BRB: gone to Seattle

for Strawbs' wedding!

Psalms 37:7

...fret not because another prospereth in the journey.

Joy: Hot Chocolate with Whipped Cream and Sprinkles

This is the original, found only at Southern Kitchen. I make my own at Melville, of course =)

Gordon, Stu, Whitney, and I all went last Saturday ('s tradition). Here is the documented proof of our enjoyment:


Whitney:
Stuart:

Life is good.

Quote of the Day

The right way, like the wrong way, must be paid for.

The difference is that for the right way we pay in advance while for the wrong way we pay afterwards - a much higher and more painful price.

C.G. Jung

Quote of the Day

Cherish your spiritual burdens because God will converse with you through them and will use you to do his work if you carry them well.

Jeffrey R. Holland

Press Release: New Phone

What I mean is, I bought a new phone. Please, please, please email me your phone number (if you haven't already).

This picture is newly taken with the new camera phone:

Love

kt

p.s.

and I lost my cell phone. yep. I'm cool. Please email me your cell phone number....

love
kt

brb

I'm in the city that I love.

Be back on Monday!

Fasting & Prayer

"And they did pray for that which they most desired." - 3 Nephi 19:9

This summer I started fasting and praying more fervently. I think I always approached fasting and prayer more pragmatically in the past; I thought that fasting made sense in terms of paying offerings, as well as supporting the principles of health and sacrifice. Also, prayer, in my mind, was intended to unite my will with God's will.

While I still think that uniting my will with God's is the primary purpose of prayer - or at least that is the firstfruit of it, I learned this summer that perhaps I was missing something through my pragmatic assumptions.

I was reading about Alma (the younger) and his experience with receiving the visitation of an angel. I have always thought it was really interesting that he received an angel, when so many other waywards with potential do not. However, one of the things I noted is that Alma's father and the church had done much fasting and prayer for Alma - and that the angel was a result of their faith and prayers on his behalf. It was still up to Alma to receive the words of the Angel, but it was sent because of the prayers & fasting of those who loved him with the strength of faith.

"Pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much." - James 5:16

This has changed the way I pray. I realize that now I can pray for the Holy Ghost to be sent to those I love. It is still up to them to receive the Holy Ghost, but if I increase my faith, I can be a blessing to those I pray for. I love this idea. Especially because I do not always know what to pray for when I am worried about my loved ones - sometimes I worry I am asking amiss. But with this, I know that the Holy Ghost will teach that person everything he or she needs - if he or she is willing to receive it. My faith and spiritual power is not great enough to send an angel (nor sure I would want to send one...), but I know that what I have, I can offer it to God and the Holy Ghost can use it to minister to me and those for whom I pray according to our individual needs. Whether that is comfort, feeling the love of God, repentance, forgiveness, bringing to their remembrance things they already know or believe to be true, the Spirit can teach it. It is a beautiful thing to consider that just as the Spirit teaches when we speak, it can bless when we pray. We can rely on the Holy Ghost to do what we cannot, where others are willing to receive it.

Fasting

I love this passage by Elder McConkie about the spiritual and physical components of fasting. It really helps me to apply the principles of prayer that I have learned to fasting:

Since the soul consists of both body and spirit (see D&C 88:15), we offer our whole souls when we place the desires of both body and spirit in subjection to the will of our Heavenly Father. Fasting and prayer help us to learn to control our appetites; they also help us to "hunger and thirst after righteousness" (Matthew 5:6).

We should all give some attention to the matter of fasting. We haven't really called on the Lord so much that we can reach him intimately if we don't fast occasionally, and pray often. Many of our personal problems can be solved by so doing. Do you remember what the Savior said to his disciples who couldn't cast out the evil spirit, after they asked why they couldn't do it when Jesus had done it so easily? He replied, "This kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting." (Matthew 17:21)

I have been fasting more regularly for the help and the spiritual strength that I need - as well as for those that I love and have been on my mind. I have seen firsthand that fasting and prayer does indeed send the spirit to those we pray for. And in this way, we really can be a blessing to them.

Blessings

Isaiah 58 teaches us that after we have fasted and taken care of the poor, that "The Lord shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought, and make fat thy bones: and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not."

We need to grow and increase in spiritual power and in the power of prayer and fasting. I know that as we do so we will be able to bless each other, grow and change, and also claim great spiritual gifts.

"Wherefore, my beloved brethren, pray unto the Father with all the energy of heart, that ye may be filled with this love, which he hath bestowed upon all who are true followers of his Son, Jesus Christ, that ye may become the sons of God; that when he shall appear we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is; that we may have this hope; that we may be purified even as he is pure." - Moroni 7:47-48

Basically, life is good

Doctrine & Covenants 44:2

Inasmuch as they are faithful, and exercise faith in me, I will pour out my Spirit upon them.

Doctrine & Covenants 81:5

Wherefore, be faithful; stand in the office which I have appointed unto you; succor the weak, lift up the hands which hang down, and strengthen the feeble knees.

Speaking of Gordon

Isn't he delightful?

Stella's Wedding

Gordon and I went to our friend Stella's wedding in October. Gordon officiated and I simply helped out and had a good time :)

It was a really lovely wedding. I will post more pictures as they come, but here is a picture of the spread of cakes... aren't they lovely? I love the cake stands.

Halloween

I went to my family's ward Halloween party - and I got to show off Brady (who was a tiger). He is the cutest most definitely.

Here we are just walking around...
p.s.

The Great Commandment by Joseph B. Wirthlin

The measure of our love is the measure of the greatness of our souls... The most cherished and sacred moments of our lives are those filled with the spirit of love. The greater the measure of our love, the greater is our joy. In the end, the development of such love is the true measure of success in life.

Read the full talk here.

chocolate cake for breakfast

Anyone else thinking of Bill Cosby right now?

James 5:16

Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.