Living my Religion

How Great Thou Art


When Christ shall come with shout of acclamation
And take me home- what joy shall fill my heart!
Then I shall bow in humble adoration
And there proclaim, my God, how great thou art!

I have loved Carrie Underwood since her days on Idol. Someone recently shared this video on facebook and it made me feel like worshiping. I can say that only because I have lived in the South. Those Southern folk are good at worshipin and ministerin.

I love my God. He is a mighty God. He is all powerful. As I have focused on my relationship with Christ I have found myself overcoming my fear of death and really looking forward to the day that I will once again meet my Savior Jesus Christ.

This old hymn How Great Thou Art has been a favorite since the days that I was a Mormon missionary. It was a hymn that we sang at a lot of baptismal services because it was usually known by most of our converts from different faiths.

While listening I got thinking about How Great Thou Art. How great is our God. I sometimes think that we don’t trust Him enough. Think about it. He is all powerful. He can handle every situation in our lives. Recently while talking to a bunch of people about the third step among the 12, I reflected on my trust in God and how it has changed. I used to think I trusted in God, but I have felt the power of really trusting. Giving it all back to God.

I shared with the ladies that the reason God wants us to trust Him so badly is because He wants us to give our burdens to Him. He wants us to trust Him enough to take care of them, so that we don’t have to. I used to think trusting in God was a one time choice, but I have come to learn that it’s a process. It’s one choice at a time. One problem at a time. One moment at a time. Sometimes I do well and sometimes I don’t. I usually know I haven’t done too well when I find myself fretting, worrying, feeling depressed or overwhelmed.

God is indeed a wondrous God. He is more than just great. He is perfect. He is powerful. He can handle our problems in a bat of an eyelash. We just have to let Him. And when we do, we can then sing How Great Thou Art in a whole new understanding because we will see that he shared His power with us and made us strong. All because we trusted Him to do so.

And my P.S. is: people if you believe in this mighty God enough to give a standing ovation for one of His hymns….please please please cover up your boobs and thighs. Do you really think He wants you, his daughter, walking around looking like a tramp? Are you giving that ovation to the performance or the God? 

I know someone is not going to resist calling me judgmental so let me clarify. I have no problem with people who do dress this way. I used to dress like that when I was 14 and didn’t have any respect for myself. If you show up at my door in a bikini, I will hug  you and tell you I love you, but I will also try my darnedest to keep you out of my husband’s peripheral vision. And my daughters’. Because God  is a great God and I truly believe he cares about modesty. And it isn’t enough to just proclaim that He is great but we need to show Him in our every day decisions that we really do love and respect Him and his commandments to us.


Popcorn popping

I think every single Mormon child learns the song Popcorn Popping as a child.
It’s a social phenomenon.

I looked out the window and what did I see?
Popcorn popping on the apricot tree.
Spring has brought me such a nice surprise,
Popcorn popping right before my eyes.
I can take a handful and make a treat.
A popcorn ball that would smell so sweet.
It wasn’t really so,
but it seemed to me.
Popcorn popping on the apricot tree.

Here is a tree a few houses down from us.
I think it was quite possibly the one
that the author of the song was looking at when she penned the lyrics.

How I wish I could let you each watch Caroline do the actions to the song.

These youtube videos will have to do. I am pretty sure that these girls are just as cute.

But what I really want to know is why do they have to grow up?
They just lose cuteness, if you ask me.

Easter Greetings

I know my Savior.
He lives by my side.
Even though he is the Beloved Son of God,
he thinks that I am just as important as Him.

I know my Savior.
He succors me.
He takes every single one of my pains from me
and sometimes I hate to let Him.

I know my Savior.
He strengthens me.
He holds all power and light.
And he shares generously.

I know my Savior.
He knows me too, by name.
He thought of me
While in the Garden and on the cross.

I know my Savior.
He is my best friend.
He is the way, the truth, the life.
He makes all things possible.

I know my Savior.
He saves all mankind.
But somehow He makes me feel.
Like I am the most important save.

I know my Savior.
He is perfect, love, kindness.
So how could I ever think I am the most important?
Because He loves all.

I know my Savior.
Someday I will see Him in the flesh.
And I will have eternal life.
Only because of Him.

I know my Savior.
His name is Jesus Christ.
He is everything.
I am nothing,
but somehow,
miraculously,
through Him,
I can be everything..
Because to Him,
I mean everything.

