The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints View of Family

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has its own view of what a family is. This is described in a proclamation to the world that was issued by the First Presidency and the Council of the Twelve Apostles in 1995. Here is what it said: We, THE FIRST PRESIDENCY of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, solemnly proclaim that marriage between a man and a woman is ordained of God and that the family is central to the Creator’s plan for the eternal destiny of His children. IN THE PREMORTAL REALM, spirit … Continue reading

Relief Society Binds Us Together

Last night, we had a great Relief Society activity that I really enjoyed. It was our first weekday meeting since our ward realignment. Since I am the member of the Relief Society presidency that is over the weekday meetings, I was anxious to see how it would go. Our focus was to have an activity that would help us get to know each other better. We started the evening by having a casual potluck dinner of soup and breadsticks. Then, I was asked to give a short thought at the last minute. One of our focuses as a new Relief Society … Continue reading

FHE For Small Children-The Prexistence

This past Sunday, my 4 year old gave his very first talk in primary. I was so proud of him. I helped him prepare his talk by asking him a series of questions about what he knew about the earth since the theme was, “Heavenly Father created the Earth for His children”. He told me things like it is really big. It is in space. It has lots of different countries. It was really fun to find out what he knew about earth. I asked him what his favorite thing to do on earth was, and he replied, “Eat!” Very … Continue reading

Loving Ourselves

In the spirit of Valentine’s Day, I wanted to write a post about Love. If we look around us, we can see evidence all around of love. As a Mom, it is easy for me to think of how much I love my children. It is easy to think of loving my husband. But, one thing I don’t think that often about is how much happier I would be if I would take more time to love myself. To love ourselves, I think we first must recognize our divine nature. We are all sons and daughters of God. He loves … Continue reading

What If I Mess Up?

In Relief Society this past Sunday, we had ward conference. I always love the opportunity to hear the Stake leaders come and speak to us. Our Stake President is 38 years old and has been the stake president for almost 10 years now. He has a great perspective on things, and is very inspiring. The Spirit is always strong when he speaks. He shared a story of teaching his daughter how to ride a bike last week. He spoke of how different she was from the three boys that they had taught how to ride bikes previous to her. The … Continue reading

We Believe in Grace, Too.

Grace is a beautiful word. It has many meanings. However, the type of grace I am talking about is the grace of God. Many religions believe that they are saved by grace. Some believe by simply accepting Christ into your heart, you are saved. Do Mormons believe in grace? The simple answer is, yes. But, maybe not in the same way that others believe in grace. However, I feel like grace is something that us Mormons forget about. So much so that sometimes, I think we forget that we also are saved by God’s grace. A book that changed the … Continue reading

What If We All Showed Love for God and Neighbor?

Another question that was posed in our relief society lesson on Sunday that really stuck with me was, “What would the world be like if everyone showed love for God and Neighbor?” One mom raised her hand and said something along the lines of, “I would not live in fear anymore. I wouldn’t be scared to drop my kids off at school everyday. There would be no fear.” As I sat there thinking about that, I couldn’t help but think, “What would MY life be like without fear?” It was an interesting thought. As a parent, we can’t help but … Continue reading

The First Great Commandment

In the October 2012 general conference, Elder Holland gave a great talk titled, “The First Great Commandment.” That was the talk we discussed in Relief Society this past week. It was a great reminder that we can all be doing more to love God. What really impacted me was the following interpretation by Elder Holland regarding Peter’s exchange with the Lord, who asked him three times, “Lovest Thou Me?” When Peter responded in the affirmative the third time, Elder Holland says, “To which Jesus responded (and here again I acknowledge my nonscriptural elaboration), perhaps saying something like: “Then Peter, why … Continue reading

Serving Others Despite A Busy Life

I have been thinking a lot lately about serving others. At this stage in my life, it feels impossible to reach outside the needs of my own little family that demands so much, to others that might be in need. However, I believe that the Lord expects so much more of each of us. In the book, Daughters in My Kingdom, there is a quote by George Albert Smith that states, “Our eternal happiness will be in proportion to the way that we devote ourselves to helping others.” When you really think about that statement, it is hard not to … Continue reading

Coping with Loss

It is difficult for anyone when they lose someone they love. It can be even more difficult to watch those that you love struggle with their loss when they do not have the knowledge of the Gospel to help them through their loss. At times, I don’t give much thought to the fact that merely knowing what happens after we die is a huge comfort to me. Since I was raised in the church, it has always been a part of my understanding of God, His Plan, and What happens after this life. But, for many, they do not have … Continue reading