Trusting

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Faith is not belief without proof, but trust without reservation.

~ D. Elton Trueblood

We have been told by our leaders to trust in the Lord. How do we do that? We have learned to trust people close to us, people we know. To trust in the Lord takes a great leap of faith. Are we ready to make that giant step?

We'd like to share a story told by President Marion G. Romney in his talk Trust in the Lord, Ensign, Nov. 1977:

"President Heber J. Grant tells of a different type of reward that comes from trusting in the Lord. When he was a young man, he heard his bishop in a fast meeting, which was then held on Thursdays (in the early days, we held our fast meetings on Thursdays), make a strong appeal for donations. At that time President Grant had $50 in his pocket which he intended to deposit in the bank. But he was so impressed by his bishop’s appeal that he tendered the whole $50 to the bishop. The bishop took $5 and handed him back $45, stating that $5 was his full share. Then President Grant replied, 'Bishop Wooley, by what right do you rob me of putting the Lord in my debt? Didn’t you preach here today that the Lord rewards fourfold? My mother is a widow and she needs two hundred dollars.'

"'My boy,' queried the bishop, 'do you believe that if I take this other forty-five dollars you will get your two hundred dollars quicker?'

“Certainly, replied President Grant.

"Now here was an expression of trust in the Lord which the bishop could not withstand. He took the remaining $45.

"President Grant testified that on his way back to work, 'an idea popped' into his head, acting upon which he made $218.50. Speaking on this incident years later, he said, “Someone will say that it would have happened anyway.

“I do not think it would have happened. I do not think I would have got the idea.

“I am a firm believer that the Lord opens up the windows of heaven when we do our duty financially and pours out blessings upon us of a spiritual nature, which are of far greater value than temporal things. But I believe He also gives us blessings of a temporal nature.” (Improvement Era 42:457.)"

Absolute faith will open up the windows of Heaven. Can we take the leap?

To see the Neighborhood News for Wednesday, 24 August, please click here.

We welcome your comments. Post by clicking the link below.

Stop and Smell the Roses

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“Happiness is the object and design of our existence.”

 Joseph Smith

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Hello there. Are you all ready for the wonderful summer months? Is this something you prepare for every year? Whether you still have kiddos at home, or they’ve all flown the coop, summer brings its own challenges to some of us.

Let me share the following story. You can find it in its entirety in the article entitled The Purpose of Life:

“Sometimes the weaknesses the Lord uses to strengthen us are in ourselves. Other times, they are in others. Shauna Larsen of Orem, Utah, knows how faith and love—and joy—can grow out of such trials. Thirty-six years ago in Maryland her husband, Joseph, was paralyzed from the chest down in an auto accident. He spent the rest of his life in a wheelchair. In spite of his disability, Brother Larsen served as a university professor, a bishop, and a stake president. He was a remarkable man of many achievements. While he lived, Shauna says, ‘caring for him was a total commitment. I lived in his shadow, ministering to his daily needs. And that was a challenge, because he was very active. No grass grew under his wheels.’

“But through her selfless service, Shauna says, she grew closer to the Lord and ‘saw more clearly his hand in our lives. I gained a more submissive attitude than I would have otherwise. Without question, I learned the joy of love and sacrifice.’

“When Joseph and Shauna faced their final challenge together—the prospect of his imminent death—Shauna pled in prayer for Joseph’s life, offering to take care of him no matter what his condition. ‘But it was not to be,’ she says. ‘I felt as though the Lord said, ‘It’s his time to come home; it’s your time to get to know you.’ We need to get to know the Lord, and I think we know him better when we know ourselves. We need to discover our talents and use them in his service. That’s part of the joy we experience in this life.”

We may get overwhelmed from time to time, and think that we may not be able to make it through a hard time, whatever that may be (perhaps summer?), but we should slow down sometimes and enjoy what the Lord has given us.

Check out the following Mormon Messages video. It's perfect!

It’s time to smell the roses.

Don't forget to checkout our Free Download Friday.

