Talk Time

So I got a call from the 1st Counselor in the Bishopric, Brother Hendricksen, last Monday night. What could he have wanted you may ask? To extend the invitation to give a talk of course! I agreed and the subject was given. Alma 12:9-11 and boy oh boy, am I humbled from this last week of preparing for it. Super, SUPER humbled!

I've been warned to beware of pride in my Patriarchal Blessing. I learned this last week that I have been proud. Very, very proud. I am trying to be a better person, to learn from my mistakes. Let's hope this lesson lasts my lifetime and I don't need to feel like I've been hit by a mac 10 truck of humility ever again. K? K.

On a brighter note, I feel amazing!!!!! from said mac 10 truck of humility accident. I am positive that it was not by accident that I was the one asked to speak on the subject. Quite positive. I woke up this morning and felt lighter, like a heavy weight or burden had been lifted off of my heart, mind, and spirit. The power of repentance is sweet. Oh so sweet! It comes highly recommended.

I wanted to share my talk with ya'll, so here it is. Here's a hopin that you are on the side of knowing the mysteries of God and not on the side that willingly hardens their heart like I was.

Alma 12:9-11

9) And now Alma began to expound these things unto him, saying: It is given unto many to know the mysteries of God; nevertheless they are laid under a strict command that they shall not impart only according to the portion of his word which he doth grant unto the children of men, according to the heed and diligence which they give unto him.
10) And therefore, he that will harden his heart, the same receiveth the lesser portion of the word; and he that will not harden his heart to him is given the greater portion of the word, until it is given unto him to know the mysteries of God until he know them in full.
11) And they that will harden their hearts, to them is given the lesser portion of the word until they know nothing concerning his mysteries; and then they are taken captive by the devil, and led by his will down to destruction. Now this is what is meant by the chains of hell.

Breakdown:
Given unto many to know the mysteries of God
Those who do know the mysteries of God are under strict command; heed and diligence which they give unto him
He that hardens his heart, receives the lesser portion of the word
He that will not harden his heart is given the greater portion of the word
How we can know the mysteries of God in full
Those who harden their hearts, lesser portion of word until they know nothings concerning his mysteries
Taken captive by the devil
Led by his will down to destruction
Chains of hell = to know nothing of the mysteries of God

I love the language of the scriptures and the fact that in these specific versus Alma is “expounding these things...” unto us. It is now our job to apply this prophets teachings into our lives, so let’s expound on the expounding…

The word “will” is used three times in just 2 of these versus. I know that our agency is given in this choice of knowing the “mysteries” of God as much as our agency is given in all other aspects of our life. Our Heavenly Father is an unchangeable being and if He has given us the choice from the beginning, He will continue to give us the choice to the end. We need to continue to choose wisely, so that we may sit with Him and our Savior in the Heavenly courts above.

So now going to the question of: How does one WILLINGLY harden their heart?

Quoting President Benson from the April 1989 General Conference, he gives us the true name for hard- heartedness, Pride. He defines and expounds on Pride as such…

“Most of us think of pride as self-centeredness, conceit, boastfulness, arrogance, or haughtiness. All of these are elements of the sin, but the heart, or core, is still missing.

The central feature of pride is enmity—enmity toward God and enmity toward our fellowmen.”
Enmity means “hatred toward, hostility to, or a state of opposition.” It is the power by which Satan wishes to reign over us.

Pride is essentially competitive in nature. We pit our will against God’s. When we direct our pride toward God, it is in the spirit of “my will and not thine be done.” As Paul said, they “seek their own, not the things which are Jesus Christ’s” (Philip. 2:21).

Our will in competition to God’s will allows desires, appetites, and passions to go unbridled. (See Alma 38:12; 3 Ne. 12:30.)

The proud cannot accept the authority of God giving direction to their lives. (See Hel. 12:6.) They pit their perceptions of truth against God’s great knowledge, their abilities versus God’s priesthood power, their accomplishments against His mighty works… The proud wish God would agree with them. They aren’t interested in changing their opinions to agree with God’s.

Another major portion of this very prevalent sin of pride is enmity toward our fellowmen. We are tempted daily to elevate ourselves above others and diminish them. (See Hel. 6:17; D&C 58:41.)
The proud make every man their adversary by pitting their intellects, opinions, works, wealth, talents, or any other worldly measuring device against others. In the words of C. S. Lewis: “Pride gets no pleasure out of having something, only out of having more of it than the next man. … It is the comparison that makes you proud: the pleasure of being above the rest. Once the element of competition has gone, pride has gone” (Mere Christianity, 1952, 109–10). … ”

So what are the repercussions from a hardened heart?

