Things that have caught my eye Dec 14

I don't know about you but when I'm browsing the internet on my phone or walking through a store and I want to remember something I snap a picture on my oh so handy iPhone so that I can go back to it whenever I want.

Here are a few of the things that have caught my eye lately.

I am LOVING all the Gold and Black everywhere. 

I love it so much that I decided to redo our Master bedroom to use those colors.

The Master is still a work in progress because I am being picky about what I want to go in there.

When I was browsing Target for curtains (which I do frequently whether I need them or not) I saw these gold curtains and snapped a picture because I couldn't decide whether they will fit the space the way I want or not. 

I love all the wood signs everywhere and I really love the look of words burned into the wood.

I am determine to make one someday soon.... I hope.

I LOVE everything about this outfit. 

I loved it so much I pulled what I had in my closet to try to match this for Thanksgiving.

I mostly love the frame, for umm.... EVERYTHING.

But I'm really into the vintagey prints right now too.

Aowyns room is all vintage so this would be so cute in there.

I see Subway signs like this everywhere, but its always places in New York or California and as cute as they are, they are never what I am looking for.

When I saw the Subway sign with all the glory of the South I had to have it, but the nearly $100 price tag made me choke a little.... so I did what any smart shopper/crafty crafter would do.... I took a picture so I can make it at home.

This picture is blurry because I wasn't sure if I was allowed to take pictures... so I quietly hid my phone and took one anyway.... its totally legit, right?

I want a table like this for behind our couch upstairs.

I really really want this table in my living room upstairs. 

I also really want the old apothecary ones that are the rolling carts... these pieces of furniture make my heart pitter patter.

Ahh the beautiful black and gold.

Some more the of the vintage charm goodness.

Our bathroom downstairs is navy blue and yellow and I "love" this for an empty space I have in there... but I'm debating about whether or not a heart that says love in it is appropriate for the bathroom. Maybe? Maybe not?

These beauties are NEEDED in my house.

I want them on my dresser in the master and as many other places as I can put them.

I'm just waiting for the handle sale at Hobby Lobby and they will be mine... oh and the courage to make the 45 minute trip over there with the kids.

I really want this print to go above the piano in the family room.

I really want some library barn pully's to go downstairs too. 

Every time I find them online they are sold out.... so as soon as my luck wins out I will have some of these bad boys in my possession.

This whole space just speaks to me.

There is a wall in our master bedroom where I want to do this. 

I have a feeling that it will take forever to get this to come together... (read that as: stupid Las Vegas and its inability to fulfill my vintage/antique obsession.)

$50 price tag? For that? 

Just wait till I get some burlap, paint and canvas and its on.

That pillow... oh that pillow.

I have a NEED for that Bakery sign in my house.... even though I'm not a big baker, its really just the beauty of the sign that matters right?

This redo!! Wow! I love everything about this space. I love the giant clock and the bench and the center piece and the buffet.... and everything else.

I stood there and looked at this forever debating whether or not I wanted to buy it.

In the end the fact that I had NOWHERE to put it, or even an idea of where I wanted to put it won out and I left it at the store.

I love the house on it. 

I really love the whole sign.

In the past I have just bought things because I loved them and usually ended up with a garage full of pieces that I loved but had no where to put them, so I stopped buying things unless I knew exactly where I wanted to put it.

Again, nowhere to put it, but I still loved it.

This is one of the first things on my list of things to make at the first of the year. 

It will go in the downstairs family room.

Oh the gorgeousness. 

Lets just take a second to gaze upon this beauty....

Need more time?

Man I love this whole piece.

I will be doing this with our desk, sometime in the near future.

This color combo just makes me happy. 

Aowyns room is these colors and I love to just go hang out and look at all the greatness that these colors are.

Oh swoon!!!

I love all the books and the ladder... one day, one day. 

I need this sign to go above the window in my kitchen.

Man, Ive got a lot of projects this year.

This needs no explanation. 

I will own something like this someday.

Its probably the one piece of furniture that I dream about and search for everywhere I go.

