Priorities

On the table, side by side,
You'll find the Scriptures and the TV Guide.
One is well-worn and cherished with pride,
Not the scriptures, but the TV Guide.
One is used daily to help folks decide.
Nope, not the Scriptures, but the TV Guide.
As pages are turned, what will the see?
Oh, it doesn't matter-turn on the TV.
So, they open the book from which they confide.
No, not the Scrptures, but the TV Guide.
The Word of God is seldom read.
Maybe a verse or two, just before bed.
Exhaused, sleepy, tired as can be-
Not from reading the Scri-tures, but from watching TV.
So, on the table, side by side,
you'll find the Scriptures and the TV Guide.
The Plan of Salvation is full and free.
But, it's found in the Scriptures, not the TV.
Author Unknown

I wonder what would happen if we treated our Bible like we treat our cell

phones?



What if we carried them around in our purses or pockets?



What if we turned back to go get them if we forgot them?



What if we flipped through them several times a day?



What if we used them to receive messages from the text?



What if we treated them like we couldn't live without them?



What if we gave them to kids as gifts?



What if we used them as we traveled?



What if we used them in case of an emergency?



What if we upgraded them to get the latest version?



This is something to make you go...hmmm...where are my scriptures?



Oh, and one more thing. Unlike our cell phone, we don't ever have to worry

about our scriptures being disconnected because Jesus already paid the bill!



AUTHOR UNKNOWN

Service

Seek out the homeless
Endowment session at the temple
Research family history
Visit the sick
Involving the elderly in activities
Church callings
Encourage missionaries through letters

Beauty

AUTHOR UNKNOWN
Beauty Tips
1. For attractive lips, speak words of kindness
2. For lovely eyes, Seek out the good in people
3. For a slim figure, Share your food with the hungry
4. For beautiful hair. Let a child run their fingers through it once a day
5. For poise, Walk with the knowledge you'll never walk alone,

People even more than things, have to be restored, renewed, revived, reclaimed and redeemed; Never throw out anybody.
Remember, if you ever need a helping hand, you'll find two at the ends of your arms.
As you grow older, you will discover that you have two hands, one for helping yourself, the other for helping others.

The beauty of a woman is not in the clothes she wears,
the figure that she carries, or the way she combs her hair.
The beauty of a woman must be seen from in her eyes,
because that is the doorway to her heart, the place where love resides.
The beauty of a woman is not in a facial mole,
but true beauty in a woman is reflected in her soul
It is the caring that she lovingly gives, the passion that she shows,
And the beauty of a woman with passing years, only grows.

Remember, YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL!

Two Brothers

Once upon a time two brothers, who lived on adjoining farms, fell into conflict.

It was the first serious rift in 40 years of farming side by side, sharing machinery, and trading labor and goods as needed without a conflict. Then the long collaboration fell apart. It began with a small misunderstanding and it grew into a major difference, and finally it exploded into an exchange of bitter words followed by weeks of silence.

One morning there was a knock on John's door. He opened it to find a man with a carpenter's tool box. "I'm looking for a few days' work" he said. "Perhaps you would have a few small jobs here and there I could help with? Could I help you?" "Yes," said the older brother. "I do have a job for you."

"Look across the creek at that farm. That's my neighbor; in fact, it's my younger brother. Last week there was a meadow between us and he took his bulldozer to the river levee and now there is a creek between us. Well, he may have done this to spite me, but I'll do him one better."

"See that pile of lumber by the barn? I want you to build me a fence --an 8-foot fence -- so I won't need to see his place or his face anymore."

The carpenter said, "I think I understand the situation. Show me the nails and the post-hole digger and I'll be able to do a job that pleases you."

The older brother had to go to town, so he helped the carpenter get the materials ready and then he was off for the day. The carpenter worked hard all that day measuring, sawing, nailing. About sunset when the farmer returned, the carpenter had just finished his job.

