Showing posts with label Temple. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Temple. Show all posts
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Reminiscing
Melissa Chris Reception from Dustin Allen on Vimeo.
I just read my friend Ashlee's post with her wedding video. It made me realize that I had never posted mine. I loved every second of my wedding day. It was perfect in every single way. It was the happiest, most emotional, most spiritual, and all around best day of my life. I am so grateful for my eternal companion and our temple marriage!
Monday, November 7, 2011
Cancer of the Mind
"Pornographic or erotic stories and pictures are worse than filthy or polluted food. The body has defenses to rid itself of unwholesome food. With a few fatal exceptions, bad food will only make you sick but do no permanent harm. In contrast, a person who feasts upon filthy stories or pornographic or erotic pictures and literature records them in this marvelous retrieval system we call a brain. The brain won't vomit back filth. Once recorded, it will always remain subject to recall, flashing its perverted images across your mind and drawing you away from the wholesome things in life."
It seems to me that, lately, I have heard a lot of depressing pornography statistics. Did you know that 82% of college age men admitted to viewing pornography regularly (that's admitted...). In a BYU-Idaho study 62% of male students admitted to having/had pornography problems. Those odds are terrible! Ladies- we are not immune! 32% of college age women admitted having a pornography problem. This epidemic is growing on all planes. No one is immune.
Pornography is such a scary thing. It is terrifyingly accessible and literally impossible to avoid-- even unintentional contact.
For an assignment in my Family Foundations class we were asked to read several talks regarding the issue. The most influential talk (for me) was Pornography given by Elder Dallin H. Oaks in the April 2005 General conference. I received a lot of comfort from this talk and thought I'd share. I hope that you can find some hope in Elder Oaks' words like I did.
The body/mind analogy can be somewhat depressing, but I saw it as a defense mechanism. The first step to protection is prevention. I take comfort in knowing that I can prevent pornography by staying away from all filth, not just that found on the internet. I know I can improve in the areas of the music I listen to, the movies and TV I watch, and the media I read. Elder Oaks says "the test of what is evil is not the degree but its effect." By eliminating the "smaller" evils in life, the "bigger" ones become less of an issue.
My biggest source of comfort came from this statement; "an endowed priesthood bearer's fall into pornography never occurs during periods of regular worship in the temple; it happens when he has become casual in his temple worship." What a great promise! As long as we are renewing our covenants and diligently attending the temple...we cannot fall into pornography. No wonder we have been counseled to have a photo of the temple in every room. The spirit will make us strong and we will be able to resist temptation and our Heavenly Father will bless us.
That's enough from me! I hope that someone, somewhere will benefit from reading this and that we can all protect ourselves from this cancerous addiction.
It seems to me that, lately, I have heard a lot of depressing pornography statistics. Did you know that 82% of college age men admitted to viewing pornography regularly (that's admitted...). In a BYU-Idaho study 62% of male students admitted to having/had pornography problems. Those odds are terrible! Ladies- we are not immune! 32% of college age women admitted having a pornography problem. This epidemic is growing on all planes. No one is immune.
Pornography is such a scary thing. It is terrifyingly accessible and literally impossible to avoid-- even unintentional contact.
For an assignment in my Family Foundations class we were asked to read several talks regarding the issue. The most influential talk (for me) was Pornography given by Elder Dallin H. Oaks in the April 2005 General conference. I received a lot of comfort from this talk and thought I'd share. I hope that you can find some hope in Elder Oaks' words like I did.
The body/mind analogy can be somewhat depressing, but I saw it as a defense mechanism. The first step to protection is prevention. I take comfort in knowing that I can prevent pornography by staying away from all filth, not just that found on the internet. I know I can improve in the areas of the music I listen to, the movies and TV I watch, and the media I read. Elder Oaks says "the test of what is evil is not the degree but its effect." By eliminating the "smaller" evils in life, the "bigger" ones become less of an issue.
My biggest source of comfort came from this statement; "an endowed priesthood bearer's fall into pornography never occurs during periods of regular worship in the temple; it happens when he has become casual in his temple worship." What a great promise! As long as we are renewing our covenants and diligently attending the temple...we cannot fall into pornography. No wonder we have been counseled to have a photo of the temple in every room. The spirit will make us strong and we will be able to resist temptation and our Heavenly Father will bless us.
That's enough from me! I hope that someone, somewhere will benefit from reading this and that we can all protect ourselves from this cancerous addiction.
Saturday, September 24, 2011
A really, really great day....
Today has been "one of those days...." but in a good way- its been a really great day.
First of all...last night I slept very well (that always helps), and I got to sleep in until about 9am this morning. In my opinion 9am is the prime time to sleep into...you didn't sleep the day away but you get enough extra sleep to feel the effects. Anyway....we made waffles and went to a temple session. We went at a great time...not too crowded but there were enough people there to fill a session. We spent some time talking about our plans for future education and careers. It was cool to look forward and have the input of the spirit involved.
Next we went to Cragio's (actually called PizzaPieCafe but no one calls it that), an all you can eat pizza/pasta/salad buffet. This is my favorite place to eat in Rexburg. We also brought our homework with us so we were there awhile which means we ate a lot of pizza.
