Charity and Today!

 Getting caught up! Here's the last two video messages. Enjoy! 

A Profound Dream I Had - This Week's Video Message!

2018 is going to be quite the year! I had a profound dream about a personal forecast for the new year that can be applied to all. Part of that message is how loving your enemies is crucial to your spiritual growth and success. I'm amazed at the feedback I've already been receiving about this video in private messages. It truly is inspiring!

Uncovering the Mysteries and History of Prayer - The Questions We Have All Wondered

Over the past five years, I have observed the various differences across many cultures when it comes to prayer. Some cultures pray with hands clasped together and fingers interlocking, some pray without fingers interlocking, some pray with hands crossed, some pray arms crossed, some pray with arms bowed down to the ground and other pray with arms extended towards the Heavens.

HATS ON OR OFF?

Women in the southern states and women in England, often don Sunday hats to church fastened tightly with hair pins which are not expected to be removed during prayer. At girls camp it's common along with men to see some women remove their hats for prayer. In the 19th century, pioneer women prayed in their prairie bonnets while pioneer men removed their hats. Pagan traditions taught the contrary - men were to cover their heads when praying. Though the Hebrew Bible and Talmud taught men to pray uncovered and women to cover, the Pagan traditions were adopted and later confused as Jewish tradition with Hebrew origins (see reference). And we've all seen the famous painting of George Washington in prayer at Valley Forge with his hat off. In one version his hands are open and his head is raised with eyes closed, in another version he is depicted on one knee with head bowed. So, what does scripture teach us about this?

I remember about five years ago reading my scriptures and coming across this curious passage from Paul to the Corinthians;

1 Corinthians 11:4-7

Every man praying or prophesying, having his head covered, dishonoureth his head.

But every woman that prayeth or prophesieth with her head uncovered dishonoureth her head: for that is even all one as if she were shaven.

For if the woman be not covered, let her also be shorn: but if it be a shame for a woman to be shorn or shaven, let her be covered.

For a man indeed ought not to cover his head, forasmuch as he is the image and glory of God: but the woman is the glory of the man.

Why would a man dishonor God by praying with his head covered? Because the blood of Jesus was the final sacrifice and covers all as it serves as our atonement before God. It is believed that to have covered his head would have been to undermine the Atonement. (See reference).

As for women, it was tradition to veil their heads for prayer. Why? In the first century and the centuries before and after, for a woman to wear a head covering was an act of propriety in respect for her husband and his covering role for her as protector. Further, it recognized that the Lord Almighty was over her husband as well who covers man and woman with his rule and makes them clean by his atoning blood. If the woman acted improperly in respect to her husband by uncovering her head, Paul said, she "dishonours her head" (11:5). What is her head? The answer is three-fold:

1) Her own head - herself as a whole being.

2) Her husband.

3) The Lord God.

For a woman, wearing a head covering showed her "sign of authority on her head" (11:10). Paul was counseling the people on the importance of this tradition and what it symbolizes. Today we can liken it to a woman's cover being the protection of her husband through his priesthood. Paul reminds us of the patriarchal order in 11:3

But I would have you know, that the head of every man is Christ; and the ahead of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God.

We learn from Exodus (28:4, 37, 40), that the high priest covered his head and that it was
generally considered a sign of mourning to cover the head and face (2 Samuel 15:30, 19:5; Jer 14:3-4; Esther 6:12). Mourners and lepers covered their heads as to show uncleanness and unworthiness before God. Their unjustified state shown in the unclean state of death (see reference).

Paul then goes on to tell us in verses 14-15

Doth not even nature itself teach you, that, if a man have long hair, it is a shame unto him?

But if a woman have long hair, it is a glory to her: for her hair is given her for a covering.

This is most likely where the cultural rule of thumb for it being appropriate for women to have long hair and men to have short hair stemmed from. Long hair acted as a covering.

Why then was Samson told not to cut his hair as it contained spiritual power? And why is Jesus almost always depicted with long hair, and also praying in head covering? 

Samson was a Nazirite, and in that he was given immense strength to aid him against his enemies and allow him to perform superhuman feats, including slaying a lion with his bare hands and massacring an entire army of Philistines using only the "jawbone of an ass". However, if Samson's long hair was cut, then his Nazirite vow would be violated, and he would lose his strength.

According to the Bible, a Nazarite (not to be confused with Nazarene) was one who voluntarily took a vow to abstain from alcohol, refrain from cutting hair, and be ritually pure (Numbers 6:1-21). Samson’s long hair was not the source of his strength. Rather, it was the symbol of his covenant relationship with God, who was the source of Samson’s strength.

Could Jesus have also have taken the Nazarite vow? A Nazarene Nazarite? It's possible and would explain the depictions of long hair. Otherwise according to Paul who taught after the teachings of Jesus, it was a shame for man to have long hair.