The farmer's eyes opened wide, his jaw dropped. There was no fence there at all. It was a bridge -- a bridge stretching from one side of the creek to the other! A fine piece of work, handrails and all -- and the neighbor, his younger brother, was coming toward them, his hand outstretched. "You are quite a fellow to build this bridge after all I've said and done." The two brothers stood at each end of the bridge, and then they met in the middle, taking each other's hands.

They turned to see the carpenter hoist his toolbox onto his shoulder. "No, wait! Stay a few days. I've a lot of other projects for you," said the older brother. "I'd love to stay on," the carpenter said, but I have many more bridges to build

AUTHOR UNKNOWN


Food for Thought:

Do you have any bridges

that you need to build?

Health Advice

I love this Doctor...
Q: I've heard that cardiovascular exercise can prolong life; is this true? 
A: Your heart is only good for so many beats, and that's it... don't waste them on exercise. Everything wears out eventually. Speeding up your heart will not make you live longer; that's like saying you can extend the life of your car by driving it faster. Want to live longer? Take a nap. 

Q: Should I cut down on meat and eat more fruits and vegetables? 
A: You must grasp logistical efficiencies. What does a cow eat? Hay and corn. And what are these? Vegetables. So a steak is nothing more than an efficient mechanism of delivering vegetables to your system. Need grain? Eat chicken. Beef is also a good source of field grass (green leafy vegetable). And a pork chop can give you 100% of your recommended daily allowance of vegetable products. 

Q: How can I calculate my body/fat ratio? 
A: Well, if you have a body and you have fat, your ratio is one to one. If you have two bodies, your ratio is two to one, etc. 

Q: What are some of the advantages of participating in a regular exercise program? 
A: Can't think of a single one, sorry. My philosophy is: No Pain...Good! 

Q: Aren't fried foods bad for you? 
A: YOU'RE NOT LISTENING!!! .... Foods are fried these days in vegetable oil. In fact, they're permeated in it. How could getting more vegetables be bad for you? 

Q: Will sit-ups help prevent me from getting a little soft around the middle? 
A: Definitely not! When you exercise a muscle, it gets bigger. You should only be doing sit-ups if you want a bigger stomach. 

Q: Is chocolate bad for me? 
A: Are you crazy? HELLO Cocoa beans! Another vegetable!!! It's the best feel-good food around! 

Q: Is swimming good for your figure? 
'If swimming is good for your figure, explain whales to me. 

Q: Is getting in-shape important for my lifestyle? 
A: Hey! 'Round' is a shape! 

Well, I hope this has cleared up any misconceptions you may have had about food and diets. 

And remember:
'Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways - Sparkling cider in one hand - chocolate in the other - body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming 'WOO HOO, What a Ride' 

AND......

For those of you who watch what you eat, here's the final word on nutrition and health. It's a relief to know the truth after all those conflicting nutritional studies. 

1. The Japanese eat very little fat and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.

2. The Mexicans eat a lot of fat and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans..

3. The Chinese drink very little red wine and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.

4. The Italians drink a lot of red wine and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.

5. The Germans drink a lot of beers and eat lots of sausages and fats and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans. 

CONCLUSION 
Eat and drink what you like. 
Speaking English is apparently what kills you.

TWO CHOICES

John is the kind of guy one often loves to hate. He is always in a good mood and always has something positive to say. When someone would ask him how he was doing, he would reply, 'If I were any better, I would be twins!'
He was a natural motivator.
If an employee was having a bad day, John was there telling the employee how to look on the positive side of the situation.
Seeing this style really made me curious, so one day I went up and asked him, 'I don't get it! You can't be a positive person all of the time. How do you do it?'
He replied, 'Each morning I wake up and say to myself, you have two choices today. You can choose to be in a good mood or...you can choose to be in a bad mood. I choose to be in a good mood. Each time something bad happens, I can choose to be a victim or...I can choose to learn from it. I choose to learn from it. Every time someone comes to me complaining, I can choose to accept their complaining or...I can point out the positive side of life. I choose the positive side of life.
'Yeah, right, it's not that easy,' I protested.
'Yes, it is,' he said. 'Life is all about choices. When you cut away all the junk, every situation is a choice. You choose how you react to situations. You choose how people affect your mood. You choose to be in a good mood or bad mood. The bottom line: It's your choice how you live your life.'
I reflected on what he said. Soon hereafter, I left the Tower Industry to start my own business. We lost touch, but I often thought about him when I made a choice about life instead of reacting to it.
Several years later, I heard that he was involved in a serious accident, falling some 60 feet from a communications tower.

