The Covenants We Make

Whew!  It's been quite a week.  I hope you all enjoyed your Turkey Day.  Our week was all about making and keeping sacred covenants.  From renewing our temple recommends to blessing our new baby to seeing our first-born ordained to the Aaronic Priesthood, it has been nothing short of a spiritually action-packed week.

I'll start with today and work backwards, I guess.  This was Coy and my first Sunday back at church after his arrival into our family.  Luckily, my Dad was able to join us for Guy's ordination.

He also stayed a while and played with us after church.  It's neat to see my family which 18 months ago looked like a family of mostly girls, suddenly blossom into a family of equal parts women & equal parts future priesthood brethren! :)  It's truly amazing what God can do with our lives in a very short amount of time.

Anyway, I'm happy for Guy.  He advanced from Primary to the Young Men's program and also received his Faith in God award which we've worked on together pretty consistently over the years.

Age 11/12 has been a bit of a trying time for us.  Has anyone else found this to be the case?  I'm so glad Guy now has the structure and principles of the Priesthood to help guide him through this next part of his adolescence, because I was truly running out of ideas.  More and more, I see the need to step back and let the principles that we have taught him rest upon his soul and let him take these next steps as independently as he seems to want.  Some steps in life must be taken alone (although I'm of course always here for when he will eventually need me again! :)  

As for our other children, we're all settling in ok with having a new baby around.  My 19-month old Val loves the baby.  My girls do too.

Scarlett, my ten-year old is so very helpful...beyond helpful, she is my second in command...always willing to jump up and see to every need.  What a blessing she is to me.

The other great event of the week is that we blessed Coy the day after Thanksgiving.  I have to say that although it didn't happen exactly the way I would have had it, what mattered most was that my husband had the power and authority to bless him with the priesthood.  And above all else, these are the things that matter.

 When my mother-in-law came to visit last week, she kept pointing out that I have "two families" now, my older children (ages 12, 10, 9) and my younger children (ages 5, 19 months, and newborn).  While I tend to not want to see it that way, in a way her point is valid.  One group is advancing to spiritual and personal independence, while the other is almost completely dependent on me for everything.  One group has been instructed well and taught over years of family home evenings, scripture study, made covenants, etc and must now put what they've been taught into practice, while with the other group, we are basically starting over from scratch!

The great promise in all of this is that we have all of these varied personalities, experiences, and testimonies now in our family to help each other along the path from oldest to youngest.  It will be very interesting to see how the next chapter of our parenting and family journey unfolds!  Wish us luck...we'll need it!!! :)

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Our boon baby is here!

Hallelujah, we had our baby!

Coy Boone Christensen joined our family on Monday, October 30th, 2017.  Just about everything about the labor was different from my others, but his actual entrance into the world was marked by peace, quiet, and calm.  It was very sweet.  And he is just wonderful!

I am super excited, first that he came, second, that he came on the due date that I had in my head, third that he is a boy, and fourth, I'm just so happy that I am not pregnant anymore.  You know, you just get to that point where you're mentally and physically and in every way possible just at your max.  And then one day, it's all over.  And that day finally came for me.  It's amazing the lessons we women learn through childbearing, child-rearing, or even having those blessings withheld.  Powerful lessons one way or another.

I am so grateful for the six major blessings in my life--my children.  Each child different and delightful in their own ways.  Each a gift I am still unwrapping as the days and years pass.  I don't know that there will be anymore children joining our family, but I am sure feeling super blessed to have had these!  I turned 40 a few weeks ago, and I really wouldn't have wanted to spend my 40th birthday doing anything else.

I am so grateful to each of my children (and my husband)  who've helped so much during my pregnancy and beyond to facilitate welcoming another baby into our family.  It's never easy.  It always turns things upside-down for a time until the upheaval settles into a new normal.  And we get stronger again as we adapt and learn how to do things better together.

One major thing we've been dealing with is that Coy has had jaundice, which we've never experienced before. Because of our non-matching blood types (and Coy being Coombs positive), Coy's case was a little bit more serious than most.  So we found ourselves in the ER the day after we returned from the hospital, but we've been working hard to get his bilirubin number lowered and I think he's going to be just fine.

Through this, I've had wonderful women support me and my family by stepping in to babysit last-minute and bring meals, etc.  I am so grateful for these generous friends.  Their help made it much easier to deal with the unexpected doctor's visits and ER trip.  And having my Mom come help has been awesome as well.

