Seeking Happiness and Joy

Looking for a worthwhile New Year's Resolution? Consider Family History for a life changing effect. As individuals or as families, select one or more of these g oals to complete by April General Conference. Ponder and pray about what would be feasible for you but also what would be great enough to be a worthy sacrifice to qualify you for significant spiritual growth and God’s greatest blessings. You can access a handout with suggested family history goals here or use the photos below.

I'm really thrilled for the implementation of Come, Follow Me in Relief Society and Priesthood meetings this New Year. Note taking will play a critical role in the personalization and accountability of these meetings, especially the First Sunday Counsel Meetings. I made some note taking options for the sisters in my ward. You can access them here . Here is a sample that can easily be drawn in a notebook instead of printed.

Note: This post is from an LDS perspective using FamilySearch as the primary tool; however, many of the options in this list are available and helpful for those not of the LDS faith. FamilySearch tools, resources, and family trees are accessible and usable by everyone. FamilySearch accounts are free. In November 2009, I prepared my grandmother's name to take to the Temple. This action was the gateway to now almost five years of family history research and the performance of vital Temple work for hundreds of my grandcestors. As I share my experiences with others, many often state a desire to participate in family history work but follow-up with statements limiting their actions. Many are lost and don't know where to begin. Some assume that their dedicated grandmothers, aunts, uncles, and cousins have completed all the work there is to do within their family history and think they have nothing to contribute. Your family history work is far from done, even if the vicarious wor...

The story of Saul is found in the book of Acts in the New Testament .  Saul was among those who persecuted the members of the church after Jesus' death and even participated in the stoning of Stephen.  ( Download New Testament timeline here. ) But Jesus, having compassion and recognizing Saul's potential for good, appeared before Saul and questioned his actions.  Saul's response was "Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?" .  The Lord responded, "Arise, and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do." As we continue to read in the New Testament, we learn that Saul (whose name is changed to Paul) is converted to the gospel of Jesus Christ and spends the rest of his years studying and preaching the gospel.  He spends years on missionary journeys and writes epistles (letters) to members of the church in various areas to address concerns and to guide them to a more correct living of the principles of the gospel. This journey toward true ...

One of my favorite scriptures in the Book of Mormon is Alma 62: 41 .  “But behold, because of the exceedingly great length of the war between the Nephites and the Lamanites many had become hardened, because of the exceedingly great length of the war; and many were softened because of their afflictions, insomuch that they did humble themselves before God, even in the depth of humility.”  This scripture teaches me that we can’t always control what we encounter, such as the adversities we face, but we can control how we respond to these things.  Elder Dallin H. Oaks said, “Our responses inevitably shape our souls and ultimately determine our status in eternity.  Because opposition is divinely decreed for the purpose of helping us to grow, we have the assurance of God that in the long view of eternity it will not be allowed to overcome us if we persevere in faith.  We will prevail.  Like the mortal life of which they are a part, adversities are te...

I was in the depths of despair only minutes ago.  I was experiencing feelings of defeat and an attitude of utmost frustration. And then it hit me. I know everything I need to do to get through this, because I attended a church meeting earlier this evening. During tonight's Church Education System Broadcast for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , Elder D. Todd Chistofferson spoke of getting through challenging times.  During the fireside, my mind raced as I thought of so many things going on in my life right now.  Decisions I needed to make.  Confrontations that are going to occur.  Opportunities for humility that I should take otherwise I'll face damage to myself if I maintain my pride.  I didn't realize I heard very much of his talk. Until it hit me. Many of his words were brought to my remembrance and his meaning became very clear. I am to face these trials one day at a time . I can do that.  I can tackle this on...

I've heard God described as an angry, vengeful, and jealous god. I've never believed that to be true. He is a perfect being which suggests that He is perfect in love. However, I can understand why some people would come to that conclusion. There are several stories in the Bible, particularly in the Old Testament, which could lead one to the conclusion that this could be the case. When the children of Israel are found to be worshiping a golden calf (Exodus 32), " the Lord plagued the people ". One might think that it was because God was jealous and didn't like that His people were worshiping someone else. Upon studying Hosea 2, it became very clear that God does this so as to remind His children where the path to happiness lies. In this chapter, a wife has sought other lovers. She asserts that her daily sustenance, her riches, and the fine things of life are from her lovers. However, the husband is the one who has provided these things for her. The husband t...

