Why it Matters

"Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand." ~Ephesians 6:11-13

Every single day, we witness things going on in the world that make this admonition from the Lord

more vital than we can even begin to fathom or understand. The meme below is one of my absolute favorites, however, I decided, just for fun, to search for some other memes online because I love this scripture so much; there are many - countless ones, but sadly on most of them, there is a major difference in word choice due to the different Bible versions. And that one change in word, to me, completely changes the admonition.

The difference? While the translation (in the widely-used King James version, and the 1599 Geneva version) is "the whole armour of God," in some other versions of the Holy Bible, "whole" is changed to "full," which weakens the admonition and takes away some of the urgency, and we CANNOT afford to do that. EVER.
Now, the difference between whole and full is that whole is something complete and entire, nothing missing, while full is utmost measure or extent, the highest state or degree. That is why words are so important. Many people may say, "Oh, it just semantics," but it isn't.

In any case, may we all put on the whole armour of God that we may be entirely and completely protected from the ever-growing evils of this world.

"There You Are, Lord."

Do you ever have moments when you feel so steeped in your own pain and sorrows that you feel completely isolated - even in a room full of loving Relief Society sisters?

So, you've been working your way through the Sabbath morning, enjoying the time with your husband, as well as the added bonus of having a couple of your grand-daughters attending church with you after their fun sleepover with "Mamaw and Boppa."
When you finally get to your meeting, you sit down and suck it up, thinking, "I've got this." Because you know that as long as the Lord is with you, everything is fine.

But this time, you aren't really fine.

Still, the lesson is great, and one that you need at exact moment. Because as you continue to listen,
your eyes begin to wander around the room to various women dealing with trials and griefs of their own, and then your heart follows your eyes, stopping on every person. The love in your heart for these amazing ladies quickly fills you up, warming you from the inside out.

Then you smile and think, "There you are, Lord. Of course, I knew you were here all along. Thank you."

Our Calling

"Today, move away from anything ungodly that is hindering your calling." ~Jonathan Cahn

As children of God, we are taught that we are partakers of a heavenly calling, but many times we forget that there are two parts to a calling - and in order to get to our calling, we must move away from something else. Even though we can't see the full picture or where we will end up in the Lord's calling for us, we CAN see what we need to move away from to get to where the Lord wants us. He

shows us those things for a reason. He does not want anything hindering us from His plans for us, and many times that means moving away from something good or better and on to the best things.

Many fans of my stories have asked when I will be writing more books and my answer is always the same: After years of writing inspirational romance, the Lord shifted my focus and called me another way, and though I shared messages of God's love through those stories, the time came when He wanted my mind and heart completely focused on Him, thereby taking me away from good and better things and shifting my focus onto the best. But this is just me; there is absolutely nothing wrong with good things or better things that put us on the path to God. It is about where the Lord wants us and where He leads us in His time, and it is about our hearts being open and in tune enough to be lead by Him. I still write a story here and there when prompted, but only when prompted.

As I have said many times before, I pray daily for the Lord to help me become the righteous, virtuous, holy woman He would have me be - to remember and become the woman I was before I came to this earth. I know that in order to be righteous, I must avoid unrighteous things. To be holy, I must avoid unholy things. To be virtuous, I must stay away from things that are without virtue. I must strive to be as the Savior is.

Jonathan Cahn said, "You are called to glory - that's the "to" of your call. The glory doesn't start when you get "to" where you're going, but when you come away "from" the old life. So start with the "from" and God will take care of the "to."
I'm still on my way "To" but the Lord is still walking that path with me, and He never lets go of my hand.

My Source of Reliance

I'm so sorry for my lack of posts these past few weeks. My brain hasn't been functioning at full capacity lately and getting anything done has been a struggle emotionally, but I have been blessed with an amazing husband who is always there when I need him. The Lord works through him constantly to help care for me.

Truly, I have so much to be grateful for, and this C.S. Lewis quote fits my life at the present perfectly.
Oh, how I rely on my Father and my Savior! From the moment I wake until I close my eyes at night to sleep, I lean on my Savior for His love, comfort, care, and His promise to always be there for me and help me through whatever trials I am called upon to face - I don't mean He takes the trials away, but He help me through them. And He is so very good to me. I have made sacred covenants with Him that I do my best to keep, and I know that as long as I never turn away from Him, He will never turn away from me.
As long as I remember this - as long as we all remember this,  we will be okay.

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.