Measuring Happiness

Happiness is measured

By the spirit felt inside

And how you face problems

Despite life's storm outside

I did a silly and expensive mistake today.  I got the paint from the storage room and decided to touch up the dirty walls in my classroom.  IT WAS SEMI-GlOSS and I needed flat.  So I bought some paint and it doesn't match.  Tomorrow is our open house and I am tired...  burning the candle at both ends.  (going three nights in a row to College)  Lowes opens at 6:00.  I can do it!
"Happiness does not depend on what happens outside of you but on

what happens inside of you. It is measured by the spirit with which you meet the problems of life."

—Harold B. Lee, "A Sure Trumpet Sound: Quotations from President Lee"

Make Up Your Mind

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Make up your mind!

You can accomplish that goal!

It may take time

Have confidence, it's YOUR role!

I love receiving Daily Messages as emails. I just started going back to school after 20 years.  This message couldn't have come at a better time.  I am out of my element and everyone around me seems to be on top of their game.

Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Heber J. Grant "I believe that we can accomplish any object that we make up our minds to, and no boy or girl ought to sit down and say, because they cannot do as well as somebody else, that they will not do anything." —Heber J. Grant, "Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Heber J. Grant" Topics: Goals, Confidence

Questions

Write your questions down
And to God, confide
Then carry them around
Let the spirit guide

There's Always a Way

There's always a way
To do what is right
Search, ponder, and pray
With all of your might

How Far Will You Go

How far will you go
To know and fight the foe?
Though trials you will face
Stand firm and keep the faith

Value Learning

Value your learning
Write about it. Give it thought
While to light turning
To be spiritually taught

Pull It Together

Pull it together
And exercise faith
What you know gather
And your troubles face

Treachery

Treachery is despicable
And requires a black heart
Lives become disposable
And the means a work of art

Priesthood Cement

To stand firm and true
The priesthood is the cement
That glues us to Christ
To His light and Atonement

Nearer to Thee

1. Where for be of good cheer
2. Have faith and 3. Do not fear
Are commandments!
The Lord stands ever near!

Doctrine and Covenants 68:6
Where for be of good cheer and do not fear, for I the Lord am with you, and will stand with you

You Are Not Alone

The world goes on as you stew
And sadly feel alone...
Jesus wants to hear from you
What you need, He'll make known

Love, hope, purpose,
A new path, to be heard
Pray, ponder, trust
Humbly search His word

Listening

We have two ears and a mouth for a reason
That we open our minds for a season
And explore what listening makes known
Thoughts, dreams, and feeling are shown

Suffering

How you suffer
Through no fault of your own!
Lean to the Savior
Who, for you, did atone

Dare to Dream Big

Let your dreams come from Heaven
Move outside your comfort zone
Dare to find greatness given
Divine potential will be shown

Read Elaine S. Dalton
Dare Great Things
And dream big
BYU Idaho devotional
11 Oct 2011

Pressed

The press of the people
Was always upon Him
He set the example
And prayed oft for them

Nevada School Law Test Practice and Info

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VBUUgQ_snq8



For your peace of mind

It is good to know what to expect

And where you can find

The resources to pass the test

Purifying Blood and Hyssop

When Jesus said, "I thirst!"
He meant to save mankind
He saves us from death's worst
For paradise to find

A dipped hyssop stalk was used
Just as in Israel's day
The destroyer's power was then loosed
Wine was the cleansing way

I've always thought they were being mean by giving Jesus wine vinegar.  Now I have found another theory, which I love!


John 19:28–30

Jesus said, “I am thirsty.”

A jar of wine vinegar was there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put the sponge on a stalk of the hyssop plant,and lifted it to Jesus’ lips. 

When he had received the drink, Jesus said, “It is finished.” 

With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.

Psalm 51:7
Purge me with hyssop, and I will be clean;
wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.

Exodus 12:21–23
Then Moses summoned all the elders of Israel and said to them, “Go at once and select the animals for your families, and slaughter the Passover lamb. Take a bunch of hyssop, dip it into the blood in the basin, and put some of the blood on the top and on both sides of the doorframe. None of you shall go out of the door of your house until morning. When the Lord goes through the land to strike down the Egyptians, he will see the blood on the top and sides of the doorframe and will pass over that doorway, and he will not permit the destroyer to enter your houses and strike you down.”

Peace of Mind

To pacify the whim
Of the beautiful Salome
Herod gave her the head
Of John the Baptist to own

Jesus, now, in Herod's presence
Awaiting His own sentence to find
Could have seen it as His chance
To give him a piece of His mind

I marvel that Jesus could stand in Herod's presence during his trial and not speak against Herod. Here was His chance ( also His last chance) to give Him a piece of His mind. 

Extend Your Gospel Roots

Extend your gospel roots
As quickly as you can
The enemy of truth
Would to destroy the heart of man

In all times both hard or soft
Let your roots find what's pure
And deeply drink from there oft
For the strength to endure




https://www.lds.org/liahona/2016/08/young-adults/rooted-in-christ?cid=HP_WE_17-8-2016_dPFD_fLHNA_xLIDyL1-A_&lang=eng   by Elder L. Whitney Clayton

“As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him:

“Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught” (Colossians 2:6–7).

