The Power of our Sacred Hymns:

All Creatures of Our God and King

The beloved hymn, All Creatures of our God and King was adapted by a poem written by St. Francis of Assisi in 1225. Understanding the man and story that inspired the text can help add depth and power to the song as we sing it.

Francis of Assisi had a privileged childhood and a was a rebellious young adult. But when God came to him in a dream and told him he was in the wrong, Francis forsook everything and turned his life over to God.

In his quest to find God, Francis was visiting a church when he heard Christ speak to him saying, “Francis, repair my church.”

Francis thought he was speaking of the church he was praying in, so he used his father’s supplies to help restore the building. When his father found out, he saw it as theft and brought Francis before the Bishop, demanding he pay the money back.

Francis did, but at that meeting, stripped himself of the clothes his father had given him and denounced his inheritance.

Wearing nothing but second-hand rags, Francis walked into the cold woods alone and –singing. Later, when robbers attacked him, took his clothes and beat him, he climbed out of the hole they left him in and continued on his way, singing.

Francis devoted his life to God and spent his days living among the poor and homeless. He found joy in serving others and considered all people his brothers and sisters. It was his belief that all God’s creations were his brothers and sisters, including Brother Wind, Sister Water, Sister Moon and Brother Fire.

He loved the animals and the elements and he was known to speak to them as he walked among them. According to stories, they obeyed him because they loved him too.

One story says that hundreds of birds stood still as Francis taught them to be thankful to God for their beautiful clothing, for their freedom, and for God’s loving care. It was said that the birds stood still until Francis said they could leave, and then happily flew away.

Another story of Francis is about a carnivorous wolf who was eating townspeople. The town wanted to kill the wolf, but before they could, Francis stepped in and spoke to the wolf, and persuaded him to never kill again. The wolf then became a beloved pet to the people, who made sure that he never went hungry.

Another story, and the most compelling, came near the end of his life when poverty and homelessness was causing illness. The pope ordered an operation for Francis’ eyes when he started to lose his sight.
This required his face to be cauterized with a scalding hot iron. Francis spoke to his “Brother Fire” and made a request of him, “Brother Fire, the Most High has made you strong and beautiful and useful. Be courteous to me now in this hour, for I have always loved you, and temper your heat so that I can endure it.” After his surgery, Francis said that his Brother Fire had been kind to him and that he felt nothing at all throughout the procedure.

Sr. Francis Assisi was a man like few others. 

Here is what we can learn from his life and his song.

1. We have dominion over all things. Adam was given dominion over all things in the Garden of Eden. We are Adam’s direct descendents, and heirs to all his blessings. We need to believe that we can command the elements and they will obey us. The Savior Himself told us we had this power. The elements obeyed the Savior, elements both on land and the sea, both within the body, and without. To His disciples Christ said, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works which I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go now unto my Father.” (–John 14:12) Not only do we have the ability to walk on water and raise the dead, but the Lord said we would do greater things than were witnessed of Him because He had to descend to heaven.

2. All God’s creations have intelligence, and they obey his voice. In Doctrine and Covenants 93:36, we are told, “The glory of God is intelligence, or, in other words, light and truth.” According to lds.org regarding the Light of Christ it states, “The light of Christ is the divine energy, power, or influence that proceeds from God through Christ and gives light to all things.” Doctrine and Covenants 88:13 says, Christ is “the light which is in all things, which giveth life to all things, which is the law by which all things are governed.” This means that the light of Christ is truly in all things and that it gives light to all things. If we are true children of light, then we will embrace all intelligence that God has placed on this Earth, “For intelligence cleaveth to intelligence.” (Doctrine and Covenants 88:40). Francis recognized the intelligence in all God’s creations and they obeyed him.

3. Love is how we make things happen. Francis loved “Brother Fire” and he told him so. He did not command the fire to temper its heat, he simply asked and expressed his love, and according to the stories, “Brother Fire” did what Francis asked because his love was returned. The Light of Christ is the law by which all things are governed and love is the fulfillment of that law. “Love worketh no ill to his neighbor: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.” (Romans 13:10) Francis understood that his neighbor included all those living things around him and, as he told “Brother Fire”, he always loved them. If we desire to command the elements, we must first learn to love them.

