I realized the other day that I hadn’t really introduced myself super well before I wrote my first Sunday post. This post will be a bit short, and sweet. But I hope to explain a bit of my beliefs to you as best I can. Please note, that I am not very eloquent in speaking, obviously But I hope to share some of the sweet truths I believe. {You can check out this video for a short introduction to what We Believe}

First, I know that I have a Heavenly Father who loves me and has a purpose for me, and sent me here to become like Him. I know that He knows I will make mistakes, so He sent his Son, Jesus Christ, to be a Savior and Redeemer for me and anyone who will follow Him. He wants me to become like my Savior, and also sent His son to be an ultimate example of what I could be.

I know that prayer is real. I know that our Heavenly Father still talks to us and inspires us on what we should be doing.

I know that my marriage to my amazing husband is eternal, and forever, and I treat it that way. We were married in the Idaho Falls LDS Temple, and sealed for Time and Eternity. I made promises to not only my husband when we married but also to my Heavenly Father and Savior. I know that I also get to be with my sweet children forever, and that they are sealed to us as a family. I know that families are soo incredibly important, and the relationships we have with our families is something I hope to work on and become better at. So that we can become better together, and lift each other up! I know that families can be together forever…{You can watch an introductory video about temples, here!}

I know that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is the true church. That being a member, has helped me draw nearer to my Heavenly Father and Savior Jesus Christ- Who know and help me become the best that I can be. {You can learn more about how our church is organized in this video here}

I know that our loving Heavenly Father, has called a Prophet for us, to guide us and direct us and keep us from danger. That just as there used to be prophets of old, we now, too, have a prophet called of God. Not called by men, or voted on by a group of people, but a prophet called by our Heavenly Father. Our prophet, President Thomas S. Monson, is truly inspired by our Heavenly Father. President Monson is such a joy to learn from, and just radiates goodness and love. I know that he is inspired to lead the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.

I know that Christ lives, and loves us, and knows us better than we realize, and is constantly trying to help us, if we will let Him. I know that he has comforted me through many things, and will continue to be my center, and the person I rely on most in life. The only person you should put your entire faith and dependence on, He will never let you down. I know that He died for me, and each of us personally. I love my Savior SO Much, and hope to do my best to get to know Him better, and draw closer to Him, so when the day comes, I will recognize Him, and rejoice

I know that the Book of Mormon is a true book, and supplement to the bible. And as I read it daily, it strengthens me and gives me the courage and understanding and sweet spirit I need to be the best wife, mother, daughter, friend… etc. that I can be. The Book of Mormon teaches me about Christ, and every day I read it, I learn something new, something that I need to understand right now with my current joys and struggles. Markell has this awesome deal where if you want a Book of Mormon, she will send you one, for free, no strings attached. You just email her with your info, and she will send you a free Book of Mormon, as well as the testimonies of 30 other bloggers who belong to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.You can check that out here…

I hope you are all having a wonderful Sunday, and hope you got to know me a little bit better through my beliefs. You can learn more about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints {or Mormons} Here.

Happy Sunday!

Traci

A few other bloggers are sharing their faith today. Check out their posts:

Babes In Hairland

Brassy Apple

Girl Loves Glam

Mormon Mom Of Six

Dreaming About Someday

Morrell Fairytale

The post These Things I Know appeared first on A Mouse In My Kitchen.

My son just turned three, and is WAY into superheroes. It’s a lot of fun, and I love zooming around the room with him saving the world. But at the same time, I really want him to have real heroes to look up to in his life, you know what I mean? I am so lucky to have married a wonderful man who I know is my Son’s ultimate hero and man he looks up to and strives to be. I am so grateful to have the Bible and Book of Mormon, to teach my son about heroes that lived long ago, and have their life stories to share with us. They don’t have super powers as far as super heroes go, but their power is something even better, I think.