Temples of God

In the Holy Bible is this prophesy in Malachi 4:5-6:

Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful dy of the Lord: And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.

As a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints who lives in The Bible Belt, I am often ridiculed for my beliefs. I am the first to admit that many of them just seem kind of “out there”. A boy prophet. Gold plates. The practice of polygamy (which I will be the first to admit that I don’t understand or like) and I am totally relieve that we aren’t called upon to practice in this dispensation. I can assure you that if I didn’t know that God himself had given me an answer as to the truthfulness of my church, I would be the loudest opposer. If I didn’t know with all my heart that I belong to the true church of Jesus Christ, I would search for it my whole life over because I love my Savior Jesus Christ with all my heart.

Often times though, I am reminded how fortunate I am to belong to a church that has all the pieces of the puzzle. One of those huge pieces is: A sealing power that binds families for eternity.  Go here to see my belief about this prophesy in Malachi.

I have to admit that when I see someone lose a family member to death, I want to forcefully proclaim that there is a way for them to still be with their loved one forever. I also want to give this most precious gift to my non-Mormon friends who have not been privileged with the blessing of the sealing power, yet. Really, what greater gift can God give us than for our families to be together forever? This talk by a female leader in my church was so powerful to me in explaining the true doctrine of the family.

One of the greatest blessings that I enjoy in this life is the certainty that my family has been bound together by God. When LG and I were married, we were sealed in a temple of God, but God’s power. Of course God’s realm is not just ’til death do us part, but is for time and all eternity. And because LG and I were sealed in the temple of God, our children were born “under the covenant” which means that they are sealed to us forever also. And because our parents were sealed, we are likewise sealed to them. And guess what…this work goes on for the dead and it goes all the way back to Adam and Eve. Thus, “the hearts of the children”.We can all be together forever. The only thing that could steal this promise away is our own unfaithfulness.

Go ahead and call it all jibberish if you want, but I know it to be true. There is no place in this whole wide world like the temple of God. Only the temple of God has given me a glimpse of what it will be like for eternity. And it is too good for me to even behold.

If you happen to be one of my few readers who are not Mormon and are genuinely interested in these temples of God, I just want to tell you that once in a while, you can go inside. The temple in Atlanta GA has been rennovated and before it is rededicated to God’s work, the general public is allowed to tour. Go here for details.

I thank God daily for the blessings of the temple where I learn about my Savior Jesus Christ and where I also have been the blessed recipient of eternal endowments and blessings. These blessings are available for all and I wish that more people could get past the “out there” stuff and realize that God is a God of miracles and his ways are not our ways.

Oh and for you non-Mormons who may visit us in Utah. Know that when you come out to Utah to see us, we will not only take you to the greatest snow on earth or the marvelous beauty of the Rocky Mountains or red rocks, but we will take you to the Salt Lake Temple. It’s gorgeous, it’s where we were married and it took the Mormon Pioneers 40 years to build. It’s an incredible place. I like to think that there are still many people on earth today that would give that kind of sacrifice for their God.



My Baptist Influence

While living in this wonderful home of Knoxville Tennessee I have been greatly influenced by my Baptist friends. I use Baptist for all the Protestant churches  really because they are the majority and to tell you the truth, I don’t see much of a difference between them all.


The other day when I was getting greatly discouraged in our search for a new rental that would actually accept our pets, out in Utah, (Trust me when I say I’ve learned that most Mormons must be animal haters) from facebook, I called upon the help of my prayer warriors . It’s a Baptist thing. Within 24 hours we had secured the perfect new home. And when I say perfect I mean the house we found included all of our needs and many of our wants. 


I would say my Prayer warriors worked some magic.Even if they weren’t all Baptist. My friends are so funny. My Jewish friend sent me a message asking me if I didn’t think her prayers would work. I told her to please pray and apologized for inadvertently leaving her out in the first request. So in all fairness I really can’t be sure which denomination our miracle can be attributed to, but I do know that we all have a mighty God. 


