Looking Forward with Faith

Nearly ten years ago I came to a realization about the purpose of my life. After the first two decades of my life trying to define myself and my worth by my achievements, I realized that such a way of life was no longer possible, or at least no longer gratifying, as a wife and mother. In my (then) new roles, the accomplishments are harder to see, clouded by entropy, agency of others, and the ethereal. After much thought, study and prayer, I realized that charity needed to be my goal until the end of my days.

I'll probably end up spending the rest of my days trying to figure out exactly what living with charity means, but today I found in this beautiful talk by Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, Remember Lot's Wife, some more inklings of what my purpose ought to be. In his classic, frank style, he calls us on the carpet on our New Year's Resolutions (we made five and have already broken four, he says!), but defines our correct path for this year and every year as forward facing, not backward facing:

So, as a new year starts and we try to benefit from a proper view of what has gone before, I plead with you not to dwell on days now gone, nor to yearn vainly for yesterdays, however good those yesterdays may have been. The past is to be learned from but not lived in. We look back to claim the embers from glowing experiences but not the ashes. And when we have learned what we need to learn and have brought with us the best that we have experienced, then we look ahead, we remember that faith is always pointed toward the future. Faith always has to do with blessings and truths and events that will yet be efficacious in our lives. So a more theological way to talk about Lot’s wife is to say that she did not have faith. She doubted the Lord’s ability to give her something better than she already had. Apparently she thought—fatally, as it turned out—that nothing that lay ahead could possibly be as good as those moments she was leaving behind.

Here's what he says about faith, hope and charity:

Let people repent. Let people grow. Believe that people can change and improve. Is that faith? Yes! Is that hope? Yes! Is it charity? Yes! Above all, it is charity, the pure love of Christ. If something is buried in the past, leave it buried. Don’t keep going back with your little sand pail and beach shovel to dig it up...

...when honest effort is being made to progress, we are guilty of the greater sin if we keep remembering and recalling and rebashing someone with their earlier mistakes—and that “someone” might be ourselves. We can be so hard on ourselves, often much more so than with others!

...

You can remember just enough to avoid repeating the mistake, but then put the rest of it all on the dung heap Paul spoke of to those Philippians. Dismiss the destructive and keep dismissing it until the beauty of the Atonement of Christ has revealed to you your bright future and the bright future of your family and your friends and your neighbors. God doesn’t care nearly as much about where you have been as He does about where you are and, with His help, where you are willing to go. That is the thing Lot’s wife didn’t get—and neither did Laman and Lemuel and a host of others in the scriptures.

Faith is for the future. Faith builds on the past but never longs to stay there. Faith trusts that God has great things in store for each of us and that Christ truly is the “high priest of good things to come” (Hebrews 8:6; 9:11).

And there, my friends, are the quotes of the day for me. I'm going to go clean out my guest room closets now!

The Art of Leaving Things Undone

“A wise man [Lin Yutang, 1937] once distinguished between ‘the noble art of getting things done’ and ‘a nobler art of leaving things undone.’ True ‘wisdom in life,’ he taught, consists of ‘the elimination of non-essentials.’ ”

“What are the nonessential things that clutter your days and steal your time? What are the habits you may have developed that do not serve a useful purpose? What are the unfinished or unstarted things that could add vigor, meaning, and joy to your life?”

President Dieter F. Uchtdorf

From Dani: Long-Term Storage--Grains & Rice

This week's challenge is focusing on Home Storage again- especially grains and rice.

It is easy to incorporate more whole grains in your diet by adding some whole wheat flour in place of white flour in your favorite recipes- muffins, cookies, bread, etc.

Rice is another staple that is easy to make and a family friendly food. Use different types of rice to add variety to your cooking.
Arborio rice is a yummy addition- make a risotto
brown rice
wild rice

Spinach Risotto
1 - 10 oz. pkg. frozen chopped spinach
4 c. fat-free chicken broth
1 1/2 tsp olive oil
1 T. butter
1 c. chopped onion
1 clove garlic, minced
1 c. Arborio rice
1/4 c. Parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. freshly ground pepper
Cook spinach, drain and squeeze out as much water as possible. Heat the broth. In large, heavy pot, heat the oil
and butter; cook onions and garlic until golden. Add rice and cook stirring constantly until grains are shiny with
oil. Add broth by cupfuls until absorbed after each addition, stirring constantly (this will take 20 minutes). Stir
in the cheese, seasonings and spinach.

other grains to remember-
popcorn- that's right! You can grind it to make your own cornmeal for cornbread and keep all the nutrients!

No Crumb Cornbread
1/4 c canola oil
4 eggs
4 tsp baking powder
3/4 cup plain, nonfat yogurt
2 c corn meal
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 c sugar
3 c flour
3 c milk

Powdered milk and eggs work great in this recipe and homemade yogurt. Mix oil and sugar, add eggs, and cornmeal. In another bowl, mix remaining dry ingredients including 3/4 c powdered milk (unless using normal milk than omit). Alternate dry mix and 3 cups liquid ( water if using powdered milk, milk if not). Mix well. grease 9 x 13 pan and pour in mixture. Bake in a preheated oven at 375 degrees for 45 minutes.