Its just perfect.

For a little while I debated on doing something like this as our headboard in the Master, but in the end a tuft headboard won out. Ill post about my headboard hunt soon.

I want one of these so badly... but that requires having the space for one of these.... and that is something we really don't have right now, so for now Ill just dream of the day I can have one of these.

This is what I am going to do with the vanity in my bedroom. I just love it.

I am also doing something kind of like this to the dresser/tv stand in the family room.

I have something kind of like this in our master bedroom. I love the idea of a shelf on the door with the mirror. 

Ill have to post my mirror soon to show ya'll what I did.

What girl doesn't love Tiffany Blue?

Such a cute idea for a jewelry station.

I want one of these mirrored dressers in my house... anywhere in my house will do.

I would really love to have it in my Master, but I won't be picky, I just want to own it.

I'm not huge fan of animal prints, but I do love this outfit.

It screams comfy yet stylish.

I.must.own.

I used this chair as inspiration for my chairs upstairs in our sitting area.

I love the tuft look.

I want to do this to the dresser in Landon and Tayton's room. 

Their room is vintage America, think Route 66 diner type feel.

I think this dressers colors would be perfect in there.

This piece just needs to be in my house so I can love it and look at it everyday.

La sigh! Its just a thing of beauty.

Am I the only one who takes pictures of everything that they love?

I promise I take pictures of my kids and husband too.... really I do.

Steps into the Darkness

Noah and I have made some pretty big life changing decisions based on prayers in the last few months. These decisions require us to take some leaps of faith and steps into the darkness.
 I wanted to share some of the insights I have received and some of the messages I have found to help along this new journey.

After Noahs brother Keyn got in his accident (more on that here) we talked a lot about the future. The Sunday after Noah got home from Alaska we went to church and I cried almost the whole time, and felt so strongly that we need to be able to help Noahs family. Everything that anyone said seemed to just be more of a nudge in the direction that my feeligns were headed. When we got back to the car after church Noah and I both looked at each other and said, "We need to do whatever we can to help our family." The feeling was mutual for us that we need to be in a position to be able to help his family out and that being in Utah was not going to help us do that. We talked a lot about our options and looked into trying to do a humanitarian move through the military to Alaska to be there for his family. We looked into that  but it was not an option because Noah was not needed as the sole care provider. We then talked about a few more options and decided that we needed to go to the temple to pray about some of these major decisions.

While we were in the temple I asked the Lord what he wanted from us. I also pleaded with him that his answer would be clear and that I would be able to know exactly what he wanted from us. I was very scared because the questions were so life changing that I really felt like I needed to know what he wanted from me, so that when times got hard or the pathway did not seem so clear or brightly lit that I would be able to have the Faith to continue on.

After my prayer was over I waited for an answer and I received the most beautiful and peacefully clear answer I have ever received. I was told that we were supposed to get out of the military so that we could help Noah's family and that we needed to apply for jobs in North Carolina and Georgia, there were several other things that I heard that explained the reason for this answer. I was very confused about the last part because Noahs family lives in Alaska and we both were praying about getting out and moving to Alaska. I knew though that the Lord was very clear on where we should apply. When we finished praying Noah and I talked to each other, we did our typical 1-2-3 answer at the same time thing and I was brought to an even more greater sense of peace and clarity when I realized that Noah and I both received word for word the same answer.

The first tool I utilized during this time was Prayer.
I talked to Noah, I talked to my friends, I started doing research and nothing seemed to add up on paper to let me know that the decisions we had made were the right ones.
We had already got our confirmation from the Lord but it seemed like the more I talked about it, the more it just didn't seem to make sense. It was during this time that I remembered this quote that I heard years ago, "Have you prayed about it as much as you've talked about it?'
It was then that I realized that it was okay to talk it out with people, but that the only peace that would come to me in regards to this decision was going to come by talking to my Father in Heaven. It didn't matter that I had already recieved my answer, it mattered more that I continued to turn to him for peace as I followed his instructions. We knew it was what the Lord wanted, so who better to talk out the logistics with then him?