In Native American culture however, it is believed that long hair is a physical manifestation of the growth of the spirit, and some say it allows for extrasensory perception, and connection to all things. Some Native American tribes even believe that the hair is connected to the nervous system. That long hair reaches out like tentacles, and pulls energy and information from the world around us similar to a cat’s whiskers (see reference). In fact, during the Vietnam war, special envoys of the war department were sent to Native American reservations in search of Men with a reputation of having seemingly supernatural tracking abilities. Once the men were enlisted however, their extra sense and supernatural tracking abilities seemed to vanish. When the privates were asked about why they would fail to perform as before, they would consistently answer that their required military haircuts left them unable to harness the sixth sense that was previously very natural to harness. They could no longer sense an enemy approach, and felt as if their natural intuition was no longer reliable. After this was uncovered, further tests involving privates who were allowed to keep their hair against those who had received the required military haircut commenced (see reference).

Is there validation to long locks and spiritual power?

In Numbers 15:38-40 it says: 

Speak unto the children of Israel, and bid them that they make them fringes in the borders of their garments throughout their generations, and that they put upon the fringe of the borders a ribband of blue:

And it shall be unto you for a fringe, that ye may look upon it, and remember all the commandments of the Lord, and do them; and that ye seek not after your own heart and your own eyes, after which ye use to go a whoring:

That ye may remember, and do all my commandments, and be holy unto your God.

Jews refer to this as a "tzitzit" and is worn as a reminder of their covenant with the Lord. Jesus wore a tzitzit as a practicing jew. In fact, Mark 6:56 tells us this about Jesus' tzitzit,

And whithersoever he entered, into villages, or cities, or country, they laid the sick in the streets, and besought him that they might touch if it were but the border of his garment: and as many as touched him were made whole.

The word "tzitzit" comes from the root word for "flower" and originally meant a "tassel" or "lock", as in the Book of Ezekiel where Ezekiel is picked up by an angel and carried by a "lock" (Hebrew tzitzit) of hair (see reference). Interestingly, orthodox jewish men sport long side burn locks called a "peyot" which have a separate unknown purpose to the tzitzit. The Torah states, “Do not round off [the hair] at the edges of your heads.” The Talmud explains that the term “edges” refers to the hair between the ears and the temples. “Rounding out the edges” refers to removing the sideburns so that there is a straight hairline from the forehead to behind the ears (see reference).

When pondering on this tzitzit or tassel, I thought of the graduation ceremony and the square cap. In the Old Testament, the square symbolizes the four corners of the earth, the four angels, and the four living creatures that surround the throne of God. We use the sign of the square to sustain church leaders and according to Elder Robert D. Hales in 2008 April conference, "...even a covenant, to sustain and to uphold the laws, ordinances, commandments, and the prophet of God..." 

The gesture of moving the tassel from one side of the cap to the other symbolizes the individual’s movement from candidate to graduate. Prior to the ceremony the tassel is expected to be worn on the right. During the ceremony it should be moved to the left side. This reminded me of advancement in the priesthood from candidate to "graduate" and also advancement from glory to glory through our covenants we make here and in the realms hereafter. We can learn quite a bit in the temple through the guidance of the Spirit about the great symbolism in the ordinances we participate in.  

Many paintings depict the Lord with his head covered while blessing and praying. In today's western culture Christian men uncover their heads as a sign of respect and humility when praying. In these paintings it appears also to be a sign of humility to cover the head - as to cover your own glory when in the sight of God's glory. Whichever the case may be, it's universally agreeable that prayer should always be offered in humility - whatever that looks like between you and the Lord.

There is no official church doctrine on men and women covering or uncovering their heads or how our prayer stance and arm positions should be. Culture and tradition have led to arms folded, head bowed, and eyes closed. According to legend the origins of the pretzel had everything to do with teaching children to pray this way, when an Italian monk invented pretzels as a reward to children who learned their prayers. He called the strips of baked dough, folded to resemble arms crossing the chest, "pretiola'" meaning "little rewards."  Praying with arms folded, head bowed and eyes closed is taught in the church to primary children to help them maintain their reverence and keep from being distracted. Though this is what we are accustomed to, a much different custom of of raised hands during prayer can be traced to the early years of Israel. 

HAND POSITIONS?

Aaron, the first High Priest, raised his hands in prayer as he blessed the Israelites when the sanctuary was first established. The book of Psalms speaks of raised hands regularly:  "Because thy loving kindness is better than life, my lips shall praise thee. Thus will I bless thee while I live: I will lift up my hands in thy name." (Psalms 63:3-4). Further, the congregation is exhorted to lift their hands in worship of God: "Lift up your hands in the sanctuary, and bless the Lord.The Lord that made heaven and earth bless thee out of Zion." (Psalms 134:1-2).

So, what does raised hands signify? For one, raised hands are symbolic of our dependence on someone else. Raising hands during worship can be similar to children who lift their hands to be picked up, comforted, protected, or carried: "I stretch forth my hands unto thee: my soul thirsteth after thee, as a thirsty land. Selah." (Psalm 143:6). Thus, raised hands in worship may suggest a reaching out for God's presence, blessing, comfort, or strength.

