Sunday Best!

"No one of us can survive in 

the world of today,

 much less in what it will soon become, 

without personal inspiration."

-Boyd K. Packer

Hope your Sunday was the Best! 

Love, Joy

Sunday Best! For Keith.

Doctrine and Covenants 122:7-9

7 And if thou shouldst be cast into the pit, or into the hands of murderers, and the sentence of death passed upon thee; if thou be cast into the deep; if the billowing surge conspire against thee; if fierce winds become thine enemy; if the heavens gather blackness,  and all the elements combine to hedge up the way; and above all, if the very jaws of hell shall gape open the mouth wide after thee, know thou my son, that all these things shall give thee experience, an shall be for thy good. 
8 The Son of Man hath descended below them all. Art thou greater than he? 
9 Therefore, hold on thy way, and the priesthood shall remain with thee; for their bounds are set, they cannot pass. Thy days are known, and thy years shall not be numbered less; therefore, fear not what man can do, for God shall be with you forever and ever.

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Should we be protected always from hardship, pain, suffering, sacrifice or labor? Should the Lord protect the righteous? Should He immediately punish the wicked? If growth come from fun and ease and aimless irresponsibility, then why should we ever exert ourselves to work or learn or overcome? If success is measured by the years we live, then early death is failure and tragedy. If earth life is the ultimate, how can we justify death ever, even in old age? If we look at mortality as a complete existence, then pain, sorrow, failure, and short life could be a calamity. But if we look upon the whole life as an eternal thing stretching far into the pre-mortal past and into the eternal post-death future, then all happenings may be in proper perspective and may fall into proper place. 

-Spencer W. Kimball 

I love you, my brother!

Hope your Sunday was the Best!

Sunday Best!

Ether 12:27

27 And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them.

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"So if you have problems in your life, don't assume there is something wrong with you. Struggling with those problems is at the very core of life's purpose. As we draw close to God, He will show us our weaknesses and through them make us wiser, stronger. If you're seeing more of your weaknesses, that just might mean you're moving nearer to God, not farther away."

-Bruce C. Hafen 

Hope your Sunday was the Best!!

Love, Joy

Sunday Best!

Hope!

2 Nephi 31: 19 & 20

19 And now, my beloved brethren, after ye have gotten into this strait and narrow path, I would ask if all is done? Behold, I say unto you, Nay; for ye have not come thus far save it were by the word of Christ with unshaken faith in him, relying wholly upon the merits of him who is mighty to save. 20 Wherefore, ye must press forward with steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and of all men. Wherefore, if ye shall press forward, feasting upon the word of Christ, and endure to the end, behold, thus saith the Father: 

Ye shall have eternal life.

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Hope is: the feeling that what is wanted can be

had or that events will turn out for the 

best.

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Jeremiah 17:7

Blessed is the man

 that trusteth in the Lord, and whose 

hope the Lord is.

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I hope your Sunday was the Best! 

Love, Joy

Sunday Best!

"I do not believe one can settle how much we ought to give. I am afraid the only safe rule is to give more than we can spare. In other words, if our expenditure on comforts, luxuries, amusements, etc., is up to the standard common among those with the same income as our own, we are probably giving away too little. If our charities do not at all pinch or hamper us, I should say they are too small. There ought to be things we should like to do and cannot do because our charitable expenditures exclude them."

-C. S. Lewis, Mere Christianity

Hope your Sunday was the Best!  Love, Joy

Sunday Best!

Moroni 7:41-42

41 And what is it that ye shall hope for? Behold I say unto you that ye shall have hope through the atonement of Christ and the power of his resurrection, to be raised unto life eternal, and this because of your faith in him according to the promise. 42 Wherefore, if a man have faith he must needs have hope; for without faith there cannot be any hope.

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"Faith in Jesus Christ means believing that even though we do not understand all things, He does."

-Ezra Taft Bensen

Hope your Sunday was the Best! Love, Joy

Sunday Best!

-Prayer-

"As you feel the need to confide in the Lord or to improve the quality of your visits with Him -to pray, if you please- may I suggest a process to follow: 
Go where you can be alone, go where can think, go where you can kneel, go where you can speak out loud to Him. The bedroom, the bathroom, or the closet will do. 
Now picture Him in your mind's eye. Think to whom you are speaking, control your thoughts- don't let them wander, address Him as your Father and your friend. 
Now tell Him things you really feel to tell Him -not trite phrases that have little meaning, but have a sincere heartfelt conversation with Him. Confide in Him, ask Him for forgiveness, plead with Him, enjoy Him, thank Him, express your love to Him and then listen for His answers...answers from the Lord come quietly- ever so quietly. In fact, few hear His answers audibly with their ears. We must be listening so carefully, or we will never recognize them. Most answers from the Lord are felt in our heart as a warm comfortable expression, or they come as thoughts to our mind. They come to those who are prepared and patient."

-H. Burke Peterson

Hope your Sunday was the Best! Love, Joy

Sunday Best!