As we read in verse 10, we are told that “… he that will harden his heart, the same receiveth the lesser portion of the word.” And we learn that in verse 11, that the “chains of hell” are NOT knowing the mysteries of God and the our willingness to be hard hearted, causes us to receive the lesser portion of the word until we know nothing concerning his mysteries. We are then taken captive by the devil and led by his will down to destruction.

Simply this, by hardening our hearts, we are able to be taken captive by the devil, which by his will, and I imagine with a smile on his face, we are led down to destruction. A destruction that involves “chains of hell”, not ropes, not plastic ties, not cloth, but CHAINS. These chains are built of that enmity toward God and those links that ultimately lead to it which are to quote President Kimball “self-centeredness, conceit, boastfulness, arrogance, or haughtiness.”

Now that we know that PRIDE is that heart hardening tool of the adversary that actually locks the mysteries of God from us, what then would be the key to opening those hardened hearts (assuming none of us a perfect and we all have had the sin of pride in our lives)?

HUMILITY, a broken heart and a contrite spirit.

Humility that brings us to the understanding and knowledge that Jesus Christ is our Savior and that only in and thru Him can we come to know our Father in Heaven. That if we abide by His example, His teachings, we may truly know the “mysteries of God”.

Whenever I think of the opposites of Pride and Humility, I think of a scripture in 3Nephi 13:24 *Read it* “No man can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will hold to the one and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and Mammon.”

The Savior is our ultimate teacher:

He was asked, what is the first and great commandment? Read Matthew 22:36-38
“Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and will all thy soul, and will all thy mind.”

Shalt (or shall). Not must, not have to, but shall.

With all Thy Heart. Thy Soul. Thy Mind.

And what is the second great commandment? Read Matthew 22:39
Christ answers again with, “Love thy neighbor as thyself”

In Verse 40 of the same chapter
“On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.”

Alma 12:9 “It is given unto many to know the mysteries of God; nevertheless they are laid under strict command that they shall not impart only according to the portion of his word which he doth grant unto the children of men, according to the heed and diligence which they give unto him.”

Are we those “many” whom Alma is speaking of who have been given the “know the mysteries of God”? Or, are we the “children of men” who are not giving the heed and diligence to know the mysteries of God? Are we listening to the Prophet of the Lord? Are we giving heed and diligence unto those who impart the knowledge of those mysteries?

We know though that through a “broken” heart this promise is given.
“… he that will not harden his heart, to him is given the greater portion of the word…”

We are not only given the promise to know the “greater portion of the word”, but we are promised that “… it is given unto him [he with a broken heart] to know the mysteries of God until he know them in full.”

Is there a timing to know the mysteries of God in full? And how do we obtain those mysteries for ourselves?

How convenient, I found a quote from Elder Dallin H. Oaks that gives us insight on those exact things.
He says:

“the “mysteries of God”—must be taught and transmitted in the Lord’s way, not in the world’s way.”
When Father Lehi sought to explain his vision to his rebellious older sons and exhort them to keep the commandments of God, they fell into disputing over his words. Young Nephi, who had just experienced the glorious interpreting vision he had sought, recorded that his father had spoken “many great things unto them, which were hard to be understood, save a man should inquire of the Lord; and they being hard in their hearts, therefore they did not look unto the Lord as they ought” (1 Ne. 15:3). We need to remember Nephi’s teaching that the mysteries of God, the choicest of spiritual food, cannot be understood “save a man should inquire of the Lord.”
“The prophet Ammon gave this significant recipe: “He that repenteth and exerciseth faith, and bringeth forth good works, and prayeth continually without ceasing—unto such it is given to know the mysteries of God” (Alma 26:22).”
Why is it important to know the mysteries of God? President Spencer W. Kimball (1895–1985) explained:
“Of all treasures of knowledge, the most vital is the knowledge of God: his existence, powers, love, and promises. …
“If we spend our mortal days in accumulating secular knowledge to the exclusion of the spiritual then we are in a dead-end street, for this is the time for man to prepare to meet God; this is the time for faith to be built…
The knowledge of God and His plan of salvation is the kind of knowledge that saves, and this kind of knowledge can be obtained only in the Lord’s way.”
Elder Oaks further emphasizes that:
“God reveals Himself and His eternal truths—the spiritual food that the scriptures call the bread of life and the living water—to those who seek, who serve, who keep His commandments, and who wait and listen in humility for His teaching… The things of God must be learned in his own way, through faith in God and revelation from the Holy Ghost”
I was talking with a friend about verse 9 and he gave me some really good insight that I want to share, he said this…
“It’s interesting how many times the Prophets stop what they are saying because we, the audience aren’t/weren’t ready for it. It might actually be harmful for the recipient to receive information they aren’t ready to grasp or aren’t ready to live. Infants must drink milk before they are ready for meat.”

