My Mustard Seed

If you haven't seen the recent new "HomeFront" spots from the LDS church on the family, it's well worth taking 2-3 minutes to see the two new spots. I don't watch a lot of TV (and rarely see these clips in my Arizona TV market anyway), but they are available through Bonneville Communications Youtube channel. I've embedded them here as well:

Some Swashbuckling Fun

Cowboy Heroics

There is also a great post on LDS Media Talk that outlines some of the great church video resources that are available online. Well worth checking out!

Making decisions, especially the important ones, can be challenge (it certainly is for me). Learning to make decisions with the Lord's help is a tremendous comfort, but how can we do it effectively. Is there a pattern? President Marion G. Romney shared his pattern for decision-making in the Lord's way in this manner"

1. From my youth I have searched the scriptures.
2. I have tried to honestly face the challenge or question presented with a sincere desire to solve it as Jesus would solve it.
3. I have, through diligent study and prayer, sought to weigh alternatives in light of what I knew about gospel principles.
4. I have made a decision in my own mind.
5. I have then taken the matter to the Lord, told him the problem, told him that I wanted to do what was right in his view, and asked him to give me peace of mind if I have made the right decision”1

What happens though, when we diligently study it out, beseech the Lord's guidance through prayer, and yet feel no firm answer come into our heart and mind?

1. 1. “What Would Jesus Do?” New Era, Sept. 1972, pp. 4–6.

Many people would say they want to be happy in life. For most of us, that is one of our primary goals in life. Our constant challenge is to best define what "makes" us happy and to pursue those things. There was a terrific article in LDS Living magazine that highlighted some salient points to being happy. One argument we often hear is that money doesn't buy happiness. The article, citing research, argues that it does, as long as it involves giving money away. In fact all of the suggestions are really good, here are the 10 they put forward:

There are protect marriage amendments up for vote in at least two states that I'm aware of, California and Arizona. Opponents of these efforts often criticize the LDS church for supporting these measures. Unfortunately, in today's political and moral climate, standing up for one's beliefs is often mistaken for intolerance by those who do not share that belief. This post is not about whether or not the protect marriage amendments should pass, but rather addresses why a church (like the Mormon church) has a right to be involved in the process. The protect marriage amendments are not fundamentally about discriminating against people who are gay. Their primary purpose is to seek to recognize the institution of marriage as between one man and one woman in law such that a judiciary cannot arbitrarily redefine what marriage is. The amendments as they currently stand do not seek to restrict any of the civil rights already granted to gay couples (things such as hospital visitation rights and others). So why then even need a marriage amendment? Why not let gay individuals marry just as a man and a women can?