New Blog

Check out my new Blog on how to share the gospel through online media and the internet...

www.sharethegospelonline.blogspot.com

I will be adding new posts to this blog too soon.

Have a good week :)

Sarah,

Treasure

First I walk, then I run, Another Late night spent among real friends but soon enough early morning comes again. Hair brush, make up, purse all stuffed into my bag, no time for breakfast or a quick TV fix. IPod on, ear plugs in, door slammed behind.

I cannot break the habit. The bus is in sight; my shoe goes flying behind me as I catch my step.  Travelers begin queuing to get there ticket and take turns paying the unshaven driver, underpaid, under appreciated.
 we're all in the same boat.
 Holding the shoe and purse in one hand and my unkempt shoulder bag I run to the driver, dragging in breathes,waving my crumpled ticket. Once again my Luck precedes me.

The bus is packed, school kids, teenage mothers, old age pensioners and buggies everywhere. One seat left for me, until the next stop, I stand and an old man with a red and white knitted hat takes my place. Plugged out of reality I go to my own place, a beauty amongst the sweaty arms holding on for dear life to yellow painted poles placed in tedious places as the bus swerves and shakes. We stop again; I look out the window and what do I see… no popcorn popping just a man eating safety glass on the floor, I blink again, still there. Punched in glass off an advert board at the bus stop, cigarette holes burned into another, glass everywhere.

We are somewhere else now, A green pumpkin is rolling down the side of the road a man follows it, trying to grab at it, faithfully it continues to  rolls down the road.

Another bus, another queue but it’s there and so am I too, purse out, head phones off, wouldn’t it be nice… to be a red double Decker, but business blue for a town that does not care. Less people sit upstairs, a snoozing women on the left, a chubby bold man at the back, and a cowboy near the front.
 I take a place somewhere in the middle. So tired so bored, where’s my lunch? *sigh* what am I doing here...

Who is this cowboy? Cowboy Boots, Cow boy Hat, Bolo, he’s kitted up.  Thick accent… Is he American?

 A little portable radio is strapped to his waist, Country music, what else. Foreigners are the norm but this one is a character. I watch hypnotized by his lulling country notes, from nowhere he pulls out a bulky white tube sock, he’s humming along now. His wrinkled hand snakes its way to the bottom of the sock clasping the bulk, stuck like a monkey trap, his other hand peels away the sock and a treasure is revealed. I scour the bus, am I the only one seeing this, this is real. His eyes sparkle with the reflection of a beautiful clear cut crystal sitting in the grasp of his big boned hands. I remember to breathe once more. The dull white sock resting on his lap gets swooped up and suddenly it becomes a polishing cloth. Despite the tattered appearance of the sock it encourages more light to hit its pure stunning face and beautify the dull space of the cankering bus.

How can such beauty be found amongst such dull nothingness?

It can’t be true.

Can it?

Matthew 6:20-21

lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:

For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

Whose driving that car?

Where are your friends taking you?


I remember listening to a John Bytheway talk once and something he said really struck me. He was talking about being in a car with your friends and being on a journey. He asked what is your destination? who is in control of the vehicle? who is going on the journey with you?

It made me think about how important it is to have good friends around you, as they will have an influence on you in your thoughts, decisions and in who you are becoming.

In thinking deeper about the car analogy, this i think can apply a lot to the younger generation but can still apply to every age depending on what  role our friends play in our lives.

My Family

 In the groups of friends that we have, who is/ are the ones, having the most influence on us? is this the person driving us to our destination? Is the destination a place of peace happiness and progression or are they taking us in the wrong direction towards careless choices, misery and poor judgement of others? do they encourage us to be a better version of ourselves and are they there for us in our time of need? Do they like a good catch up on gossip during the week and when you need them for support are too busy for a one to one?
 
Sometimes the best and most reliable friends we have are the ones who we are related to. I think i can count my dear sisters and my parents as the best friends that i have ever had. They sacrifice for me, they love me even when i am being down right stupid and they forgive so easily. Family is something i hope i will never take for granted.

