Day 5 of My 40 Day walk with God.

Day 5
Missionary Work
"Young Womens Value experiences and projects,"
YWPP: Standing as a Witness of God, 11-74
Matt 24:14, 28:19 D&C 88:81
Pray for a missionary experience.
Place the Pass-a-Long card and the gospel of Jesus Christ pamphlet in your purse or wallet so it can be ready when the Spirit Prompts.
Ponder your testimony of missionary work and record your experiences.

Well I really bombed this one. Didn't go anywhere today to DO it. I do have the stuff and will endeavor to do as it has assigned. I do try to find teaching moments. Have an instructor who asked some questions and we had a wonderful 45 minute discussion. HE was surprised about our beliefs, he thought some pretty odd things but told me that not many MORMONS talk to him. Hes a Vietnam Vet, has longer Grey hair and an earring. Just my kind of guy right.. But many of our faith are afraid or prejudiced against amazing people like him.

During my studies I have ran across some things that fascinate me, I will post this information and hopefully, when I go to town tomorrow, I can get day 5 caught up and day 6 done. Theres a lot to do there. Hope you enjoy my ramblings... Here goes.

“Behold, this is a choice land, and whatsoever nation shall possess it shall be free from bondage, and from captivity, and from all other nations under heaven, if they will but serve the God of the land, who is Jesus Christ, who hath been manifested by the things which we have written.” (Ether 2:12)

“Therefore, I, the Lord, justify you, and your brethren of my church, in befriending that law which is the constitutional law of the land; And as pertaining to law of man, whatsoever is more or less than this, cometh of evil. I, the Lord God, make you free, therefore ye are free indeed; and the law also maketh you free. Nevertheless, when the wicked rule the people mourn.” (D&C 98:6-9)

This land and nation chosen and protected by God exists by the Constitutional Rights of ‘freedom’ for the purpose of the coming forth of the Book of Mormon and the Restoration of the Gospel and Church of Jesus Christ. The Freedom of Religion guaranteed in the “Bill of Rights” set the stage for the “plain and precious” truths to ‘come forth and go forth’ unto the world for the convincing of Jew and Gentile that Jesus is the Christ.

Day 6: This one was SO long I just scanned it.

Day 4 on my 40 Day walk.

Day 4: For God so loved the world. Dallin H. Oaks, "Love and Law," Ensign, Nov, 2009, 26 There is not greater evidence of the infinite power and perfection of God's love than is declared by the Apostle John: 'For God so love t the world, that he gave his only begotten Son' (John 3:16). Another Apostle wrote that God 'Spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all' (Romans 8:32). Think how it must have grieved our Heavenly Father to send His Son to endure incomprehensible suffering for our sins. That is the greatest evidence of His love for each of us!"

First off I want to start THIS post out by saying, I do not believe there is ANY way, We mere MORTALS can EVER know what pain this amazing act of love caused our Father, Mother or Brother. With that said.

I wonder if it has ever occurred to anyone that Christ came down to THIS world and CREATED it under the Direction of the Father. That is pretty much a NO Duh Marne', but THINK about that a minute. HE Jesus, Did that. TO ME that puts a whole other spin on things. Jesus Christ was SO valiant in his PRE mortal Existence that HE created our world.

It is my understanding that unless we do certain things here, in our second estate on Earth, We don't get to do that. We have to be LIKE GOD, be Accepted by Him and through Christ, our mediator, into The Highest degree of the Celestial kingdom, before WE can Create a world. WE NEED a PHYSICAL body.!. Think on this a second.

HOW is it Possible, if we believe that to become like God we must do as he did, be born, live a good life on an Earth, living covenants, obeying commandments and other things, die and be resurrected to be accepted unto his bosom and become a GOD!!

This might worry some, but if we follow this line of reasoning we will see that the Adoration Christ had for his Brothers and Sisters, His Father and the Plan of salvation was complete. It infused every part of him. HE fought for our Father and was so Valiant, had such Dauntless Chivalry and was so Stalwart and steadfast in his Acceptance of the Plan of Salvation that, He not only knew what would happen, He accepted with grace his role. Even knowing that the Father would leave him for a time to suffer alone. Knowing the trials he would face. He CHOSE to do that, to come to Earth to be reviled, hated, crucified, Suffer Pain we mere mortals could NEVER endure. What a great love that is. We say that Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. Could Jesus be the reason for that thought?. OF course he is, its in the bible. But have you ever actually THOUGHT about it? The PURE AND COMPLETE KNOWLEDGE that went into doing what He did.