My son’s favorite from the scriptures is a man named Nephi. He lived around 600 B.C. and is one of my absolute favorite people from the scriptures. If you don’t know what I am talking about, Markell and I are memeber’s of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. You can learn more about us here… Markell has also gotten with a bunch of other members {and bloggers!} of our church {mormons!} Who would LOVE to send you a Book of Mormon if you are interested. You can check out that here! We believe in the Bible, and we also believe in a book also written to supplement and go along with the bible, an extra and wonderful book called The Book of Mormon. We learn about Nephi a lot in the Book or Mormon and the type of person he is.

My little boy LOVES Nephi. I am so grateful for his example, and would like to share a few reasons why I hope that my little boy grows up to be just like Nephi {or develop similar traits}. I love that he loves superheroes, but really hope he has real life people with real life problems to be able to look to as an example as he is growing up and facing real problems.

1. Nephi is Humble.  Several times he is harassed by his older brothers. Never once does he yell at them or try to fight back, even when they are trying to kill him. He takes it humbly, and always forgives them when they ask for forgiveness.  I don’t know many people that could do that, including myself. Humility is a trait I feel that in our society we misunderstand as weakness. I feel that as a whole as a society we think if you are humble, that means you just don’t have the guts to fight back,  or that we should hold grudges and get our revenge {watched any movies lately? This is the plot, revenge} I want my son to grow up understanding and learning from a humble example like Nephi, who never let pride enter his heart, but tried his best to be humble in ever circumstance.

My son is only three, and has already been bullied {I know, really?} As a mother this was really hard to watch and handle. I just wanted to go punch the other kid in the face {Yes, I admit it}. It was really helpful to realize that Nephi had also been bullied multiple times, and to be able to teach my son how to handle the situation as Nephi did, and to help my son be able to relate and learn from a real hero that lived long ago and handled bullying better than anyone I know.

2. Nephi was Faithful. He had faith in his Heavenly Father, and Savior Jesus Christ. He was asked by his Heavenly Father to go and get the scriptures from an evil king, and he says “I was led by the Spirit, not knowing beforehand the things which I should do”. He was asked by his Heavenly Father to do something, and he just went to do it, knowing that God would let him know what he should do the entire time. I am so grateful for such an example of unwavering faith. I hope that my son can also have this trait as he grows older. That he trusts in his Heavenly Father and Christ, with all of his heart, even with others including me, his mother, may not handle things always as I should. Or if something should happen to me, or my husband. I want him to learn that he always can follow and lean on his Heavenly Father and Savior, no.matter.what. I also appreciate the trait of being faithful for all relationships in life.

I hope that he learns to be faithful to his wife, his children, all of his family, to his work, and most importantly to his Heavenly Father and Savior Jesus Christ.

3. Nephi was Patient. Nephi travels with his family in the wilderness and their mains source of obtaining food, a bow, breaks. The family is devastated. They all complain and get angry {I would too, I don’t like missing a meal!} But Nephi doesn’t ever complain, he just keeps on praying and asking for help to get food. He has faith in every circumstance, and is patient even when he is hungry Patience is a very hard thing for a three year old, but something I hope I can learn right along with him. {Even when I am hungry

4. Nephi is a Go-Getter. He doesn’t just sit on his bum playing video games all day {no offense to anyone who loves video games}. But he goes- and he does. Heavenly Father asks him to build a boat, and instead of procrastinating, complaining or just wasting time, he gets right on it and works hard to build the ship. Even when his brothers make fun of him, and are being lazy themselves. He is also willing to work when he is experiencing a hard time in his life, or a trial. He is bound and tied to the ship {he built} by these same older brothers, and he prays to Heavenly Father to “give me the strength to burst my bands”. Woah! He not only prays for help, he prays for strength to do be able to have help to get out of this bad situation. He doesn’t pray that Heavenly Father will fix everything, he asks for help to be freed. He isn’t a bum. He gets things done. I hope that my son does the same. That he serves his Heavenly Father and Savior with all his might, and that he works hard for his someday family and his current family with his Mom, Dad and little sister. That he serves others willingly and is always spending his time doing something good.

