Gospel Topic Tuesday: Priesthood Blessings

Sunday night while saying my prayers the thought came to me that I needed to ask Jared for a blessing. After I was done with my prayers and Jared was too I asked him for a blessing. After he gave me the blessing I felt so much better. I was starting work the next day and was unsure how I was going to balance everything. Through the blessing I was given some personal direction and reassurance that I am doing the right thing and that everything will be okay. I am incredibly grateful that my husband is a worthy priesthood holder and that I can turn to him and be blessed.

I love receiving priesthood blessings even when Heavenly Father is chastening me for something. The reason why is because Heavenly Father loves me enough to tell me where I need to do better, where I need to be stronger. He has the bigger picture in view and if I trust in him and follow the guidance he gives than I know he will bless me. In a talk by Julie B. Beck she says, "Each of us is equally entitled to a priesthood blessing when we are sick or need added support from the Lord in our lives." (Julie B. Beck, “An Outpouring of Blessings,”). The Lord is there for us and willing to help and guide us if we have faith in him and ask for a blessing.

I've had many experiences in my life where someone shares that they are having a hard time in their life with me, or that they are sick and don't know what to do. My first response is asking, "Have you asked for a priesthood blessing?" So many times the answer is no, which saddens me because I know that they will receive the guidance and healing needed if they just ask.

I know the power of the priesthood is real. I've read and heard stories where the spirit testified to me that they are true. I've had many experiences in my life that have strengthened my testimony in the power of the priesthood. I will share a few experiences that stand out.

One of the first ones comes from when I was 12 or 13. I was going to have surgery to remove my tonsils and adenoids. I was really nervous. I was afraid that something bad would happen and that perhaps I would die. I've always been terrified of Dr's and hospitals. My mom suggested that I get a priesthood blessing before having the surgery. We asked the missionaries who were serving at that time if they would administer a blessing to me. They of course said yes and gave me a blessing. I was told everything would be fine and that I would be comforted. The morning of the surgery I woke up and started to panic and ask "What if...?" Every time the "what if's" came to mind a voice spoke to me and told me I would be alright. I was calmed down and able to go in for surgery and everything was fine.

Another experience was more recent a little over a year ago. I was preparing to travel to Germany to visit my brother Eddy and his beautiful family. Just before leaving I put my back out and was barely able to move. I couldn't hardly walk or get out of bed. My ticket was already purchased and I desperately wanted to go. I turned to my husband and asked for a blessing. We called on our home teachers to help administer. I was told that I would be okay and told that I would be healed. As the words came my body felt different. The pain was evaporating away. Part of me was stunned but the rest of me was grateful to Heavenly Father for blessing me with a husband that is a worthy priesthood holder and that He saw it fit to heal me at that time.

Most recently was my experience with being pregnant and bringing Benjamin into the world. Shortly after I found out I was pregnant I asked for a blessing. I was told that my pregnancy would be fine but that I would experience pain in my labor. This made me nervous to some degree. I knew there would be pain but I wondered how much. I prayed to Heavenly Father and he comforted me and a scripture came to mind about how the Lord does not give us more than we can handle. When I went into labor and had been laboring for about 24 hours already I asked Jared for another priesthood blessing. I was told several things...one thing in particular that there would be some complications but that I would be healthy and so would our son. This was a hard thing to hear for Jared and I but we were able to prepare ourselves and trust in the Lord that everything would be alright.

Priesthood blessings are an amazing blessing in our lives. There priesthood holders all around us worthy and willing to bless us if we but ask them. I love to hear what Heavenly Father has to share with me and then write it down so I don't forget it and so I can look back and see what I was told.

Benjamin Laughing

I love being a mom! It is just the best thing ever! Today I started tickling Benjamin and he just started laughing. I did it a few different times and he laughed every time. This is the 4th time I've gotten him to actually laugh. Or should I say the beginning of laughter. It's so cute!!