"Testimony is as elusive as a moonbeam; 

it's as fragile as an orchid;

you have to recapture it every morning of your life,

you have to hold on by study,

 and by faith and by prayer."

-Harold B. Lee

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Hope your Sunday was the Best!! 

Love, Joy

Sunday Best!

Easter Sunday! 

What a beautiful day!

He is Risen!! 

I love Him and I am so grateful He atoned for my sins and was crucified! I know he was resurrected and lives!

Love, Joy

Sunday Best!

Matthew 18:2-5

2 And Jesus called a little child unto him, and set him in midst of them, 3 And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. 4 Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven. 5 And whoso shall receive one such little child in my name receiveth me.

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Hope your Sunday was the Best! 

Love, Joy

Sunday Best!

My young friend Karen gave a talk in church recently and she talked about how excited she was when she got up one morning for school. The reason she was excited, is because she was having a test that day.

 Well, really, the reason she was excited about the 

test, was that 

she knew the answers to the 

test

 she would be taking. She had studied and was prepared and ready. Then she went on to say, "This life is a 

test! We can be excited about this 

test

because we know the answers!" She went on to tell us that even if we don't have the answers right now,  life is an open book 

test. If we don't know the answer to a particular question we know were to find them. 

Where do we find the answers? Inspired family and friends. In God's word, the scriptures. Studying the life of our Savior. What would Jesus do? 

Listen to God's prophets and apostles! Listen to our living prophet, Thomas S. Monson. I am so excited for my 

test! I know I will do great with all of this help! You will do great too! I know you will! 

Hope your Sunday was the Best! Love, Joy

Sunday Best!

LDS General Conference was the best!!! 
You can learn more here!

And it snowed for hours today,
 I'm so glad I was just able to enjoy 
"a beautiful day," 
before the storm!!!
Hope your Sunday was the Best! Love, Joy

Sunday Best!

"When we put God first, 
[in our lives] all other things fall into their proper place or drop out of our lives." 

-Ezra Taft Benson

Hope your Sunday was the Best!! 
Love, Joy

Sunday Best!

"We are the Lord's hands

 here upon the earth, with a mandate to serve and lift His children. 

He is dependent upon each of us."

                         -Thomas S. Monson

"God does notice us, and 

He watches over us. But it is 

usually through another person 

that He meets our needs." 

-Spencer W. Kimball

"And behold, I tell you these things that ye may learn wisdom; that ye may learn that when ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only 

in the service of your God." 

-King Benjamin, Mosiah 2:17

"By love serve ye one another."

-Apostle Paul, Galations  5:13

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Service is... Love!


Hope your Sunday was the Best!! Love, Joy

Sunday Best!

-Lesson given by my friend, Laura-

Thoughts from "Charity Never Faileth" by Thomas S. Monson, Sept. 2010

Main Ideas- 

Part A:

1. No one is perfect..."and yet for some reason, despite our own imperfections, we have a tendency to point out those of others".

2. There is no way to know the a) heart, b) intentions, c) circumstances behind someone's actions [we don't have all the facts].

3. "Appearances can be so deceiving, such a poor measure of a person".

4. "Each of you is unique"...the differences are endless. Do these differences tempt us to judge one another?

Mother Teresa said, "If you judge people, you have no time to love them."

Part B:

Instead of judging, President Monson admonishes us to focus on the following:

"I consider charity-or 'the pure love of Christ'-to be the opposite of criticism and judging"

• Charity is tolerant of others and lenient toward their actions
• Charity forgives
• Charity is patient with someone who has let us down
• Charity impels us to be sympathetic
• Charity is compassionate 
• Charity is merciful in time of weakness or error on the part of others
• Charity gives attention to those who are unnoticed
• Charity gives hope to those who are discouraged
• Charity aids those who are afflicted 
• Charity does not gossip
• Charity resists the impulse to become offended easily
• Charity accepts weaknesses and shortcomings in ourselves and others
• Charity accepts people as they truly are
• Charity looks beyond physical appearances toward attributes
• Charity resists the impulse to categorize others
• Charity manifests itself in a hundred small ways

"Life is perfect for none of us. Rather than being judgmental and critical of each other, may we have the pure love of Christ for our fellow travelers in this journey through life." -Thomas S. Monson

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What a great lesson! Hope your Sunday was the Best! Love, Joy

Sunday Best!

Matthew 5:14-16

14 Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. 15 Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. 16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father which is in heaven. 

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Hope your Sunday was the Best! Love, Joy

Sunday Best!

I absolutely love 

James E. Talmage!!

 Here is one of my favorite stories that he wrote. Enjoy!

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 The Parable of 

Two Lamps

Among the material things of the past—things that I treasure for sweet memory’s sake and because of pleasant association in bygone days—is a lamp. …

The lamp of which I speak, the student lamp of my school and college days, was one of the best of its kind. I had bought it with hard-earned savings; it was counted among my most cherished possessions. …

One summer evening I sat musing studiously and withal restfully in the open air outside the door of the room in which I lodged and studied. A stranger approached. I noticed that he carried a satchel. He was affable and entertaining. I brought another chair from within, and we chatted together till the twilight had deepened into dusk, the dusk into darkness.