4. All God’s creations know how to sing praises to their creator. Francis knew God’s creations intimately. He spoke to them and they listened. His song is a call to all of God’s creations to sing together in one glorious song of praise. Doctrine and Covenants 128:23 says, “Let the mountains shout for joy, and all ye valleys cry aloud; and all ye seas and dry lands tell the wonders of your Eternal King! And ye rivers, and brooks, and rills, flow down with gladness. Let the woods and all the trees of the field praise the Lord; and ye solid rocks weep for joy! And let the sun, moon, and the morning stars sing together, and let all the sons of God shout for joy! And let the eternal creations declare his name forever and ever! And again I say, how glorious is the voice we hear from heaven, proclaiming in our ears, glory, and salvation, and honor and immortality, and eternal life; kingdoms, principalities, and powers!” We are all commanded to sing praises together.

5. Singing praises together will unite us and eventually help to bring about our exaltation. Psalms 148 is very similar to the above verse in the Doctrine and Covenants. The chapter heading states, “Let all things praise the Lord: men and angels, the heavenly bodies, the elements and the earth, and all things thereon.” This chapter, however, adds why we should all sing together. Verse 14 says, “He exalteth the horn of his people, the praise of all his saints”. As we sing these praises, we are being exalted by the Lord. Sacred music is light and as we sing together, we are flowing light into the world. The more voices who join the song, the greater the amount of light in the world. The greater the light, the less the influence of darkness. Through singing, we lift ourselves to a spiritual plain where darkness cannot abide.

6. Music gives us the power to overcome hard things. Francis was able to endure both ridicule and torture through singing praises to God. It was even said that this song of praise was sung while he was on his death bed. In the original poem, Francis even spoke of “Sister Death” and wrote the lines about her just hours before he passed away. Music was comforting to him and he sang as he walked. In the First Presidency Preface to the Hymns, it states, “Hymns can help us withstand the temptations of the adversary.” It was Francis’ singing that allowed him to overcome all that was given him.

All Creatures of our God and King is a beautiful tribute from Francis Assisi to the God he loved. It wonderfully expresses the joy that flows from all intelligences as we join together in song. It comes as the result of a lifetime of love and service to God and His creations. Francis spent his life singing praises to the Lord, and as we sing this sacred hymn, it is an invitation for all God’s creations to join him.

Messages From Heaven

I have always loved the ocean and everything that comes with it. 

From the sound of the waves crashing on the beach, to the lighthouses setting atop the shore. The ocean, to me, is a place of peace.

As a child, one of the unique things that I loved about the ocean is the idea of messages in a bottle. I dreamed that one day, I would visit the beach and find my very own message in a bottle. But finding a message in a bottle is about as common as being stranded on a desert island and sending one. I expect that in my lifetime, neither one of those things is actually going to happen.

I think that sometimes in our lives, we think that messages from heaven are like these messages in a bottle; few and far between, and never really meant for us. 

I would like to persuade my readers differently. Because although I have never found a message in a bottle, my life has been filled with messages from heaven.

As a kid, I talked to God often. Although it probably looked to others as if I was talking to myself, I knew  God was listening. God knew I was talking to Him, so it didn't really matter what other people thought and if they asked me, I would tell them, "I'm just talking to Heavenly Father." Most people would look at me funny and move on, but sometimes, I would get this question, "Well, is God talking to you?"

My answer as a child was always no, but I still knew God was listening. It wasn't until I became an adult that I realized God absolutely is talking to me. He is leading me and giving me direction every minute of every day. The question should not be, "Is God talking to you," but, "Are you listening to what God is trying to say?"

If we take the time to be still and listen, we can hear and feel that gentle voice of our Father in Heaven giving us the comfort and direction we need. 

So many times, we fail to recognize that voice because it comes more as a feeling or a thought, rather than the voice of our Father. Often, it's in our own voice and we disregard it, believing it was not a message from heaven, but rather something created by our own mind.

Elder Ronald A. Rasband said, "My experience has been that the Spirit most often communicates as a feeling. You feel it in words that are familiar to you, that make sense to you, that prompt you... Sometimes we rationalize: we wonder if we are feeling a spiritual impression or if it is just our own thoughts. When we begin to second-guess, even third-guess, our feelings -and we all have- we are dismissing the Spirit: we are questioning divine counsel. The Prophet Joseph Smith taught that if you will listen to the first promptings, you will get it right nine times out of ten."

