The condition of the heart: Murmuring

Something that has been on my mind lately with the hastening of revelation received for members of  The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints​. My social media has been full of posts and thoughts about many of the changes, direction, correction, and guidance we have recently received the past few months. The opinions have been so spread and divisive, and I've been seeking to know how to make sense of it all.

 

How can there be so much unrest and divided opinions between faithful members of the Church? 

Have we learned nothing from the scriptures about revelation, the role of a prophet, and the faith required to follow sometimes?  

 

I read a post the other day about Modern-day Murmuring - that summed up many of my thoughts - but I wanted to explore it further.

 

"We have sustained by uplifted hand our living prophets. We rejoice in the privilege of hearing the revealed word of God in our day from our living prophets. What do we do when we hear them? Do we follow the instructions of our living prophets with exactness, or do we murmur?"

Elder H. Ross Workman 'Beware of Murmuring'

 

As I read this I wondered how we bridge the gap between following blinding with exactness and coming to the will of the Lord when our mind may not be at peace initially without falling into the trap of murmuring.

 

Then I found this post from another Christian with similar thoughts.

 

"A heart murmur is not the disease itself, but it is an indication of a heart problem. If you have a heart murmur, there’s a possibility that you have a congenital heart problem, valve calcification, endocarditis, and rheumatic fever. When you have a heart problem, you can quickly get tired, and you can’t breathe properly. You suffer from chest pain, and when nothing is done to address the issue, you will eventually die.

Now, here’s the point I want to drive into: Like the physical heart murmur, spiritual heart murmurs are also dangerous for us. The act of murmuring is not the real problem, but it is our heart. Constant murmuring is an indication that there’s something wrong with your attitude and relationship with God. When left unchecked, murmuring can lead to ingratitude, dissension, strife, pride, distrust, rebellion, and ultimately, death. Just like a heart murmur, at first, you only hear it with a stethoscope. Then it gets louder and louder until our heart can’t efficiently pump blood anymore and irreversible damage takes place."

Elder Workman taught that murmuring consists of three steps:

1. Question and exercise your own judgement - “What need hath my lord of this tower, seeing this is a time of peace?” (D&C 101:48).
2. Rationalize and excuse from doing what is instructed - “Might not this money be given to the exchangers? For there is no need of these things” (D&C 101:49).
3. Slothfulness  in following the commandment - “And while they were at variance one with another they became very slothful, and they hearkened not unto the commandments of their lord. And the enemy came by night, and broke down the hedge; and the servants of the nobleman arose and were affrighted, and fled; and the enemy destroyed their works, ” (D&C 101:50-51).

 

 The Lord has spoken against this attitude in our day: “But he that doeth not anything until he is commanded, and receiveth a commandment with doubtful heart, and keepeth it with slothfulness, the same is damned” (D&C 58:29).

  

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord” (Isa. 55:8).

 

I definitely don't know the answer to many of the questions I posed - but what damage is modern day murmuring doing to your heart? I know it is something that I need to continually check and monitor. I am grateful to have a prophet of God and that I can trust that many things will be revealed that will be for my greater good in all ways whether I fully comprehend or not.

Being a peacemaker

Had an interesting thought from Sunday School today. 

3 Nephi 12:9

9 And blessed are all the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God.

Amos 8:11-12

 11 Behold, the days come, saith the Lord God, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord:

12 And they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east, they shall run to and fro to seek the word of the Lord, and shall not find it.

Ephesians 4:13-14

13 Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:

14 That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;

**To be a peacemaker is to share the gospel. We bring peace to the lives of those that we are missionaries with. 

Who are you again?

I haven't posted since May - but it doesn't mean I have stopped recording my life (literally) for those that for some odd reason want to know the going ons of this storyteller - I have decided to be a little better with my YouTube postings and you can find the happening happs right here - 
I do want to continue posting on my blog - even if it is just for me. I have done a few blog worthy crafting projects over the year but obviously haven't posted them. I also enjoy posting my Goals for the new year on here as well - I think mostly to force myself to think about it and write it out - but also to commit myself to the universe I guess.
Normally, I start by reviewing the last years goals and then pick a theme, scripture, and a General Conference talk to help shape my goals. I enjoy the format of categories - Spiritual, Financial, Physical etc. and then breaking it down by year, month, week, and day (See 2015 and 2014).

