What We Believe: He is Risen

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This article was taken from the Ensign.

To check out all of the Ensigns in PDF form click HERE.

To learn more of what we believe and

what we are all about visit mormon.org.

Some Things To Check Out

• If you haven't checked out the new Mormon.org which has profiles of members you ought to click on over. You can read other's profiles and even add your own. What a great missionary tool. Check it out HERE.
• My son and I found a fun scripture site called Scriptures 4 Kids. It has 4 reading levels of Book of Mormon stories. Your child can read it on there own or they can click on a button and it will read it to them. There are also games and printable pages, etc. Check it out HERE.
• There is a wonderful scripture page where you can highlight and make notes online as you read. I haven't played around with this much myself but it looks like a really neat page and it is created by the Church. You can check it our HERE.
• I've posted some of these before but I thought I'd highlight it again just in case you've never seen these videos made by Mormon's Made Simple. They are great because they explain in simple terms things like missionaries, temples, our church services, etc. Check it our HERE.
• I am sure most of you have seen the Mormon Messages on youtube or the front page of lds.org but they are worth their own link so you can check out all of the wonderful videos that have been posted. Check them out HERE.
• The Church has come out with new mobile phone apps to help you study on the go. They have anything from reading, highlighting and making notes while you read the scriptures to Conference talks and church magazines. Check it out HERE.
• There are many new features on the Relief Society page. You can check it our HERE.

So there are quite a few links for you to check out. I hope you all find something you like or haven't used before. If you ever find any new or fun links let me know so I can post them. Thanks to a few of my friends for making me aware of some of these. :) Happy Sunday to you all!

Our Spiritual Purpose

I have had a portion of this quote by Elder Bednar in the header to my blog for some time now and today I came across his following words and had to share:

"The gospel of Jesus Christ encompasses much more than avoiding, overcoming, and being cleansed from sin and the bad influences in our lives; it also essentially entails doing good, being good, and becoming better. Repenting of our sins and seeking forgiveness are spiritually necessary, and we must always do so. But remission of sin is not the only or even the ultimate purpose of the gospel. To have our hearts changed by the Holy Spirit such that 'we have no more disposition to do evil, but to do good continually' (Mosiah 5:2), as did King Benjamin's people, is the covenant responsibility we have accepted. This mighty change is not simply the result of working harder or developing greater individual discipline. Rather, it is the consequence of a fundamental change in our desires, our motives, and our natures made possible through the Atonement of Christ the Lord. Our spiritual purpose is to overcome both sin and the desire to sin, both the taint and the tyranny of sin."

"Clean Hands and a Pure Heart," Ensign, Nov. 2007, 81-82

Wow...that could make you think for a minute. I think in many ways my goals might be set too low and I could and should be seeking the power of the Atonement more fervently as I strive to reach the higher goal of doing good continually not just merely repenting after I make mistakes but having no desire to sin. As Elder Bednar states, this is "our spiritual purpose".

Sibling Love

This video made me think of a portion of this scripture: "And ye will not suffer your children that they...fight and quarrel one with another..."

My 3 year old and 10 month old are already pretty good at the whole sibling rivalry thing and I can see that it is only going to get worse.

How do you help your children to get along? What are some things that have brought your children and family closer together? I sure could use a little help in this department.

Extending to Facebook

So I am not much of a Facebook person but I had a reader ask if I'd consider putting my blog on Facebook and well, I went for it. So if you are more into Facebook then into checking blogs then head on over and like Becoming LDS on Facebook. Currently the button is not working for the side of the blog so you'll have to go directly to the Facebook Page to Like it. I hope this helps some of you.

Are You In There?

Are you in there? Or are you in your own world? Are you focused on the things that you want to do or feel like you should do or do you put YOUR things aside and take interest in YOUR CHILDREN'S wants and needs on a consistent basis? I know I too often am thinking of the next thing I need or want to do while in the midst of "giving my children attention." I need to work on giving them my full and undivided attention and simply forget about my agenda or my list and think about what is important on theirs. I needed this wake up call.

Elder Perry said, "Parents must bring light and truth into their homes by one family prayer, one scripture study session, one family home evening, one book read aloud, one song, and one family meal at a time. They know that the influence of righteous, conscientious, persistent, daily parenting is among the most powerful and sustaining forces for good in the world."
-"Mothers Teaching Children in the Home," Ensign, May 2010, 30

How do you make sure you spend the time and are "in there" for your children? How do you balance your agenda with the things that are REALLY important?