To see the Neighborhood News for Friday, 24 June, please click here.

We welcome your comments. Post by clicking the link below.

Find Balance

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See that all these things are done in wisdom and order; for it is not requisite that a man should run faster than he has strength”

(Mosiah 4:27).

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If we’re pursuing excellence in our lives, we’ll be able to find balance. If we’re too busy doing things perfectly, we’ll find some areas lacking, because as much as many people consider themselves great multi-taskers, we can’t do everything well and something will have to give.

If we’re juggling careers, family, church callings and community volunteerism our plates might be too full. Which one will have to give?

From A Balanced Life, Brent L. Top said in 2005:

“It is easy to feel that to magnify our callings we need to be continually serving, leading, or counseling. However, it may be that we render more significant service and develop more substantive spirituality by having fewer meetings and activities. President Spencer W. Kimball urged the Saints to return to what he characterized as ‘quiet, sane living.’

In striking a temporal balance, we are often forced to make hard choices between many good and desirable things. For example, varied educational and cultural experiences can be valuable in promoting talents and growth in our children. Church and community service opportunities may provide us with rich and rewarding experiences. But even when considering such noble causes and activities, we must, as Elder Ballard counseled, ‘remember [that] too much of anything in life can throw us off balance. At the same time, too little of the important things can do the same thing.’ … Teaching our children how to live ‘quiet, sane,’ and balanced lives may be one of the most vital things we can do for them in these frenzied last days.”

We’re the only ones who can put our lives in order. We can get counsel from other people, but in the end we’re the ones who know what our limits are. We need to find that which gives us peace.

As always, we welcome your comments.

To view a copy of the Neighborhood News for Wednesday 18 May, click here.

Reduce Use and Get More

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And, behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, …but the LORD was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake: but the LORD was not in the earthquake:And after the earthquake a fire; but the Lord was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice.

1 Kings 19:11, 12

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I think this is one of the most poetic scriptures in the Old Testament.

How can we claim that we don’t receive answers to our prayers, when our Father in Heaven is just waiting to have communication with us?

I just had a conversation with a person that claims the Lord doesn’t answer prayers, this person affirms that the heavens are closed. So I asked how the prayers are directed: is there only ask, ask, ask, or is there something more? Is there a sense of love towards our Father, or do we just expect Him to give us what we want?

When the Lord speaks to us, it is in a soft and loving manner. I have prayed a few times, without much thinking about what I was saying. There have been times when I received an answer right away, but the answer was not at all what I was expecting. There are so many layers within an answer that comes from the Lord, that I’d like to share my insight with you:

a-      My Father knows me

b-       He listens to me

c-       He answers my prayers

d-      I am His daughter

Up until this personal experience, praying was a habit, and if I got an answer, was either through someone else, or as a tender mercy. There have been times when I felt I was away from the presence of my Father, and how lonely that felt. So I used repentance and the power of the Atonement to fix that little problem we were having, and restored our good relationship.

So, what do you say to someone who says they don’t get any answers? Just keep trying.

“Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths” (Proverbs 3:5,6).

We should trust the Lord that the Plan of Happiness is real, that the Atonement of Jesus Christ did happen and that there's a reason for us to be here.

We welcome your comments, wish you a great weekend, and remind you to take advantage of our Free Download Friday.

To view a copy of the Neighborhood News for Friday 8 April, click here.

Count Your Blessings

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March 2008 New Era Magazine, pg. 20
“Behold your little ones” by Robert Barrett

When upon life’s billows you are tempest-tossed,

When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost,

Count your many blessings; name them one by one,

And it will surprise you what the Lord has done.

Count Your Blessings, Hymns, no. 241

With all the busyness that goes along with our daily lives, we sometimes forget to count our blessings, or we may think we don’t have any. We should remind ourselves that we have a loving Father in Heaven that knows us better than we know ourselves, that listens to our prayers and wants to bless us with all that He has.