If we truly understood how messages from heaven distilled upon us, we would realize that anything that provides goodness to our life, or the life of another, is a message from heaven. 

These messages are given directly to you and I to help us share God's light with the world. Every thought, every action, every idea that leads you to do good was given to you from God to bless your life and the lives of His children.

We must be confident in those thoughts we receive that lead us to do good, for they truly are messages from heaven. They come to us as often as we are willing to listen and act on them.

Next time you have an impression to do something good, do it, and consider it a message from Heaven.

The War in Heaven and How we Fight it on Earth

Before we came to earth, we fought a war in heaven between good and evil and it still rages on today.

If you are not a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormon) then this may sound unfamiliar to you, so let me explain.

We believe that we all lived in Heaven before we were born with our Heavenly Father and Heavenly Mother. God wanted us to learn and grow, so He created a plan that would allow us to come to Earth, gain a body, and learn from experience. Agency was a vital part of God's plan for His children. Satan opposed God's plan of agency. Instead, he wanted to compel all men to do what was right so that they would all return home after their mortal probation. He promised that not one soul would be lost and desired that all the glory of this plan should go to him.

Jesus Christ, on the other hand, understood the importance of agency. He knew that if people were compelled to do what's right, their heart would never truly be in it. He told Father that He would help to fulfill God's plan by becoming a Savior for God's children. He vowed that He would take upon Him the sins and sorrows of the world, so that man could repent of their poor choices, become cleansed through the atonement, and thereby be allowed to once again enter into God's presence. This way, all God's children who wanted to return home, had a way prepared for them to do so. Repentance is the key and Christ's atonement is the way.

Satan became angry that his plan was not accepted and led a third of the hosts of heaven in a battle against those who followed Father. Satan lost the war in heaven and was cast down to the earth where he has been allowed to tempt man ever since.

The war in heaven continues today. Satan knows he cannot win, so his tactic is to try to lead away as many of God's children that will follow him before Christ comes again and Satan is bound for a thousand years during the Millenium.

It is important we understand this, so that we can know exactly how to fight the Devil. 

Before any war is won, we first must know our enemy.

Satan has been around for thousands of years, and he knows that we are nearing the time when he will be bound, so he has called an all out war on God's children. As God's children, we must learn how to fight our enemy.

One of the greatest maneuvers we can do is begin each day by sending the Devil away. This is exactly what Jesus did when Satan came tempting Him. 

If we don't send Satan away, he hangs out with us throughout the day, filling our minds with negative, unclean, and unkind thoughts about ourselves or those we are supposed to love. He causes us to have harsh judgements on strangers or lash out on social media. He whispers to us doubts and fears. He does all he can to steer us away from God's light and plunge us into the darkness.

When I explain this to my children, I use the illustration of shoulder angels and shoulder devils. It is true that Satan stays with us until we tell him to leave. His plan was and still is a plan of force. and he will stay as long as we let him. His greatest strength is his anonymity. If we pretend he isn't there, he can truly hangout and create havoc in our lives. 

Before I learned this concept, I thought I was doing great. I read my scriptures regularly, went to church every week, had daily family and personal prayer, paid tithing and served faithfully in my calling. Yet, I still struggled with negative thoughts, with depression, with the the belief that I was not doing enough, that I was not good enough, and that there was no way I would make it to heaven despite everything I was doing.

When I realized where these thoughts were coming from, and that they were not my thoughts, but the thoughts of a cunning devil striving mercilessly to bring me down, I told Satan to leave. In the name of Jesus Christ, I commanded him to depart, and it has made all the difference. I now ask daily in my morning and evening prayers for God to send angels to escort Satan out of my home and for God's angels to surround us throughout the day in order to live in a place of light. It is amazing how much easier it is to listen to my shoulder angel when the devil is no longer allowed a place. 

But just telling the devil to leave isn't enough to win the war. We must increase our light so that he is uncomfortable staying with us, and eventually, can never come back. For light truly does dispel darkness. Again, we can learn how to do this by following the Savior's example.

Not only did Christ command Satan to leave, but He then quoted scripture afterwards, thereby raising His level of light and increasing His power to resist temptation.