BLIND BY CHOICE

A few weeks back I saw something that baffled me, that scared me, that quite simply left me stunned, and angry, and puzzled at the amount of stupidity that was before my eyes. My two little ones and I were enjoying the afternoon shade in our front yard when all of a sudden comes a car whizing around our corner, going quite fast, with much whooping and hollering coming from its open windows and then through that open window I saw it. I saw the thing that sent me into such great shock and rage. I saw a young man sitting in the drivers seat blindfolded. He had a beanie pulled down over his eyes and all of the passengers, as well as the driver, seemed to be having a joyous adventure without thought to the consequences that could have and may have resulted.

What if my son had been riding his bike on that corner and they had clipped it. What if they hit another car. What if they hit a child who was crossing the street to play with a friend. What if they hit a tree or a poll or really what if anything bad had happened. I immediately got out my phone and reported the incident to the police. Then the rest of the day was spent with feelings of frustration, anger, and complete shock at what I had witnessed.

Then as time went on, a thought came to me: in essence we sometimes actually might do this ourselves. Really? Are you kidding me? I would never get into a car and put something over my eyes so that I can't see and risk hurting myself or others. But do I?

Here are my thoughts on the situation:

• When we choose to make certain choices it may fulfill a desire for entertainment or pleasure right now but in the end we might hurt (or kill) others or ourselves spiritually, emotionally, and/or physically.


• Our sins can blind us from current and future decisions. We may rely on very unreliable sources to guide us through the roads of life. In the end we'll crash.


• The passengers in the car were, in a way blindfolded, as well. They all did not have their eyes wide open to choices they were making. They were allowing the "blind to lead the blind".


• Little wrong choices may only fog our vision but as we continue to make wrong choices slowly but surely are eyes are darkened more and more and it is harder to see the Light.

Just as I looked on this situation with abhorrence. We should "not look upon sin save it were with abhorrence" (Alma 13:12). Let us make concious choices to keep our vision acute and alert and ready for the choices that lie before us. Let us stay away from choices that may blind us and lead us down a path of darkness and danger. Let us be spiritually aware, always seeing what lies ahead.

Soul-Destroying Termites

In the past I have pondered the significance of doing the small and simple things which I have always looked at as the positive and important things we've been asked to do which isn't necessarily a bad thing but then I read this quote and saw small and simple things in a new light.

"Small and simple things can be negative and destructive to a person’s salvation. A series of seemingly small but incorrect choices can become those little soul-destroying termites that eat away at the foundations of our testimony until, before we are aware, we may be brought near to spiritual and moral destruction." - M. Russell Ballard

The choices may be small, they may be simple, they may be little, BUT then Elder Ballard says they are DESTROYING our souls.

Let us be watchful so that we may see when these destroying termites are lurking near and push them away with all of our might.

Let us follow the counsel of Mosiah 4:30: Watch yourselves, and your thoughts, and your words, and your deeds, and observe the commandments of God, and continue in the faith of what ye have heard concerning the coming of our Lord.

What is a Mormon?

Mormon: The People, the Church, the Prophet

"Mormon" is a term commonly applied to members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The Church is sometimes inaccurately called the "Mormon Church" because its members believe that the Book of Mormon is an additional volume of scripture to the Bible. The Book of Mormon is named after Mormon, a fourth-century prophet-historian who compiled and abridged many records of his ancestors into the Book of Mormon.

Mormon: The People

Mormons live and work in every state of the United States and throughout the world. They value their family, their communities and the countries where they reside. They actively participate in business and agriculture, education and the sciences, government, the entertainment industry and news media. They work in public service and professional fields and serve as ambassadors, legislators, judges, and CEOs. There are currently five U.S. senators, including the senate majority leader, who are Mormon.

Mormon: The Church

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, is the fourth-largest religious institution in America, with over 6 million members in the United States and a total of nearly 14 million worldwide. While the term "Mormon Church" has long been publicly applied to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as a nickname, it is not an official title, and the Church encourages the use of the full authorized title. There are nearly 28,000 Mormon congregations worldwide, with meetings held in more than 180 languages, and Sunday services are open for anyone to attend. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is well known for its humanitarian work and has teamed up with Catholic Relief Services, the Red Cross, UNICEF, and many other agencies to help relieve suffering throughout the world. The Church also operates the world's largest genealogical library, located in Salt Lake City, and has one of the world's largest databases of online genealogical records. This database can be accessed for free by anyone at FamilySearch.

Mormon: The Prophet

Mormon was an actual historical figure in the Book of Mormon. He was a prophet, military general, and record keeper who lived about A.D. 311-385 on the American Continent. He was a military leader for most of his life, beginning at age fifteen. He also kept extensive historical and spiritual records of his people, who lived in the Americas. After recording the history of his own lifetime, he compiled and abridged the records, engraved on plates of gold, of previous prophets. These plates were part of the record from which the Prophet Joseph Smith translated the Book of Mormon in the early 19th century.