061526, Monday

Weight: 228.3

BP and Pulse: 117/78, 73

GMI: 7.2, Glucose level: 157 @ 0615,   Three day Average: 165

Finger Prick: 173 @ 0445

Reported Sleep: 6:33, (86)

Yesterday's Steps: 9,172

Journal Entry:

The teachings of prophets and other scriptural accounts are full of stories of miracles of all types. The general theme is that God, through prophets or other people or means, can literally do anything and often does things that can be described in no other way but miraculous. These actions can mistakenly cause some of us to wonder why God doesn't do miraculous things for us whenever we want him to. Basing our faith on whether or not God does what we want Him to do whenever we want is usually a big mistake. We exist to learn how to accomplish difficult and often painful things. 

These experiences are what cause us to grow and learn and are absolutely necessary for our eternal development. Miracles that we see or read about are needed to show us that God exists and they demonstrate that He can do miraculous things but we need to have experiences and problems that help us to learn and grow. His actions are all designed to help us learn to be more like Him. We may not see that at the time but considering the length of eternity... endless compared to our mortal life on earth... We need to remember that God truly loves us and wants us to grow and develop so that we become like Him so that we can live with Him comfortably and eternally.

So when things become difficult or even painful never forget that you are a project that your Heavenly Father is watching carefully and that He will provide the blessings you need whenever He sees that these blessings are needed. Hang in there.

Come Follow Me:

1 Samuel 17:37 David said moreover, The Lord that delivered me out of the paw of the lion, and out of the paw of the bear, he will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine. And Saul said unto David, Go, and the Lord be with thee.

"The comfortable narrative for David would have been a return to tending sheep. But instead he reflected upon his experience saving lambs from a lion and a bear. And building on those heroic feats, he mustered the faith and courage to let God write his story, declaring, “The Lord that delivered me out of the paw of the lion, and out of the paw of the bear, he will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine.” With a desire to let God prevail, with an ear to the Holy Ghost and a willingness to let the Savior be the author and finisher of his story, the boy David defeated Goliath and saved his people. 

The sublime principle of agency does, of course, allow us to write our own stories—David could have gone home, back to tending sheep. But Jesus Christ stands ready to use us as divine instruments, sharpened pencils in His hand, to write a masterpiece!"

Camille N. Johnson, Primary General President, October 2021

061426, Sunday

Weight: 229.2

BP and Pulse: 118/78, 72

GMI: 7.1, Current Glucose level: 146, Three day Average: 163

Finger Prick: 

Reported Sleep: 6:41, (83)

Yesterday's Steps: 8,640

Journal Entry:

Come Follow Me:

1 Samuel 16:7 But the Lord said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart.

"Here on earth, most of the differences we notice—the differences some of us use to categorize each other—have to do with earthly things: physical appearance, nationality, language, clothing, customs, and so on. But “God does not view things the way people do. People look on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” 

From His perspective, there is one category that comes before all others: child of God. And we all fit perfectly in this one.

It’s natural to want to be around people who look, talk, act, and think like we do. There is a place for that.

But in the Savior’s Church, we gather all of God’s children who are willing to be gathered and who seek the truth. It is not our physical appearance, our political views, our culture, or our ethnicity that brings us together. It is not our common background that unites us. It is our common objective, our love for God and love for our neighbor, our commitment to Jesus Christ and His restored gospel. We are “one in Christ.”

Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf, Apostle 

061326, Saturday

Weight: 232.8

BP and Pulse: 118/73, 66

GMI: 7.2, Current Glucose level: 156, Three day Average: 160

Finger Prick: 

Reported Sleep: 6:03 (81)

Yesterday's Steps: 8,854

Journal Entry:

Come Follow Me:

1 Samuel 15:24 And Saul said unto Samuel, I have sinned: for I have transgressed the commandment of the Lord, and thy words: because I feared the people, and obeyed their voice.

"Likewise, we make poor and irrational decisions if we are motivated by fear: fear of man, fear of not being popular, fear of failure, fear of public opinion.

As Saul said to Samuel, “I have sinned: for I have transgressed the commandment of the Lord, and thy words: because I feared the people, and obeyed their voice.”…When we stand at the crossroads of life and must make a decision whether to go to the great and spacious building of the world’s ways or to walk the straight and narrow path that leads to eternal life, we must realize that we cannot travel both roads—although sometimes we try. It is difficult to come back, but we can; and our greatest satisfaction will more than likely come from taking the lonelier road which is less traveled."

