Love with all your Heart: Plain and Simple

Dear Sisters,

We are seeing every day more and more hate among our fellow Americans. At one point, I was worried about terrorists harming us, but they don't have to do anything, because we are destroying each other with violent acts of hate.

I have asked myself so many times, "What can I do to help build the kingdom of God among people that are filled with anger and frustration, so much so that they think the only way to deal with things is to take the lives of others".

Here is the problem, as I see it, righteous women are not doing enough, plain and simple. I hear the voices of those who feel offended, and those who think they are have every right to say, do and take what ever they want. I don't hear Christian women standing up for what they know is right. An example; it is not hateful to fight for our privacy from the other sex in public bathrooms. We have to protect our children and ourselves. What is is more important protecting our children or giving anyone the option of using any bathroom they feel they want to use? There has to be another way, but it's not going to happen unless we stand up for what we know is right. Our side needs to be heard, but we have to do it in a way that is not hateful.

I have no issue with any person in this world, as long as they don't harm others. They can live whatever way they want, but if they ask me or include me in a conversation, I will stand for God's way and tell them their choices are not right in the sight of God and his people. But I will never make them feel like they are less than a child of God.

I have been praying lately to be more loving, of all people. It's not easy because I have lived a life time of certain ideals and beliefs. But I have found my lifetime has made me judgemental, and that is not right.  So, I need to make some changes through devoted prayer, and trying to not look at people with thoughts in my mind about the choices that others make. We can accomplish anything we set our minds to but it won't always be easy.

However, if we show God that we are trying then we will get the help we need to make things right. Now, I am not saying we condone the wrong that is being done, and just sit back while this great nation falls apart. No, we need to be heard and let the world know that we don't want certain things that are harmful to our families.

We have sat back for way too long, and not enough of us are willing to fight for righteousness. If we stand together we can make a mighty change, but we must stand together in love and unity. Don't be afraid that you will be labeled as a prud, or a bigot. Stand firm and strong in all that is good. We will have the angels to stand with us.

I get pretty frustrated with people who don't communicate, like at work, I send emails to people about issues and they don't respond. I don't know if they read my email, or are working on the issue, or even just ignoring me. How hard is it to email me back and say something like, "We are currently working on the issue and will get back to you by the end of the day", or something like that. It's a common courtesy.

I think the same thing is happening in the hate that we are feeling in today's world. We don't listen to each other. People are quick to blame another, and not even know the person they are mad at. More than half the people who die or get hurt by an angry person are innocent. If you have a beef with someone, go to the person, not someone else. How hard is that?

And, you don't have to go with malice in your heart. We all have good and bad days, if someone offends you, take a moment to see the whole picture. Do an act of kindness for that person, to see if they are just having a bad day. We can't walk in someone else's shoes, there are so many factors in a person's life that make them act the way they do. We never know what tragedy they have experienced, or what underlying problems that exist in their lives. 

All we can do is stop taking things personally, stop being selfish and see if we can help make someone's day better, in hopes of saving the lives of others.

Sister, if we are going to protect our families and friends, we need to start showing more love to all those we meet on a daily basis. A simple smile or hello, can make all the difference in the life of someone hurting; just a small moment can do miracles in a hard world.

The scriptures tell us the hearts of many will be cold, and we do see that today, especially in the lives of our young people. What can you do to help them feel love again? Many of them have been given a stinky life, and they know no other way. We are all given the Light of Christ in our heart to know right from wrong but without someone to lead and guide, that light can quickly be burned out. Stop judging and start finding a way to help.

Think about it but remember to never put yourself or anyone else in harms way. Lets talk more, share a Coke and smile, (teeheehee, I work for Coke). Recognize that we are all different and lets take a moment to see what another might be feeling. Find a way to show the love and blessing we have in our lives. Blessing don't have to be monetary, but can be a sincere listening ear.

Jesus showed us how to love all people, we don't have to agree with their life style but we don't have to hate them for it either. That goes for anyone who is living a life style that is not Christian, don't hate us either. We are not here to judge but to help. If you don't want religion or our help then that is your choice but don't take my religion from me. If I want to mention God or pray then let me because that is my safe place, that is how I feel.  If it is offensive to you simple tell me and I will see what I can do to still maintain my freedom of religion and allow you to maintain your freedom to not have to endure it.

It's time to act now before Satan gets into the hearts and steals the lives of our brothers and sisters. He can't ever win, but he can try to take as many lives down with him as he can. We can't let him do that. We are stronger than him, we will win the battle if we stand firm and show love to all people. We just need to communicate and have a loving heart; it's that easy, plain and simple.

All my Love

Veterans Day, Show Them We Care

Many wars and battles have happened throughout the history for mankind. Many wars and battles have been fought over minor things. Many wars and battles have been fought for one of the most important gifts we can have and that is freedom.