After 18 hours of surgery and weeks of intensive care, he was released from the hospital with rods placed in his back. I saw him about six months after the accident.
When I asked him how he was, he replied, 'If I were any better, I'd be twins...Wanna see my scars?'
I declined to see his wounds, but I did ask him what had gone through his mind as the accident took place.
''The first thing that went through my mind was the well-being of my soon-to-be born daughter,' he replied. 'Then, as I lay on the ground, I remembered that I had two choices: I could choose to live or...I could choose to die. I chose to live.'
'Weren't you scared? Did you lose consciousness?' I asked.
He continued, '...the paramedics were great. They kept telling me I was going to be fine. But when they wheeled me into the ER and I saw the expressions on the faces of the doctors and nurses, I got really scared. In their eyes, I read 'he's a dead man'. I knew I needed to take action.'
'What did you do?' I asked.
'Well, there was a big burly nurse shouting questions at me,' said John. 'She asked if I was allergic to anything 'Yes, I replied.' The doctors and nurses stopped working as they waited for my reply. I took a deep breath and yelled, 'Gravity'
Over their laughter, I told them, 'I am choosing to live. Operate on me as if I am alive, not dead.'
He lived, thanks to the skill of his doctors, but also because of his amazing attitude...I learned from him that every day we have the choice to live fully. Attitude, after all, is everything.
Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
After all today is the tomorrow you worried about yesterday.
- Author Unknown

What God can use.

The next time you feel like GOD can't use you, just remember...

Noah was a drunk

Abraham was too old

Isaac was a daydreamer

Jacob was a liar

Leah was ugly

Joseph was abused

Moses had a stuttering problem

Gideon was afraid

Samson had long hair and was a womanizer

Rahab was a prostitute

Jeremiah and Timothy were too young

David had an affair and was a murderer

Elijah was suicidal

Isaiah preached naked

Jonah ran from God

Naomi was a widow

Job went bankrupt

Peter denied Christ

The Disciples fell asleep while praying

Martha worried about everything

Mary Magdalene was...

The Samaritan woman was divorced, more than once

Zaccheus was too small

Paul was too religious

Timothy had an ulcer..AND

Lazarus was dead!

Now! No more excuses!

God can use you to your full potential.

Besides you aren't the message, you are just the messenger.

And one more thing...Share this with a friend or two. ..

In the Circle of God's love, God's waiting to use your full potential.

1. God wants spiritual fruit, not religious nuts.

2. Dear God, I have a problem, it's Me.

3. Growing old is inevitable .. growing UP is optional.

4. There is no key to happiness. The door is always open.

5. Silence is often misinterpreted but never misquoted.

6. Do the math .. count your blessings.

7. Faith is the ability to not panic.

8. Laugh every day, it's like inner jogging.

9. If you worry, you didn't pray . If you pray, don't worry.

10. As a child of God, prayer is kind of like calling home everyday.

11. Blessed are the flexible for they shall not be bent out of shape.

12. The most important things in your house are the people.

13 When we get tangled up in our problems, be still. 
God wants us to be still so He can untangle the knot.

14. A grudge is a heavy thing to carry.

15 He who dies with the most toys is still dead.

Have a great day!!! The SON is shining and he can certainly use you!