President Eyring has given us the following advice:

"When our children were very small, I started to write down a few things about what happened every day. I never missed a day no matter how tired I was or how early I would have to start the next day. Before I would write, I would ponder this question: “Have I seen the hand of God reaching out to touch us or our children or our family today?” As I would cast my mind over the day, I would see evidence of what God had done for one of us that I had not recognized in the busy moments of the day. I realized that trying to remember had allowed God to show me what He had done."

I love his insight. I’m so glad that we have General conferences where we can receive inspired revelation that can guide us through dark and perilous times.

I need to listen to President Eyring’s counsel, because it’s so easy to forget to count our blessings.

Sister Shirley Thomas, former counselor in the Relief Society general presidency mentioned that her children had a first grade teacher that knew the importance of counting. This teacher bought dresses that had as many buttons as possible, and then asked the students to count them while she was taking roll. Sister Thomas said:

"Counting blessings doesn’t have much in common with counting buttons, but it does have the same function of requiring our focus. While we count, we concentrate our attention upon the encouraging, the positive, the happy. It gets our mind away from loneliness or pain."

How do you remind yourself to count your blessings?

As always, we welcome your comments.

To view a copy of the Neighborhood News for Wednesday, 23 March, please click here.

Personal Touch

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In today's Personal Touch interview Rebecca Cressman interviews four-time Billboard charting recording artist and award winning pianist, speaker, and author Paul Cardall. Paul has entertained sold out audiences and inspired people worldwide with twelve studio albums and various published writings, including his recently released book and memoir, Before My Heart Stops, published by Shadow Mountain. Born with essentially half-a-heart or a form of congenital heart disease, Cardall was given only days to live but defied medical expectations, enduring a series of surgeries and illnesses throughout his lifetime. In August 2008 Cardall was suffering severe heart failure and was told by medical professionals he needed a heart transplant or would slowly grow weaker and die. The pianist maintained a blog www.livingforeden.com, believing it might be his “last lecture.” Over half a million people followed his journey. Cardall records on his blog, "If you were told you only had a year to live, what would you change? Finally, after waiting 385 days on the transplant list, doctors found a heart and surgeons performed a miraculous surgery. On Valentine's night, February 14th, 2011, Paul Cardall will release his first full length studio album since his heart transplant. Properly called New Life, Paul will debut his heartfelt album at his 2nd annual Celebrate Life Concert in Salt Lake City raising awareness and support for Congenital Heart Disease and the Paul Cardall Family Foundation. Paul lives with his wife Lynnette and daughter Eden in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Web: http://www.paulcardall.com/events.htm


This video was done before the heart surgery:



This video is part of the ad campaign.



As always, we welcome your comments.

To view a copy of the Neighborhood News for Monday, 7 February, please click here.

36 Great Ideas

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car•ol [ kárrəl ]Noun

joyful hymn: a joyful religious song or hymn, especially a Christian song celebrating Christmas. Source: here

“I heard the bells on Christmas Day; their old familiar carols play, and wild and sweet the word repeat of peace on earth, good-will to men!” ~Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

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The more I research about the traditions of Christmas, the more surprised I get. It’s almost always about pagan times, or from the Dark Ages. Interesting.

I wanted to share how carols and caroling came to be. It turns out that they didn’t start out as praise to God, or to the Newborn King.

The word originated from French and Anglo-Norman origin. A carol was considered a dance song, or a song that was danced while people formed a circle, hence the term ‘circle song.’ Carols were sung during all four seasons, but the tradition of singing them at Christmastime is the only one that survived.

Early Christians took over this custom and wrote songs about Christ and the Virgin Mary and others, and the tradition changed. But because they were mostly sung in Latin, during the middle Ages (1200) people lost interest and many stopped celebrating Christmas.

This soon changed when Saint Francis of Assisi started his Nativity plays, and this time people could understand them, because they were written in their own language. The tradition spread fast.

By the 15th century carols evolved into an art form, became more elaborate and were considered an important contribution to medieval music.