Have any great grain recipes? We would love to hear them! Lets all work together, combine our knowledge and experience to prepare!

"If we approach adversities wisely, our hardest times can be times of greatest growth, which in turn can lead toward times of greatest happiness." -Elder Joseph B Wirthlin- Oct 08 ensign

From Dani On Budgeting

Here's some words of wisdom from my friend Dani on budgeting:

Sitting down to review where you spent your money is not something we think of as fun....but it can be a very useful tool. When you regularly sit down and see where all your income is going, you:

1. are able to see where adjustments need to be made
2. are more likely to think before spending
3. have more money (true)- it is amazing how much can slip through our fingers in small unplanned purchases
4. have a sense of control over your money rather than it controlling you
   

So sit and either make or modify a budget for your family. Try having a little "mad money" in the budget that we can spend on anything we want. It will make the budgeted life not feel too restraining.

Put 1/6 of your cash for your 72 hour kit goal in your kits this month. (We should now be 1/3 of the way to our goal! Way to go!)

From One for the Money By Elder Marvin J. Ashton:

"Teach children to make money decisions in keeping with their capacities to comprehend. 'Save your money' is a hollow pronouncement from a parent to a child. 'Save your money for a mission, a bicycle, a doll house, a trousseau, or a car' makes understandable sense.

"Family unity comes from saving together for a common, jointly approved purpose. In our home we found it unifying to have a child save for a major project and then, when the amount was achieved, we matched it with a predetermined percentage, similar to what the Church does with the wards and stakes in building and real estate matters.

"God help us to realize that money management is an important ingredient in proper personal welfare. Learning to live within our means should be a continuing process. We need to work constantly toward keeping ourselves free of financial difficulties. It is a happy day financially when time and interest are working for you and not against you."

Stake Goals

Last week in sacrament meeting a member of our stake presidency, Pres. Brown, issued some challenges for our stake, all with a deadline of June 30, 2009:

Read the Book of Mormon. We need to read four pages a day every day until June 30th to accomplish our goal. I am excited about this goal! At first I felt a little overwhelmed, but as I have spent the last week trying to have faith and do as I was asked, I have found the following quote by Ezra Taft Benson to be absolutely true in my own life:

“There is a power in the book which will begin to flow into your lives the moment you begin a serious study of the book. You will find greater power to resist temptation...to avoid deception...to stay on the strait and narrow path...[Y]ou will find life in greater and greater abundance...love and harmony in the home, greater respect between parent and child, increased spirituality and righteousness.”

In my reading this week, I found a promise that certainly applies to us today and gives us hope as we face difficult times now and in the future:

“if the Gentiles shall hearken unto the Lamb of God in that day that he shall manifest himself unto them in word, and also in power, in very deed, unto the taking away of their stumbling blocks—And harden not their hearts against the Lamb of God . . . They shall be a blessed people upon the promised land forever . . .” (1 Nephi 14:1-2)

I want to allow the Lord to take away my stumbling blocks by letting His word and work into my life . Here’s a site to help you calculate your own Book of Mormon reading goal:
http://lds.about.com/library/weekly/2004/blscripture_calculators.htm

This goal includes children! Pres. Brown encouraged us to be creative as we figure out how to do this with our children. Brother Beck suggested yesterday that we get the Book of Mormon playing in our car with tapes, CDs or an portable music player and we will be surprised how much we and our children get out of it. Check out this link on the Church website to figure out how to download the Book of Mormon to your portable music player:
http://www.lds.org/mp3/newarchive/0,18615,5249-1,00.html

Pray daily as families, couples & individuals. Brother Beck suggested that we schedule a time for each of these prayers to happen so we don’t forget and so we have most or all of the family at home. There is great power in family prayer on both ends of our day.

Have 1 month of food storage on hand. I've started by keeping track of what my family eats for a week. After that, I drew up a menu plan for a one-week supply of food storage. Though it's not always easy, I'm trying to include mostly foods that will last at least three months on my or in the fridge/freezer.

Get cash in your 72-hour kits. As we've calculated how much ywe need, we've imagined we're taking a 3-day road trip and you can’t use your credit card. We plan to put that amount in smaller bills in our 72-hour kits.

Last week I witnessed a 72-hour kit in action during an everyday emergency. I was with Cheri Evans and our kids were playing on a playground. Her preschooler had a little accident and needed a change of clothes. Without a hint of panic, Cheri calmly walked to her car, pulled out a small rolling suitcase she keeps there with her 72-hour kit inside. She had a change of clothes for her son, and an extra one for another little boy who needed a change of clothes too. Cheri told me she is surprised how much she uses her car kit for extra clothes, snacks, water, and first aid. She just has to remember to replace the items she uses, and then she’s set for the next everyday emergency. I felt very inspired by her preparedness and plan to put a similar kit in my car this week.

