The Thorn in MY flesh

I used to work as a fitness trainer helping people overcome life-long habits of poor health.  There were many times that I listened as someone expressed their difficulty with overcoming cravings for unhealthy food.  I could see that these people were so sincerely wanting to change but seemed unable to make it happen for good.  I remember pondering on why it was so hard for some people to control what they fed to their bodies.  No one was physically forcing a brownie into their mouths.  My compassion was not where it needed to be at that point because I had not yet experienced........

The Thorn in MY flesh.

I was recently talking with someone I admire very much and he said to me something along the lines of: "it is in vain for us to consciously be breaking a commandment on a regular basis and expect our prayers - our personal conversations with God - to be truly sincere." 

The second he said it I felt a twinge of guilt within my spirit.  I was consciously breaking a commandment without any consistent effort on my part to change.  For years the words of the Lord in D&C 88:124 had nagged at my conscience:

"Retire to thy bed early, that ye may not be weary; arise early, 

that your bodies and your minds may be invigorated."

For the first few years I came up with reasons trying to justify why that counsel did not apply to me.  Then I became a little more teachable and began thinking "I need to obey this and I will........when the summer comes and it is lighter in the mornings."  Then the summer would come and I wouldn't change my habit.  So I would decide it would be easier for me to go to bed early in the winter when it was dark earlier, but that would not change it.  I decided that I needed to schedule exercise commitments early in the mornings a few times a week to make me get up early but I only ended up sleeping in much later on the other mornings.  I started setting timers and reminders for myself but that did not work.  I finally decided that it was my husband's fault and if he changed his work schedule then I would start going to bed early - well, he drastically changed his work schedule and I was still climbing into bed at midnight.

I finally realize what it means to have a thorn in MY flesh- a habit that seems bigger than my ability to change it.  I had tried and failed, and tried and failed, and tried and failed, and tried and failed..... 

Finally I just decided that I would obey it for sure--- at some point in the future and that is where I left it.  Then I had this conversation and realized that my prayers had not been sincere and filled with the Spirit.  This was not because I was still staying up late but because I was not STILL TRYING to overcome the habit.  

When we are struggling with very difficult thorns in our flesh, as long as we are still trying to overcome them, that is precisely when our prayers will be as sincere and meaningful as can be.  

God knows we will have setbacks - He expected it from the very beginning which is why He provided a Savior for us.  He is not concerned so much in us failing when we try - but He is certainly concerned if we fail to try again.

“That which we persist in doing becomes easier to do, not that the nature of the thing has changed but that our power to do has increased.”

Ralph Waldo Emerson

So, I am trying again!  And I will keep trying, and trying, and trying, knowing that as long as I am sincerely trying the Lord will make up the rest - and my personal conversations with Him will be meaningful.

I know there are blessings attached to this particular law.  I have felt the increased productivity and order that prevails in our home when we live life this way and I want to master this habit for good.  I know that I can and will in time with God's help as long as I do my part to just keep trying.  Which means I need to go get ready for bed right now!  :)  Good Night! 

Seek ye out of the best books words of wisdom....

“Self-education is the only possible education; the rest is mere veneer laid on the surface of a child's nature.” 

“Thought breeds thought; children familiar with great thoughts take as naturally to thinking for themselves as the well-nourished body takes to growing; and we must bear in mind that growth, physical, intellectual, moral, spiritual, is the sole end of education.”  

"The mother who takes pains to endow her children with good habits secures for herself smooth and easy days."

- Charlotte Mason - 

Her writings have shaped our family's approach to home-schooling.

 They are filled with truth and wisdom.  Every mother and teacher would benefit from reading and pondering her words.

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"Honesty is the first chapter in the book of wisdom."

"He who knows nothing is closer to the truth than he whose mind is filled with falsehoods and errors."

- Thomas Jefferson -

His courage and commitment to truth paved the way for freedom and provided an environment where the restoration of the gospel could begin.  

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“William Carey chides his countrymen for deciding it would be impossible for the Gospel to travel over great distances and to penetrate varied cultures when they are willing to face the same trials for the sake of commerce.” 

   “Expect great things from God. Attempt great things for God.” 

- William Carey -

He used up his mortal life in serving God and did not allow worldly acquisitions and endeavours to distract him from his God-given mission.

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"And as the circumcised in the flesh, and not in the heart, have no part in God's good promises; even so they that be baptized in the flesh, and not in heart, have no part in Christ's blood."

- William Tyndale -

This man sacrificed his very life (along with many others) in preparing the way for the restoration of the gospel. 

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"Appoint among yourselves a teacher, and let not all be spokesmen at once; but let one speak at a time and let all listen unto his sayings, that when all have spoken that all may be edified of all, and that every man may have an equal privilege." 

 "seek ye diligently and teach one another words of wisdom; yea, seek ye out of the best books words of wisdom; seek learning, even by study and also by faith."
 

"Organize yourselves; prepare every needful thing; and establish a house, even a house of prayer, a house of fasting, a house of faith, a house of learning, a house of glory, a house of order, a house of God;"

 

 - Jesus Christ -

D&C 88

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I began this post with quotes from a few people whose lives and words have inspired me.  There are two reasons why I did this.  First of all, I wanted to point out that their language is of such a higher caliber than what we hear in our current conversations and writings.  Find the most popular blog on the internet, the most viewed series on television, or the latest new book and you will find language that is not near as beautiful and uplifting as these quotes above.  As a society we have not been filling our minds with ideas and language that takes us to a higher level and thus we have gone backwards in our speaking and conduct from the point where our founding fathers began.

I remember being a leader over a ten-year old girl from our church and I was always saddened inside because what came out of her mouth was a constant stream of silly, crude, unintelligent comments that came straight from the cartoon channels on television into her sweet impressionable spirit and then she brought them with her to our church classroom.  I wanted to tell her parents: "You are not raising Sponge Bob!  You have been given the sacred responsibility of raising a daughter of God!  Please, feed her spirit those things that are right, true, and inspiring so she could stand in God's presence once again and not feel out of place there."