Later on, minstrels and waits (watchmen at walled cities) would pass their time by singing carols. From there, the tradition changed to having the minstrels go from door to door, singing to people and hoping to receive a treat in return.

Nowadays, we pay good money to go see a live Christmas show, where we can listen to our favorite artists perform the famous and popular songs of the season. How’s that for change!

I’d like to share a version of my favorite carol with you. I made myself my own playlist with my favorite performers and songs. I have to admit that I own several different versions of the Carol of the Bells, just because I love this song.




Sources: here, here and here.

To view a copy of the Neighborhood News for Friday, 10 December, please click here.

Get Real

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Now that the turkey has been carved, the gravy has gone on the potatoes, the cranberry sauce, stuffing and pumpkin pie have been consumed, we’re probably a bit thick around the waist right now. Some of us are probably thinking about exercise and dieting already.

At this time of year, some of us are just getting ready to go shopping, especially today, Black Friday. Those people who are more organized, or more prepared, already have all their presents hiding somewhere in the house.

But is Christmas about the presents and all the ‘getting’? Or, like the Grinch says, is Christmas something more?

Let me share this with you:

“The Christmas season is one of the most wonderful times of the year. However, it is not the gifts, the trees, the decorations, or the food that make this a season full of wonder.

"It is when we remember the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ, that the Christmas season becomes truly special.

As we strive to remember our Savior, our desire to live like Him will grow. It is no coincidence that Christmas is the time of the year when people are the most loving, the most giving, the most kind, and the most grateful.

"As we try to follow Christ’s example this season and do our best to live as He did, let us find ways to lift up those around us. Let us celebrate our Savior’s birth by being followers of Christ in word and deed.” (The Reason for the Wonder, Ensign, Dec 2009, First Presidency Message)

From the Neighborhood, we hope you’re getting ready to celebrate the birth of our Savior, and are looking to give and share with those that don’t have enough. After all, that’s what this season is about.

To view a copy of the Neighborhood News for Friday, 26 November, please click here. 

Reach for New Heights

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  Whatever we do, things just come easy to us, right? Riiiight. In reality, some things that come easy to us are probably hard for someone else, and vice versa. Cami Checketts, from Fitness for Moms, wrote her article “Starting Over.” She mentions coming back from having a baby and how hard it is to start exercising again. She says: “When you're out of shape and/or recovering from injury or pregnancy this exercise-induced hurt is a miserable, I want to sit down on the side of the road, have a good cry, then call my husband to come get me kind of hurt.” Cami is a published author; her latest book is The Sister Pact, now in bookstores.





http://www.bakerella.com/

 The gals at Bakerella just surpassed themselves. They’ve posted this tutorial where they explain in great detail how to make “Hi Hat Cupcakes.” They took amazing pictures, and the instructions are very easy. You should try it for your next bake sale at your kids’ school.




http://www.bing.com/

 At Families in Zion, they have this lesson “Blessings beyond Price.” It instills in you and your family the desire to visit the temple together, and it helps family members better understand the importance of temples and the wonderful gifts the Lord has waiting for us in them.


As usual, on Fridays Positive Music and Downloads offers Free Download Friday. To enjoy this week's download, please click here.


Have a great time this weekend. Please send us a few words in the comments section; we'll love to hear from you.


To view a copy of the Neighborhood News for Friday, 1 October, please click here.

Train Your Body

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Remember the beginning of the year, when we wrote down resolutions, and decided it was time to lose a few pounds? That’s my favorite, every year. There are a lot of opinions on how to go about losing weight. Some of them actually involve using weights. Cami Checketts is a wife, mother, exercise scientist, and author. She blogs at ‘Fitness For Mom.’ Her article is named “Weight Lifting Anyone?” In it, she talks about what some of us women don’t want to do: weightlifting. She tells us: “If you aren't lifting weights you are missing out. Strength training is the most effective way to lose weight, change your shape, and increase daily stamina.”

