 14 hours.
After I read, pondered, and prayed, the Lord gave me the assurance that Joseph Smith was His prophet. I testify to you that Joseph Smith is a prophet, and because I have received this answer from the Lord, I know that all of his successors are prophets too. What a great blessing it is to have prophets in our day!
Why is it important to have living prophets to guide the true Church of Jesus Christ and its members?
In the Guide to the Scriptures, we find the definition of the word prophet: “A person who has been called by and speaks for God. As a messenger of God, a prophet receives commandments, prophecies, and revelations from God”. It is a great blessing to receive the word, commandments, and guidance of the Lord in these difficult days of the earth. The prophet can be inspired to see the future in benefit of mankind.
We are told that “surely the Lord God will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets." We learn from this scripture that the Lord will reveal to His prophets absolutely anything that He feels is necessary to communicate to us. He will reveal His will to us, and He will instruct us through His prophets. The Lord promised us that if we believe in the holy prophets, we should have eternal life. In the sixth article of faith, we declare that we believe in prophets. To believe means to have faith and confidence in them and to follow and do what the prophets ask us to do.
In 1980, when President Ezra Taft Benson was serving as President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, he gave a powerful message about obedience to the prophets at a BYU devotional in the Marriott Center. His great talk, titled “Fourteen Fundamentals in Following the Prophet,” touched my heart. It made me feel good that I had made the decision to follow the prophets for the rest of my life when I accepted baptism in the Lord’s true Church. I would like to share with you some of the principles that President Benson taught:
“First: The prophet is the only man who speaks for the Lord in everything” (1980 Devotional Speeches of the Year [1981], 26).
In our day the prophet of God has told us to keep the commandments, to love our fellowman, to serve, to take care of the rising generation, to rescue the inactive or less active—to do many things that we call prophetic priorities. We need to understand that these priorities are God’s priorities and the prophet is His voice in communicating them to all of the Church and the world.
We are counseled to “give heed unto all his words and commandments” (D&C 21:4). We also learn: “For his word ye shall receive, as if from mine own mouth, in all patience and faith. For by doing these things the gates of hell shall not prevail against you; yea, and the Lord God will disperse the powers of darkness from before you, and cause the heavens to shake for your good, and his name’s glory” (D&C 21:5–6).
Second fundamental: “The living prophet is more vital to us than the standard works.”
The living prophet is receiving specific revelations for us. I can remember many times when I have been present to hear one of the servants of the Lord speak about a specific thing for a city or country. I remember at least three of the living prophets, seers, and revelators who have spoken about my country, Brazil. One of these servants said that Brazil would become a great economy in the world and be free of inflation. At the time, we had two-digit inflation every month. It was difficult for many people to believe what the prophet said, but I believed. Brazil has had about 5 percent inflation each year for many consecutive years now. Brazil has become eighth in the world economy, and the country is doing great!
Third fundamental: “The living prophet is more important to us than a dead prophet.”
We learn a great lesson about this from the scriptures. In the times of Noah it was easier for the people to believe in the dead prophets, but it was difficult for them to believe in Noah. We know that because of their incredulity they did not survive the Flood (see Genesis 6-7).
Fourth fundamental: “The prophet will never lead the Church astray."
Again we learn from the living prophets. President Wilford Woodruff said: “The Lord will never permit me or any other man who stands as President of this Church to lead you astray. It is not in the programme. It is not in the mind of God. If I were to attempt that, the Lord would remove me out of my place, and so He will any other man who attempts to lead the children of men astray from the oracles of God and from their duty” (Official Declaration 1.)
Fifth fundamental: “The prophet is not required to have any particular earthly training or credentials to speak on any subject or act on any matter at any time."
The Lord called a young man, Joseph Smith, to restore His Church. Do you think that the young Joseph Smith was a doctor in theology or science? We know that he was a humble and not academically educated young man. But he was chosen by the Lord, and he received from the Lord all that was necessary to honor and magnify the calling of a prophet of the Restoration.
President Benson continued:
“Sixth: The prophet does not have to say ‘Thus saith the Lord’ to give us scripture. . . .
“Seventh: The prophet tells us what we need to know, not always what we want to know."
And then President Benson quoted from 1 Nephi 16:1, 3:
“And now it came to pass that after I, Nephi, had made an end of speaking to my brethren, behold they said unto me: Thou hast declared unto us hard things, more than we are able to bear. . . . And now my brethren, if ye were righteous and were willing to hearken to the truth, and give heed unto it, that ye might walk uprightly before God, then ye would not murmur because of the truth, and say: Thou speakest hard things against us.”
Eighth fundamental: “The prophet is not limited by men’s reasoning. . . .
“ . . . Does it seem reasonable to cure leprosy by telling a man to wash seven times in a particular river? Yet this is precisely what the prophet Elisha told a leper to do, and he was healed. (See 2 Kings 5)” (“Fourteen Fundamentals,” 28).
And President Benson continued giving other principles about obedience to the prophet. I will read the last six and invite you in your next family home evening to find these principles in the words and teachings of our living prophets, seers, and revelators during this general conference.
“Ninth: The prophet can receive revelation on any matter—temporal or spiritual. . . .
“Tenth: The prophet may be involved in civic matters. . . .
“Eleventh: The two groups who have the greatest difficulty in following the prophet are the proud who are learned and the proud who are rich. . . .
“Twelfth: The prophet will not necessarily be popular with the world or the worldly. . . .
“Thirteenth: The prophet and his counselors make up the First Presidency—the highest quorum in the Church. . . .
“Fourteenth: The prophet and the presidency—the living prophet and the first presidency—follow them and be blessed; reject them and suffer."
We are privileged to have the words of our living prophets, seers, and revelators during this wonderful general conference. They will speak the will of the Lord for us, His people. They will transmit the word of God and His counsel to us. Pay attention and follow their instruction and suggestions, and I testify to you that your life will be completely blessed.
Jesus is the Christ, our Savior and Redeemer. Thomas S. Monson is the living prophet of God, and the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles are prophets, seers, and revelators. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen."

