9/11 Story of Hope

I saw this video last week on youtube. It is so beautiful. Wonderful things can come out of terrible tragedies. The video is called "Finding Hope" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mkWc_EKLs4E

Trust in God

Pieces of a talk by, Elder Jeffery R. Holland entitled, "Lessons From Liberty Jail"
listen to it or read it for free here http://speeches.byu.edu/?act=viewitem&id=1798

Everyone Faces Trying Times

Joseph Smith in Liberty Jail
painting by, Liz Lemon Swindle

"Every experience can become a redemptive experience if we remain bonded to our Father in Heaven through that difficulty. These difficult lessons teach us that man’s extremity is God’s opportunity, and if we will be humble and faithful, if we will be believing and not curse God for our problems, He can turn the unfair and inhumane and debilitating prisons of our lives into temples—or at least into a circumstance that can bring comfort and revelation, divine companionship and peace…."

"…whenever these moments of our extremity come, we must not succumb to the fear that God has abandoned us or that He does not hear our prayers. He does hear us. He does see us. He does love us. When we are in dire circumstances and want to cry “Where art Thou?” it is imperative that we remember He is right there with us—where He has always been! We must continue to believe, continue to have faith, continue to pray and plead with heaven, even if we feel for a time our prayers are not heard and that God has somehow gone away. He is there. Our prayers are heard. And when we weep He and the angels of heaven weep with us…."

"…When lonely, cold, hard times come, we have to endure, we have to continue, we have to persist. That was the Savior’s message in the parable of the importuning widow (see Luke 18:1–8; see also Luke 11:5–10). Keep knocking on that door. Keep pleading. In the meantime, know that God hears your cries and knows your distress. He is your Father, and you are His child…."

"…Even though seemingly unjust circumstances may be heaped upon us and even though unkind and unmerited things may be done to us—perhaps by those we consider enemies but also, in some cases, by those whom we thought were friends—nevertheless, through it all, God is with us."

Even the Worthy Will Suffer

"Father Forgive Them"

painting by, Liz Lemon Swindle

“We need to realize that just because difficult things happen—sometimes unfair and seemingly unjustified things—it does not mean that we are unrighteous or that we are unworthy of blessings or that God is disappointed in us. Of course sinfulness does bring suffering, and the only answer to that behavior is repentance. But sometimes suffering comes to the righteous, too.”

“….In fact, it ought to be a matter of great doctrinal consolation to us that Jesus, in the course of the Atonement, experienced all of the heartache and sorrow, all of the disappointments and injustices that the entire family of man had experienced and would experience from Adam and Eve to the end of the world in order that we would not have to face them so severely or so deeply. However heavy our load might be, it would be a lot heavier if the Savior had not gone that way before us and carried that burden with us and for us.”

“Very early in the Prophet Joseph’s ministry, the Savior taught him this doctrine. After speaking of sufferings so exquisite to feel and so hard to bear, Jesus said:
I, God, have suffered these things for all, that they [and that means you and I and everyone] might not suffer if they would repent. [D&C 19:16]

In our moments of pain and trial, I guess we would shudder to think it could be worse, but the answer to that is clearly that it could be worse and it would be worse. Only through our faith and repentance and obedience to the gospel that provided the sacred Atonement is it kept from being worse.

Furthermore, we note that not only has the Savior suffered, in His case entirely innocently, but so have most of the prophets and other great men and women recorded in the scriptures. Name an Old Testament or Book of Mormon prophet, name a New Testament Apostle, name virtually any of the leaders in any dispensation, including our own, and you name someone who has had trouble.

My point? If you are having a bad day, you’ve got a lot of company—very, very good company. The best company that has ever lived."

"First, God has not forgotten you, and second, the Savior has been where you have been, allowing Him to provide for your deliverance and your comfort.”

Remain Calm, Patient, Charitable, and Forgiving

“When we face such distressing circumstances in our life and there is something in us that wants to strike out at God or man or friend or foe, we must remember that “no power or influence can or ought to be maintained [except] by persuasion, by long-suffering, by gentleness and meekness, and by love unfeigned; . . . without hypocrisy, and without guile” (D&C 121:41–42; emphasis added).

It has always been a wonderful testimony to me of the Prophet Joseph’s greatness and the greatness of all of our prophets, including and especially the Savior of the world in His magnificence, that in the midst of such distress and difficulty they could remain calm and patient, charitable, and forgiving—that they could even talk that way, let alone live that way. But they could, and they did. They remembered their covenants, they disciplined themselves, and they knew that we must live the gospel at all times, not just when it is convenient and not just when things are going well. Indeed, they knew that the real test of our faith and our Christian discipleship is when things are not going smoothly. That is when we get to see what we’re made of and how strong our commitment to the gospel really is.