Then it was time for me to get ready to go to the Relief Society Broadcast. It was such a good meeting. The talks were great, the music was great, my company was great. Here are some of the highlights (for me) from the meeting:
1. Daughters in My Kingdom was mentioned in each of the RS 1st Presidency's talks. So I think you should read it.
2. Visiting teaching was also stressed in 3 of the 4 talks. I think this is important and the church as a whole needs to do better.
3. EVERYTHING that comes out of President Uchtdorf's talk is genius. I was barely able to watch the screen because I was taking notes so furiously. He really knows how to make talks seem personal to the individual. Here are some of the points from his talk:
"Forget Me Not"
Forget not...
-...to be patient with yourself: God knows we are not perfect...no one is. We tend to compare our weaknesses with the strengths of others. Weakness is part of mortality. Strengthening weakness is a long term goal.
-...the difference between a good sacrifice and a foolish one: A good sacrifice is to sacrifice something good for something better.
-...to be happy now. "Remember the simple joy of the candy bar instead of only focusing on the "golden ticket." Be happy with where your life is now. We cannot put our happiness on hold and wait for "better" things to come our way. Appreciate the blessings you do have.
-...the "why" of the gospel: Routines cause us to overlook simple aspects of the gospel and of life. The gospel is not an obligation...it is a pathway. It is a light...illuminating our path. The how and what spring from the why.
-...the Lord loves you: We sometimes feel insignificant and overshadowed. We must remember that our Father in Heaven- the creator of all the earth- knows your name, listens to your prayers, and watches over you. He loves us because we are His children. Allow his love to heal you and soften your sorrow. We are closer to heaven than we realize.
Your future is as bright as your faith.
Such a great talk! I loved every second of it.
And to top it all off.....I was walking out to my car after the broadcast with my friends Merrie and Amberly, and their roommate Amanda, and we found that my car had fruitsnacks, a box of milk duds, and a box of cookie dough was taped on my car. Also, there was a note on my door that said "Love you the most." MY HUSBAND IS SO CUTE. It made me really happy. I am kicking myself that I didn't take a picture, but here is a picture of the bowl of treats I had after we got it all off my car...
48 Bags of Fruitsnacks, 1 Movie Theater-Sized Box of Milkduds, 1 Movie Theater-Sized Box of Cookie Dough
Life is good! :)
First of all...last night I slept very well (that always helps), and I got to sleep in until about 9am this morning. In my opinion 9am is the prime time to sleep into...you didn't sleep the day away but you get enough extra sleep to feel the effects. Anyway....we made waffles and went to a temple session. We went at a great time...not too crowded but there were enough people there to fill a session. We spent some time talking about our plans for future education and careers. It was cool to look forward and have the input of the spirit involved.
Next we went to Cragio's (actually called PizzaPieCafe but no one calls it that), an all you can eat pizza/pasta/salad buffet. This is my favorite place to eat in Rexburg. We also brought our homework with us so we were there awhile which means we ate a lot of pizza.
Then it was time for me to get ready to go to the Relief Society Broadcast. It was such a good meeting. The talks were great, the music was great, my company was great. Here are some of the highlights (for me) from the meeting:
1. Daughters in My Kingdom was mentioned in each of the RS 1st Presidency's talks. So I think you should read it.
2. Visiting teaching was also stressed in 3 of the 4 talks. I think this is important and the church as a whole needs to do better.
3. EVERYTHING that comes out of President Uchtdorf's talk is genius. I was barely able to watch the screen because I was taking notes so furiously. He really knows how to make talks seem personal to the individual. Here are some of the points from his talk:
"Forget Me Not"
Forget not...
-...to be patient with yourself: God knows we are not perfect...no one is. We tend to compare our weaknesses with the strengths of others. Weakness is part of mortality. Strengthening weakness is a long term goal.
-...the difference between a good sacrifice and a foolish one: A good sacrifice is to sacrifice something good for something better.
-...to be happy now. "Remember the simple joy of the candy bar instead of only focusing on the "golden ticket." Be happy with where your life is now. We cannot put our happiness on hold and wait for "better" things to come our way. Appreciate the blessings you do have.
-...the "why" of the gospel: Routines cause us to overlook simple aspects of the gospel and of life. The gospel is not an obligation...it is a pathway. It is a light...illuminating our path. The how and what spring from the why.
-...the Lord loves you: We sometimes feel insignificant and overshadowed. We must remember that our Father in Heaven- the creator of all the earth- knows your name, listens to your prayers, and watches over you. He loves us because we are His children. Allow his love to heal you and soften your sorrow. We are closer to heaven than we realize.
Your future is as bright as your faith.
And to top it all off.....I was walking out to my car after the broadcast with my friends Merrie and Amberly, and their roommate Amanda, and we found that my car had fruitsnacks, a box of milk duds, and a box of cookie dough was taped on my car. Also, there was a note on my door that said "Love you the most." MY HUSBAND IS SO CUTE. It made me really happy. I am kicking myself that I didn't take a picture, but here is a picture of the bowl of treats I had after we got it all off my car...
Life is good! :)
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