Anyway, that's all.  Just giving you the long and the short of it.  If you're wondering about his name, we chose Boone as in "boon" because he is a blessing to our family.  We chose Coy partially because we wanted another three-letter name for our third boy, but liked Coy for it's old English meaning: quiet, calm, reserved.

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Pregnancy Olympics FHE

For Family Home Evening tonight, we staged what we are calling the Pregnancy Olympics!

I came up with the idea after seeing my kids stuffing pillows up their shirts yesterday pretending to be pregnant.  I thought it would be fun to hold an Olympic games of pregnancy, just to kind of help them see what it's like to be in My shoes!

They had a blast.  We all did.

Here are some of the events which were run with pillows and blankets up their shirts (and down some pants).  Some events had them also wearing a backpack loaded down with heavy 2 liter bottles.

Most of the events were timed, such as this "baby crawl."

And the "roll over in bed" event which had them rolling across the floor.  

There was also an event that tested their balance (running across a balance beam while weighed down by 2 liters) and agility (running through a room littered with legos.)

In another event, the kids had to fold a large pile of towels.  The winner was the one who folded the most towels correctly.

 Of course no Olympic Games would be complete without an awards ceremony.

I didn't make any medals or anything, but the winners were announced and everyone enjoyed their bags of Skittles.

Afterward, we talked about what it takes to put yourself in other people's shoes, what it takes to have empathy for others.  Steve encouraged the children to think of the games we played tonight and to keep thinking of ways to help me out over the next few weeks of this pregnancy and beyond.

(*Thanks to my husband for thinking up most of the events and being the MC!)

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Reading the Book of Mormon Together as a Family (Round 3)

As you know, our family has been working hard to read the Book of Mormon together EVERY day as President Monson admonished in the previous General Conference. With our multiple moves and me being pregnant, we hadn't been doing as well as we could have with daily reading, so we redoubled our efforts.

Well, this morning, we finished reading the Book of Mormon together as a family for the third time!

We enjoyed the ending of the book a lot more this time, I think because over the last week or so--with the end in sight--we started reading longer stretches of material, instead of just pecking at it.

This morning, I was awake a lot earlier than usual, so I made lunches, made breakfast, and made a cozy atmosphere for us to eat breakfast in and lounge around the fireplace a bit while I read the final three chapters of the Book of Mormon with my kids.

We talked about how we can know that the Book of Mormon is true and who we will see at the judgment bar of God.  We pondered what spiritual gifts might be found within each of us, and we talked about what blessings are ours as a family as the words of the Book of Mormon are passed down from one generation to another.

We also talked about when we might go celebrate together our latest reading accomplishment.  The first time we finished the book together, we had a Book of Mormon party.  The second time, we went on an awesome family trip to see the Hill Cumorah pageant and tour a temple.  This time, we're going to jump at a trampoline place, because, well you all know what I'm going to say here...Mommy's pregnant and due in two weeks~!  The kids are A-ok with this plan to celebrate together!  (And no I will not be jumping!)

Tomorrow...we'll start at the very beginning...a very good place to start.

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Turning 40 & Having a Baby Shower

I've got about two days left in my thirties, people!   My Instagram account handle is "In the Twinkling of an Eye" because, for me that's how fast life flies by, and I want to remind myself of that fact.

I've mentioned now quite a few times how harrowing it was to be uprooted and moved across the state during the last year.  The hardest thing for me was leaving the people, the women and Mom-friends who've been such a huge support to me over my child-bearing and early-rearing years.  They've comforted me, brought me meals, and most of all advised me.  I miss that.

Despite all of my lamenting here on the old blog, I have been incredibly blessed to be surrounded by a large group of extremely giving, caring, and compassionate women both in and outside of the church in my new community who have helped me so much along the way during this pregnancy and since we moved here.  The Lord knew that I would need a lot of hand-holding, so he sent me to a place where there were apparently a lot of people selfless enough to want to do that for me!  And for that I am most grateful and contantly amazed at their kindness to me.

Earlier this week, my friends threw me a baby shower. I used to feel weird about getting gifts from people at baby showers, but over the years of baby showers I've come to understand how powerful it is to come together as women and express love and support for one another in this way.  It is not at all about the gifts.  It is about the words that are said, the laughter, and sometimes tears.

