Monday, February 1, 2016

February 1, 2016 Inspirational Thoughts / Stories

Hey y'all guess what?!?! I killed my first companion he is dead. He is
home now he is done with his mission he is home now!

A star with an apparent magnitude of six is barely visible to the naked eye

HA-HA! random fact of the week

Glenna’s Gifts

New Era December 2014
Lauren B., California, USA

My grandfather died just three days before Christmas. That year, my
family received a gift that changed our lives forever: Glenna. Glenna
is my dad’s sister who was born with disabilities. She came to live
with us after my grandpa passed away. Ever since that first Christmas,
Glenna’s example has taught me how to be more Christlike.

Glenna was born with many physical challenges, and she’s helped me see
that sometimes the most beautiful spirits are housed in
different-looking bodies. Because of Glenna, I’m no longer
self-conscious about the way I look, and I choose to focus on what’s
inside.

Living with Glenna has taught me patience. She has difficulty
speaking, she often breaks things, and she struggles to do many tasks
on her own, but she’s also willing to learn. There’s no greater reward
than working with Glenna until she gets something right.

Glenna has taught me to find joy in the little things. For instance,
at Glenna’s birthday parties, it didn’t matter whether she received a
one-dollar bill or a one-hundred-dollar bill--she was delighted. And
when we drove around each year at Christmastime, Glenna would shout,
“Wow!” and clap her hands at each brightly lit home we passed by.
She’s taught me to see the extraordinary within the ordinary. She’s
taught me to see that there’s something special in everything--and
everyone.

As I look back on the past Christmases I spent with Glenna, I can see
the impact she’s made on my life. Every year, the one Christmas gift I
will never forget--and will be forever grateful for--is Glenna.

Let us all be like Lauren and focus on what's inside rather than how
we look and be self-conscious you know when I read that I filled with
tears and a huge smile came on my face it made me super happy reading
about all the joy in the tiny inns that are generally overlooked!

So my challenge for you is to look inside rather than outside and look
for the blessings in your life

Quote
I always thought of charity as giving things to those in need, but I
learned how to give pure love and received much more. I realized that
charity doesn’t revolve around money. Charity is answering the Lord’s
call to help someone in need.- Amanda D.

What more can I add to that quote? I'll say another quote "the more we
act on the promptings we receive the more promptings we will receive!"

Dana P., Minnesota, USA

For New Beginnings, I was asked to talk about virtue as a Young Women
value. I was supposed to wear something gold to coordinate with its
value color, but my wardrobe didn’t seem to include that color. After
searching through my closet, I located a gold shirt that I hadn’t worn
in a long time. I tried it on only to realize I’d outgrown it. Looking
in the mirror, I thought, “This is probably not a good night to wear
something a little too short--I’m representing virtue.”

Then it hit me: I’m always standing for virtue. Every day I represent
virtue and modesty in my attitude, actions, words, and clothing. On
Sundays and at youth activities, I can be a model of modesty for the
younger girls. As one of the few Latter-day Saint students at my
school, I try to dress appropriately, because to others, I represent
my religion. Most important, my clothes can show others and myself
that I know my body is a temple and that I respect it as such. By
dressing modestly, I “stand for truth and righteousness,” just as the
Young Women motto proclaims.

As I talked about virtue that night, I spoke with confidence. Perhaps
my outfit was more yellow than gold, but I felt at peace before my
friends, my leaders, and my Heavenly Father. “No matter what I’m
doing,” I thought, “I always want to dress modestly. I represent
virtue every single day.”

So my next challenge to you is to remember that you represent virtue
every day. Be modest, "let virtue garnish thy thoughts unceasingly",
"be an example in deed and in conversation". If you have thoughts of I
am worthless that is not virtuous and therefore it is not from God.

Mike C., Gloucestershire, England

One weekend I visited a seaside resort in the south of England. While
there, I wanted to get to a place called Fairlight Glen farther up the
coast. As I started to walk up the coast, I saw a sign saying, “Do not
walk along this section of the beach.” No other information was given,
and I didn’t know why the instruction was placed there. I ignored the
sign and continued up the coast to Fairlight Glen.

As I walked I noticed that the tide was coming in. On one side of me
were very steep, almost vertical cliffs, and on the other side the sea
was closing in. I realized that I could be trapped by the incoming
tide. I panicked and started to run! The pebbles on the beach made it
very difficult to run, and as I put my weight down, my feet would sink
in and cause me to feel as if I were getting nowhere. Realizing that I
might not make it to Fairlight Glen in time, I looked at the cliff
face and considered climbing at a point that didn’t look as steep as
the rest. But as I held on to the cliff face, the soft chalk rock gave
way and there was no grip or support to climb up. Continuing to panic,
I ran along the beach until I eventually reached Fairlight Glen, where
there was easy access up the cliff face.

I’ve thought about how much that event applies to our lives in the
Church today. God has put certain rules in place, and sometimes we
don’t know why. However, God’s commandments can be a blessing and a
protection for us because they prevent us from getting involved in sin
or spiritual and physical danger.

I now appreciate the wisdom of that sign near the coast. Although it
was a restriction, it was also a protection from being trapped by
incoming tides. Had I followed its wise advice, I wouldn’t have put my
life in danger that day. I know the same is true for us when we choose
to keep the commandments, because they are there to bless and protect
us and keep us safe.

I couldn't have said it any better. Sorry I shared a lot of stories
from new eras and other church magazines but there is valuable
information in these little stories

Well that's all for this week! Talk to y'all next week!
-Elder Walker


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