So how do we surround ourselves with good friends?

To have good friends, be a good friend. Show genuine interest in others; smile and let them know you care about them. Treat everyone with kindness and respect, and refrain from judging and criticizing those around you. -Strength for youth. Lds.org

How much of ourselves do we give?

Personally i think that sometimes you need to spring clean when it comes to friends, if there are friends that are having too much of a negative effect on you, then maybe it is time to walk away from that friendship. I have friends that need my help and support and maybe going through a rough time and all i want to do is give them all of me, all my time attention love and care, this can be good in the right measure but too much involvement in others problems can potentially drain us and drag us down and put us in an undesirable situation. There is only so much help you can give a person, they need to do there part and if they need professional help then encourage them to seek it.

A friend in Christ

John 15:13 'Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.'

Surely there cannot be a greater friend we have than in our dear brother Jesus Christ who suffered all that we might live. we have so much to learn from his example, the way he treats his fellow men. he is not concerned about surrounding himself with the most popular likeable people, he didn't care if his best friend had an indoor swimming pool or the best taste in music. He went about with his disciples and his apostles, he loved them, healed their sick ones,taught them how to gain treasures in heaven and helped them with their unbelief. Surely we have a thing or two to learn form his divine example.

That's just not fair.

Ever had one of those days where you wake up, walk into the wall, stub your toe on the door, drop your tooth brush down the toilet and stumble out of the front door then realized you've locked your keys inside the house/flat?

Then punching the air or shaking your fists you ask the common question. why me?

In a very mild and comical way i wanted to use the example of a personal day to day annoyance to  illustrate something serious and relative to all people.

One of the old age questions often asked is what is the purpose of suffering? why are there so many people suffering? why does God not interfere?

Whether it is a really awful day or depression or illness or starvation and famine we are all familiar with suffering happening around us or in our own homes.

So Whats the point of it all?

Kenneth H. Beesley tries to categorize the possible reasons in six points

1. Suffering caused by God

  There is evidence that God sometimes intervenes in the events of this world. The scriptures suggest that suffering may sometimes be a form of loving chastisement from the Lord.  but not all suffering is caused by unrighteousness. 

2. Suffering caused by our own actions

 Human error, and the violation of civil, natural, or eternal laws may frequently cause us pain.  Through rationalization, projection, or selective inattention, we so often excuse ourselves, blaming our self-induced problem on someone else. 

3. Suffering caused by others

 Less dramatic but very real suffering can be caused by an unkind word, a slight or discourtesy. A person can be hurt by an unfair or dishonest business transaction.

4. Unintentionally produced suffering

Sometimes a person may bring suffering on himself or others unintentionally. Insensitivity to the feeling of others or misunderstanding of another’s motives often is to blame. 

5. Suffering caused by an act of nature 

 Floods, earthquakes, violent storms, or other cataclysmic occurrences in nature frequently destroy property, cause injuries, or take lives. While God has at times calmed the storms, the forces of nature are, for the most part, allowed to function unhindered. 

6. Suffering caused by a mechanical failure or malfunction that causes an accident.

 Why? Did God cause it? Was it a punishment for past sins? I think not. Danger is simply inherent in this life. Still, although God seldom causes suffering, he does allow it.

God gave us all the gift of free agency, to make choices for our self without him interfering he allows things to happen and for us to go through things so that we may learn and grow from the and by using the power of Christ Atonement it allows us to change and become something more.

It is tough to accept that there is suffering and like the power puff girls that i used to watch when i was little i want to save the world and take away all the suffering just like Miss world would say.

I sometimes find myself surrounded with people i care about suffering and wanting to help them so much and to fix there problems. I weep for them sometimes not knowing what i can possibly to do help them  when i am away from them. whilst studying the Scriptures i came across a verse in  the Bible which says

<----- James 5:16

 I know that God answers even the seemingly insignificant prayer because he love us. He might not always give us what we want and when we want it but our prayer are important and effective. This has brought me a lot of comfort knowing that i cant solve every problem and take away all suffering but along with the little things that i can do, I can pray.

