I go to church with the hope that I can find peace and respite from disappointment and the frustrations of life. Often, en route to that hopeful communion I find myself on roads which lead nowhere near my desired destination. Last Sunday was a good example of the tendency.
Happy 2016 my friends!! Just like many of you, I was so ready for a new year to begin! There’s something exciting about the chance to start fresh. As 2015 came to a close, I spent time thinking back over the year and really wanted to set some new goals. Then one day shortly after…
I really don’t care too much for New Years. It’s not just that we have yet another reason to over-eat (which I always do), stay up late (which I am having a harder and harder time doing), or deal with the nuclear fallout which are my grumpy kids (and their grumpy parents) the day after. It’s the whole New Year’s resolution forum I hold in the highest disdain as well. In fact, I have boycotted the whole institution of resolution making for the last several years. I just can’t see why I should set goals that I most likely will not have the will-power to achieve.
I know I’m not alone in feeling like the world is becoming more confusing and chaotic every day. You can’t turn on the tv without being bombarded with devastating and disturbing news. You can’t pull up Facebook without running across contention. Whether the world is literally more unsafe and immoral or we are led to believe that by the media, the effect on our hearts and minds are the same.
Fear and confusion.
The holidays are a mad rush of “buy this! Get that! And how many more people are left to shop for???” And all too often it’s easy to lose track of the true Christmas spirit. This Family Night service project activity, is a great way to bring back the true reason for the season, and bring the family a little closer.
Teen and youth homelessness is a massive, and growing problem in our country. Nearly 40% of homeless in the US are under the age of 18…
I’ve been looking for fun ways to bring a little more meaning into my family’s Christmas this year. It’s so easy to get caught up in all the presents and shopping, and to forget what we’re really celebrating this time of year!
I plan on looking into those more next year when my little man is a little older and can understand more, but for now Christ-centered Christmas books are going to be my main focus. He loves being read to! Plus, it’s never too early to start teaching your kids about Christ, the nativity story, serving others, and the spirit of Christmas.
Hi everyone! It’s Kiki from Kiki and Company and I am so happy to be back today sharing the December 2015 Visiting Teaching Message Printable with you. For those of you who aren’t members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, I hope you can use these quotes and scriptures as well. Most of the subjects are universal Christian subjects and the quotes and scriptures are inspiring and helpful for everyone!
I can’t say I’ve stopped yelling altogether, but my six-week application project taught me some valuable lessons, and the overall trend has been positive. I’ve realized that yelling is an inward-focused abuse of power. When I yell, I disregard the feelings and agency of my boys in my attempt to control them. I’ve also come to understand that yelling is synonymous with laziness. There are far more creative ways to influence my sons, but those ways take more thought, effort, and time. Yelling is a shortcut, and because it works (and provides a fleeting feeling of control), it is also addictive.
One of the hurdles we can face when trying to do things, accomplish things (ANY “things”) is being in the mood. If all it takes to turn a lousy day into a great one is a little dinner party and a phone call, why would you ever choose to have a lousy day? Even better, why would you let someone else have a lousy one?
The people who need you need you to fix their mood, even when you don’t feel like it. And we need you to learn to fix your own mood so you can be the one who fixes the rest of us.
First of all, let me explain visiting teaching. As a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, we are in a congregation where we are asked to go and visit certain ladies each month to really get to know them, share a quick message and find out if they have any needs that need to be met. It’s one of the ways we build friendships and help our leaders know any needs that families have.
Brian was not your normal everyday person. I could tell that from the moment I became best friends with his younger brother David, in the first grade, that Brian was different. He was overly excitable, was not possessed of social graces, and was awkward and overbearing in his conversations. His inabilities masked from plain view the precious person and soul alive and well in his spirit. His spiritual DNA, as with all of us, is divine, beautiful and glorious. He has undoubtedly passed his mortal test, and in my estimation, with high marks.
For the most part, I think God wants us to do what we want to do. As long as we’re anxiously engaged in a good cause, He doesn’t necessarily care how we go about doing that. WE get to choose. We get to choose with God. The power is in us to govern ourselves. And make our own choices. And do things that make our souls come alive. So we get to make a decision and go the direction we want to go as long as we’re going about doing good.