Another significant meaning of raised hands is to bless God, much like Aaron's blessing of the people. In Psalm 63:3-4 the psalmist says he raises his hands to bless God. "Thus will I bless thee while I live: I will lift up my hands in thy name." This symbolizes both gratefulness and joy for the blessings God has given. Indeed, many of the psalms indicate that hands are raised in song and prayer to show thankfulness and joy for God's great works (Psalms 134, 141).

The lifting of a hand may also signify a vow or covenant. This is practiced throughout scripture: "Therefore he lifted up his hand against them, to overthrow them in the wilderness:" (Psalms 106.26) and "And the angel which I saw stand upon the sea and upon the earth lifted up his hand to heaven. And sware by him that liveth for ever and ever, who created heaven, and the things that therein are, and the earth, and the things that therein are, and the sea, and the things which are therein, that there should be time no longer:" (Revelation 10:5-6)

The raising and showing of hands can also symbolize clean hands before God. "I say unto you, can ye look up to God at that day with a pure heart and clean hands? I say unto you, can you look up, having the image of God engraven upon your countenances?" Alma 5:19

The custom of raising hands during worship was a common practice in the early church, especially during prayer. In Paul's letter to Timothy he writes, "I will therefore that men pray every where, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting." (1 Timothy 2:8). Indeed, according to some Jewish commentators, the Israelite practice of lifting hands during worship in the synagogues was stopped in reaction to the Christians who customarily raised their hands during prayer. (see reference)

The thought has crossed my mind that an unseen power flows from the Lord into us through our hands. It reminds me of a TV antenna AKA rabbit ears. These are used to pick up the stronger VHF signal (frequencies) which transmits the picture and sound onto your screen. The rabbit ear antennas are the strongest indoor antenna for picking up the best signal. One reason for the V shape is that when receiving channels at the top of the band with the rods fully extended, the antenna elements will typically resonate at their 3rd harmonic. In this mode the direction of maximum gain makes it advantageous to be able to adjust them to various angles.

I felt great symbolism in this as the "V" reminds me of a compass, and resonating in "3rd harmonic" reminds me of resonating in the third heaven, the Celestial Realm. Our hands are pointing towards Heaven and acting as an antenna picking up frequencies from our Heavenly home. Direct communication through the Spirit. 

In some churches, the congregation holds hands during prayer. Science can teach us much about the power of connection during prayer. I have shared before in books, videos, and blog posts the work of Greg Braden. He speaks about a scientific discovery known as the "Divine Matrix". This is the energy field in which thoughts, feelings, and emotions are transmitted, and how they travel. I will share more on this in my next blog post. In a Manila, Italy conference he conducted a live experiment in which he created a powerful circuit of energy by having the audience hold hands, creating one long chain together. He asked the audience to feel the feeling of love in their hearts. He then measured the calibrated frequency in the room when hands were connected before feeling love, during feeling love, and then disconnected while still feeling love. He demonstrated that hearts can be knit together without a physical connection. We can unite through love and prayer throughout the world without holding hands, and it is just as powerful!

In a the March 2017 Face to Face with Elder Eyring and Elder Holland, Elder Eyring mentioned that when praying you are approaching the throne and you should act as such. He said that he wears a suit or Sunday best when kneeling before God. On the contrary, a few years ago I was listening to Kirk Duncan speak at a conference, and he mentioned that when he thought of Heavenly Father as God on the throne he felt intimidated and unworthy. He found it difficult to pray and develop a relationship. So one day he asked God for to permission to think of Him more as God the Father - rather than God the Deity. He asked Heavenly Father if he could imagine him in a cabin in the woods and the two of them fishing together and wearing flannel shirts. He felt if he could imagine Heavenly Father that way, he would feel more comfortable talking to Him. He felt God's love surround Him and tell him that was just fine. God would take a relationship with Kirk in any way He could get it. That story touched me, as it reminded me of the fatherly, nurturing side of God.

In the Church, if a person has been found unworthy by the bishop to take the sacrament, he/she is usually asked to refrain from praying in church, until he/she is deemed worthy again. I have always pondered on this and thought it must have everything to do with being clean before God and having a pure vessel to be able to pray by the Spirit. The way to the Father is always though Jesus Christ. Personal prayer however, is never refrained from. We are always encouraged to pray to our Father especially when we need help and especially when we have sinned. Through Jesus and His Atonement, we can be made clean so that we can be worthy of the companionship of the Spirit. So that we can have clean hands and receive His signal. We are always worthy of the love of our Savior and our Heavenly Father, that is something we don't ever have to earn, but being worthy to be in the presence of the Father has everything to do with being clean. If Moses was asked to take off his shoes in the presence of the Lord, how much more mindful should we be about our personal cleanliness when we exercise our faith and approach the throne of God? Just think of what the brother of Jared may have missed out on, had he been unclean when petitioning the Lord. He was clean, he was pure, he had faith, and the veil could not constrain him. 

