Thank goodness for Michael!!

So, we, like many people around the world, watch the Academy Awards last night. I admit I am not into movies, I've only watched 2 of the movies nominated last night (Wall-E and The Dark Knight), but Kurt wanted to watch, and there was a bag of fabulous chocolates up for grabs

in Justin & Jesse's contest, so I watched, though I didn't really care. There were parts I enjoyed, there were plenty that made me roll my eyes and gag, and I've enjoyed catching up on justin's report of the awards. But I didn't think about or even recognize what was completely missing from this whole deal until I read my brother's testimony in his email from his mission this morning:

"I know that god lives and that he loves us and i know that as we give all our time and talents to the lord he will bless us far beyond that which we can earn on our own. I know that Christ is our savior and our redeemer and that he loves us and knows us personnally. i know that through his atonement that we will be purified if we want to be. God loves us. and he wants us to be happy. i love you all and wish you a very good week!
Elder Laws"

I was missing the Spirit!! Which is not intended to be some lecture on keeping the Sabbath day holy or to say what is acceptable to watch or not watch, but I think many of us can agree there was an awful lot of "wordly wisdom" being passed off as acceptance speeches. I'm grateful I can read my brother's testimony, my scriptures, and the words of latter-day prophets to keep my head on straight.

Michael Scriptures Returns!

When we moved a few months ago I lost my index card with the scriptures my brother sent me while on his mission, but I (amazingly) found it this past week.

Mosiah 4:27

And see that all these things are done in wisdom and order; for it is not requisite that a man should run faster than he has strength. And again, it is expedient that he should be diligent, that thereby he might win the prize; therefore, all things must be done in order.

Pictures from our Sunday morning:

Kurt & Olivia putting her baby to bed

Austin reading to Nyah

Michael Scriptures

So, last month the Primary theme was about being a missionary ("Because I know we are all children of God, I will share the gorpel with others" to be exact), and since my brother, Michael, is on a mission I asked him to share some of his favorite scriptures with me so I could share them with my kids during our morning devotionals. You know, reinforce the whole idea of being a missionary and sharing the gospel and help them feel closer to him while he is away because they keep asking when they get to see him again. Which is better than them not asking about him at all. Anyways, short explanation turning long, and Michael being the good missionary he is, he sent a huge list!! So I decided to share some with all of you. I copied and pasted this from the online scriptures at www.lds.org so it even has all the footnotes, should anyone wonder or care.

Joseph Smith-History 1:16-17
16. But, exerting all my powers to call upon God to deliver me out of the power of this enemy which had seized upon me, and at the very moment when I was ready to sink into despair and abandon myself to destruction—not to an imaginary ruin, but to the power of some actual being from the unseen world, who had such marvelous power as I had never before felt in any being—just at this moment of great alarm, I saw a pillar of light exactly over my head, above the brightness of the sun, which descended gradually until it fell upon me.

17. It no sooner appeared than I found myself delivered from the enemy which held me bound. When the light rested upon me I saw two Personages, whose brightness and glory defy all description, standing above me in the air. One of them spake unto me, calling me by name and said, pointing to the other—This is My Beloved Son. Hear Him!