Happy Halloween!

Halloween was a blast this year! Nick and Charelle hosted their annual Halloween party! Don't they make just the most adorable cheetas? I'm always so impressed with their costumes! Dustin and I were pretty tough contenders though with my "Disco Diva" and his "Penguin" costume! Good food, great games, and awesome company!

How to Withstand Temptation

-First—Be patient. Don’t be too anxious to grow up. Bask in the pleasure of anticipating what it will be like to be an adult. Remember, you are only young once, and you are going to be old for a long time.

“Many of these beautiful human butterflies winged for heavenly flight have fallen with wings singed and badly seared because of their curiosity about the forbidden. The more I see of life, the more I am convinced that we must impress you young people with the awfulness of sin rather than to content ourselves with merely teaching the way of repentance. I wish that someone could warn you of the night of hell that follows the committing of a moral sin … , as one who has sinned has described it in these words: ‘No one knew anything about it. You told no one, and no one found out, no one condemned. But your face flushed, your heart beat against your ribs. Perspiration broke out upon your brow. You went to bed that night, you tied a bandage around the eyes of your soul, you built a little shelter in which to hide, you tried to sleep, but no sleep came. You said to yourself, “Other people do it,” or “I had to do it,” or “No one else can ever find it out.” But there were hands from the unseen world that came through the darkness and tore the bandage from the eyes of the soul, and smashed down the little shelter you had made for your cowering spirit.’ ” (Youth and the Church, Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1970, pp. 87–88.)

-Second—Focus on Your Eternal Destiny. The Lord has promised the faithful, “All that my Father hath shall be given unto him.” (D&C 84:38.) Think what that means to you as a son of God.

"As I was out alone, milking the cows, or putting up the hay, I had time to think. I mulled it over in my mind and made this decision: ‘I, Spencer Kimball, will never taste any form of liquor. I, Spencer Kimball, will never touch tobacco. I will never drink coffee, nor will I ever touch tea—not because I can explain why I shouldn’t, except that the Lord said not to.’ He said those things were an abomination. There are many other things that are, too, that are not in the Word of Wisdom. But I made up my mind."
“That’s the point I am trying to make. I made up my mind then, as a little boy: ‘I will never touch those things.’ And so, having made up my mind, it was easy to follow it, and I did not yield. There were many temptations that came along, but I did not even analyze it; I did not stop and measure it and say, ‘Well, shall I or shall I not?’ I always said to myself: ‘But I made up my mind I would not. Therefore, I do not"

-Third—Stand by Your Convictions. Take control of your life. It is your body—the clothing of your spirit—you are dealing with. Don’t become a slave to your appetites or passions. Be mature enough to have the spirit control your body. Self-control is vital when you are resisting what you know is wrong, especially when a friend insists. This self-control comes with practice, so it’s important to build your inner strength. Constantly remind yourself that you are a son(daughter) of God with great things to do.

“Never give in, never give in, never, never, never, never—in nothing, great or small, large or petty—never give in except to convictions of honor and good sense.” - Winston Churchill

-Fourth—Repent. Some of us are held back in our development by mistakes we have made, sins we have committed, regrets that we let weigh on our consciences until they burden us down to the breaking point.

Our loving Father in Heaven is only interested in what you are going to do with your future, conditioned on your repentance from your past sins. Coming back to the questions posed by my distraught young friend and to those of you who may have transgressed as he did, I assure you that you are still dearly loved by your Father in Heaven and by the Lord’s church. The second principle of the gospel is repentance, that beautiful saving principle without which all of us imperfect people would be lost. The Lord has made the promise: “Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.” (Isa. 1:18.)
Isn’t that a glorious promise? And it is conditioned only on your repentance. Though the roadway may be long and difficult, though the pain and sorrow may be acute, though the Church may have to take loving action to balance justice and mercy, the repentance process can cleanse your soul, and you can walk in the light of the Holy Spirit again—the transgression forgiven, the soul purified and sanctified

Fullness!

"One must live, not only exist; he must do, not merely be; he must grow, not just vegetate." - spencer w kimball

Gratitude List #1

I recently moved to a new singles ward and the bishop of the ward (in one of his talks) mentioned that he does weekly "Gratitude" lists. Or anytime he is feeling down he does a "Gratitude" list in order to put into perspective all of his many blessings. So I have decided to incorporate weekly "Gratitude" lists into my own life.