Elder Russell M. Nelson said in April 2003 conference in regards to prayer, 

"Jesus taught us how. We pray to our Heavenly Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, by the power of the Holy Ghost. This is the “true order of prayer,” in contrast to “vain repetitions” or recitations given to 'be seen of men.'

Jesus revealed that we pray to a wise Father who knows what things we have need of, before we ask Him."

  

I often ponder on the way in which we are taught to pray in the temple when petitioning the Lord for greater miracles on behalf of the names of those who are afflicted whose names we write on the prayer roll. There is so much we can learn when we are in the temple. 

IN SUMMARY

I will say that the way I pray in my closet is much different than the way I pray in public. If we follow President Nelson's counsel, we can't go astray when we pray. Whether we prefer to clasp our hands, fold our arms, kneel, extend our hands, etc. when praying alone in our closets, what's most important is where our heart is and our intentions are. When we are humble, meek, and submissive before the Lord, He hears us. When we are repentant the Spirit can be with us during prayer, and miracles happen when we pray in the Spirit. 

Remember prayer is a two-way street. We can't just be good talkers, we must be good listeners too. I know this to be true, and I know that the Spirit can teach us more about prayer if we desire, if we ask, and if we are willing to listen and be taught.

Peace in All Things - And How I Spent October 31st!

Looking for peace in your marriage? Peace in your job? Peace in your family? Peace in your ward? Peace on social media? Peace in the world? Then I think you are going to like this week's video message. Also, see how I spent October 31st!

Have a great weekend!

Who Wants Some Inspiration!

Here are two videos that have touched me in the last week. The first is a facebook link, so I could not embed the video. It's the beautiful message of man who passed away from cancer and wanted to be the last speaker at his own funeral. He recorded this video and surprised everyone!

https://www.facebook.com/SamuelGould/videos/1395760103844266/

The second video features new and inspiring and words and music about the Savior. As a songwriter myself, I appreciate beautiful, original Christian music. I hope you enjoy it!

Confessions of a Mormon Bishop

I absolutely loved this! I'm not a bishop but I feel this way right now about my current calling. Tonight while serving in my calling as Relief Society Activity Chair I experienced many feelings of inadequacy and was very humbled. One of the speakers at our activity tonight spoke about this very topic - how we always wonder "why me?" there are so many more qualified people. The truth is, we are where we need to be so we can grow how we need to grow.

I loved hearing this from a bishop's point of view. This is a must read!

http://www.russhillmedia.com/2013/03/19/confessions-of-a-mormon-bishop/

Bishop's Message

In church today we had a combined third hour with the Relief Society and the Priesthood. I felt so blessed to have been there, on the front row listening to the bishop's message of warning.

Having been recently out of town, having sick children, subbing a lot for primary and serving in the primary all last year, I was very fortunate to have been able to attend all three meetings today and hear the wonderful and eye opening messages that were shared. 

The second hour (Sunday school) was all about missionary work and how it is that stone rolling down the mountain. A brother spoke of a mission that currently has 60 missionaries and is expected to triple over the next few months. Another sister mentioned that around 150 or so missions have recently opened up and now women consist of 50% of the mission field where they used to be closer to 14% or somewhere around that number. It's amazing.

Our Sunday school teacher said that today the field is white and ready to harvest more than ever before, and the Lord has already sowed the seeds, we just need to do the harvesting. I was reminded of a conversation I had with my brother last week. He served his mission in Ireland about 14 years ago. He said that it was a tough mission and he only had about two prospects interested in the gospel the entire time. He felt bad that he didn't have the success he had hoped for.

Well, a few months ago he had a dream one night that he was called to go on another mission in which he would bring many souls unto the Savior and there would be many baptisms. When he woke up he figured it was a dream foretelling of a time when maybe his kids were grown and gone and he and his wife could serve a mission together. Then, two weeks later he was called as the ward mission leader. He lives in Spanish Fork. Over the last few months of serving in this calling he has found many people in his neighborhood who he has invited to meet with the missionaries - four of them have been baptized. So, two years in a foreign land with no baptisms and three months in his own neighborhood with four baptisms - amazing! He said that it has been very rewarding and enriching to serve in this calling and he finally recognized that this was the mission his dream had foretold of.

In these last days (or hours as we might call them) gathering everyone to Zion is the ultimate focus and goal of the church. People are ready and the Lord is preparing them to hear His gospel. I feel that the many great trials that are on their way will be what softens the hearts of many and prepares them to hear and accept the gospel.

We have these opportunities all around us every day and if we have the desire to serve, than we have already been called.

Doctrine and Covenants Section 4 sums it up perfectly;

 1 Now behold, a ^amarvelous work is about to come forth among the children of men.

 2 Therefore, O ye that embark in the ^aservice of God, see that ye ^bserve him with all your heart, might, mind and strength, that ye may stand ^cblameless before God at the last day.