We left the temple that day and the very next day the military announced that they were doing a force management which basically means that they would let people who qualified and applied out of the remainder of their contract. Noah applied to palace chase which means that he would move from active duty Air Force into the Guard working 1 weekend a month. Things quickly fell into place for the Palace Chase move. An Air Traffic Control guard unit position opened up in Charlotte, North Carolina (which is almost unheard of). He applied for that and they were super excited to find out all of his ATC experience, and immediately said they wanted him. We then had to wait on the Air Force side to approve it. After waiting for 8 weeks on a process that should have taken 2 (he was one of the first to get his paperwork in) and watching several people he works with get approved after turning in their paperwork after him we finally were able to get a hold of someone who informed us that Noahs paperwork was misplaced. So we resubmitted and waited again. Just last Friday we were finally approved and as of May 31st, 2014 we will be out of active duty military and moving in Civilian life. 

Talking to the Lord and finding the peace that I needed was essential to moving forward on this new path, but the next part was a little bit harder. The next part required us to actually take the step, to move forward in Faith. 

Elder Richard G Scott said "When you are living worthy and your choice is consistent with the Savior's teachings and you need to act, proceed with trust."

Trusting the Lords answer and then trusting ourselves was essential. I'm the kind of person that just wants to see whats up ahead, not everything ahead, but enough to where I am confident in the decision I made. But where is the Faith and trust in that? It certainly takes much more Faith to take a step into the darkness with no light to lead your way then it does to see your pathway well lit. I was thinking about this exact thing when I came across a story that Boyd K. Packer told-

“Shortly after I was called as a General Authority, I went to Elder Harold B. Lee for counsel. He listened very carefully to my problem and suggested that I see President David O. McKay. President McKay counseled me as to the direction I should go. I was very willing to be obedient but saw no way possible for me to do as he counseled me to do.

“I returned to Elder Lee and told him that I saw no way to move in the direction I was counseled to go. He said, ‘The trouble with you is you want to see the end from the beginning.’ I replied that I would like to see at least a step or two ahead. Then came the lesson of a lifetime: ‘You must learn to walk to the edge of the light, and then a few steps into the darkness; then the light will appear and show the way before you.’ Then he quoted these 18 words from the Book of Mormon:

“‘Dispute not because ye see not, for ye receive no witness until after the trial of your faith’” (Ether 12:6).

The trial of our Faith doesn't come from us staying put in the light. The trial of Faith comes when we follow the promptings of the Lord and take a step or two into the darkness.

Noah applied for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for an Air Traffic Control job. The FAA decided this time around that they didn't want anyone with Air Traffic Control background, they wanted to revamp the program and thought that bringing in inexperienced people of various backgrounds would help them with that, so Noah was turned down for the job offers. He has been applying for various other Air Traffic Control jobs around the nation but because all of the other 9000+ guys like Noah who didn't make the FAA cut either are also applying to these jobs the odds are not great. At times when I think of the logistics of being jobless with 4 kids in just a few months I am really scared. On paper it just looks bad. But in reality and in the Lords plan (which is still unclear to us) there is so much peace. With Noah going into the Guard we will still have Health insurance which is a HUGE relief for us. We have done as the Prophets and Apostles of our church have instructed and have 6+ months of savings as well as a TON of food storage. We have been formulating plans of what we will do if May 31st comes around and we don't have any job offers and we have put our Faith in the Lord. 

I love the Joseph Smith quote above. "Faith is the moving cause of all action." 

Every single step we have taken on this road since January have been steps into complete worldly darkness lead by the peaceful light of Christ. 

I have no idea what the next few months, or year or years hold for us. I don't have very many answers and I have lots of logistical questions, but I also have an incredible amount of peace and a renewed sense of strength guiding my steps. The Lords plan and my plan may not be the same thing, but we both want the end result for my life and I want to take his path to get me there, after all he truly knows the way better then I do. 

