Hi there! Welcome to my pondering pad! "Why do I blog?" you may ask. Well, let me tell you! :) I believe we all have similarities in the human experience because we're mere mortals. Because of our heavenly roots, a desire is within us to want to be better. Yet, the Lord did not intend for us to do it alone. The Lord wants us to "bear one another's burdens, that they may be light" (Mos. 18:8) & to "succor the weak, lift up the hands which hang down, & strengthen the feeble knees" (D&C 81:5). We need help & strength from each other. We need to know we aren't alone. Therefore, I share thoughts, feelings, and experiences that perhaps you might find commonality, strength, courage, & comfort to your own trials. So come, let us sup at the Lord's table together that we may find solutions in and through Him, for He is good & mighty to save!
Psalms 31:24
Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart, all ye that hope in the Lord.
"The goal is not to get through the scriptures but to get the scriptures through you." --Neal A. Maxwell
"If you have determined to live righteously, don't become discouraged. Life may seem difficult now but hold on tightly to that iron rod of truth. You are making more progress than you realize. Your struggles are defining character, discipline, and confidence in the promises of your Father in Heaven and the Savior as you consistently obey Their commandments. May the Holy Ghost prompt you to always make decisions that fortify your character and yield much joy and happiness." --Richard G. Scott
"The Lord warned the first generation of Latter-day Saints to 'beware concerning yourselves' (D&C 84:43). I seek to remind each of us of the mortal susceptibilities and devilish diversions that can unite to produce our spiritual downfall. . . . Satan can also attack us where we think we are strong. . . . He will approach us through the greatest talents and spiritual gifts we possess. If we are not wary, Satan can cause our spiritual downfall by corrupting us through our strengths as well as by exploiting our weaknesses." --Dallin H. Oaks, October Ensign 1994
"Where scriptural truths are ignored or abandoned, the essential moral core of society disintegrates and decay is close behind. In time, nothing is left to sustain the institutions that sustain society." --Elder D. Todd Christofferson
"[God] cannot grant [unity] to us as individuals. The joy of unity He wants so much to give us is not solitary. We must seek it and qualify for it with others. . . . We can pray and work for the unity that will bring us joy and multiply our power to serve." --Henry B. Eyring
"We don't persist in prayer to change God's mind. We persist in prayer to change our hearts."
--Gerald N. Lund
"I hope that we welcome and love all of God’s children, including those who might dress, look, speak, or just do things differently. It is not good to make others feel as though they are deficient. Let us lift those around us. Let us extend a welcoming hand. Let us bestow upon our brothers and sisters in the Church a special measure of humanity, compassion, and charity so that they feel, at long last, they have finally found home." --Dieter F. Uchtdorf
"You know what is right and wrong. Be the leader in doing right. At first, you may not be understood. You may not have the friends you want right away, but in time, they will respect you, then admire you. Many will come privately to receive strength from your spiritual flame. You can do it. I know you can."
--Richard G. Scott
"[The] need today [for Christlike love] is as great as or perhaps greater than when the Savior walked on this earth. As shepherds, we must understand that we should nurture each one of our sheep to bring them to Christ, which is the purpose of all we do in this Church." --Ulisses Soares
"My dear brothers and sisters, don't get discouraged if you stumble at times. Don't feel downcast or despair if you don't feel worthy to be a disciple of Christ at all times. The first step to walking in righteousness is simply to try. We must try to believe. Try to learn of God: read the scriptures; study the words of His latter-day prophets; choose to listen to the Father, and do the things He asks of us. Try and keep on trying until that which seems difficult becomes possible--and that which seems only possible becomes habit and a real part of you." --Dieter F. Uchtdorf
"The role of a good teacher is to comfort the troubled but trouble the comfortable."
--Author Unknown
"We ought to say in our hearts, let God judge between me and thee, but as for me, I will forgive. I want to say to you that Latter-day Saints who harbor a feeling of unforgiveness in their souls are more guilty and more censurable than the one who has sinned against them. . . . 'Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.' This is the spirit that Latter-day Saints ought to possess all the day long. The man who has that spirit in his heart and keeps it there will never have any trouble with his neighbor." --Joseph F. Smith
"It was the Savior who left the ninety and nine to go out and find the one. Now we are obsessed with the ninety and nine, and we are not very much concerned with the one. But the ninety and nine will go along pretty well. They don't need a lot of attention. I don't mean to suggest that you don't do your duty toward them, but it is the one that we need to help. . . . They are worth saving and bringing back. Do you know who they are? Have you identified them? Start with that step. And then put them to work. No man or woman will grow in this Church unless he or she is busy and has something to do." --Gordon B. Hinckley
“One cannot get right answers asking wrong questions.” --Keith Porter
When you say, "I can't! I can't solve my problems!" I want to thunder out, "Don't you realize who you are? Haven't you learned yet that you are a son or daughter of Almighty God? Do you not know that there are powerful resources inherited from Him that you can call upon to give you steadiness, courage, and great power?" --Boyd K. Packer
Thank God every morning when you get up that you have something to do that day which must be done, whether you like it or not. Being forced to work, and forced to do your best, will breed in you temperance and self-control, diligence and strength of will, cheerfulness and content, and a hundred virtues which the idle will never know.
~Charles Kingsley~
"With God on our side, we cannot fail. . . . It is not a time for fear; it's a time for faith. . . . Our future is as bright as our faith."
--President Thomas S. Monson
"It is imperative that we recognize that whatever has happened to us has happened to others. They have coped, and so must we. We are not alone. Heavenly Father's help is near."
--President Thomas S. Monson
"None of us will escape tragedy and suffering. Each of us will probably react differently. However, if we can recall the Lord's promise, 'for I the Lord am with you,' we will be able to face our problems with dignity and courage. We will find the strength to be of good cheer instead of becoming resentful, critical, or defeated. We will be able to meet life's important happenings with clear vision, strength, and power. . . . .
"What a joy it is to see someone of good cheer, who, when others because of unpleasant happening or development live in angry silence or vocal disgust, meets the situation with cheerful endurance and good spirits" (in Conference Report, Apr. 1986).
--Marvin J. Ashton