1. I am grateful for my brother Seth serving a mission in Brazil

2. I am grateful for my new room mates (Bron and Ams) who lift and inspire me each day

3. I am grateful for my parents who love and support me

4. I am grateful for my family that lives close to me so we can get together

5. I am grateful for my new ward

6. I am grateful for my new calling

7. I am grateful for all of my dear and true friends and the deep meaningful relationships that I have made and maintained

8. I am grateful for the atonement

9. I am grateful for my job, car, house

10. I am grateful for the wonderful girls I work with (and gents)

11. I am grateful for the lessons I have learned

12. I am grateful for my education...and especially grateful that I have graduated

13. I am grateful for the amazing October weather we have had

14. I am grateful for my ability to run and exercise

15. I am grateful for my workout buddies

16. I am grateful for cell phones so we can keep in contact with others

17. I am grateful for my ancestors and the opportunity to do their work

18. I am grateful that we just had stake conference and for the awesome talks

19. I am grateful for the kind patient who told me that "I would one day make a wonderful wife"

20. I am grateful for the priesthood in my life

21. I am grateful for my grandparents

22. I am grateful for my uncle Nathan

23. I am grateful for my two adorable nephews Jax and Kai...they always make me smile

24. I am grateful for the holidays that are coming up

25. I am grateful my family is coming to Utah for Thanksgiving

26. I am grateful for my health

27. I am grateful for having a knowledge of the gospel

28. I am grateful I live in America

29. I am grateful for pumpkin chocolate chip cookies

30. I am thankful for fall

31. I am thankful for the changing leaves and how pretty the canyons look during this time of year

32. I am thankful for the opportunity to be in Utah

33. I am thankful for a living prophet

The Opportunity of a Lifetime - W, Christopher Waddell

Arrive on your mission with your own testimony of the Book of Mormon, obtained through study and prayer. “The Book of Mormon is powerful evidence of the divinity of Christ. It is also proof of the Restoration through the Prophet Joseph Smith. … As a missionary, you must first have a personal testimony that the Book of Mormon is true. … This witness of the Holy Ghost [will become] a central focus of your teaching”

Arrive on your mission worthy of the companionship of the Holy Ghost. In the words of President Ezra Taft Benson: “The Spirit is the most important single element in this work. With the Spirit magnifying your call, you can do miracles for the Lord in the mission field. Without the Spirit, you will never succeed regardless of your talent and ability”

Arrive on your mission ready to work. “Your success as a missionary [will be] measured primarily by your commitment to find, teach, baptize, and confirm.” You will be expected to “work effectively every day, [doing] your … best to bring souls to Christ”

President Thomas S. Monson, are true: “The missionary opportunity of a lifetime is yours. The blessings of eternity await you. Yours is the privilege to be not spectators but participants on the stage of priesthood service”

We are all enlisted- Jeffrey R Holland

Whoever you are and whatever you have done, you can be forgiven.

Every one of you young men can leave behind any transgression with which you may struggle. It is the miracle of forgiveness; it is the miracle of the Atonement of the Lord Jesus Christ. But you cannot do it without an active commitment to the gospel, and you cannot do it without repentance where it is needed. I am asking you young men to be active and be clean. If required, I am asking you to get active and get clean.

Missionary work isn’t the only thing we need to do in this big, wide, wonderful Church. But almost everything else we need to do depends on people first hearing the gospel of Jesus Christ and coming into the faith.

From every man, young and old, who bears the priesthood, I ask for a stronger and more devoted voice, a voice not only against evil and him who is the personification of it, but a voice for good, a voice for the gospel, a voice for God. Brethren of all ages, unbind your tongues and watch your words work wonders in the lives of those “who are only kept from the truth because they know not where to find it.”

The importance of Gratitude

"Our society is afflicted by a spirit of thoughtless arrogance unbecoming those who have been so magnificently blessed. How grateful we should be for the bounties we enjoy. Absence of gratitude is the mark of the narrow, uneducated mind. It bespeaks a lack of knowledge and the ignorance of self-sufficiency. It expresses itself in ugly egotism and frequently in wanton mischief." - Gordon B. Hinckley