We have become very keenly aware through all of this, that just because you know you are doing what the Lord wants you to do, DOES NOT at all mean that your journey will be easy or that your pathway will be clear. It does not mean that because you are following the Lords pathway that everything will fall into place and work out perfectly, after all these types of journeys and trials are about building upon our Faith, and we can not easily do that if everything works out perfectly. Ive thought about the story of Abraham and Issac a lot these past few months and I am constantly reminded that the Lord knows all things. When he told Abraham to kill Issac he knew that Abraham would do anything he asked him to do, the lesson was more for Abraham to learn more about himself. Abraham learned how far he was willing to go for the Lord, he realized how strong his Faith was because it was put to the test. Sometimes I have wondered if when the time came if my faith would be strong enough, if it would be good enough and here I am having my Abrahamic moment and learning a little bit (okay maybe a lot) about me and about my Faith. On Mt. Moriah Abraham had his greatest sacrifice, when he with held nothing from the Lord, the Lord with held nothing from him. I hope that I am strong enough to with hold nothing from the Lord so that he has room to pour out and with hold not his blessings for me.

So while the road ahead is dark and its kind of scary to put one foot in front of the other when I can not see the pathway clearly and when I have no idea what the end of this looks like, its also really thrilling because my Faith in the Lord has increased and therefore so has my relationship with my Father in Heaven.

Trials of Life- Quotes

I sometimes feel like the weight of the world is on my shoulders. I occasionally get the all consuming feeling that my trials are more then I can handle.
Yesterday Noah and I were sitting on the edge of our bed talking about everything that we had going on at that time and Noah let out a huge sigh and said, "I feel like we are getting beat up by life's trials right now." I agreed, it has felt that way lately. I have felt the pressure of life's obstacle pushing down on my shoulders from so many different directions. I feel like as soon as I have a firm grip on one trial another one is rearing its ugly head.

 All of us have to endure trials on a very regular basis. I am grateful for the relationship that I have with my Father in Heaven because those feelings of being trapped or weighed down with a trial don't seem to last very long for me. Usually no more then a day here and there do I feel overwhelmed by it all and its in those moments that I kneel in prayer and ask Heavenly Father to help me endure the trial, happily. I ask him to take away the feelings of failure and the weight of the pressure that I have hanging out on my shoulders. I ask him to help me more clearly see his daily tender mercies and to help me see that my trials are for my own good. I often joke with Noah that we really need to learn what we are supposed to learn from each trial because I don't want to go through that trial again, but the reality is each and every trial is a learning experience and a chance for growth. Someone once asked me which of my lifes trials would I have taken away from me if I could go back and chose. The answer is pretty easy, none of them (and Ive had some doozies) , I would chose to keep them all, because it is through them that I have come to be who I am today. Taking away any of my trials would be taking away from myself that little piece of beauty that I earned through enduring well my trial. I used to ask for God to take my trials away, but as I have grown I have realized that I need him to take away the pain, the fear and the debilitating feelings that trials cans bring and I need him to walk hand in hand with me through the trial.

 I read a blog a few months back that said "God does give us more then we can handle but he doesn't give us anything we can't handle WITH HIS HELP." I love the beauty in that. People often say that God doesnt give us more then we can handle, but thats simply not true, he gives us plenty of things we can't handle. If he gave us trials we could handle then there would be no growing or turning to him for help and guidance and peace. He gives us more then we can handle on a very regular basis, but he will NEVER give us something we can't handle with out also giving us his help. His hand is stretched out to help us always and lift us and relieve us from our pain. We are not capable of handling our trials on our own but we are always capable of handling them with his help.

I find myself turning to him with tears in my eyes often, pleading with him for help. I pour out my sorrows and fears unto him so that he can pour blessings back in. I don't always get the answer that I want to the the questions I ask or to the pleadings of my heart but I always get peace followed by some type of answer. Recently I got an answer to a prayer that was really not the answer I wanted. In fact it was probably one of the farthest things from the answer that I wanted, however with that answer came an overwhelming amount of peace, Peace that I desperately needed. As the days have progressed I have prayed to ask Heavenly Father to help me continue to find peace in his answer and to continue to find happiness in that answer. Its baby steps to get to that full time feeling of peace for me this time, when I think about all that his answer entales and how its so far from some of the things we are striving for in our family I get a little sad, but then I simply ask to feel that peace again and the saddness leaves. I am finding small blessings that are coming out of the woodwork on a very steady basis, showing me that the Lords path is indeed, as always, the right path. I just love those tender mercies.

