Christian Holiday's: no religion allowed

Holidays are so fun, so innocent, so exciting... yet so twisted.

This last St. Patrick's day my kids woke up in the morning excited to check on their leprechaun traps to see if any leprechaun's got caught in their carefully placed bait.

Why did they even want to catch a leprechaun in the first place? I didn't know. They didn't know. It's just what you do on St. Patrick's day! That and wear green. Because ... you know ... wearing green keeps you from getting pinched. (I'm sure there's some mildly interesting reason as to why that is - yet most of us don't why we do that either.)

Is it fun? Yeah. 

Does is create lasting memories? Definitely. 

Does it put a smile on our faces? Sure.

Make us laugh? Of course.

But I was blown away when I read my friends simple Facebook message explaining who St. Patrick really was. (Thank you Michele for sharing.)

{{{St Patrick was a God-loving Christian who at the age of 16 was captured by pirates and sold into slavery and endured his 6 year imprisonment by praying and meditating - considering this trial a test of his faith.

He received a vision of escaping and managed to do just that only to travel 28 days by land and then traveling by sea to return to France to devote the next 15 years of his life studying religion and the next 18 years of his life after that teaching and strengthening the few Christians of Ireland.

His mission was attended by much adventure, opposition and diligence including some Elijah-like "face-offs" with powerful Druid Masters and 12 imprisonments. He was a gifted teacher, exceptional missionary and wonderful example of making the best in terrible situations and seeking and responding to inspiration in order to carry out his personal life mission.}}}

This story is amazing! Yes, the creators of St. Patrick's day were right on when they created a holiday for this God loving man. It should and would (or so they thought) be a wonderful yearly reminder that would:

 ...help keep us pointed towards God. 

...teach us to stand up for what's right and true.

....teach us that if Mr. St. Patrick can do it, so can we. 

Poor St. Patrick what an inspiring story and neat holiday to lose.

What if on Martin Luther king day instead of learning about Martin Luther King we celebrated it by hanging sticks on our bedroom door to welcome in the "Stick Man" who comes into children's rooms placing sticks (and candy) under their pillows to gift them with good dreams?

Martin Luther King? Whose he? Who needs him?

Or what if on President's Day we celebrate it by wearing the oddest and most wildly bedecked hats we own. Hats that become more and more decorated throughout the day as we pin candies and notes on each another's hats. By the end of the day we pick off all these fun notes and candies and see how much we got.

The fun doesn't stop there! Before going to bed, children place the hats upside down at the end of their bed and during the night the "Hatster" (a giant one armed, five-legged, floral scented, living hat) fills the hats with licorice and a kind letter from himself because, you know, Hatster sees everything and has seen the good things kids do.

George Washington? Never heard of him.

Or what if on Veteran's day we celebrated it by carving pictures into large rocks and leaving them out for the Rock Giant who takes the (now artistic) rocks and replaces it with a baking dish full of desserts ... and candy.

Veterans? Why bother?

Oh, but wait, these holiday's are about real people...Martin Luther King, the Veteran's, the President's who have served our country (and are all more than worthy of having a holiday in their name, might I add) but because they're "real" we actually do celebrate the holiday according to who/what that holiday was originally created for...

On Martin Luther King Day we read stories or watch movies about Martin Luther King and learn about the civil right's movement.
On President's Day we honor the president's by learning about the president's or putting on a play.
On Veteran's Day we spend time acknowledging the men and women who have served in the armed forces.

I'm forgetting that it's only the holidays where we focus on Jesus Christ, God or God-devoted Christians that we have created some super innocent (but rather bizarre) make believe characters that sport stellar magical powers and god-like abilities bringing worldly possessions and goodies to children around the globe at super-hero speeds.

Let's take a step back and look at this. Here's a graph I've created that shows a list of all major holidays, what they were created for, what we actually celebrate and if we're on the mark or not.

It's interesting to see how in the last category (the Christian category) we're off the mark for every holiday...

Hmmm.

Don't get me wrong. I'm not anti-holidays.