Gospel Topic Tuesday: Judge Not

I am constantly working on something in my life. Judging! I feel like I am always judging people and then making assumptions about them. I've been praying for help for sometime now to not be so quick to judge people. I pray even harder when I realize I've been judging unfairly as I did not understand the whole situation.

I found a great article while researching the topic of judging and how we are told we should not judge. The article is from 1972 by N. Eldon Tanner. It may be old but it is amazing! It's titled "Judge Not, That Ye Be Not Judged". If you have time go and read it.

One of the reasons why I feel bad about when I judge is the scripture comes to mind of how we will be judged using the same judgement we dealt out. Now knowing that I am human and I judge unfairly I certainly don't want to be judged that way. The scripture is found in Matthew chapter 7 versus 1 through 5. "Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again. And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother’s eye.” This scripture is a great reminder that when we are dealing out unfair judgements we probably have bigger faults in our own lives that we should be dealing with. And if we were taking care of our own problems then perhaps we could be there when someone else needs us to help them with theirs.

"It seems common practice for people to talk about their friends and neighbors and to criticize their seeming peculiarities and weaknesses. In fact, it is so general that one would think that gossiping about and judging others was the thing to do. How often have we heard of young men who were criticized, judged, and ridiculed because of their peculiarities and yet who eventually became leaders in their different fields of endeavor." (N. Eldon Tanner, “‘Judge Not, That Ye Be Not Judged’,”) How many times do we catch ourselves judging people or gossiping about them? It really is easy to do. I know that the adversary knows it is a weakness of mine and is constantly bombarding me with situations or feelings for me to fall prey to. There's been several Sundays where I will leave my home after praying for strength not to judge and then 15 minutes into the service I am judging someone. I then feel awful and have the "Doh!" moment and ask Heavenly Father to forgive me and try again.

"When we try to judge people, which we should not do, we have a great tendency to look for and take pride in finding weaknesses and faults, such as vanity, dishonesty, immorality, and intrigue. As a result, we see only the worst side of those being judged."(N. Eldon Tanner, “‘Judge Not, That Ye Be Not Judged’,”) It is so easy to see the worst in people. For some reason the worst is easiest to latch onto and not the good. For instance I work with the young women in my ward and there is a girl who I constantly judge. I have a very hard time finding anything good about her. I feel awful that I have these feelings about her but it makes sense now after reading this article. I let myself dwell for so long on the negative aspects of what I see in her that I can't find the good. I need to let go of those thoughts and start seeing the good she has.

In the scriptures in the book of John we find the story about a woman who was caught in the act of adultery. She was brought before the Savior for judgement and he simply said "He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.” Then, after stooping and writing in the sand, he looked up and said, “… where are those thine accusers?” (John 8:7, 10, N. Eldon Tanner, “‘Judge Not, That Ye Be Not Judged’,”) The Savior made it very clear that we are not to judge. Only Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ know us inside and out and understand our hearts and intentions. They have the whole story and will judge righteously.

We need to do our best to not judge and when we find ourselves judging or gossiping we need to repent quickly and ask for strength to not do it again.

Not My Luckiest Streak

Jared just commented how this week hasn't really been my week. Wednesday we went to a YW activity and when we got to the church I took Benjamin out of his car seat. While doing this I put my phone and keys on top of the car. Apparently not a good spot for them. Jared was driving so he put Benjamin away and off we went. We heard them fly off on Hwy 2 on the far side of Gold Bar. They hung on for awhile. We turned around and found my keys which had been run over. Luckily the most expensive part of my VW key was still in tact and working. As well as my house key and key for the Jetta. We searched for awhile but weren't able to find my phone.

I also realized early this week that my ring was missing. Jared is searching for it right now. I don't remember the last time I wore it and it's not to be found around the dresser where our rings are kept.

Jared is pretty amazing because he is very nonchalant about these things because as he keeps stating "they are just material items.". But I feel like and idiot for the phone and keys and awful that I can't find my ring.