My last baby shower was special to me in that there were ladies there who've known me since my oldest was 18 months old and have seen me through so much.

This baby shower was special to me because the room was filled with new ladies in my life who have stepped up to be by my side when they didn't have to.  Some have watched my children, brought me meals, talked me off proverbial cliffs and assured me that everything was going to be ok.  And in short order, I've come to love and so appreciate their presence in my new life here in Pittsburgh.

Some of those women I'd put in that category have been some of you reading this post right now.  I have so appreciated how perfect "strangers"--at least people I've never met in person--have felt to reach out to me over the last year (or earlier than that) to say thank you for your post or I felt like sharing this with you or I want you to know you're doing great, etc.

It means so much.

In my youth, I used to want to have a lot of friends.  But as I've grown I've realized that having just a few really good friends who help me in my journey towards Christ is all I really need in life.

And luckily, I have been blessed with just that!  So thank you!

Thanks for reading and commenting and emailing me to show love and support from afar, and thanks to my friends for showering me with their love right here in Cranberry!

40's, here I come...

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Is the Book of Mormon Written for Us?

Is the Book of Mormon written for us?  Did the prophets writing therein really see our day and our "doings?"

As our family gets closer to our goal of finishing the Book of Mormon together for the third (?) time, it becomes increasingly apparent that it is written specifically for us and they most certainly did see our day.

Sixteen chapters away from the finale of the book, this is sometimes comforting and at times disturbing as it feels like the sins of our generation are on full blast on the big screen of our scripture reading each morning.

As a result, it makes it very easy to "apply the scriptures unto ourselves," just as it was easy to apply General Conference to ourselves last week.

While reading Ether Chapter 6, it was very easy to compare our family's recent move and all of the travails we've experienced before, during, and since to the journey of the people of Jared across the ocean.  It says that the Lord sent a wind to blow them continuously (344 days straight) until their barges reached the promised land.  I'm so grateful to a college friend who taught me during an FHE one evening to look at the storm and see that it was the method that the Lord used to bring the people to a better place.  Our storms can do the same thing for us.  We also noted that although there was darkness all around them and they spent most of their time buried under water and tossed about, they did not have to cross in darkness because of the faith of the Brother of Jared in Jesus Christ...and we don't have to either.

In Ether Chapter 8, which we read yesterday, we see the reintroduction of secret combinations into what was previously a peaceful beginning to their new society in what we know as the Americas.  Because of a thirst for power, people entered into oaths with one another to uphold the wicked behavior of their leaders or those who wished to lead.  We learn that these secret oaths are had among all nations and are as old as Cain and that the author of these secret combinations is Satan himself.  Moroni warns the modern gentiles (talking to us) to guard against these secret combinations and to not let them get above us, because if we do, it will prove, as with all people, to lead to our utter destruction.

Are these secret combinations had among us?  They most certainly are, if one glance at the news this week is any indication.  I couldn't sleep last night, and made the "mistake" of taking in all of the details of the latest sex scandal in Hollywood--and it's a big one.  Being a news person my main interest was discovering why this wasn't reported sooner by certain news outlets.  I remember seeing this man on TV during a news clip of the Oscars earlier this year and thinking, "Wow, he looks like a real sleazeball."  Little did I know how true that inkling was.  And how disgusting it was last night to read all of the accusations against him and even more disturbing to know that no one stood up to him, in fact, his associates aided and covered for him in a wide range of industries (including media and journalism companies) in order to gain access to his power.

As someone who worked in a lot of professional environments with a lot of powerful people before marrying and becoming a mother, I have some surprising insight into how widespread this kind of behavior is and how much people thirst for power, access to powerful people, and fame in our society.  As a young female, I got to see firsthand how men at almost any level of power prey on the young, eager, and naive women around them.  And my friends who worked in similar fields can share similarly harrowing tales.

Did the prophets of the Book of Mormon see our day.  I testify that they absolutely did, which is what makes it such a powerful tool in our lives today.

As Elder Nelson taught in General Conference, "The Book of Mormon provides the fullest and most authoritative understanding of the Atonement of Jesus Christ to be found anywhere.  It teaches what it really means to be born again...The full power of the gospel of Jesus Christ is contained in the Book of Mormon. Period."

