Thursday 3/1 - Sunday 3/4

Sunday 3/4
Thankful for...
Good meetings at church.  They were all good.  Love coming home feeling uplifted.

Study time...
SS talked about the Isaiah chapters.  Appreciated hearing other's thoughts on those.  My own thoughts were from 2N 22:2 - Isaiah realizes that God is our salvation and Jehovah, our savior and redeemer is his strength, to get us to our salvation.

Photo...

Saturday 3/3
Thankful for...
A double date w/ the C's!  Yea, we always see each other on date night because we are watching each other's kids.  We never go out.  We did tonight, loved it!  Ate at La Tolteca, then came home and watched the latest vampire movie, might be Breaking Dawn?  Our boys were good sports, crackin' jokes all of the way, but it was good fun!

Study time...
Reading the words Alma has to his sons.  Re-read this verse and it spoke to me.  Alma 37:41 - particularly the words at the end... and they did not progress in their journey.  He is referring to Lehi's family w/ the liahona.  Small means brought about marvelous works, but when they forgot to exercise their faith, they ceased... and they did not progress in their journey.  I've been thinking a lot about faith these past few weeks, it is important to keep working it out, exercise it, practice the principle.  Our journey is hindered when we don't.  In particular I thought of our eternal progress.  This life is but a small measure of our complete existence, yet it it the proving ground.  If we want to progress in our eternal journey, we must practice faith.  We must develop faith. 

Photo...
Little E is really good at the computer!  I think of my big kids and how they were in grade school before they really got onto the computer.  Things are so different for these little ones because they see the big ones.  They can already maneuver the mouse and find games etc.  They still need help occasionally, but I'm most in awe w/ this little 2 year old.  He loves playing computer games!


Friday 3/2
Thankful for...
Lunching with the ladies.  Shannon hosted Molly, Melissa, Penny and myself for a VTing lunch.  It was great to break up my long day!  Lunch was delicious too.
AND, so thankful to have my purse back!

Study time...
I appreciate the intimate moment between father and son in CH 36.  Alma doesn't go into detail about his sins, but goes into detail about his change.  Focusing on what made him who he is now, not what he was. 
Going back to Alma's conversion of which he speaks... I think you get to a 'past feeling' place where you don't even realize what you are doing anymore.  It is what you have become.  God needed to take Alma out of his own realm so he could see how awful his behavior was.  In the presence of good and God we realize how imperfect and wrong we are.  We can try to justify it, or take the path of change.  Alma really SAW, he saw truth, he saw good and he saw that he was wrong.  This is Godly sorrow.  He couldn't stand to BE in the presence of God because of how guilty he felt, how unclean he was.  This was his hell and torment, and this is how he paid for his sins... until (v18) he caught onto the fleeting thought of his Savior.  When he sought him out, he found relief. 
We do pay for our own sins way too much, suffering.  Why not give that to Christ?

Thursday 3/1
Thankful for...
There is much to be thankful for despite the fact that my purse is gone!  I left it at the event we were at last night.  Such a bummer... but, I am thankful no charges have been made on my card, I'm thankful I still could go to institute, thankful Molly took O to play... it was so nice to have a day w/o fighting!  Thankful for my husband loving my hurts better.

Study time...
Alma 34 left notes for myself.  Good to go back and read what I've felt before.  V17 exercise your faith unto repentance... practice this principle, use it!  Repent!  We all need to all of the time.  Practice using the atonement, look at watch my life, where can I use this?  Always realize my need for Him and His redeeming power.  Will change me, even as I master myself, can always find purpose for this principle.
V36 - He dwells in the hearts of the righteous.