I Have Learned For Myself

Ten Virgins Parable

2009-11-23T01:29:00.001-05:00

The Parable of the Ten Virgins

Matthew 25:1-13

1Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom.

2 And five of them were wise, and five were foolish.

3They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them:

4 But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps.

5 While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept.

6 And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him.

7 Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps.

8 And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out.

9 But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves.

10 And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut.

11 Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us.

12 But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not.

13 Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.

This is a Painting I did a while ago for a Relief Society activity. I really enjoyed the process of doing this painting. It isn't the most realistic or professional but the process was good. It is a great parable. That there will be those that are prepared and those that are not. Also that the Lord is in charge that he is the one that we need to be prepared for. So that we can live with him and enjoy a life like he does. We can not do that with "empty vessels" we need to fill our lamps so that we can approach the bridegroom prepared.

James 1:5

2009-10-27T02:49:00.001-04:00

This is a scripture that I have grown to understand. That if we need wisdom we need to ask of God. When we ask in faith with real intent we can have answers to our prayers. The Spirit will witness of truth.

The Sacred Grove...a poem

2009-10-19T00:25:00.001-04:00

I walked through a wooded grove one day,

the sun breaking through a clouded sky,

and autumn leaves carpeting the narrow way.

As I rest for a moment on a fallen tree,

and contemplate the majesty of God’s creations,

my mind wanders to a day far past.

I reflect on the life of a young humble boy

whose faith led him to this very place.

And I imagine what testimonies these trees would bear

if given a voice to speak.

Of seeing the Father and the Son

and absorbing their illuminating power.

The heavens were opened once again

the sun breaking through a clouded world.

Hundreds of years have aged this grove

and the trees still witness of that wonderful truth

that God in His love still speaks to His Children.

I walked through a wooded grove one day,

the sun breaking through a clouded sky,

and autumn leaves carpeting the narrow way.

As I rest for a moment on a fallen tree,

and contemplate the majesty of God’s creations,

my mind wanders to a day far past.

I reflect on the life of a young humble boy

whose faith led him to this very place.

And I imagine what testimonies these trees would bear

if given a voice to speak.

Of seeing the Father and the Son

and absorbing their illuminating power.

The heavens were opened once again

the sun breaking through a clouded world.

Hundreds of years have aged this grove

and the trees still witness of that wonderful truth

that God in His love still speaks to His Children.

To give background and due credit.. My sister and I went to the Sacred Grove in Palmyra, New York. My sister wrote it with some prompt from me. This poem makes me smile, because the Sacred Grove is one of my favourite places on earth. This Poem captures to me the wonder and awe of that sacred place. This is where the boy Prophet Joseph Smith saw God the Father, and His Son Jesus Christ, Opening the Dispensation of the Fullness of Times. The time where the true church of Christ will be restored to the earth never to be taken again. I am so grateful for Joseph's faith and character. Through much persecution and trial Joseph endured to the end. He was an instrument in the hands of the Lord to restore the gospel of Christ. I am grateful that at a young age he needed answers and followed the prompting he recieved while reading James 1:5 "If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him." I know that Joseph was called before he was born to do the work of the Lord at that time. I know that the true church of Christ is upon the earth. Jesus Christ is at the head of the Church and that the church is directed by him, that he guides his servants the prophets. I echo in the message of a hymn "Praise to the man, who communed with Jehovah. Jesus anointed that prophet and seer. Blessed to open the last dispensation, kings shall extol him, and nations revere."

Painting

2009-10-17T03:52:00.000-04:00

My attempt of being an artist, has an element of child.

Talk on Discipleship

2009-10-16T02:58:00.000-04:00

In preparation for this talk I gave a couple of months ago, I felt inadequate to speak. I know where my downfalls are. As we all do.. When I thought I was almost done my talk I was reading something by Joseph B Wirthlin that gave me a bit of a boost. He says:

“Now, There are some who, instead of being inspired by the
examples of great men and women, instead become discouraged,If you have ever felt inadequate, if you have ever felt that you don’t have the inherent capacity of others, if you have ever felt that no matter how hard you try, you are never good enough, I have a word of advice for you.