So is it possible to turn our society around and become the kind of people who can dwell with God?  The Book of Mormon shows us that people can turn around rather quickly, if we desire to.  In Ether 9, we read that after losing the kingdom to his conspiring, wicked son, King Omer and then his son King Emer rule in righteousness...so much so that the Lord poured out his blessings upon the land and King Emer saw Jesus Christ in person.

However, we don't want to be flip-floppers during our probationary state--during our lives.  We don't want to be lukewarm.  The world will do what it will do, but we must worship the Lord and obey His commands so that we can cross through the darkness of this world with our lights shining brightly.

I tuned in only at the very end of last night's Face to Face live Youtube event, but what I heard in the last 5-10 minutes was beautiful.  

One young woman talked about standing strong against temptations and how hard that is as a youth today because they are faced with so many evil things.  She said that she thinks about someday after this life we will all sit around a table with the prophets.  She said that no one will want to say, "Oh, my life was easy."  We will say, "I worked hard.  I tried my best. I stood strong," etc.  Not one of us will say it was easy, but it will have been worth it, and our personal storms will be what brought us to a glorious end, to our personal promised land, if we have faith enough in the Savior to make the journey with His help and the help of the wisdom provided in this sacred book, which if read daily can qualify us for heaven's help in our lives.  Help we will certainly all need more and more of in the days ahead!

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Columbus Day Quills

For so many years our kids have had Columbus Day off from school, so for so many years we've taken the opportunity to do some sort of Columbus Day-realted craft/activity together.

Some of our favorites have been:  painting pumpkin globes, making puffy paint earths, painting ocean scenes, and building ships that really rock.

This year, in our new house and in a new town, we were pleasantly surprised to see that our new school district also takes the day off.

I was almost stumped for a fresh craft/lesson idea, and the kids really wanted to repeat one we had done previously, but I managed to pull a new one out at the last minute.

During Family Home Evening tonight, we read some excerpts from the 1992 Ensign article "Columbus and the Hand of God."  We mostly read Columbus' own words about how he learned things, where he felt that his talents came from and the purpose he felt those talents were given to him for.  Christopher Columbus was not highly educated formally but he was highly driven  to learn and felt that all of his gifts and knowledge were gifts from God who had a higher purpose for him.

As a family we talked about these attributes of Columbus.  He was driven to fulfill what he felt the Holy Spirit was guiding him to.  He wasn't afraid of hard work. He was persistent, and he gave the glory to his Creator.

We also talked about how important it was that Columbus kept a journal.  That is the only way we know what motivated him. 

We talked about how important it is for each of us to keep a journal to record our beliefs.  We can also record times when we have felt the Holy Ghost guiding us and how we've used our talents.  I challenged the children to figure out what the Lord wants them to do with their lives and stop at nothing to accomplish that.  Be willing to make sacrifices and to give credit to God.

We then followed some online tutorials and did our own hackjob version of making feather pens or quills.

The kids were impatient with the making of the pens at first, but then kept writing and writing their testimonies.  They were very slow to break away from that activity, so I'm calling that a win!

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The Magic Really Does Wear Off at Midnight

Do you ever have those moments where you feel like something magic is happening? Of course, magic isn't really the right word, but you just know you're getting help from somewhere...perhaps heavenly help?

Those are moments I don't ask questions, but just proceed to get stuff done while heavenly eyes are smiling upon me.

This is how I felt on Friday.

I had promised to take a meal to my friend (and visiting teachee), but I hadn't been able to get to the grocery store until that day.  And being pregnant, I was worried that I'd be in pain or too tired from shopping to actually get the meal made!  Because that happens, basically every other day to me.

But on Friday morning, I was feeling good, really good.  I had a good night's rest, so I headed to the grocery store with just two goals in mind: get food so our family could eat and so I could complete my mission of taking a meal to my friend and gather ingredients to then (if I wasn't too wiped out) make some freezer meals for after the baby comes.

My shopping trip (with two kids in tow) went remarkably smoothly, and bringing the groceries inside didn't completely destroy my pregnant body.

Again, magic.  

As long as I feel good, I thought, I'll keep working.

I put together three batches of the white chicken chili I planned to take to my friend: one for her, one for us, and one to freeze.  Then I proceeded to put together a bunch of freezer meals (following the recipes found here.)

Whew!  That was an major undertaking, one I had not tried before.

Meanwhile, my little prince woke up early from his nap.  That day was his 18 month birthday, his half-birthday, if you will.

