Amber - Go Again

 Last week was not too bad.  I also enjoyed seeing family and visiting with people.  I will say though that my stamina is not up to Ikea yet.  I was quite exhausted all that day and into the next day.  However I did get quite a few things I'd been trying to find without getting them shipped to me.  Now I am going to do more on my goals this week.  I've got the electronic-free room down pretty good right now and it feels amazing!  I need to do better with the memorizing and actually use my call list and service jar.  Here are the goals for now.

One time things.

• Write up my call list
• Put up all of my signs and affirmations
• Make a plan of what extra things I'm going to study
• Make a plan of how I want to practice doing my daily goals

Daily goals

• Keep my room electronic-free
• Do service when I'm lonely
• Memorize when I drift off into an imaginary world
• Call someone when I feel tempted
• Repent each night

Monday:

* I read about the armour of God in D&C 27.  I liked how the shield of faith is the thing that blocks you from the temptations of Satan.  They are still thrown at you but they don't hurt you.  I also like that it is a combination of you and of God.  In this chapter it tells you that with the shield you shall be able to quench the darts of the wicked.  If you look in D&C 3:8 it says that that faith allows God to support you against those darts.  So it is you holding the shield in tandem with God.  Your faith and your shield but with his power. 

• Great with electronic-free room.  The rest of the day was catching up from being gone, the house gets a little dirty whenever I go somewhere.

Tuesday:

* In the same section today I focused on verse two.  This says that it doesn't matter what it is that you have for the sacrament so long as you "do it with an eye single to my glory".  I looked at glory in the topical guide and it seemed like it had multiple facets to it.  Glory seems like it could mean credit, so give God the credit.  Also it it seems like when someone or something has glory it is because they have something or have done something worth admiring.  Gory also seems like another word for praise.  Maybe I need to combine all of them to get a particular definition.  Glory aside it was the next part that made me think.  This part of the verse says that we give glory by remembering what Christ has done both with the bread and the water.  Often I become too casual in partaking the sacrament.  I forget to prepare and then I'm not as ready as I'd like to be.  So this verse isn't just a help for the leadership in how they are supposed to administer the sacrament but it is to each member who partakes to take it seriously enough that you really think about it and give it the importance in your life that will allow it to change you. 

• Good on electronic-free, it is super easy right now if somewhat annoying.  Nothing else happened on my goals today.

Wednesday:

* Today's study was a talk by Lisa Harkness of the primary.  I just realized I'm running out of time to read the rest before the next conference, I'll have to include more of them.  It was a good talk about having peace in Christ.  However, I didn't find anything profound today so I'm sharing my favorite part.  She said that to those who have any faith at all Jesus invites to come unto him.  Then she gives a list of how to do that.

• Believe on his name (basic thing needed for all of the rest to work)
• Learn of him (scripture study, both through his own life and the lives of others)
• Listen to his words (at church, during general conference, other church meetings, during scripture study, to the spirit, and memorizing his words)
• Repent and be baptized (use it every day and take the sacrament every week)
• Love one another (this is harder because it is in general and not at specific times)
• Always remember him (again harder because it is remembering what would Jesus do when you aren't necessarily focusing on him at the time)

• Nothing new on my goals, same as the rest of the week.

Thursday:

* I did read but am very tired today and have a headache which means I gave up before I found a thing to share today.

• Same as yesterday on my goals.

Friday:

* I read this wonderful talk by Elder Soares that had a lot of info for me but I'll just share the first one I found.  At nearly the very beginning he speaks of how the Savior knows everything.  "He truly knows every aspect of our souls.  Being aware of all that is necessary for us in this life, the Savior invites us to seek Him in every thought and to follow Him with all our heart."  It struck me different this way.  Since the Savior's atonement was so personal to each of us then so would His invitation be.  Christ doesn't just know what is necessary for us as human beings and children of God.  Yes he knows that but he also knows what is necessary for me as an individual, we all have different needs and Christ beckons to me because he knows how to fill my needs in whatever situation I am in.  He also knows what my future needs are so I can trust Him for today and for tomorrow to help me meet those needs.  He has what I need now and will always have it.

• Nothing new today

Saturday:

* I read another good talk by Carlos Godoy about angels on this side of the veil.  He shares how his first good friend in the church looked at him more from the inside than the outside.  This is what we have to do to see people as Christ does.  He calls us as church members collectively "a giant army of angels", we have been saved for now to help others find the gospel.  I don't see many opportunities around me to help others beyond grandma and grandpa but he also says that "the Lord puts those who need angelic help in our path daily."  I think it happens far more often than I am aware of, something to add to the prayer list I guess.

• Nothing new again.

Sunday:

* I didn't read today so no thought this time.

• So this week I've done great with that electronic-free room goal.
• I also did finally write my call list