I decided to do something a little different this year. I have three categories -
Reaching Outward
Reaching Inward
Reaching Upward

These categories came to my mind as I read several talks and teachings while preparing a lesson on fellowship and ministering a few weeks ago. This phrase continues to come into my mind. I have smaller more simple goals under each of those with varying aspects, but I feel energized with this focus.
My theme this year is COURAGE
Scripture: Doctrine and Covenants 128:22
I normally only choose one talk from General Conference but this year I have chosen a recent one from Elder Robert D. Hales and one President Thomas S. Monson gave back in 1999.

Front porch fun

I wanted to add a touch of Americana to house so I moved the freshly done chairs to the front porch and added some tissue paper pompoms for a touch of decor for Memorial Weekend. Of course Fred the Cat had to make a cameo.

 

The farmhouse is full of creatures. Like this turtle while I was mowing the lawn.

I also had some fun sitting out by a fire and watching fireflies this weekend. We had a Relief Society sleepover for thevYSA group and then headed into St. Louis to the Zoo.














 

Standing in Line.

Small life win. Instead of being an isolated robot standing in line at the post office yesterday, I decided to "leave someone better than I found them" and complemented the woman in front of me on her beautiful floral orange dress. She then told me all about her vacation in Hawaii where she got it and several other people in line next to us joined in the conversation. Everyone had smiles on their faces including the postal workers - where before everyone was just blah. Sometimes I forget the power of human connection and how easy it is to ignore the people standing next to you and how easy it is to be intentionally kind. The wait in line was the same amount of time, but a simple 'I love the color of your dress, it's so cheery' brightened a room full of people's day. This was a great reminder to me of the power and positivity that can come from overcoming my introvert side and pursuing intentional kindness with strangers. I hope I can continue to improve on this. 

Have a seat!

I could say this is the only reason I haven't blogged lately but then I'd be lying. Finally got these chairs done. 

Gross - encounters with the enemy.

Most of my belongings have been stored in a garage while renovations were finishing up. It seemed like a good idea until mice. Mice don't scare me- but they really gross me out. They are the nastiest things. Each box I unpack may or may not contain a disgusting surprise of a (thank goodness empty) nest. Each one grosses me out more and more. Nothing has been safe (even my camping chair and bag was made into home. Many books have been eaten, and a few were a lost cause. There are a few things left to do around the house like put the Threshold plate on for the front door. A draft stopper has been there but of course it didn't keep out my enemies. Last night, I watched one emerge from under my bookshelf inspect the books (to eat) spot me and wriggle back out the front door. Boards are filling that gap now. 

I was really excited to go to St. Louis and visit the temple, but I fell back asleep for a few hours and the last session is early on Saturdays, so it was on to plan B. All the moving meant mouse poop in my car. Since my original plans fell through and it was a warm day I went to vaccum. They found my emergency snack food in the console. And I wanted to vomit. Yuck. As I vacuumed I had the thought to lift the covering in the hatch where the spare tire and tools are. Not only did I find another empty nest, the stupid things ate the freaking car. 

So, stay tuned for an update about my new cats in a week or two. I'm going to take a bath in Lysol. 

PS still love this house - but must enialate the wanna be roommates. 

Attitude of Gratitude

New Year's is a great time to look back on my goals. I wrote about my 2014 goals here - It was great to post them so I could review. Some goals I was able to achieve, some goals I came close, and others I missed the mark - or other goals came up instead. It was an eventful year, and I am looking forward to getting settled here in Rolla and focusing on some new goals.

Because I had an eventful and sometimes trying year - I wanted to have a focus in 2015 as part of my goals or mantra. Because the Lord has blessed me more than I could ever know - I want to focus on gratitude. One of the goals I am most looking forward to is my blessing box. Each week (for my family home evening) I'm going to write down one blessing from that week, and then pull them out next New Year's Eve. I think it will be a great new tradition to start in my life. 