Sunday Will Come

Pretty much, this is awesome. Watch it.

Sunday

In primary (the class I attended as child in church) we used to sing a song that started off with the words "Saturday is a special day, it's the day we get ready for Sunday." It's kind of interesting, because the song is really saying that Saturday is only a special day because it precedes Sunday, a more special day. And that's true. Sunday is the day that we strive to focus the most on God, to worship him and to refocus our lives on him and his son Jesus Christ. We strive to make it a day of rest, a day of worship, a day of renewal, a day of family.

Every Sunday I want to start sharing with you something that brings hope to my life. Whether it's a quote from a prophet or apostle, talking to you about a favorite talk from general conference, or sharing one of these amazing videos with you, it'll be something that brings joy to my life and hopefully to yours, too.

Today I want to share this video with you. It's a story told by President Gordon B. Hinckley, who was a living prophet on the earth today and the president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints until he passed away in 2008. President Hinckley is one of my favorite people of all time. I feel like he is my old friend.

This story he tells makes me happy. The joy of service is incredible; when I serve others, I am filled with love, happiness, and satisfaction, and even hearing stories of service can bring happiness to people generations after they happen. When we learn to love and serve others, our lives are so much fuller, richer, and happier.

Books I love - The Giver

It's book time again! The book I want to talk to you about today is The Giver by Lois Lowry.

So, this book is awesome. (And a quick read, too, if you're not sure if you have time to read it.) The main character, Jonas, lives in a perfect society. Everything is well ordered, everyone is taught how to be a good, kind citizen, everyone is taught how to deal with their feelings productively, everyone is taught how to serve others. At the end of each year growing up, all the children go through a ceremony in which they symbolically grow up a little (they cut their hair, they recieve different clothes, they get their first bicycles, etc.) At the end of their twelfth year, all the children recieve the assignment of the career they will follow for the rest of their lives. These careers have been carefully selected by a council from the community whose job is to study the lives of each child and watch their temperament, interests, and talents. Everyone is perfectly suited to the job chosen for them.

When it comes time for Jonas and his friends to recieve their careers, something happens - the announcer skips over Jonas. This never happens. All of the children have a number, everything goes in the order of those numbers - except this time. The speaker saves Jonas til last, announcing to the community that Jonas has been chosen for the most important position in the community - the Receiver of Memory.

As Jonas is taught by the old Receiver of Memory, the Giver, who gives Jonas the memories of the past, he learns the history of what has been and the possibilities of what could be.