I wanted to make his day special, so we cracked open the donuts that I picked up at the grocery store.  Val proceeded to eat them sideways and wipe the crumbs off the table with his chubby little feet.  He then wanted books read to him, lots and lots of books, which was good because I needed to sit down.

He also wanted me to wrap him up over and over again in the blanket that I crocheted for him this summer.

All of these things made me feel good.  All of these things were the perks of motherhood and I recognized them as things I didn't want to pass up, just because I had "work to do."

Sitting down also had the effect of notifying my body that since I was almost done with my "mission" the "magic" was quickly wearing off!  And I was moments away from turning into a pumpkin!

I struggled through pain to finish the last of my freezer meals and get them into the garage freezer.  Then I hopped in the car for a few ingredients that I missed the first time at the store and to drop the food off at my friend's house.

I decided to grab her some chocolate, because any woman recovering from surgery probably would appreciate a secret personal stash of Cadbury chocolate.

As I loaded up the food to take to my friend, the spirit whispered, you've got all these freezer meals, don't you think you could spare one more for your friend?

Yes, yes, I could spare another meal for her. Yes, I could be more generous given the fact that the Lord had given me the strength to do so much that day...so much that I absolutely didn't have the power to do on my own.

When I finally dropped the dinners off to my friend, I was pleasantly surprised to hear her say, "That's my favorite candy bar!"

Of course, it was!  I didn't know that, but the spirit knew it.  I had originally chosen a Hershey bar, but then saw Caramellos (which I prefer) on sale and changed my mind. 

The Lord knew what would be a treat for my friend.  The Lord knew what I was and was not capable of given my physical limitations and gave me the strength to do what feels right now to me like the super-human.

Today, I am super in pain, but I don't regret it.  I cherish knowing that the Lord was able to use me to show love for my friend who has shown a lot of love for me.

And, yes, I have a date with a chiropractor tomorrow!! :)  Which I'm sure is also a blessing in disguise!

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Books to Prepare Toddlers for a New Baby

    

I have recommended many books on this blog...so many that I'm sure I'd be hauling in the cash had I become an Amazon affiliate long ago, but I'm too much of a journalistic purist to do that. I basically only recommend things that I really, really like, things that actually have helped me in my own life, and I don't get paid for it.  So, you know I'm a legit source and will tell it to you straight when I recommend something to you!  This list of recommended books is no different.

The first book I'm recommending is so ridiculously cute, even you will want to cuddle and tickle and feed and change and finally tuck in the baby found inside its toddler-proof pages.  

It's called "Snuggle the Baby" by Sara Gillingham.

Next up is a book which I believe might be out of print, but is easily found used online. 

It's called "See How You Grow (A Lift-the-Flap Body Book)".

Whenever we are pregnant and expecting a new baby, we like to talk with our children about how this baby came to be.  I've recommended other books on this topic in the past (more specifically about growth & reproduction), but I recently discovered this one, and I really like it.

The neat thing about this book is the lift-the-flap aspect.

Here's just one example of how the life-the-flaps really tell a thousand words!

This book discusses changes in the body and development from baby to adulthood as well as giving insight into how a baby is made and brought into this world.  Really a cool book.

*(Another book, which I have not check out yet, but seems to be similar in format and newer is called "Before Your Were Born" by Jennifer Davis.)

Staying in this vein, I recently discovered this book by Joanna Cole who has a whole line of sibling/new baby books.  This one called "When You Were Inside Mommy" is a little different.  Instead of focusing on how a children will help after a baby comes along, it reassures the older sibling with the knowledge that he or she was once inside Mommy and how truly special that is.  It talks a bit about how a baby is created, and is just a really sweet book.

"On Mother's Lap" by Ann Herbert Scott is a really tender book that helps to reassure children that there will always be room on Mother's lap.  The illustrations show an Eskimo family and has this really calm feel to it.  It's different than most toddler books, but definitely one that you'll enjoy sharing with your child!

And here's a bonus share for this list, intended for the Mother-to-Be and spouse, not for children.  It was given to me by my doctor with my first child, which I largely ignored, but in recent pregnancies have relied more on it, because it's brief and explains things really well.  It also is where I found the recommendation for two of the books on this list.

It's called "Prepared Childbirth: The Family Way" by Debby Amis and Jeanne Green.  Since it came from a birthing class that I took during my first pregnancy along with a load of papers, it's just one of those things I ignored and took a little for granted, but I like that it gives you each step of labor with helpful ideas for mother AND father/support person.  Yes, I made my husband re-read it even though this is our sixth child.  The ideas are presented with brevity, so it's like a quick reference manual.