I enjoy the sweetness, innocence and fond memories of the Easter bunny, Santa and leprechaun's. My children search for Easter baskets. My home is decorated with some Santa decorations during Christmas time. And my children pass out Valentine's cards to their friends.

However, I can't help but feel that in order to help good Christian values and God-loving devotion continue to be strengthened (especially in today's world) we should not only kinda-sorta make a feeble attempt at incorporating the true Christian meanings into these holidays but we should completely take them back by making the Christian teachings and stories be the main focus.

(Instead of blindly participating in the non-Christian traditions like we did for St. Patrick's day.)

The traditions of the world have us driving on auto-pilot and celebrating Christian holiday's in a way where:

 ...there isn't much room left for Christ or God. In fact it even kind of feels awkward trying to incorporate them into the picture.

...Christ and God are rather boring compared to the entertaining, candy and gift giving characters.

...the unspoken truth regarding holiday's is: "No religion allowed."

Yup, no religion allowed. But look! Here's a cute fluffy bunny!!

Can these holiday's really be considered "innocent" if they're distracting us from the true purpose of the holiday or the "true reason for the season"?

Ohhhh...but look at how cute he is! So innocent! So...."Christlike"!

Don't these characters help us believe in Christ?

After all...

Cupid/Valentine's Day -

• We share our love and kind thoughts through valentine's cards containing action figures and the latest movie characters - like Jesus would have us do. (I think.)
• Cupid shares love with his arrows - like Jesus would have us do.
• We feel the spirit when we make our valentine's day boxes.

Easter Bunny/Easter -

• We celebrate the innocence of all good things.
• We decorate with colors that are found in heaven and that help us feel the spirit.
• We come together as families to make memories.
• We are better able to ponder upon spiritual matters while petting spotted fluffy bunnies.

Thanksgiving Dinner -

• We say what we're thankful for and work on having an attitude of gratitude.
• We spend time with family.
• We (sometimes) read the story of the pilgrims or call it good after we summarize the little we know about the sacrifices they made to our children.

Santa -

• We focus on the colors of the candy cane and how they represent Christ.
• Santa gives like Jesus does without expecting anything but love in return. 
• Santa loves like Jesus does.
• Santa is like a God - he can't die.
• Santa helps our children "practice" child-like faith. (You know, because kids need to practice having faith on fictitious objects to help them have child-like faith in Christ.)
• You can never see Santa but you can feel him.
• Santa has special powers, just like Jesus.
• The reindeer fly like angels.

Yeah, sure, we can (and probably should) do what we can to incorporate Christian teachings and values into these holidays and characters - including the story of the candy cane.

But, I'll admit, I'm not buying it and do we really think our kids are buying it?

Is the Holy Ghost right there saying, "Yes! Yes! Santa's suit. It's true! It's red! Just like Jesus' blood." while sending the warmest feeling from our heads to our toes?

"But we're having fun! We're creating family memories!"

Yes, that's true. And you're right, that is good. But is it good enough in today's world?

Truly, honestly - is it enough?

We only have a small handful of holidays where we spend our time, energy and money on creating a super special event. How are we going to choose to spend these holidays? What if, instead, we turned these holidays into super special testimony building events?

Only we can revive the true meaning of these Christian holiday's and enjoy the sweet and innocent memories that can be created during these yearly special events while strengthening our Christian beliefs and while being reminded of eternal truths by focusing on God and Christ.

Yes, we can take these delightfully familiar (and oh-so-innocent) holiday character's and create some fun memories about them and do our best at incorporating Christ's character traits or teachings into who they are.

Just look at that Santa! He cares so much about our children!

But there's someone who cares about our children far more than a make believe character. And one day when we're all back home in heaven the Easter bunny, Santa and leprechaun's will have never mattered and will have proven to be more of a distraction than a help meet.

Who knows, maybe if we choose to make Jesus Christ and God the main focus of our Christian holidays within our own family it'll become a tradition that is passed down from one generation to the next - a tradition far greater in value than focusing on Easter baskets, pots of gold and Jolly Old St. Nick.

