On Saving Lives

I once got pulled over for texting and driving. The officer told me that per AZ state law, he couldn't give me a ticket for that, but just the day before he had seen a mother and kids killed in a car accident. Cause of the crash? Texting and driving. The officer was very emotional while telling me about this. I told him i was sorry, and I've been trying really hard to not text and drive but had an important reason today. He gave me a VERY stern lecture (like an outright scolding!) and told me i must be perfect at this EVERY single time i get in the car. It's not just my life, what if I'm the one who crashes into a mother and children? It was a lecture I'll never forget. Just saw this video and it brought the whole experience back. Let's all take the pledge, there's no text that's worth losing lives. If it helps, use an auto response app on your phone to let callers and texters know you are driving. Please share this video and your thoughts with those you love. #takethepledge #justdrive #savelives

Enough is Not Enough

In my past, I haven't always been great at daily scripture study, in fact there were times when I was terrible with it. It wasn't that I didn't care, I just didn't make the time or believe that it would make any significant impact in my daily life. Sometimes I thought that caring about God and Jesus Christ, and trying hard to follow them was enough. I don't know what enough means, but I was approaching it all wrong. It isn't about doing enough. God doesn't ask me to do things like study scriptures because he thinks its cool to give me homework, or because he wants to see if I will obey. He asks me to do this because he knows it will change my life. He knows it will change the way I see things, that it will impact every day, every trial, every decision. The word of God is for me. 

The first time I truly realized this, I was about to face a major trial in my life. I didn't know what was coming, but I believe the Lord knew he could help me, by teaching me that the scriptures were a lifeline to connecting with him. It was lent, and instead of giving something up, I decided to give something for Lent. It was a time when I had an hour commute each way into Boston for work, and my job often kept me late hours. I didn't have much free time to spare, but I decided I would give up time and sleep to give 30 minutes each night to scripture study. I wanted to read the gospels in the New Testament: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. That study time became a time of deep reflection and concentration on Jesus Christ, his life and mission, and how much he loves each one of us. The nights when it was extremely painful to be up studying for those 30 minutes are the ones that brought me closest to Christ...I knew I was doing this for him, and that there wasn't any other person I would do this for. What I have learned is that there's honestly no sacrifice we make for Christ that he doesn't see, or that isn't personal to him. Any time we do something for him, it's personal. He receives it with his whole heart, and his love for us overflows and comes into our lives in undeniable ways.

When we set time out from our busy life to study our scriptures, we are not only putting ourselves in a place to receive his revelation for us, and to receive his blessings, but we are also bonding with him. And that bond has carried me through trials that are too difficult to explain. That bond with Christ is my greatest blessing in this life, the reason I am able to feel him close, even on my hardest days. That bond is the reason I am ok, even when my whole world is falling apart. 

Never again will I forget the importance of taking that time with him. I need it in my life. If you haven't tried a serious study of the scriptures, I can't recommend it more. You may feel that you show your commitment to God in other ways, or that other things you are doing are enough. But it's not about that. It's about your relationship with God our Father, and Jesus Christ. There is true power that we claim through reading the scriptures, that we can't get in any other way. The blessings are there, just waiting for us to claim them. I truly hope I never lose sight of this, and I'm grateful to 

Fasting and Lent

I remember being a missionary and teaching about fasting, giving up food for 24 hours as a way to connect with God, to sacrifice for him, and to show him we are coming before him in humility and seriously seeking an answer or a blessing. At first, this man we were teaching was overwhelmed by the idea of not eating for 24 hours, but promised he would consider it. When the next fast Sunday came around, he agreed to try. That Sunday, he shared words with me that I will never forget. He said that fasting was very difficult for him, but that every moment he felt hungry during the day, it reminded him of what he was doing and why. So the very fact of feeling hungry became a constant reminder all day long of his devotion and love for God, and his willingness to sacrifice for his relationship to God. It's one of the life lessons I have always held onto. When I fast, every time I feel hungry or weak, I let it be a reminder of what I'm doing and why. A reminder of how much I love the Lord, and how much I want him to know it. 

When I'm giving something up for Lent, this principle is so extremely powerful. Every day, every time I come across that thing I'm giving up, or focus on that thing I'm doing, I let it be a reminder of why I'm giving that thing up. We promise that we will try to remember Christ, that we will keep him in our thoughts... for me, this makes it easy for those 40 days. It is 40 days of thinking of him constantly, and when I realize how powerful that is in my life, it trains me to think of him always, even outside of Lent.

Quotes to Live By

"Stay close to anything that makes you glad you're alive" 

-Hafiz (Persian poet, of the 14th century)

Easter Thoughts

For me, the deepest part of my Easter celebration is really between me and Christ. My family usually has dinner and Easter candy, but the real value of Easter for me comes in my thoughts about the Lord and the ways i connect with him. In the past five years I've practiced lent, which is so amazing. It's 40 days of thinking about Christ and showing him I'm grateful for all he's done for me. It reminds me of Christ's 40 day fast preparing for the ultimate sacrifice. It is a sacrifice every day, so it makes me think of him consciously every day. Breaking that long fast on Easter is such a beautiful moment, and my connection to Christ feels so real. Sometimes i read Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John in the two months leading up to Easter, or at least one of those books in the days surrounding Easter, and honestly, that's even more powerful than Lent. On the few years I've done both...I honestly can't recommend that more highly. To myself, and to anyone who wants to strengthen their relationship with Christ.


I'm so incredibly grateful this year for my Savior Jesus Christ. I am so overwhelmed with his love, so touched by his mercy and the emotion he shows for me. I want nothing more than for my Savior to know how much I love him. I can't wait for the day when I will see him again. 

My Facebook post today: 

I was watching an Easter video, holding my 4 yr old nephew and explaining what was happening. As the video progressed through the final day of Christ's life, my nephew kept saying in a very sad voice, "oh no. ohh." At one point he said, "this makes me so sad." I'm not sure, being so young, he's ever realized how terribly Christ was treated, or the reality of Christ being crucified. Seeing the pain in my nephews face, hearing him say "noo" at every sad turn in the story...it was like seeing it all for the first time. When they were nailing Christ to the cross, i thought my nephew might cry. I told him to keep watching and see what would happen after Christ died. Feeling his suspense and anticipation.... this is what Easter is about. The message of Easter is truly that Christ died and that he came back to life, offering each of us the same promise of resurrection.

I'm so incredibly grateful for my Jesus, grateful for all he's done for me, and for the love and compassion and forgiveness he offers me every day. Christ truly is my greatest support and ally, i couldn't survive life without him. He offers me peace when peace feels impossible, he offers me life when life is falling apart. He offers me forgiveness when i don't deserve it, he offers me love no matter what. So grateful for Jesus, and so grateful for this Easter Sunday.

Also, i have to add...when Christ finally reappeared in the movie, my nephew couldn't figure out how he was back. Finally he exclaimed, "is that a hologram!!???" Hahah, i love that kid.