Now, we come to the GOD knew part. I absolutely hate it when I can't do a darned thing to help my kids when they are hurt. When Kevin was sick, going through treatments and loosing his mind. I cried. I hurt for him, I begged to take that from him. NOT being able to help or DO something to make things better for my love was Soul Wrenching. Its a helpless feeling. But GOD had it even Harder than that. HE COULD do something, HE could fix it for his Son. HE COULD do things different but, it would ONLY help that ONE amazing child. He Turned, only for a moment, so that Christ could bring us all home to him. That act of complete love, so total Beautific and all encompassing had to bring our Father, God Himself, to HIS knees.

I have had to allow my children to learn things the hard way, " No Not the fireplace, it burns". I dont know HOW many times I told that to my children. I could have put up barriers to keep them safe. Found a different way to heat my house, etc. would they learn? Sure but their agency was removed. Their ability to CHOOSE to touch or not to touch was gone. This is a simplistic simile but I think the bigger question is, Did the kid touch the Stove? Well, it is an interesting set of statistics. My girls, they got close even almost touched it, but they chose NOT to get burnt. They felt the heat and didn't want to be hurt. My boys, they were BOTH more difficult the DID get a burn. Not a bad one, and more than one, but they learned, they CHOSE to touch the Fireplace. Do they do it now. Heck no, but they had to DO it, had to Experience it. Ive had people tell me I'm an awful parent because of this but REALLY? Am I? I'm not perfect at all but, when I tell my kids something NOW they listen, they KNOW there are CONSEQUENCES for actions. They have felt it. HOW many times do we as parents, because we love our children, make things worse by fixing it, helping them out. If God had done that where would we be? I shudder to think.

I am eternally grateful to my Father in Heaven for allowing Christ to fulfill his part in the Plan of Salvation. I am awed and humbled that my brother would do what HE did for ME. Christ was SO perfect he was able to create the Earth before he had to have a physical body. THAT is inexplicably noble and a most Treasured Gift. I hope this stumbling woman can live her life, even just a moment of it, good enough to deserve what He did.

Day 5
Missionary Work
"Young Womens Value experiences and projects,"
YWPP: Standing as a Witness of God, 11-74
Matt 24:14, 28:19 D&C 88:81
Pray for a missionary experience.
Place the Pass-a-Long card and the gospel of Jesus Christ pamphlet in your purse or wallet so it can be ready when the Spirit Prompts.
Ponder your testimony of missionary work and record your experiences.

The assignment for Day 3:
"Take My yoke upon you, and learn of Me"
Lesson 10: New testament Gospel Doctrine Teachers manual, 40.
Read Matthew 11:28-30
What does it mean to "labour and [be] heavy laden"?
What are some examples of burdens we bear in this life?
How can the Lord "give [us] rest" from these burdens?
What does it mean to take Christ's yoke upon us?

After reading Matthew, I pondered these questions, they rolled around the back of my mind all day. At first my thoughts went to actual labor, hard physical labor, Ive done that when I worked with Kevin doing construction, sometimes I worked so hard I thought I would die, He was such a Beast when it came to stamina and of course I had to keep up with him. That was a good thing.
I thought of the burdens we bear, some have secrets that tear them up, others are in such pain emotionally and spiritually even physical pain, all of which are not only burdensome but wearing.
After thinking about the Physical labor, my mind shifted to emotional difficulties, the hard things we have to deal with daily, the horror of life, the pain of it all then again a shift to the Spiritual. I wondered am I burdened Spiritually? This took some thought and I concluded that yes, yes I am. I have things that I need to just get over, things that because I have not let them go are holding me back from moving forward and shining like a sunrise on a mountain meadow, sparkling sunshine in the dew drops of the morning. I want to be like that, beautiful spiritually, Physically well I am what I am,, but Spiritually I can be so much more.