I was supposed to go camping this weekend. My friends and I attended a concert at an outdoor venue on Friday and had intended to camp near a local reservoir so that we could enjoy some trout fishing come morning. We drove to the campsites near the reservoir only to find that they were all full. Of course they were; it's a holiday weekend. We ended up going home for the night. Come morning, we decided to try again. This time, we went to a lake up in a different mountain range. When we arrived, we found a camp site a few miles from the lake. We set up camp and tried fishing in the river for a bit. We started the fire and were just beginning to enjoy the evening when one of my friends needed to leave; he had only come with the intention to stay for a little while since he had made plans with others for the evening. I opted to go back into town with him even though I wanted so desperately to stay and camp. It was Saturday night, and I really wanted to be home so that I could g...

I moved to Tooele a year ago July. I graduated from Dixie State College and took a position as a 5th grade teacher at Excelsior Academy, the charter school in Erda. I will be teaching there again this year as a 6th grade teacher. I didn’t know anyone when I moved here. I don’t have any family that lives in the area. I came here alone. In fact, I took my teaching job having never even been to Tooele County. Fortunately, I made some great friends almost immediately and have had so many wonderful experiences this year and have learned so many things about myself. One of the unanticipated byproducts of moving here was the opportunity for me to realize how much control I had on the outcomes and consequences that come with each decision I made. Because of the nature of human interaction, we are interdependently connected, meaning that our decisions not only affect ourselves but also affect those we interact with and who surround us. For example, the decisions my parents...

The Holy Ghost is the third member of the Godhead. The other two members of the Godhead are God the Father and the Son, Jesus Christ. As is taught in the New Testament in the 14th Chapter of John, Jesus would not leave us comfortless after He left the mortal realm. He would send us the Holy Ghost, the Comforter, to "teach [us] all things, and bring all things to [our] remembrance". The Holy Ghost plays many vital roles in our lives. He is a Comforter, bringing the love and strength of the other members of the Godhead to any one of us who stands in need of comfort. He is a Guide, teaching us all things and helping us to discern good from evil. He is a Revelator, testifying of truth and aiding us in our quest for personal revelation (the power to know for ourselves). As is taught in the Book of Mormon in the 10th chapter of Moroni "And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things ar...

I was fortunate to be born into a family of Mormon parents. My mother is a convert. She was taught by the missionaries when she was a freshman in college. She knew that what they taught was truth (because of answers to prayers and personal revelation) and chose to be baptized. She later met my father, who was raised in the Mormon Church in a family who had been members for a few generations. They were married in the Washington, D.C. Temple. Membership in the Mormon Church is important to my parents. They taught be about the Godhead: God the Father, Jesus Christ, and Holy Ghost. They taught me from the scriptures. They shared with me their testimonies of the gospel. They took me to my church meetings when I was young and encouraged me to go as I grew older. As I grew and learned from them, I sought to find out for myself if the things they were teaching me and the things I was learning at Church was true. I have prayed and asked God about specific commandments, precepts, and principles ...

My 5th grade students and I are reading Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell. I have never read this book prior to this reading with my students. We are enjoying it and learning a lot from it. The book starts with a tribe of people living on an island far from other civilization. A ship full of men comes to shore one day. These men want to hunt seal on this island. The captain of the ship makes a deal with the chief of the tribe as to how the hunted seals will be shared. When the men have hunted and gathered sufficient seals for significant profit, they begin loading the ship to leave. Although a certain amount of seals and other goods were promised, they shortchange the island tribe. This offense results in a bloody fight between the islanders and the seaman. Many die from each group. One of the dead is the chief of the tribe. The seaman leave. Although numerous members of the tribe remain, the chores must be redivided amongst those that are left. The women are a...