A week or so later I started my own list. It’s not up to 100 items yet, but it’s getting there. Many of the items have to do with being recommitted, and it’s a perfect time to post these given that this weekend is General Conference. It seems that Latter-day Saints have lots of opportunities to recommit themselves: New Year’s, General Conference, and even each Sunday as we take the Sacrament we recommit ourselves to following Jesus Christ. Here are a few of the goals I’m thinking about right now, each of which probably deserves its own blog post:

• Scripture reading
• Keeping up with my Spanish skills
• Fitness goals

There’s a lot more on my goals list, but these are the ones that are important to me right now. I don’t want to do too much while I’m just getting started, because it’s going to take a marathon effort to cross everything off my goals list!

Eventually I realized that we’re not ready for a house yet, and we don’t really need one. What we need for all of our stuff is a home. For some of our stuff that home is not our home. With too much stuff around, things tend to get in the way and make the whole house seem smaller. We plan on storing some of our things and getting rid of lots more. We’re learning that “guilt is not a reason to keep something“.

Although it’s still underway, we’ve made lots of good progress. Our food storage area is much more manageable, and now everything that had been there is in its proper home. We’re looking forward to making more progress on this in the coming weeks.

Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.

Joshua 1:9

And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them.

Behold, I will show unto the Gentiles their weakness, and I will show unto them that faith, hope and charity bringeth unto me—the fountain of all righteousness.

Ether 12:27-28

These scriptures both share the message of humility. Joshua 1:9 is something of a “go and do” scripture, but it has a little more meaning to me, and I even chose it for my missionary plaque. Ether 12 is a chapter that helped me a lot as a missionary, and it has helped me a lot since then as well. In my mind, returning to the Lord and displaying humility is one of the most important lessons that we can learn (and re-learn!) in our lives, because it brings other things along with it. Together, these scriptures both show us that as we trust in the Lord and lean on Him, he will lift us up and strengthen us. This didn’t just apply to Joshua or Moroni, either – this promise has been repeated to us as well.

If you haven’t already shared a favorite scripture or scriptures, feel free to do it in the comments here, in your own blog, or over on Beth’s post.

One of the final books in the Book of Mormon is actually written by a prophet named Mormon (he compiled many records together, so that is why the whole work also bears his name). As I was reading through his writings, I was impressed by the fact that he was faithful when all others around had forgotten about God. I have thought a lot recently about wickedness in the world, and it seems like fewer and fewer people believe in God, and those who don’t are very adamant about their ideas. Mormon’s writings help me recognize that living the gospel is possible in a godless world.

Thanks to everyone who participated in the Book of Mormon Challenge with me! I’d love to hear more about your experiences reading the Book of Mormon again.

Julia is working on putting a bunch of our recipes into MasterCook on our computer, and we’re working on building up our food storage in our pantry and our freezer. We’re working on building up our food storage from a few-weeks supply to one that will hopefully last longer than that.

So we have some food in our pantry, but what do we do with it? In any family, but especially in a family with children, it’s always good to have recipes that can actually be cooked. Kaydee sent me a link to Food Storage Recipes, a blog she writes about recipes that can be enjoyed by a family.

Food storage has been a topic that our prophets have counseled us on ever since I can remember. In the recent pamphlets All is Safely Gathered In, they share lots of advice and promises that come along with being prepared in this way. For more information about the Mormon church and food storage, visit providentliving.org.

For behold, thus saith the Lord God: I will give unto the children of men line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little and there a little; and blessed are those who hearken unto my precepts, and lend an ear unto my counsel, for they shall learn wisdom; for unto him that receiveth I will give more; and from them that shall say, We have enough, from them shall be taken away even that which they have.

-2 Nephi 28:30

This is one of my favorite scriptures. In some ways it’s very intimidating; I know that I could always improve at “lend[ing] an ear to [His] counsel”. In other ways, it’s very reassuring. The essence of this scripture is that God will bless us with continual understanding if we look to Him. If we don’t wish to learn more, then he won’t give it to us. General Conference is coming up in a little over a week. Now is a great time to prepare for the messages that we will receive.

Last Wednesday, I was in the middle of working on a big programming project. I’m a decent programmer, but I was a little rusty. I spent all day staring at a few pages of code, and I was tearing my hair out over the smallest things. I called a classmate to figure out what I was doing wrong, and when it was time to go home, I was exhausted, but still worried about my program. He suggested that I take a little walk or find some way to think about some other stuff for a bit, which I finally did. When I got home I took a little break and played with our daughter. A few hours later, I went back to look at my program, and something just clicked that hadn’t before. I realized that our own abilities are magnified when we take little breaks and just keep working hard at something.

I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about what I can do in case we’re at the beginnings of some sort of global depression. I don’t have the power to personally stabilize the stock markets, but I do have some power to stabilize my own life. In fact, the reminder that Helaman related to his sons in the Book of Mormon applies to all of us:

And now, my sons, remember, remember that it is upon the ^arock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your ^bfoundation; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty ^cstorm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall.

-Helaman 5:12, The Book of Mormon

It’s up to me to live on a foundation based on Christ. Life is still busy and it’s still stressful, but there is a certain calm that comes into my life as I remember this. That’s a big part of the reason that I haven’t given up on The Book of Mormon Challenge Anniversary. How is your reading going? There’s still plenty of time to finish the challenge! I’m currently finishing 2 Nephi, so I’m a bit behind where I’d like to be, but things are still moving forward. Thanks to all of those who are reading along with me!