Soapbox Saturday: "Modest when it's the Hottest"

Yes it is 112 degrees this week....and not looking cooler anytime soon! Anyone would know, especially us Arizonan natives, that it is dang hot outside.

But it never ceases to amaze me each summer to witness the amount of clothing people wear shrinking drastically! And we know it happens long before the temperature even reaches the 100's...perhaps the second Winter is over.

From young, to mid, to teen, to (moms) much older girls displaying their:

*short shorts/skirts*

*sleeveless & see-through shirts*

*skimpy swimsuits*
*sliding up/down shirts*
*suctioning  (tight-fitting)

(like my "S" alliteration?)

~What's disheartening is that we see more & more of it even with the church-going crowd; People that know better. Or say they believe differently but don't show it. Even Moms that are letting their young girls think it's okay to show off their body. ..And then of course by the time they're teenagers, well.. it's already engraved in their brains. If they don't learn young, the mom's can't expect their daughters to all of the sudden just figure it out. And then down the road the parents just can't seem to figure out {insert sarcasm} how their daughter has immorality issues or why she wants to date the "bad boys" etc. etc. *The worst is when the moms, these daughters ultimate examples, come out in their seasonal cleavage-showing swimsuits. And are the Dad's really okay with it when they know the way other boys/men can think when looking at their wives and daughters? I think the Father really has to step up and preside in this situation to protect his precious girls.

~I think maybe a lot of people might do it just because it's the fad/trend whatever. Because everyone wears it...Really?...We care that much to fit in to a disgusting world? Is that our goal? Or maybe it's that we've just become so accustomed to seeing it or wearing it that we tend to tune it out or become numb to it.

To stand out we just can't fit in. 

Makes me think of this quote along my sidebar that I love:

"Women of God can never be like

Women of the World...

The world has enough women who are TOUGH;

we need women who areTENDER.

There are enough women who are COARSE;

we need women who are KIND.

There are enough women who are RUDE;

we need women who areREFINED.

We have enough women of Fame and Fortune;

we need morewomen of FAITH.

We have enough GREED;

we need moreGOODNESS.

~We have enough VANITY;

we need more VIRTUE.~

We have enough POPULARITY;

we need more PURITY."

Margaret D. Nadauld ~General Conference 2000

It's just sad to me. Perhaps there are even those who need someone like a Church Leader stating such words like "do not walk around half naked" for the light to come on in their heads!? ...or maybe they can just justify it since they haven't "heard" it lately. C'mon we all have brains with memories & should be using them. Seriously though, we have ALL been given AGENCY, COMMON SENSE, and in our Church we have WONDERFUL things like the "Strength of Youth" Pamphlet-a guideline for youth going over our standards from music to clothing etc. We know what our bodies are made for & it's certainly not to show them off!

~I don't have ALL the answers,

BUT I do know that modesty is one of them!~

*Ok

Getting

DOWN

from my 

SOAPBOX 

now...

{P.S. Don't look at the Birthday Post below. My son decided to rebel against my Modesty preaching. What can I say...He was HOT. :)}

Soapbox Saturday....{tomorrow}

Tomorrow I'm beginning what I call "Soapbox Saturday"
.....cuz I'm dorky like that.
This somewhat un-opinionated Mama can be quite the contrary at times.

Stay Tuned....

Conference with a twist...

This General Conference was one like no other for Tim & I.

~Because we were traveling home from our trip across the other side of the World & with the crazy 9 hour time differences, it limited our ability to watch the Sessions of Conference live. We listened to a couple talks via Tim's ipad as we sat in the Dallas airport during our 3 hr layover. 

~Listening in this setting was something I'd never done before. We are usually sitting comfortably in our home with our 4 children cuddled around us as we listen in a {somewhat} peaceful environment with the spirit abundant. This time however, might possibly have been even more meaningful as I listened to a Prophet of God and his apostles speak the words the Lord would have us hear and yet within inches of us were people who appeared utterly lost in this World. I teared up as I once again realized how blessed I am to have the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ in my life. 

~Although I'd much prefer to have been in my home listening with my children, I will never forget how it struck me at that moment that the Gospel is for everyone & someday "every knee shall bow & every tongue confess that Jesus is the Christ."

**The past few days I have been catching up on all the talks & songs that we missed during our travels. 

This morning a hymn sung at Conference hit me strongly as I realized it's significance. 