 3 Therefore, if ye have desires to serve God ye are ^acalled to the work;

 4 For behold the ^afield is white already to ^bharvest; and lo, he that thrusteth in his sickle with his might, the same layeth up in ^cstore that he perisheth not, but bringeth salvation to his soul;

 5 And ^afaith, ^bhope, ^ccharity and ^dlove, with an ^eeye single to the ^fglory of God, ^gqualify him for the work.

 6 Remember faith, ^avirtue, knowledge, ^btemperance, ^cpatience, ^dbrotherly ^ekindness, ^fgodliness, charity, ^ghumility, ^hdiligence.

 7 ^aAsk, and ye shall receive; ^bknock, and it shall be opened unto you. Amen.

During the third hour the bishop stood and said that he has been recently warned by the Lord that something drastic is about to happen and he has been prompted to prepare our ward temporally and spiritually as quickly as possible like never before. His eyes and expression were intense, and he didn't appear happy to be delivering this message. He didn't say if it was something local, national or global but just that he hoped these warnings were wrong. 

After he spoke, there were three additional speakers who spoke about how to get our ward prepared for what is coming. Our ward is a new ward of only three months. In the past wards I have been in, there were efforts to prepare the members but not as quickly and as intense as this. We quickly were told about a plan to divide the streets into sections of 6 households with a priesthood brother as a block captain and that each unit will be in charge of helping each other when the crisis hits. We are going to have several upcoming meetings to take inventory of everyone's skills and supplies so that we can help take care of each other and know our resources.

The messages continued on the path that all will not be well soon and we need to be ready for things to get worse and worse. This is what it took for my husband to finally be willing to discuss these things with me. He usually despises talking about the last days, warnings and what's coming - but now he is finally on board with me and I'm grateful for the message of warning that our loving bishop shared with us today. I feel blessed to be living in a ward with so many members who are in tune to the spirit and who have a desire to help everyone prepare. My heart yearns to become a more Zion like people and I'm ready serve, love and give all I have for the building up of Zion. 

I love this gospel, I love the Savior and I love trusting in God and seeing His hand in all things in my life. I'm striving to be more like the Savior and extending love and compassion to all. I know what awaits us will be bitter sweet - but I am willing to deal with the bitter in order to enjoy the sweet.

I say this in the name of Jesus Christ amen.

Inspired Weekend Message - The One

This weekend was our Stake Women's Conference and as always, I was so glad that I went and completely edified.

The theme was "The One" meaning Christ and seeking out the one person you can help lift. The message I enjoyed the most was when a brother from my ward spoke about our purpose in this life. He said that we all knew what our purpose/mission was before we came and we agreed to fulfill it. We were chosen to come to the earth at this time and to the very location we were sent for a reason. The Lord needed us to fulfill certain tasks that only we could do with our special gifts and talents. Because we have free agency, should we choose to stray off the path and not seek after our purpose and divine callings, the Lord will find someone else to complete the task that we were supposed to and had agreed to do - HOWEVER, that person will not be able to do it as good as we would have, which is why we were the one initially chosen to do it.

That was very powerful to me. Sometimes we think that we are just average or ordinary. That we lack so many things and if only we could do this or that better. We forget to realize that we are all unique. You just might have that certain personality that I need at a certain moment in my life to help me over a tough hurdle. Sure someone else could come along and give it a go but you would have done it better. Isn't that amazing to think about?

Next time you second guess yourself about your abilities, gifts and talents - think about this quote from President Dieter F. Uchtdorf -

"You may feel that there are others who are more capable or more experienced who could fulfill your callings and assignments better than you can, but the Lord gave you your responsibilities for a reason. There may be people and hearts only you can reach and touch. Perhaps no one else could do it in quite the same way."

 I'm taking on a new challenge and I invite you to join me. My new motto is: Forget Yourself

Anytime I am unhappy it's because I'm too worried about myself. My happiness, my free time, my goals, my needs, my wants etc. When I lose myself in the service of others I am happiest. Each morning when you pray, ask the Lord to guide you to someone "the one" who you can help. You will be humbled by the opportunities that come your way.  Anytime you get the opportunity to serve or help someone, be grateful for it. Don't complain or hope to pass it off onto someone else, it was sent your way for a reason! You'll be blessed.

I say this in the name of Jesus Christ amen.

Merry Christmas!

As we gather together with family and enjoy this special holiday let us remember what it is we are really celebrating. The birth of our Savior Jesus Christ. The best gift we can give to our Savior is charity. Here is a beautiful video that expresses this so well. I love to show this to my children - the spirit of the message is so strong.

Merry Christmas!!

Some Call it Karma - The Amazing Effect of the Laws of Heaven and Charity

This is what Hallmark movies are made of!

My older sister called me the other day to share with me an amazing experience she had. Before I tell you what happened, let me just set the story up by telling you that I went to the temple twice last week. The first day, I had the feeling to put her name on the temple prayer roll - so I did. I remember thinking, "She's not sick, or suffering from any afflictions that I'm aware of...but it can't hurt, only help." I put her and her husband's name on there and many others.