5. Nephi is Smart, he is educated. He was constantly learning, and praying for help to understand the scriptures, and to understand different skills he was learning. I hope that my son as he learns and grows learning from the scriptures and learning in school. That he prays for understanding, and help to retain and learn and understand all the principles he is being taught. That he can glean and take the good and remember, and be able to get a good education, and become the best version of himself.

I love that my son is into superheroes, but I am most grateful for Real Heroes in the scriptures, like Nephi, who teach my son real life solutions for real life problems, and teach him to follow his Heavenly Father and Savior Jesus Christ. I know that he will face similar challenges, and already has. And I hope that he can always look to the heroes from the scriptures. I know that the Book of Mormon is a  true book, and teaches us to follow Christ. And if you want to learn more about Nephi, and some other amazing men, we can look to as our heroes, we would love to send you a copy, no charge. Check it out the info here.

Traci

Check out some of the other Mormon bloggers that are talking about what they believe today:

Sugar Bee Crafts

Babes In Hairland

Dreaming About Someday

Mormon Mom Of Six

The post Nephi {What it means to be a real hero} appeared first on A Mouse In My Kitchen.

I wrote this post on marriage a little while ago, and I was hesitant to post it because of some things going on in my extended family. I wrote it before any of those “things” happened, but I just didn’t know if I should post it or not. I decided I should. One of the main reasons I thought I should is because my little brother just announced that he is getting married. I am so excited for him and his fiance. I am ecstatic to have her as a new sister. I’ve only met her once, but I know that the two of them will be great together. That being said, I thought I’d post this in their honor  

You wanna hear my thoughts on marriage? Here’s my thought: Marriage is hard. I have a brother in law (who I know sometimes reads this blog. Thanks for letting me use you as an example in my post without knowing it. Love ya!) who used to think that if he got married, all of his problems would be gone. I remember him specifically saying if he only had a wife, he wouldn’t have to worry about anything. Guess what. He got married. While I know him and his wife are happy, he found out pretty quickly that marriage. is. hard. You know where I think he got this idea that marriage would be all bliss and amazingness? Disney. 

Think about it. In all the fairy tales, the princess gets married and lives happily ever after. Heather over at My Husband Ate All My Ice Cream just wrote a post about this. The movies never show what happens after the marriage. The honeymoon phase only lasts so long and then real life starts. There are bills, decisions to make, food to cook, a house to clean, socks to pick up off the ground, the list is endless. While some days seem like a fairy tale, and I often wake up thinking “how did I get so lucky to be married to this guy,” it’s not all happily every aftery. 

Being a Mormon, I don’t believe that it’s good to live with someone before marriage. Because of that, when I got married, it was a head first into this thing kind of deal. My husband and I had been living 200 miles apart before we got married, then one day we were living together, in the same house, in the same room even. It was a steep learning curve, for sure. 

I don’t want to go about airing our dirty laundry, but we do have plenty of it. We have hard times, just like every other marriage. Whenever I see a couple that seems perfect, I immediately get suspicious. Most of the time, when you get to know the couple well enough, you see that they have the same dirty laundry you do, they just hide it in different places. 

I heard a quote awhile ago that has really helped me get through some rough marriage spots. I’m not sure the exact quote or who said it but it goes like this: “Maybe marriage isn’t meant to make us happy. Maybe marriage was designed to make us holy.” 

Let that sink in a minute. 

I’m going to say it again, bolded this time.

 Maybe marriage isn’t meant to make us happy. Maybe marriage was designed to make us holy

So, with that in mind,  lets stop pretending that marriages are supposed to be perfect. Because they aren’t. Let’s stop getting divorced whenever things get rough. Relationships are hard. I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again. Relationships are hard! It’s the hard times that allow us to appreciate the sweet times. It’s the problems we struggle through that give us the sweet satisfaction that comes when those problems are solved. Instead of getting divorced or separating when problems arise, work through them! Come out victorious on the other end, together. 

Here’s another quote: “Marriage is choosing to fall in love with the same person, everyday.” Some days, you will fail. Some days, you won’t be in love with your spouse. I’m not saying you won’t love him (or her), but what I’m saying is that being in love with someone takes work. It takes getting over little flaws (sometimes big flaws) and loving anyway. 