There’s a lot to do, but if we take it one small step at a time, having faith that the Lord will cover our weaknesses and shortcomings if we do our best, we will be ready for whatever may lie ahead for us. I know this is true because I’ve seen it happen over and over in my life, and in the lives of others around me.

THIS WEEK’S CHALLENGE: Track What We Eat!

I'm working on figuring out how to get my 3-month food supply in order. Follow me on a week-by-week challenge as I try to figure out how much we need, what we need, how to store it, how to rotate it, etc.

What meals have we eaten this week?
Sunday (1 guest)
Indian Food--Rajma Dal, Jeera Rice, Spicy Corn, and Raitha (Rich made it!)
Dessert: Ice Cream & Hot Fudge

Monday
Succotash Chowder, Green Salad, Bread
Dessert: Choc. Chip Cookies

Tuesday
Tacos & Taco Salad

Wednesday
Pasta with Tomato Alfredo Sauce & Green Salad with Feta, Tomato & Onion

Thursday
Yogurt Chicken Nuggets, Rice, Baby Carrots & Steamed Broccoli

Friday
Homemade Pizza

Saturday
Pinto Beans & Rice

How much food did we consume?

3 gallons of milk
1 gallon mixed dry milk
Hot cocoa mix (1/4 of a #10 can!)
1 lb. cheddar cheese
1 lb. mozzarella cheese
10 cheese sticks
6 oz. feta cheese
1.5 qts. yogurt
1 pint sour cream
1 pint half & half
1 lb. butter

1 jar spaghetti sauce
1 can tomato sauce
4 lbs frozen corn
1 lb. frozen lima beans
1 lb. broccoli
1 head green leaf lettuce
1 cucumber
3 onions
4 tomatoes
2 avocados
2 potatoes
5 apples
10 bananas
5 oranges
5 lemons
chives
lemon basil

6 c. dry rice
2 lbs. pasta
3 loaves homemade wheat bread
2 homemade pizza crusts
8 tacos shells
1 box Cheez-It Crackers
1 box fruit snacks

1 lb. pinto beans
2 cans kidney beans
1 lb. ground beef
1 lb. chicken
1/2 lb. slice ham
1/2 c. peanut butter

How much did that food cost?
Hmmm. . . I'm estimating about $100-$150

When I look back, I'm actually surprised that the food we actually consumed was not as much as I expected it would be. Now I know that for a 3-month supply, how much cash I'll need to spend, and about how much food I need. Next week's challenge will be to come up with a 1-week menu plan that excites me AND includes food that will last a long time on the shelf, fridge, or freezer (a tall order for this fresh-food-lovin' girl!).

Here's an inspiring quote from Bishop McMullin that reminds me that preparedness and food storage is for men and women to worry about together--I need to work together with my better half to set and accomplish our preparedness goals this year:

Inspired preparation rests on the foundation of faith in Jesus Christ, obedience, and a provident lifestyle. Members should not go to extremes, but they should begin. We call upon priesthood bearers to store sufficient so that you and your family can weather the vicissitudes of life. Please see to it that those entrusted to your watchcare . . . prepare now for rainy days ahead.

Bishop Keith B. McMullin, “Lay Up in Store,” April 2007

Happy squirreling away!

Hurricane Reflections

Watch this on the hurricane relief in Texas and my church's role in the effort. I'm so happy to be a member of a church that is ready to help all over the world. It was amazing to see the Church in efficient action so close to home this time.

I love this quote from the end of the clip: "When they are prepared to handle a disaster, they are in a much better position to go out and help their neighbors."

I want to be a neighbor like that who is in a position to help in big or little emergencies.

Welcome!

I'm starting this blog to share ideas about provident living. I want to share ideas with people around me so we can all experience the blessings of being prepared for the little emergencies of daily life, as well as any big emergencies we might face in the future. This blog will work best if we have lots of comments to supplement the little bit I know!

"If any man shall do his will, he shall know of the doctrine."
John 7:17

“See that all these things are done in wisdom and order; for it is not requisite that a [wo]man should run faster than [s]he has strength."
Mosiah 4:27

"He that preacheth and he that receiveth, understand one another, and both are edified and rejoice together."
D&C 50:22

"And he commanded them that there should be no contention with another, but that they should look forward with one eye, having one faith and one baptism, having their hearts knit in unity and in love one towards another."
Mosiah 18:21

"Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven"
Matthew 5:16

"I tell you these things because of your prayers; wherefore, treasure up wisdom in your bosoms, lest the wickedness of men reveal these things unto you by their wickedness, in a manner which shall speak in your ears with a voice louder than that which shall shake the earth; but
if ye are prepared ye shall not fear"
D&C 38:30