Day 30

God is in the details. Today is the "last day" of the program. I say "last day" because I am going to try to do this the rest of my life. God sometimes uses coincidences to influence our lives. Today is 8-28.

Today was one of the best days I've had for a long time. Not that the other days were miserable, but rather I had so much fun just being with my family. I had so much fun walking around outside with my daughter and holding my son.

"And so great were their afflictions that every soul had cause to mourn; and they believed that it was the judgments of God sent upon them because of their wickedness and their abominations; therefore they were awakened to a remembrance of their duty." - Alma 4:3

I think physically kneeling while praying shows that we are humble, ready to receive from God, the guidance He knows we need.

Day 29

Pray for those standing up for freedom. They need our prayers, but we all need to be standing for freedom.

I didn't read this morning, because I woke up late and put the dishes away for my wife instead. I figured God would be happier with me serving my wife than with me reading the scriptures in the morning. I read tonight though.

God is in the details. I will be finishing the program tomorrow. I read Prov. 29:11 today and it means to me think before you speak. I think it is appropriate.

I'm trying to let the Holy Ghost lead what to say in this post and in tomorrows post. It is hard.

There is a war going on right now. Although the battles are for men's souls, God WILL win. 'Who's on the Lord's side?' (LDS Hymn Book) These are the impressions I had as I read Alma 2.

Day 28

I'm almost done! However, I haven't done very well at waking up early. But you know what, I did better at waking up early these past 28 days then I would have if I didn't set the goal. So goals work, sometimes we don't accomplish our goals, but we do accomplish more with a goal than without a goal. I am grateful to God that I have so much.

Day 15

Not much to say except children are so wonderful. They always make me smile.

Mosiah 18
 - If we do this in our marriages, then nothing will tear us apart.
"And he commanded them that there should be no contention one with another, but that they should look forward with one eye, having one faith and one baptism, having their hearts knit together in unity and in love one towards another." - verse 21

Day 13

I've been trying to figure out what I'm to do in this blog.

I've been trying to let God direct me. I hope to be appreciative of everything I have in life without it being taken away. Because most of the time we don't appreciate it until it's gone. We don't appreciate people until they are gone. I hope to love others more with out having to go through a big tragedy.

That is what I learned this morning. The little moments matter. Every second is a choice. It is harder sometimes than at other times.

I loved holding my little boy while he looked up at me. Touching my chin with his tiny fingers.

I loved playing with my little girl before going to work, instead of just leaving because I didn't have time. She is so wonderful. I hope that I can tell her that enough. It was fun stacking blocks and knocking them down, while my wife got a few more minutes of sleep.

I loved watching my wife wake up to see her little girl smiling with the biggest grin on her face, giggling.

Mosiah 16-17
 - The only path to God is the one that Christ made, which we can make it, but only with His help.
 - Stand up to evil men. Stand up for good men.

Day 5

Trying to catch up, so it may not make sense.

Matt. 3
 - The Kingdom of God is always close at hand, because I could go there right now if God wanted.
 - Why did Jesus, the Son of God, go to a man that to me is dressed in rags, that was over 50 miles away? Because John the Baptist had the authority.
 - Even leaders need to repent. I say this because my wife and I have been watching 24. (don't watch this show if your trying to do something like this to be productive)
 - We must bring good fruit - service, teach about God
 - God uses trials to separate the good from the bad, the righteous from the wicked.
 - I am so grateful that other people's worthiness/actions/decisions doesn't determine or affect my salvation. Even if I were put in prison for the rest of my life (for doing nothing wrong), I am the only one that can work out my own salvation. Christ was baptized in order to be perfect.
 - God, Jesus, and the Holy Ghost are all present when Christ was baptized. That's how crucial baptism is.

1 Nephi 1:3
 - I know The Book of Mormon is true. I feel closer to God as I read it, just like I do when I read the Bible.