Saturday was a great day! Not only was I celebrating my 12th anniversary with my husband, it was the day we were shooting my infomercial for hydroheel. What's even funnier is that Mitt Romney happened to be across the street from us the entire day visiting his son, and we didn't even know it.

The home we filmed the infomercial in

Me and my husband Dec 1st 2012

The shoot began early and lasted until 7:00pm. We filmed at a beautiful home in Salt Lake and had 16 testimonials coming and going throughout the day. My sister being one of them, arrived shortly after I did. She later told me that it was the best day of her life -second to her wedding. She had never been pampered like that before with a makeup artist, nor been on camera, or on a production set. It was very exciting for her and the house was full amazing people and lot's of food!

Apparently that week she had promised her husband that she would pay him back some money that she owed him, but she didn't know how. The only money she had left was her tithing money and since she doesn't work, she seldom gets to pay tithing. Though it was tempting to pay her husband back or to use that money for some things she really needed, she decided to pay her tithing. The very next day, I called her to ask her if she'd like to share her testimonial about hydroheel in our infomercial She would get paid $100 for her time and travel. Little did I know this was an answer to her prayer. She had given to God what was His, and by law He was bound to bless her. She was humbled.
 

Me giving my testimonial on camera

She then went on to tell me that her husband surprised her with her favorite candy bar and she was so happy! They live so far away from the city and grocery stores that he does all the grocery shopping when he is coming back from work. My sister said that he usually surprises her once a year with a candy bar. So to her this was a big deal.

A little later, her friend called her with a question. My sister just started selling Doterra oils and her friend wanted to buy the essential oil dictionary which is about $40.00 or free with a $200 purchase. Her friend also being low on money expressed that she really wished she could somehow get that book. My sister jokingly told her that she could get it by putting in a $200 order. Later when she got off the phone she felt guilty about it. It was then she felt prompted to give her friend the book for free.

She said that she had been reading my new book Successful Failures and it really changed her perspective on life and her relationships. She felt that she hadn't been the friend or sister that she would have liked to have been all these years. She hadn't talked to her friend in about 7 years until last month when she called her up to sell her some oils. My book helped to open her eyes and soften her heart and she knew what she needed to do. She called her friend back and asked if she could take her out to lunch for her birthday that Saturday. Her friend agreed.

My sister said that up until now, she had always looked at everything in life as "What's in it for me?" For once she was giving with nothing in it for her. She was going to buy her friend lunch with the money she had just been given from the shoot. She also used that money to pay for the expensive book her friend couldn't afford. Realizing that she now wouldn't have any extra money for Christmas because she was also having to pay her husband back, she decided that was okay.

She showed up at the restaurant and saw that they were running a special that day. Free deserts with all meals. She was so happy! Then they told her they were having a drawing. Every 20 minutes they were giving away prizes. She had the feeling right then that if she entered the drawing she would win. She and her friend entered and minutes later in the crowded restaurant they called her name! She won $25 towards her $18 meal. This meant she had money left over. She would now have money for Christmas shopping! She felt so blessed she wanted to cry. Not to mention the employees told her that she was so pretty. She hadn't heard that in a long time and attributes it to the makeup artists from earlier.

During lunch she and her friend got on the topic of angels and how they bless us. Her friend was not having a good day and seemed very down. She then surprised her friend with the gift. My sister had taken the time to wrap it in pretty paper, with a fancy bow. She also had decided to make it extra nice by sacrificing that chocolate bar she wanted to eat so bad, and putting it on top of the gift. Her friend was very surprised. She opened it up and began to cry. My sister said, "Why is the book so important to you? Someone on the other side really wanted you to have it because I have never had such a strong prompting before as I have to give you this book."

Her friend replied, "There is a little girl on our street that my daughter plays with and she has severe bi-polar. This book will help me know how I can help her."

In awe my sister couldn't believe that she wanted this book, not for herself but to help someone else. It was very unselfish and very touching. She felt the Spirit very strong.

Later that day when she got home, to her surprise there was a King size candy bar waiting for her. It was the same chocolate bar she had sacrificed but even bigger. Her husband had bought it for her.



To sum it all up she said, "You know Lindsey, I learned a big lesson that day. When you give all you have out of love, expecting nothing in return, you always get back more. I had never done this before. I have never sacrificed so much out of love expecting nothing in return. After I gave all my money, I got back more, I gave up my chocolate, I got back more. The Lord blessed me for giving to others."

She then went on to say that the next day at church her husband got up to bear his testimony which he seldom does. He became very emotional and said that he had really felt the Lord that week blessing he and his family's life. It was a testimony to me that when you call on heaven, heaven responds. I believe I was inspired to put their names on the temple prayer roll for a reason. Someone on the other side wanted permission to evoke some amazing powers and once that request was made, it had the most profound effect on so many people. 

After hearing this story, all of these scriptures below popped into my mind. How they ring true!

Doctrine and Covenants 84:3, 10 


For of him unto whom much is given much is required; and he who sins against the greater light shall receive the greater condemnation.