Whenever I hear a quote that has anything to do with enduring trials I write it down so that I can come back to read it often.
My all time favorite scripture was a revelation given to Joseph Smith, The Prophet, while he was in Liberty Jail. The conditions in Liberty Jail were horrible, the members of the Latter Day Saint faith were suffering from persecutions. Joseph Smith pleads with his Father to help them.

D&C121

 1 O God, ^awhere art thou? And where is the pavilion that covereth thy ^bhiding place?

 2 ^aHow long shall thy hand be stayed, and thine eye, yea thy pure eye, behold from the eternal heavens the wrongs of thy people and of thy servants, and thine ear be penetrated with their cries?

 3 Yea, O Lord, ^ahow long shall they suffer these wrongs and unlawful ^boppressions, before thine heart shall be softened toward them, and thy bowels be moved with ^ccompassion toward them?

And then the Lord answers in one of the most beautiful passages of scripture.

 7 My son, ^apeace be unto thy soul; thine ^badversity and thine afflictions shall be but a ^csmall moment;

 8 And then, if thou ^aendure it well, God shall exalt thee on high; thou shalt triumph over all thy ^bfoes.

 9 Thy ^afriends do stand by thee, and they shall hail thee again with warm hearts and friendly hands.

 10 Thou art not yet as Job; thy ^afriends do not contend against thee, neither charge thee with transgression, as they did Job.

I try to remember that my time here on this earth is such a small span in time compared to the eternities. I pray daily and ask the Lord to help me ENDURE MY TRIALS WELL. I am reminded of Job who lost EVERYTHING, friends, wealth, family, job, home and everything else he possessed and he still praised the Lord and continued to commune with him in love.

I wanted to share with ya'll some of my favorite quotes that I have come to cherish through out the last few years. Some of these quotes have come to me at different times in my life, while I was experiencing different trials and they have helped lift me to a higher, more peaceful and Christ centered plain.

"Every calamity that can come upon mortal beings will be suffered to come upon the few, to prepare them to enjoy the presence of the Lord.... Every trial and experience you have passed through is necessary for your salvation." -Brigham Young

"Don't be upset at something that is happening at 9 in the morning, when the grace of God is trying to reward you at 6 in the evening." - Elder Jeffery R. Holland

"God loves us just the way we are, but he loves us enough to not leave us like this. He is not done with us yet. He knows we can be better and he wants that for us." -Brad Wilcox

Jeremiah 31:16-17
"Thus saith the Lord: Refrain they voice from weeping, and thine eyes from tears: for thy work shall be rewarded, saith the Lord.... and there is hope in thine end, saith the Lord."

"Why did the Lord put Abraham through the experience of being asked to sacrifice his own son? Obviously God knew that Abraham would be willing to do anything God commanded, and if that was so, why did the Lord put him through such a test? Abraham needed to learn something about Abraham." -Hugh B. Brown

When we withhold nothing from the Lord he will withhold nothing from us.

"The Saviors gift of grace to us is not necessarily limited in time to 'after' all we can do. We may receive his grave before, during and after the time when we expend our own efforts." - Bruce C. Hafen

"Grace shall be like a day. As dark as night may become we can always count on the sun coming up. As dark as our trials, sins and mistakes may appear, we can always have confidence in the Grace of Jesus. We don't earn a sunrise. It always just comes. It's constant."-Brad Wilcox

"It was meant to be that life would be a challenge. To suffer some anxiety, some depression, some disappointment, even some failure is normal. Teach our members that if they have a good miserable day once in awhile, or several in a row, to stand steady and face them. Things will straighten out. There is great purpose in our struggle in life."-Boyd K. Packer