F.H.E. Ideas

-Family T-shirt Making

-Greeting card making

-Family home evening planning, create a chart

-Scone making

-Twister

-Award Ribbon Night

-Home Hotel pretend

-Pick-nick at the park

-Scripture relay race

-Hum a hymn

-Primary song Sing along

-Dress up fashion show

-Milk shake SIPPING

-Balloon Bouncing relay races

-Shoe shining

-Alphabet activites

-Put on a skit using stuffed toys

-Flannel Board Story creations

-Pictionary

-Testimony meeting

-Secret pal week

-Room-Corner-Clean (Divide and conquer)

-Ice cream parlor

-Un-birthday party

-Scripture hunt

-Testimony treasure hunt

-Pancake creations

-

Dating After Marriage

“Love is like a flower, and like the body, it needs constant feeding. Love cannot be expected to last forever unless it is continually fed with portions of love, the manifestations of esteem and admiration, the expressions of gratitude, and the consideration of selfishness.” - Spencer W. Kimball

Keeping Romance in the marriage...

If you are feeling love, SAY IT!

Leave Love notes, nothing long, can still be completely cheesy, just a reminder.

Gifts, again, nothing fancy, unless you can afford it, just something to let them know you were thinking of them, can even be funny.

Time together! With out interuptions...

“Surely the same qualities and traits in you that first attracted [each other] are just as important in married life in keeping alive the flame of affection and romantic desire.” - Harold B. Lee

“Many couples permit their marriages to become stale and their love to grow cold like old bread, worn out jokes or cold gravy. Re-evaluate, renew your courting, express your affection, acknowledge kindness, increase consideration so your marriage can again become beautiful, sweet and growing.

Have date nights, try something new every once in a while.

Go out together and enjoy some of the same things you used to share.

Take mini-honey moons once in a while.

Take walk-and-talks

Work on a project together

Make Family T-Shirts

Make greeting cards

Plan FHE, create a chart

Make Scones

Play one on one games

Have a pillow fight, a water fight, or something similar



Have an indoor pick-nick with a basket, finger foods, flowers, candlelight

Have a night of music and massage

Go on a nature walk

Go on a scenic bike ride

Play Tennis

Go to a museum

Go Bowling

Take a scenic drive, no radio, just conversation!

Depending on where you live there may be a drive-in movie theater or a "Dollar" theater that may be cheaper than the regular theaters. Sometime you may have to wait a little longer to see a movie, but that's half the fun is the anticipation right? Also the drive-in can be a very nostalgic experience if you'd like to imagine your in another era....

Go Window shopping at the mall, Make a phony or real wish-list for the next gifting season: birthdays, father's/mother's day, Christmas, etc.

Make home made kites then go fly them

Go to the mall for ice cream, smoothies or some other treat and watch all the different people go buy, try to imagine what their lives may be like, just be careful not to point while laughing.

Go canoeing, or kayaking
Go horseback riding

Go see a play

Go Roller skating/ice skating

Go to the park, with a blanket/pick-nick, and a good book to read aloud to each other.

Go dancing

Play Pool in a billiards hall

Play air hockey

Plan a group date with another couple and play card &/or board games and eat snacks

Play dress up then go out to dinner in costume

Bake some cookies and give some away

Have an overnight camp out, in your own back yard or inside, do some star gazing

Go to the temple

Make smores in the back yard and invite neighbors &/or friends

Go out to share a cheap dessert and talk about memories together

Go to a local travel agency and plan a vacation (can be a small trip)

A Letter from Lucifer

I saw you yesterday as you began your daily chores. You awoke without kneeling to pray. As a matter of fact, you didn't even bless your meals, or pray before going to bed last night. You are so unthankful, I like that about you.

I cannot tell you how glad I am that you have not changed your way of living, Fool, you are mine. Remember, you and I have been going steady for years, and I still don't love you yet. As a matter of fact, I hate you, because I hate God. I am only using you to get even with God. He kicked me out of heaven, and I'm going to use you as long as possible to pay him back.

