I Can't Stand It Anymore!

Ok, if I see one more article or FB post about the Ordain Women movement or articles like this: New York Times, I am going to vomit.  I just HAVE to shout out my two cents, and I don't want to do it on FB, because I don't want to add fuel to the fire.  It's THAT ridiculous.  But I am irked, and so to stop my irking, I must vent....and with my family, it seemed like the safest place to do it. =)

What is with these people? They profess to "love" the church and are "devastated" by the disciplinary actions proceeding against them, but that's a hard sell.  They've spent a significant amount of their time and energy criticizing and fighting church doctrine, and now profess to be shocked by the actions the church has taken.

These people  need to go read the biblical story of steadying the ark and refresh themselves on what that means.  If they truly believe this is the Lord's church, as they claim, they should have a understanding that the Lord can and will steady His own Ark, or the church, when necessary.  He does not need people organizing campaigns, protesting at the Priesthood session of conference, organizing LDS Gay pride parades (I've seen this on FB), or anything else.  When the Ark needs to be steadied, that's His job.

And the Ark DOES get steadied from time to time.  When the Priesthood was extended to all worthy males, He revealed it to His prophet.  When the missionary age was lowered, He revealed it to His prophet.  No campaigning by various groups, no protesting, no angry bloggers.  He takes care of it.  This is the pattern.

The internet provides such a tempting forum.  The attention and number of hits these people's organizations and blogs have received is enormous. The people running these websites feel validated by the sheer number of people who are paying attention to them.  And the media LOVES it. They are gobbling it up like turkey on Thanksgiving. Kinda hard to repent and change and recant your position when you are doing it in front of the world.  No, much easier to advertise the discipline taken against you and shout even louder about the injustice you've received.

Some people (even many good members of the church) say we should be having these discussions.  We should be questioning, we shouldn't be blind followers.  And they are right.  But the discussion is between one's self and the Lord- through prayer, going to the Temple, and following the commandments.  Not by swirling up a firestorm of controversy around you.  If these people have struggled with aspects of our faith, they should turn to the Lord in prayer. They should seek answers and peace privately and counsel with their Bishops if necessary.  They should NOT organize groups, protest, march, and the like.  The Church is not a government organization, it is not a political process.

If these people have such a problem with so many things in the church, why are they so 'grieved' by the possibility of being out of it?  The doctrine is set by the Lord- so campaigning, etc., is futile. They are, in essence, campaigning and protesting and fighting the Lord.

So yes- when you discover that Joseph Smith had over 40 wives or that this or that happened in church history or you have a problem with having only one set of earrings,or whatever it is- go and pray about it. Have that discussion with the Lord. Read your scriptures. Find answers- privately, through the Spirit.  The Church IS true, and the Lord is real and He will address yours, mine, and their concerns.  He won't leave one's faith floundering. But how can the Spirit touch someone through a fiesty blog or angry protest?

Anyway, thanks for listening, family. =) It was either this, or keep shouting in my head at every FB post that's shown up on my feed about these topics.  So thanks for letting me clear my head!

My Haley

So, I know everyone likes to text or instagram cute pics....but I still like the blog.  It's like taking a few minutes to open a book and read about what everyone's up to. I like sitting down, relaxing for a few minutes, and purposely browsing through our family's posts.  Texting pics just seems so rushed, I can't enjoy it as much! So anyway, even though I realize blogging is become a way of the past when it comes to sharing pics, here's a few updates of my almost-not-the-baby-anymore baby:

While I was taking this I noticed Haley's shirt....didn't even plan it, folks. 

 Haley's excited to get her FIRST haircut!!!! She'll be 3 in a week...I think it's about time. =)

 I'm no hairstylist.  But it's fun to try.

 Her new 'do!! Her baby curls are GONE, folks!  This kid is completely potty-trained, has been sleeping in a bed for almost a year, puts up a good fight with any of her sisters, blames Abby for everything, and now has no baby curls.  The only thing "baby" left about her is her adorable baby belly that's still too huge for her little body. And I know I only have a few more months left of that, then she'll thin out and have regular kid proportions.  So sad! When did she grow up???

Abby is miffed that Haley wanted to be in the pic, too.  Love these two.  They are two peas in a pod all day long, either yelling at each other or loving each other to death.  It's like when Caitlin and Liz were little, running around all day as best buds.  I love getting a second chance to experience how sweet it is to watch precious sister bonds being made!!

That's it for now!!!