The Power of Prayer

On Saturday I was quite stressed. I had just started a new class at Union and the homework was piling up because we were going over the syllabus and finding out what were going to be doing. My lunch break for that class was going to be rough because I had to go home and get the girl's TV and the cable boxes to take over to the new house and get set up because the cable guy was coming over and Steph wasn't going to be able to get that stuff and the kids. I was also concerned about getting our stuff moved to the new house. I wanted to get us into it to sleep that night, but I had no plans with anyone to help move our beds and big items. I didn't think I was going to find anybody available that day because there were stake meetings all afternoon. As I was driving home during my lunch I said a quick prayer. I just asked Heavenly Father to please help us be able to get moved easily.
No sooner had I said amen then my phone rang. It was a local number that I didn't recognize. I normally don't answer my phone if I don't know who it is, but I felt prompted to answer it. It was Jason Fraley, a recent convert to our ward. He was calling to see if I needed help with my moving that day. Of course I said yes, and he and I moved about five truck loads over that afternoon and evening. He was a Godsend.
There are few times that we are given the opportunity to see the Lord work His miracles immediately. Most times He answers our prayers over a long period of time, and even then we don't fully recognize His hand in our lives. This was special for me because it was an immediate blessing. It was also special for me because it gave me an opportunity to teach Aleece about the power of prayer. It solidified her speaking part in the Primary program on Sunday - "I can pray to Heavenly Father anytime, anywhere. I can and so can you." She was able to see that her statement is so very true. It strengthened my testimony again of the power of prayer.
No matter where we are or what we are doing, we can pray to our Father in Heaven to guide us and comfort us in whatever we need. I've been able to use this in the past for everything from overcoming my emotional frailties to strengthening my faith to finding lost car keys or getting a flat tire fixed. Prayer is so important for us to utilize. "Counsel with the Lord in all thy doings and he will direct thee for good." There is nothing too great or small to take before the Lord. I love being taught these principles everyday. It strengthens my testimony and strengthens my membership in the Lord's church. I hope that we can all rely on prayer. If you don't feel like praying, get on your knees and do it. If you haven't prayed for years don't make yourself miss out on the blessings of Heaven any longer. Praying will not hurt. It will take away the hurt.

Check out this website

Today I was reading an article on the Mormon Times about a photographer from Arizona that started a new project a few years ago on the life of the Savior. He takes live action pictures of different events in Christ's life. It is very moving and fills you with the Spirit. The website is www.reflectionsofchrist.org and I highly recommend it to anyone that needs or wants to have their testimony of the Savior strengthened. You have to register on the site to watch the videos, but that's no big deal. There are some fantastic shots on there that really got me teary. Some of the videos were great to watch too. There is a definite Spirit in this man's work and I hope it continues to work as a missionary tool.

What do you see?

Today in my classes I am having my students watch "Mary Poppins" because I have had a cold for the past week and I seriously cannot sing. Today while I was watching the movie I was realizing the fantastic lines and words of wisdom from the movie. The line that jumped out at me today was "Sometimes the people that we love most, through no fault of their own, can't see past the end of their nose." There were two things that struck me most about that phrase. The first was that it can happen to anyone, including those that we love most. The second was that, sometimes it happens to these people that we love most and they don't even know it.

That got me thinking - when we see this happening to those around us in life we should not be the one to point it out to them in a manner that is demeaning or negative. We need to help them understand in a loving manner BECAUSE we love them most. If we blame them in an unkind way then we are destroying the love that we have for that person. We are, in turn, not seeing past the end of OUR own noses. Isn't it funny how that works out? Usually the problems we see in others are the very problems that we are struggling to overcome ourselves. While this may seem like a difficult situation, I believe that this presents us with a great opportunity.

It is so hard to deal with something difficult on our own. The loss of a loved one, the addiction of a destructive vice, the lack of patience in your life, or shortcomings you make as a member of the church - these are all problems that are dealt with. It will be so much better to go through these with the help of our loved ones than on our own. Will it make it easier? Most certainly. One of the great things about the relationship that Steph and I have is that when one of us is struggling (and it's me more often than not!) the other one takes the reins and lifts the other up. When we were living in Utah and I lost my job it was really hard for Steph. She was pregnant with Lainey, worried about finances and insurance, and struggling. It was hard for me too, but for some reason I was blessed with the strength to be optimistic in a situation when I normally would not have been. I was able to transfer that optimism to Steph and pull her up. She's done the same thing for me in other situations. An example of that was this summer when our car was broken into. I was so upset about it (amongst other things) and Steph pulled me up and over the pessimistic speed bump I was creating for myself. How fantastic is that! We just have this natural balancing act that we have achieved.