The second thing I wanted to point out is that these people spoke with real power and authority because the Spirit accompanied their words.  It is the role of the Holy Ghost to bear witness of the truth.  So, if we want to feel the companionship of the Holy Ghost more frequently then we need to immerse ourselves in truth - reading it, pondering it, speaking it, living it.   If we want our children to become confident in recognizing and following the Spirit, then we need to provide the very sources which will bring the Spirit as often as possible so they can build that relationship of familiarity and trust.  

When Lehi journeyed from Jerusalem to the promised land he was directed by the Lord to take with him the records of the scriptures and their genealogy.  This was done so that their language and true history would be preserved.  Ponder on what God would ask us to retain today if we needed to preserve the future language and understanding of our children.  Would we pack the most popular books and movies of our day?  Would Lehi have gone out and packed up all that was popular in Jerusalem and carried it away with him?  Certainly not!  It was precisely because of all that was popular in Jerusalem that the Lord was commanding him to leave.

Carefully (and prayerfully) scrutinize every book that you have in your home and ask yourself: would this belong in a Zion environment?  Or would this prevent my home from becoming a Zion environment?  Is it filled with language and content that is moral, uplifting, and wholesome or does it contain even the smallest stain of the world?  Most importantly, does the Spirit accompany the words written within?

When all the destruction and death takes place before the second coming of Jesus Christ we will have a great amount of work to do.  We will be held responsible for re-building our society.  But we will not be re-building it how it was before.  We will be building up a society that the world has not known since the days of the Nephites after Christ's visit to them in the ancient America's.  It will be the same kind of society that Enoch helped to establish in his days.

This process of building up Zion starts within our own hearts then extends to our marriage, our family, our extended family, and finally our community.  We cannot be successful in bringing about permanent change in the society around us if we have not yet followed the invitation to bring about that change within ourselves.

Satan is so pleased when we spend our time watching the latest movies, playing the latest video games, and quoting and mimicking all the fictitious characters contained in those activities.  Not that these things are bad, but precisely because they keep us from focusing on that which is good and true.

There are many courageous men and women throughout history whose stories would touch us more deeply and inspire us more profoundly than any pretend story ever could.  Why?  Because we know we are reading about real people - this knowledge plants within our own hearts a connection with someone who really lived in mortality, who really felt the whisperings of the Spirit in their heart, who really overcame great odds and ridicule to be true to the inspiration they had been given.  They are real, and we are real - and if we hear enough stories of real courage, real miracles, and real obedience we begin to believe that those things can really happen in our own lives.  That God is and has been playing a role in individual's lives all throughout history and because of it those people rose to higher planes than they ever would have on their own.  We begin to believe that God has a work for us to do as well and we gain greater faith to follow the guidance of the Spirit within our own hearts.

Don't we need those kinds of stories in our lives?  Don't our children need those kinds of stories in their lives?  Consider what the prophecies tell us we are facing in the last days.  We are going to need many miracles to make it through and those miracles will only come through faith.  We need to fill our spirits and our children's spirits with as many examples of real faith as we possibly can in the time remaining.     

When it comes to these men and women of courage and faith Satan has labored diligently to spread falsehoods about their character and the divine guidance that motivated their accomplishments.  A quick search on the internet will show you that these great heroes are being portrayed as people of low morale.  Joseph Smith was told that this would happen to him as well.  One of the best ways to learn the truth of these men and women is by going back to their own original words and journals.  This allows us to feel the Spirit of truth and enlightenment that attended their very words. 

In our own home we threw out all of our "good" and "better" books through the direction of the Spirit and have slowly replaced them with that which is "best."  The Spirit told me that the majority of our modern books are written with only some truth and the rest are polluted with the philosophies of men.  We must preserve that which is best and will bring about a caliber of people who are moral, just, thoughtful, and obedient.   A caliber of people prepared to be in the Savior's presence when He returns.

This is not an assignment for just our family alone but everyone who feels the Spirit testify in their own heart that they are to create a "Holy Place" for the Spirit of God to reign freely.  Eventually we all have a higher level of character to rise to.  Those who are responsible for fulfilling this assignment at this very time will feel that calling within their hearts even as they read this.


I wanted to end with another inspiring quote written by one of my ancestors:

"But let them plan and devise; there is a God who still directs, still holds the destiny of nations in His hands; and against His designs and will, they can do nothing.  But as truth, eternal truth, is destined to prevail over evil, and right to triumph over sin and wickedness, their perseverance in plotting evil and opposing the Almighty in His great plan of redemption must eventually prove their own overthrow.  I deeply regret their blindness and shudder for the misery they are storing up for themselves." 

 

 Jacob Miller 
1870

There are treasures to be found that will bring us and our children to a higher level of faith, courage, understanding -  ultimately a higher level of character.  Anything that is worth it comes with a price tag.  Are we willing to clear out that which hinders our spiritual growth and 'give place no more for the enemy of our souls'?

Drowning in Garbage

The Spirit told us to start eliminating plastic from our home.  This seemed to be such a huge undertaking to me and I was so overwhelmed by the thought of it all that I did not move forward on it for several months.  I have found that is one of Satan's tactics - to just paralyse us from moving forward on something that the Spirit has told us to do.  He whispers to us "that is too expensive" or "that is too time-consuming" or "it is not possible - plastic is everywhere, why even bother."

Satan knows that if he cannot tempt us to do really wicked things then he will at least distract us from doing what the Spirit has told us to do.  He wants to stop us from "acting" and place us in a mindset where we wait to be "acted upon." 

So here I waited telling God, "this is just the world that I live in and plastic is a part of it, even if it is not ideal."  .......................  and there I waited  .........and waited.... waiting to be acted upon because I was unwilling to act.

The power of the Spirit had withdrawn from me and I sat distracted in my home clinging to my plastic.

Unfortunately this process has been repeated many times for me and still I am learning how to trust and obey a little quicker each time.  In every situation however the real motivator for me to change course is the loss of the Spirit.  When I have lost the Spirit I feel so hopeless, so unsure of myself, and I seem to loose the clarity of vision and happiness that I once had when It was my companion.  I imagine that is what eternal damnation would be; just being cut-off from that Source of direction, love, happiness, and peace - there would be no need for fireballs and brimstone, it would already be miserable.