You see, Fool, GOD LOVES YOU and HE has great plans in store for you. But you have yielded your life to me and I'm going to make your life a living hell. That way we'll be together twice.

This will really hurt God. Thanks to you. I'm really showing Him who's boss in your life. With all of the good times we've had..... We have been watching dirty movies, cursing people out, partying, stealing, lying, hypocriting, fornicating, overeating, telling dirty jokes, gossiping, back-stabbing people, disrespecting adults and those in leadership position, NO respect for the church, bad attitudes: SURELY you don't want to give all this up.

Come on, Fool, let's burn together forever. I've got some hot plans for us. This is just a letter of appreciation from me to you. I'd like to say "THANKS" for letting me use you for most of your foolish life. You are so gullible, I laugh at you. When you are tempted to sin, you give in HA HA HA, you make me sick.

Sin is beginning to take its toll on your life. You look 20 years older, I need new blood. So go ahead and teach some children how to sin. All you have to do is smoke, drink alcoholic beverages, cheat, gamble, gossip, fornicate, and listen to and dance to the top 10 jams. Do all of this in the presence of children and they will do it too. Kids are like that.

Well, Fool, I have to let you go for now. I'll be back in a couple of seconds to tempt you again. If you were smart, you would run somewhere, confess your sins, live for God with what little bit of life that you have left. It's not my nature to warn anyone, but to be your age and still sinning, it's becoming a bit ridiculous. Don't get me wrong, I still hate you...... IT'S JUST THAT YOU'D MAKE A BETTER FOOL FOR CHRIST.

P.S. - And if you really love me, you won't share this letter with anyone.

Happiness

"If you understand the great plan of happiness and follow it, what goes on in the world will not determine your happiness." - Boyd K Packer, in Conference Report, Apr. 1994, 26

My Missionary Commission

My Missionary Commission
I am called of God. My authority is above that of the Kings of the Earth. Be revelation I have been selected as a personal representative of the Lord, Jesus Christ. He is my Master and He has chosen me to represent Him, to stand in His place, to say and do what He Himself would say and do if He personally were ministering to the very people to whom He has sent me. My voice is His voice and my acts are His acts. My words are His words and my doctrine is His doctrine. My commission is to do what He wants done, to say what He wants said, to be a living, modern witness in word and deed of the divinity of His great and marvelous latter-day work. How great is my calling!
-Elder Bruce R. McConkie

The Garbage Truck Philosophy

One day I hopped in a taxi and we took off for the airport. We were driving in the right lane when suddenly a black car jumped out of a parking space right in front of us. My taxi driver slammed on his brakes, skidded, and missed the other car by just inches!

The driver of the other car whipped his head around and started yelling at us. My taxi driver just smiled and waved at the guy. And I mean, he
was really friendly. So I asked, 'Why did you just do that? This guy almost ruined your car and sent us to the hospital! 'This is when my taxi driver taught me what I now call, 'The Law of the Garbage Truck.'

He explained that many people are like garbage trucks. They run around full of garbage, full of frustration, full of anger, and full of disappointment. As their garbage piles up, they need a place to dump it and sometimes they'll dump it on you. Don't take it personally.

Just smile, wave, wish them well, and move on. Don't take their garbage and spread it to other people at work, at home, or on the streets. The bottom line is that successful people do not let garbage trucks take
over their day. Life's too short to wake up in the morning with regrets, so - 
 _Love the people who treat you right. Pray for the ones who don't._


Life is ten percent what you make it and ninety percent how you take it!

Have a blessed, garbage-free day!

Attitude

Attitude

Author: Charles Swindoll

"The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It's more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failure, than successes, that what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill. It will make or break a company... a church... a home. The remarkable thing is we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we will embrace for the day. We cannot change our past... We cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude... I am convinced that life is 10 percent what happens to me and 90 percent how I react to it. And so it is with you...