I love this book. It's so good. Reeeeaad it.

Books I love - James Herriot

James Herriot…where do I begin? I love James Herriot. You may have never heard of him. I consider myself incredibly lucky that I have. I first learned about him when I was really young and someone gave me a big book with lots of illustrations entitled "James Herriot's Treasury for Children." I loved it for the delightful tales it told of all sorts of farm animals. Later I read "James Herriot's Dog Stories" and "James Herriot's Cat Stories," which were both wonderful. At the time I liked them for the animals. Later I came to appreciate them for the best part of the story - the warm, honest, humorous narrator telling his life story - James Herriot. Little did I know that these books were merely extracts from James Herriot's main works - the five books he wrote that chronicle his life as a country vet in the early/mid 1900s in the rural Yorkshire Dales.

James Herriot is one of the most masterful storytellers I have ever come across. He feels like your old friend. His veterinary career starts in the 1930s, at a time when modern medicines still largely did not exist. His veterinary work is probably not what you first think of when thinking of veterinarians - the bulk of his work focused not on pets like cats and dogs (although he does deal a lot with them), but on farm animals like horses, ships, pigs, and especially cows. He tells you not only of his work, but also his personal life and the hilarity that comes with it. And that might sound boring to you, but trust me - it's not. It's funny, heartwarming, exasperating, interesting, and simply just captivating. Reading James Herriot is like drinking hot chocolate while warmly wrapped in a blanket in your favorite armchair while the rain falls outside.

His five books that tell everything in sequence are "All Creatures Great and Small," "All Things Bright and Beautiful," "All Things Wise and Wonderful," "Every Living Thing," and "The Lord God Made Them All." Reeeeaad him...you know you want to. :)

Books I love

I love reading. I don't know how it started, but ever since I was little books have called to me. Reading is almost as necessary to me as breathing. When sitting at the kitchen table eating cereal, I'll read the label of every food product within reach. When waiting for the conditioner to sink into my hair, I'll read all the shampoo labels in the shower. In middle school when I was bored in class, I read all the books in the desks that were required for other classes. When I finished my own books on vacation at Lake Powell, I read everyone else's. Every summer, every lazy afternoon, every chill winter evening is an opportunity I seize to read. Every time I go to the library, stacks of books build up in my arms and I can't wait to get home and consume them. I'm always searching for the really good ones. I've read several really lame books, hundreds of mediocre books, thousands of pretty good books, and many, many excellent books. And when I read a good one, I want to share it with everyone else, for two reasons: 1. I want them to get as much enjoyment out of the book as I did, and 2. I want to talk to them about it.

So, with that in mind, I want to start sharing all my favorite books with you. This may take a very, very long time, as I currently have a Word file several pages long with the books I've particularly enjoyed. But I really want to, because I want you to be able to enjoy all these books as much as I have.

I'll start this by talking about an awesome series that I just finished this week - The Hunger Games. You may have heard of The Hunger Games several times already, like I had before I decided to read them. They are sooo good.

The books are set in the future, in a country named Panem that lies in the ruins of what was once known as North America. Twelve districts surround "The Capitol," the central district that controls all the others and forces the citizens, who live in poverty, to send them almost everything they produce. Because of a rebellion against the Capitol nearly 75 years ago, every year the Capitol forces every district to send two of their children, one boy and one girl, to the "Hunger Games," a televised fight to the death that every district is made to watch to remind them that the Capitol holds all power and can do anything they want.

As "The Hunger Games" begins, the Capitol representatives are coming to each district to randomly pick the boy and girl who will be in the games that year. Katniss Everdeen, 16, lives in District 12 with her mother and sister. Against her every hope, Katniss hears her sister's name called to go to the Hunger Games. Katniss knows that her sister, who is only 12, will not survive the games, and volunteers to go in her sister's place. And the story begins.

These books are intense. They're the kind of books you can't put down. Katniss is an awesome main character who takes you through a amazing story of courage, love, determination, defiance, and rebellion. The pace is gripping; this is the kind of book you just can't put down. I don't want to give anything away, so all I can say is that you have even the slightest inclincation to read these books - do it. Find time, find a friend you can borrow a copy from - just read them.