#DidYouThinkToPray?

I *have* posted a lot of video lately.
I know. 

Hard not to in this day & age.

So, from another of Elder Dallin H. Oaks' powerful BYU-I Devotional talks, came not only the familiar admonition to stand as witnesses of God but three specific HOWS: 

• by asserting faith in private prayers and personal greetings
• publicly recognize the blessings of God
• and contend for the free exercise of religion.

In the scriptures we find our baptismal covenants; our obligation as children of God & members of Christ's church is to "stand as a witness of God in all times and in all things, and in all places that ye may be in..." (Mosiah 18:9)  And that includes online.

(Really isn't that much to ask of us, considering Jesus Christ gave his life for each us.  The least we can do is be His witnesses at all times and in all things and in all places, in exchange for the precious gifts of the Atonement & Eternal Life.)

As a result, our ward's youth joined the Mormon Channel's efforts to do encourage just that, through the #DidYouThinkToPray? campaign that started in March.

Thanks to the participation of people like Al Fox (now Al Fox Carraway), the movement is all about taking a moment to show why or when you pray, at anytime and about anything, with a simple little Instagram or Tweet or FB post that includes the hashtag #DidYouThinkToPray? with the pic.  From there Mormon Channel plucks the images up and shares them worldwide via their Tumblr, Facebook, Twitter & Instagram feeds.  

It's universal in & open to all faiths really.  It's all about prayer.  It's all about God.

For Mutual a several weeks back (before there was a video), my sweet friend asked me to help her pool as many of these images as I could for a slideshow to keep the youth occupied while they waited for their turn to be photographed with their own sign.  We even tossed in a few of the new YW leaders' own pics as surprise Easter Eggs for the kids!

The slideshow makes my spirit & heart happy.  I love how it perfectly goes with my 2014 word!

Once all the kids' photos were taken they were then individually posted to my friend's Instagram, they became part of the #DidYouThinkToPray? movement or virtual gathering.  

Reminds me about prophesies of the Last Days, that things will be happening at the speed of thought.  So true.  It's happening.  Right.now.  So we should be standing as witnesses of God in every lightning-quick thought.  In every instant.  Just like Mini-Me's fellow youth.

#SnakeRiverWardYouth #DidYouThinkToPray?

2014: New Year, New Stuff

The holidays were lovely, yet filled with weeks & weeks of illness.  Something about oxygen & my lungs' addiction to it -- hard to explain, but I really like breathing.  So fingers-crossed that this passes soon & my addiction can continue.  :)

A great help in the health department was the fact that LatchKey Photography was closed for a majority of the month of December.  Technically, it doesn't reopen until tomorrow.  Doesn't mean I don't have plenty of work to do, but I learned this year that my family needs to be my top priority, along with my health, and if I'm not allowing time in the schedule to devote to both then the stress will overcome all aspects of life.  Frankly it'll lead to misery.  So this year will bring big changes to how we run LatchKey Photography.  Kinda relieved about them & secretly celebrating them!

I'm also excited by the fact that with 2014 comes a new One-Word focus for me.  Though I probably should have chosen NO for my new word, the one I've selected has been heavy on my mind for a couple months now, so it seems only appropriate that it be my new mantra.

My new word is: P R A Y.
In all things, PRAY.
The companion scripture I've selected for this year is Alma 37:37 "Counsel with the Lord in all thy doings, and he will direct thee for good; yea, when thou liest down at night lie down unto the Lord, that he may watch over you in your sleep; and when thou risest in the morning let thy heart be full of thanks unto God; and if ye do these things, ye shall be lifted up at the last day."  

It's practically perfect (for me) in every way!

Our stake has chosen a new them for this year as well: "Centering our daily lives on Christ."  Lovely theme, in the spirit of which, I've decided to participate in the #BofM365 project on Instagram.  If you're interested in reading the Book of Mormon by December 31st, 2014 then you should check it out!  In the past I've struggled with feeling like I don't have the kind of time I'd like to pour into my scripture study; the thought of which overwhelms me so I usually give up.  (But studying slow & steady beats sporadic studying, or no studying for that matter.)  However with this project simple reading prompts, of a few verses to a couple chapters, pop up in my Instagram feed daily.  And since it's right at my fingertips with either my smart phone or tablet, just one swipe over are my scriptures as well.  Management + access = a win win! 