"For the last days are not for the faint of heart or the spiritually out of shape. There will be days when we feel defeated, exhausted and plain old beat-up by life's whiplash. People we love will disappoint us and we will disappoint them. We'll almost certainly struggle with some kind of physical appetite, and perhaps several. Some days it will feel as though the veil between heaven and earth is made of reinforced concrete. And we may even face a crisis of faith. In fact, we can count on experiencing trials that will test our faith because how do we know if we really have a testimony, if we'll really obey, if we really want to be honest and chaste and virtuous, and if we really believe in Jesus Christ, if those things aren't put to the test."- Sheri Dew

(The quote by Sheri Dew came to me during a time when I was experiencing a great trial. I had just gotten diagnosed with Graves Disease and the world seemed very bleak. I laid in bed for days wallowing in my own self pity. I had a friend come lay in bed with me and try to make me feel better but nothing seemed to help. After a few days I asked my husband for a Priesthood blessing, {go here to find out more about those} I needed to feel peace and comfort and needed to find the faith and strength to get back on my feet and start enduring well my trial. My blessing was beautiful and brought me great strength. I was told that my trial would not last forever and that through my experiences I would be able to help other people. I was told that my trial was not mine alone but that it would be for other people's good as well. I was told to share my story and help others find their strength through my strength and faith in the Lord. At the end of the blessing, with tears rolling down my face I felt the great power of my Savior and I realized that I could not tell him no. I could not ask for my trial to be taken from me because it was not just a trial for me, it was a trial to bless others. How could I say no to that? How could I tell the Lord that I didn't want the blessings that would come through this trial? I moved on from that blessing with comfort and strength and that very same night I ran across the quote by Sheri Dew. I was not exempt from trials because I had faith in the Lord. I was not the only one experiencing trials that shook ones self to their very core. I want to let my Lord shape me and mold me into who he needs me to be. He sees my great potential and I often times need to pass through trials to understand my strength and to strengthen my testimony.)

"The Lord allows us to be tried and tested, sometimes to our maximum capacity. We have seen the lives of loved ones, and maybe our own, figuratively burned to the ground and have wondered why a loving and caring Heavenly Father would allow such things to happen. But he doesn't leave us in the ashes; he stands with open arms, eagerly inviting us to come to him. He is building our lives into magnificent temples where his spirit can dwell eternally.”-Linda Reeves

"There will be times when you will walk a path strewn with thorns and marked by struggle. There may be times when you feel detached—even isolated—from the Giver of every good gift. You worry that you walk alone. Fear replaces faith. When you find yourself in such circumstances, I plead with you to remember prayer."- Thomas S. Monson

Prayer can change the darkest of nights into the most brightest and glorious of days. There is great Power and Strength in falling to our knees in fervent, soul searching prayer. The Lord has promised us access to all of his great Love and all of his great Power, we need only ask. Knock and it shall be opened to you, seek and yea shall find. I hope that when we are all going through such all consuming trials that we turn to the Lord and pour our hearts out unto him. When we pour out our sufferings, our sorrows, our unbelief and our pain unto the Lord in sacred prayer he is able to pour back into us peace, comfort, strength and ultimate endurance. Turn to the Lord in times of sorrow and in times of peace, he is always there, no matter how long it has been since you last spoke with him. He is anxiously awaiting our call to him.

PS. I wrote this a few days ago and just got around to posting it.

How would the Lord plead your case?

I absolutely LOVE listening to conference talks. It brings such peace and clarity into my hectic life. I listen to them while I am cooking, cleaning, eating and driving. I love to listen to the words and pondering on the messages. I try to go read the ones that really touched me later and write my thoughts on them in my Spiritual Journal. I find on the days that I don't make/take the time to listen to a few talks that I have a much harder time being a long suffering and patient mother.
Life with 4 kids who are all still little and need me for so many things physically, is exhausting. I need constant nourishment and strength and I find that strength in listening to conference talks.
I can get a lot done while listening to the talks so it fits in perfect with my crazy life.