Gratitude is a feeling of appreciation and thankfulness for blessings or benefits we have received. As we cultivate a grateful attitude, we are more likely to be happy and spiritually strong. We should regularly express our gratitude to God for the blessings He gives us and to others for the kind acts they do for us. - lds.org

My theme for the year will be....

Attitude of Gratitude

It comes from a talk by President Dieter F. Uchtdorf from the April 2014 General Conference and you can find it here. Below are a few snippets.

Could I suggest that we see gratitude as a disposition, a way of life that stands independent of our current situation? In other words, I’m suggesting that instead of being thankful for things, we focus on being thankful in our circumstances—whatever they may be.......When we are grateful to God in our circumstances, we can experience gentle peace in the midst of tribulation. In grief, we can still lift up our hearts in praise. In pain, we can glory in Christ’s Atonement. In the cold of bitter sorrow, we can experience the closeness and warmth of heaven’s embrace.

We sometimes think that being grateful is what we do after our problems are solved, but how terribly shortsighted that is. How much of life do we miss by waiting to see the rainbow before thanking God that there is rain?......How blessed we are if we recognize God’s handiwork in the marvelous tapestry of life. Gratitude to our Father in Heaven broadens our perception and clears our vision. It inspires humility and fosters empathy toward our fellowmen and all of God’s creation. Gratitude is a catalyst to all Christlike attributes! A thankful heart is the parent of all virtues.

Doctrine and Covenants 78:19 And he who receiveth all things with thankfulness shall be made glorious; and the things of this earth shall be added unto him, even an hundred fold, yea, more.

I'd love to hear some of your goals for the new year. 

Christmas Cards and other things

My Christmas cards are lost in transit somewhere, so I guess
I will just wish you Merry Christmas virtually.

In May I earned my Master of Science in Organizational
Leadership. With my degree completion, a job search was on - which took me to
Maryland, Wyoming, and finally landed me in Rolla, Missouri. I now work at
Missouri University of Science and Technology. I was also honored by Snow
College as a distinguished alumni (40 under 40) as well as the Utah Department
of Health Tobacco Prevention and Control Program for Excellence in Policy
Efforts. Thank you for the prayers, love, and support with this new adventure!

Last week I went out to St. James and had lunch at this
place called Sybil’s. The food was good and the setting beautiful. I happened
to pass the Veteran’s cemetery and saw Christmas wreaths laid on each
headstone. I had to turn around and take a look. I of course forgot my nicer
camera for video so I just have a few pictures from my phone.

I’m a little behind the times with posting my new happenings

– so here is a video from a few weeks ago where I went to a giant flea market. 
 

Show Me

I’m more eloquent and expressive in my writing then in a video- but I did move to the ‘Show Me’ state – so I thought it would be fun to start doing short videos to show my life around Rolla aka a little Holla from Rolla. Let me know what you want to know more about or want to see as I navigate around this new city, job, and adventure (or if I should put down the camera and stick to blogging).

Change your Shirt - Change the World

Change your Shirt - Change the World

I have some pretty amazing friends that have done some pretty amazing things in their lives. One of those amazing things is Revive Service Tours.

What They Do:

Revive Service Tours helps develop and fortify individuals for a more meaningful and enriched life by facilitating service projects around the world. They aim to change the lives of both the recipients of the service and the volunteers who provide it.

Revive Service Tours brings well over 3 decades of world travel experience! Their tours provide a perfect balance of enjoyable in-country touring with plenty of hands-on, down and dirty, nose to nose, service activities with the locals from that country. It truly is a fantastic way to see the wonders of the world and also experience the rich history and culture of the local people. Serving, giving, making a difference, experiencing various nations, and having fun while doing it is what we are all about.

If you want to travel and discover the beauties of the world while participating in meaningful service with the local communities, then Revive Service Tours is a perfect fit for you! Whether you are a student looking to build a robust resume, a family desiring to have an enriching experience, a company wanting to provide your employees with a hands on in-service or ‘giving back’ activity, or a service group or individual wanting a fantastic adventure, they have prepared the perfect edifying venture for you.