But my luck is starting to change. I got a new phone only took 2 days. I had a back up phone while I was waiting for my new phone. Jared luckily had a lot of my contacts so I've got those mostly set up. Today while cleaning and looking for my sewing items (scissors, rolling blade, pins) I found them (I only realized I was missing them this week when I started quilting again). And I found my personal progress books that had been missing for well over a couple months now. I jumped for joy because I am so close to earning my medallion.

So hopefully now we can get my key fixed and find my wedding ring.

Almost Offical

It's almost official! I am getting a portion of my old job back or what my old job would have been if I hadn't had Benjamin. I am really lucky as I get to work from home and it's a part time job. Jared and I were talking about it and if we look back over everything since I started working at Microsoft 5 years ago we feel that it was all leading up to this. It put me in a position to be needed and have the skills necessary to be blessed with a part time job from home. I really love it when I step back and look at things and realize just how much the Lord blesses our lives and how intricately he is apart of things. Something that started 5 years ago is now blessing our family. I had no idea where the path was going that I was on but I know Heavenly Father did.

So we shall see how I balance things. I will be working 4 hours a day 5 days a week. I'm going to figure out a time frame to be working during. I will have Benjamin at home with me. So I will still be full time mommy, housekeeper, Young Women's leader, woman, daughter, wife...etc. I am going to go re-read this book I read about time and time management titled "All the Time You Need" by Mary Ellen Edmunds. My mom got it for me for my birthday and one read through was not enough. A ton of great stuff in there.

Random Benjamin Shots

Learning is Fun

Benjamin loves to play with materials now, like burp clothes, dish towels, blankets, sheets basically anything he can get his hands on. He will hold them and then put them in his mouth. Watching him learn is really exciting. In some of the photos he was looking down and I realized why. He has monkeys on his feet and when he kicked he was watching it and following the monkey.

A Peaceful Nap

Here is my precious boy sleeping on our bed. I started him taking naps in his own crib on Sunday. He hasn't slept long in it yet but I will keep working on it.

Bath Time is So Much Fun

After giving Benjamin a bath last week I was letting him play with his towel and I couldn't pass up the photo opportunity. He loves his baths too. He will splash a little but just hang out. He is a little unsure at first and then warms right up to it.

He is growing so fast and learning so quickly. He's going to be 12 weeks this Saturday and 3 months on the 29th. Crazy! Time flies but I try to capture moments with the camera and I hold him as much as I can. Every once in awhile I will be cuddling thinking about my long to do list and then I realize I need to enjoy the moment. I won't always be able to hold him like this, so I am enjoying it while I can.

Gospel Topic Tuesday: Families

While sitting in Young Women's listening to the lesson it was talking about things we promised to do when we came down to earth.

1. Live a righteous life
2. Get married in the temple
3. Have a family and raise them in righteousness

These are all things I am trying to do and have done. The later is the newest one on my list of accomplishments and on my to do list. While looking at blogs yesterday I found a craft around the "The Family Proclamation". So I was trying to decide what to write on today it hit me...the Family.

Families are the central part of Heavenly Father's plan. In the book of Genesis in chapter 1 verse 28 the Lord commands Adam and Eve to multiply and replenish the earth. It is a commandment from the very beginning to have families. We all come from a Heavenly family, we were (and are) brothers and sisters in the pre-existence. We came down to the earth and were born into families. I know and believe that if we are sealed in the temple that our families are sealed together for time and all eternity. If we live worthy and obey God's commandments we can live together again with God and Jesus Christ.

