Video

Leadership

Forget making the usual reference to raising the future leaders of the community or church or world.

This kid is a leader already.

Wow. Speechless.

I want to be such a better person.

I want to raise kids this good, but first I think I have to be this good.

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.

That Ain’t Right

I recently enjoyed a post on one of my new favorite blogs.

It was entitled

That Ain’t Right.

I just had to steal the post title

for this picture that I took a few days ago.

I stealthily snapped the photo

as LG and I were pulling out of our driveway.

If I took the picture from the front

the owners would have known what I was up to.

So I did the best I could from behind.

It’s a good thing I saved the dog

and the owner the shame of their faces on my blog.

Anonymity is really the right and kind thing to do.

But do you know what the really right thing to do is?

How about NOT taking your dog for a walk

while he is wearing the cone of shame.

I think it is just cruel.

Really.

My voice

A friend had this video posted on facebook tonight.

It didn’t make me want to sing; it made me want to listen.

It made me want to use my voice better as a mother.

No more screaming. Only loving.

No more criticizing. Only encouraging.

No more frustrations. Only moments to embrace.

I am blessed by God to raise four beautiful daughters.

Sometimes I fail miserably, but because of God’s grace, I still have a shot every day at being their biggest fan. I get every day to become the kind of mother I want to be.

I hope someday when I am gone, and they are hanging with their children or grandchildren, my girls will have a moment when they say to themselves: “That was the voice of my mother coming out of my own mouth.” And I hope whatever they said was something that I would be proud of.

Work

My friend Aimee gave the women of our congregation
a wonderful lesson on Sunday.
It was about the eternal principle of work.
Work is something I have thought a lot about lately.
Which is funny given this quote I just read.

You cannot plough a field by turning it over in your mind. ~Author Unknown

Looking at the quotes on the internet today allowed me to hang myself. I am guilty. I admit it. I think too much and work too little. Especially at times when I am under a lot of stress.
Maybe I should say that I eat too much and work too little. That might be more accurate.

I thought that you all may enjoy some of my favorite quotes about work.

Some people dream of success…
while others wake up and work hard at it. ~Author Unknown

Be not afraid of going slowly;
be afraid only of standing still. ~Chinese Proverb

Things may come to those who wait,
but only the things left by those who hustle. ~Abraham Lincoln

Opportunity is missed by most people
because it is dressed in overalls
and looks like work. ~Thomas Edison

The difference between try and triumph is a little umph. ~Author Unknown

I am also attaching this cool little video. It’s inspiring. And let’s face it, I need some inspiration so that I can get off this computer, put the oreos away, and get the laundry done.

For those of you not familiar with the Latter Day Saint (Mormon) culture,
watch until the end when this kid goes on his Mormon mission.

Think about what it would be like
to send your kid off for two years
knowing you would only be able
to talk on the phone twice a year.
And tell me that your mom heart doesn’t just burst into tears.

Inspiring people of my faith work and sacrifice every day.

First of all, every position in our charge is filled by lay ministry (for lack of better terms). Nobody gets paid.

Our Bishops (equivalent to Baptist pastors) work full-time jobs, are married and usually have kids, and administrate and shepherd the whole congregation.

We currently have over 50,000 full-time missionaries

serving 18mo-2year missions all around the world.

And they work so very hard.

I know because I was one of them.

We worked every day from 6:30 in the a.m. until 9:30 in the p.m.

The schedule was grueling.

Even on the Sabbath, missionaries didn’t get rest from their full-time missionary service.

We would take 8 hours of one day a week to accomplish

letter writing, grocery buying, laundry doing, and apartment cleaning.

We were lucky to sneak away an hour or two for actual rest,
which I would usually try to find some kind of physical challenge.
I was very happy when I had companions
who liked to hike or play volleyball or basketball.

I need to rediscover the work ethic I had back then.

Of course the only picture I have scanned is when I wasn’t actually working.
Hey, but at least there are no oreos in the photo.
Even though my vest and white shirt getup is making me obsess over the creme filled centers.

Man, I am stressed out.
It’s no wonder why I am avoiding work. I don’t want to do it.

I wonder why we could never get this guy to come to church with us. Check out his resemblance to Jesus.