#3dollartee:

If your like me, travel may not be in the cards just YET - but there is still an awesome way to get involved and spread the goodness of Revive - introducing the $3 dollar tee!

Revive will release a new $3 T-shirt each month that will inspire, encourage, and motivate all to serve. Proceeds will go towards projects that will help change the world for good! The monthly newsletter will showcase the new T-shirt design, and also announce upcoming tours and events.

Click here - to sign up for #3dollartee 

Check them and me out on Instagram: @travelandserve @rolla.holla 

The Missouri Chapter

My last post was a bit depressing - but hopefully it provided hope or comfort for others going through the same thing.

My office building

After 9 months of wrong roads - I can finally say I found the right path. After months of interviews and exploring many options - I have found a new adventure in Rolla, Missouri!

I will be working with the Wellness and Counseling office as a health educator doing prevention work with the students for Missouri University of Science and Technology (MST). This is a shift I am looking forward to as I seek to further my career. I have enjoyed working with a local public health department, but have missed the passion that comes from working with students. I will be moving from Utah mid-November. I found a darling little house 10 minutes from work and it looks like its from a storybook. I will live there for about 2 months while the landlord finishes a little farmhouse on 160 acres that they own - and then move in there. The landlords younger sister lives in the temporary home.  I know there will be a lot of changes and it will be difficult to be so far from family and friends. Thank you for all the prayers on my behalf as I have searched for the right thing.
Once again, I have seen the Lord's hand in my life as everything has perfectly and quickly fell into place. God works in patterns, and I knew (even though it was hard) that this same pattern would follow if I was patient and faithful.

Also, before all this news, I got brave and chopped off all my hair. GULP!!! We'll see what the humidity does to this....

Wrong Road

"There are times when the only way to get from Point A to Point C is by way of Point B"
I haven't blogged in awhile to give an update on things. The biggest change of course is that I finished my graduate program! A Master's degree always seemed as a Goliath to me. Something that was daunting and most likely too much for my capacity. When I first started my education, I didn't have a lot of confidence that I could accomplish much with school. I am so grateful for the chain of events that my life has taken, and the many angels along the pathway to show me my abilities. I have often said that God has made so much more out of my life then I could have ever imagined. There are so many things that I have experienced and loved that I never even knew I wanted.

However, there are still times that I struggle maintaining that trust in God's plan and timing. I have been thinking about a talk I had heard about God allowing us to go down dead ends when two paths are placed before us so that we may know quickly which one is wrong. I finally found that source. It was a Mormon Message from last year by Elder Holland. You can click on the video below or find it here. It is only 4 minutes long and WELL WORTH YOUR TIME!

Elder Holland says it so much more eloquently than I could. "When making decisions, God expects us to pray, trust, and be believing and then not give up, panic, or "jump ship" when something doesn't seem to be going right." - Elder Holland
Even though my graduate degree was pursued for personal goals and achievement I believed that it would help me grow in my career and in other directions.  I have had to go down a lot of wrong roads it seems, and still haven't found the correct one. But, "God loves us. He is good. He is our Father." I know that what I am going through is a part of mortality, and many others may be having the same feelings or emotions as I have had. So, I thought I would send this out into my little part of the universe to share. This last quote has helped me during many of these wrong road moments.

LOVE LIFE! It will all be okay...

Springy Front Porch

For my sanity, I had to finish my latest project in time for Easter. A happy front porch makes a happy day! Happy Spring and Happy Easter!

Facelifts, Dinosaurs, and Black Bears

I decided it was time this ol' gal got a facelift.....no not me, my blog (although those wrinkles are starting to creep in....). I added all the social media buttons, widgets, gadets, galore (thingamabobs, I've got plenty) so you can truly know every move I make on the interwebs....ya creeps.
But for real, this has been on the 'to do list' for some time, and with my last 8 weeks of school starting up on Wednesday, I thought I better wrap this up while I still had a weekend. If your not following me somewhere on one or all of these, and not repinning my stuff, and following my blog (easy as hitting a button by the way). well then...For the love of Disney dishonor on you, dishonor on your family, dishonor on your cow!!!!