What is freedom? Freedom is defined as: the power or right to act, speak, or think as one wants without hindrance or restraint.

It's defined as POWER. We have power when we think of accomplishing goals in our life because we have been given the gift of freedom. We live in the most wonderful place in the world, the United States of America. The history of our country is so powerful when you think of its short span of time as a country. Good people have fought to give us this freedom to pursue true happiness in our lives. Our Declaration of Independence says:

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."

This gives everyone the opportunity to pursue these things that so many have fought and some have died so that we can have these gifts.

Monday, November 11

Veterans Day 2013

Today is Veterans Day, its not just another holiday on our calendar. It is a day to remember all those who have fought for freedom from tyrants and evil. Today is the day we should thank every current member of the military and all those who have ever served in the military, whether they fought in wars or not. A soldiers life is not an easy one. They are gone from their families a lot. They are put in dangerous situations a lot. They suffer through unmentionable things that we can never understand. 

We must support them and show them gratitude for giving their life to give us the freedom to live our lives. I am so grateful to the many who have the courage to be a part of the military and stand firm in their beliefs in God, Country, and Freedom for all mankind!!! 

Becoming His People

Moses 7:18 
"And the Lord called his people ^aZion, because they were of ^bone heart and one mind, and dwelt in righteousness; and there was no poor among them."

What does it mean to be "His People"? When Jesus returns to the earth He will rule as our King; we will live in His Kingdom. Jesus has rules for us now, commandments, that we are to follow while He is not here, so when He comes again He will still have rules for His Kingdom that we will continue to follow making us one with Him.

Those rules will be the ones that are found in His Gospel contained in the scriptures. If we all live those rules we will become His people. We all have to be of one heart and one mind. So what makes us of one heart and mind? The story of Enoch in the book of Genesis is a good example. They lived in such a way that there were no poor among them, they all looked out for each other and became known as Zion.

I have thought about today's schools. Everyone has to be and think the same or there is something wrong with them. It seems that if your child is not like the norm then he is labeled as having a problem, or is abnormal. That's not true, what ever happened to creativity and freedom to be who you want to be? 

I remember years ago I went into a parent/teacher conference for my oldest son; this was for kindergarten. The teacher commented that my son was a little different than the rest. She said he liked to talked to himself. When I asked for an example she told me that one day while every one else was coloring quietly he was playing with his pencil and made it look like it was a rocket ship, noises included. I told her that was imagination which I encouraged in my children. She just stared at me.

But using this as an example, being one heart and one mind does not mean we are all doing and thinking the same things, like some schools want us to do. Being righteous means doing good things. If we are all doing good things then we have the same goal of making sure our brother and this world is taken care of. God doesn't tell us what to do, he wants us to have an imagination and do what we can to help our brother, not in our way, but in God's way.

God's way is to help others gain the tools they need to take care of their own self and family, then help others to do the same. No poor among them means we all work together, as one, to do the will of Jesus Christ, and love one another by doing so much good that no one is left behind. 

We can be a Zion people now by opening our minds and hearts to finding ways of helping others along the path of life. If people don't have to worry about everyday living things then they will be  better able to focus on serving God and doing a lot of good. Let's all put God first in our lives and become a Zion people, His people.

Sunday Points of Conference

Well, another great spiritual feeding. I love how everything relates to my life, it's like they are talking to just me. But as always I receive messages that really hit home. Here are a few;

Elder Dallin H. Oaks spoke about our life goals being in alignment with God plan of happiness for us. If we don't have that we may end up serving other God's. It's so easy justify our choices in life when they are in correlation with the world but when we need to make those changes to be in alignment with God's we find it a hard thing to do. I like how he said we need to have courage to stand for truth and that we should not be moral cowards.

Elder Richard G. Scott talked about recognizing the Atonement of Jesus Christ in our lives. He used the example of the stripling warriors. I loved the way he told their story. It touched my heart and made me want to work harder to be sure my children could be more like them.

I think there were 3 times I heard the usage of "voice of warning" which one was from the talk by Quentin L. Cook. He spoke a lot about the bondage's we may be a part of today, things that take away our moral agency like addictions, excessive social media, political beliefs, etc.

Elder Neil L. Andersen really hit home, since I am a single mom. I am grateful to know that I know my place and the power I have as a mother in the home. And by living my covenants I will have the priesthood power to do what I need to within my home for my family. I am grateful for wonderful home teachers and leadership in my ward who help to give my family the priesthood that we need. And I am grateful for 2 sons and a son-in-law who hold both the Aaronic and Melchizedek Priesthoods by honoring it and blessing our lives with it.

There are so many more good ones that reached my heart like Elder Russell M. Nelsons talk about our the miracle of our bodies and how we will have to answer for how we use them. He spoke about self mastery which just happens to be something that I have been praying for lately. How do they know?!