Surely the classic example of this is that in the most painful hours of the Crucifixion the Savior could say, “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34). That is a hard thing to ask when we’re hurting. That is a hard thing to do when we’ve been offended or are tired or stressed out or suffering innocently. But that is when Christian behavior may matter the most.”

What are you afraid of?

It seems like every time I turn on the news, all I ever hear about is war, murders, robbery, abuse, lewdness, violence, cheating, fraud, lies, and destruction.... to focus on this can weigh quite heavily on my heart and be quite depressing. Especially when I look at my children and think, "If things are this bad now, what kind of world are they going to be living in when they have children of their own?" It's a frightening thought.

This morning I was reading in Luke 21:26. Here it says that in the last days, men's hearts will fail them because of fear. "Fear" I took an interest in this because of the fear I have felt at times in my own heart. So, I began looking up all the different verses on "fear" that stood out to my mind and wrote them down. These are what I found- these comfort me:

"And the Lord appeared unto him the same night, and said, I am the God of Abraham thy father: fear not, for I am with thee..."- Gen. 26:24

"Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them."- 2Kings 6:16

"The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?"- Psalms 27:1

"The fear of man bringeth a snare: but whoso putteth his trust in the Lord shall be safe."- Prov. 29:25

"For the Lord God will help me; therefore shall I not be confounded: therefore have I set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be ashamed."- Isaiah 50:7

"Hearken unto me, ye that know righteousness, the people in whose heart is my law; fear ye not the reproach of men, neither be ye afraid of their revilings."- Isaiah 51:7

"And I will set up shepherds over them which shall feed them: and they shall fear no more, nor be dismayed, neither shall they be lacking, saith the Lord."- Jeremiah 23:3

"And he (Jesus) arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith?"- Mark 4:40

"Speak the word without fear."- Philip. 1:14

"For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind."- 2Tim 1:7

"There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear:"- 1John 4:18

"you should not have feared man more than God."- Doctrine and Covenants 3:7


"Fear not to do good, my sons, for whatsoever ye sow, that shall ye also reap; therefore, if ye sow good ye shall also reap good for your reward. Therefore, fear not, little flock; do good; let earth and hell combine against you, for if ye are built upon my rock (the gospel of Jesus Christ), they cannot prevail... Look unto me in every thought; doubt not, fear not."- Doctrine and Covenants 6:33,34&36

"... if ye are prepared ye shall not fear. "- Doctrine and Covenants 38:30

"strip yourselves from jealousies and fears, and humble yourselves before me [Jesus Christ]."- Doctrine and Covenants 67:10

Now the final scripture... this one I share last because I jotted down some additional thoughts that go along with explaining this one:

"And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell."- Matt 10:28

This is what came to my mind...
What are the things that can destroy the body but not the Spirit?:
Sickness, Illness, Disease
Natural Disasters, Plagues, Famine,
Accidents, Shootings, Terrorists, Death, Etc.

Now what are the things that destroy our body and our Spirit, and create a literal hell of a life?
Ungratefulness, Jealousy, Greed, Hatred
Selfishness, Lust, Arrogance,
Lies, Hypocrisy, Gossip, Bitterness
Laziness, Self-righteousness, Etc.

The difference between these two forms of destruction is that the first are ones we don't necessarily have any control over....
But the second, (those things we should really fear)- we have complete control over. Each day, every moment we choose whether or not we let these things reside in our hearts or cast them out.
And I wittiness to you that you are not alone in overcoming these things.

Through daily prayer and seeking for God's help to keep these things out of your life, I promise you the riches of Eternity... and peace in this life here and now, no matter what is going on in the news. Your family life will be better, your workplace will be better, relationships with neighbors will be better.

The scriptures bring me so much comfort. I am grateful for something solid to stand on in the midst of a raging sea. I feel anchored and safe... yes... safe, even in this world. Isn't that wonderful!

God Bless You!
Alicia

Emmanuel Ofosu Yeboah

My heart is full and I feel very humbled. I watched a powerful movie last night called, "Emmanuel's Gift." If you have never seen this movie I recomend you go find it and watch it as soon as you can. You will see your life very differently after this!

Emmanuel Ofosu Yeboah grew up a disabled orphan from Ghana. He rose above poverty and severe physical, enviromental and cultural challenges to become in my mind one of the greatest hero's of this Century... not just because he overcame these increadible odds for his own life but because he lives to inspire, help and encourage others to rise to the greatness within themselves too and contribute their own gifts back into society.

