062926, Monday

Weight: 232.1

BP and Pulse: 122/77, 71

GMI: 7.1, Glucose level:155 @ 0400, Three day Average: 173

Finger Prick:159

Reported Sleep: 5:56 (65)

Yesterday's Steps: 8,431

Journal Entry:

Come Follow Me:

1 Kings 12: 28 Whereupon the king took counsel, and made two calves of gold, and said unto them, It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem: behold thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.

"Jeroboam’s plan to rule the kingdom involved a mixture of good and evil. He established Shechem as the nation’s capital, a city of great religious significance to his people. But sadly he introduced satanic rituals into their worship.

Jeroboam convinced himself that some of God’s commandments were not applicable to him. As a result of his actions, all of his descendants were slain, and because of the heathen practices he had introduced into their sacred ordinances, the ten tribes of Israel were eventually driven from their inheritance.

...[O]ur partial or selective compliance with God’s laws will fail to bring the full blessings of obedience."

Elder Bruce A. Carlson of The Seventy, April 2010

062826, Sunday

Weight: 230.3

BP and Pulse: 129/84, 71

GMI: 7.0, Glucose level:149 @ 0410, Three day Average: 167

Finger Prick:

Reported Sleep: 6:11 (75)

Yesterday's Steps: 6,103

Journal Entry:

Come Follow Me:

1 Kings 11:9 And the Lord was angry with Solomon, because his heart was turned from the Lord God of Israel, which had appeared unto him twice,

10 And had commanded him concerning this thing, that he should not go after other gods: but he kept not that which the Lord commanded.

"Are we serving priorities or gods ahead of the God we profess to worship? Have we forgotten to follow the Savior who taught that if we love Him, we will keep His commandments? If so, our priorities have been turned upside down by the spiritual apathy and undisciplined appetites so common in our day."

Elder Dallin H. Oaks, Apostle 

062726, Saturday, New Name insights

Weight: 231.0

BP and Pulse: 115/75, 73

GMI: 7.0, Glucose level:173, Three day Average: 158

Finger Prick:

Reported Sleep: 7:22 (87)

Yesterday's Steps: 5,860

Journal Entry:

I was able to serve in Initiatories for the first part of my time in the temple. Then I closed with a half hour of Veil training. During that time, as with many other times, I have pondered the "New Name" we received during each of our Endowment ceremonies. As with many other parts of Heavenly Fathers plan, there are things I don't understand yet but I'm sure I will at some future time. In the mean time I remember mine and Cathy's. And that's what's important for now.

Ponder the following:

“The scriptures proclaim that the Savior’s atoning sacrifice was for those who “believe on his name.” Alma taught that Jesus Christ, the Son, the Only Begotten of the Father, would come “to take away the sins of the world, yea, the sins of every man who steadfastly believeth on his name.” (Alma 5:48; 9:27; 11:40; Hel. 14:2.) In the words of King Benjamin, “Whosoever doeth this shall be found at the right hand of God, for he shall know the name by which he is called; for he shall be called by the name of Christ.” (Mosiah 5:9.)

Thus, those who exercise faith in the sacred name of Jesus Christ and repent of their sins and enter into his covenant and keep his commandments (see Mosiah 5:8) can lay claim on the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Those who do so will be called by his name at the last day.”

Dallin H. Oaks, Apostle, April 1985, "Taking Upon Us the Name of Jesus Christ"

Come Follow Me 

1 Kings 8:56 Blessed be the Lord, that hath given rest unto his people Israel, according to all that he promised: there hath not failed one word of all his good promise, which he promised by the hand of Moses his servant.

"Brothers and sisters, I testify that God hears every prayer we offer and responds to each of them according to the path He has outlined for our perfection. I recognize that at roughly the same time so many were praying for the restoration of my health, an equal number—including me—were praying for the restoration of my wife’s health. I testify that both of those prayers were heard and answered by a divinely compassionate Heavenly Father, even if the prayers for Pat were not answered the way I asked. It is for reasons known only to God why prayers are answered differently than we hope—but I promise you they are heard and they are answered according to His unfailing love and cosmic timetable."

President Jeffrey R. Holland, Apostle 

062626, Friday

Weight: 232.3

BP and Pulse: 115/77, 75

GMI: 6.9, Glucose level:167, Three day Average: 148

Finger Prick:

Reported Sleep: 5:54 (69)

Yesterday's Steps: 3,835

Journal Entry:

Serving in the temple today starting at 0500.

Come Follow Me 

1 Kings 8:10 And it came to pass, when the priests were come out of the holy place, that the cloud filled the house of the Lord,

11 So that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud: for the glory of the Lord had filled the house of the Lord.

"On the outside of our temples, we place the words “Holiness to the Lord.” I know for myself that those words are true. The temple is a holy place where revelation comes to us easily if our hearts are open to it and we are worthy of it."