Pondering the ways the Lord can help I got to thinking about when he was in Gethsemane and took ALL the pain, sin, disappointment, sorrow, All of it upon himself, so much so that he bled from every pore, as Luke observed. He knows my pain, my sorrow, my fear and all the things I go through daily. He knows, He empathizes and is there to hold me and buoy me up. THIS I know. I have felt it. When I stop and just be, quietly meditating. When I see that sparkling lake, the smile on my children's faces, the dog wanting attention. I see glimpses. He said Be still and KNOW I am with you. In our lives today, at least MY life, it seems so hectic that taking time to just stop seems to be impossible, I am actually afraid to do so because I will HAVE to FEEL things I don't know I really want to feel. I will take that time, I must. There are the standard pat answers of Pray, read scriptures and all, they are right but I think we must also be brave and face fear, head on, in order to let Him take us to heights we never thought we could go.

Day 4:
For God so loved the world.
Dallin H. Oaks, "Love and Law," Ensign, Nov, 2009, 26
There is not greater evidence of the infinite power and perfection of God's love than is declared by the Apostle John: 'For God so love t the world, that he gave his only begotten Son' (John 3:16). Another Apostle wrote that God 'Spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all' (Romans 8:32).
Think how it must have grieved our Heavenly Father to send His Son to endure incomprehensible suffering for our sins. That is the greatest evidence of His love for each of us!"

Day 2 of my 40 day walk with God

The assignment:

The Plan of Salvation
"Young Women Value Experiences and Projects."Young Women Personal Progress: Standing As a Witness of God, 11-14

Increase your understanding of the plan of salvation. Resources for study include 2 Nephi 9:1-28 2 Nephi 11: 4-7 Moses 4:1-4 Revelation 12: 7-9 D&C 76:50-113 D&C 93: 33-34 Abraham 3: 24-27 and 1 Corinthians 15:22
Draw or obtain a picture that depicts the plan of salvation, including the premortal existence, birth, mortal life, Death, Judgment, and life after judgment.
Using this picture, explain the plan of salvation to your family or friends in a Family Home Evening. Discuss how knowledge of the plan affects your actions.

After reading the scriptures suggested, I also did a little more study on the plan of salvation. I just LOVE Abraham and the Apocryphal texts, there are others too, and yes, I find it easiest to access them off my study most link. I really enjoy delving into the meat and potatoes of the subjects that come up. I'm a little tired of the whip cream part of Church. The Gospel is so simple but there are some amazing intricacies and reasons it is, and I love to learn about them.

I printed off the picture of the plan of salvation and talked to the kids about it in our first FHE of the year, they had good questions and hopefully I answered them. One of them was, so say you get married and your husband/wife dies like a week after what then? We talked about how when you are sealed to each other you are also sealed to God so the chain will never be broken because it always is connected to Him. If you remarry, depending on circumstances and such, you could be sealed again, if a man no problem if a woman, well that should work its self out in the eternities. I was surprised that it was a worry for the kids, they all were wondering, I guess they are concerned for the future and me possibly going that route but as of today, totally no interest in that. Im actually enjoying getting to know me again right now. We talked about some of the other ways it affects us and what we do. Dawson was rather insightful, he said that it was important cause "GOD said so", I love it when they say stuff like that.