Just like this breath of fresh air for the blog, I also decided to get some fresh air my self and headed out to Dinosaur

for a fun drive and great views. Unfortunately, I didn't get as far as I wanted because of closures, something about Black Bears wanting to eat people...From this picture, they look harmless....

Anyway, it was a nice last week of freedom. I managed to keep my 4.0 with my last classes, so I will see you all on the other side of 8 weeks, hopefully still hanging on to that GPA with a diploma that will make you all have to call me MASTER. (That's how it works right?)

Sunshine in my Soul

I have a two week break before my next (and LAST!!!!!)  set of classes, so I can finally clean up the house and do a project or two. With the rain coming and the snow melting, I thought it was time for a fun new printable as I SPRING up the house. This song is always good for a pick me up. I love pastel colors, they are so CHEERY!

Click here for the PDF!

I went to the thrift store and got some cheap frames that I'm going to spruce up and create a whole little Spring homage. I'll post a pic of my completed décor soon and maybe even the redo of the frames.

Here is another version with a sun peeking out. PDF Download

UPDATE: With no homework to do, I was able to do my project right away tonight. I love how the whole thing turned out. Just a little corner of HAPPY!

 

Goooooaaaal!!!!

Our Need for Goals

A goal is a standard, a skill, an ideal, or a destination that is to be achieved. We set a goal when we decide to accomplish a particular thing. Some goals, such as cleaning a room or reading a book, may take a short time to accomplish. Other goals, such as saving money to buy a new home or doing things to improve the love and peace within the family, may take months or years. Goals that will help us become worthy to dwell eternally with our Heavenly Father may take an entire lifetime. Some goals may not even be attained during a lifetime on earth, but may require additional effort in the hereafter.

In the scriptures Heavenly Father has stated His major goal concerning His work: “For behold, this is my work and my glory—to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man” (Moses 1:39). In order for His goal to be realized in our lives, we need to set goals that will enable us to make our lives productive and happy and that will help us be worthy to return to our Heavenly Father.

 

A goal is an anticipated accomplishment.

The value of a goal helps determine its priority.
Prioritizing goals means to put them in a desired order.
A calendar helps us schedule all that we need to accomplish.

www.lds.org


With the new year, comes new opportunity to become a little better. I know that I didn't do as well as I would have liked, but I also didn't sit down and actually write out my goals point by point. This year I took some thought of what I would actually like to look back on and say 'I accomplished this..."

Of course I had to make it fun to look at it if I wrote them down. And Goals are meant to be shared so I have some accountability right? So here it is my friends, my goals for 2014. For those wanting to know about the 52 Week Savings challenge, click here - My co-worker gave me the tip to start backwards - putting in the big chunks of money first.  I had so much fun making this, that I thought I would provide a free download in Black, Grey, Turquoise, Blue and Red. What are some of your goals for 2014?

The Raven

Here is another quick Halloween décor printable.

The Raven 5x7.pdf

Conference Quotes

I felt so blessed to receive counsel from my Mission President, Elder Timothy J. Dyches, over General Conference weekend. He always speaks with such power, eloquence, and conviction. You can watch by clicking here.
I am jumping on the band wagon of the Conference Quotes on Pinterest - and adding some of my favorites from Elder Dyches.
Hope you enjoy. If you would like a specific size or color let me know. I would love your feedback.
Clink on the links to download a free printable pdf.

Believe Blue
Believe Bright
Believe Orange
Believe Green

Walk
Heal
Faith
Answer













To see what else I did this weekend click HERE!

Fall decor

I love Fall decor, but usually don't embrace Halloween. But I had a few fun ideas and the house is coming together. First I did some pallet art. 

And today I added some headstones from the Dollar Store and made a cute pumpkin pile, and added a witch hat I found at Lowes. 

And I also made a cute wreath with some leftover burlap. 

Here it is all together. 

Most projects are self explanatory, but comment if you have any questions.