I, the Lord, am bound when ye do what I say; but when ye do not what I say, ye have no promise.

Mark 12:42-44

And there came a certain poor widow, and she threw in two mites, which make a farthing.

  

And he called unto him his disciples, and saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That this poor widow hath cast more in, than all they which have cast into the treasury:

  

For all they did cast in of their abundance; but she of her want did cast in all that she had, even all her living.

Matthew 25:40 

And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.

Malachi 3:8-10

Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings.

Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation.

Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.

The Lord wants us to learn true charity in this life. Once we learn it and experience it for ourselves, we are forever changed. In fact Mormon tells us in the book of Moroni what I think is some of the most powerful scripture in existence:

Moroni 7:42-47

42 Wherefore, if a man have faith he must needs have hope; for without faith there cannot be any hope.

 43 And again, behold I say unto you that he cannot have faith and hope, save he shall be meek, and lowly of heart.

 44 If so, his faith and hope is vain, for none is acceptable before God, save the meek and lowly in heart; and if a man be meek and lowly in heart, and confess by the power of the Holy Ghost that Jesus is the Christ, he must needs have charity; for if he have not charity he is nothing; wherefore he must needs have charity.

 45 And charity suffereth long, and is kind, and envieth not, and is not puffed up, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil, and rejoiceth not in iniquity but rejoiceth in the truth, beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.

 46 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, if ye have not charity, ye are nothing, for charity never faileth. Wherefore, cleave unto charity, which is the greatest of all, for all things must fail—

 47 But charity is the pure love of Christ, and it endureth forever; and whoso is found possessed of it at the last day, it shall be well with him.

We are in that last day, and I have felt charity more in these last couple of months than during any other time in my life. I know that we are all having these experiences and changes of heart for a reason. I can tell you, that nothing seems to scare me anymore. I have so much faith and hope in God that I can't find any reasons to not be happy and rejoice. Life feels so wonderful!

Joseph B. Wirthlin once said;

"Nothing you do makes much of a difference if you do not have charity. You can speak with tongues, have the gift of prophecy, understand all mysteries, and possess all knowledge; even if you have the faith to move mountains, without charity it won't profit you at all....

"Without charity—or the pure love of Christ—whatever else we accomplish matters little. With it, all else becomes vibrant and alive.

"When we inspire and teach others to fill their hearts with love, obedience flows from the inside out in voluntary acts of self-sacrifice and service" (Ensign, Nov 2007, 28–31). 

Life is so sweet and enjoyable when we finally fill our hearts with the pure love of Christ. I have prayed these last few months to be able to love everyone the way Christ does, by being able to see them the way He does. My prayer was answered and it has been the sweetest joy to my soul! I know that if you pray for this very thing, and give it some time, the Lord will answer your prayer. He wants us to know this feeling and if we ask for it He will be more than willing to fulfill our desire. Remember that we must do our part. When we keep the commandments and our covenants we make with Him, He is bound to keep His end of the bargain.

I say this in the name of Jesus Christ - amen.

The Value of Your Treasure

 Do you ever feel like you don't have enough time in your day? Are you often frustrated, easily stressed out, or sometimes just plain overwhelmed and exhausted?  Is it to the point that when service is needed, you feel like the last person on earth with the time or strength to serve and either  turn down the opportunity or serve grudgingly?

This last month I have been reflecting a lot on time, talents and service. We just moved into our new home a month ago. As I've been working hard at getting the house put together and my various other projects, there have been more and more friends, family and sometimes complete strangers who have reached out to me if one way or another asking for help with their ideas, projects and talents.

The quilt I finished for my baby's bed

With it being just weeks away from my family house warming party I thought, "Oh no, how am I ever going to get my own projects done?" In addition to that, I was trying to work my business, throw a birthday party, celebrate Mother's Day, attend performances and get my kids from point A to point B when needed throughout the week. As the worrying set in, a subtle peace came over me each time, assuring me that the service I was rendering was much appreciated not only by the receiver but also the Lord.

My son's big birthday party last mont

It was then, that the law of consecration came into my mind. The law of consecration is a divine principle whereby men and women voluntarily dedicate their time, talents, and material wealth to the establishment and building up of God’s kingdom. As Latter days Saints (Mormons), we are taught and asked to live the law of consecration in our daily lives. Though not always easy (especially when you are a busy mom), we understand the importance of it and the blessings that come from dedicating ourselves to the Lord and His work.

My daughter at Nationals for clogging last month

I used to wonder why I hadn't been blessed with stronger musical and singing talent. I love music and I have always wanted to write and perform but no matter how hard I worked at it, my musical abilities were very weak. However I have been blessed with the gift of speaking and writing. I often forget that the Lord has blessed me with this gift for His purposes. What things have you been blessed with in your life? Think about how the Lord has blessed you with these things, characteristics or abilities for an eternal purpose. How are you using your gifts to help Him?