To quote an LDS primary song, "Scripture power, keeps me safe from sin. Scripture power is the power to win."

Even Jesus knew that scripture power is the power to win, and He used it to strengthen His ability to overcome. Scriptures are filled with God's light and the more we memorize and apply them to our lives, the more weapons we have in our arsenal to fight Satan and win. For the war is not won with guns and swords, but with words and ideas, just as it was won in heaven.

Just as scriptures are a source of light, so is the power of prayer. 

Through prayer, we can ask God for divine help to assist us. For we are surrounded by concourses of angels, as far as our eyes can see who are waiting for us to ask for their assistance. These angels of light add their power and light to our own and help us to stand in holy places. Just as angels came to assist the Savior, they too can be sent to assist us when we ask for them in faith. They will come to fight the battle for us and guard us with great care.

Hymns also bring light to where you stand and give you power to fight Satan. 

We learn in the Bible Dictionary that David's Psalms are the highest form of prayer. A song of the righteous is a prayer to Father and will be answered with a blessing on our head. Those blessings are many, including a greater increase in light, divine protection, comfort, and inspiration. As we sing hymns of praise, we will fight the darkness with powerful light.

The war in heaven continues to rage here on earth. Once we begin to understand that the war is raging, we can fight on a higher battle ground. We can send Satan away and increase the light where we stand. "For while virtue, by choice, will not associate with filth, evil cannot tolerate the presence of light," -Boyd K. Packer

I encourage all who read this to start now and send Satan away today. Don't just send him away, but stop listening to him when he comes. Fill your life with light, love and goodness. Live in the light and every day will be filled with sunshine, regardless of the weather around you.

It is when we stop listening to the devil, and no longer allow him a place on our shoulder, that we have finally won the war.

What our country, and our world cannot do without.

My heart aches for our world today and as I have been grasping at what we can all do to make a difference, I found these words by Ronald Reagan, “It is not enough to depend on our own courage and goodness; we must also seek help from God, our Father and Preserver.” These words were spoken in a National Day of Prayer Proclamation, May 6, 1982.

It is my humble opinion that our nation needs to join together in fasting and prayer to call on our God to help us. In a world where God is no longer allowed in schools and His words have been removed from our capital buildings, let us not remove God from our hearts.

America's founding fathers believed strongly in the providence of God and founded our country with the motto, “In God we trust.” These men understood the need to cry out to God in prayer to seek His will and help. Over 1300 Fast and Thanksgiving Days were proclaimed by the government in the first 200 years of our country’s history. They witnessed God’s miraculous answer to their prayers time and time again.

One such event occurred in 1746, when after a day of fasting and prayer, an entire French fleet, on their way to attack America, was stopped in their attempt. A heavy storm sunk several ships while others were destroyed through disease. With a mighty storm and pestilence, America was saved at the hands of God, just like the children of Israel were saved at the time of Moses. In 1746, Americans knew God answered prayers, and they looked to Him to help them in their times of trouble.

America has a rich history of seeing God’s miracles, and we can see them again if we choose to turn our hearts to Him. We all know America is in trouble. We can see it in the mass shootings, the corrupt government, and the rising protests. We can see the anger and hate raging across our country and it is time we stand together and do something to fight the darkness. Martin Luther King said, “Returning violence for violence multiplies violence, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that.”

God is the author of love and light and it is through prayer that He will send it to us. God respects our free agency and He will not force Himself upon us. But when we ask for His help, through honest prayer, God will come to our aid. In light of everything that is taking place in America right now, and before our current election takes place, we must declare a day of prayer. We the people of The United States must take a stand and make the declaration for the good of our country, for our children, and our God. God will help us to claim back our nation, just as He did for our forefathers and the children of Israel. Prayer is a powerful weapon and it is time we use it for the betterment of our country. God will poor down miracles on our behalf if we join together to call on His divine aid.

On October 16, 1746, God sent miracles to the American people and rescued them from their enemies because of their national day of fasting and prayer. Let’s join our country together again Sunday, October 16, 2016, 270 years later, for a day of prayer and fasting for today’s American people. Let’s pray that God will vanquish today’s enemies and strengthen our country from within. Let’s pray for unity and love. Just as Martin Luther King said, the only way to drive out the hate and darkness in our country is through love and light. Let’s pray to God for His love and light to shine down upon us and drive out our enemies.

