To be? Or not to be...

Yesterday in church in one of our meetings, the lesson was based on a talk given by a leader by the name of Lynn G. Robbins, entitled, "What Manner of Men and Women Ought Ye to be?"

During that lesson, we talked about things that we are "To Do" and "To Be." The teacher pointed out that it is easy for us to make "To do" lists for ourselves {or my bucket list??} but do we ever make lists for ourselves that are "To be?"

She went on to say that when New Years Resolutions come around for her, instead of writing things that she wants to do, she writes one word that she wants to BE that year. I thought that was pretty neat and clever. It caused me to think about what words I want to be, and what I need to work on.

The difference between a To Do list and a To Be list, is that the BE list is not something you ever scratch off. It's who you are, and who you want to become, something you will work on for your whole life.

Pretty cool, huh? She said it's important to remember that you just need one word at a time, and take it slowly, don't overwhelm yourself with a whole list of words all at one time.

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed that like I did. :)

A few weekend thoughts

Yesterday we traveled north about 1 1/2 hours to go to a friend's wedding reception. It was so good to see her. She was one of the very first people I met in Hawaii, and from there we shared major classes and class projects. She's a great person and I highly value her friendship. I was so mad at myself, I brought my camera and forgot to take pictures! Rats.

Anyway, along that journey heading north on I-17, is always a treat for me. Yesterday evening it was, yet again, and it made me think, "The Phoenix pioneers must have had a lot of fun naming things around here." And this is why.

There is a:

"Happy Valley" (town)
"Bloody Basin"
"Horsethief Basin"
and this is a new one that I discovered,
"Big Bug Creek."

Isn't that great? I seriously wish I was around for all that fun and games.

2nd thought/ experience for the weekend {and on a completely different note}

Today in church, a native from Pakistan spoke in one of our meetings. He informed us that The Book of Mormon is currently being translated into a Pakistani language! {by him! and I'm sure others too.} I was so touched and moved by his incredible abbreviated story of how he fled from Pakistan to come to the United States. He didn't give specifics, but he left everything, including all of his family. I'm sure becoming a Christian for him was incredibly difficult, especially since in extreme cases in Muslim nations, you are killed if you convert to Christianity.

This just reminded me of how blessed I am to live in a country where I am free to chose what I want to believe, and can also worship freely; I definitely take that for granted. His bravery and love for the Gospel of Jesus Christ inspired me.

Sunday

Let's be honest, I'm usually pretty dang lazy on Sundays; it's the "day of rest" after all, right? Well, I've decided that I'm a little too lazy on Sundays, especially now that I'm not a student.

After joining the missionaries this week in a discussion with a soon to be member of the LDS church, I've felt prompted and encouraged to make my Sundays more church and Christ centered, rather than just being lazy all day. {although this doesn't mean I'll be cutting Sunday naps...} This will take some time and some major improvements, but I know it'll be a good outcome.

So today to work towards that goal, I watched this clip (below), because I missed it the other week when it was presented live, due to the fact we were already on the road heading home from our trip to Utah.

This message really touched my heart and reminded me of what great church and world leaders I have to look up to.

I encourage you to watch it if you haven't already done so; it is beautiful and uplifting whether you are a member of the LDS church or not.



Feel free to leave comments or questions or visit here.

in the beautiful conference center and ready for some conference and inspiration!

Listen

The 180th Semi-Annual General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

That's what we've been up to this weekend, while simultaneously working on our attention spans.

Great speeches by great leaders who are able to help us redefine our lives and encourages us to make goals to better improve our lives and the lives of others. Click here to learn more or to listen/watch the talks given.