In addition to a new word & new scripture project, I have new callings at church as well.  Though I miss my YW, I'm looking forward to a refreshing new adventure.  I'm now handling our ward bulletin, managing & updating our missionary bulletin board, and co-teaching the 6 & 7 year olds in Primary.  (My co-teacher is Mr LKP's aunt whom I adore very much!)  Seems like a lot, but really as long as systems are in place, it will all be quite manageable. Oh how I love systems & protocol!  <3 p="">
Considering my OCD leanings, I felt I needed to clean our ward bulletin up, to streamline it really.  Plus with all the technological changes that have come about in the past few years (ex: no more printed ward directories every year) added to many new ward members, it seemed important to at least have phone numbers for leadership & other important points of contact in the ward.  So in order to meet all of our needs,  I went to Pinterest for inspiration (which there is a surprising lack of), then I turned to Excel & went to work.  If anyone's interested or looking for a fresh & clean approach to their Ward Bulletin, I'm happy to show what works for me.  Message me here if you'd like a copy of the Excel file emailed to you. :)

Happy 2014 everyone!

Prayer & Medication MEDITATION

...though medication just about perfectly illustrates life on the Ranch the past 2 months!
(However, I can attest to the fact that MEDITATION has greater longevity & yields greater blessings of healing than temporary medications.)

So its that time of the week again.
Time to fine-tune + tweak my Young Women's lesson for tomorrow.  This week's lesson is on Prayer & Meditation.  (Hopefully each of my girls will value daily prayer & meditation with her Heavenly Father more in her life after we're done in class.)

So, today's prep has included a handout, which essentially is the ENTIRE lesson!

Those are my fave handouts; when they prove more useful than something small, handed out at the end of class, that just gets jammed into their scriptures to only fall out over time, or be cleaned out just before they graduate from Seminary.

Instead they'll be using them all throughout the lesson.  So hopefully the message will be more permanent than usual.

You'll be as stoked as I was to realize that I didn't have to re-invent the wheel this week to make this handout happen.  (Which is ALWAYS exciting!)  Instead, the root idea is actually in the manual for lesson #24.

The lesson calls for an invitation to be printed out for each girl.  Even though I'm not THE biggest one for over-the-top embellishments, the one in the manual IS kinda plain.  See for yourself:

Well-intended, but more than likely to lose the YW's interest.  So, I did punch it up a little.  Now of course I'm biased, but if I were handed both invitations, I, myself, would be more inclined to accept this rather appealing version:

Please know that I'm not tooting my own horn over here, I'm just pleased with the end results.  Hopefully the girls will appreciate it... and even if it goes missing, perhaps it'll leave a cute & indelible enough impression that they remember the lesson when they need it most.  ::fingers crossed::

“As you feel the need to confide in the Lord or to improve the quality of your visits with him—to pray, if you please—may I suggest a process to follow: go where you can be alone, go where you can think, go where you can kneel, go where you can speak out loud to him. The bedroom, the bathroom, or the closet will do. Now, picture him in your mind’s eye. Think to whom you are speaking, control your thoughts—don’t let them wander, address him as your Father and your friend. Now tell him things you really feel to tell him—not trite phrases that have little meaning, but have a sincere, heartfelt conversation with him. Confide in him, ask him for forgiveness, plead with him, enjoy him, thank him, express your love to him, and then listen for his answers. … Answers from the Lord come quietly—ever so quietly. In fact, few hear his answers audibly with their ears. We must be listening so carefully or we will never recognize them. Most answers from the Lord are felt in our heart as a warm comfortable expression, or they may come as thoughts to our mind. They come to those who are prepared and who are patient”  -H. Burke Peterson

(source: Simon Dewey)

“I think we pay too little attention to the value of meditation, a principle of devotion. … Meditation is the language of the soul. It is defined as ‘a form of private devotion or spiritual exercise, consisting in deep, continued reflection on some religious theme.’ Meditation is a form of prayer. …

“Meditation is one of the most secret, most sacred doors through which we pass into the presence of the Lord”  -David O. McKay

Also, was thinking I could share this with any readers who perhaps cannot handle another item on their plate this week, or next week, or whenever this lesson's to be taught.  So, you're welcome to download & use the printable at the bottom.

Happy weekend! 
Meditation and Prayer You'Re Invited 4perPG FRONT

Oh, and P.S. you can double-side your handout if you'd like, too! Meditation and Prayer Will Help in 3pt5x5in 4perPG BACK