 I was listening to talks from the April 1991 General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and I absolutely fell in love with this talk.
 I love the way that he paints such a real picture of a trial while he talks.
I love the way that he talks about Satan and his counsel and how smart and "brilliant" they can be.

"Citing several of you by name, he said, “If these defendants have lived this long and have not yet taken serious steps to qualify for their ultimate inheritance, why should we waste further time of the court? Let us simply enter judgment against them now and be done with it.” So powerful was his presentation that many in the public gallery applauded when he concluded."

After I heard this talk I pondered for a long time (and continue to ponder) on the things he said. I asked myself, "What facts have I given Jesus Christ, my chief Advocate, to present on my behalf?"
Have I given Satan plenty of material to work with to try "prove" that I am not worthy of my Inheritance? Or do I live my life so that he and his counsel have very little to use against me?
Are my daily acts in keeping with the kind of person who Christ can defend beautifully?

"Humbly, softly, meaningfully, and compellingly, he pled your case. I knew the impact he was having when I saw tears streaming down the cheeks of many in the courtroom. I don’t remember all of his arguments and logic, but I do remember him saying that man is a little lower than the angels (see Ps. 8:5) and that the worth of souls is great (seeD&C 18:10). In one of the most majestic moments, his eyes filled with compassion and his voice quivering with indignation, he admonished, “He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone.” (John 8:7.)......no one has the right to judge the sum total of a man’s life until that life has been lived."

Fortunately for you, your life’s facts can still be created. No matter how long you have lived, no matter how many mistakes you have made, your life’s story can still be changed. It can still be written. It is not too late. Please, I plead with you, help him to help you win your ultimate inheritance.

I hope that this talk touches you the way that it touched me.
I am so glad I was blessed to hear this talk.

"The Ultimate Inheritance"- Cree Kofford
You can watch or listen to it here. I highly recommend listening to the talk. They way that the speaker can paint a picture with his words and his voice is amazing. His voice reminds me of one of those old radio shows that people would listen too, before tvs came along. Seriously one of the best voices!

Standing at this historic pulpit with memories of those men and women who have stood here before me filling my thoughts, I am reminded of the admonition given to Moses when he was told, “Put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground.” (Ex. 3:5.)

I pray that as I stand upon this holy ground I may do so with my shoes from off my feet.

I desire to teach you concerning matters of eternal significance. In doing so I shall speak allegorically, which simply means that I will teach by using a story which has symbolic meanings.

In an allegorical sense, I am here today as a member of the trial team assembled by your chief advocate. We have now received the legal action in which each of you has been named as a party defendant. I and others of the trial team have reviewed the pleadings carefully and have confirmed that the real purpose of opposing counsel is to prove that you are noteligible to receive your ultimate inheritance. Our adversary’s trial team is even now working tirelessly to assemble the facts necessary to bring about your defeat.

By virtue of motions made, heard, and previously decided, we have been compelled to produce, on behalf of each of you, all records relating to your business and personal transactions. These include a schedule of your neighbors, friends, and business acquaintances. Additionally, full disclosure concerning your spouse, your children, your parents, and members of your extended family has been made.

You should know that our adversary is prepared to spend such time, effort, and money as is necessary to deprive you of your inheritance. They have already expended untold millions of dollars in preparing their case against each of you. They have hired gifted, talented, and experienced people to work for them. They intend to win!

Fortunately, you are represented by the most skilled, capable, and diligent counsel I have ever seen. It’s amazing to watch him as he argues on your behalf before the Supreme Judge.

For example, our adversary brought a motion seeking an order that some of you have already forfeited your rights to your ultimate inheritance and therefore a summary judgment should be entered against you. I must admit he was brilliant in his presentation. For a time it seemed to me that he would prevail. Many of the court personnel were nodding their heads in seeming agreement with him. His argument was powerful.

Citing several of you by name, he said, “If these defendants have lived this long and have not yet taken serious steps to qualify for their ultimate inheritance, why should we waste further time of the court? Let us simply enter judgment against them now and be done with it.” So powerful was his presentation that many in the public gallery applauded when he concluded.