So once again I eventually moved forward "acting" in obedience, and once again the Spirit taught me the real reason why I was eliminating plastic after I first acted in faith.  It was brought to my attention that by replacing plastic with natural elements of wood, glass, metal, canvas, paper, leather, and fabric we were creating an environment that was self-sustaining.  God wanted us to return to the lifestyle that our ancestor's had lived for thousands of years, a lifestyle where everything could be re-used, composted, melted down and reshaped, or burned in a healthy manner.    

Consider our ancestors' lifestyle: did they purchase a bunch of things from the store, unwrap and consume all the goods, then fill up large garbage bins with all the wrappers, and set it out once a week for a truck to come pick it up and dump somewhere far away from their home where they would never have to visually see the impact of the lifestyle they were living?  No, everything they used was natural and went back into the earth just as it came from the earth with very minimal processing.

Creating this lifestyle for our family has been a major transition from where we were before but slowly we have been leaving behind our wasteful ways and learning to live according to God's ways.

Undoubtedly the tribulations that precede our Savior's second coming are happening throughout the world.  If they have not hit your area yet then prayerfully consider some simple ways that you can eliminate some of the packaging that will eventually turn into a sea of garbage in our homes and neighborhoods.  If you replace your plastic containers with glass be sure to earthquake proof!

I snapped a few pictures to share some ideas of what it looks like now in our home:

 IN THE KITCHEN

We have purchased our dried goods in bulk to minimize packaging.  Eventually we hope to refill the jars with our own produce as we increase in our ability to grow our own food, harvest it, and naturally preserve it.  Until we reach that point- we will just rotate through our stored foods and sprout the seeds, grains, and legumes we have stored for fresh nutrients and enzymes.

IN THE BATHROOM

We removed all plastic packaging from our year's supply of toilet paper and stored the rolls in large boxes to eliminate garbage later.

 We make our own toothpaste out of bentonite clay and brush with wooden toothbrushes - it all took some transitioning but it is nice to actually encourage our children to swallow their toothpaste now because of the health benefits it offers.  That was not the case with the toothpaste we had always used before.

We have licorice root sticks as a back-up for teeth cleaning. :)

We switched to wooden combs and hair brushes with natural bristles.  I bought a beautiful handmade wooden mirror.  We switched our deodorant to a natural salt rock and a crystal.  We keep them in a small burlap sack.  We replaced our lotion with coconut oil, and we switched to an all metal razor.  We still buy our soap from a wholesome company, but I know that I need to learn how to make it myself soon.  We also replaced any plastic containers in our bathroom with glass jars (and metal lids or cork stoppers).  I did not take a picture but we found a favorite shampoo bar that we buy a dozen at a time.  It comes as is with no added packaging- just 12 bars of soap in a cardboard box.  These boxes of shampoo bars replaced all the plastic containers of shampoo bottles that we used to have stocked up in our year's supply.  Just this change alone eliminated a lot of unnecessary packaging and future garbage.

 

 IN THE LAUNDRY ROOM & CLOSET

  Our plastic laundry baskets were replaced with handwoven jute baskets with cotton liners, they are much more respected and cared for now that our children know they cannot be used as cars. :)

My husband made me a wooden ironing board with a cotton cover and a wool pad.  We switched to wooden hangers, wooden and shell buttons, all-metal scissors and sewing/mending tools, cotton thread with wooden spools, organic cotton yarn and organic wool yarn.  It was quite an undertaking to replace all of our plastic buttons with natural ones, we are still not all the way finished with that project but our young daughters have become quite proficient at replacing buttons. :)

Here is an up close shot.  We are still using an electric iron, I haven't switched over to that cast iron one..................yet.  I am hoping that prompting doesn't come for a little while because my heart is still obviously attached to ease.  :)

The Real Deal or The Facade

The Spirit told me that I needed to give up make-up, hair-coloring, and nail polish.  I have to admit that it was weird to see my natural toe nails, they had been hidden under a coat of deep red for years.  I also have to admit that I slowly eliminated my make-up in stages.  It was easy to throw out the lipstick and blush because I rarely used those but I reluctantly let go of the eye-shadow and concealer.  That was enough right?  After everything I had done surely Heavenly Father would not care if I kept my mascara.  It took me four months and I ignored the feeling I felt every morning as I reached for that mascara tube.  I kept thinking "I will get rid of it....eventually."  The Lord was not pleased with my "eventual obedience" and one day the thought hit me, "am I really allowing a tube of mascara to come between me and the Lord?"

It went right in the garbage and I was finally at a point where I could be taught why He wanted me to leave those ways behind.  
 
God loves a sincere heart.  One that is real, is honest, is true.  Nothing fake, nothing false, nothing pretend.  No hidden realities masked by a pleasant-looking illusion.


"The Great Imitator" - that is what President James E. Faust referred to Satan as.  Consider for a moment the similarities between the Law of Consecration and Socialism.  Isn't each individual giving up their time and abilities and belongings for the benefit of the community in both plans?  Yes, only there is a HUGE difference.  With Socialism it is forced, with Consecration it is freely chosen and lived by each individual.

Start watching for it and you will find that Satan has established imitations in our society that mimic God's ways and can deceive many (even the very elect).

For example:

After all the work of the creation was complete did Adam behold his wife Eve and see bright pink nail polish on her toes and long acrylic nails on her fingers?  At what point were women "inspired" to began enhancing themselves and where did that source of inspiration originate?  If God had wanted us to have colored toe-nails then why did he not create us that way?  If He wanted us to have thick, everlasting hair color then why did He create bodies with hair that eventually turns gray and thins?

Until we embrace the realities of mortality then we are not learning the lessons that we need to during this life.  For us to be worthy of inheriting a terrestial world we first need to live in harmony with the laws that govern the telestial world that we are living in.

God wants to bless us with things far greater than we can even comprehend, but He cannot until we are willing to recognize the truth and the imitations for what they are and live according to truth.

Before you assume that this post is just about our physical appearance, ask yourself:  Do I pretend that I can afford things that I cannot?  Do I pretend that I have ideal family relationships when I do not?  Do I pretend that I am living the way God wants me to when I am not?