In my studying I tend to get sidetracked and of course did here to. I found that for every earth created there is a first born spirit of that world,. A first flesh, and first fruits and its own Satan. This is in the Gospel of Bartholomew, I know its not canonized scripture but..many biblical books have been lost as elder McConkie writes. There is a common known LDS saying and scripture, "A bible a bible" is pronounced in the scriptures, but couldn't we change that to 'a quad a quad I have a quad' or to those who seek out of the best books only if they are from Deseret or Seagull book. The 13th article of faith declares we should seek after things that are virtuous lovely or praiseworthy, we need to be careful not to deny the spirit of revelation and personal prophecy. D&C 11:25 states: Wo be unto him that shall say: We have received the word of God, and we need no more..... we have enough...and also in 2Nephi 28: 29-30. We like to think these kind of statements are for the people who do not believe in the Book of Mormon or those who will probably never read it but Mormon did not waste his time, energy and Gold, He wrote it for those who read it, that would be us and made sure the record was preserved for your/our day.. SO I say We need to read other books and use that gift God gave us to receive inspiration and revelation.
Something else I knew but found was that: Brigham Young distinguished between the kingdom of God and the church of Jesus Christ or Zion, (JD2:3 16-17, 11:275 12:274) "in THAT day, ALL except the sons of perdition will be gathered into kingdoms where there will be a certain amount of peace and glory. This includes even murderers and NOT just those of the LDS faith. I think sometimes that there are some Latter day saints who believe only they will be there and they are wrong.
I also read the Abbaton, its a document which speaks about the council in heaven its fascinating, I believe that it is part of the plain and precious things that were taken from the bible. I love to read the other books that are out there, one of my favorite is the book of Jasher it is mentioned in the bible. I also have knowledge that there are MORE scrolls which have come to lite and will change Christianity as it is. I hope to be around when the translations are released and hope to see information about them soon.

Day 3: "Take My yoke upon you, and learn of Me" Lesson 10: New testament Gospel Doctrine Teachers manual, 40. Read Matthew 11:28-30 What does it mean to "labour and [be] heavy laden"? What are some examples of burdens we bear in this life? How can the Lord "give [us] rest" from these burdens? What does it mean to take Christ's yoke upon us?

Just because I felt like it.. I am SO loving the Ohio Hopewell information, Thanks Bruce you are my hero.

“Behold, this is a choice land, and whatsoever nation shall possess it shall be free from bondage, and from captivity, and from all other nations under heaven, if they will but serve the God of the land, who is Jesus Christ, who hath been manifested by the things which we have written.” (Ether 2:12)

“Therefore, I, the Lord, justify you, and your brethren of my church, in befriending that law which is the constitutional law of the land; And as pertaining to law of man, whatsoever is more or less than this, cometh of evil. I, the Lord God, make you free, therefore ye are free indeed; and the law also maketh you free. Nevertheless, when the wicked rule the people mourn.” (D&C 98:6-9)

This land and nation chosen and protected by God exists by the Constitutional Rights of ‘freedom’ for the purpose of the coming forth of the Book of Mormon and the Restoration of the Gospel and Church of Jesus Christ. The Freedom of Religion guaranteed in the “Bill of Rights” set the stage for the “plain and precious” truths to ‘come forth and go forth’ unto the world for the convincing of Jew and Gentile that Jesus is the Christ.

My 40 day Walk with God Answer to Day 1. Activity for Day 2

The request was to: Read the Living Christ: Ponder your personal testimony of our Savior. During the next40 days, how would you like your testimony to grow. I posted a link too.



I thought this would be an easy assignment but it turns out it wasn't. I have a strong testimony of Christ and thinking how I want to strengthen that more is not so easy. Why you may wonder but I want SO much more its difficult to pinpoint just What that is. I want to have an even MORE Personal relationship with him, I want to Understand the whys of what he is guiding me to do and the HOW. I have the faith that this will happen, Id love to be able to see with my physical eyes him there, I know he is there spiritually and would love to be able to see that more. Feel him more, be able to converse and understand what he is telling me easier than I currently do. I love him and know hes there for me, not just some omnipotent spirit, my brother Jesus.
I guess it just boils down to I want a better relationship with Christ and hope it will grow magnificently on our walk together.

Day 2: (My answer will be posted tomorrow)

The Plan of Salvation
"Young Women Value Experiences and Projects."Young Women Personal Progress: Standing As a Witness of God, 11-14

Increase your understanding of the plan of salvation. Resources for study include 2 Nephi 9:1-28 2 Nephi 11: 4-7 Moses 4:1-4 Revelation 12: 7-9 D&C 76:50-113 D&C 93: 33-34 Abraham 3: 24-27 and 1 Corinthians 15:22
Draw or obtain a picture that depicts the plan of salvation, including the premortal existence, birth, mortal life, Death, Judgment, and life after judgment.

Using this picture, explain the plan of salvation to your family or friends in a Family Home Evening. Discuss how knowledge of the plan affects your actions.

Those of my friends who are not LDS wont be able to access the full YWPP area but the link does give you a lot of information.