A family consists of a mother and a father who have the "solemn responsibility to love and care for each other and for their children" (The Family: A Proclamation to the World,” Liahona, Jun 1996). Of course marriage is not easy but if you read the Proclamation closely it tells you how to have a happy and successful marriage and family. "Successful marriages and families are established and maintained on principles of faith, prayer, repentance, forgiveness, respect, love, compassion, work, and wholesome recreational activities." Basically all the principles of the gospel. Now if you do these things it does not mean that your marriage and family will be trial free. We are here after all to gain experiences and be tried to see if we will follow the Lord. I find it interesting how work is close to the end of the list. Work is good and necessary but it should not be all consuming. We need to balance our lives with family at the head.

I am grateful for the Proclamation on families and the principles it outlines. I am grateful for the family I was raised in and the bonds built there. I am grateful for my budding family and look forward with faith for the Lord to help me raise it in righteousness that we might all be worthy to return to live with Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ again.

Bread, Bread and Jam!

I've had a pretty productive morning. I've made 2 loaves of Strawberry Bread and 3 small loaves of Zucchini Bread. Both moist and delicious! And I must stop eating it! Because I'm full but it is so good!

Strawberry Bread

Zucchini Bread

And Benjamin kept me company while making the Strawberry bread but slept for the Zucchini bread. He loves playing with his bib now. He's really liking to grab material or toys and hold onto them and put them up to his mouth. Got to love learning!


Earlier this week I made a batch of Strawberry Jam with pectin. Apparently pectin and I just don't get along. It won't set!!! Oh well next batch is without pectin and it will set. So weird! So for now I have Strawberry preserves.

Benjamin Can Jump

Benjamin loves to stand on his legs and be up and seeing the world. I've been waiting to ask Jared to set-up the Johnny Jump Up we got because I wasn't sure if Benjamin was strong enough to handle it. I asked anyways tonight and Jared set it up. It says if the infant can hold their head up or about 4 months. Well Benjamin is pretty good at holding his head up so we gave it a try.

Flowers

I love flowers. I love watching them grow and bloom. I love having fresh flowers in my house. I love how they look and smell (most at least). I honestly can't plant enough flowers even in my small yard to satisfy me.

Here are some flowers from my backyard.

And they are gone

I feel weird. I feel like I should be sadder. Jared thought for sure he would see tears by now. I guess I've just been preparing myself for this moment. I've wanted to get rid of my cats for weeks now. Since having Benjamin I have not been giving them the attention or care they deserve.

We packed up all their belongings tonight and hauled them over to my Aunt Cindy's. She is who I got them from 4 years ago this fall. I've had many good times with them and I thought they would grow old with me but I couldn't handle them anymore. I worried about them sleeping in Benjamin's crib and suffocating him. I worried about him being on the floor and crawling in cat hair. Lately they made me more mad than happy. I felt so bad.

I feel some relief that they will be somewhere with people that will give them attention and they will be happier. It will be an adjustment for them but it's for the best in the long run. And I know I can go visit them.

POOP STAINS BEWARE

I found a pretty darn good stain remover! Which of course I have to share with everyone because I think it's pretty darn amazing!

Shout Gel Advanced (Formulated for Set In Stains)

I decided to put it to the test though and see just how good it was. It removed baby poop from clothes that I had left in my diaper bag for a week. Which is why I think it's pretty darn amazing! I had heard that baby poop was basically a clothes wrecker, so I was bummed when Benjamin had a blow out on his adorable church outfit Jared had bought him. I went to the store and bought two things of stain remover because I had run out quite some time ago and wanted one for the diaper bag to prevent stains from setting in. And since the Shout product worked I figured lets see how good it really is.

So on to the test....

Set in baby poop on a towel. This had already been washed and set in.

BEFORE

AFTER

Fresh baby poop on an outfit.

BEFORE

AFTER

Stains from a previous owner.

BEFORE

AFTER

Paint on a shirt of mine that had been washed multiple times.

BEFORE

It didn't make a difference so no after shot.

A grease spot from something I spilled months and months ago. I stopped wearing the shirt in public because it was over my chest.

BEFORE

AFTER

A stain from something washed and set in.