My awesome brother and sister-in-law helped above and beyond the call of duty and from Utah looked at each possible home and gave us the o.k. or nay over the phone. One house was even accompanied by a live video stream. So, when I explained to my brother how excited we were for our new lease and how awesome his wife had been to help us, I got a little carried away. “David”, I said, “I am so excited, I don’t know what I did to deserve being blessed so much, but God is so good.” David: “Did you just say ‘God is good’?” Me: “Yeah, isn’t he?” David: “If you’re Baptist.” “Alice, is there something you need to tell me about your religious affiliation changing while you’ve been down there in the deep South?”


Still very much a believing Mormon here, but I like to ponder on how the Baptists (and by Baptist I mean Protestants) have deepened my conviction. Bless their hearts. I can’t help to have been influenced. They are some of the greatest people I have known. They have got me saying things like “give him grace” or “our God is a mighty God”. One that I don’t really say but you often hear down here is, “It’s a God thing.”


I asked LG what Baptists say a lot and he informed me that they like to talk of Jesus. They don’t usually add on the Christ. I don’t really know why that is. LG says that Baptist often say things like, “Trust in Jesus, Jesus loves me, I love Jesus, What would Jesus do?, Jesus is my guide, and my personal favorite just plain old Jesus.”

I found it funny that I found this church sign a day after I started this post.

Although when Mormons refer to Jesus, we usually also include the title Christ with Jesus, I wouldn’t say that we love Jesus any more. Baptists truly love their Lord. They often exclaim “lordy, lordy lordy.” I don’t think that they realize that this very saying takes the Lord’s name in vain. I’ve told several of them this very fact. They were gracious about it. Of course. Protestants are some of the most gracious people I know.

Baptists traditionally eat out on Sunday after church. I remember explaining to one friend that Mormons are very strict about the Sabbath observance and try not to do anything that would require anyone else to work She laughed and said, “Well if you want to debate the principle with my preacher, you would have to come and find him after church at the restaurant with the rest of us.”

LG and I were delightfully surprised at how much religion is a part of life here in the South. We have been strengthened and taught by our Protestant friends. I hope they know how much we love them, even if they call us UnChristian or worry that they were never able to “save” us. There is one thing that I know we have in common and that is a great love for our Jesus.

My Food Storage
As many of you know,
Mormons are huge on preparedeness.
We are counseled to have a three month supply of food on hand
in case of emergency.
I love this counsel.
I save a load of money and time on grocery shopping
by heading this counsel.
Not to mention, that in really hard months,
it saves me from worry about what I am going to feed my kids.
I am so excited for the great food storage room in our new place.
And I am so grateful for Stacey,
who came last Wednesday night
and helped me pack up my own personal grocery store.

My Prayer of Conversion

Search me God.
Find the source of decay and heal it.
Find my broken heart and make it whole.
Make my brain without lesions.
Cure each sore muscle.
Fill the hole of lonliness.
The thoughts of negativity, pluck from me
and transform them into loveliness.

And when thou art done,
make me a tribute to thee,
a living monument to thy grace
and power and love.

And from me,
others will see beauty
and like I have,
they will stop in place and time
and know that thou art God.
And they will want
to be thy creation too.
And they will search for thee.

And they will know
that all they have to do
is let Thou search through them.
And do thy magic.
They will ask also.
And I will be but one flower
in a world full of breathtaking gardens.

The Power of the Atonement

One thing I have come to understand in the past few years is that we each have addictions.

Some are addicted to alcohol, drugs, or sex. Some to pornography, coffee, tobacco. Many others have the socially acceptable if not revered addictions like exercise, house cleaning, make-up application, shoe collecting, or shopping. Some are hoarders. Some have eating disorders. Some struggle with same sex attraction. Some pedophilia. Others with having children (hello octomom) or stockpiling stocks.

I personally struggle as a co-dependent. I am also addicted to baked goods, and I am not saying that as a joke. Like so many others, in the closet and out, I have an obsession with being loved. I will do anything to be loved including but not limited to letting other people treat me like crap, excessively rescuing and controlling, crying for days when someone reprimands me, and being overly responsible. I am grateful that I am married to the man that I am, who understands my struggle. Many other codependents have to go through many relationships to be satisfied. Many other addictions can be traced back to original codependency; in fact many addicts have to come to terms with their codependency to successfully overcome their other temptations.

Just watch this Pink video for the song Please Don’t Leave Me and tell me she doesn’t get the need to be loved. Or  how about this one called I Can’t Make You Love Me by Bonnie Rait, one of my personal favorites. We sang the song Give Me the Gift of Love by Bette Midler at my Grandma’s funeral. I have come to believe that my Grandma understood the excessive need I feel to be loved. My mom has it too. No brainer really. Where do you think I learned it?