Ok, that's my list of recommendations.  Now tell me, do you have a favorite baby book you'd like to share with me?

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Answers from #LDSConf

Despite being uber pregnant, having what feels like a displaced tailbone, and nurturing a sick toddler, this General Conference weekend went by faster and easier than any other I can remember.  What a blessing!

Swiftly too came answers to personal questions I have about my life--answered by one talk after another.

I hope the same was true for you.

I'm going to list some of the talks that held answers for me more as a way to remember the feelings I felt, so I can remember which talks I want to really hone in on in my personal study, although they all were great!

You can listen to or watch the talks at this link: General Conference Oct 2017.  

(I will also link to each talk below. If you'd like to listen to it in full just click on each speakers' name.)

Elder Rasband's talk touched me the most by far, but I'll just organize the talks as they correspond to my personal questions.  Also I tried not to put quotes around most of the quotes because they are only from my notes and not official transcripts:

Question 1:

1.  Why did You move our family away from the place we knew and loved to this new unfamiliar place? 

Answers to Question 1:

Elder Rasband: 

"Looking back, I realize I did not orchestrate any of those moves, the Lord did.  Just as he is orchestrating important moves for you and for those you love."

"Allow Him to make more of you than you can on your own."

"Treasure His involvement.  Sometimes, we consider changes in our plans as missteps on our journey.  Think of them more as first steps to being on the Lord's errand."

"Heavenly Father can put us in situations with specific intent in mind.  He has done so in my life and He is doing so in yours."

"Each of us is precious and loved by the Lord who cares, who whispers, and who watches over us in ways that are unique to each of us."

You and I may call these intersectings coincidence, but coincidence is not an appropriate word to describe the inner workings of God.  His workings are by divine design.

Looking back, we can see His hand in our lives.

The Lord is guiding you. By divine design He is in the details of your life as well as the major milestones.

John C. Pingree: 

"Does the Lord have a work for you to do? Yes!"

You have been reserved and preserved for this time in the world. Focus on serving others. (Approach decision points in your life by thinking of how you can make decisions that will help you to serve others.  Use your talents to build others.  Use your trials to grow.  Rely on God to help you.  Don't be distracted by worldly things. Don't be discouraged by Satan. Remain humble by deflecting personal praise.  Give the glory to God instead.

Stanley G. Ellis:

Hard is good.

Hard strengthens us, humbles us, and draws us to Him.

Hard is the constant.  We all have challenges.
The only variable is our reaction to hard.

Question 2:

How can we re-strengthen our family relationships and increase the holy spirit and the spirit of unity in our home?

Answers to Question 2:

David A. Bednar: 

He explained that Sabbath Day observance and Temple worship (making and keeping sacred covenants) are a sacred time and place where we can become partakers of the "exceedingly great and precious promises" of God, and that as we take what we learn from these two practices and apply them in our homes, we can make our Homes the ultimate combination of these two holy spaces & times.

He advised us to try to escape the corruption of the world and warned us to overcome the casualness of the world.

Bonnie L. Oscarson:  

"Do you childrean realize how much your parents need your help and how much they appreciate your help at home?

She urged us all to change our attitude from "what will we get out of an activity" to "what can I contribute in a given situation.  Who can I help at home? Who needs my friendship at church or at school, etc.

Question 3:

How am I to treat personal devices, social media, and technology use in my life and in the lives of my family/children?

Answers to Question 3: 

Bonnie L. Oscarson:  

To the Youth: "Put down your phone and ask, "Who needs my help right now?"

Jose L. Alonso:

Leave your devices behind and use your hands to help others.

D. Todd Christofferson:  

"We all are the product of all we see, all we do, all we think."

Service is the very fiber on which a sanctified life is built.

"Holiness to the Lord" is to be our moto. "Put out of our lives anything that is inconsistent with a holy life."

Gary E. Stevenson: 

Any virtue taken to the extreme can become a vice.  Social media can be too time consuming, it can present an idealized version of reality, and cause us to make unfair comparisons between ourselves and others.  Success in life doesn't come down to how many likes we get on social media.  

Let us teach and demonstrate the righteous use of social media to the rising generation.  He warned us of indulging in pride which is so evident on social media.

