Random Wanderings

We had more competition this year at the WAVA gingerbread contest. We took 2nd place with our Kandy Kastle.

Other winners:

1st place, 3rd place, Honorable mention

More views of the Kandy Kastle:

I finally have high sped internet connection and so I dare upload a few photos.

With the recent visit of my parents we got a couple of four generation photos.

Emily with her Great Grandpa

And here are some photos of the kitties:

Most who work are willing to submit to their employers will, at least for the time they are at work, with only the promise of a small monetary paycheck. If that employer cares for the person, it is mostly because of the contribution they are making for the company. There are requirements and qualifications and only a few who would be chosen for any particular job.

Yet many are unwilling to submit to God’s will.

God invites us to come and work for Him to help build up his kingdom here on the earth. A choice to work for God and submit our will to his is a choice to submit to someone who knows us completely, loves us immeasurably, and would only ask us to do those things that would be of benefit to us, to those we love, or for the benefit of all mankind.

Even when we make that choice to submit completely to His will, more times than not he gives the choice back to us and tells us to choose what we would like to do, or what we think is appropriate. Yet with benefits: He will warn us if we are starting to head in a damaging direction. When we are heading in a progressive direction he gives us constant confirmation to our minds and hearts that boosts our confidence and takes away our doubts. He will even give us gentle promptings that boost the rate of our progression.

The requirements of the job are possible for every single person to fulfill. They are a willingness to do our best to follow the things he asks us to do. He asks us to have faith in Him that he will only ask those things that will be of benefit to us and all mankind. He also only asks us to do those things that we are capable of doing especially with a little help from him. Another requirement is to remember to turn to Him constantly to seek His guidance.

He gives us lots of help with the job. He provided a perfect trainer ( Jesus Christ) to show us exactly how to do even the most difficult of tasks. He also gives each one of us a personal guide after we sign the contract (baptism), to walk by our side, to warn us, to comfort us, and to teach us.

With that contract we make the commitment to do our best to do the job. He gives us a chance every single week to review and renew that contract and re commit ourselves. (sacrament)

But the best thing of all is the paycheck. Besides all the opportunities and bonuses such as; joy, blessings, power, increased freedom, love, knowledge, peace, confidence, etc. that we get during the work time …….. the promised payment is that we will receive all that He has. No worldly wealth compares to that. In fact, it is beyond comprehension to even imagine all that entails.

So how about it! Do you want to work for the perfect employer? The invitation is open to all and there is room for everyone.

My husband and I are missionaries for the addiction recovery program for our church. The program is based on the 12 steps of Alcoholics Anonymous. Our topic for tonight is step 2. The one word that describes that topic is HOPE. The step is very much about getting to know who God really is. Most addicts and addicts families have a distorted view of God. Many have turned away from God in their life because of those distortions. In step one you realize how powerless you are to control the addiction and that it has taken away your freedom and put you in bondage. The only way you can find any HOPE of recovery is in trusting in a power greater than yourself. That trust is step 3. First you’ve got to know who you are going
to trust in. So who is God?

I believe that who to trust is Christ. The gospel of Christ. Gospel means good news. Many believe that God is controlling. I think that is a distortion. None of us like to be controlled. How can that be good news? Many get those distortions from how their parents treated them and from the culture. I think just the opposite is true of God. Rather than being controlling the most valuable gift he gives to us, is the gift of agency. We are free to choose. Men abuse that agency and try to control each other, which brings tremendous pain into the world. God will not stop them because of the value of that gift. Even in the most controlling circumstances brought about by men there are choices. There is always the choice of how to react and what attitude we will have.

If God isn’t controlling, then what about all those commandments he has?

I believe those commandments are from a loving father teaching us how not to abuse each other, but rather how to love each other more completely and bring more love into our own lives. They are a gift to us to show us the way in a very confusing and truth distorted world.

One of the distortions that I grew up with is: Even though I know God loves us, I didn’t feel like I could ever be perfect enough to make it to Gods kingdom. No matter how good I was able to be, I could never be good enough.

That is called perfectionism and it is a lie. By believing that, I was completely rejecting the whole reason Christ came to this earth. The gift of the atonement that makes it possible for each one of us imperfect people to be made whole and receive all that God the Father has to offer.

The truth is that my best will be good enough and all that I fall short of Christ will take care of. I can trust him to pick up the pieces of my life that I am incapable of fixing. As I continually turn to him for guidance he will show me a way out of the bondage from my addictive and compulsive behaviors. Not only that, but as I try to live the commandments in order to bring more love into my life and to other people, he will help me fine tune the general commandments so they are more specific to my individual circumstance.

Then on top of that he will also show me the way to find powers and peace even beyond what I could imagine or dream of. Even in a mixed up, distorted, chaotic, unpeaceful world.

I say that is HOPE!

We had satellite radio in the rental car while we were traveling. My husband and I like to listen to talk radio. One of the hosts did a commentary on how much more often children are being diagnosed as bipolar.

I value a full range of emotions, it seems to me that way too often genuine emotion is treated as something wrong that needs to be fixed, mostly for the comfort, emotional peace, hidden fear, of those around the emotional person. The natural exuberance of a child has to be calmed down, the tears have to be hushed as quick as possible. The teen dealing with all sorts of new emotions is ignored or squelched (everyone is too busy) rather than taught how to appropriately express those emotions in healthy ways. When those emotions get too strong to handle they rebel or express them in destructive ways both to self and others. Then, there must be something medically wrong so we have to get them on some kind of medication so they can be handled again.
Even as adults it seems to be much more socially acceptable to be walking around as a zombie void of feelings or drugged out on antidepressants or whatever you can use to get by, than to express genuine emotion.

I went through a time in my life where I had so suppressed my emotions that I didn’t feel anything. I was in a serious depression. I walked around as a zombie, the life of the living dead. It was no life. Yet no one seemed to notice or care at that time. Yet in finally coming out of that and being able to look back on that experience is why I value the life that comes with genuine emotion of all kinds.

Several years later I went through an extremely difficult time in my life, rather than go back to suppressing my feelings to make it through, I sought a listening ear so I could process through some of that genuine grief and extreme anger. Rather than a listening ear I found those who were quick to try to fix me, not by hearing, but, by telling me to go take antidepressants. I finally had to pay a therapist while I processed through the emotions. The therapist did not give advice, did not recommend medication, just listened.

The value of a listening ear, the value of acceptance of what ever mood each individual is in at any given moment, the value of emotion, of laughter, of tears, of anger,of contrariness.

I love the ocean, it is so moody, so changeable from one moment to the next, the tide is never the same, the whether changes so quickly. There is so much power but yet a peacefulness. I could watch it forever.

I make it a practice to appreciate & accept the changeableness of people as much as the changeableness in so much of nature around us. Because of that I have no problem with getting along with many who others avoid. I love them and value the richness they bring to my life.