If you believe in God and understand the power of prayer, if you agree that this country needs a day of prayer and fasting, if you believe in miracles, please share this message with everyone you know. One person kneeling in prayer is powerful, but an entire nation kneeling in prayer can change the world. Let’s fight this war in our country the best way we know how, on our knees.  

I originally intended this message to be for those in the United States, but after pondering more upon it, it is my opinion that we need to make it a day of prayer for not just America, but for the world. It is time we invite God back into the world He created, We are His children. Let's welcome Him home. :)

International Day of Prayer: October 16, 2016

The Miracle of Music and Healing

It has been many months since I have posted here and in those months, I have learned more about my Heavenly Father and my Savior than I knew in all the years previous. It is incredible to me the knowledge that comes when we tune our heart and mind to the beautiful music of the gospel. This statement is not just figurative, it is literal. 

The Power of Music

I have learned that music is not only soothing, it is healing and when we make it a habit to listen to those beautiful songs that are praising God, we are literally tuning our hearts to the music of heaven.  We are removing the darkness from within ourselves and becoming more fully, a child of light. 

Music speaks to the heart of all of God’s children. It is literally written in our DNA. Studies have proven that every cell in our body moves at a certain frequency. This movement echoes back those sounds that are heard and will either be for our good or our devastation. When good music is played, it resonates with the movement that is within us.  When a negative beat is played, it creates dissonance and causes a conflict from within where anger, hate and sadness become a direct result. In essence, music is a direct portal to living a life of peace and happiness or one of sadness and anger.

If we choose to listen to music that is soothing to the soul, we are not only filling our soul with light, but we are literally healing our body, mind and spirit. Music can remove anger, hate, depression and sadness and replace it with joy, love, peace and gladness. It will lift our bodies to a higher state of being. This is also true of words and the tone in which we say them.

The Power of Words

When words are directed to us with a negative tone, our body’s natural response is fight or flight. But if the tone is softer and more encouraging, and the words are more kind and loving, love becomes the natural result. It is truly amazing to think about. It has been said that kind words are sweet tones of the heart, and they truly are. Words are healing, music is healing, and when the two are combined, we are given the power to truly heal not only our own soul, but the soul of everyone around us. 

I encourage you to begin listening to those songs that speak peace to your soul, for those are the melodies your body longs to hear for its own natural healing. You will discover that your body, mind and spirit will be lighter, happier and brighter until you are enveloped in the arms of God’s love and glorious light.  

Here is a beautiful song that I want to leave you with in the hopes that you will feel the power of its music and words, and choose to increase the music in your own life.

God is a God of Miracles!!

My Dear Friends,

You have come to this blog because you felt something, some kind of connection or spark that brought you to this very place to read the words of my heart. Thank-you for acting on the feelings of your own heart. There are no coincidences in this world. You are here for a reason, to learn, to grow, and to understand things that your Heavenly Father needs you to know. There are things you need to understand and feel, truth that only comes when your heart is touched by God’s Spirit. Things that will help you understand God’s love for you. Those things that I am about to share are real, I know it, and if you pray and ask God yourself, you will know it too. I plead with you that you will ask God, your eternal Father, in the name of Christ if the things I am about to share are true and I promise you, through the Spirit, He will manifest to you the truth of ALL things.

I try to be very careful about what I share with others, especially when it comes to spiritual experiences. God has so many gifts that he has given His children. Some have the gift of healing, others have the gift of prophecy. I have been given the gift of dreams. I dream dreams that have specific messages in them that come directly from my Heavenly Father. They are dreams that I have used to direct my life and the lives of my family. I have kept all of my dreams mostly to myself because I hold them very close to my heart. However, because my Heavenly Father has asked me to, I know that this is the time to share those things that are most precious to me. I understand that there are those whose hearts are not ready to receive these things and they will mock them. But I also know that many are fearful and unable to find peace right now, and many are worried about the things to come, and they are searching for a place where they can find safety and peace. I know that there can be great peace in the days ahead, regardless of what happens. I know this, because in every dream I’ve had, that is the message.