He is a true Hero! He is beautiful, absolutely beautiful! This man is completely inspired by God and a gift from heaven to the whole world. His story has touched my life!
I've created a link to Emmanuel's website where you can donate or find out information to help the disabled and encourage you to visit here. http://www.eefsa.com/
"The ultimate measure of a man or woman is not where he or she stands in moments of comfort and convienience; It's where they stand in times of challenges and controversy." - His Majesty, Osagyefuo Amoatio Ofori- (Akyem Abuakwa Kingdom in Africa)
Another man featured briefly in this movie is Jim MacLaren http://www.jimmaclaren.com/
Go visit his website and see his amazing story too. I can't believe the courage and perserverance of Jim MacLaren... What a beautiful, inspiring and increadible man.
Man! I have such a cushy life! And what am I doing with all that I am given? What do I complain about? Man Alive! this just puts my tiny little problems into a whole new light!
There are events and circumstances we all experience in our life we could label as a "tradgedy" or as a "gift." It's up to us what we will make of it.
This morning I read in John chapter 9:1-3 and it was the perfect follow-up to watching this movie.And as Jesus passed by, he saw a man which was blind from his birth. And his disciples asked him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind? Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him.
This was not a curse from heaven brought upon the man born blind.... he was born blind that the works of God should be made manifest in him. In a way his blindness was a gift not just to him but to the world for generations to come. It's all how you look at it.
Now what am I going to do with the gifts I've been given? I am grateful for the stories such as these that "open my eyes" and help me to see where I've been blind.
God bless you my friends!
Alicia

The Healing Power of Forgiveness

If you choose to read only one post on my blog.... read this one!!!! This is an excerpt from a beautiful talk given April 2007, by President James E. Faust of the First Presidency of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. I encourage you to read this wonderful true story about the healing power of forgiveness:

"My dear brothers and sisters and friends, I come before you humbly and prayerfully. I wish to speak on the healing power of forgiveness.

In the beautiful hills of Pennsylvania, a devout group of Christian people live a simple life without automobiles, electricity, or modern machinery. They work hard and live quiet, peaceful lives separate from the world. Most of their food comes from their own farms. The women sew and knit and weave their clothing, which is modest and plain. They are known as the Amish people.
A 32-year-old milk truck driver lived with his family in their Nickel Mines community. He was not Amish, but his pickup route took him to many Amish dairy farms, where he became known as the quiet milkman. Last October he suddenly lost all reason and control. In his tormented mind he blamed God for the death of his first child and some unsubstantiated memories. He stormed into the Amish school without any provocation, released the boys and adults, and tied up the 10 girls. He shot the girls, killing five and wounding five. Then he took his own life.

This shocking violence caused great anguish among the Amish but no anger. There was hurt but no hate. Their forgiveness was immediate. Collectively they began to reach out to the milkman’s suffering family. As the milkman’s family gathered in his home the day after the shootings, an Amish neighbor came over, wrapped his arms around the father of the dead gunman, and said, “We will forgive you.”1 Amish leaders visited the milkman’s wife and children to extend their sympathy, their forgiveness, their help, and their love. About half of the mourners at the milkman’s funeral were Amish. In turn, the Amish invited the milkman’s family to attend the funeral services of the girls who had been killed. A remarkable peace settled on the Amish as their faith sustained them during this crisis.

One local resident very eloquently summed up the aftermath of this tragedy when he said, “We were all speaking the same language, and not just English, but a language of caring, a language of community, [and] a language of service. And, yes, a language of forgiveness.”2 It was an amazing outpouring of their complete faith in the Lord’s teachings in the Sermon on the Mount: “Do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you.”3

The family of the milkman who killed the five girls released the following statement to the public:
“To our Amish friends, neighbors, and local community:
“Our family wants each of you to know that we are overwhelmed by the forgiveness, grace, and mercy that you’ve extended to us. Your love for our family has helped to provide the healing we so desperately need. The prayers, flowers, cards, and gifts you’ve given have touched our hearts in a way no words can describe. Your compassion has reached beyond our family, beyond our community, and is changing our world, and for this we sincerely thank you.
“Please know that our hearts have been broken by all that has happened. We are filled with sorrow for all of our Amish neighbors whom we have loved and continue to love. We know that there are many hard days ahead for all the families who lost loved ones, and so we will continue to put our hope and trust in the God of all comfort, as we all seek to rebuild our lives.”4

How could the whole Amish group manifest such an expression of forgiveness? It was because of their faith in God and trust in His word, which is part of their inner beings. They see themselves as disciples of Christ and want to follow His example.

Hearing of this tragedy, many people sent money to the Amish to pay for the health care of the five surviving girls and for the burial expenses of the five who were killed. As a further demonstration of their discipleship, the Amish decided to share some of the money with the widow of the milkman and her three children because they too were victims of this terrible tragedy.