*A little backstory:

~In Europe we first arrived in the city of Amsterdam. It is where our River Boat was docked that we would soon board.  But first we would see the city. Severely jet lagged we headed out ragged in our sweats to get a glimpse of the city. Here is a picture of me in a big wooden shoe; something that Holland is widely known for. {Don't mind the pajamas & sleep deprived look on my face.}

~Just feet away from this photo site is Amsterdam Square, where a man torched himself on fire yesterday as reported in the news today. It is a wicked city-one I do not wish to see again any day soon. Tim & I walked the city & saw the beautiful canal lined streets, and yet also saw it's filth & wickedness in abundance. Because of the city's location, it is one that is most likely to be destroyed the same way New Orleans was hit. My own prediction is that is will be destroyed in the same manner in coming years, as the Earth cleanses itself for the coming of Christ.

This is the song that hit me so strongly: 

Watch & be moved by:  "Let Us All Press On.."

http://lds.org/general-conference/music/2011/04?lang=eng&session=4&song=7&media=video

This SONG had great meaning to me while listening & watching it this morning, I simultaneously received this email link from Tim about the story in Amsterdam.

http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2011/04/06/20110406netherlands-man-sets-self-on-fire.html

~How blessed we are to know what we know. Happy April 6th.~

My 2 cents on Glenn Beck & our Country...

You either love him or hate him. I happen to love him.
He is NOT perfect & will be the first to tell you that each time he speaks. {And Yes sometimes I cringe when he says things-but this just verifies to me that he is REAL.} Honestly though, I believe that he is being used as a tool by God. I think the ticket is his personality combined with his talent of preparing his thoughts & words in a powerful way. He is simply a church-going husband & father, who believes that Jesus Christ is his Savior and happens to have a job where he can share publicly his political & personal views.

In recent days before & after Becks' Restoring Honor Rally in D.C., I read & heard various "Evangelical Christians" thoughts about him. Many Christians are behind Beck, although many are frightened by him fearing the fact that he is a "Mormon." I don't know why that is. He believes in Jesus Christ as they do and yet because of "other" points of doctrine, they get scared and upset when he refers to himself as a Christian man. I think it's funny that Beck is saying 'This is what I believe' and people are saying: 'No you don't.'  {But this is all besides the point anyways.}

I read this article and appreciated this man for agreeing to disagree on theological points but also seeing the BIG picture & coming together to focus on what we all DO believe. We believe so many of the same values & concepts, but in order to fight the War we have to unite for the battle...(figuritively speaking of course.)  No matter your beliefs, you gotta give it to Glenn Beck for putting himself out there. Most conservatives are not near brave enough to do that in this Liberal-Media Controlled World we live in.

Conservative values is something our Country 
substantially lacks

-in a frightening way! 

The Common Goal: Being Good & Honest people, Living by the Golden Rule, Working hard, Remaining as free citizens & not puppets of the Government, Serving & Protecting our fellow men, Respecting not Hating, Living the Dream that our forefathers worked so hard to provide for us & Keeping it that way for our Children. Believing that Family is the fundamental unit of society. Relying on our Churches for Answers/Guidance & not our Government; Our Government is to oversee, not to overrule. Honoring those who have gone before us & provided us our freedoms, and Honoring those who go out now to battle doing the same.

Here are about half a million people who attended  (8/28/10)

United We Stand, Divided We Fall- is a true statement. Why waste time arguing points of doctrine when that's not the issue. Nobody is convincing anybody to change their belief system, only to unite in what we all believe together. Hoping to be One Nation Under God; Indivisible with Liberty & Justice for all. -just as our founding fathers had planned it for us.

~I vow to teach my children about the history & promise of this Country. America is great. It is led by imperfect people but was instituted by God-{just as Christ's Church is today.} This Country WAS founded upon Christian principles. Those who created it were led by the hand of God and those men would be ashamed if we ever thought otherwise.

*So there's your 2 or maybe 10 cents from me.

To not take lightly....

"I predict future happiness for Americans if they can prevent the government from wasting the labors of the people under the pretense of taking care of them."  ~Thomas Jefferson~ In 1961, Ronald Reagan joined the American Medical Association in opposing the Democratic Party's attempt to force socialized medicine on the American people. President Reagan's advice is just as relevant today as it was then. In part, he warned: "One of the traditional methods of imposing statism or socialism on a people has been by way of medicine. It's very easy to disguise a medical program as a humanitarian project. . . . Now, the American people, if you put it to them about socialized medicine and gave them a chance to choose, would unhesitatingly vote against it." -Ronald Reagan

My 2 Cents on the matter:

**I am simply sick inside right now as I type this; To have seen & read what I have the last few days. Many of you have heard about the show "Big Love" on HBO. I've never personally watched it (for many reasons), but only have seen clips on news shows and such....which made me nauseous by the way! Weird! 