GOD LOVES YOU

It is my hope that you will read these dreams and understand them in the Spirit they are given. I am not trying to predict or prophesy. These are my personal dreams, given especially for me, but I have been directed by the Spirit to share them now with you, because God loves you and He wants you to know these things for yourself that you may take the necessary steps and be protected, Please pray to know what God wants you to do with them through His Spirit. I received a priesthood blessing from my husband last Sunday that told me that I needed to teach others that they do not need to fear, that God loves them and is with them. So because of that, and other experiences, I have been directed by the Spirit that now is the time to share some of the things that Heavenly Father has given me, because I am certain there are people who need to hear them. I want to share three dreams I’ve had about the days of tribulation, just prior to Christ’s coming. The first one came nearly four years ago. The other two are more recent, within the past two months. I’ll share them in order.

Dream #1:

I was in the community where I live right now, but it did not look like it does currently. There was obvious devastation and we had rebuilt the city into smaller homes made of wood, kind of like cabins. There was one larger cabin that was like a town hall where we met for church and other gatherings. I was outside gathering things when I thought one of the buildings was on fire but there were no flames. There was a billowing, thick black smoke pouring from the roof of the building. The mist of darkness took the form of a winged bird flying through the air and began swooping down, catching up people in the city. I was watching from a place where I was hidden, but those who were in full view of the darkness, and paid attention to it, were paralyzed by fear and could not move from their place. They were trapped. Although fear gripped my heart because I knew it was Satan, and he had come to try to bring darkness into our city, I was not paralyzed like the others. I ran into the meetinghouse where my husband and children were and told him that Satan was here to take people. We huddled over our children (who were very close to the same age they are now) and told them not to look, that if they did not give in to the temptation to look, Satan could not harm them. The meetinghouse door opened and the angel of death, who was an old woman dressed in white, was standing there sweeping the steps. She looked at us and smiled and my husband and I were the only ones who saw her even though the room was filled with members of my neighborhood. There was peace in her smile and it brought peace to my heart. We knew she was not there for us, but she was there for the wicked, those being taken by Satan. The doors then shut and the mist of darkness came into the room through the fireplace and took the form of a man. It was Satan and behind him were his legions. They were everyday people, teenagers dressed immodestly, men in business suits, women lavishly dressed, and all from all walks of life. All of them feared Satan yet looked to Him for direction. Satan’s presence evoked fear that I had never felt before. He spoke in a loud voice and said, "You have seen my power and my destruction. Bow to the earth and worship me." My husband stood and I stood beside him with our children behind us. My husband stood firm and said, "We will not bow to you, we know who we follow." Again, Satan said, "I am all powerful and I can destroy you. Bow down and worship me." Again my husband said, "No! We will not bow to you. We know in who we trust. We know our Master." A third time Satan said, "Bow down and worship me or I will destroy you." By this time, I was so afraid that I was ready to turn to my husband and tell him to do what he said but just as I was about to give in, the angel of the Lord appeared (he was an older man with graying hair and wore a white suit) and said, "Fear not, for as long as I am with you, he cannot harm you. God has sent me to protect you." He cast Satan out and Satan and his minions left and we stood there together with the angel of the Lord. And then I woke up.

Dream #2:

I was in a building with many other people. All of the sudden, people started screaming and crying, “It’s here! It’s really here!” I ran outside to see what they were talking about. Inside, I felt excitement and I thought to myself, “Could they be talking about the second coming?” As I walked outside, I saw meteors falling from the sky coming at great speed destroying the Earth. The meteors were flaming orange and red and very vibrant. People were running and screaming everywhere I looked, but instead of being afraid, I was excited. I thought to myself, “It is finally happening, the scriptures are being fulfilled, the Earth is being cleansed for the coming of our Savior.” I knew that life was going to be different, and that there would be many trials before Christ came, but I embraced it and I was excited to prove to Heavenly Father that I could take the challenges and grow with them. I walked through the destruction with confidence and with peace. A very large meteor came right at me. It came so close that I could see the pot marks in the rock and the fire flaming from it. It stopped just before it hit me and changed direction, as if it hit an invisible shield. I knew I was protected and I was at peace in the midst of the chaos as I walked through unaffected by it. Then I woke up.