You could have heard a pin drop when your chief advocate arose. The suspense in the courtroom was electrifying. What arguments could he possibly make that would overcome those just presented? I wish you could have been there.

In contrast to the bombastic and cynical arguments of opposing counsel, your advocate began your defense as a trickle and built to the force of a mighty river. Humbly, softly, meaningfully, and compellingly, he pled your case. I knew the impact he was having when I saw tears streaming down the cheeks of many in the courtroom. I don’t remember all of his arguments and logic, but I do remember him saying that man is a little lower than the angels (see Ps. 8:5) and that the worth of souls is great (seeD&C 18:10). In one of the most majestic moments, his eyes filled with compassion and his voice quivering with indignation, he admonished, “He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone.” (John 8:7.)

He went on to argue that “this life is the time for men to prepare to meet God” (see Alma 34:32) and closed with a breathtaking summary in which he said no one has the right to judge the sum total of a man’s life until that life has been lived.

There was silence in the room when he finished, silence broken only by the voice of the Supreme Judge announcing his decision: “Motion of counsel for the plaintiffs is denied. The issues sought to be summarily decided here are better left until trial of this matter on the merits,” he said.

Now, in preparation for your appearance on the witness stand, you should be advised that, in the law, we have what are known as threshold questions. These are simply questions that are the point of beginning, or the starting place. The threshold question in your trial is, Do you love the Lord God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind? (See Matt. 22:37.) If the answer is no, there will be a motion for judgment against you. That motion will be granted.

On the other hand, if you answer yes, opposing counsel will immediately test the validity of your answer with the question, Do you keep his commandments? (See John 14:15.) A negative response will reveal your fraud, and you will stand judged by your own testimony. If your answer is in the affirmative, there will then follow hours, perhaps days, of questions, each designed to prove that you do not, in fact, keep his commandments. Among those questions will be the following:

1. 1. 
   Do you love your neighbor as yourself? (See Matt. 22:39.)
2. 2. 
   Do you place worldly pursuits or personal pleasures above your service to God? (See Ex. 20:3.)
3. 3. 
   Do you take the name of the Lord God in vain? (See Ex. 20:7.)
4. 4. 
   Do you keep the Sabbath day holy? (See Ex. 20:8.)
5. 5. 
   Do you honor your father and mother? (See Ex. 20:12.)
6. 6. 
   Do you commit adultery or fornication? (See Ex. 20:14.)
7. 7. 
   Do you steal? (See Ex. 20:15.)
8. 8. 
   Do you bear false witness? (See Ex. 20:16.)
9. 9. 
   Do you covet? (See Ex. 20:17.)

Remember, opposing counsel and his trial team will be fully conversant with your conduct and behavior. Witnesses will have been subpoenaed by them to testify against you. Your neighbors will present their testimony concerning your conduct with them. Those who have observed your Sabbath day activity will be called to the stand. On each point where you are vulnerable, witnesses will be produced to contradict your sworn testimony.

As your counsel we will, of course, be equally well prepared. Your chief counsel will produce every witness favorable to you and elicit from them every fact which may be used on your behalf.

However, one thing is clear—the ultimate outcome of your case is dependent upon the facts which you provide. There’s an old adage among trial lawyers that says, “We don’t make the facts, we only present them.” The facts which represent your life are the facts that will ultimately determine your victory or your defeat.

That is one of the reasons I have come today. I have been asked to see that you are clearly informed concerning this matter and to urge you, where necessary, to create facts which will allow the Supreme Judge to find on your behalf. Fortunately for you, your life’s facts can still be created. No matter how long you have lived, no matter how many mistakes you have made, your life’s story can still be changed. It can still be written. It is not too late. Please, I plead with you, help him to help you win your ultimate inheritance.

Now before closing, I should like to express my deep love to Ila, who is my sweetheart and my heartbeat. I honor her and the womanhood which she so elegantly represents. I love our five children, who are my best friends, and our twelve grandchildren, who regularly teach me the joy of unconditional love.

In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, amen.