Perfection

I am the sister of Princess Gerty, the engineer of this blog. I have been thinking about what I can add to this blog. I have so many experiences that would be great to share, but I chose one to share today.

I teach an early morning religion class to high school students that are Mormon. We call this class seminary. We start at 6 a.m. every morning. This year we are studying the New Testament. It is awesome. I love studying so in depth about our Savior's mortal ministry. I think that one of my favorite teachings that we have gone over so far, is the Sermon on the Mount.

Here's a little background. You can find Christ's Sermon on the Mount in the book of Matthew chapters 5-7. It is the first of many great discourses the Savior gave. It was taught near the shores of the Sea of Galilee. The reason why I love it is because Jesus presents a higher level of living for His followers.

Jesus tells us within these three chapters, how we can find joy in this life and after. He teaches us how to become perfect. We can not attain perfection in this life, but we can start down the road to perfection. The ONLY way we will achieve complete perfection is through Jesus Christ and His atonement. He makes it possible.

The Sermon on the Mount lists many qualities that each of us can develop. These are all "puzzle pieces" to the puzzle of becoming like our Father in Heaven.

We believe that we can one day become like our Father in Heaven, because we are all His children. This is because we are His offspring and offspring have the ability to grow up and become like their parents.

If you want a road map in following Jesus Christ, to become Christlike, I believe the Sermon on the Mount has enough in there to last a lifetime.

God's Whispering and Yelling

While listening to the world-wide General Conference of our church, I had the prompting through the Holy Spirit that I needed to do more to follow the advice of our leaders. We are encouraged to have food and other necessities on hand in case of an emergency. I knew one thing our home was really lacking was water storage. We only had a few gallons stored, and that would last our family less than a day. Well, I didn't do anything. That night, as I prayed, I was reminded again about the need to be prepared with things, including water. Well, I got busy the next day with more frivolous concerns and didn't do anything.

Finally, my friend came over to my house and told me about her concerns about being prepared. She emphasized that one thing we really need is enough water. I started crying. I knew God was trying to tell me something. It was not in my plan for the day, but I went out the the store that afternoon, and among other things, bought extra water. Then, I wondered what kind of disaster might stop the tap from running. I think I did a good job not freaking out. I told myself, maybe nothing bad would happen and God was just testing me. I decided that at least I knew and God knew that when He commands, I listen (even if it takes a few times!)

Well, the next day our water filter broke. It may seem like no big deal, but if you have ever tried to drink tap water in Arizona, you know it's pretty disgusting. So, I was very grateful that I had many gallons of tasty drinking water on hand. It kept us happy until we could buy a new filter. This may seem like such a trivial thing, but it is reassuring to me. I know that God is aware of me and my needs--even my future needs. I also know that I need to listen and obey promptly. He will guide and direct us through the Still Small Voice, if only we will listen.

Same-Sex Marriage and My Beliefs

Here is a picture of me on my wedding day (with my husband and his family). What a fun day!

There has been a lot of debate about same-sex marriage, and legalizing (or not legalizing) it. In Arizona we have a proposition on the ballet to protect marriage for only one woman and one man.

I really enjoyed reading this document.

It is really long but very clear and informative. I was impressed with all the research articles cited that support the need for a Mother and Father in every home. Yea, I know the ideal is not what we always get in this world, but that should not mean it should stop being the ideal.

It also shows how loving the sinner without accepting the sin is in fact the Christian, Christlike way.