An Atheist in the woods.

An atheist was walking through the woods. 'What majestic trees! 'What powerful rivers! 'What beautiful animals! He said to himself. As he was walking alongside the river,he heard a rustling in the bushes behind him. He turned to look. He saw a 7-foot grizzly bear charge towards him. He ran as fast as he could up the path. He looked over his shoulder & saw that the bear was closing in on him.. He looked over his shoulder again, & the bear was even closer. He tripped & fell on the ground. He rolled over to pick himself up but saw that the bear was right on top of him, reaching for him with his left paw & raising his right paw to strike him. At that instant the Atheist cried out, 'Oh my God!'

Time Stopped. The bear froze. The forest was silent. As a bright light shone upon the man, a voice came out of the sky. 'You deny my existence for all these years, teach others I don't exist and even credit creation to cosmic accident.' Do you expect me to help you out of this predicament? Am I to count you as a believer?

The atheist looked directly into the light, 'It would be hypocritical of me to suddenly ask you to treat me as a Christian now, but perhaps you could make the BEAR a Christian'?

Very well,' said the voice. The light went out. The sounds of the forest resumed. And the bear dropped his right paw, brought both paws together, bowed his head & spoke: 'Lord bless this food, which I am about to receive from thy bounty through Christ our Lord, Amen.'

The Shepherd

If you can't sleep, don't try counting sheep,
talk to The Shepherd!

Purple Hats

AUTHOR UNKNOWN
A Look In the Mirror Through the Ages

Age 8: Looks at herself and sees herself as a princess, pick your disney favorite.

Age 15: Looks at herself and sees as a fat princess with PMS and pimples, in other words U.G.L.Y. and refuses to go out looking like this.

Age 20: Looks at herself and sees "too fat/too thin, to short/to tall, too straight/too curly" - but decides she's going anyway.

Age 30: Looks at herself and sees "too fat/too thin, to short/to tall, too straight/too curly" - but too busy to fix it so she's going anyway.

Age 40: Looks at herself and sees "too fat/too thin, to short/to tall, too straight/too curly" - but says, "At least I'm clean." and goes anyway.

Age 50: Looks at herself and sees "I am" and goes where ever she wants to.

Age 60: Looks at herself and reminds herself of all the people who can't even see themselves in the mirror anymore. Goes out and conquers the world.

Age 70: Looks at herself and sees wisdom, laughter and ability, goes out and enjoys life.

Age 80: Doesn't bother to look, just puts on a purple hat and goes out to have fun.

Maybe we should all grab that purple hat a little earlier.

Make a Think

AUTHOR(s) UNKNOWN
Think about it...


If the #2 pencil is still the most popular why is it still #2?


If croutons are stale bread, why do they come in air tight packages?







Why does Donald Duck wear a towel when he comes out of the shower when he doesn't even usually wear pants.



How come you press harder on the remote when you know the battery is dead?





If Fed Ex and UPS were to merge, would they call it Fed UP?


If people from Poland are called Poles
Why aren't people from Holland called Holes?

If God sneezes, what should you say?


What is the speed of Dark?

If your feet smell and your nose runs, are you built upside down?

He who loses money loses much
He who loses a friend loses much more
He who loses faith loses all.

Learn from the mistake of others
You won't live long enough to make them all yourself

Yesterday is history,
Tomorrow is a mystery,
Today is a gift,
That is why they call it the present.

I love you, not only because of who you are,
but because of who I am when I am with you

Just because someone doesn't love you the way you want them to,
doesn't mean they don't love you to the best of their ability.

The worst way to miss someone is to be sitting right next to them.

Never frown, even when you are sad,
because you never know who may be falling in love with your smile.

To the world, you may be one person,
But to one person, you may be the world.

Maybe God wants us to meet a few wrong people first,
so that when we finally meet the right person we know how to be grateful.

Don't cry because it's over,
Smile because it happened.

Remember that whatever happens
Happens for a reason