Instead they'll focus on things that will matter forever...

                                                                       Beautiful painting done by Joseph Brickey

(Blog post coming where I share some wonderful ideas about how to take back the Christian holiday's and create some amazing and testimony-strengthening family traditions.)

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Satan's Secret: he's out to kill us in whatever way possible

For those of us who are Christian:

We know God is real. 

We know His influences are real. 

We know His presence is real. 

We know His goodness is real. 

The same goes for our fallen brother, Satan:

We know he, too, is real.

His influences are real. 

His presence is real. 

His wickedness is real. 

It makes me wonder how seriously we take this truth to be and what we are willing to do to thwart Satan's work.

Many years ago, while in a very dark place, having been deceived by Satan and thinking that my life was all wrong, having been through a seemingly never ending series of personal, financial and marital trials my body seemed to give and my health crumbled.

Candida overgrowth had been a problem within my body for quite some time which lowered my immune system but after all the stress and inner turmoil my already weak immune system couldn't hold up any longer. Underlying infections that my immune system used to be able to keep under control were able to come forward; lyme disease being the greatest culprit.

I was growing weaker and weaker. I'd sit - A LOT. I'd only have enough energy to read. I did what I could to raise my young and innocent kids to the best of my ability but knew that they weren't getting the most of what I could have had to offer. I was doing all I could to figure out what was going on with my health - trying to figure out why I was dying.

One day as I sat thinking on a sofa chair in my bedroom the spirit suddenly said to me, "Do you want to live?" I was caught off guard and wasn't sure what to do. I felt that Heavenly Father was giving me a choice: to live or to die.

I had to ponder about what my answer to that question was because, quite frankly, I wasn't sure if I wanted to live.

Every day for about a year I was trying to figure out how to change my life - how to make things "right". Everything was wrong and I wasn't happy. This ate away at my health and my spirituality and now I was faced with this very direct question from Heavenly Father in the form of a reprimand and through the Spirit: did I want to live?

"Well" I thought, "what is there to live for?" Sadly, at that time in my life, I had to think about it. "What is there in my life to live for?"

My daughter.

My oldest daughter came to mind. She'd be devastated if I were to die. "Yes, that's it." I thought. I want to live for my daughter so she won't have to suffer.

Immediately my heart began to beat more rapidly and I became so weak I couldn't lift my body from that chair.

I wasn't sure what was happening but I knew something was changing. I managed to lay my heavy body on my bed and with my hands clasped over my heart I began to pray to Heavenly Father letting him know: 

Yes, Heavenly Father, I want to live.

Suddenly a great mass of darkness that I couldn't see with my physical eyes but could feel with my spirit rushed upon my body. I was completely consumed by this black "beast" whose anger and fury I could clearly feel...

Because I chose to live. 

Because I had just reached a turning point that loosened his grasp on me. 

Because all of his relentless work on my mind and soul was suddenly a waste.

I immediately thought of Joseph Smith and the experience he had while praying to God. I knew what I had to do: keep praying. So I continued to pray. Really, the moment didn't last that long maybe a couple of minutes but while being pounced upon by such a pathetically desperate evil force, time seemed to go by very slowly.

While continuing to pray, the darkness lifted and I was free from its presence.

There's much I learned from this situation. And these are the things I'd like to share with you:

We are valuable to Satan.

Satan (or one of his followers ... whoever that black spirit was) was so upset at losing his grip on me that he burst forth out of his quiet, shadowy hiding place and pounced on a living human being.

Right after that situation I knew that Satan didn't just attack me because I'm special or important. He wants to ensnare each one of us just the same. Just like we are valuable to our Heavenly Father and He knows each one of us and is aware of our needs, Satan is right there knowing who we are too.

He doesn't care so much about our needs but he's forever present trying to turn those needs into something that will benefit him: the slow grip of his hand on one soul & one more precious spirit being taken from our Heavenly Father.