From what I have seen it seems as if the producers are taking FLDS/(Polygamists) way of life and mixing some LDS (Mormon) beliefs and practices in there as well & acting as if they all currently go together. The characters look more like common day LDS people than they do Polygamists-but whatever. Confusing to the overall public I would think!.. (Thank Tom Hanks for this mess!)

Do people REALLY think this is a parallel to our church beliefs? No wonder people think we're crazy. This just shows how Satan can take a little truth here, a little truth there, TWIST & DISTORT it just enough to make it craziness & confusion!

*I have heard that in an upcoming show the producers are taking it to a new level and recreating some of our Church's current Temple ordinances & ceremonies. They were able to do this with help from "ex" Mormons who had once been through the Temple. I read something today that I thought described this well:   "The information they (the show's producers) get is from people who have left the church and are not currently active. I like to compare it to this...would you hire someone who flunked out of medical school to be your informant on a medical program? No, you would ask an actual Doctor who has current correct information. So although they may portray pieces of our religion they do not portray it correctly. Especially the fact that polygamy is in our church. We all know this is absolutely false!" 

*I also received an email regarding the TV guide picture & article about the upcoming show. The picture is upsetting as well as one quote I saw saying the current LDS church has a "don't ask don't tell policy on polygamy." Are you seriously kidding me? Makes my stomach churn...literally. 

*I enjoyed reading some others' comments on a blog forum today & this was one of them that I thought described my feelings as well:  "Then there are reactions deep in your heart--feeling as though your heart has sunk into your stomach, where your outward action is minimal or nonexistent because the body simply has no way to express what the spirit feels."

Back to the Temple ceremonies....Taking something sacred & making it for public view. 

I would compare it in this way:

*In similarity I'm sure you all would agree that the intimate relationship between a husband & wife is to be sacred and not perverted & publicized like we see in so many t.v. shows and movies...right? Neither is it bad nor strange, BUT when displayed for the public to see it is inappropriate.

*And there ya go...that's basically how I think we as an LDS people are feeling about this. Now I'm sure when HBO airs this it would feel creepy (I won't be watching it), however it could still possibly be somewhat similar to one type of ordinance. I don't know. Although we do know it will be lacking very much; and that being what makes these ordinances special & real.

*To those of you who read this who are not members of our faith, hopefully you can understand and help us explain to others as well where we are coming from. There are many (maybe millions) out there who have been emailing messages to HBO about this upcoming show. (You can do that HERE.) It probably won't change the fact that they will continue to air it BUT I hope we can all stand up for the cause in our own way.

The Church put out *THIS* statement on Saturday & Then *THIS* statement Monday. 

(~We have been asked to act with "dignity & thoughtfulness" & to be Christlike in our actions regarding this matter.~)

Here's a little blip of what was stated:

"Now comes another series of Big Love, and despite earlier assurances from HBO it once again blurs the distinctions between The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the show’s fictional non-Mormon characters and their practices. Such things say much more about the insensitivities of writers, producers and TV executives than they say about Latter-day Saints."

I'll share with you the song that has been running through my head as of late

....somewhat fitting I think.

Verses 2 & 3 of "As Zion's Youth in Latter Days"

"The truths and values we embrace are mocked on every hand. 

Yet as we listen and obey we know we can withstand. 

The evil that would weaken us, the sin that would destroy. 

With faith, we hold the Iron Rod And find in this our joy. 

Thru test and trial we'll have our fears, But we will not despair. 

We're here to serve a righteous cause; Truth gives us strength to dare. 

We'll love, and learn, and overcome; We'll sing a joyful song, 

As Zion's youth in latter days, Triumphant, pure, and strong."

What's YOUR 2 cents?

PART 2: Project Pink!

*This is a follow-up post to my PART 1 post from last week about the desire to obtain the IDEAL image.

My friend Venessa who serves on the Higley School Board directed my attention to PROJECT PINK, a FREE event that will take place February 28th at Higley High School addressing this very topic. It's something that sounds like it would be beneficial to all of us women.