Dream #3:

I was hovering in the sky, well above the Earth and a Heavenly Being was standing at my left, although I did not see who it was. As we looked down on the Earth, I saw devastation, chaos and destruction. My heart felt heavy and I cried out, “But Father, what about the children?” God’s voice spoke and He said, “Fear not, for I will care for my children.” Then each child had two to three angels around them who were carrying them and lifting them from the destruction. They were pulling them out of cars and out from under crumbled buildings. I had the impression that when the cleansing of the Earth comes, there will be many children whose parents will die in the chaos that will need to be taken care of. I also had the impression that I would be asked to take care of some of the orphaned children. Then I woke up.

I need to be clear that I do not believe that the end of the world is coming, but I do believe things are going to change. Life is going to be different than we now know it. My religion teaches that the world will never end, but that there will be tribulation and cleansing before Christ returns. The things that have been prophesied since the beginning of time are going to start happening and we need to be ready. I do not know these things of myself, nor have I learned them from others, but I have been dreaming of them for nearly four years now. I am not an alarmist, nor do I want to frighten you. As a matter of fact, it is my hope that I do just the opposite and help you feel a Spirit of love and peace as we face the days ahead. Every dream I have had has radiated peace and love even in the midst of chaos.

DO NOT FEAR

The thing I love about these dreams is that in all of them, even though there was chaos, I was at complete peace. I was told “Fear not” two separate times in two separate dreams. There is no need for us to fear. As long as you are on the side of the Lord, He will protect you. He is powerful, good and full of love, and very merciful to those who serve and love Him. There is no need for anyone to fear or to worry about yourselves or anyone else because God loves you and your family members. Trust Him, trust in His plan, and trust in the process. God is over all, He writes the story, His arm is sufficient to carry all of us, and He will if we trust Him. We should be a joyous people because we know what we will meet on the other side of the tribulation. We don’t really know how long it will last or the exact time He will come, but we know that in the end, WE WILL EMBRACE OUR SAVIOR! It is joyful! This tribulation is only a small price to pay to get to live in the presence of our Savior and to be embraced by Him. FEAR NOT and know that GOD LOVES YOU!!

BE PREPARED

I know that if we are prepared, and if we trust in our Heavenly Father and His Son Jesus Christ, we shall not fear! So I am asking you and pleading with you to get prepared. Do you know there are living prophets on the Earth today who have forseen this very time and have been warning God’s children for decades to get a year’s supply of food storage? God’s church is on the Earth today, and just like ancient times, they prophesy of things to come because they speak directly to God. I know if we follow their counsel, miracles will happen! I know miracles will happen when you ask God for help and make food storage a priority. We have never had food storage before, but when my dreams persisted, we prayed for God to help us and miracles happened! Money started showing up in the mail, in opportunities to earn overtime, in bonuses and in so many other ways. Within two months, we were able to achieve an entire years worth of food for a family of seven. That, my friends, is a miracle, especially since we have never been able to achieve it in the previous 15 years of marriage. God is a God of miracles and if you make it a priority, He will give you a miracle that will allow you to prepare and be ready.

HAVE FAITH

Please remember that in order for God to create miracles, He needs your faith. Faith must also be a very big part of your preparation. Faith is the antidote to fear and miracles and protection will come if only you believe.  Align yourself with God. Cheerfully do all things that lie within your power, and then stand still with the utmost assurance to see the salvation of God and for His arm to be revealed. If you don't know God, humbly seek and find Him. There are many good people who believe in God that are in many different religions and walks of life. I sincerely ask you to go to your Father in prayer and ask Him what He would have you do, and then act on those promptings, no matter how strange they may seem. If you are sincerely asking, you can know the answer is most assuredly from God.

ASK GOD

I am not asking you to believe me. I am asking you to go to God, who is the source of all truth and ask Him in humble prayer to give you the answers you seek and guide you to know how to act upon that knowledge. What greater witness will you have then God Himself. I love all of God’s children, which is why I share these things. If I could, I would invite you all into my home and do everything within my power to keep you safe. But I cannot, so I humbly ask you to do one simple thing today. Talk to God, ask the right questions, believe He will answer you, and I know, without a doubt, He will lead you along.

If you have read this far, then I would like to invite you to learn more about the modern day prophets by visiting lds.org or finding a Mormon place of worship near you.

If you don't have anything nice to say...... Stop Talking

Silly me....