I also love the inspiring words of our Prophet Thomas S. Monson, what a wonderful example he is to all of us. How can anyone not love this man? My youngest son made a comment about how he needs to become more like him. He said he wanted to be able to look back at his life periodically and know that he is doing a lot of good.

I'm sad its over but I have a lot to ponder and perfect in my life. These are things that I believe will make me a more righteous daughter of God. I hope you were able to find things to help your spiritual growth. If you think you might have missed something don't forget that the Ensign will be out next month, that will be a good time to review and start making those changes in your life for good.

Man, I can't until next Spring. :)

Happy Independence Day

Happy Independence Day to all who love living in this wonderful country called the United States of America!!!

That is something we have to remember; that this is the United States of America. Its the place where everyone wants to come and live. Its the place where so much controversy is happening over rewarding people with citizenship even when they come in illegally.

I'm all for people becoming citizens but there is a right way of doing it. I don't know why there is such a rush for people to want to come here but I have to admit that I haven't walked in their shoes. Regardless, there are rules for a reason and in order for balance to happen we need to live by those rules.

The other thing that confuses me is when some people fight so hard to get away from their country then come here and and say 3 cheers for (where ever they are from). They even want to change the way things work here to be more like their own country that they wanted to escape from. What is that all about?

We have the best country in the whole world; it is a place established with a Divine purpose. We as responsible citizens need to understand that purpose. We need to know its history and its future. We need to help it along the path it was meant to take. We have to stand up for the principles and morals that was first established in the organization of this country. This land was saved for a special purpose and it starts with its rich history of patriots.

Today is a good day to put things into perspective regarding your part in preserving this nation as it was set up to be. The place to start would be in reading the constitution then doing the research about the history of how it came to be, then search in the scriptures to see the Divine guidance that has made this a place so special.

I love this country and the true history of what makes it so special. This is God' land and we need to honor His wishes for it. We need do our part in preserving the Constitution of the United States of America and keeping this land safe and free from tyrants. Those who surround themselves with evil seek to destroy our heritage but because this land has a Divine Nature then it will be protected as long as its people are righteous.

I say today start your fight against the evil that wants to take over and stand for truth and righteousness. Stand for the principles that are needed to make this country and its citizens strong and proud again. Put on the armor of God and He will help us if we focus on keeping this land free. Fight for freedoms that give us opportunities to grow and become a righteous nation again. We are never alone in our battles for right, God will help us to stand strong. turn your hearts and desires to Him, put Him first in your life and we can maintain that righteousness we need to keep our freedoms.

God bless America!!!

Guest Post: Rantin' & Ravin'

Hi!

My name is is Tammy and I write on Rantin' & Ravin'.

I was so excited to hear from J-lyn here on To Stand As Righteous Women. When she asked if I would do a guest post, I jumped on the chance.

She basically gave me a free reign as long as it was inspiring for her readers and encouraged you all in righteousness. So, I gave it a little thought and took it to prayer. Isn't that what we should do in all things?

I read over her previous posts here and here and decided to write about the constitution.

The United States Constitution is an inspired document. This document serves as a model for other nations and is currently the oldest Constitution still used today.

I know that the Lord inspired people such as Columbus, the Pilgrims and the puritans to search for a place where they could have religious freedom. I know that the Founding Fathers were led by the Father to write the words of the Constitution. The Constitution was laid out to allow for the Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

I am a history major and I have had many professors teach me that the Founding Fathers were not Christians.

How can this be?

The Declaration of Independence affirmed the Founding Fathers’ belief and trust in God in these words: “We hold these Truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness.”

At the conclusion of the Declaration of Independence, they wrote, “And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor.” This Declaration was a promise that would demand terrible sacrifice on the part of its signers. Five of the signers were captured as traitors and tortured before they died. Twelve had their homes ransacked and burned. Two lost their sons in the Revolutionary War; another had two sons captured. Nine died from wounds or from the hardships of the war.

Would you be willing to die for something that you truly didn't believe in, for Someone you truly didn't believe in?

The delegates at the Constitutional Convention were the recipients of heavenly inspiration. James Madison (my favorite!!), often referred to as the father of the Constitution, wrote: “It is impossible for the man of pious reflection not to perceive in it a finger of that Almighty hand which has been so frequently and signally extended to our relief in the critical stages of the revolution” (The Federalist, no. 37, ed. Henry Cabot Lodge, New York: G. P. Putnam’s Sons, 1983, p. 222).

Alexander Hamilton, famous as the originator of The Federalist papers and author of fifty-one of the essays, said: “For my own part, I sincerely esteem it a system, which without the finger of God, never could have been suggested and agreed upon by such a diversity of interest” (Essays on the Constitution of the United States, ed. Paul L. Ford, 1892, pp. 251–52).