Christ was uplifting to everyone He encountered except the hypocrites.  They were the ones who were so irritated by Him that they planned and executed His crucifixion.  If you are being hypocritical about something, then change - we all are or have been at different times in our lives and in different circumstances.  All we have to do to remove the facade is admit the truth to ourselves and to God (and others if necessary).  When we come unto Christ with "real" intent, with a broken heart, confessing the reality of our situation then He can heal us and make us whole.  Don't be surprised if this needs to be repeated, we should consider ourselves like an onion with not just one layer but several that need removed to get to the core.  The Spirit will bring those layers to our attention one by one (Ether 12:27).  Trust me, there is a lot of work and patience that is being put into each one of us, we must be pretty valuable to God. :) 
 
Remember, in the parable of the prodigal son after he squandered his inheritance and finally "came to himself" - starving, broke, homeless... He returned to his Father- humble, teachable, sincere.  The Lord cannot make anything of us until we come to this point.  Unfortunately the seemingly perfect older brother had yet to reach that point and his Father lovingly showed him yet another outer layer that needed peeled away.    

I have a handful of friends who have been blessed powerfully with the Spirit - the common quality among them is that they are all completely sincere.  They are real, they don't shout their imperfections out to all the world but they certainly don't try to hide them.  They acknowledge them and acknowledge their reliance on God's power to overcome them.


I thought I would include the definition for "facade:"

Facade - an outward appearance that is maintained to conceal a less pleasant or creditable reality.

As Obedient as a Mosiquito

What is the purpose of life?  This life is a test.

We are made of a spirit and a physical body.  Before our physical bodies were created and we were born, our spirits lived in Heaven with God who is the Father of our spirits.  We were there a very long time, maybe even thousands of years or more.  We loved our Heavenly Father and wanted to become like Him so we learned from Him and progressed in our learning until we were finally at a point where He could test us to see if our hearts would still choose Him and His ways even in a setting where there were many other options.  So, He sent us to earth where we would gain a physical body and be in an environment full of other options.  Our memory would be temporarily wiped clean of our time in Heaven, yet when we would encounter truth - pure truth just as we had known in Heaven - something inside our spirits would stir and we would stop and wonder why it seemed familiar to us.  IF, we embraced that truth then another truth would be put in our path, and another, and another, until we had fully come to a spiritual rememberance and realization for ourselves that we are indeed passing the test and still choosing our Heavenly Father's way.

So, what does this have to do with a mosquito?  Well, all of the creations were made with specific roles to play in providing this opportunity for our testing.  The mosquitoes were commanded to pester us.  They are only being obedient to God when they perform that duty.  The weeds were instructed to grow in our gardens and be a hindrance - they love God and are being perfectly obedient.  The seasons with the blistering sun and the bitter cold winter are only being obedient to the pattern God commanded them to follow.

Since Adam and Eve left the Garden of Eden man has battled all of these (and more) challenges to their daily survival.  There comes a change of heart when we recognize the humility and faithfulness of a mosquito trying to suck our blood or a squash beetle trying to kill our zucchini plant.  When we recognize their obedient example it is hard to think of them as an enemy that needs destroyed.  It is all a test to see if we will respond with anger or if we will patiently learn to exercise righteous stewardship over them.  I like this talk with the story about Joseph Smith and the rattlesnake.

Just maybe this is the beginning to bring about Isaiah's words:  

 Isaiah 11:6

The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them.    

The Work of Thine Own Hands

Before learning all these truths I had seriously prepared several years worth of clothing and shoes for my children.  I had them all organized and labelled by size in bins.  After the Spirit told me to give it all away I was then told to replace it with fabric so their bigger sizes could truly be the work of my own hands (see D&C 42:40-42). 

The Spirit told me to get a floor-loom, a spinning wheel, a treadle-sewing machine, and a quilt frame.  I then researched cotton seeds and flax seeds and purchased those to learn how to grow cotton and linen.  We had replaced many things with wool and I was quite overwhelmed with the prospect of us really growing, harvesting, spinning, weaving, and sewing everything that I prayed with real concern over how we could possibly raise sheep as well.  The answer came immediately, "I have prepared someone else to raise the sheep, you just be obedient to what I have asked you to prepare."  This experience helped me realize more what a Zion-society would be.  It will be a place where we all share of our talents and gifts to build up Zion and freely help one another.  The equipment and seeds I was asked to gather may not even be for me to use.  It may be that we pool all of our resources together and each accept a trade to learn and willingly share the goods we have produced. 

Down the street from us lives a man who has spent much of his life caring for his orchard and garden.  He studied the trees and plants to know which ones would produce fruit in the Spring, which would produce early in the summer, then mid-summer, and late-summer, and early fall.  His harvest is continual and not too overwhelming because of the timing.  What a blessing his experience is and will be to many of us who have just depended on the grocery store for our produce.  Over the years as many of us have been caught up in spending our time and energy on all the entertainment and activities that the world offers, this man has been learning how to be a righteous steward over the earth he was given.           

Let all thy garments be plain..

So as we replaced some of the clothing we had thrown out this scripture seemed permanently branded into my mind and heart.

D&C 42:40-42

And again, thou shalt not be proud in thy heart; let all thy garments be plain, and their beauty the beauty of the work of thine own hands;

And let all things be done in cleanliness before me.

Thou shalt not be idle; for he that is idle shall not eat the bread nor wear the garments of the laborer.

Our denim jeans seemed to really nag at me and although they were cotton I knew they needed to go.  My daughters and I were left with mainly skirts and dresses and the Spirit confirmed that was the direction we were to go.  All the flashy stitching and bright colors seemed to scream for the wrong kind of attention.  So we stuck with the counsel in the passage above and kept our color scheme plain and simple.  Now each of us have about 6 or 7 dresses (or skirt and top combinations) and that is plenty.  The men and boys in our family have mostly khaki and some dark corduroy pants.  Their shirts are mostly all cotton button-ups.

A few of our skirts and dresses I have sewn myself.  I am definitely still working on improving that skill and plan to keep working at it until we are fully obedient to the counsel to produce it with our own hands.  I removed the tags from our other clothing because I felt that there were many 'name-brands' that were not to be brought into Zion.

As I searched for shoes made from natural materials I came across the concept of Earthing or Grounding and again felt the Spirit.  I had not ever considered the healing and energizing benefits of being connected to this amazing planet that was created for us.  Now most of our shoes have soles made with natural materials so we can still receive those benefits of being in touch with the earth.  We also spend a lot more time just going barefoot.  