It is our personal choice to know the mysteries of God. It is our personal choice to choose humility over pride.

It’s simple: Love God and love our neighbor. Give heed and diligence unto God. Listen to His Prophets and we can know the mysteries of God.

The older I get the more I learn that simple does not equal easy.

Humility is not easy. Worth it, yes. Easy, no.


I know God lives. I know that He, our Father in Heaven loves us. Each of us. I know that through faith in Jesus Christ that we can return to live with Him again. I know that as we live worthily of the companionship of the Holy Ghost that our lives will be made easier and our burdens will seem light. I know that the mysteries of God will be revealed to each of us at the timing that is right for each of us. I know that the Book of Mormon is the word of God and that we can become closer to Him by abiding by it's precepts than by any other book. I know that we have a living Prophet, even Thomas S. Monson, who is leading and guiding the church in this day. I share these things with you in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

Friends.

Ok, update time.

Friends. We've been heading that route for a while, I just think I was in denial about it. I've had the amazing adventure of figuring out my own feelings on this one. It's kinda funny to now have the view point of being outside of the liking Hot Man box (ok, maybe I'm not completely outside of the box, but I see things a little clearer from where I am standing inside the box). It has helped me to see a few things differently, also known as new perspectives that I hadn't seen before.

I have said it before, but I'll say it again. I really want to LIVE life! He helped me to really see how I can do that. It's funny, he doesn't even know he has helped me, but I've learned a little more about myself, my potential, and a little more of my worth. I should really thank him for that.

I do love this adventure of life and all the learning that happens. I now know that "Findin' My Ore" isn't going to be easy, but what an amazing adventure it is!

And come on, how much sweeter is the end result going to be because I know that I had to work that much harder for it?!

Til the next crush. Ado.

Update on Update

Soooo. Yeah. Ummm. I like Hot Man more than earlier anticipated. Not sure what to do at this point. I see flying by the seat of my pants for a while. Let's see what happens and hope for a positive outcome. Whether we do end up just friends or have something more. I hope I'm ok with either.

Hmmm. More to come.

Update

Ixney on Hot Man-ey being anything more than friends. Which is a good thing. Lessons learned, perspectives on life opened and testimony on certain things has been re affirmed. All and all, a good experience.

Ok, really, the Lord. The Lord has made it all a good experience. If I relied wholly upon myself, I would be a spiritual, emotional, and physical mess. Not because any extremes happened, but because I am a girl and we're a little "special". haha.

So, onto the next adventure.

One of my Instructors at school wants to set me up on a blind date with a friend she has in Provo. She says he's amazing! Let's see how this works out. *grin*

Talent Sharing. Check.

Again, if you know me, being the center of attention is not my thing! It used to really intimidates me to have people watch me. I had the blessing though of being the FHE co chair for almost a year when I was in one of my wards up here. I was the "in charge" person and had to conduct and give lessons in front of a lot of people.

By the end of the year, my voice stopped shaking, I was able to actually think and process thoughts while speaking instead of choking up, and I stopped turning completely red. My cheeks still had a tinge of pink, but the bright red had faded. *grin*

Then an opportunity at work came up a few months later to make a customer service video and my manager asked me if I wanted to be a part of it. I said I would.

Ahhhh!!! Why did I say I would?! I was freaking out! I talked myself into thinking... I wasn't as nervous being in front of people as much as I was a year before and because the people who would be watching the video had NO idea that I was nervous. I would just have to "fake it" until I made it.

And made it we did.

I ended up not being as nervous doing it because all of the parts I "played" were things that I do for my job. This time I just happened to be be mic'd and being videotaped while doing it. I don't really want to see the completed video, I'm sure I'll feel dumb watching myself, but it allowed me to be comfortable with the idea of making a cooking video when I saw adds for a contest that came up last month.