Then he said: “You are a student and doubtless have much work to do of nights. What kind of lamp do you use?” And without waiting for a reply, he continued, “I have a superior kind of lamp I should like to show you, a lamp designed and constructed according to the latest achievements of applied science, far surpassing anything heretofore produced as a means of artificial lighting.”

I replied with confidence, and I confess, not without some exultation: “My friend, I have a lamp, one that has been tested and proved. It has been to me a companion through many a long night. It is an Argand lamp, and one of the best. I have trimmed and cleaned it today; it is ready for the lighting. Step inside; I will show you my lamp; then you may tell me whether yours can possibly be better.”

We entered my study room, and with a feeling which I assume is akin to that of the athlete about to enter a contest with one whom he regards as a pitiably inferior opponent, I put the match to my well-trimmed Argand.

My visitor was voluble in his praise. It was the best lamp of its kind, he said. He averred that he had never seen a lamp in better trim. He turned the wick up and down and pronounced the adjustment perfect. He declared that never before had he realized how satisfactory a student lamp could be.

I liked the man; he seemed to me wise, and he assuredly was ingratiating. “Love me, love my lamp,” I thought, mentally paraphrasing a common expression of the period.

“Now,” said he, “with your permission I’ll light my lamp.” He took from his satchel a lamp then known as the “Rochester.” It had a chimney which, compared with mine, was as a factory smokestack alongside a house flue. Its hollow wick was wide enough to admit my four fingers. Its light made bright the remotest corner of my room. In its brilliant blaze my own little Argand wick burned a weak, pale yellow. Until that moment of convincing demonstration, I had never known the dim obscurity in which I had lived and labored, studied and struggled.

“I’ll buy your lamp,” said I; “you need neither explain nor argue further.” I took my new acquisition to the laboratory that same night and determined its capacity. It turned at over 48 candlepower—fully four times the intensity of my student lamp.

Two days after purchasing, I met the lamp peddler on the street about noontime. To my inquiry he replied that business was good; the demand for his lamps was greater than the factory supply. “But,” said I, “you are not working today?” His rejoinder was a lesson. “Do you think that I would be so foolish as to go around trying to sell lamps in the daytime? Would you have bought one if I had lighted it for you when the sun was shining? I chose the time to show the superiority of my lamp over yours, and you were eager to own the better one I offered, were you not?”

Such is the story. Now consider the application of a part, a very small part, thereof.

“Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven” [Matt. 5:16].

The man who would sell me a lamp did not disparage mine. He placed his greater light alongside my feebler flame, and I hasted to obtain the better.

The missionary servants of the Church of Jesus Christ today are sent forth, not to assail or ridicule the beliefs of men, but to set before the world a superior light, by which the smoky dimness of the flickering flames of man-made creeds shall be apparent. The work of the Church is constructive, not destructive.

As to the further meaning of the parable, let him that hath eyes and a heart see and understand.

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Hope your Sunday was the Best!! Love, Joy

Sunday Best!

-3 Nephi 14:2-5-

“With what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged; and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again. And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Or how wilt thou say to thy brother: Let me pull the mote out of thine eye—and behold, a beam is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, first cast the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast the mote out of thy brother's eye”

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Stephen R. Covey says that people who have a tendency judge have the "mote and beam sickness." It is human nature to look for the faults in others. But can we change others? No. We can only change ourselves. Like Mahatma Ghandi said, "We can be the change we want to see in the world." When we have removed the beam from our own eye, then we can see clearly what we need to do to help our brother (and sister) with the mote in their eye.

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"The highest form of influence is to be a model, not a critic; a light, not a judge."

-Stephen R Covey 

Sunday Best!

“As parents, we should remember that our lives may be the book from the family library which the children most treasure. Are our examples worthy of emulation? Do we live in such a way that a son or a daughter may say, ‘I want to follow my dad,’ or ‘I want to be like my mother’? Unlike the book on the library shelf, the covers of which shield its contents, our lives cannot be closed. Parents, we truly are an open book in the library of learning of our homes.” 

-Thomas S. Monson

Hope your Sunday was the Best! Love, Joy

Sunday Best!

Matthew 5:5 

Blessed are the meek: 

for they shall inherit the earth.

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The meek and the humble are those who are teachable. They are willing to learn. They are willing to listen to the whispering of the still, small voice for guidance in their lives. They place the wisdom of the Lord above their own wisdom.

-Gorden B. Hinckley, Stand A Little Taller

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Being humble and teachable means, that you know that you need help in life. You look to other peoples- example to help you learn and grow and become the best "you"! Parents, siblings, friends, leaders, teachers, and sweethearts, all help us to become the best we can be. They help us by, living a life that shows us the way. They help us by, lovingly telling us ways that we can improve. The person that can help us the most is the Savior. His life and teachings are the way! We need to be meek and He will show us the way! 

Hope your Sunday was the Best! Love, Joy