I believe that this life is setup to be a test as well as a practice for us. I believe that one of our main purposes in this life is to become more like Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. I can think of no better way to achieve this goal than to commit to being with another person for the rest of forever, no matter what. Sickness, health, poorness, wealth, even if he never picks up his underwear off the bathroom floor. You commit to serve another person for your entire life, and that person makes the same commitment to you. You accept them, flaws and all. You work through problems and build a life together. What an amazing way to become more like our Heavenly Father. 

I’ve only been married a little less than four years. I got married when I was 19 years old. Many people say that’s way too young, but I disagree. I’ve been able to learn and grow with my husband. We have come so far together and are stronger now then I ever imagined we’d be. I can’t wait to see where we are twenty, thirty, forty years from now. 

If you’d like to read another churchyish post, head on over to Dreaming About Someday. 

Do you have any awesome marriage advice? I’d love to hear it. 

The post My Thoughts On Marriage appeared first on A Mouse In My Kitchen.

Each Fast Sunday (the first Sunday of each month), I plan on writing a spiritual post. There are a few other bloggers that also do this that I will link to from time to time. I believe that I have an obligation to share my religious views with others. They bring me so much joy and purpose in my life, and I wish for everyone else to feel that joy and to be able to know the purpose of their lives.

Before I begin, let me just say that I am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. I am only a member. While what I say, I hope, sticks to the views of the church, I don’t speak for the church. If I make a mistake, or if I understand something the wrong way, please remember that I am only human. .

This month, I am writing about the Atonement. I picked this topic for two reasons. Number one being that this month has the Easter holiday in it. (weird that it’s in March, right?) The second reason is that the youth program in my church has a different topic each month, and this month it is the Atonement.

The Atonement is something that I have had a hard time understanding during my life. I think that a man who gave a talk in my church said it best when he said, “We don’t understand exactly how it works, but we know that it works well.” (I’m not sure if that was his original quote, or if he was quoting someone else, I couldn’t find it anywhere). Bruce R. McConkie, a now deceased apostle of the church gave a talk where he explains the atonement in simple, consice terms. In that talk, he says that,  ”the atonement of Christ is the most basic and fundamental doctrine of the gospel, and it is the least understood of all our revealed truths.” This statement has led me to have a desire to learn more and better understand this fundamental doctrine.

So, here’s what I do know about the atonement. Because of the suffering of our brother, Jesus Christ, we all have the opportunity to repent and become more like him. Because of Him, we don’t have to be perfect during this life. We can be forgiven for our sins. I believe that no unclean thing can enter the kingdom of Heaven. I also believe that we can be made clean through the blood of Christ. He paid the price for our sins.

Because of what Christ willingly did, we will all be resurrected.  We are to keep the commandments, love others, repent, and have faith in Him to show gratitude for his sacrifice. There is an article in the New Era, a magazine published monthly for the youth of my church, that talks about this concept. It is in the August 2012 edition, and it is called His Grace Is Sufficient. The article compares what Christ did to a mother paying for piano lessons. As a student, you are not expected to pay your mother back for the lessons. You show your gratitude to her by practicing. We show our gratitude to Christ by following His commandments. We do all that we can, but it isn’t enough. Because Christ paid for our sins, He makes up the difference, after all we can do. Just like a student who fails to practice will be embarrassed and ill prepared at a recital, if we fail to follow the commandments, we will be ashamed to stand before God at that last day. I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to feel that way. I am trying to live my life in such a way that Christ knows I honor his sacrifice for me. I want to stand before Him at my judgement day and have Him say to me, as the children’s song goes, “You’ve served me well, my little child, come into my arms to stay.”

Click here for more information on the LDS church’s view on the Atonement.

This video is a clip from a talk that Jeffery R. Holland, an apostle of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, gave a few years ago at Easter time. It is an amazing talk. If you would like to read or listen to the whole thing, click here.

The post Spirtual Sunday: The Atonement appeared first on A Mouse In My Kitchen.