Your life is not a race.
You are not competing against anyone else for entrance into the presence of our
Heavenly Father. The plan of Salvation is not a reality show where you have to beat out other contestants to win.”

I am grateful for the opportunity that I have been given to speak to you today.

“At a critical moment in the battle of Waterloo, when everything depended on the steadiness of the soldiery, an anxious courier dashed into the presence of the Duke of Wellington, announcing that unless the troops were immediately relieved or withdrawn, they must yield before the impending assault of the French army. The Duke replied, “Stand firm!”

“But we shall perish!” remonstrated the officer.

“Stand firm!” again was the answer of the ironhearted Duke.
“You’ll find us there!” rejoined the courier, as he galloped away.
And, of course, the British were victorious that day as a result of such loyalty and determination”
That same loyalty and determination is asked of us today. We are told to “Stand Firm!” This battle is of greater importance than that of the battle of Waterloo. For this battle is for the souls of all men. Will we heed the captains call “Stand firm”?
Quoting Howard W Hunter:

“Brothers and sisters, I am grateful that most within the sound of my voice are
standing firm and remaining true to the kingdom of God. Like Helaman’s stripling
warriors, “they stand fast in that liberty wherewith God has made them free; and
they are strict to remember the Lord their God from day to day; yea, they do
observe to keep his statutes, and his judgments, and his commandments
continually; and their faith is strong in the prophecies concerning that which
is to come” (Alma 58:40). I am referring to those members of the Church who live their Christian beliefs in the quiet commonplace of their daily lives.”

In the Doctrine and Covenants the Lord revealed that this is the “only true and living church upon the face of the whole earth.” Then he added, “with which I, the Lord, am well pleased, speaking unto the church collectively and not individually” (D&C 1:30). This should raise a question in our minds of eternal significance: We know that this is the true and living church institutionally, but am I a true and living member individually?

So what does it mean to be a true and living member?
am I deeply and fully dedicated to keeping the covenants I have made with the Lord? Am I totally committed to live the gospel and be a doer of the word and not a hearer only? Do I live my religion? Will I remain true? Do I stand firm against Satan’s temptations? He is seeking to cause us to lose our way in a storm of derision and a tide of sophistry. We can have victory, however, by responding to that inner voice calling “stand firm!”

In thinking of my talk, I read several sources of inspiration and word came to mind that seemed to fit just right “discipleship” The word for disciple and the word for discipline both come from the same Latin root—discipulus, which means pupil. It emphasizes practice or exercise. Self-discipline and self-control are consistent and permanent characteristics of the followers of Jesus.
When I was in Alberta the Bishop was teaching the lesson . Part of his lesson focussed on 7 Points of discipleship which were “1 Daily Personal Prayer 2 Daily Family Prayer 3 Daily Reading of the Book of Mormon 4 Weekly Family home Evening 5 Regular Temple attendance 6 payment of a Full Tithing 7 Love One Another”
I think this is easier said than done sometimes -BUT- it is Possible!
Joseph B Wirthlin says:

"As long as you seek to grow closer to your Heavenly Father and your heart and
spirit are contrite–as long as you repent and strive in faith to overcome
weaknesses–you will be rewarded by our Heavenly Father. Our Task is not in
one day to become perfect but to grow a little more perfect every day. Even if
it’s only one small step, the important thing is that we keep walking forward,
each day getting a little closer to our glorious destination.
Do you think perfection is too high a standard?
I know people who are perfect in paying their tithing.
I know many who are perfect in sacrament meeting attendance,
going to the temple often, reading the scriptures daily. They didn’t start
out being perfect perhaps, but they made a commitment, and they followed through."

The Lord wants to give us every opportunity to receive blessings. But there is a price President James E Faust in his talk entitled “discipleship” he says:

“ It is primarily obedience to the Savior. Discipleship includes many
things. It is chastity. It is tithing. It is family home evening. It is keeping
all the commandments. It is forsaking anything that is not good for us.
Everything in life has a price. Considering the Savior’s great promise for peace
in this life and eternal life in the life to come, discipleship is a price worth
paying. It is a price we cannot afford not to pay. By measure, the requirements
of discipleship are much, much less than the promised blessings."