Click here to watch an introduction to grounding.  I have not even watched the full-length of this movie.  I just felt the Spirit when I came across it and knew God was showing me the kind of footwear we should purchase.

    

Honest Goods

So here we were, a family with a strong testimony of preparedness who had just thrown out a good percentage of everything we owned - much of which was our emergency preparedness items.  It was a challenge for my husband who had some really expensive backpacking gear but the Spirit also told him who would need it more than he would.  So we literally gave almost everything away.  God was teaching us to take the resources that He had blessed us with and use them the way that He commanded.  What a great test for us to go through and learn that we really are just stewards not owners.  So now we needed to replace those items and as we set out to find replacements the Spirit guided our research.

We found that we were led to companies whose products were made and sold honestly.  Before this experience I did not even know what "Fair Trade" meant and now most everything in our home has been produced in a fair trade market.  The majority of things we bought came from the US from small family businesses who were doing their best to use the creations of the earth in a righteous way.  We bought some of our clothing from European countries because there just is not much of an organic wool market in the US.  We only brought into our home the amount of items that were needful and no more.  All excess that we had the Spirit directed us to freely give away.  We had a nice stainless steel fridge in our garage that we no longer needed and thought maybe we would sell but right before we posted it online we heard of some neighbors whose fridge had just broken and we knew where it needed to go.  That happened time after time where we were made aware of someone's need for the very thing we were getting rid of.  God helped us eliminate the items He told us to eliminate and blessed others in the process.

We started learning how to make things by hand- mostly sewing and crocheting for me and some wood-working for my husband.  This made us value and appreciate the work of others much more.  We came to understand that when we really live the Law of Consecration it will be because we all value one another's time, work, and abilities.  We will willingly share our talents for the benefit of God's kingdom.  The desire to get things at a cheaper price is not of the Lord.  It didn't matter if I could head to a store and buy an item for $10, the Lord would rather me spend $40 on the item and have it produced honestly - where no one was ripped-off in the process.

I wrote earlier of the time that we sorted through all of our clothing and I felt sick inside about the unnecessary amount that we had accumulated, but those feelings of a pained conscience were also due to the Spirit telling with with every item I had thought was a "steal" when I bought it, that it was offensive to God because of the dishonesty that went into it being produced and sold so cheaply.  I heard the Spirit say to me over and over regarding most of the items in our home "The Atonement has to cover that."  My heart was so weighed down with just how inclusive the suffering was that Christ endured.

We were not sent here to accumulate all the cheap goods that the world offers.  If our treasures are in the world then so is our heart.      

Really Living the Word of Wisdom

Several years ago I had been studying the Word of Wisdom and my conscience nagged at me saying "you are not living this."  There are many people who claim entrance into the Lord's House by claiming that they live in harmony with the Word of Wisdom when in fact they do not.  As we tried to make changes to our diet, it became very apparent to me that I relied heavily on meat in all of my recipes and meals.  It also became apparent to me that I had no idea when the fruits and vegetables were really in season.  Also, if we are eating them in their season then do we have need for any preservatives?  Will they even provide our bodies with much nourishment outside of their season?

It took several years before we could finally say that we were living it, then this past year the prompting came for us to eliminate all animal products from our diet.  We had shifted our reliance on meat to a reliance on eggs and dairy, so we again had to work to change our diet.  When all was said and done we realized that the Spirit had guided us to a point where we are no longer reliant on a freezer or fridge.

Eventually the earth will become as the garden of Eden and we will all be eating the fruits freely, the Lord is just helping us make the transition to that lifestyle.

Take time to read the first chapter of Daniel and the Word of Wisdom- make a special note of the blessings that are attached to eating this way.  I can personally testify that they are real.  Also, consider that the gift of a physical body was one of the greatest gifts we were given when we came to mortality.  We have stewardship over it and if we are not being wise stewards over the first gift God granted unto us then do we qualify for a second, or a third?    

 
Note:  We are commanded to eat meat sparingly in times of winter and famine only.  There most certainly will be times of famine ahead and many of us will be reliant upon meat to survive.  I am certain that meat will be eaten in a true spirit of thanksgiving during that time. 
 

A Different View on Preparedness

Before anyone reads this please re-read the first posting to this blog labelled "Obedience" and the posting right before this one labelled "A Vision of Zion."  This experience was for us and maybe a few others out there but definitely not for everyone- so don't throw out your food or sleeping bags unless you are told by the Spirit to do so. 

For years we had everything we thought that we needed in case of an emergency.  Our 72-hour kits, all the fancy back-packing gear and clothing, a year's supply of food storage for each family member, water drums, stoves and fuel, etc.  When the Spirit prompted us to remove all synthetics and plastics from our home we realized it included all these items that we had prepared.  It was a challenge and we hung on to them for several months unwilling to be obedient.  Finally we realized that we were placing our trust more in material items than in God.  So we began to remove the items and as we did the Spirit whispered directions to us "give the sleeping bags to this family, they will need them more than you" and "give your water containers to this family because nobody on that street has water stored."

We were prompted to remove all the items in our food storage that were laden with preservatives and synthetic additives.  We were told who to share those food items with because they had not stored any food at all so at least they would have something to eat.   


One of the promptings that kept coming from the Spirit was to become less dependent on electricity.  We had already switched over to a whole-foods diet but we depended heavily on electricity to grind wheat, blend almond milk, cook and bake, and wash dishes (among many other things).  We realized pretty quickly that we needed some different equipment if we were to do those things without electricity.  We had our back-up emergency propane-stoves and our battery-powered flash-lights but the Spirit said, "No, this is not a temporary thing, you must get ready for a whole new way of life."  Once our batteries run out, once there is no more gas for the generator, once the grid is officially down, all these appliances are just going to take up space in our homes (or camps) and be pollution.  So we started eliminating all the appliances that we absolutely do not need.  It was a little bit tough to toss out my super-nice (and expensive) blender but once I did it allowed me to prepare in a much better way so this will be a beautiful new lifestyle, not just a temporary time to hunker-down and try to survive.  So we started learning about artesian wells, brick ovens, and exclusively growing our own food, and seed-saving.    

