The world in which we live

Wow!! What an amazing world full of technology in which we live!! I just spent some time listening to/watching Mormon Messages on www.lds.org: AMAZING!!! I have also strengthened my testimony by reading the testimonies of others on www.mormon.org.

This morning before church, I read an article from the Ensign titled "Dating and Virtue" by Elanine S Dalton and David L Beck. The following are quotes from that amazing article.
"If we could see each other for who we really are -- children of our Father in Heaven -- we would treat each other with the reverence, respect, and dignity theat our spiritual heritage demands. When we understand our divine destiny, it will define all of our relationships with each other." That is SOOO powerful and applies to adults as well as teenagers!!

"When we cross the line and engage in immoral behavior, we offend the Spirit, and when we lose that influence of the Holy Ghost in our lives, all those wonderful things that the Spirit provides to us are lost. Immoral behavior destroys faith...we must be pure in heart to have the guidance of the Holy Ghost. That means we need to live so that we are worthy to enter the temple -- now!"

"One of the most important things parents can do is set the example by the respect they show each other and the joy they have in their relationship -- seeing that it really is a wonderful thing. I don't know that we could overstate what a motivator that is. Parents should try to model what a marriage can and should be...Parents need to teach, but they also need to listen and invite their children to express their feelings about what is going on... we need to spend time with our children and do things with them that they like to do -- not just the things we want to do. This builds confidence and trust."

"We need to encourage them (our children) to do hard things and sometimes to take the path that stretches them. When each of us individuals confronts our fears, we discover who we are. We discover God in our lives and we develop confidence . Go forward in faith, knowing that the Lord will support you. His grace is sufficient to help us through challenging situations."

"They (our children) want to be validated for who they REALLY are. They come with such nobility inside. We need to provide opportunities that foster authentic relationships and help them develop the feeling and knowledge of their own identity."

What a blessing in these latter days, to have such inspiration: to know what to do. There are so many things we can do: but those are some of the things we should do. This week, Michelle was off of work, and we got to have some nice long conversations on the phone. I told her I am amazed at the quickness of email and texts. This week, I texted my brother in law and within 5 minutes, he texted me back!! Amazing!! And as Michelle and I talked on the phone, I was able to email her a photo she was helping me with for a missionary profile I was working on. Thanks, amazing woman!!

As incredible as our media is, I pray that I will never get too busy to do the things that are truly important: seeing my children smile, hugging each of my family members, playing a board game with my family, reading stories together...in a "story book" as GB would say!!

Love you all, Happy Sabbath, Katie