But how much better would it be if I asked for help, for example, in making sure I say my prayers every morning and night. I will admit that I don't always get it done. By asking Steph to help me make sure to get that done right I guarantee that it will also carry into her own life. As she reminds me to make sure I say my prayers she will have that reminder to say her's as well. (Not that she doesn't! Steph is on top of that.) This goes back to "Get over yourself and get under others".

The other thing that is important to remember is not to fault those we love. I love the lesson Christ taught about casting stones. "Let he who is without sin cast the first stone." Sometimes I feel like I am carrying around a whole pocketful of stones to just start throwing when I see something wrong. But if I can't see past the end of my own nose the only person I am going to end up hitting with my stones is me. This is so hard to do because it is like a trait that everyone is born with. Most of the time that we fault others we don't even realize that we are doing it! We are so wrapped up in the wrong that's been done to us that we don't see how we are part of the problem. We don't step back to see how we could help the situation instead of making it worse. A line from a great song says "Will it make it easier on you now you've got someone to blame?" Does it make it easier on us? Initially, but that goes away really fast, and then we are left with more blame.

Maybe in seeing those who we love not being able to see past the end of their nose we are only limiting our own vision. Ask for help and offer help. Accept it and give it. By doing so we will achieve the unity that President Monson spoke to us about, and you know there is nothing better than being united with those you love most. There is a calming and holy feeling to being able to know that you are united in your cause, united in your battle, united in your love. This is a battle worth fighting for, and your's is a nose worth seeing past.

Get over yourself, get under others

Listening to conference over the last few days I came away with a few different things, but they are all tied together through one phrase that I was thinking of - "Get over yourself, get under others". There was so much focus on love, service, and families at this conference. Not that there hasn't been before, but there seemed to be more a pleading this time to it. There were a lot of fantastic messages that were shared. One of my favorites was President Monson's talk on change. "The only thing in this world that is consistent is change." We can either fight against it and get run over or get behind it and help push it along. Life was meant for change. Children grow up, families grow, aged parents die... all these things are inevitable. There is no point in resisting these things because eventually you will be left behind by all those who embraced these changes. Are all changes good? Most certainly not! Are changes bad? Definitely not. What makes a change easier to handle and deal with? By simply counseling with the Lord. In Alma we read, "Counsel with the Lord in all thy doings, and he will direct thee for good; yea, when thou liest down at night lie down unto the Lord, that he may watch over you in your sleep; and when thou risest in the morning let thy heart be full of thanks unto God; and if ye do these things, ye shall be lifted up at the last day." How awesome is that! When these things come upon us take it to the Lord. Talk to him about it - He will lead you in the right direction. The other part to not forget about this scripture is to be thankful for that which the Lord has given you - including the changes.

We should strive more to serve others and stop being so concerned with ourselves. How hard is that to do? How often do you go through the day and think about something that affect you or your feeling? When we're concerned about ourselves too much, isn't that just pride getting in the way of our full potential? I will claim guilt to this. I do this often. It's my greatest stumbling block. How do we step over it? By serving others, as we have been counseled to do. Steph and I are moving in a few weeks and we hardly know any of our neighbors. We went to a block party earlier in the year, but that has been the most time we've spent with any of them. Could we have done better? Our own fears are what creates the labels that we are given. I'm afraid of talking to others that I don't know and that gives me the appearance of being standoffish. Do I consider myself that way? No, but it's hard for me to push past that fear. Most (not all!) of the problems that we face in life are created or caused by us. If you really think about that fact you will know it to be true. The things that make us comfortable, the things that we say, the offense that we choose to take... the list goes on. Knowing this doesn't make it any better, but at least knowing it is a step in the right direction. It's like in my classes at school - I always tell my students that it is okay to make a mistake while they are singing or playing an instrument, but they need to realize where the mistake was made, and then work really hard not to make the same mistake the next time that part of the song comes around. The same thing with life - when we know that our frailties are going to cause us to err and make a mistake we need to recognize where we did wrong so that the next time that situation comes along in life we can do it the right way instead.

