Rise and shine in 2009!

An excellent year has come and gone. 2008 was great! Now its the beginning of a new dawn, and time to rise and shine in 2009! More to come soon in the next few days!

Merry Christmas!!!

December is a very busy month with lots of activities to celebrate the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ.
I am in deed grateful for this time of year when we reflect upon the year's accomplishments and focus on the Savior's life and ministry here upon the earth. I testify that I know Jesus Christ was sent here to accomplish the tasks that no other could. Being born of Mary in the flesh and of God, the Father, in the spirit, Christ had the power to atone for the sins of the world and die upon the cross for you and me.

I am indebted unto Him for His great sacrifice in my behalf. I know that each of us will one day resurrect to die no more. I also know that through Christ's atonement we may be purged and cleansed of all sin and iniquity.

During this time of year it is my prayer that we will all open the door of our hearts and let the Savior in... to make more room for Him who gave us life... in the coming year of 2009!

Merry Christmas everyone and remember the TRUE meaning of Christmas! May God Bless You all!

Isaiah 7:14
14 Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a ^asign; ^bBehold, a ^cvirgin shall conceive, and bear a ^dson, and shall call his name ^eImmanuel.
Isaiah 9:6
6 For unto us a ^achild is ^bborn, unto us a ^cson is given: and the ^dgovernment shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, ^eCounsellor, The ^fmighty ^gGod, The ^heverlasting Father, The Prince of ⁱPeace.

A Christmas message from our living Prophet:

Thomas S. Monson, “The Gifts of Christmas,” Ensign, Dec 2003, 2–5

From 3 Nephi in the Book of Mormon we read, “Lift up your head and be of good cheer; for behold, the time is at hand, and on this night shall the sign be given, and on the morrow come I into the world, to show unto the world that I will fulfil all that which I have caused to be spoken by the mouth of my holy prophets.” 1

With the birth of the babe in Bethlehem, there emerged a great endowment, a power stronger than weapons, a wealth more lasting than the coins of Caesar. This child was to be the King of kings and Lord of lords, the promised Messiah—even Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

His Beckoning Invitation

Born in a stable, cradled in a manger, He came forth from heaven to live on earth as mortal man and to establish the kingdom of God. During His earthly ministry, He taught men the higher law. His glorious gospel reshaped the thinking of the world. He blessed the sick. He caused the lame to walk, the blind to see, the deaf to hear. He even raised the dead to life.

What was the reaction to His message of mercy, His words of wisdom, His lessons of life? There were a precious few who appreciated Him. They bathed His feet. They learned His word. They followed His example.

Down through the generations of time, the message from Jesus has been the same. To Peter by the shores of beautiful Galilee, He said, “Follow me.” 2 To Philip of old came the call, “Follow me.” 3 To the Levite who sat at receipt of customs came the instruction, “Follow me.” 4 And to you and to me, if we but listen, shall come that same beckoning invitation, “Follow me.”

As we follow in His steps today, we too will have an opportunity to bless the lives of others. Jesus invites us to give of ourselves: “Behold, the Lord requireth the heart and a willing mind.” 5

Our opportunities to give of ourselves are indeed limitless, but they are also perishable. There are hearts to gladden. There are kind words to say. There are gifts to be given. There are deeds to be done. There are souls to be saved. “Go, gladden the lonely, the dreary; Go, comfort the weeping, the weary; Go, scatter kind deeds on your way; Oh, make the world brighter today!” 6

A wise Christian once urged, “May we not spend Christmas, but keep it.” 7 When we keep the spirit of Christmas, we keep the spirit of Christ, for the Christmas spirit is the Christ spirit.

http://www.lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=2354fccf2b7db010VgnVCM1000004d82620aRCRD&locale=0&sourceId=614574536cf0c010VgnVCM1000004d82620a____

Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also!

Happy December! Another month has come and gone and we are going into the snowier part of the holiday season. In 30 more days it will be 2009! WoW!

Something that has been on my mind lately is the title phrase: Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

1. Matt. 6: 21
   21 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

1. 2 Ne. 9: 30
   30 But wo unto the ^arich, who are ^brich as to the things of the ^cworld. For because they are rich they despise the ^dpoor, and they persecute the meek, and their ^ehearts are upon their treasures; wherefore, their ^ftreasure is their god. And behold, their ^gtreasure shall perish with them also.

It seems that many today have cast their eyes and hearts upon the many material things of this world. It can be tough at times to not 'want' everything in sight or that's 'cool!' The Lord teaches us plainly that our earthly treasures must surely perish in the end. We cannot make a graven image our god and expect exaltation with our Heavenly Father.

This next scripture holds a lot of truth...May we all seek after the riches of eternity and to do the will of our Father who art in Heaven. Jesus Christ is our perfect exemplar of all righteousness and fulfilling the will of the Father while in the flesh! We too can make this our treasure.

1. D&C 1: 16
   16 They ^aseek not the Lord to establish his righteousness, but every man ^bwalketh in his ^cown ^dway, and after the ^eimage of his own god, whose image is in the likeness of the world, and whose substance is that of an idol, which waxeth ^fold and shall perish in Babylon, even ^gBabylon the great, which shall fall.

17 Points of the True Church of Christ

1. Christ organized the Church (Eph 4:11-14)
2. The true church must bear the name of Jesus Christ (Eph 5:23)
3. The true church must have a foundation of Apostles and Prophets (Eph 2:19-20)
4. The true church must have the same organization as Christ’s Church (Eph 4:11-14)
5. The true church must claim divine authority (Heb 4:4-10)
6. The true church must have no paid ministry (Acts 20:33-34; John 10:11-13)
7. The true church must baptize by immersion (Matt 3:13-16)
8. The true church must bestow the gift of the Holy Ghost by the laying on of hands (Acts 8:14-17)
9. The true church must practice divine healing (Mark 3:14-15)
10. The true church must teach that God and Jesus are separate and distinct individuals (John 17:11; 20:17)
11. The true church must teach that God and Jesus have bodies of flesh and bone (Luke 23:36-39; Acts 1:9-11; Heb 1:1-3)
12. The officers must be called by God (Heb 4:4; Ex 28:1; 40:13-16)
13. The true church must claim revelation from God (Amos 3:7)
14. The true church must be a missionary church (Matt 28:19-20)
15. The true church must be a restored church (Acts 3:19-20)
16. The true church must practice baptism for the dead (1Cor 15:16&29)
17. “By their fruits ye shall know them.” (Matt 7:20)