I truly LOVE the way our Heavenly Father works in preparing us for future events with the current situations in our lives. I would have never thought I would make a cooking video, post it online, and have the confidence to turn it into a contest! (by the way, I thought it was REALLY REALLY fun and will be probably making more videos even though there is no contest now)

The contest is call "Real Women of Philadelphia" and Paula Deen is the host of the contest. It's a contest with Philadelphia Cream Cheese where you make cooking video with an origianl recipe using their cream cheese. I made up all the recipes the day of the shooting. Thankfully they all turned out quite tasty! hehe

Silvia was my camera man. We used my digital camera and tri-pod (shout out the Mechelle and Andy for the amazing camera and Scoot for the tri-pod, they are gifts that keep on giving.) We made a total of three videos. It was funny and a little akward at first, but by the last video, we were pro's. Hopefully you can also tell that each video got a little better. I got to play with editing, which again, I found out was really fun!

I've also learned that if it's something I am comfortable in doing and feel I have a knowledge of already, that it isn't as hard for me, or that I'm not as nervous doing it. Kinda nice.

So the contest: there are 16 semi finalists that will be flown out to Georgia and from those 16 they will choose 4 winners. The 4 women will receive prize money, a cook book deal with Philadelphia Cream Cheese, and all the adventures of making and promoting the cookbook over the next year!

Isn't that cool?! I'll find out if I'm a finalist in the next week or so. I can't wait to go to Georgia! *wink*

I really do love this adventure of life! The experiences we have all been given and the influence we each have to share from those experiences is truly a blessing! Sharing Talents. Check. Well at least the talent of cooking, not acting so much. haha.

Now how can this adventure apply to "Findin' My Ore"? Only time will tell, but I'm voting trying something new and venturing out of my comfort zone won't hurt with the dating stuff in the future! haha


I hope you enjoy the video!

Answer figured out.

Well... he likes me *wink*

The how much part still needs to be figured out from both parties. So, stay tuned because I'm not sure if he knows he does yet. haha

Fog, What fog?

So apparently... I like him. Boy is this an adventure.

Over the last few weeks or so I've been talking a lot with Hot Man (I'll give you his real name someday, but for now, I don't think he would mind me using my nickname for him, which he actually doesn't know I call him yet. That will be a fun story to tell when I tell him that. hehe.) and I've been able to spend some more time with him in person. Dinner, a walk, and some breakfast. Good times had by all. I don't know whats going to happen. I don't know the end result with him, but I know he is a good man and I really enjoy being around him.

Here goes my girl rant... ready... Go!

I don't know what to think! *Warning* girl thought process about to take place:

How the crap am I supposed to be able to tell if he likes me? Likes me more than friend likes me? I like to think he does, but then he does something that makes me think otherwise. A better thought on "does something" is the lack of him doing something. He's not initiating contact. Is it because he's not interested, or because that's just him? Is it weird for me to ask him? I'm a straight forward kinda girl and that I can picture getting me into trouble.

See this is where the being an over thinking girl is a bad thing. I need to not worry about it, right? Right. He's a good guy and if we just end up friends, I think we can both benefit from knowing each other. That's a good thing. I'll give ya a run down on said man, so you can have a little perspective on my thinking...

He's 36, has 2 daughters (7 & 4), and after seeing him with his youngest, I have no doubt whatsoever that he adores them. He works full time and goes to school full time (thinking nursing career maybe), he's been a road bike racer and still enjoys speed! He seems to be really enjoying the adventure of life and has the attitude of it's ok not to win, as long as you had a good time while you were trying (which is exactly how I feel, Kara got all the freaky competitive stuff, huh babe?). He's smart, amazingly polite (I'm not tooting my own horn here, but I think I usually do a pretty good job with my please and thank you's, but he always says it before me... really before I can even process the thought to say it! I'm very impressed). He's very mild tempered, good listener, lover of sports and encourages his girls to see and try new things. He doesn't seem to mind change and is an all around good guy.

Impressed? Yep. I am too.

That whole not worrying thing would be really nice right about now. Let's try that.

No worrying future. Here I COME!

I'll keep ya updated on how that's going. Ok, maybe I won't because it would cause me to think and ponder on it which would lead to "worrying". Better yet. I'll let ya know if anything ever happens. *grin*