Everything we have, comes from the Lord (including our talents). The gifts we have been given are not just for own benefit, they have a deeper purpose. When I remember this, it makes it a bit easier to give to others what has been given to me. The more we give, the more the Lord will fill our cups so that we can continue to give.

I don't know about you, but the parable of the talents comes to mind here. In Matthew 25:13-40, Jesus tells of a master who was leaving his home to travel, and before going entrusted his property to his servants (property worth 8 talents, where a talent was a large unit of money). One servant receives five talents, the second two talents, and the third one talent, according to their respective abilities.

Returning after a long absence, the master asks his servants for an accounting. The first two servants explain that they have each put their money to work and doubled the value of the property they were entrusted with, and so they are each rewarded. The third servant, however, has merely hidden his talent in a hole in the ground, and is punished for being lazy.

While on this spiritual whirlwind I was being lifted higher and higher to a better understanding of why I needed to realign my priorities. I mean, how important were my projects that I couldn't take a break from them to help someone nurture and grow their own talents? By doing so, these individuals would be able to use their own talents and ideas to do what I was doing (the ripple effect) and thus build the kingdom. The Lord gave me my talents so that I could use them to help others.

Think about the many times in your own life when you needed someone's help, advice, wisdom or some motivation. How grateful were you for the countless people who set aside their busy schedule to help you achieve what you needed at that moment. In fact, it's possible that you achieved an unimaginable goal because of this person. Did you pay it forward to help another?

The real influence here is our motive. It all comes down to what we are seeking after. In  Matthew 6:19-21 Jesus says:

 19 Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:

 20 But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:

 21 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

Yes, I had to re-evaluate my treasure last month.  It wasn't  beautiful decorations, earning extra spending cash, or even a clean kitchen. It was of a heavenly and eternal nature. Recognizing this changed my heart which of course is what changed my priorities.

You know what? Changing my priorities actually brought me greater happiness. In fact, as I gave up more of my time, some amazing opportunities came knocking at my door. Not only will these opportunities allow me to help more people, but they will bless my family in ways we had prayed for.

As crazy as it may sound I was even blessed with more time! I prayed to the Lord that there just didn't seem to be enough time in my days to do all things I needed to do to meet my deadlines. I was willing to sacrifice my "projects" during the week in order to keep my priorities aligned with His but if it wasn't too much to ask I would greatly appreciate being able to knock off my to do list all in a day (which my husband said was impossible). The housewarming party was 36 hours away. There were curtains that needed to be hung, flowers to be planted, furniture to put together, food to be prepared, regular cleaning to be done and the list went on.

I don't know how He did it, but the Lord allowed me to complete my entire list all in one Saturday. My kids were extra obedient that day, my husband was extra sweet and for some odd reason did not have any Saturday projects of his own and cheerfully helped me with everything I asked of him (a rare moment). It was as if I had entered some strange twilight zone where everything was strangely perfect. It even seemed like someone had slowed down the clock and as busy as we all were the hours had stretched out. I had never experienced anything like it before and I knew that God had answered my prayer. 

Our Father in Heaven is very wise and all knowing. We are His hands here on earth. He gives us time, talents and sometimes wealth, so that we can use it to help others. If we are faithful and show Him that He can rely on us as a tool in His hands, He will continue to use us for those purposes and we will be blessed with more, so that we can do more.

If you are feeling overwhelmed, stressed, frustrated or just plain unhappy, here is a little exercise you can try that just might help:

Take a blank sheet of paper and number it 1-5

...go ahead...

....... I'll wait while you start numbering.........

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Okay.  Now starting with number 1, write the main item that you spend the most time on or put the most effort into during the week. It might be cleaning, work, a church assignment/calling or facebook.

Continue this in order of what takes most of your time and effort until you have listed 5 items. 

Below this, number your paper 1-5 again. Again,  starting at number one write the things you value most in your life in order of 1 being the most important until you have listed the top 5 items in your life.

Now compare your two lists side by side. See if your priorities match up to what you value. If they are out of alignment, this is the underlying factor to your unhappiness and frustration. Do your best to change your priorities to match up with what you value and are of most importance. How can you make changes in your schedule to afford the time and effort for the things you value most. 

The Lord needs us to to have the strength and energy to lift those around us. Everyone is busy and if we all used that as our reason for avoiding service, what a sad world this would be. Service is the thread that binds us all together. You can't learn to love someone until you serve them. Whether it be your children, your husband, your neighbors or a complete stranger, it's service that strengthens these relationships and builds stronger families, communities and even a better world.

It was no surprise to me that God had placed these service opportunities in my path each week for a reason. I had the right strengths to offer these individuals in their time of need. I was even an answer to some prayers (as I had been told). In return, I needed to learn patience, faith and humility.

It's funny to me that when serving in the moments when you feel the least able to serve, everything ends up working out. What you thought was an obstacle standing  in the way of sharing your time and talents, seems to disappear. Life somehow becomes easier to manage as we focus on the value of our eternal treasure. It's strange how the Lord works, but sometimes the miracle doesn't happen until we apply our faith first.