~I discovered also that my old neighbor & friend Heather Madder will be speaking at it. (Daylan wants to marry her daughter.) Anyways she is WONDERFUL! Heather has written books, made Talk CDs and been a radio show host talking on this subject. She will be speaking at this event on "Loving Yourself from the Inside Out." 

*What an important lesson we ALL need to master & then go on to teach our daughters!*

Also one of my sister's friends growing up, Brooke Nelson will be there speaking as well. This past year she was titled Mrs. Arizona 2008.

**So CLICK to go to ProjectPink's BLOG giving more information, put in on your calendar & then take your daughters!

*Let us forget what the media has trained us to be & now retrain our minds to what we already know. We have all been created uniquely by the hand of God and must respect who He wishes us to be.

We don't have to be & look like what they tell us to. Let us learn that who we are naturally is who we should love & accept; And that true beauty begins from the inside out! Let us teach our daughters that being our unique selves is beautiful & brilliant. 

 

~As hard as we try though our daughters are still bound to see all this:.....

....So let's prepare them in every way we can.

Something to think about:

~I think one of the plagues of Our Day is that as a whole we strive so much to look & act like celebrities in the magazines & movies. Why are they our role models to how we should look or should have our hair or how we should dress?...the purse we should carry or the shoes we should wear.

....And boy when they talk we LISTEN to them, WATCH them & then of course COPY them! Remind you at all of the term graven images? Isn't our culture in a way worshiping these people? Isn't our culture taking & quoting the words that these celebrities say as if it were practically scripture!?...and of course following them more than actual scripture. Let's not forget the mindset of our liberal country today & remember how we got here...Uh hem...Yes Hollywood.

~Let's not also forget to mention that these are probably some of the most CoNfuSed people on earth! Sure they might have fabulous hair, clothes & accessories, BUT just because they're  SMILING on the red carpet does that mean they are truly HAPPY? No. Then why are we striving so hard to emulate them? Because we want our hair, nose, lips to look like the girl on the magazine cover? Why do we let them tell us what our society must be like? C'mon we're smarter than this!....aren't we?

*And just so we all remember that even celebrities are Human! Click here for some pictures!

Hey if we all had personal trainers, chefs, cosmetic surgeries, legendary makeup artists, expensive makeup & designer clothes wouldn't we all end up looking "that" way. But is that really what we want? I think not!-although the adversary might lead us to believe so & often I think we fall for it. Especially us girls & women who are bombarded with images of what we should ...I mean must look like.

*Does this become a priority in our lives to become this ideal image?

What are your thoughts?

We don't have to walk the Plains...

But WE DO have to stand up for what we believe...even if it is not accepted in common society!

Here is how my Father in Law spent his 56th Birthday...with his wife (Tim's Mom) holding signs on Prop 8 in California!

Ashlyn too!

 A lot of you might recognize this picture below of Samuel the Lamanite on the wall telling the people to repent. We know he was hated and scared, but he did it anyways...why? Because he was commanded to do so and because he knew it was right. Now someone obviously has inserted this "YES on Prop 8" sign, but I thought it was appropriate. Why are so many of us involved with these propositions as an LDS people? Because we were commanded to do so and because we know that it is right. No matter who opposes us.  

   "And now when ye talk, ye say if our days had been in the days of our Fathers of old, we would NOT have slain the prophets, we would not have stoned them, and cast them out.    But behold ye are worse than they; for as the Lord liveth, if a prophet come among you and declareth unto you the word of the Lord, which testifieth of your sins and iniquities, ye are angry with him..." ~Helaman 13:25

We have so much to learn from History-especially scripture stories. They are here for OUR learning. I also think of the Book of Mormon story in 1st Nephi when Lehi had the vision about the Tree of Life & the Iron Rod. How realistic that is in today's world as there are so many in that "great & spacious building" pointing and laughing at those holding on to the rod and then how there were also those who let go of the rod because they didn't want to be made fun of. It's crazy times these that we need to grasp onto these stories & utilize their strength. We know they are FOR US in THIS DAY and I think it's important to make these connections. We HAVE to care MORE about offending GOD and less about offending MAN!

• "We should not allow our personal values to erode, even if others think we are peculiar. We have always been regarded as a peculiar people. However, being spiritually correct is much better than being politically correct. Of course, as individuals and as a people we want to be liked and respected. But we cannot be in the mainstream of society if it means abandoning those righteous principles which thundered down from Sinai, later to be refined by the Savior, and subsequently taught by modern prophets. We should only fear offending God and His Son, Jesus Christ, who is the head of this Church." ~President James E. Faust

“Search Me, O God, and Know My Heart,” Ensign, May 1998

So Perfectly Said!