Satan wants us to be weak.

He hates it when we are strong enough to keep him from getting to us. He never stops watching us to see if/when we will weaken and he relentlessly tries to get at us anyway. AND he works on weakening us in whatever way possible.

Weakness in body? He'll take it.
Weakness in mind? Definitely.
Weakness in spirit? For sure.
Weakness in relationships, loving unconditionally, forgiving ourselves, being vulnerable, eating healthy, thinking positively? Yes, yes, yes!

Any of it. All of it. He's hungry for our weaknesses.

Satan wants us to be dead.

Just as I knew that my daughter would be devastated if I were to die - Satan is devastated (or more like, enraged) when we choose to live.

And what does "living" mean exactly? To me I see it in a few different ways...

Our physical life - do we want to physically thrive in life and be fully present?
Our time - do we kill our time by spending it being distracted? or do we feed it with meaningful things?
Our spiritual life - do we make purposeful efforts in staying spiritually strong?
Our presence on this Earth - have we accepted, fully accepted, that this is where we are at and we will give our life our all?
Our mental life - are we spending our time on menial things that deaden our mind? or do we spend time on things that sharpen and strengthen our minds?

We are valuable to Heavenly Father.

Heavenly Father could have allowed me to continue to wither away and slowly die in spirit and in body but instead He sent the spirit to me sending me a very clear message that I needed to choose between life or death - no more of this in between stuff.

He cared enough for me that He cast Satan away from me and He is continually working on me and working with me on my progress.

Heavenly Father wants us to be strong.

Though we have been sent here in a failing world, we have not been sent here to fail - and in order to keep from failing we need to be strong. Heavenly Father is continually there to offer us the strength we need as we ask for it, seek it, and take it and continue to try to improve ourselves even as we run into mistake after mistake.

Heavenly Father wants us to thrive.

In Sheri Dew's book, No One Can Take Your Place, Sheri states,

"The more we know and understand, the more useful we are to the Lord."

The Lord wants His work to go forth. He needs all the help He can get and He needs us to be the ones doing that work. We can do little if we aren't fully present in body, mind, intellect and spirit.

I, of course, am still imperfect and my journey of regaining my health has been a long and arduous one but I am grateful to a Heavenly Father who loves me enough to find me valuable, to want me to be strong and to want me to thrive in every way possible and who will help me become such as I stumble along the way until I make it back into His arms.

Both the light and dark, goodness and wickedness are ever present and will always be an option to us. And that's just what it is - an option. A daily, constant option.

Which one will we choose?

And how often will we choose, in one way or another, one or the other?

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Dear LDS Women Protestors, you're views are skewed but right on (sort of)

There’s a software program called Fireworks that I use on a regular basis. Within this software program is a tool that allows one to “skew” an image. Skewing an image is where you manipulate or distort the shape of an image.

For example:

You get the picture.

Here’s another example of something skewed:

Forgive me for my boldness - I do not mean to anger those who are in support of this protest.

However, I know what it’s like when Satan skews one’s thinking or belief system all too well. I know, firsthand, how cunning, tricky, evil, desperate, determined and angry he is.

Quite a few years ago Satan had complete hold of my heart. Every waking moment I was obsessed about one particular thought that I couldn't seem to shake. I simply had to make sense of it and, somehow, do something about it.

What was this thought?

I thought, no, I knew, that I had married the wrong person. I was sure of it. In fact, I didn't just marry the wrong man – I had the wrong children. My life meant nothing. I needed to change things in order for everything to be the way it was supposed to be.

Change was the only answer. Change was the only promise to settling my soul.

This torment lasted for some time until, through an answer to many prayers, the truth was made known to me and I realized that:

What I had was good. 

What I had was complete. 

What I had was just the way it was supposed to be.

After some time, as I healed and was led to more and more truth about my current situation, I was horrified as I’d look back to see how firm of a grip Satan had on my mind and my soul and what that grip almost accomplished … the tearing apart of a good, God-loving family.

