Seeking mentoring from the Master week 5

This week for mentoring we are talking about Faith and Joan of Arc. Here is a link to an essay I wrote about the things I learned about Joan of Arc. 

Faith--  Here are two former blog posts about how I am living proof that Gods love is real. I have been so blessed with miracles and Light. I cannot deny the truth.

http://livinghappiness.blogspot.com/2013/06/living-proof.html

"Living proof
I am evidence
That His love is real"  

http://livinghappiness.blogspot.com/2013/06/earliest-memory-of-living-proof-needle.html

One of my first personal experiences that the Lord hears and answers prayers.

In the bible dictionary this is the definition of Faith: 

"Although faith is a gift, it must be cultured and sought after until it grows from a tiny seed to a great tree. The effects of true faith in Jesus Christ include (1) an actual knowledge that the course of life one is pursuing is acceptable to the Lord (see Heb. 11:4); (2) a reception of the blessings of the Lord that are available to man in this life; and (3) an assurance of personal salvation in the world to come. These things involve individual and personal testimony, guidance, revelation, and spiritual knowledge. Where there is true faith there are miracles, visions, dreams, healings, and all the gifts of God that He gives to His saints."

For our family memorizing scripture we are studying about the Stripling warriors and how they "obeyed every word of command with exactness" Thinking about how faith inspires us to obey with exactness and honor.

And creating a Spiritual plan. As we all know if you fail to plan you plan to fail. This week we will be discussing each family members next step on the covenant path. We have one getting baptized this year in August and several that are working on receiving their patriarchal blessings. I found this amazing resource for Patriarchal blessing preparation and we are really excited to begin reading it. Endure with joy to the end is the next step for several in our family and we are working to find joy in the journey each day. There is so much to be grateful for and so much joy to be had if we will just look for it each day. 

Affirmations are another way to strengthen our faith and help us remember our worth and divine nature. 

"The Father and our Savior desire to lead us through love, for if we were merely driven where They wish us to go, we would not be worthy to be there, and, surely, we could not stay there. They are Shepherds, not sheepherders." Meekness—A Dimension of True Discipleship” Elder Neal A. Maxwell

Seeking Mentoring from the Master Week 4- Symbols

This week we had a FHE lesson from the talk 'For Peace at home" by Elder Scott. I have the quote on my wall from his talk "One of the greatest blessings we can offer to the world is the power of a Christ-centered home where the gospel is taught, covenants are kept, and love abounds." from the Idea Door

This week for Seeking mentoring from the Master we discussed Symbolism and the way Heavenly Father uses symbols to teach us. I especially love symbols because they can have so many layers of teaching that we can learn something new every time. Father can use them to teach us something new and powerful as we search and seek.  One of my favorite discussions of symbolism is by S. Michael Wilcox.  I found this awesome resource of free podcasts by him and loved listening to them. 

https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/lds-talks-s.-michael-wilcox/id428761907?mt=2

Here is another resource by him http://www.ldsliving.com/S-Michael-Wilcox-10-Ways-to-Get-More-from-Your-Temple-Experience/s/77765

This is my favorite part of this article as it applies to Symbolism and how we can learn many different layers from one symbol.

Apply Principles from Baptism and the Sacrament

Before we even go to the temple, we are introduced to symbolic ordinances. Through them we are shown how to respond to symbolic language. The sacrament and baptism are such ordinances.

Baptism is an excellent ordinance to study to give us a better idea of how the Lord teaches in the temple. What does baptism symbolize? Some may say baptism is symbolic of a cleansing. Others may teach that baptism symbolized a birth. Others might add that baptism is a symbolic burial.

Is baptism a bath, a birth, or a burial? It is all of them. Because such symbols convey multiple meanings, they will, if we continue to ponder them, constantly edify and instruct us throughout our lives.

In the sacrament, the bread reminds us of the body of the Savior, and the water of His blood. When we partake, we think of His loving sacrifice in our behalf and of our covenants that make His sacrifice efficacious in our lives. The bread and water can also remind us that Jesus was “the bread of life” and that He is the source of “living water.” Our focus, therefore, is centered on the meaning of the symbol and not on the symbol itself. When we understand the meanings of temple symbols, their outward forms become beautiful, just as the sacrament is beautiful and edifying to them.

There are so many symbols of Christ and there are many things that can point us to the atonement and the Savior. His many names can all symbolize His roll in our lives and in the great plan of happiness. I have been reading 2 Nephi 11 and loved the end of this verse 5 yea my soul delighteth in his grace, and in his justice, and power and mercy in the great and eternal plan of deliverance from death.

I had not heard the plan called this before and thought of how joyful it is to be delivered from that awful monster death and hell. We are so grateful for the infinite and eternal sacrifice that would allow us to be saved. 

We have been working on memorizing Mosiah 4:14-15 especailly. Love one another and serve one another.  

