Remembering Lincoln

"Surely God would not have created such a being as man to exist only for a day! Man was made for immortality." — Abraham Lincoln

I remember studying the life of Abraham Lincoln in elementary school and he has been one of my greatest heroes. I memorized the Gettysburg Address with my fifth grade class and again in 2013 inspired by Getty Ready. The words are some of the most beautiful and sacred ever spoken.  I have had the privilege of visiting the Lincoln Memorial three times and at each visit have been filled with profound reverence. I give thanks for this humble, brilliant, wise President whose belief in God and moral compass saved our Union and abolished slavery. 

Today we honor him on the anniversary of his assassination 150 years ago.

"My concern is not whether God is on our side; my greatest concern is to be on God's side." — Abraham Lincoln

"My dream is of a place and a time where America will once again be seen as the last best hope of Earth." — Abraham Lincoln

What is my purpose?

The purpose of life is not to be happy. It is to be useful, to be honorable, to be compassionate, to have it make some difference that you have lived and lived well.
    Ralph Waldo Emerson

I don't want to drive up to the pearly gates in a shiny sports car, wearing beautifully, tailored clothes, my hair expertly coiffed, and with long, perfectly manicured fingernails.

I want to drive up in a station wagon that has mud on the wheels from taking kids to scout camp.

I want to be there with a smudge of peanut butter on my shirt from making sandwiches for a sick neighbors children.

I want to be there with a little dirt under my fingernails from helping to weed someone's garden.

I want to be there with children's sticky kisses on my cheeks and the tears of a friend on my shoulder.

I want the Lord to know I was really here and that I really lived.

Marjorie Pay Hinckley

Deep Roots

                   Temple Square 

All that is gold does not glitter,

Not all those who wander are lost;

The old that is strong does not wither,

Deep roots are not reached by the frost.

From the ashes a fire shall be woken,

A light from the shadows shall spring;

Renewed shall be blade that was broken,

The crownless again shall be king.

    J. R. R. Tolkien

             - Fellowship of the Ring 

            Spring in my garden and...

               Spring in my heart

This year I am grateful for the beauty and hope of this glorious season - made possible because of "deep roots" that ever bear me up. 

I Sustain the Prophet - Something to Shout About

Annie forwarded this blogpost to me - so well said. Written by April McMurtrey - published in Deseret News - April 7, 2015

President Monson – I Sustain You.

I like to keep a pen and paper close by when I’m watching General Conference, to jot down notes that come to mind. Sometimes when a message means a lot to me, I draw a smiley face, or heart next to it.

I have never drawn a face with a frown and tears descending….until today when President Uchtdorf stood and invited us to sustain the General Authorities of the Church.

When I heard the dissenting votes being yelled out during General Conference, my heart sank and my eyes began to well up. I had heard that this could happen and was actually expecting it, but I was unprepared for the feelings that arose when it did.

I wanted to raise my hand even higher! I wanted to stand when I raised it! I wanted to shout “YES!” I wanted the world to know I sustained the prophet. And especially, I wanted the prophet to know I sustained the prophet.

Right after the dissent occurred, a friend texted me and asked what, if anything, we could do to rally around our beloved prophet, to “circle the wagons” as she put it, to let the prophet know we love and sustain him. We wondered if we should send him a million paper hands in the mail! We contemplated starting a Facebook event to invite others to join us in a worldwide effort to show our love and support for the prophet of God!

Then, I thought….What would the prophet want?

I think he would not want a million paper hands, or a contest of opinions, as much as he would want a million single, living, breathing, committed hearts to His King and ours – Jesus Christ.

So, to sustain my prophet, whom I love dearly, I will do something to show my support. I will defend him. I will share his words. I will do what I have been counseled to do during this conference and all the others.  Then, slowly, I will begin to become something better. I will not justsay I will do something, or intend to be better, or raise my hand without thought. I will commit to KEEP TRYING, until I become more like my Savior. I think that’s what he would want, and what the Lord would want.

So….

I will listen for the music of the Spirit, which will bring more meaning to my daily dance.

I will hush my own fears.

I will fast for the poor.

I will be a better wife and mother by praising, expressing my love, and apologizing more.

I will focus on my Savior during the sacrament and not whisper or allow myself to become distracted.

I will savor, love and focus on the things of God more than the things of man.

I will actively decide to believe Christ, not just wish it to be.

I will focus on things that are essential. My family.

I will not parent by compulsion.

I will be humble, like Shiblon.

I will remember that compared to God, I’m not really that different from whom I’m judging harshly.

I will remember that my husband and I are equal partners.

….And if (when) I fail at any of the above…..

I WILL KEEP PRACTICING.

So, President Monson, because I love and sustain you, I will support you by doing. I will sustain you by trying. I will honor you by slowly but steadily becoming.

I love you President Monson.

And to show my love…

I will follow Jesus Christ.

And because I love my Savior, Jesus Christ,

I will follow His prophet.

Deseret News. April 7, 2015

 Written by AprilMcMurtrey originally appeared

 on Something to Shout About!It has been shared here with the author's permission. April and her husband live in California and serve as ward missionaries. They have three children, two of whom are serving missions and one who is preparing to serve. April is a dyslexia specialist whose favorite things are teaching, reading, writing, bacon and missionary work. (Bacon and missionary work are tied for first!). 

• Twitter58
• Facebook10K+
• Pinterest
• Google
• Tumblr
• Email
• Print

High Holy Days

     Agony in the Garden - Franz Swartz

My Easter preparations have become more sacred and deliberate this year. I have memorized the Living Christ and read The Gospels. I have studied "The Infinite Atonement" (Tad Callister) and attended the Bonneville Stake Class with Missy. 

