it was more.

One of my favorite quotes from General Conference (here!) was Bishop Caussé's quote, "Is the gospel still wonderful to you?"

Such a powerful question to ponder, especially considering the fact that he spoke on Easter sunday. As much as we remind ourselves and others that "Easter is about Christ," do we really feel it? Do we really take time to fully appreciate the Savior's infinite Atonement and what it means for us?

The answer is NO - no one truly appreciates it enough. You see, as I've pondered the Savior's life a little more than usual these last few days, I've come to more fully understand that no one could possibly appreciate the Atonement, the Resurrection, or the Savior's life and ministry as a whole enough because we simply can't. We literally can't because we don't have a wide enough perspective.

The Atonement was everything to mankind. Everything. Think of the best thing that has ever happened to you in your life. Think of the one thing that brings you the most joy. It's a part of your life because of Christ. You couldn't even be here reading this without Christ.



The Atonement was a perfect gift. It was infinite sacrifice. It was the purest manifestation of love the world has ever seen. And somehow, it was more.

The Savior's Resurrection was nothing short of miraculous. It epitomized the words wonderful and marvelous. It is the reason bereaved individuals everywhere can continue to live with hope. And somehow, it was also more.

Friends, the gospel truly is wonderful. And the gospel is more than just the scriptures, sacrament meeting, and temple attendance. It encompasses more than the restoration story, it is more than the ten commandments. It is more than any words I or anyone else could ever put down on paper. It's more than your mind could ever conceive.

The word "wonderful" doesn't even begin to describe the gospel. But because all we have are our words, as humble as they may be, descriptors like "wonderful," "marvelous," "breathtaking," and "amazing" will simply have to do.

But I hope you know that the gospel is more. The Atonement was more. It was the most important event to ever happen in the history of all the earth, and yet, somehow, it was still more.




Thank you, Jesus, for who you are and for what you did. And for what you are still doing. I am so grateful.

Haley.

choose GOD

Sometimes it is hard to feel worthy.
A lot of times, actually.

We go through the motions, we try to do the right thing, we feel guilt over our mistakes, we repent. And yet, we never feel good enough. We always are stuck wondering, "is it enough??" "Am I on good terms with God?" "If I died now, would I go to the Celestial Kingdom?"

"In the end, after all the mistakes I've made, would God really choose me?"

This, my friends, is where we go wrong in our reasoning. Understand this: God will always choose you. Always. In reality, it is He who is hoping to be chosen by us.

It is He who is hoping that we will choose to be close to Him and choose to desire heaven. He wants you in heaven! And if you show Him that you desire heaven, that, in the end, you are willing to choose Him, Celestial glory will be yours one day! Even in spite of your mistakes!



I'll let Brad Wilcox explain:
"In the past I had a picture in my mind of what the final judgment would be like, and it went something like this: Jesus standing there with a clipboard and Brad standing on the other side of the room nervously looking at Jesus.

Jesus checks His clipboard and says, "Oh, shoot, Brad. You missed it by two points."

Brad begs Jesus, "Please check the essay question one more time! There have to be two points you can squeeze out of that essay." That's how I always saw it.

But the older I get, and the more I understand this wonderful plan of redemption, the more I realize that in the final judgment it will not be the unrepentant sinner begging Jesus, "Let me stay." No, he will probably just be saying, "Get me out of here!" Knowing Christ's character, I believe that if anyone is going to be begging on that occasion, it would probably be Jesus begging the unrepentant sinner, "Please, choose to stay. Please, use my Atonement - not just to be cleansed but to be changed so that you WANT to stay."

You guys, Christ's grace is sufficient. We are never going to be perfect, we won't even be close. But heaven is not just something you spend your life trying to earn. It is something you spend your life preparing for.

Choose God. Choose Him in everything you do. Draw close to Him, stay by Him. Work to please Him, and understand that when you let Him down (because you will, we all do), you can be saved by grace. You can be changed by grace, and the changes you undergo when you strive to be close to God are ones that prepare you for heaven better than anything else.

The Afterlife isn't about scorekeeping. It isn't about guilt or punishment.
It's about choosing God and being happy with your choice. Brad Wilcox also said, "Heaven will not be heaven for those who have not chosen to be heavenly."

Do you think the unrepentant sinners will want to dwell with God after they die? No! They would feel more comfortable and more happy elsewhere.

If heaven is what you want - if God is whom you choose - then heaven is what you will get.



God will always choose you. He will always want you near Him.
Choose the same. Choose heaven. Choose GOD.


Haley


P.S. Read this article about our liberal (what - liberal??) theology. I really enjoyed it. Salvation is for everyone!

Because of Him

Because of Christ, I can find peace.

Because of Christ, I can look forward and know that my future is bright.

Because of Christ, I don't have to let sorrow overcome me. Ever.

Because of Christ, I know who to turn to in my times of greatest need.

Because of Christ, I know that I will never be alone.

Because of Christ, I live.

And because of Christ, I will live again.


What does Easter mean to you? I am reminded every Easter that there is One who was willing to suffer all things, not just for a world of sinners, but for each sinner individually.
And He didn't just atone to redeem us from sin, He atoned to feel what we have to feel. He atoned so we would never have to be alone.
And He atoned to be obedient to the Father.

