WatchOut!

http://tofw.com/Watch-Out-Kris-Belcher/s/1032

Tripple the Faith

This is an email from a new friend whose tripplets were diagnosed with the same eye cancer I had as an infant.  I am impressed with her faith and trust in Father.

Kris,

I just wanted to tell you that I just finished reading hard times and holy places. It was so beautifully written, I couldn't put it down. I have so much to ponder and think about now. Thank you for being so open and sharing your story. I feel like the biggest thing I really took to heart, is that utilizing the atonement when we suffer not only allows Christ to help us endure, but it helps us become more like him. I like to be an independent person, but since having triplets I have had to accept a lot if help. Sometimes I feel like because I take way more service than I give, I'm not showing charity and growing more like Christ. But that isn't true! I have become much more like him recently because I can't cope with life unless he is right by my side helping me endure. Thank you for helping me realize this.

Also, I love the concept of holy places during hard times. When my triplets were first diagnosed [with eye cancer], I can't even begin to describe the pain and sorrow I experienced. I had a real moment where I had to make the decision to become angry and bitter at God, or to decide to accept what happened and allow God and Christ to help me overcome my sadness. From the moment I humbled myself and prayed for help, I felt my burdens lighten, and peace enter my body. In the last 4.5 months, that peace has never left me. Sure hard things have happened, but I know God and Christ are right by my side helping us make the best decisions for our boys and giving us peace.

Anyways, I do have to admit that you scared me a little. I honestly don't know of anyone who has come close to suffering as much physically as you have. As I read the book, I kept thinking as I'm sure you have thought many times, Heavenly Father wouldn't dare allow ANOTHER trial. I often think that since all 3 retinoblastoma, God wouldn't dare allow anything else bad to happen to them. But I worry that my boys may not be finished with their trials yet either. At the moment, their prognosis seems good, but it is so hard not to worry. They each have one really good eye with no tumors affecting their central vision. Thomas had his right eye removed right at the beginning. Mason had his left eye removed a couple months after. Luke actually lost his sight in his left eye due to a mishap during surgery. I continue to feel such peace that things will be ok. But I'm starting to realize that it doesn't always mean that miracles will happen. It means that God is completely aware and in control of our situation and he will help us overcome whatever obstacles come before us. We just have to live life one day at a time and like you said, we need to live with hope. Even though so many things could go wrong with the boys still, I have just decided I will hope and expect for the best. If the best doesn't happen, I know I have Christ to rely on and I have no need to worry.

Selfies

A great friend of mine has issued me a challenge, and I wanted to pass it along.  If you're interested, send me your findings.
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I'm starting my own "happiness project". I'm issuing you a challenge. Details won't come for awhile.

Here's the rules: you have to spend 4 hours or more completely alone. Go anywhere you want but you have to take selfies at each stop.

Then...write a short story or paragraph on your experience. Send me your selfies and story.

In?

Beauty for Ashes

Please check this out.  My sweet friend and her husband are posting their journey through his drug rehab.  It's very tender and they need help.

http://thebeautyforashesproject.wordpress.com/

You Are Invited

 

I invite you to join me and my friend Ruth Holmes at The Vibrant LDS Woman Summit.

I’m honored to be a featured speaker alongside 12 other great women.

We share our tips, strategies and inspiring stories. Join me March 25^th-April 3^rd!

 

 Have you ever stayed awake at night thinking:

 

• How can I experience more joy?
• How can I prioritize God and Christ in my life?
• How can I be more present with my family?

 

Save Your Spot Here: http://bit.ly/VibrantLDSWomanSummit

 

The More Beautiful the Diamond

I just read this in a missionary’s letter and loved it.  It is so true of this mortal life.    Sometimes the flames are so hot,that  it is difficult to imagine any good coming out of the fire.  But, it is all part of the polishing process.

 

“Being on a Mission is like jumping right into the refiners fire. There is nothing that even compares with the hardships that I have had in my life, to this one. But, the more heat, and the more pressure, the more beautiful the diamond right?”

The Nature of God

I've been studying about God and his attributes with my Sunday School class and found this quote filled with a description of God.  I think it is amazing!  I invite you to choose one characteristic and study it this week.  Let me know what you find.   I'm grateful that we, through revelation, can know our Father. 

"In section 20 of the Doctrine and Covenants, which directed the Prophet Joseph Smith to organize the Church again in this dispensation, we have a revealed summary of some of the basic doctrines of salvation. As to Deity the revelation says: “… there is a God in heaven, who is infinite and eternal, from everlasting to everlasting the same unchangeable God, the framer of heaven and earth, and all things which are in them.” (D&C 20:17.) …

God is our Father; he is the being in whose image man is created. He has a body of flesh and bones as tangible as man’s (D&C 130:22), and he is the literal and personal father of the spirits of all men. He is omnipotent and omniscient; he has all power and all wisdom; and his perfections consist in the possession of all knowledge, all faith or power, all justice, all judgment, all mercy, all truth, and the fullness of all godly attributes. … If we are to have that perfect faith by which we can lay hold upon eternal life, we must believe in God as the possessor of the fullness of all these characteristics and attributes. I say also that he is an infinite and eternal being, and as an unchangeable being, he possesses these perfected powers and attributes from everlasting to everlasting, which means from eternity to eternity.⁶

We know that our Heavenly Father is a glorified, exalted personage who has all power, all might, and all dominion, and that he knows all things. We testify that he, through his Only Begotten Son, is the Creator of this earth and of worlds without number."

Presidents of the Church: Joseph Fielding Smith, Chapter 1