We have all been asking the questions "What do I need to stop doing to be closer to the Savior?" and "What do I need to start doing to be closer to the Savior?"  These two questions are so powerful but simple. It has made a huge difference. 

I was able to make a label with "Did you think to pray?" and this quote:

“As important as it is to leave home every day with a full charge on your cell phone, it is far more important to be fully charged spiritually. Every time you plug in your phone, use it as a reminder to ask yourself if you have plugged in to the most important source of spiritual power—prayer." —Randall L. Ridd, "The Choice Generation

I attached them to every Charger cord in the house to help us all remember to pray more often. 

For Easter this year we are going to memorize the Living Christ and I am excited to use this resource

http://www.bookofmormondiscovery.com/livingchrist.html

Seeking Mentoring from the Master Week 3

For our family mentoring this week we are talking about Obtaining the Mind of Christ found in 1 Corinthians 2:16. We discussed two ideas to go with this Mastering your mind and Minding your master. Controlling your thoughts is one of the most important skills for success in all areas of your life 

One way to do this is with the three E's and the three R's 

E's stand for Elevate, Eliminate and Educate

R's stand for Remember, Review and Renew

These two questions will give us the guidance we need to fully consecrate ourselves to the Lord

1. What am I now doing that I should stop?
2. What am I not doing that I should start?

Let's talk about each one. 

Elevate- This applies to our speech, our thoughts and our actions. What we allow to be around us in media or posters on our wall all help to elevate or degrade us. Each time we choose things that Elevate we are choosing more light and truth. 

Something interesting Wendy Watson Nelson said at Roots Tech goes with both Elevate and Eliminate for me was about a Patriarch.  She asked him what he did to prepare to give a blessing and expected him to talk about going to the temple, studying about the Tribes of Israel, or something like that. Instead he said "I get out the vacuum".  I have been thinking about how cleanliness is next to Godliness and the more our home or environment is clean and orderly the more we are ready for revelation and inspiration.

Some of the things on my list of Elevate was to have my home second only to the temple in sacredness. This meant that I had some work to organize and get rid of things that no longer served our family or brought us joy and to start adding things that would be symbolic or in other ways bring us joy and light. I created a new thing for our wall that has done both and wanted to share it. It is a wall hanging basket that says Joy on it. I loved it immediately when I saw it and brought it home. But couldn't decide what it was for or how to use it. This year my one word is Joy and so everything I have found that says Joy on it I have brought home to remind me of this one word I am seeking this year. 

1 Nephi 11

So this week in Young Women's we did a fun craft that was inspired by a member of the Stake Young Women's presidency. We created Tree of Life replica's to go in each girls room. It was a fun activity and I knew what I needed to do with my Joy basket. It reminds me that the Fruit of the tree (the Love of God) is the most joyous to the soul and that it is what every human heart is seeking.

I have also been starting on one side of the house and ending at the other trying to vacuum throughout the whole house. This of course requires me to pick up and put away along the way. And required several days of one hour at a time stretches to get to where I could go from one side of the house to the other in one hour. But progress is being made. It has been interesting to me to find that the creation, at the beginning of this process, of a sacred space has inspired changes throughout the house. Creating a physical place in my home to talk to the Lord has allowed Him to help me make the whole house a place He can be welcomed.

Educate and Remember have gone together to some degree. We have been working on our memorization book. The video I shared had a 3x5 card box that was a good idea but we use a 3 ring binder instead. I used the same idea to have daily, even and odd, and days of the week and days of the month. But have done it on a 8.5 x 11 sheet of paper instead of cards so we can all read it together. It is working well and makes me super happy to have things to memorize as we have down time or waiting time. My youngest has done amazing and I am loving the ability to pull up scripture when I am discouraged or need a way to "elevate" my thoughts. I am also listening to "As a Man Thinketh" on audible and thinking about how that applies to elevate and eliminate. Things I think that need to go and how to add light and truth to my thoughts on a consistent basis.

Still working on Review and Renew. Would love your input on what you think it means. Have been asking the question "What am I holding back?" as a spiritual question for the Lord to help me answer the two questions at the top. What do I need to start doing and what do I need to stop doing?  Will work on these with Review and Renew.

Last but not least I found an amazing scripture this week. It was in a book I have of Simon Dewey's art work on the Savior. It had a picture of the woman who had the issue of blood reaching out to touch the Savior and being healed and said "We know from the scriptures that later, after word was spread abroad concerning this miracle, that as many as touched the  Savior's robe were healed." I thought ?What?? When did that happen. I don't know about that??  So I went to the scripture that he also gave on the page Matthew 14:35-36 and was so blessed by this scripture. It helped me see that the Savior can heal now those who reach out to Him in faith!! This was a comfort to me as I have been praying for many years now for the healing my family and I need. This video is of Matthew 14:35-36 in ASL and was a great joy to me!!

Here is a video about Prayer-- Did you think to Pray? By the Mormon Tabernacle Choir