There are so many things we can do to take advantage of His sacrifice. We can look to Him. Repent. Allow His peace to fill our lives.
But most simply, is it too much to ask that we all at least remember what He did for us?

Commit today to remember Christ and His sacrifice. Let His light fill your life. Let His truth touch your heart.

Follow His example and be obedient in all things. Show that you are grateful for His infinite atonement.


Happy Easter. This holiday brings the greatest message of all. We celebrate not just that He was born, not just that He lived, but that He lived again. 


Haley.

soldier girls

Happy April everyone! I hope you all enjoyed General Conference! If you missed it, you can watch/read/download here! You won't regret it!!

I've been sooo busy with school and am consequently so excited for summer.
And this trip.
And my best friend Sydney is coming with our family for two weeks to California! Yay!
What do you all have planned for the summer??

Hmmm... I'm trying to think of something interesting that has been going on in my life... I pretty much worked and watched Doctor Who all Spring Break. So not much to share there. I took the ACT this morning for the second time.
There's nothing more joyful than a good ol' standardized test!!!

And I'm really into Dancing with the Stars at the moment. Okay sorta into it. I watch most of the episodes. haha.

I got a letter in the mail the other day. It brought serious joy. Turns out it was just from this Radiothon I participated in... but yeah you should all mail me letters because I rather enjoyed finding that little surprise in the mailbox.

And here's my new favorite picture.

So I wanted to share this spectacular music video with y'all.
If you are familiar with T.C. Christensen (think 17 Miracles), he has a new movie coming out soon called Ephraim's Rescue. I'm so excited!


So here's a spectacular music video from it! Go get tissues (you're welcome)!



Here's my favorite line:

"We reached for God from where we stood."

God is closer than you think! And He can be reached by anyone! No matter where you're calling from!

You're never too far away and the Atonement is always accessible to you. Our Savior's grace and mercy extends to all, even you.

Don't you forget it!

Love to you all, have a great Sunday!





P.S. You can find this song on iTunes!! I've been listening nonstop!

we don't have to.

"The message of Easter is not that Jesus is alive, it is so much more. The message of Easter is that Jesus has risen!"
-Colin Smith







"May we declare ourselves to be more fully disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ, not in word only and not in the flush of comfortable times, but in deed and in courage and in faith. May we stand by Jesus Christ at all times and in all things, and in all places that we may be in, even until death, for surely that is how He stood by us when it was unto death and when He had to stand entirely and utterly alone."




Happy Easter everyone!

I think it's so important that we remember the meaning of the holiday.

If you can't do it on Christmas, at least do it on Easter. Because the Atonement is everything to you. At least it should be.

It's the reason we are saved.
The reason we will live again.
The reason families are forever...
The reason we can have joy.
The reason you are never alone.

You can do all that you can - and be all that you are - because of the Atonement.


And remember that because Jesus walked such a long path alone, we don't have to. 

He cries with you.
He rejoices with you.
He walks with you always.

And don't you forget it.


(and to finish, this quote just intrigues me...!!)


"According to the laws of legal evidence used in courts of law, there is more evidence for the historical fact of the resurrection of Jesus Christ than for just about any other event in history."
-Harvard Law Professor Dr. Simon Greenleaf



Have a lovely day and don't forget why we celebrate Easter!

be as the publican.

True merit, like a river, the deeper it is, the less noise it makes. 
- Edward Frederick Lindley Wood 1st Earl Of Halifax (<--- I had to copy and paste that... quite the name!)


Alright. I read some brilliant scriptures this morning that are inspiring this post. Let's start with those.

Luke 18
10 - Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican.
11 - The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican.
12 - I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess.
13 - And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.
14 - I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.




I love these verses.

Because when asked what I've learned from my sins,
Well, yes I've learned to repent. I've learned to do things differently next time.
But what I've learned the most is to be humble.

I make mistakes.
I am not always obedient.
I rely on the Atonement so much.


And I wonder... what would I be without God? 



I would be nothing.


Yes - I make mistakes.
And I am grateful for sin. I am grateful for all the knowledge that I don't have. I am grateful for people who have less than I do and are more grateful than me and people who work harder than me.

Because all these are constant reminders that I need to be humble.



I am grateful for a merciful God who loves me regardless of my flaws.

And I am grateful for my flaws for making me a better person who tries to live with a better perspective.







P.S. How is my blog showing up on your computer? I am having a hard time deciding what width to make it... I have a widescreen computer and I don't know if it looks too wide on your computer?
And I kinda dig the three-column layout, but I changed it, thinking it was maybe kinda throwing things off...
Ugh. I don't know. I'm an amateur with these things.

who can glory too much?

The following post was inspired by a number of EFY lessons... :)

Christ is my master.

In saying that... I'm not saying that He would ever make me a slave.

It is my honor and my greatest privilege to be His servant.


The following video makes me a little queasy at parts... but it is a really good reminder not to take the Atonement for granted...




Did you know that the word Atonement is actually an English word that was originally invented by William Tyndale when he was translating the Bible into English?

