043026, Thursday

 Vitals: 

     Weight: 230.6

     BP and Pulse: 102/63, 83

     GMI: 7.4   

     Reported Sleep: 5:05

     Yesterday's Steps: 3,718

Journal Entry:

Come Follow Me 

Leviticus 19: 9 And when ye reap the harvest of your land, thou shalt not wholly reap the corners of thy field, neither shalt thou gather the gleanings of thy harvest.

10 And thou shalt not glean thy vineyard, neither shalt thou gather every grape of thy vineyard; thou shalt leave them for the poor and stranger: I am the Lord your God.

"Because we are all brothers and sisters, we are all “neighbors,” though separated at times by distance, culture, religion, or race. Said the Prophet Joseph, “A man filled with the love of God, is not content with blessing his family alone, but ranges through the whole world, anxious to bless the whole human race.”  The Lord sets the example, “for he doeth that which is good among the children of men; … and he denieth none that come unto him, black and white, bond and free, male and female; and he remembereth the heathen; and all are alike unto God.”  

To provide for others in the Lord’s way, we strive to care for ourselves and sacrifice to help those in need. The poor labor for what they receive and seek the betterment of others as well.  This pattern has been with us from the beginning.  

The Church welfare plan embodies this divine pattern, and faithful Church members follow it. Their offerings provide succor to the widow, care to the orphan, and refuge to the suffering."

Bishop Keith B. McMullin, Second Counselor Presiding Bishopric 

042926, Wednesday

Vitals: 

     Weight: 232.3

     BP and Pulse: 

     GMI: 7.4    (finger prick = 177, CGM = 165)

     Reported Sleep: 5:10

     Yesterday's Steps: 3,622

Journal Entry:

Come Follow Me 

Leviticus 19: 2 Speak unto all the congregation of the children of Israel, and say unto them, Ye shall be holy: for I the Lord your God am holy.

"May the Lord bless us to be reverent, prayerful, full of worship and devotion, until we re-enter the holy presence of him who is our Father, I pray in the name of his son, the Lord Jesus Christ."

Elder Howard W. Hunter, Apostle 

042826, Tuesday

Vitals: 

     Weight: 230.6

     BP and Pulse: 109/74, 85

     GMI: 7.4    (finger prick = 124. CGM = 157)

     Reported Sleep: 7:09

     Yesterday's Steps: 7,309

Journal Entry:

Come Follow Me 

Leviticus 16: 9 And Aaron shall bring the goat upon which the Lord’s lot fell, and offer him for a sin offering.

10 But the goat, on which the lot fell to be the scapegoat, shall be presented alive before the Lord, to make an atonement with him, and to let him go for a scapegoat into the wilderness.

"When 12-year-old Jesus was found by His parents teaching in the temple, He told them that He had been “about [His] Father’s business.” And we can be too. Every calling, whatever it may be, is “His business” when embraced with a humble and willing heart and a desire to lift and comfort His children and share His good news. We are not merely filling an assignment when we respond to an inspired call but joining the Saviour of the world in His infinite, redeeming work. He needs you, and He needs me. Life is better—everything is better—when we are about His business."

Elder Patrick Kearon, Apostle 

042726, Monday

Vitals: 

     Weight: 228.8

     BP and Pulse: 118/69, 74

     GMI: 7.3

     Reported Sleep: 7:10

     Yesterday's Steps: 2,159

Journal Entry:

Come Follow Me 

Exodus 40: 13 And thou shalt put upon Aaron the holy garments, and anoint him, and sanctify him; that he may minister unto me in the priest’s office.

14 And thou shalt bring his sons, and clothe them with coats:

15 And thou shalt anoint them, as thou didst anoint their father, that they may minister unto me in the priest’s office: for their anointing shall surely be an everlasting priesthood throughout their generations.

Each person on earth is a beloved son or daughter of God. When we choose to be part of a covenant, it enhances and deepens our relationship with Him. President Russell M. Nelson has taught that when we choose to make covenants with God, our relationship with Him can become much closer than it was before our covenant, and it enables Him to bless us with an extra measure of His mercy and love, a covenantal love referred to as hesed in the Hebrew language. The covenant path is all about our relationship with God—our hesed relationship with Him.

Our Father wants a deeper relationship with all His sons and daughters, but it is our choice. As we choose to draw nearer to Him through a covenant relationship, it allows Him to draw nearer to us and more fully bless us.