Quentin L. Cook: 

Called attention to 'the humble brag" on social media. Some use "authenticity" as a way to celebrate the "natural man."  We need more modesty and humility.  It is foolish to underestimate the Christlike attributes including humility.  Humility is a sign of spiritual strength.

Question 4:

How am I supposed to interact with people who I perceive live or understand the gospel differently than I do?

Jeffrey R. Holland: 

Don't gloat. Give your help to anyone trying to walk the path back to God.

M. Russell Ballard: 

Embrace anyone who is making the trek back to God, no matter where they are on that journey.

Quentin L. Cook:

We are all equal before God.  All are invited to come unto the Lord.  Anyone who claims superiority is morally wrong.

W. Craig Zwick:

We need to look 'beyond what we can see' in others. 

We must look past our own assumptions about others.
We need to widen the tiny lens of our own experience.

Instead of seeing others through the lens of social media, we need to see them with a spiritual lens. We must see others through the eyes of the Savior.


Aren't we ALL different, come from different countries and backgrounds, etc??  We need to look inward at the Godly qualities of others.

Differences should never be a barrier to kindness.

Truly loving others requires accepting the best efforts of people whose life experiences and limitations we may never fully know.

Joni L. Koch:

In the church, the Lord expects us to be one.  Leave behind perceived differences and concentrate on our common spiritual objectives.

How we act when we are apart, how we talk about each other can detract from the unity of our wards.

We have no right to portray anyone as a badly finished product.  (Doing this indicates our lack of faith in the Atonement.)

Jeffrey R. Holland: 

Refuse to let the flaws of others make us question the truthfulness of the Church.

Our only hope for perfection is receiving it as a gift from heaven.  We can never "earn" it.  Remember that "perfection" in the New Testiment definition means to be "complete."

Gary E. Stevenson:

As with viewing the total solar eclipse, we need protective gospel glasses in order to inform us what is truly important and to keep a "spiritual eclipse" from blocking out the light of Jesus Christ and His gospel.

Steven W. Owen:  

Speaking of the Prodigal Son, he said: We are all prodigals. We all have to "come to ourselves" usually more than once in our lifetimes.

Repentance puts us on the right path and keeps us on the right path.  Being constantly nourished by the good word of God will keep you in the right way.

Russell M. Nelson:

Conversion is an individual matter. Each individual receives a witness and a testimony of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

The Book of Mormon clears up false religious practices.

M. Russell Ballard:

Eliminate any racism, sexism, or nationalism.

President Eyring:

Acknowledged that, like we all, church leaders are imperfect, but we cut our own power when we criticize church leaders who are trying their best.  Jesus Christ is at the helm. He leads this church and His servants.

Question 5:

How can I strengthen myself to deal with my problems and the problems of our day?

Russell M. Nelson:

As you study the Book of Mormon every day and you will make better decisions every day.  You will find answers and direction for your own life.  You will be immunized against the evils of the day, including pornography and other mind-numbing addictions.

We need to feel that the Book of Mormon is true so deeply that we would never want to go a day without it.

The Book of Mormon teaches what it really means to be born again.  It teaches more thoroughly and powerfully about the Atonement of Jesus Christ than any other book.

"The full power of the gospel of Jesus Christ is found in the Book of Mormon. Period."

Jean B. Bingham:

Learn about, have faith in, and live the gospel of Jesus Christ.

When life gets hard, do we look for answers in a 'how-to' book or search for a blog post?  Instead, study the life of Christ, ponder the words of the prophets, pray, and come to know Jesus Christ.

Study the Living Christ.

W. Craig Zwick:

We need to heed our personal spiritual alarms.

Henry B. Eyring:

Faith always overcomes fear.

M. Russell Ballard:

Keep the doctrine of Christ pure.

Warned against get-rich-quick schemes, healing for money, and following those who set themselves up as spiritual leaders, but who are not ordained.

Adilson de Paula Parrella:

We should always act quickly when a prophet speaks.

Ian S. Arden:

Warned against cleverly disguised "caterpillars" who eat away at our spiritual roots.  We must do all we can to fortify ourselves against misinformation by prayerfully reading and pondering the Book of Mormon every day.

"Unless you are fully engaged in living the gospel...you cannot generate enough spiritual light to push back the darkness." - Elder Hales

Neil L. Andersen:

Trusting and believing in the words of His Prophets is vitally important.

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