Teaching the Savior's Way

https://www.lds.org/media-library/images/category/teachings-bible-images?lang=eng

On day one of in-service where I am going to teach in Henderson, NV, we sat around and discussed what it means to teach the Savior's way.  It was such a beautiful experience, I felt inspired to write a song!  How exciting to think it was inspired by fragments of our testimonies.
Yeah for the church's new manual.  https://www.lds.org/manual/teaching-in-the-saviors-way?lang=eng

Here at David O McKay

We can learn, the Savior's way

Through the spirit's voice, the light we need is shown

We can practice what we learn

To apply it and discern

We can gain the confidence to stand alone

Hark! Hark! Hear the Spirit whisper

As we cry out much with love

For we open up our minds

To our place in God's designs

Divine nature comes to us from up above

We can be the Savior's hands

And fulfill, through love, His plans

Though we're stretched in service and the days are long

We are Gods in embryo

In our talents, watch us grow

In the face of opposition, we'll be strong

Hark! Hark! Hear the Spirit whisper

As we cry out much with love

For we open up our minds

To our place in God's designs

Divine nature comes to us from up above

We have filled our pockets well

With the spirit watch truth swell

As shared comments help us see with different eyes

We have goals we want to reach

In simplicity, we teach

As we each apply the gospel in our lives

Hark! Hark! Hear the Spirit whisper

As we cry out much with love

For we open up our minds

To our place in God's designs

Divine nature comes to us from up above

We can fan the fire of faith

In these trying times we face

We can rally and unite in courage bold

We can pray and sing a hymn

And invite the spirit in

To refine us as sweet miracles unfold

Hark! Hark! Hear the Spirit whisper

As we cry out much with love

For we open up our minds

To our place in God's designs

Divine nature comes to us from up above

Greed

What sinister scheme
Have you been a victim of?
It's a common theme
When greed is what we love!

Be Whole

Be whole in the Lord
And apply the gospel
In all your walks of life
Yes, it is possible!

Teachers Council

In a prayerful council
Observations are confirmed
Your heart turns to each pupil
As true needs are discerned

Shed a Little Light

By Lienhard Schulz at the German language Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=44517

Shed a little light
On each subject at hand
Seek for Jesus Christ
To help you understand

I'm so excited to be teaching at David O McKay Academy in Henderson where we can do this and feel the spirit teach both the teacher and the students.

Service with a Smile

Serve with a smile
Don't wait to be told
Go the extra mile
With a heart of gold


This poem was inspired while I was watching the CubScout training.  They have such beautiful pictures and I loved this thought!

Stick to It

Stick to it
And don't give up!
Bit by bit,
You'll pass what's tough!

Stick to It

Stick to it
And don't give up
Bit by bit
You'll pass what's tough

Make the Best of Each Day

Make the best
Of each day
You'll be blessed
If you pray

Create a Space

Create a sense of place
where the world goes away.
Where in your heart there's space
for the spirit to stay.

I am getting so excited about David O. MacKay Academy, named after a prophet and great teacher. What an opportunity for students to feel the spirit in a school environment in LasVegas and Henderson Nevada. Doors are opening for this great event and the excitement, closeness, and joy is amazing!

Live for the Day

http://www.gregtrimble.com/elder-holland-prays-everyday/

Oh wouldn't it be nice,
If Christ were on His way!
I wouldn't think twice,
Of what I'd throw away:
That ugly wall of pain,
The burden to forgive,
The sins that daily drains,
With Him here, how I'd live!

Live for the Day

http://www.gregtrimble.com/elder-holland-prays-everyday/

Oh wouldn't it be nice
If Christ were on His way
I wouldn't think twice
Of what I'd throw away:
That ugly wall of pain,
The burden to forgive
The sins that daily drain
With Him here, how I'd live!

True Intent

If you really want to know
Just ask God and listen
An experience will show
And make a warm impression

Oft, it comes in a thought
From something you read or hear
You will know you've been taught
For you'll feel the spirit near

True Intent

If you really want to know
Just ask God and listen
An experience will show
And make a warm impression

Oft it comes in a thought
From something you read or hear
You will know you've been taught
For you'll feel the spirit near

Start Where You Are Weak

Start where you are weak And work to perfect yourself To self-correct seek, Continually, the Lord's help After pondering this quote, I thought it is perfect that we start where we are weak because then we are made humble to be taught. Words of the Prophet: God Will Make a Way ""Said the Savior to His disciples, “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect” (Matt. 5:48). This is the commandment which is before us. Regrettably we have not reached perfection. We have a great distance to go. We must cultivate the faith to reform our lives, commencing where we are weak and moving on from there in our work of self-correction, thus gradually and consistently growing in strength to live more nearly as we should."" —Gordon B. Hinckley, "Words of the Prophet: God Will Make a Way", New Era, January 2002 Topics: Faith, Endure to the End

Like a Broken Vessel

Midst life's thorns, thistles, and obnoxious weeds
You can become trapped and develop disease
Defeated with stress high and energy low
The frazzled mind takes a psychic blow
Coping skills shut down, you're in need of rescue
As you can't think your way out or know what to do
Thoughts are stuck feelings in a circular fashion
To break the cycle you must pray with passion
A hymn is a prayer and a soothing balm
Hum them, sing them and your heart will calm
Believe in the atonement and, for you, Christ did pay
And then your tears will flow in a different way


Just pondering this subject from what

I have experienced...

There's only so long your brain can perform in fight or flight mode and full steam ahead. The frontal lobe of reason and planning will shut down and you'll function at a lower level. You may think you are thinking but you are just feeling thoughts and you are literally in a rut as you do this again and again. You tell the brain this is how you cope. Sleep and food don't help, nor does advice. You need to write all those thought feelings down so the brain doesn't have to remember it all. Then seek the peace that comes with the spirit. Engage in scripture reading and higher reasoning, pray and sing. And give thanks.

I teach and sometimes panic sets in as pressure builds and starts to grip you.There is a schedule to keep and you've expectations of what the kids should know. I have a picture of me in the back of the room and I know I am smiling with love, joy, and the spirit. It warms me and reminds me and sometimes shocks me that I am that person.

The Sixth Sense

Though some see this as a deterrent
Listen and you will find your sixth sense
Which allows for sound discernment
A spiritual side, in essence