Lionesses

Women who Roar

I love lions and this article caught my attention. I like the Similarities that are made, they are empowering for women. Enjoy. Will post My 40 day walk, day one answer tomorrow.

10 ways to be a lioness and change the world

The king of the jungle always gets the attention. But shouldn't we spend some time looking at the power behind the throne, the queen of the jungle? Lisa Bevere, author of "Lioness Arising: Wake Up and Change Your World" believes we should. Women are like the lioness. They are powerful, strong and nurturing. Remember: You are stunning. You were born for this moment. Don't be afraid of your strength, questions, or insights. Awaken, rise up and dare to realize all you were created to be.

The Lioness is a good mother.

A lioness will not endanger another lioness's cub any more than she'd endanger her own. As women, we should be committed to putting distance between all Earth's children and whatever endangers them or threatens them. It is not enough to be concerned with our own children. Every child deserves an equal chance of survival. Every child needs to be protected, nurtured, trained and provided for.

A Lioness is a strong and powerful creature.

The Lioness is at ease with her strength, at rest with her power They are powerful hunters, but spend much of their time in rest and play. Women are the same. If we limit ourselves with our fear of our own might, we forfeit our strength and beauty. When we stop struggling in our own ability, our true strength is revealed. Embrace your strength! Do not mistake meekness for weakness! It is tempered strength and controlled might!

The Lioness sets aside former limitations.

Lionesses often fail when they first learn to hunt, but that doesn't mean they never hunt again. Hardship is a catalyst for improvement. You may fail at your first attempts to develop strength, but this is part of the learning process. Accept your failures as stepping stones to your strength and future successes.

The Lioness helps those who falter.

A lioness will bring meat to a lion that is afraid to venture into the wilderness himself. Women should also reach out to those who need help. Turning back or waiting for others may slow you down, but only at first. The deliberate extension of goodness, generosity and wisdom always wins out in the end.

The Lioness hunts with other lionesses.

Lionesses are the only big cats that hunt in concerted groups. They also groom each other after the hunt. Women must help each other keep our lives clean. We speak into one another's lives and invite others to give their input as well. Together, we laugh, cry, pray and confess fears, sins and weaknesses. Sometimes we disagree but that doesn't mean we disband. Just as lionesses hunt together, without competition and without breaking rank, no woman's portion or contribution is more significant than another's. Each woman has her own skill set that contributes to a valued whole.

The Lioness is stunning.

A lioness is a beautiful creature. They move with purpose, aware that the survival of their pride depends on their legacy of skill and strength. Women of every shape, size and color are as stunning, wild and fierce as the lioness. There is incredible beauty in the strength of a woman. You are capable of incredible things. Recognize this and revel in it!

The Lioness has prowess.

Lionesses are the height of hunting prowess. Their ability to provide for their pride is unmatched. Like the lioness, women too have prowess. There is exceptional ability, strength or valor waiting to be developed in every woman's life. You may not know or do everything, but what you do know, you chose to do well!

The Lioness hunts in the dark.

A lioness has the ability to see in the dark. She can take the smallest point of light and transform it into sight. Women too should take the smallest points of light and hope and transform them into sight. There are desperate people all over the world who are trapped in the darkness, waiting for someone to bring hope into their lives. There is power in the realization of a connection, that we are not alone in our struggles. So reach out to those around you with darkness in their lives and offer them hope, love and light!

The Lioness lives in the light.

When a lioness isn't hunting, she has no reason to move about in the shadows. She conducts her life in the open, sun-filled expanses of Africa. She feels no shame and no need to hide. Like the lioness, women must live their lives in the open with a light-filled heart. You alone have the power to open your life to sunlight and live without fear or shame.

Lionesses roar.

When the cubs are threatened, lionesses will roar as a group in a fearless proclamation of protection. Women must also be a voice for the voiceless. We must learn to live what is within us out loud. All the intangibles of faith, hope and love become tangible within individuals, and are expressed in our unified response to the world's needs. Our roar will be the collective expression of hope and love to everyone around us and to all those who need us.

Read more: http://www.beliefnet.com/Inspiration/2010/12/Women-Who-Roar.aspx#ixzz19xRCJUh7