Atonement, or At-one-ment, means to be at one. 

At one with Christ.


I wonder if many people recognize the significance of the Atonement.

When we were all in the pre-existence and chose Heavenly Father's plan to come down to earth and get a body... we bet everything on our Savior, Jesus Christ.


If He hadn't followed through on the Atonement... we would all be lost.

There would be no Plan of Salvation.


We truly bet everything... and He followed through.

We put our faith in the right person.

He suffered for our sins, but also for all of our emotional and physical pains.

He - in some miraculous and inexplainable way - lived your whole life. He lived everyone's lives.


He knows what cancer feels like.
He knows how it feels to lose a loved one.
He knows how it feels to raise wayward children.
He knows how the consequences feel when you have sinned.

But not just that...

He knows incredible joy.
He knows how it feels to ace a hard test.
He knows the joy that comes from your children.


He lived it all.


One thing that was brought up at EFY - that humbled me a lot - was the fact that a human could not endure all that.

No, it was only because Christ was part god that He could endure such pain.

Anyone else would have died.

A human cannot sweat blood and live.


I don't know about you, but that certainly put things in a different perspective for me.


Redeemer by Paul Cardall





Be grateful, my friends.

For who can glory too much in the Lord?

An Easter Message

     I decided one Easter, while swinging on the swings, that it was officially going to be my favorite holiday.
     It's perfect. Great weather, the Easter Bunny comes, new church dresses, egg hunts, yummy food, and last but not least, jello eggs.
     I love me some jello eggs.

     Of course, once the 4th of July rolled around, I decided that it would be my favorite holiday. After that, Halloween.

     I like holidays. All of them.

     Easter and Christmas however, hold their own special and sacred meanings to members of our Church as well as people all around the world.
     And as fun as Halloween is, it could never come close to Christmas or Easter.

     Tomorrow... Easter... is a day that we should spend feeling grateful. Grateful for all that Christ did for us, and grateful that we can repent and overcome hard things because of Him. No matter how hard things get - and things could get really hard - just remember the following:

To every thing there is a season.
A time to every purpose.
A time to be born - a time to die...
A time to break down - a time to build up.
A time to weep, and a time to laugh...
A time to mourn, and a time to dance.
A time to get... a time to lose.
A time to keep - a time to cast away...
[See Ecclesiastes 3: 1-6]


AND... remember that trials aren't permanent. If you are faithful and trusting, they will go away eventually... even if it isn't until your earthly life is over. Always remember that "This too, shall pass."
(Phrase stolen from following poem!)

When some great sorrow, like a mighty river,
Flows through your life with peace-destroying power
And dearest things are swept from sight forever,
Say to your heart each trying hour:
"This, too, shall pass away."

When ceaseless toil has hushed your song of gladness,
And you have grown almost too tired to pray,
Let this truth banish from your heat its sadness,
And ease the burdens of each trying day:
"This, too, shall pass away."

When fortune smiles, and, full of mirth and pleasure,
The days are flitting by without a care,
Lest you should rest with only earthly treasure,
Let these few words their fullest import bear:
"This, too, shall pass away."

When earnest labor brings you fame and glory,
And all earth's noblest ones upon you smile,
Remember that life's longest, grandest story
Fills but a moment in earth's little while:
"This, too, shall pass away."

(This, Too, Shall Pass Away - Lanta Wilson Smith)

    And that leads us into the following quote:


Joseph B. Wirthlin, speaking of Christ's crucifixion and resurrection, said in a talk once,
     "I think of all the days since the beginning of this world's history, that Friday was the darkest. But the doom of that day did not endure because on Sunday the resurrected Lord burst the bonds of death, ascended from the grave, and appeared gloriously triumphant as the Savior of all mankind."

He later went on to say,
     "Each of us will have our own Fridays -- those days when the universe itself seems shattered and the shards of our worldly life littered upon us in pieces. We will all experience those broken times when it seems we can never be put together again. But I testify in the name of the One who conquered death -- Sunday will come.

(See a video about that talk here.)








Isaiah 53
3- He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
4- Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.
5- But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.

Christ suffered more terrible pains than we could ever imagine. He did it for me. And you. He gave us the atonement, so that if we did our part and repented, we would never feel of those pains.

And then, on the third day, He rose again. He conquered death.
He rose above death... so that we could too.
And He succeeded... even though He went through great adversity. Following His example, WE can succeed amid great adversity too.

AND, perhaps the most significant knowledge that we gain from Easter... is that we can and will be resurrected someday... with a perfect body. Families... are FOREVER. 
That means so much to me... and I'm sure it does to you if you have lost loved ones.



Matthew 28
6- He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay.


"Our Savior lived again. The most glorious, comforting, and reassuring of all events of human history had taken place—the victory over death. The pain and agony of Gethsemane and Calvary had been wiped away. The salvation of mankind had been secured. The Fall of Adam had been reclaimed. The empty tomb that first Easter morning was the answer to Job’s question, 'If a man die, shall he live again?' To all within the sound of my voice, I declare, If a man die, he shall live again. We know, for we have the light of revealed truth."
- Thomas S. Monson

And with that, Happy Easter!