http://www.sxc.hu/

Keeping with the same topic, we found this article at ‘Trainer Momma.’ Its contributor is Mandi Reading, and she wrote “Have You Tried This? Body Pump.” She’s really into weight lifting, and she encourages everybody to do it. Her message is this: “I am a huge cheerleader of weight lifting. Old, young, athlete and couch potato alike all need to be lifting weights.” I’ve tried it myself, but I won’t go past 5 lbs. weights. I’m trying very hard not to be a couch potato, and I lift weights when I remember. I guess consistency would give me a better pay off. :o)

http://www.sxc.hu/

We can try to keep our bodies healthy, but I think we need to go beyond that and enrich our spiritual lives too. Our brother Jesus Christ was called the Bread of Life, and shouldn’t we want to partake of His goodness? From ‘LDS Family Fun,’ we have a Family Home Evening lesson that will help your family learn ways to nourish their spirits. There’s also a barley loaf recipe which will nourish your bodies as well.


As usual, on Fridays Positive Music and Downloads offers Free Download Friday. To enjoy this week's download, please click here."


Have a great time this weekend, and send us a few words in the comments section, we'll love to hear from you.


To view a copy of the Neighborhood News for Friday, 3 September, please click here.

Temperance in All Things

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“That which we persist in doing becomes easier for us to do; not that the nature of the thing itself is changed, but that our power to DO is increased.” ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Have you found yourself sometimes doing something out of character, something that if you told your friends they’d say, ‘that’s not you’? We all do it, at some point. Well, our contributor Cami Checketts, who blogs at Fitness for Mom, wrote her article “Lessons Learned from The Biggest Loser.” She’s always said that she doesn’t like watching TV, however, she’s watched the show ‘The Biggest Loser’ with her husband and she’s been impressed by the way those people push themselves to achieve a goal. She tells us what she’s learned from it, things like ‘Believe in Yourself’ and ‘Never Give Up’, counsel that just makes sense. Cami Checketts is an author, exercise scientist, wife, and mother of four children.

Another thing: have you ever tried to do something really, really hard? I mean, hard for you, not someone else. For example, running a mile non-stop is hard for me to do, whereas it could be easy for someone else (you maybe?). At Mormon Women, contributor Jen H. talks about her experience as a runner, and she tells us: “I gained a simple appreciation for what runners call the “runners high,” the moments of euphoria that come after enduring and succeeding in doing a very hard thing. Those feelings are great but not nearly as rewarding as choosing the right and persevering through tough trials, that is powerful, beautiful.”

We have been instructed to do a lot of things. Some of them seem easy enough for most of us, although I don’t want to give an example because someone will probably say “that’s hard for me!” In November 2009, one of the Church magazines published Elder Kent D. Watson’s talk, “Being Temperate in All Things.” In this talk Elder Watson explains: “The instruction on being temperate in all things applies to each of us. What is temperance, and why would the Lord want us to be temperate? A narrow definition might be “exercising restraint when it comes to food and drink.” Indeed, this meaning of temperance could be a good prescription for keeping the Word of Wisdom. Sometimes temperance might be defined as “refraining from anger or not losing one’s temper.” Even though they’re not commandments, these recommendations have been given to us for our benefit and improvement.

Images from www.sxc.hu/ and http://www.thinkstockphotos.com/  

To view a copy of the Neighborhood News for Wednesday, 11 August, please click here.

Use Your Media Wisely

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Author Cami Checketts (from "Cami's Books) is expanding on her children's idea of "No TV for a Week?" by making it a 'no multi-media for a week' blitz. I just hope she and her family made it out unscathed. For some people that kind of thinking could be almost a disaster. By the way, Cami's book "Sister Pact" is out in bookstores.

Contributor Julie-Jann sent this delicious recipe to CraziBeautiful Women. She called it "Root Beer Cupcakes", and it's a twist on the original float. Go ahead and make it for a shower, a get together or as treats for a Family Home Evening. They're delicious!