A Vision of Zion

It took well over a year of us making all of these changes before we began to understand where we were headed.  The Spirit was guiding us towards a Zion lifestyle.  The Lord needs people to help with the early establishment of the cities of Zion, it is not everyone's foreordained mission but it is for some people.  The Spirit will witness to those who do have this same assignment and they will know and be guided in the changes they need to make to prepare for this great privilege. 

I love this video, it is what the prophets and apostles (ancient and modern) have been speaking of so we could be prepared to help bring forth Zion.  We have the responsibility and invitation to leave behind the façades and the distractions and the carnality of the world and embrace a lifestyle so beautiful and eternally fulfilling!  What a great blessing!

The Power of an Environment

The power of an environment is huge.  A seed contains so much potential but that great potential remains trapped inside until it is put in the right environment to grow (please read Matthew 13 - the Parable of the Sower, it is very much worth pondering).

Each of us are composed of a physical body and a spiritual body.  Our father and mother are the parents of our physical body while our Heavenly Father and Heavenly Mother are the parents of our spiritual body.  Because we (and our children as well) are the offspring of Deity we contain an amazing amount of potential.  We do not have to slave over our children to have them bring forth talents and spiritual gifts, that is already programmed into them.  The main job we have as parents is to create the environment and teach them to recognize and follow their conscience.  Once they understand how God communicates with them they will be able to follow His voice in becoming exactly who God intended for them to become - the same is true for ourselves.  It is never too late to start heeding our conscience and creating an environment where we can develop our spiritual gifts and talents.

First we eliminated all the influence of Satan that we could pinpoint in our home, then we made sure it was an environment that would foster the real spiritual growth that we wanted for ourselves and our children.  Beautiful music, artwork, books that contained true stories of faith and courage, furnishings made of the natural elements.  The truth was that we had many of these things in our home already, it was mostly a matter of eliminating the other stuff that cluttered out the best things that were already there.

Consider the missionaries of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  They dedicate 1 1/2 - 2 years of their lives in an environment free of many of these worldly influences and thus experience spiritual growth like never before.  Then many of them return from their proselyting only to transplant themselves into the same poor soil they had been in before their mission.


We have all the control over what is in our environment.  No reason to invite Satan in and make him comfortable - and who would ever ask him to babysit?  I cannot imagine anyone would, yet we allow his influence to entertain our children through so many different avenues.  Be very aware of what you allow in your environment, if your conscience is the least bit wary of it then throw it out.

Also, ponder on what the environment would be like in Heaven - would we even be comfortable there?  I love this talk (click here) but when I first read it back in 2009 I was quite offended by it because it was nothing like the environment that I had set up in my own home at that time.  Over the years I have repented and realized that God is unchanging and if we want all the privileges and blessings of being in His presence again and learning how to become as He is then we have to be the ones willing to change.  God is so patient with us and willingly providing the atonement specifically so we can change.

  

Satan's Hidden Influence in Our Homes

Satan's influence is so intertwined into our society, our culture, and unfortunately our homes.  After experiencing the mighty change of heart, I was left with heightened spiritual sensitivities and found myself feeling uneasy about many things in our home.  At first we eliminated all the obvious things that needed to go - like the toys and entertainment that did not invite the Spirit.  Even movies or cartoons that contained a small amount of crude humor offended my spirit.  It seemed that just a small stain of the world on something was not to be overlooked - the Spirit was guiding us to eliminate everything that is not worthy of a holy place.  We threw out all the CD's and DVD's except for a few spiritually uplifting ones and then a few months later we just sold the whole television with the entertainment center and every thing else that went with it.

We eliminated all the books that seemed to "dumb-down" our children or fill their precious minds and spirits with nonsense.  We eliminated all the other books that contained only portions of truth mixed in with the philosophies of mankind.  We eliminated the coloring books that had too much of a focus on worldly or abstract things.  Later we eliminated all plastic toys and then moved on to all the other plastic things in our home.

Another area where I felt strongly that we needed to clean-out was our kitchen and pantry.  All the processed foods, all the dyes, and all the genitically-modified ingredients needed to go.

I also felt sick inside that we had so much clothing.  I knew this feeling was God showing me that we needed to make changes.  I recognized that we had more than we needed and because of this abundance we were not grateful for what we had.

Honestly, I had a basket of clothing that needed mended that I had not gotten to in over a year because we did not even notice they were missing from our wardrobe.  So we started a big project of sorting through the clothing.  First and foremost we eliminated anything with cartoon characters on it (see my previous post to understand why).  Once we had that influence out, I then noticed that certain clothing gave me an unsettled feeling and others did not.  So I just sorted everything following this feeling.  In the end I was left with a whole pile of clothing to throw out, these items were made of polyester, spandex, nylon, rayon.  The other pile of clothing was mostly cotton with a couple silk and wool items.

"Why natural fabrics?"  That was the question I was wondering so I searched online and found many good reasons to embrace natural fibers and eliminate the synthetic ones as well as the heavily dyed fabrics.  However, the real answer came as I pondered on the creation.  When Christ created the earth, under Heavenly Father's direction, He created all that man would need and then gave man stewardship over all those things.  This stewardship gave man an opportunity to learn to exercise righteous dominion over the elements of the earth just as Christ did.  When we learn to use the very creations righteously that Christ placed here for us we are taking our first steps toward creating worlds of our own later.  For example:

A woman who makes a dinner from scratch (starting with wheat, natural yeast, potatoes, celery, onions, carrots, sea salt, herbs, etc.) is learning more how to be a righteous steward over the elements than a woman who grabs a box of something processed and heats it up for dinner.

If that first woman had grown her vegetables in her own garden then she would reap the blessings even more for being a righteous steward over the earth.

However, Satan would much rather keep us too busy rushing our children back and forth to their sports practices in the evening than have us use our time learning the basics of Godhood and caring for the health of the body and spirit (see earlier posting about The Fruits of an Over-Scheduled Life).