(Don't forget AZ's Prop 102!)

Protecting Our Religious Freedoms!!!

...and Saving the Family!

If you live in California I'm sure you know all about this! Voting YES on Proposition 8 is going to be a HUGE deal!

Less than a month from now on NOVEMBER 4th, Arizona is going to be voting on this similar issue as well on a lower scale with Proposition 102. To me this is more important than who becomes President. Our judges often have more power than the President!

**ARIZONA PLEASE VOTE YES ON Proposition 102!** This will basically protect Arizona from having judges overturn law as they did to get California in the Prop 8 predicament.

So back to the basics. We learn in our church in the prophet's Proclamation to the Family stating that "Marriage is to be between a Man & a Woman" and are of course taught in the Bible this same concept. But is this propositionJUST about Marriage or Gay Rights...NO! Well IF only that was ALL it was about...and it's not! Read on:

**Proposition 8 will appear in California on the November ballot that states, "Only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in the state of California." I tell you this because if this does in fact fail, it could spread across the country. But if in AZ we can pass this prop 102, our chances become much more slim of turning into a California. There are many people who say, "Well why do i care if two gay people get married, it doesn't affect me and if they truly love each other, then what is wrong with it!" This is NOT really even about two gay people getting married or even their visiting rights. Satan is very tricky my friends!!! This is so much more a battle of religious freedom than anything else! *Religious people of EVERY denomination will lose countless numbers of freedoms, you can't even begin to imagine!* 

~There are hundreds of lawsuits (click on link here or below) going on right now for this very reason. One, for example, in Massachusetts right now, the Catholic church was forced to shut down their *ADOPTION agency because two gay people wanted to adopt a child and they wouldn't allow it. Well, they sued and won.  A gay couple walked into a *PHOTOGRAPHY company and wanted to get their wedding pictures taken by them. The company said sorry we don't photograph homosexual couples but we can refer you to a place that does. Well the couple sued and won. 7 out of 9 judges say that if this fails, every lawsuit to do with gays against religion, the gays will win every single time. There are literally hundreds and hundreds of examples happening right now!

 *In England right now, Mormons have to get Married CIVILY first with a state representative present and cannot get married in the temple because it is "discriminating" against homosexuals. The mayor of San Francisco actually said that "Christians have no place there." This just shows how sick our society is becoming and how their ultimate goal is to make the United States become a secular society. Also I haven't yet mentioned about what the *SCHOOLS will be teaching our children! The prince can marry the prince or the princess. *Right now, they are taking out the word "mother" and "father" out of text books in school because it discriminates against homosexuals. This is definitely in the works people! 

*Doctors will be forced to perform in-vitro fertilization procedures on gay and lesbian couples or they will lose their licenses. *Bishops and pastors could be arrested or sued if they mention that homosexuality is an abomination to God, it would be considered "hate speech". (Can you say Uh... Freedom of Speech??) And the saddest thing, Temples could eventually be shut down because when gay people can't get married in there, they will sue and win! And the church could be forced to shut them down and we would have to get married civily. The separation of CHURCH & STATE will not be honored in these situations!! This is what I call the "Constitution hanging by a thread!"*It just makes you sick to think of everything that will happen, things you can't even begin to imagine. The more you research about this, the more it becomes very scary. *President Monson has actually asked that we do everything we can to donate to this cause. I have many family and friends who have made phone calls, gone door to door and donated to the cause. The outcome of this vote will truly affect our society! We need to do everything we can to protect what God has commanded us to protect: Our Families (marriage) & The Gospel (separation of church/state). Whether or not you approve of homosexuality, as for me I will look to the Our Prophet, the mouthpiece of the Lord and will follow his counsel. I believe we should be Christlike and love everyone but also to KEEP SACRED THINGS SACRED! Remember this! What did Jesus do (John 2: 14-16) when there were people in the Temple doing things that we're unacceptable? 

Coming off my soapbox now...

So VOTE

(if you haven't already by mail) 

YES on 102!

**Read this article entitled: When Gay Rights & Religious Freedoms collide

**An article from the 1st Presidency: The Divinity of Marriage:

**Video clip of how this will affect Our Schools: They Will Teach Our Children This!
**Click on this link to DONATE or learn more!: PROTECT MARRIAGE!