Something that personally keeps me going is reading Joseph B Wirthlin's talk "come what may and Love it." Especially the advice to learn how to laugh in stressful situations! 

 

http://www.lds.org/general-conference/2008/10/come-what-may-and-love-it?lang=eng

 

What do your words say about you?

Cussing/Swearing

I was brought up one of those children with a mother that would threaten to wash my mouth out with soap if I did not watch what i say...(I hope my mum does not read this :P)
Growing up with people around you where every other word that proceeds from their mouth is a cuss word, can be difficult for you to watch your own words and sometimes find yourself slipping up. I noticed that some people of the same faith as me would substitute swear words with other words that rhymed or sounded similar but never quite worked because when you're trying to figure out what in the world they are talking about, you make the connection back to its source and then the word is in your head. 

In the same way things that we hear around us can effect us, what about when no one is around us and we let one slip? What kind of effect can that have on us?
I don't know if there is quite one successful way to protect yourself from hearing bad language apart from choosing your environment and the people that surround you. I admit i am one of those people that constantly have a pair of headphones plugged in each ear when traveling or waiting around in public places but that in itself can be a danger for more than one reason. As a lover of good music as most people, it can be hard to be selective on the music you listen to especially if the song has a killer bass but the lyrics are boarder line inappropriate. I am just grateful that you can buy clean versions of popular songs nowadays. However Swearing and cussing is just one way words can effect you.

Gossip

We know that bad thoughts can lead to bad action  but what when we do not think before we speak? I am so guilty of that. Sometimes we can be too casual with our words, we may wrongly give an opinion of someone or have heard a rumor about someone and then take it and share it as a fact.
How unfair is that? I think i can easily say in one way or another most of us have experienced being on the one end of such misunderstandings or intentionally or unintentionally being the source. This can lead to more gossip more rumors, bad feelings, friendships being broken, all because of a simple misunderstanding or a casual sentence here and there. With such things related to sexual sin and misuse of substances and other such sins there can be harsh consequences and punishments in order for us to learn and change. But what about Gossip, profanity and Blasphemy? Pretty easy to wiggle your way out of right? no physical harm, sometimes no one even knows you've done it and when someone does find out about you gossiping about them, it can be a little bit embarrassing at the time but hopefully you both get over it, no trip to the bishops office... Not So.

In Alma 12:14 it says: For our words will condemn us, yea, all our works will condemn us; we shall not be found spotless; and our thoughts will also condemn us; and in this awful state we shall not dare to look up to our God; and we would fain be glad if we could command the rocks and the mountains to fall upon us to hide us from his presence.

Wow thats a lot of condemning doesn't seem so punish-less after all... there is that saying that when your embarrassed you wish the ground would just swallow you up but here it talks about wanting the mountains to fall upon us. Ouch, that's gotta hurt.

What image are you going for?

The things we say and do, says a lot about who we really are and what people think of us. Women in the world have changed so much over the decades, those in public eye have even gone from being women who love their husbands who are sweet, gentle an kind, obedient, selfless and caring to Women who are independent, who do not need 'a man'  who fend for them selves, who bring home their own bacon who are domineering, career driven, Toughened up and who can crush anyone who stands in their way. It is horrible to see a beautiful woman and then when you get to speak to her she has a tongue that as James puts it of fire... among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell. Bad language and course conversations are not attractive, it kills dignity.
 
Elder Ted E. Brewerton says "Self-control is an effective quality that lifts anyone above the crowd; a memory of a self-controlled person will always be pleasant. We should never lower our dignity by lowering our language."

I feel that learning about this topic was more for me than anyone but i hope it helps make everyone more aware and careful about the things they say because having first hand experienced it, it will bring no good. -Sister Maughan-

I really like this you tube video about this boy who started the No Cussing Club...

 http://www.mormonchannel.org/mormon-messages-for-youth?v=1463159554001