The Awakening

I continued following my conscience and finding that I was so happy when I was just obedient to it.  Then during the summer of 2012 I had a feeling come over me that a change was coming. I started thinking maybe we needed to move since our fourth child was soon to be born and our house felt small for our family.  However, right after Thanksgiving the change came and it wasn't anything I had expected. It was the mighty change of heart, the spiritual rebirth that King Benjamin's people experienced. For two weeks the Holy Ghost went through my whole body so strongly that I hardly had the physical strength to withstand it. I asked my husband to give me a priesthood blessing just so I could physically endure it, and I even pleaded for Heavenly Father to slow down the things He was teaching me because it was too much at once. I had dreams and visions opened to me that would change the way I think and live forever. This mortal life suddenly became nothing more than a field trip to me and familiar feelings of my thousands of years with my Heavenly parents surfaced and my relationships with my family members here took on a more eternal meaning. I remembered the closeness, love, and support that we had given one another, way before this short experience we have had on earth. I saw destruction and death that would take place, I saw people gathering to our area who would need a place to stay and food to eat, I saw land that was so green and abundantly bringing forth fruit, and I saw beautiful homes. The Spirit told me that we needed to cultivate such land and prepare a home that could welcome in whomever the Lord brought to it.

I was blessed with the spirit of discernment and my spiritual eyes were literally opened to see Satan's influence in our home. It was every where! Seriously, we had gift-wrapped it and given it to our children even! I learned that the popular children's princesses and fairies are nothing more than Satan's way of getting little girls used to the idea of dressing immodestly from an early age. I learned that the popular pink toy ponies are a way of skewing our children's understanding early on of what is real by changing the color and shape of the very animals that Christ created and placed on the earth. I learned that movie heroes and cartoon characters are nothing more than idols that we surround ourselves and our children with. I learned that Santa Clause is nothing more than a distraction to take away the focus from the Savior on His birthday, that the Easter Bunny plays the same role, and that Halloween is truly Satan's holiday. 

I know this sounds judgemental but I learned the truth about all the things Satan has created in this world to distract us from listening to the Savior's voice in our own souls and obeying it. Not all of these things are inherently wicked, what is wicked is the role they play in distracting us. I have learned also that the Lord allowed us to be in this worldly setting with all these distractions truly to test us and see if we would still recognize, embrace, and defend truth when we encountered it.

Once I had this understanding I knew I was completely accountable for what I allowed in my home.  We purged all of these worldly distractions and found that we actually fit very comfortably in our home and it was a good size for our family. Before I had bought into the world's idea that we needed more room with four children, however what we really needed room for was all the stuff we had accumulated. If the Spirit had not taught me this I might have pulled down my barn and built a bigger one to hold all my worldly accumulations, as Christ cautioned us not to do. We have been learning how to only take in what we really need and not go to excess if we are going to live the law of consecration. I hadn't realized how in bondage we had been to all of our stuff until we removed it and felt liberated. 

To learn about King Benjamin's people follow this link:

https://www.lds.org/scriptures/bofm/mosiah/5?lang=eng

To learn about the Priesthood follow this link:
 http://www.mormon.org/beliefs/restoration

Home-Schooling: Our First Step into the Unknown

I had been following the guidance of my conscience pretty faithfully and making course corrections whenever it warned me that I needed to.  Most of those course corrections were eliminating the activities and the entertainment of the world from our family's life.  As our oldest daughter became of age to go to school I felt a nagging at my heart that we needed to look into home-schooling - that was a test for sure!  I was worried about what people would think, and worried if our children would know how to interact socially (which all stems from fearing man more than God). We did all sorts of research and got everyone's opinion and decided not to home-school (against the warning of my conscience). Well, after we sent her to public school I felt so depressed. For 6 weeks she attended public school and for 6 weeks I knew we had made the wrong choice. I finally got up the courage to be obedient and talked with my husband about it, we decided to take her out of public school and that very moment the weight of depression left and so much happiness flooded in. That night I awoke in the middle of the night with ideas coming to me of important things I should teach my children. I knew that Heavenly Father was blessing me for being obedient. 

 It was at this time that I had a dream one night that I was walking quickly, holding hands with my two young daughters and rushing them to make it to our destination. I had no idea where we were going but we were surrounded by other parents hurrying their children to come see this great sight. There were parents and children way ahead of us, all around us, and behind us as well. We were a great group moving forward in the same direction. Finally we came to a large gathering and the girls and I pushed our way through the crowd to see this attraction. I realized with alarm that we were standing at the very edge of a huge waterfall, we were at the top and there were no safety railings in place. The mist from the waterfall covered all the rocks that we were standing on making them wet and slippery. I pulled my girls back quickly and backed away looking at the parents who stood visiting with one another laughing and completely at ease with their children playing at the very edge of this cliff on all the slippery rocks. I couldn't understand why all of us parents had brought our children here. I continued to back away taking my girls with me and then I woke up. I knew the dream meant that Heavenly Father was helping me see the danger of following the traditions of our society that have become more and more corrupt over time.

 

The Fruits of Following Our Conscience

(See previous posts since these truths build upon one another)

As we learn to follow our conscience consistently we show God that we are wise stewards over the communication He has given to our souls and we qualify for greater communication from Him and His servants (the Holy Ghost and angels).

We become purified and will fully receive the constant companionship of the Holy Ghost if we have first been baptised by those holding the priesthood of God.  Many people who have been baptised have yet to receive the constant companionship of the Holy Ghost because they have not been obedient to the guidance they have had since birth.  God blesses us line upon line and precept upon precept.  We will not qualify for and be granted the great privilege of having the Holy Ghost with us always if we have not been willing to listen to the small whisperings of our conscience.  Every good thought or good idea comes from God and when we make a commitment to follow every good thought we have (and repent of and fix the ones that nag at us) we are taking our conscience as a guide.

When we receive the Holy Ghost as our constant companion it is no small matter, it is an eternally life-changing experience.  To become a "new creature in Christ" literally means that you will become someone entirely different with a deeper eternal view of who you are and what your responsibilities are while here in mortality.

This is what happened to me, I took my conscience as my guide and then experienced a mighty-change of heart.  It has led our family down a much different path than we had ever anticipated which I will share in the coming posts.

Side Note:  Our conscience is also known as the "Light of Christ" or the "Holy Spirit" or the "Spirit of Christ" as referred to in the scriptures.   

 

To find out more about being baptised by someone who has the priesthood just leave me a comment or check out:  http://www.mormon.org/

The Temptation to Hide

Our conscience is given to every one of us when we are born.  It is a guide that makes us feel happy when we are doing what is right and makes us feel guilty or anxious inside when we are doing something wrong.  It is basically the tool Jesus Christ uses to show us when we need to repent and when we are on the right path. 