Charles Pinckney, a very active participant and author of the Pinckney Plan during the Convention, said: “When the great work was done and published, I was struck with amazement. Nothing less than the superintending Hand of Providence, that so miraculously carried us through the war … could have brought it about so complete, upon the whole” (Essays on the Constitution, p. 412).

Don't let anyone ever tell you that they were not Christians!

In a talk given by Ezra Taft Benson titled, Our Divine Constitution, he says, 

"How then can we best befriend the Constitution in this critical hour and secure the blessings of liberty and ensure the protection and guidance of our Father in Heaven?

First and foremost, we must be righteous.

 

John Adams said, “Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.” (The Works of John Adams, ed. C. F. Adams, Boston: Little, Brown Co., 1851, 4:31). If the Constitution is to have continuance, this American nation, and especially the Latter-day Saints, must be virtuous.

Second, we must learn the principles of the Constitution in the tradition of the Founding Fathers.

 

Have we read The Federalist papers? Are we reading the Constitution and pondering it? Are we aware of its principles? Are we abiding by these principles and teaching them to others? Could we defend the Constitution? Can we recognize when a law is constitutionally unsound? Do we know what the prophets have said about the Constitution and the threats to it?

As Jefferson said, “If a nation expects to be ignorant and free … it expects what never was and never will be” (Letter to Colonel Charles Yancey, 6 Jan. 1816).

Third, we must become involved in civic affairs to see that we are properly represented.

Note the qualities that the Lord demands of those who are to represent us. They must be good, wise, and honest.

Fourth, we must make our influence felt by our vote, our letters, our teaching, and our advice.

  

We must become accurately informed and then let others know how we feel."

Have you ever head the expression, "The Constitution is hanging on by a thread"? 

That thread is your vote. 

It's important we make our voices heard.

Mark your calendars, November 6th!

Duty to Country

I am not really a political person. I know about politics and I am up on current events but I  really get frustrated with politicians and politics. Who can we trust? I think most politicians are untrustworthy. I sometimes wish that there were laws against career politicians, you know, like the President of the United States position. He can only serve twice but those in Congress can be there as long as we keep voting them in, and some have been there way too long.

But the reason I am blogging about politics today is due to the upcoming elections. Righteous women have the responsibility to vote for those we believe will serve the people for good. My blog today is about registering to vote so that we can make sure we put people in office who understand that they are serving the people and not themselves. We need to put people in that are God fearing people. I am not registered with any party because I don't believe in parties. I believe we should be voting for who has the people and this country in their best interest.

I'm not saying who you should vote for, that's a personal choice according to your beliefs. But I am saying that you should be voting. Many women in the 1800 and early 1900's worked hard for that right so we should not throw that away. It is a blessing to be able to vote for the leaders and lawmakers of our country. We need to review the past records and what these people stand for. And, we need to include in this process a lot of prayer. If we ask for guidance from our Heavenly Father who is best qualified to fulfill His plan, at this time, then we can know we have made the best choices available.

God's plan will always be for the good of His children. We need not fear this world because He is in control of it's direction. But we do need to do our part to fight against evil and make sure we have the best people leading the way. Even if the person you vote for wins you still need to make sure they are held accountable for the choices they make in your behalf.

Righteous women need to be heard and we can only do this by voting for righteous people to serve in these positions; then follow up by watching their work. They should have to answer to us if they do not do what they promised. We need to make sure they are under control of the people. We have more power than we realize, we just need to wake up and make it clear that we stand for truth and righteousness. So if you are not registered then get registered as soon as possible before it's too late. Then, most importantly, go vote.

Happy 4th of July

I am so proud to be an American, and, I think we are truly blessed to live in the best country on the planet. Here, we have the opportunity to become anything we want to be, thanks to those who came before us. I am so grateful for our Founding Fathers and their courage to fight and stand for the freedoms we enjoy today. However, behind any great man is an even greater woman.

As we celebrate our countries birthday I would like to suggest that we take a moment to reflect on these great women; thinking about their fears and losses as well as their successes. These courageous women are perfect examples of how we can use our feminine talents and stand for what we truly believe in. These women, and many more over the years, have assisted in the fight for freedom. And now its our turn to shine the light and fight for those precious freedoms that are in jeopardy today.

What freedoms are you passionate about? I would like to hear about the fights you would stand for. I'd also like to know how we can help.

Recently, I heard of a challenge to read the Declaration of Independence on the 4th of July with our families and friends. I will be doing this with my family because I think its important for all of us to know and understand this important document. I would like to extend this challenge to you as well. If you can't read it together on this day of celebration then find a time that will work for you. Or discuss the history of how it came about.

Again, I am grateful for the strong, courageous people who took a stand for something they believed in. I would love to hear about your favorite example of a woman and her stand. If you like this blog, please pass it on so we can encourage women to continue to stand for truth and light.