I really don't know what I was thinking when a few days ago I chose to read the comments posted on one of my latest articles. To make things even worse, I decided to torture myself even more by finding my book on GoodReads and reading the latest reviews (something I haven't done in over a year).

To be fair, most of those comments are beautiful, uplifting comments that inspire me to continue writing and sharing those things that I hold most dear. I treasure those comments and I am grateful to those who take the time to share their goodness with me.

There are other comments, however, that are disrespectful, mean, and even hurtful. It is when I read those comments that I ask myself the question..,


"Why?" 


Why, in a world where there is already so much anger and ugliness would people want to add their own hate to it.


Why do I feel that I need to be validated by people I don't even know, or even people that I do know for that matter?


Why is it that even if there are 101 compliments, it is the negative comment that I remember and that will haunt me for days and weeks and months on end?

Why are we more inclined to share with the world what is bothering us rather than thanking others for the contribution they are making?

Why do we choose to be critical and see the bad first while completely overlooking the good, both in life and the people around us?


Social media and the internet have made it easy for us to throw ugliness and negativity at one another. Without face to face interaction, it is easy to sit in front of a computer and allow all our emotions and negative energy to flow through our fingers forming words that then find their way all over the big wide web. Without seeing facial expressions or having the social cues of a real human to stop us from saying anything hurtful, we instead have a computer that is all too happy to be a conduit for our negative emotion. It has to go somewhere, right? So rather than hurt the people we love, we hurt people we don't even know and tell ourselves we are doing a service for others in helping them know what they should and shouldn't do based on our experience.

To be honest, I find the whole review concept flawed. Each of us are unique individuals with individual likes and needs, yet we set ourselves up as experts and act as if our opinion is the only opinion that should matter. We pretend to know what others should do, buy, read, visit, eat, but forget that every experience is different because every individual is different. I find it interesting that we take advice and make our choices based on the opinions of people we don't even know rather than trusting in our own God-given ability to choose correctly for ourselves. We cringe when people judge us, yet we're asking them to judge everything else. Is it any wonder we continue to judge each other?

When I read the negative reviews on my book, I always wonder, if the person who wrote it knew that I was going to read it, would they write it differently. Would they try to be kinder, a little more loving, and a little less judgmental of me? One reviewer said I was ignorant and naive and that they threw my book in the trash without even finishing it. My question to the reviewer is why would you review a book you never even finished?

But then I think about how this applies to life. 

How many times do I judge people, circumstances, or events without having all the facts, without really knowing who and what they are? I do it all the time and I suspect the majority of us do.

There's a reason Christ told us not to judge. It's because we'll never have all the knowledge we need to judge fairly. We will always be blinded by our own circumstances and our own limited knowledge. The people who love my book love it because it speaks to them, they can connect with it because somewhere in their life, their heart was open to the messages the book has to offer. Those who have a negative reaction to the book may suffer from their own difficult past, from an inability to accept their own trials or have a bias when it comes to mental illness based on their own personal beliefs and life experiences.

So it is with everything we do in life. The people we meet and the circumstances we encounter will all have both positive and negative aspects to them. It is up to us to choose what we want to see, It's my hope that we can see the good and realize that the bad we see comes from our own inability to understand, our own lack of knowledge and our own weaknesses. The flaws we see in others stem from our own weaknesses, not the other way around.

When we let go of our anger, our hate and our negativity, and embrace the love of God, we can see all things from His perspective and learn to love as He loved and that includes loving ourselves. We will no longer need the validity of others because we will know the love of the only one who truly matters. And more importantly, the next time we leave a review, we will outline the good qualities rather than the bad.

What you choose to look for is what you are going to see. 

So this is my call to action....

Stop looking at life with a critical eye and choose to see the good, and when others like to bring out your weaknesses and flaunt them around on stage, learn to click delete.

From this experience, I have learned that life is too short to spend my precious time taking in the negativity of others, especially people I don't even know. It doesn't matter what someone in Kentucky thinks about me, what should matter most is what I think about myself. I am an amazing, precious, wonderful child of God. He has a plan for me, just like He has a plan for you. It is up to each of us to figure out what that plan is and live it to its fullest.

Share your Light...

Glimpse the Good... 

And for goodness sake...

If you don't have something nice to say... Stop Talking!