BEFORE

AFTER

So the results are in...depending on the stain if it's been washed already it can't do much but if it's been sitting in the dirty laundry just getting old than you have a fighting chance.

The Moistest Muffins

I made the moistest muffins again today. A friend of mine had a baby this past week so I thought I would share some muffins.

Since they are so good I will share the recipe! Enjoy!

Berry Oat Muffins

1 1/2 cups flour

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup quick oats

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 egg, lightly beaten

1/2 cup orange juice

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1/4 cup applesauce

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 cup blueberries (fresh or frozen)

1/2 cup raspberries (fresh or frozen)

In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients. In another bowl, combine the wet ingredients (except the berries). Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients just until moistened. Fold in the berries.

Fill greased or paper-lined muffin cups half full. Bake at 400 for 20 minutes. Makes 12 muffins.

I recommend making a double batch as one batch makes only a dozen (depending on how you portion in) because they are so good. I've already had 3 regular sized muffins. Also I've only been using blueberries as it's what I have on hand.

I got the recipe from "The Essential Food Storage Cook Book". I have been doing a lot of cooking out of this book trying new things and writing my comments into the book so I know what I like and what I don't like or what I changed. It's been fun!

Gospel Topic Tuesday: Following Promptings of the Spirit

I actually started studying my scriptures again yesterday. I'm doing it by topic and started with Faith but I am not ready to write anything about it just yet. But I have a simple thought to write about and share. It has been floating to the forefront of my mind for the last week actually. So I better write about it before I forget about it.

About 2 weeks ago I was going downstairs to clean out the litter box for my cats. I was grabbing a garbage bag from under the kitchen sink to go clean it out. As I was grabbing one the thought came to me that I should take two bags. I thought about it for a second or two and dismissed the thought. One garbage bag was always plenty. Once downstairs I emptied the whole litter box into the garbage bag and quickly tried to haul it out to the garbage can outside. I made it to the door to the garage and the bag broke at the top. I had to run upstairs to grab another garbage bag. If I had listened I would have had one on me. But I didn't. On the positive side I got more exercise.

This past Saturday Jared and I were hanging out downstairs for awhile. I grabbed Benjamin, the wipes and a diaper so I wouldn't have to run upstairs. The thought came to me to grab a second diaper. I ignored the prompting. I changed Benjamin after I thought he was done pooping and I was wrong. I had to go get another diaper.

I know these are two small examples of not following promptings. But the thought keeps coming that the Lord is trying to teach me how to listen with small and simple things. I find it comforting and amazing that he cares about my chores and diaper changing to try to help me. I wish that I had listened. It is one thing that I am trying to be better at. To be a receptacle to the promptings from the Holy Ghost and then listen and follow them. It's not always easy though. So many times I feel like they are just my own thoughts especially when it's mundane things like changing a diaper. Yet the Lord is mindful of me and willing to help me if I would but listen.

I ask Heavenly Father often to forgive me for not listening and give me another opportunity. President Thomas S. Monson said that of those who do hear the promptings of the Holy Ghost that they "do not postpone following promptings of the spirit." ("The Spirit Giveth Life", Ensign, May 1985) If you read the article The Spirit Giveth Life by President Monson at the end you will find a story about a prompting he received to go visit someone in the hospital and give them a blessing. When he got to the hospital he found his friend on the verge of throwing himself into a pool to drown as he was depressed, alone and hopeless. He says that he "learned a lesson that day: Never, never, never postpone following a prompting."

If we don't follow promptings we one lose the opportunity for more promptings. And two we miss out on a opportunity to do the Lord's work and bless the lives of those around us. We are the Lord's hands if we would but let him use and mold us. I've seen many blessings in my life from following promptings and I do try to hearken to his voice. It's not always easy to recognize his voice but if we are doing our scripture study, attending church and all of our meetings, and saying our personal and family prayers it will be easier to recognize.