When we have made a mistake Satan knows that we feel guilty and he immediately seizes that opportunity to get us to make yet another mistake.  This is his way of leading us further away from the influence of our conscience.  His  all-time favorite way of getting us headed in the wrong direction is by tempting us to hide our initial mistake.  This was the first tactic he used way back when Adam and Eve ate the fruit and he encouraged them to hide from God.  Pay attention to the times you are tempted to "hide" from something or "avoid" someone.  It is a red-flag that Satan is trying to keep you from really repenting and fixing a problem.  Let me share a simple example:

I am grocery shopping and across the store I see a lady whom I promised 2 months earlier that I would help with a large community project- only I never really did help her.  Suddenly the next thought I have is to turn and head down the aisle so I can dodge her.

Why?  Would it not be easier for me to head straight up to her and say, "I feel so guilty that I never helped you with that project!  I am so sorry, did you get it all done or do you still need some help?"

Dodging into the aisle is exactly what Satan wants us to do - facing the mistake and repenting is the invitation from God.  The first option will always keep us in a state of bondage but the second is liberating and brings happiness.

Now, ponder on this:  Is there something or someone that you are avoiding - maybe a family member, a neighbor, a friend, a debt-collector?  Just be honest and apologetic and willingly do whatever you can to make up for your initial mistake. 

Also, just a note of warning but Satan's other favorite tactic is passing blame - so as soon as you feel that temptation you can know where it came from.  Don't get in the habit of partially apologizing with an excuse tied to it.

The Fruits of an Over-Scheduled Life

God communicates to us through our spirit - when we feel anxious or unsettled it means that something is wrong (usually a warning that we are heading down a wrong path and need to repent and turn back).  It takes time and repeated experiences for us to recognize the way that He communicates with us and how we can respond correctly to His guidance.

What better way for Satan to frustrate God's communication with man than to create loud and fast-paced societies where there is no time for us (or our children) to even recognize that God is trying to communicate with us.

Consider the daily traditions of our society: 8 hours work, 1 hour exercise, 7 hours school, 1 hour practice dance/karate/music/scouts/sports (per child), 1 hour homework, 3 meals - cooking time and clean up, house work, yard work, home maintenance, family prayer and scripture study, personal prayer and scripture study, laundry, showering/grooming, shopping, etc.

This list did not even include all the loud media devices that keep us (and our children) distracted from paying attention to our feelings.

Rushing here and there to fulfil all the daily traditions of our society keeps us busy and seemingly productive, but if we never took the time to recognize what God would have us do with our time and energy were we really even productive?
 

How it all began...

I remember being very young and standing in the bathroom with my parents (and all my siblings in the background giggling), telling them very soberly that it was not me who had drawn on the wall.  I remember the distinct feeling of guilt that I felt inside the entire time because it really was me who had written on the wall.  Inside my conscience was unsettled even though my physical body stood there very seriously insisting that I was innocent.

I remember being at my Grandmother's home when I was little and joking around about a terrible car accident that had just happened and my Grandmother scolding me for being so inconsiderate, and again that unsettled feeling came.

I remember being a teenager and being out past midnight with friends on a few occasions and not even enjoying myself because inside I felt worried knowing that I was supposed to be home.

Honestly, the list of all the times that I felt this guilty conscience could go on and on, but somewhere along the path I got better and better at ignoring it as soon as it came.  Usually I would find some kind of activity to distract myself and over time I became less aware of it.  Once I became a mother it seemed to come back (maybe Heavenly Father knew I would need extra guidance since I lacked good parenting skills or maybe I was finally humble enough to listen, I don't know).  For whatever reason though, I became more aware of it.  It seemed if I gossiped about someone I would feel sick inside until I apologized to the person, the Lord, and learned from the lesson so I would not repeat it.  Often I would feel that anxious, unsettled feeling again when I was shopping.  Every time I made a frivolous purchase I would feel bad about it and have to go through the hassle of going back into the store and returning the item and apologizing to Heavenly Father for not using the resources He had blessed me with more wisely.  Some days it seemed as though nothing I did was right and I would constantly be on my knees asking for forgiveness, but I just kept going through the steps of repentance and every time I felt a complete relief and happiness come through me and my pained conscience would become clear and at peace.  This is when I came to understand who Jesus Christ is.  This is when I came to know Him personally.  This is when He became real to me, not just someone we talk about on Sundays at church or read about in the scriptures, He became my personal Savior.  He rescued me each time I lost my temper, each time I was ungrateful or judgemental, or dishonest, each time I had a prideful or selfish thought.  He was constantly there to take it all from me if I turned to him with a broken heart and contrite spirit.   

This feeling of an unsettled conscience became my alarm system.  Every time I felt it I knew it was my Savior alerting me that I just stepped off His path and needed to fix the problem and come back.  I began to wonder how it worked, it didn't seem that it could be the Holy Ghost because the feeling of the Holy Ghost felt different to me.  Somehow in all my searching I came across Moroni 7 and learned about the role of the Light of Christ.  It all made sense to me and I have used it as my guide ever since.  I had no clue where this would lead, I just knew that I felt good following that feeling inside. 

The more I followed it the more aware of my weaknesses I became.  It seemed I no longer had to buy something frivolous at the store before I felt bad, I could just think about buying something impractical and already that unsettled feeling would come before I even placed the item in my cart.  It became a warning guide that I learned I could count on and I learned that I felt good when I was obedient to it.

Many of us live lives that are too busy and too loud.  We slow down too seldom to just FEEL.  It is unfortunate because that is how the Lord communicates to our souls - through our feelings.  Ignoring those feelings are in essence, ignoring Him.

Obedience

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   The whole purpose of this blog is to be obedient.  We have never blogged, never face-booked, and honestly only turn on the cell phone a few times a month when out running errands.  So putting this all online is quite a stretch for us but the Spirit has told us to share the changes we have made in our hearts and in our home over the past two years so we are doing it.  We do not believe everyone else needs to make these changes, however, we do believe that there are individuals and families who the Spirit will guide to make similar changes and hope some of the things we share will be of benefit to them.

We plan to write this blog anonymously because we are not concerned with recognition or interested in debating any of the topics.  Our only objective is to be obedient in sharing the truths we have learned so they can bless others as well.