A perfect example of that has taken place in my own life. I don't like to talk about it ever, but I was married once before. It was a mistake - a huge error on my part. When it ended I had learned from it. When Steph and I met I knew that we would get married, but I wasn't going to "sing the song wrong again". I learned, through my own suffering, and now I have the greatest gift that the Lord has ever blessed me with. The things that Stephanie does for me in my life are beyond words, but it wouldn't have happened without me doing two very important things - I counseled with the Lord in my doings, and recognized the corrections that I needed to make. Sometimes I wish I did a better job at remembering to do those two things when choices come along, because I still have the occasional struggle with my pride in making the right decision.

The third thing that I loved hearing about in conference was family. Especially some of the things that President Monson said. Families are forever. They are the central unit of our church and of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I know that in my past there have been times when I would have traded anything to be part of a family other than mine. Sometimes it is really hard to be part of that unit, but again, it boils down to getting over ourselves and getting under others. Do we serve members of our family as much as we do those outside of it? Do we consciously make the effort to go out of our way to serve, and in turn, love our family members more than anything else in the world? Make sure to give your child an extra hug or an extra "I love you". Tell your parents you love them when they least expect it. "Forgive me" are the second most important words a person can say to another behind, "I love you". There is no shame in saying those words. In fact, there is great glory in them.

I love how much conference makes me think about what I do that is wrong and what I can do to improve. There is so much work to do with myself and I can't wait to apply the things that I have learned. I am not expecting to get everything right the first time I try it - but hopefully I will fix those mistakes every time a new "verse" comes around. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is true! It truly does make bad people good and good people better. I love the Savior and His perfect example. He showed us exactly how to love others, especially as he hung on the cross and uttered "Father, forgive them". I hope that someday I will have the ability to say and do the same thing. The Savior put it best, "As I have loved you, love one another". Love is fantastic. It is a healing balm that we so often overlook for our wounded souls. Remember to love. Remember to love as the Savior did. I'm grateful for this knowledge that the Spirit has testified of to me, and I say these things ever so humbly, in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

Am I Good Enough?

Tonight I was blessed with the wonderful opportunity of attending the Priesthood session of General Conference. I always look forward to going and hearing the wonderful words and council of our church leaders. It buoys me up and recharges my spirit. There are few things greater. As I was listening to President Eyring's talk he was mentioning how some of us wonder if we feel good enough to serve in the callings that we have been placed in. As those words fell from his lips the Spirit spoke to me through song and blessed me with a beautiful song to share with the world. There is no other explanation for what happened. The song came into my mind faster than I could write it down - words and melody. I continued to listen to the speakers as I wrote and I didn't even have to think about what I was writing. The drive home was too long because I couldn't wait to sit at the piano and play this beautiful new tune that I had been graced with. I sat at the piano and played it and was so overcome that I couldn't even sing the song all the way through. I've tried five times and I still can't! How magnificent the Lord is and how wonderful are his blessings. It will take some time for me to get the song recorded, but I can't wait to be able to share this with everyone. I believe that at one time or another we all feel this way. Here are the words:


Am I good enough to do all that is asked of me?
Am I strong enough to be who I know I should be?
Can I learn to lift up others as Christ would have me do?
Am I enough to do the things that I should do?

Am I good enough to hear the Spirit's tender voice?
Am I strong enough to always make the righteous choice?
Can I listen to the Savior and love his words so true?
Am I enough to do the things that I should do?

I know He is there
And He hears my prayers
He lifts me up when I begin to fall
And upon my knees
How He comforts me
I'll rise up and press onward to his call

I am good enough to serve the Lord with tenderness!
I am strong enough to stand for truth and righteousness!
I can walk in Jesus' footsteps as he would have me do!
I am enough to do the things that I should do!


I have a firm testimony that the Lord hears our prayers and answers them in ways that we somtimes don't expect. Before conference began I had been praying to hear what the Lord wanted me to hear. These are the words that I needed to hear, and I know that there are many more words that I will hear that will continually guide me in the footsteps of my Savior. I have a testimony that Christ lives and loves each and every one of us. He knows us by name. He knows what we need. I have a testimony that the Gospel of Jesus Christ has been restored to the earth in these latter days and that there is a prophet on the earth that speaks with the Savior daily. What a wonderful time to be alive. How grateful I am for all the blessings and talents that I have received and I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.