Forgiveness is not always instantaneous as it was with the Amish. When innocent children have been molested or killed, most of us do not think first about forgiveness. Our natural response is anger. We may even feel justified in wanting to “get even” with anyone who inflicts injury on us or our family.

Dr. Sidney Simon, a recognized authority on values realization, has provided an excellent definition of forgiveness as it applies to human relationships:

“Forgiveness is freeing up and putting to better use the energy once consumed by holding grudges, harboring resentments, and nursing unhealed wounds. It is rediscovering the strengths we always had and relocating our limitless capacity to understand and accept other people and ourselves.”5

Most of us need time to work through pain and loss. We can find all manner of reasons for postponing forgiveness. One of these reasons is waiting for the wrongdoers to repent before we forgive them. Yet such a delay causes us to forfeit the peace and happiness that could be ours. The folly of rehashing long-past hurts does not bring happiness.

Some hold grudges for a lifetime, unaware that courageously forgiving those who have wronged us is wholesome and therapeutic.

Forgiveness comes more readily when, like the Amish, we have faith in God and trust in His word. Such faith “enables people to withstand the worst of humanity. It also enables people to look beyond themselves. More importantly, it enables them to forgive.”6

All of us suffer some injuries from experiences that seem to have no rhyme or reason. We cannot understand or explain them. We may never know why some things happen in this life. The reason for some of our suffering is known only to the Lord. But because it happens, it must be endured. President Howard W. Hunter said that “God knows what we do not know and sees what we do not see.”7

...If we can find forgiveness in our hearts for those who have caused us hurt and injury, we will rise to a higher level of self-esteem and well-being. Some recent studies show that people who are taught to forgive become “less angry, more hopeful, less depressed, less anxious and less stressed,” which leads to greater physical well-being.9 Another of these studies concludes “that forgiveness … is a liberating gift [that] people can give to themselves.”10

In our day the Lord has admonished us, “Ye ought to forgive one another,” and then makes it requisite when He says, “I, the Lord, will forgive whom I will forgive, but of you it is required to forgive all men.”11

A sister who had been through a painful divorce received some sound advice from her bishop: “Keep a place in your heart for forgiveness, and when it comes, welcome it in.”12 For the Amish, it was already there because “forgiveness is a ‘heartfelt’ component of [their] religion.”13 Their example of forgiveness is a sublime expression of Christian love." - President James E. Faust, ("The Healing Power of Forgivess") Excerpt taken from the May, 2007 Ensign

To the Victims of the Shooting

My heart goes out to the victims of the shooting in Illinios yesterday. It seems these stories are increasing in frequency. These acts of violence are so sad, and it's hard for me to wrap my brain around why someone would do such a thing. It is also difficult for me to comprehend the heartbreaking pain that one must go through in such a situation. I pray for healing to take place among the victims of this terrible tradgedy, I pray for the hope of Christ to shine brightly in their minds and hearts during such a dark time.

I'd like to share the words to this beautiful hymn as a tolken of my prayers in the behalf of all who are suffering from broken lives, bitter anquish, despair, grief and loss of hope. Whether they are victims of this tradgedy in Illinois, victims of abuse, disease, sickness, poverty or the awful chains of sin. I know that my Redeemer lives, I trust in His power to heal, to forgive, to help us stand firm amidst the storms of life. He is there for you too. He is real, of this I know.

Master the Temest is Raging

"Master, the tempest is raging!

The billows are tossing high!

The sky is o'ershadowed with blackness.

No shelter or help is nigh.

Carest thou not that we perish?

How canst thou lie asleep

When each moment so madly is threat'ning

A grave in the angry deep?

Master, with anguish of spirit

I bow in my grief today.

The depths of my sad heart are troubled.

Oh, waken and save, I pray!

Torrents of sin and of anguish

Sweep o'er my sinking soul,

And I perish! I perish! dear Master.

Oh, hasten and take control!

The winds and the waves shall obey thy will

Peace be still. Peace be still.

Whether the wrath of the storm-tossed sea

Or demons or men or whatever it be,

No waters can swallow the ship where lies

The Master of ocean and earth and skies.

They all shall sweetly obey thy will:

Peace be still. Peace be still.

They all shall sweetly obey thy will:

Peace, Peace...be still.

Master, the terror is over.

The elements sweetly rest.

Earth's sun in the calm lake is mirrored,

And heaven's within my breast.

Linger, O blesssed Redeemer!

Leave me alone no more,

And with joy I shall make the blest harbor

And rest on the blissful shore."

Written by- Mary Ann Baker

(Page 105, in the Hymns of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints)