Thoughts from ME

"Thus saith the Lord of hosts; consider your ways." Haggai 1:7, KJV Seeing: colors. the bright yellow-orange-pink of grapefruit. the grey-blue of the day waking up. Making:  baby steps to perfection and eternal life. Cooking:  feijouda (a brazilian black bean meat stew - it's delicious, trust me.) Drinking:  raspberry herbal tea. the color of this tea is beautiful. a rich brown with red tones. Reading: textbooks. sensation and perception. abnormal psychology. the lesson on pride today for sunday school. Hearing:  some of my favorite christian rock music. there is a lot of christian music i can't stand. but there are plenty that i love. jj heller's love can make you new - a beautiful testament on the enabling power of the atonement. Wanting:  this moment to last forever. more frequently than not, i find myself comfortable in my now and not wanting it to go. the lesson of enjoying my now took a lot of work and patience and maybe i learned it too wel

[This post is dedicated to missionaries who served in the VRM. "Where there is no vision, the people perish."] I should never have lost her. When I came home from my mission it took me what seemed forever to reassemble my life. After I first returned to Utah I felt so lost. I had lost my purpose when I had been released as a missionary. I was struck with how easy it was to return to old, poorer habits. I remember talking one day on the phone to my grandma and saying how I felt that God and the Spirit were so far from me. She boldly and lovingly chastised me by saying, "Melissa, God has not pulled away from you. It is you  who have pulled away from him." I began analyzing my choices. Trying to make better ones. Reteaching myself what I had spent eighteen months teaching  - the reality of the atonement of Christ. This included the redemptive power (which I really needed a lot at that time) and the enabling power (which I needed to apply with equal fervor.) It