We are asked to stand firm in our beliefs, in a world that is less and less interested in standards or values. Growing up having very different beliefs than most people I remember being ridiculed for them. I remember When I was in a program I was very outspoken because of my feelings on religion. I was the only one that attended church. And this really effected me not being able to go and not having anyone that truly understood the difficulty. But even with all of these feelings of separation from my house mates I knew that I would not win by letting my standards go, and don’t get me wrong I was not perfect but I made it a priority to stand up and stand out. I saw the blessings of staying true. Of not shrinking to fit others. In doing so at the time I felt like it was a huge sacrifice, but looking back I am glad that I decided to make those key decisions. I love this Quote by Theodore Roosevelt about marking our place, not that the world will know but that we will know and not fear:

"It’s not the critic who counts, not the one who points out how the strong man
stumbled or how the doer of deeds might have done them better. The credit
belongs to the man who is actually in the arena; whose face is marred with sweat
and dust and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs and comes up short again and
again; who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions and spends himself
in a worthy cause and who, at best knows the triumph of high achievement and who at worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly so that his place
shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat.”

There are times when ridicule will happen. Neal A Maxwell says:

“What are mocking words now, if later we hear those glorious words, “Well done,
thou good and faithful servant”? (Matt. 25:21).”

We are all going to have moments of Struggle when temptation seems unbearable. Where we will need to choose who’s side are we on? Will I fight for the Lord, who suffered so much for me so that I can return to live with my Father in Heaven again and receive much eternal joy or will I serve Satan the Father of all lies the great deceiver that offers nothing but eternal misery?

Sure there will be times when we make mistakes. But in making those mistakes do we ask for forgiveness and correct it right away or do we let it sit and wait? There are a lot of times when we should repent but we feel unworthy to go to the master and ask for forgiveness. But nothing could be farther from the truth he wants us to come to him He says: (Matt 11:28-30)
Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.
30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

I was talking to a friend of mine a while ago he was excited about something. He says Amber I have a new Parable to share with you. So this was his Parable: Amber If I had a fresh Crisp $20 bill would you want it? Well ya ok If I took that $20 bill and crumpled it up would you still want it? Ya ok If I took that $20 bill and I put it on the ground and cover it with dirt and stomped on it would you still want it? Well ya $20 bill come on it’s still worth the same isn’t it? AHA this is how the Saviour feels about us we are going to be worth the $20 no matter what! He is still going to love us the same and still wants us to come to him he still wants us No matter what.

God sent his son for us so that we can return to live with him again and enjoy a life like he has. The Atonement is set in place to help us do that. The word atonement is a Marriage of 3 words At-One-Ment So that through Jesus Christ we can be at one with God. To be a true disciple of Christ we must learn to know who the master is. Neal A maxwell said:

“ The more we know of Jesus, the more we will love Him. The more we
know of Jesus, the more we will trust Him. The more we know of Jesus, the
more we will want to be like Him and to be with Him by becoming the
manner of men and women that He wishes us to be (see 3 Ne. 27:27), while living
now “after the manner of happiness” (2 Ne. 5:27).Thus within the
discipleship allotted to us, we are to overcome the world (see 1 Jn. 5:3–4); to finish the work
we personally have been given to do; to be able to partake of a bitter cup
without becoming bitter; to experience pouring out our souls; to let our wills
increasingly be swallowed up in the will of the Father; to acknowledge—tough
though the tutoring trials—that, indeed, “All these things shall give thee
experience, and shall be for thy good” (D&C 122:7);”

As we go through life I hope that for myself I can become the true disciple of Christ. That I can see his attributes in my countenance. I hope that we can become more like him. Christ led his life so that we had a perfect example to follow. As we strive to be better, let us remember him in this process, that we are aware of him. "We love Him, because he first loved us" What better way to show our love for our savior than to become more like him. Joseph B Wirthlin sums it up really well so I will end with his remarks

"Never be satisfied with less than your best. And don’t allow yourself to get
discouraged when your actions don’t measure up to your thoughts and feeling.
Work every day to become a little more perfect, a little more righteous, and a little more holy. Remember your destiny as sons and daughters of the most high God is to overcome challenges and stand triumphant and victorious at the final day.
That is our destiny.
It is your birthright as sons and daughters of our Heavenly Father."

In the Name of Jesus Christ Amen