President Henry B. Eyring, Apostle 

062526, Thursday

Weight: 232.5

BP and Pulse: 110/68 (86

GMI: 6.9, Glucose level: 122 @ 0440, Three day Average: 149

Finger Prick:

Reported Sleep: 7:35 (85)

Yesterday's Steps: 4,356

Journal Entry:

Come Follow Me 

1 Kings 3:12 Behold, I have done according to thy words: lo, I have given thee a wise and an understanding heart; so that there was none like thee before thee, neither after thee shall any arise like unto thee.

13 And I have also given thee that which thou hast not asked, both riches, and honour: so that there shall not be any among the kings like unto thee all thy days.

"If you are willing to pay the price for success, good things, even great things, can happen to you, even beyond your fondest dreams and expectations!...We must recognize that our natural gifts and abilities are limited, but when augmented by inspiration and guidance of the Holy Ghost, our potential increases manyfold. You need help from a power beyond your own to do something extraordinarily useful. You...can have opportunities and receive blessings beyond your wildest dreams and expectations. Your future may not hold fame or fortune, but it can be something far more lasting and fulfilling. Remember that what we do in life echoes in eternity."

President James E. Faust, Apostle 

There is some modern research, Science of the Heart (vol. 2) 

An Overview of Research Conducted by 

the HeartMath Institute 

that indicates that in certain cases the heart can control the brain. I read some of it and it's very complex but when Heavenly Father suggests that "I have given thee a wise and an understanding heart" as is found in 1Kings 3:12, that is something to be considered seriously.

062426, Wednesday

Weight: 231.4

BP and Pulse: 125/79, 72

GMI: 7.0, Glucose level: 133 @ 0620, Three day Average: 148

Finger Prick:

Reported Sleep: 6:08, (72)

Yesterday's Steps: 4,358

Journal Entry:

I truly enjoy serving at the Bishops Storehouse. While it's true that we sometimes seem to sit around doing little as we wait for patrons to serve, we often are able to meet and serve those who have very desperate needs. It's rewarding to try to truly help people where we can. There was a time when a woman was in tears because she had no money for gasoline and though we had filled her order for food and supplies she wouldn't be able to get home because she was nearly out of gas. I asked her to follow me the short distance to Walmart where I could buy her some gas. She did and I put $30 worth of gasoline in her vehicle. She was tearfully grateful and gave me a hug. I'm not sure what happened to her later but I felt good about the short term help I gave her.

Yesterday another woman came to our desk. We had filled her order but she couldn't get her car to work. The motor would start but she couldn't get it into gear to even back up out of her parking place. Gordon Gibb and I went out to try to help her but neither of us could get her car working. She was, of course, pretty distraught. We do deal with people who are truly in need. Gordon suggested she call her Bishop for help. She ended up getting a ride from a friend and after transferring her food, etc. to the friends car, she left her car in our parking lot for the time being. 

I can't help thinking about her and hoping she will get the help she needs. We do deal with people who need help and while we do what we can for them we are constantly aware of the needy people in our world and we do what we can for them. I'm truly grateful to serve in a church that works hard and diligently to help needy people. 

Come Follow Me:

1 Kings 3:9 Give therefore thy servant an understanding heart to judge thy people, that I may discern between good and bad: for who is able to judge this thy so great a people?

"Although the Savior asked us not to judge others, He still expects us to use excellent judgment...Good judgment is needed not only in understanding people but also in facing decisions that often lead us to or away from our Heavenly Father...Many blessings in life are missed because worldly judgment was applied to what was really a spiritual decision."

Elder Gregory A. Schwitzer of The Seventy, April 2010

062326, Tuesday

 Weight: 231.0

BP and Pulse: 126/78, 75

GMI: 7.1, Glucose level: 125 @ 0415, Three day Average: 153

Finger Prick:

Reported Sleep: 7:13 (93)

Yesterday's Steps: 5,039

Journal Entry:

Come Follow Me:

2 Samuel 12:9 Wherefore hast thou despised the commandment of the Lord, to do evil in his sight? thou hast killed Uriah the Hittite with the sword, and hast taken his wife to be thy wife, and hast slain him with the sword of the children of Ammon.

"David commenced well the race, then faltered and failed to finish his course...Lust for power, greed of gold, and disdain for honor have ever appeared as faces of failure in the panorama of life. Captivated by their artificial attraction, many noble souls have stumbled and fallen, thus losing the crown of victory reserved for the finisher of life’s great race.

Concerning those who fall short, John Greenleaf Whittier’s words seem particularly fitting:

“For of all sad words of tongue or pen,

The saddest are these: ‘It might have been!’”

Elder Thomas S. Monson, Apostle