I had been as lost as lost could be and the thing that shocked me the most when looking back on that experience was how convinced I was that I knew, I absolutely knew, without even a hint of doubt, that everything was wrong. There was no convincing me otherwise. Everyone else simply couldn't see this “truth” about my situation...

Everyone else was blind to the real truth.

I saw things clearly.

They didn't.

Having had experienced such an ordeal I can’t help but connect my experience to what's possibly happening within the hearts of the women, these valued and much needed sisters, involved in this protest (and the hearts of all of those who are turning away from righteousness and religion).

It makes me wonder if they are experiencing what I experienced:

1.       A seed was planted in my mind and heart many years prior, allowing skewed ideas to ever grow in the first place. (It was placed there by a dream I knew came from Satan but that I gradually justified as being truth anyway.)

2.       My mindset and thoughts became skewed.

3.       My ability to feel and be led by the spirit was diminished – and was no longer needed, really, seeing as how my mind could think so accurately on its own with this new "awareness" about such matters.

4.       My perspective of what truth was became misshapen.

5.   I couldn't see how with how much I was praying about the situation I'd still be seeing it the way I was and not have it be the truth. 

6.       I felt that everyone else wasn't seeing things clearly – I was.

7.       I felt that only by having something change, outside of myself, could things be set right.

I ache for these women and all others whose truth has been distorted and who can no longer see the organization of the LDS church as it really is: good, true, of high worth and complete/whole.

I ache for them because they feel that they need to change the church in order to make things "right". 

If only they'd realize that:

The way the LDS church is set up right now is good.

The way the LDS church is set up is complete.

The way the LDS church is set up is just the way it's supposed to be at this time.

I am so grateful for a loving Heavenly Father who never gives up on us ...

No matter how dark of a place we may be in. 

No matter how firm of a grip Satan has on our hearts or minds. 

No matter how skewed our perspective of truth has become. 

No matter how right we may think we are, even when we are wrong.

And ... no matter how much of a change needs to take place within ourselves (as painful as that may be) in order for us to see truth clearly again.

So how is it that the women protesters are “right on” as my blog title suggests?

They are right on in the fact that they are feeling the call to make changes. Changes are taking place. Things, events, disasters, evil, righteousness – it’s all being quickened. There are permanent shifts happening in the Universe and big future events are stirring (both good and bad).

Those who feel this quickening feel the need to do something. Unfortunately, that call to do something isn't always what needs to be done.

I couldn't agree more with Elder Quentin L. Cook when he said,

“We need to protect our families and be at the forefront together with all people of goodwill in doing everything we can to preserve light, hope and morality in our communities.”

Now is the time for ALL people of goodwill, of ALL religions, to unite our efforts in preserving what’s good, wholesome and right in this world.

No more of this petty fighting within our own religion for changes that need not take place.

No more allowing Satan to distract us from the greater, more permanent, more threatening perils that lie at hand.

This world, our children, our spouses, our posterity need us.

Yet, Satan wants us too...

Will we choose to allow our thinking, our spirituality, our goodwill to become skewed by Satan as we become lost in our direction, our way of thinking, our life-purpose and foreordained missions or will we stand firm and put our efforts towards the greater good in helping to build and strengthen our religion (whatever wholesome religion that may be), our families, our neighborhoods, our nation and ourselves?

So yes, by all means, LDS women protesters, make your voices heard but...

- Please be aware of the negative effects taking place on the sacred environment of the temple grounds due to your actions.

- Please be aware of the opposite effect you're having in supporting and contributing to the peaceful and spiritual event that makes conference time such an enlightening and strengthening experience for so many.

- Please be aware of the opposite effect you're having in allowing this spiritual event to be an effective push against the growing forces of evil in this world.

- And please be aware that you're making religion-haters (both in body and spirit) smile.

Remember, it isn't just the good in this world that is quickening - it's the evil as well.

If you aren't helping and supporting a God-loving Christian religion that is led by leaders who are guided and directed by our Heavenly Father in this world at this time … what are you doing then, really?

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