Lynelle Klein contributed this Family Home Evening Summer Scripture Program to Sugardoodle.com. It's a detailed plan of what scriptures to read, and when. As an added bonus, you also get the pictures that go along with each lesson. It's well planned for studying the scriptures in the summer: you'll find crossword puzzles, flannel board pictures, mazes, hidden pictures, and more. Use it with your family, since it's already put together for your enjoyment.

As usual, on Fridays Positive Music and Downloads offers Free Download Friday. Please enjoy Janice Kapp Perry, and the download “What is this Thing Men Call Death.”

We wish you have a great weekend. And we’d love to hear from you, your comments are always welcome.

To view a copy of the Neighborhood News for Friday, 11 June's, please click here.

Bright Ideas

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It’s Friday, and we have a bunch of good ideas to brighten the rest of your week.

To begin, we have our contributor Cami Checketts, from “Cami’s Books.” Cami is the author of “The Sister Pack”, now in bookstores. She wrote this article about reading to our kids, and made a list of suggestions on how to encourage them to read more. It’s always nice to be able to have suggestions that we can follow, especially when we’re tapped out.

The next article comes from “LaurieAnna’s Vintage Home.” What a place to visit! She always has amazing pictures to show her renovations. This time she tackled an empty hallway, and she did it all in just one day. Check out the amazing before and after pictures. Go on and get some ideas.

From Sugardoodle.com, we have a great Family Home Evening lesson. It’s called “Be of Good Cheer” and it’s based on President Monson’s talk from April 2009. You’ll have a good time doing it, and it even has a science experiment.

As usual, on Fridays Positive Music and Downloads offers Free Download Friday. Please enjoy Doug Walker, and his song "Faith."

To view a copy of the Neighborhood News for Friday, 28 May's, please click  here.

Recipes for Health, Home and Happiness

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“To insure good health: eat lightly, breathe deeply, live moderately, cultivate cheerfulness, and maintain an interest in life.” ~Anonymous


Some of us go through life collecting recipes for all sorts of things, from every available source. The recipe could be from making a dish, to knitting a sweater, or putting our lives back together. Today, we bring different recipes for your enjoyment and discernment.


First, we have published author Cami Checketts, from “Fitness for Mom” who brings to us her article “Metabolism – How to Kick It in Gear.” Cami is a wife, mother, exercise scientist, and author. Her third book, The Sister Pact, is in stores now. She tells us: “Metabolism is basically how your body burns calories. Those blessed with a fast metabolism burn calories quickly and are able to keep weight off more easily.” Keep reading and you’ll find a fountain of information in there.


From “Every Day Food Storage.net” we bring to you this “Three-month Supply List”, which will give you an idea of the items you’d need to have a good food supply. One great suggestion is as follows: “When you buy, consider buying two—one to use and one to store.”


The last article is a Family Home Evening lesson. It is very simple and easy to make. The message is that we’re trying to follow the Lord’s ‘recipe’ for happiness. All you have to do is bake cookies as part of the lesson and then you already have half the refreshments!


As usual, on Fridays we at Positive Music and Downloads offer Free Download Friday. Please enjoy Chas Hathaway and his beautiful piano instrumentals, with the song "Chasing Light."

To view a copy of Friday, 23 April's Neighborhood News, click here.

GOAL Is A 4-letter Word

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We're always making and breaking goals. How can we make sure we'll be able to achieve the goals we come up with at the beginning of the New Year, the beginning of a marriage, or, for that matter, any kind of new beginnings?

Cami Checketts writes about 'Setting Achievable Goals'. She tells us: "If you’re like me I’m on fire about my lengthy list of goals and then a couple of weeks into the year I realize something – my list is too long and I’m miserable. I’ve finally discovered that it doesn’t work for me to make too many goals at once."

On the other hand, Kasie West from Mormon Mommy Bloggers says it like it is, with the following statement: "Goal always has to be a four letter word, but it doesn't have to make you feel bad. Obviously goals are important."


If you ran out of ideas for Family Home Evening activities, here's one site that will bring lots of them right to you. Check out this young family's contribution on the Word of Wisdom. Genious!


To view a copy of Monday, 8 March's Neighborhood News, click here.