Mosiah 11:1-18
 - Following one person can be very bad, unless that one person is God or Christ.
 - The king surrounded himself with bad people to make it seem okay. 'Everyone else does it.'
 - We labor to support the government. Is the government good? The foundation of the government is.
 - It's okay to have nice things and maybe even to have extravagant things, but not if that is where our heart is. Not if we raise ourselves above others. Not if we say look at me instead of God.
 - If we have money it's to help the poor. To help them help themselves.
 - We need to be ready for satan's little attacks too. The flocks that get scattered by the Lamanites are like our friends, family. God is trying to keep us together and satan is trying to scatter us like a wolf scatters sheep.
 - We should never say I did it, but praise God. Say God gave me the strength to do it.
 - We should delight in serving God and others.
 - There are 'guards' at our doors. Are they good or bad? The good guards keep us safe and warn us. The bad guards restrict us, until all we can do to get free is pray to God. The guards are our choices we make. When we make good choices, the Holy Spirit becomes a guard too.

2 Nephi 33:1-4
 - I feel exactly like this.

Day 4

I didn't do much today.

Day 3

I read Matt. 2 and had these questions, thoughts, inspirations:
 - Would I be willing to travel that far, as far as the wise men did, after seeing a star in the sky?
 - What about if I didn't see a sign?
 - The Jewish leaders knew The Christ was going to be born in Bethlehem, but still didn't think it was Jesus Christ that was The Christ.
 - It's sometimes interesting to see how prophecies come true, like Jesus being a Nazareth. It was prophesied that The Christ would be a Nazarean and Joseph, Jesus' father, took them to Nazareth because he was afraid of the king that took Herod's place.

I then read 1 Nephi 1:1
It talks about making a record in the language of his fathers. I felt like I'm trying to do that with this blog. I want to share the things I learn in the language of my fathers.

Day 2

Slept in.

It's so nice to sleep in, but I didn't do it on purpose. I forgot to set my alarm. At least I wasn't late for work.

Day 1

I woke up at 5:15 am this morning.

I will share my schedule either in a few days or after the first 30 days are over.

I read Matt. 1 and here are the thoughts/impressions I had.
- Why was Christ born the way he was?
- - So Mary would be pure, because He was, is, and needed to be pure
- - He is the First and the Last. He literally was the first to be born to the virgin Mary.
- - There was no other way for Christ to be born that way if He was the son of God

I then read the Introduction to a book I love and cherish like the Bible and here are the thoughts/impressions I had.
- Don't judge me on my mistakes. God is perfect, I'm not.
- The book I am talking about starts in 600 BC with a prophet named Nephi. His father, Lehi, is warned by God to leave Jerusalem because it is going to be destroyed. They leave and eventually come to Central America. They keeps records of God's dealings with them. These records are kept until about 450 AD when all the people eventually become wicked and destroy all the righteous. Those that remain are the beginning of the American Indians.
- This book doesn't take away from the Bible, it absolutely adds to it. As does the Bible add to this book.
- Think about it this way. If I had two children, hey I do, I would talk to both of them, right? Even if they lived in two different places, I would still want to stay in touch with them. So, we are God's children. There were people in Jerusalem that He was talking to, or trying to, and there were people here in Central America that He was talking to also.
- The best part, I feel is 3 Nephi 11, when Christ comes to visit the people in Central America after He was resurected.
- This book, said by the prophet who translated it, Joseph Smith, "[is] the most correct of any book on earth."
- I would like to invite you to read this amazing book. I know it is true and along with the Bible will help you and me become a better person. God is in the Bible and He is in this book. I know with all my heart that The Book of Mormon is true!

I had a few minutes, so I read 1 Nephi 1:1 and here are the thoughts/impressions I had.
- This is going to be my motto.
"I, Nephi, having been born of goodly parents, therefore I was taught somewhat in all the learning of my father; and having seen many afflictions in the course of my days, nevertheless, having been highly favored of the Lord in all my days; yea, having had a great knowledge of the goodness of God, therefore I make a record of my proceedings in my days."