042626, Sunday

Vitals: 

     Weight: 229.2

     BP and Pulse: 137/85, 58

     GMI: 7.3

     Reported Sleep: 5:46

     Yesterday's Steps: 4,846

Journal Entry:

We wrapped plastic around the base of our new boxwood bushes in order to protect them from being over watered during the rain storms that are predicted for today and tomorrow. We had noticed that some of the leaves had died and turned yellow and Cathy's research indicated that the plants might have received too much water recently. We are hoping we can protect them by wrapping the base areas with plastic. We'll see. It cost quite a bit of money to get those boxwoods installed and they look great but we need to protect them as much as we can while they are still newly planted. The nature of our front garden is that over watering can be detrimental.

Come Follow Me 

Exodus 34: 30 And when Aaron and all the children of Israel saw Moses, behold, the skin of his face shone; and they were afraid to come nigh him.

"Can one righteous [person] change the world? The answer is a resounding “yes!” You have the Holy Ghost as your guide, and He “will show … you all things … [you] should do.” It is the daily consistent things you do that will strengthen you to be a leader and an example—daily prayer, daily scripture study, daily obedience, daily service to others. As you do these things, you will grow closer to the Savior and become more and more like Him. Like Moses and Abinadi and other faithful leaders, your face will glow with the fire of your faith. “Have ye received his image in your countenances?” “Arise and shine forth.”

Sister Elaine S. Dalton, Second Counselor, Young Women General Presidency 

042526, Saturday

Vitals: 

     Weight: 228.6

     BP and Pulse: 113/66, 78

     GMI: 7.3

     Reported Sleep: 6:36

     Yesterday's Steps: 2,953

Journal Entry:

Come Follow Me 

Exodus 34: 10 And he said, Behold, I make a covenant: before all thy people I will do marvels, such as have not been done in all the earth, nor in any nation: and all the people among which thou art shall see the work of the Lord: for it is a terrible thing that I will do with thee.

11 Observe thou that which I command thee this day: behold, I drive out before thee the Amorite, and the Canaanite, and the Hittite, and the Perizzite, and the Hivite, and the Jebusite.

12 Take heed to thyself, lest thou make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land whither thou goest, lest it be for a snare in the midst of thee:

13 But ye shall destroy their altars, break their images, and cut down their groves:

14 For thou shalt worship no other god: for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God:

"The power of tradition...poses a significant danger...[W]e must reconcile our earthly culture with the doctrine of the everlasting gospel. This...involves embracing all that is spiritually elevating in our...traditions and discarding...traditions...which lead us away from performing holy ordinances and keeping sacred covenants. Our guide should be the doctrine taught by the scriptures and the prophets. Traditions which devalue marriage and family, abase women or do not recognize the majesty of their God-given roles, honor temporal success more than spiritual, or teach that reliance upon God is a weakness of character, all lead us away from eternal truths."

Elder Donald L. Hallstrom of The Seventy 

042426, Friday

Vitals: 

     Weight: 230.6

     BP and Pulse: 119/75, 67

     GMI: 7.2

     Reported Sleep: 4:01

     Yesterday's Steps: 2,309

Journal Entry:

Today was, I think, my last official training day for the Lindon Temple. Two weeks from today I will be, at lasr, officially functioning again as a Temple Worker. I'm really enjoying the training and I really believe this temple is being extremely well managed. This is the fourth temple wherein I will have served as an Ordinance Worker or as we are now designated, a "Temple Worker". I am learning more and more about the Gospel and especially about temple covenants. A great opportunity.

Come Follow Me 

Exodus 32: 1 And when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down out of the mount, the people gathered themselves together unto Aaron, and said unto him, Up, make us gods, which shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him.

"[C]arnal man tends to let his loyalty drift toward idols.

For example, we marvel at computers and the Internet that enable transmission of data with remarkable speed. We are truly grateful for these electronic servants. But if we let them take over our time, pervert our potential, or poison our minds with pornography, they cease being servants and become instead false gods.

The Master warned of those who “seek not the Lord to establish his righteousness, but every man walketh in his own way, and after the image of his own god, whose image is in the likeness of the world, and whose substance is that of an idol.”

False gods can only lead to dead ends. If our journey through life is to be successful, we need to follow divine direction."

Elder Russell M. Nelson, Apostle