Food Network

What TV shows do you find yourself watching these days? Me personally the Food Network. It's strange (and I can hear Jacki laughing to herself) that I actually like it. When Jared and I were dating I detested the channel. It was always on at his parents house (the TV was always on, if not the Food Network then it was sports) especially if Jacki was home. Now here it is years later and I actually seek out shows on that channel. Crazy! But I must validate myself. The same shows that were mostly on back then are still shows I don't care for now. Anything where they are teaching you how to cook something. I still find it boring because it's cooking food and the stuff they make I am most likely never going to eat. I guess my taste pallet is blah! Anyways the shows I like are the cooking competitions. Like Iron Chef America and any of the Food Network Challenges. I do also like Ace of Cakes and I am starting to get into Cupcake Wars. I find the competition to be fun and the pace makes it exciting. I don't always like what they are making but the way the show is depicted I am drawn into it. So yes I am a fan of the Food Network now but only certain shows.

Jacki and I discussed this awhile back and another reason for the Food Networks draw is that it's clean and wholesome. Which are definitely positive attributes for their network.

My Vision in Gold

I tackled my bedroom closet this week! It was about 4 feet deep. It was quite the undertaking! I moved the shelving unit into our closet that Olga had used. Extra shelf space is always wonderful. So I did that and organized the things moved a few tubs around and then went to Lowe's with a vision in mind.

I bought some peg board, screws, fancy furniture tacks, and spray paint. Once I found the furniture tacks I knew which color I wanted to pain the peg board. GOLD!!! I'm so not a gold person but it was too perfect and felt right.

So I got the peg board cut down to fit my measurements. Once home I set up shop in the driveway and sprayed the boards. After they dried I hid them in the garage. I didn't want Jared to see what I was up to until I was done. I was trying to surprise him since my vision involved him (sort of).

Today I got the boards out and the screws. I filled up the boards with screws and then eventually got it hung up in my closet. I had to use nails first to hang and then add my fancy furniture tacks.

I added some items and stepped back and admired my creativity and unique hat and belt holders.

Jared has like 30 some hats. I've tried a few different ways to organize his hats and I feel this is the best way so far. And it keeps the floor clear. Hooray for vision and gold spray paint!!

Coin Collection

I've been collecting coins for years. I painted a tub that used to hold peanut or almond covered clusters from Costco. And I wrote on the lid "Little by little I'll save up!!!!!" It was my fund for my grand piano some day. Well since Jared bought be a piano for my birthday last year that is a Grand it's just upright and I love it so much I don't really need to save it anymore.

I had fun yesterday rolling coins and getting them organized. Jared and I had divided them up about 6 months ago or so which made my coin rolling easy.I have over $255 dollars in coins. It really does add up over time. I used to be really good at using cash and any change I always threw in the bucket. I actually tried not to use change. At one point I laced my change bucket with bills but those were pulled.

Hmm so what should I spend my change on? An over the oven microwave? That would give me more counter space. Bills? Benjamin is definitely expensive. Or put it in savings?

Milk Anyone?

Monday night we went to Taylor's Landing in Duvall. It's not a bad little park. It was the last get together for Jared's family before his brother and sister went back home. We were having dinner together and letting the kids play and basically hanging out. It was a great evening. For dinner it was called a "Anything Goes" menu. You can bring anything you want and it doesn't matter if it's a snack, candy, dessert, entree or appetizer. It can bring out some interesting foods. I personally try to always bring an entree because I like real food. I brought sweet and sour meatballs and rice because Jared said we should serve it over rice. I'm a total carnivore so I could eat them plain and I did! Anyways when we were discussing ideas of what to bring Jared asked Benjamin what he wanted and of course he only knows one type of food so it would be breast milk. Jared thought about it and suggested that we buy whole milk and put it in bottles and then he would down one and see if people thought it was my milk. He said it as a joke but I really wanted to do it. I thought it would be awesome and it was!