I became acquainted with "Celebrating a Christ Centered Easter" (Emily Belle Freeman), after reading a review in the Deseret News. This book is a little treasure. I bought a copy for my family members and Annie and I made a banner for them - "Abide With Me". I planted Easter Grass which has been our tradition for decades, reminding us that Hope springs forth from darkness. Today I dyed red eggs using onion skins and will ask my parents to share their testimonies of Jesus Christ during Sunday Dinner. Serendipitously, Sister Kristen Oaks shared the story of the red eggs at the "Infinite Atonement" class the same day I had given the "Christ-Centered Easter" to Missy. The red eggs symbolize the "grandmothers"bearing witness. I want to bear my witness, as a mother and grandmother, daughter, sister, wife and friend that He lives, He loves us and His way is the path that leads to happiness. 

Christ's Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem 

                 Minerva Teichert 

Easter is the holiest of days- because he lives!  This week and always He will be our focus as we celebrate, rejoice and remember that He is the Redeemer of the World!

In an effort to more fully feel my Savior's love and draw closer to Him, I committed to memorize The Living Christ. I was visiting Matthew to celebrate his thirteenth birthday. The Mathisons began memorizing this holy document in preparation for Easter and I decided to join them. This endeavor has been a blessing and great comfort. The sacred words have become part of me as I have repeated them over and over.

  Christ in a Red Robe - Minerva Teichert

         THE LIVING CHRIST

 “The Living Christ: The Testimony of the Apostles,” dated January 1, 2000, was signed by the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.

As we commemorate the birth of Jesus Christ two millennia ago, we offer our testimony of the reality of His matchless life and the infinite virtue of His great atoning sacrifice. None other has had so profound an influence upon all who have lived and will yet live upon the earth. 

He was the Great Jehovah of the Old Testament, the Messiah of the New. Under the direction of His Father, He was the creator of the earth. “All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made” (John 1:3). Though sinless, He was baptized to fulfill all righteousness. He “went about doing good” (Acts 10:38), yet was despised for it. His gospel was a message of peace and goodwill. He entreated all to follow His example. He walked the roads of Palestine, healing the sick, causing the blind to see, and raising the dead. He taught the truths of eternity, the reality of our premortal existence, the purpose of our life on earth, and the potential for the sons and daughters of God in the life to come.

He instituted the sacrament as a reminder of His great atoning sacrifice. He was arrested and condemned on spurious charges, convicted to satisfy a mob, and sentenced to die on Calvary’s cross. He gave His life to atone for the sins of all mankind. His was a great vicarious gift in behalf of all who would ever live upon the earth.

We solemnly testify that His life, which is central to all human history, neither began in Bethlehem nor concluded on Calvary. He was the Firstborn of the Father, the Only Begotten Son in the flesh, the Redeemer of the world.

He rose from the grave to “become the firstfruits of them that slept” (1 Corinthians 15:20). As Risen Lord, He visited among those He had loved in life. He also ministered among His “other sheep” (John 10:16) in ancient America. In the modern world, He and His Father appeared to the boy Joseph Smith, ushering in the long-promised “dispensation of the fulness of times” (Ephesians 1:10).

Of the Living Christ, the Prophet Joseph wrote: “His eyes were as a flame of fire; the hair of his head was white like the pure snow; his countenance shone above the brightness of the sun; and his voice was as the sound of the rushing of great waters, even the voice of Jehovah, saying:

“I am the first and the last; I am he who liveth, I am he who was slain; I am your advocate with the Father” (D&C 110:3–4).

Of Him the Prophet also declared: “And now, after the many testimonies which have been given of him, this is the testimony, last of all, which we give of him: That he lives!

“For we saw him, even on the right hand of God; and we heard the voice bearing record that he is the Only Begotten of the Father—

“That by him, and through him, and of him, the worlds are and were created, and the inhabitants thereof are begotten sons and daughters unto God” (D&C 76:22–24).

We declare in words of solemnity that His priesthood and His Church have been restored upon the earth—“built upon the foundation of … apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone” (Ephesians 2:20).

We testify that He will someday return to earth. “And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together” (Isaiah 40:5). He will rule as King of Kings and reign as Lord of Lords, and every knee shall bend and every tongue shall speak in worship before Him. Each of us will stand to be judged of Him according to our works and the desires of our hearts.

We bear testimony, as His duly ordained Apostles—that Jesus is the Living Christ, the immortal Son of God. He is the great King Immanuel, who stands today on the right hand of His Father. He is the light, the life, and the hope of the world. His way is the path that leads to happiness in this life and eternal life in the world to come. God be thanked for the matchless gift of His divine Son.

Our California Adventure

   

We rented a Balbo Island beach house for almost five weeks. It was a perfect location and time of year. 

I enjoyed ocean breezes, porch sitting, the hummingbird in her nest outside the kitchen window, reading, walking and running the island, biking the boardwalk, sunrise and sunsets, Crystal Cove beach walks and vistas, visits from Lindsleys, Borens, Brintons and Mathisons, Menloves and their Sunshine House hospitality, Minnie Marguerite Menlove's blessing day, Rebekah's birthday and dance performance at Disneyland, William Dean Menlove's third birthday at Disneyland, dinner with Taylor's in San Clemente, Kacey and Dan's Sunday visit,

lunch and shopping with Betsy and visiting with her family, celebrating our 39th anniversary, Newport Beach Temple sessions, Balboa Bars, Nektar, Shirley's, Bear Flag, the Beachcomer, Gulfstream, Houston's and The Shake Shack - contemplation, prayer and peace -Lots of love and happiness.