Happy New Year!

I just wanted to share a quote from a talk I gave today on staying on the covenant path and

focusing on the Lord in all we do and say:

“Your commitment to follow the Savior by making covenants with Him and then keeping those covenants will open the door to every spiritual privilege and blessing available to men, women, and children everywhere.” ~President Russell M. Nelson

We all need the blessings of the Lord. No matter what Christian religion you espouse to, you make covenants with the Lord, to love and strive to obey Him. I pray that this new year, we will all be diligent in increasing our obedience and devotion to Him, and our dependence upon Him. I pray that we will all do everything we can to strengthen our relationship with Christ and never stray from Him.

May we all become - and stay - strong disciples of the Savior and never turn away from His teachings. And may we all pray to see the big picture and know His individual plan for us.

Christmas Wishes

I pray that this Christmas will be our best yet, full of joy, happiness and gratitude as we remember the Savior and all He has done - and continues to do for us!

It's About Giving as Christ Gives

Christmas has always been my favorite holiday, and it is even more so now. Anytime we get to celebrate the birth, life, and sacrifice of the Savior is awesome, and Christmas is the time of warm fuzzies. It is the time when hearts are open and love for our fellow man seems to be the greatest . . . but it is also the time when commercialization takes over and we become so absorbed with

GETTING and giving gifts that the true reason for the season escapes many.
The past couple of years, we have simplified Christmas in our family and the stress of the holidays is all but gone. We have always tried to concentrate on the Savior, and striven to emulate Him a little more, and now, since simplifying, the getting is far less important than GIVING.

Christmas is about Jesus Christ and all He gave in this mortal life - and continues to give - expecting nothing in return. When He healed, comforted and counseled, He never asked for anything except our obedience to the Father. His heart and very being were so consumed with love that His every thought and deed were focused outward, serving the people until His last breath and beyond. He still serves us today, and that will never stop.
This Christmas and every day after, I pray that we will all hold on to the warm feelings that the season invokes and dedicate our lives to following the Savior's example with everything in us. Only by doing this can we truly come to know Him.

He Has a Reason

God is all-knowing and He does not short-change us - if anything, we do that to ourselves with our choices. He has a reason for every request He grants, as well as the ones that He doesn't. When each of us finally gets to a point in our life when we allow God's will to reign over our own, that is the

time we will truly be prepped and ready to witness His mighty wonders.