So we stopped at the store on the way out of town and I had packed two extra bottles. I filled them up and put them in the trunk with the other food for Jared to bring out. I was sitting on the ground feeding Benjamin when Jared did bring them out and he turned to me and asked, "Do you need both of these?" I responded "No." He opened one up and drank it all up. The faces on his family members were priceless I wished I had my camera ready. It was so priceless. There were faces of disgust, disbelief, ready to vomit and smirking. We told Terrence to do the second one as a sucker bet but he didn't fall for it. So many things were being said and they just couldn't believe it. Jared and I were laughing pretty good and they realized that we pulled a prank.

It was a totally priceless moment!

Gospel Topic Tuesday: Keeping the Sabbath Day Holy

How many times have we gotten home from church on Sunday and felt “Okay I went to church and I worshipped, I am done.”? H. Aldridge Gillespie said in a talk from 2000 that the Sabbath “does not end if someone calls on the phone or knocks at our door inviting us to come out and play, go for a ride, to a ball game, or shopping; it does not end because we are on vacation or someone is visiting us, whether member or nonmember.” (H. Aldridge Gillespie, “The Blessing of Keeping the Sabbath Day Holy,” Ensign, Nov 2000) We need to keep going after we get done with church. It doesn’t just end once we get home and drop the scriptures and church bags. We need to continue the mind frame and feelings we felt at church. We need to continue to draw close to the Lord.

In Exodus chapter 20 verse 8 we read “Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.” We are commanded to keep the Sabbath Day holy. We have six days to work and take care of things but we are asked to give one day unto the Lord and worship him. What things should we do on the Sabbath to keep it holy? Or better put how do we keep the Sabbath Day holy? We are to go to church and renew our covenants with the Lord by partaking of the sacrament. We are to abstain from working and to spend time with our families. We should be studying the scriptures and renewing our spirits. “The prophet Spencer W. Kimball counseled: “The Sabbath is a holy day in which to do worthy and holy things. Abstinence from work and recreation is important but insufficient. The Sabbath calls for constructive thoughts and acts, and if one merely lounges about doing nothing on the Sabbath, he is breaking it. To observe it, one will be on his knees in prayer, preparing lessons, studying the gospel, meditating, visiting the ill and distressed, sleeping, reading wholesome material, and attending all the meetings of that day to which he is expected. [Failure] to do these proper things is a transgression on the omission side.”” (H. Aldridge Gillespie, “The Blessing of Keeping the Sabbath Day Holy,” Ensign, Nov 2000) I remember always hearing growing up that naps on Sunday are a great way to keep the Sabbath Day holy yet here a Prophet makes it very clear that if that’s all that you do then you are doing the opposite. We need to use our time wisely and if done so we will be renewed and blessed for doing so.

I know that I am not always good at observing the Sabbath Day like I should but I try. Each week I have another Sunday to try again. I really like the quote from President Kimball as it is chalked full of ideas of things to do. And how can we not afford to do so? “Over a lifetime of observation, it is clear to me that the farmer who observes the Sabbath day seems to get more done on his farm than he would if he worked seven days. The mechanic will be able to turn out more and better products in six days than in seven. The doctor, the lawyer, the dentist, the scientist will accomplish more by trying to rest on the Sabbath than if he tries to utilize every day of the week for his professional work. I would counsel all students, if they can, to arrange their schedules so that they do not study on the Sabbath. If students and other seekers after truth will do this, their minds will be quickened and the infinite Spirit will lead them to the verities they wish to learn. This is because God has hallowed his day and blessed it as a perpetual covenant of faithfulness.” (James E. Faust, “The Lord’s Day,” Ensign, Nov 1991) When I was going to school I made a promise with the Lord that I would not study my homework on Sundays. I would abstain from all school work and by doing so I asked that he blessed me in my studies. I was blessed to have enough time to get my homework done and retain the knowledge I had gained for my exams. The Lord is aware of us and will bless us if we do what he asks of us.