Anyhow, it’s Sunday. If I post on Sunday, it is going to be something that honors God. This video honors my God. It does a great job of explaining there is one place where we can get the strength to overcome addiction. I know this place to be my friend and Savior Jesus Christ. He strengthens me every day and I am so very grateful.

So, go ahead, say something mean. I am recovered enough I can take it. I no longer need you to love me. I have learned that getting love from one person is plenty satisfying. That person isn’t my husband; LG’s love is just icing on the cake. Your love for me is like daffodils in bloom, but God’s love: God’s love is as big as this whole magnificent earth. Actually it’s bigger than I understand. I can’t measure infinity.

Thank you to my God who frees me from my bondage. Next focus: milkshakes. I am not planning on taking that one too fast.

Speak up Sophia.

Sophia is our quiet child. She is our low maintenance child. I am always worried that I am not giving her enough attention because to be quite honest, in a crazy house like mine, she is a breathe of fresh air. She is so easy to raise. I would never make the mistake of calling her perfect because nobody is perfect, but as far as being her mom, she is really really easy. She doesn’t require much but some food and water. Heck, she is lower maintenance than our dog. She is definitely quieter than our dog. She rarely barks. She noticed her picture and came over to read what I was writing. She says, “I do not bark.”

Well, I’ve blogged before about a big oops with Sophia. These slip ups seem to be happening more regularly. Just the other day I found myself at Walgreen’s purchasing lemon heads and chocolate ice-cream to say I was sorry for missing her school program. My husband was having a crisis and his brother stopped in on his way through town to say good-bye before we moved. With all the drama, I totally spaced that I was supposed to go to her day program to make up for the night before when I was at Abigail’s school program that took place at the exact same time. I don’t know how single moms do it; my hubby and I have to divide and conquer all too often. Well, I cried to Sophia, apologized profusely, promised to watch the video, and cautioned her that she may as well learn now that nobody is perfect and she is gonna be let down. I told her that there was only one person that would never let her down. And she said that she knew that. I said, “Well, who then?” She replied, “Jesus Christ.” Very good. I am not totally failing as a parent.

Unless you count what happened at church couple of weeks back. Sophia was assigned to give a talk to the other kids. I totally forgot. In my defense, I told Sophia on Saturday to remind me that evening and she forgot too. On the way to church on Sunday morning, I told Sophia we would just tell her leaders that we forgot or the other option was for Sophia to find a scripture to share during the first hour and just give a brief testimonial about it. Well guess what? In between the drive to church and the hour after the first meeting got out, I forgot again.

So, you can imagine my surprise when Sophia comes up to me after the three hours of church and tells me she was so embarrassed for her talk. Hard slapped open face palm to forehead kind of moment. And then I may as well have slapped myself across the face too for being such an awful mom. I apologized and asked her what she did. She said she just got up and talked and that Daddy had come to watch. What? Why didn’t daddy rescue her? They didn’t come and get me because I was teaching the women’s class, but they did go and fetch LG from the man’s class. He, of course, had no idea about all of the above on-goings and walked into the Primary room figuring that I had taken care of it.

As we talked about it on the way home from church, LG was a doting father. He said that she pulled it off rather well. She pretty much just rambled about how she knows the Bible to be the true word of God. (I would say that has to count for something that she even knew on her own to talk about such a serious topic). LG then went on: She then clammed up and got quiet. She turned her head to the side and whispered to the Primary leader, “I am so embarrassed.” The kids heard. They chuckled. It lightened the moment, and she was able to finish it out.

Sophia had succeeded in filling her alloted time. LG was proud. The primary children had been entertained. The primary leader had been fooled into thinking that Sophia was overcome by the Spirit of God, but just for a second until Sophia proclaimed her embarrassment. I was left once again hoping to improve as a mother, but overall I count it a success. Mostly because our whole family laughed consistently for an hour after church while Sophia retold the experience over and over again.

I am pretty sure that the next time she has a talk, she won’t forget to remind me to help her. Or and this is a big OR the next time Sophia will tell her Primary President she dropped the ball OR the girl is gonna get pretty good at winging it. It’s not like we haven’t given her plenty of opportunity for practice.