Bishop Robert D. Hales, Presiding Bishop, October 1988

061226, Friday

Weight: 229.7

BP and Pulse: 114/69, 68

GMI: 7.2, Current Glucose level: 143, Three day Average: 161

Finger Prick: 

Reported Sleep: 6:18 (75)

Yesterday's Steps: 2,130

Journal Entry:

Come Follow Me 

1 Samuel 15:22 And Samuel said, Hath the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.

"Saul did not follow the Lord’s commandment. He practiced what I call “selective obedience.” Relying on his own wisdom, he spared the life of King Agag and brought back the best of the sheep, oxen, and other animals.

The Lord revealed this to the prophet Samuel and sent him to remove Saul from being king. When the prophet arrived, Saul said, “I have performed the commandment of the Lord.” But the prophet knew otherwise, saying, “What meaneth then this bleating of the sheep in mine ears, and the lowing of the oxen which I hear?”

Saul excused himself by blaming others, saying the people had kept the animals in order to make sacrifices to the Lord. The prophet’s answer was clear: “Hath the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken [to the commandments of the Lord] than the fat of rams.”… My brothers and sisters, are we hearkening with exactness to the voice of the Lord and His prophets? Or, like Saul, are we practicing selective obedience and fearing the judgments of men?"

Elder Robert D. Hales, Apostle 

061126, Thursday

Weight: 229.4

BP and Pulse: 117/78, 74

GMI: 7.2, Current Glucose level: 136, Three day Average: 159

Finger Prick: 

Reported Sleep: 7:13 (88)

Yesterday's Steps: 2,871

Journal Entry:

My glucose levels are gradually coming down. It might be a result of the cinnamon capsules I've been taking our just that I'm eating a better diet. Either way, I'm going to continue with both.

We are both scheduled for Initiatories this afternoon. Looking forward to that.

I'm scheduled to get my Lazy Boy recliner repaired today. A tech is coming here to install the new parts that I ordered and received. It will be nice to have that done. The chair is leaning slightly left and making a lot of noise when I move in it so it will be nice to have it fixed.

Come Follow Me 

1Samuel 15:17 And Samuel said, When thou wast little in thine own sight, wast thou not made the head of the tribes of Israel, and the Lord anointed thee king over Israel?

"Saul, swollen with selfishness, was reminded about an earlier time “when thou wast little in thine own sight.”  

Selfishness is often expressed in stubbornness of mind. Having a “mind hardened in pride” often afflicts the brightest who could also be the best. “One thing” the brightest often lack: meekness! Instead of having “a willing mind” which seeks to emulate the “mind of Christ,” a “mind hardened in pride” is impervious to counsel and often seeks ascendancy. Jesus, who was and is “more intelligent than they all,” is also more meek than they all."

Elder Neal A. Maxwell, Apostle 

061026, Wednesday

Weight: 230.8

BP and Pulse: 110/65, 75

GMI: 7.2, Current Glucose level: 148, Three day Average: 160

Finger Prick: 

Reported Sleep: 6:52

Yesterday's Steps: 4,909

Journal Entry:

Come Follow Me 

1 Samuel 10: 9 And it was so, that when he had turned his back to go from Samuel, God gave him another heart: and all those signs came to pass that day.

"Of course, we all have some habits or flaws or personal history that could keep us from complete spiritual immersion in this work. But God is our Father and is exceptionally good at forgiving and forgetting sins we have forsaken, perhaps because we give Him so much practice in doing so. In any case, there is divine help for every one of us at any hour we feel to make a change in our behavior. God gave Saul “another heart.” Ezekiel called on all of ancient Israel to cast off her past and “make … a new heart and a new spirit.”] Clearly the possibility of change and living at a more elevated level has always been one of the gifts of God to those who seek it."

Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, Apostle 

060926, Tuesday

Weight: 231.4

BP and Pulse: 111/76, 66

GMI: 7.3, Current Glucose level: 141, Three day Average: 160

Finger Prick: 

Reported Sleep: 5:25

Yesterday's Steps: 9,744

Journal Entry:

Come Follow Me 

1 Samuel 9:6 And he said unto him, Behold now, there is in this city a man of God, and he is an honourable man; all that he saith cometh surely to pass: now let us go thither; peradventure he can shew us our way that we should go.

"Jesus also taught an important truth about the servants He sends to us. “He that receiveth you,” He said, “receiveth me, and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me.”

The most important role of the Lord’s prophet is to teach us of the Savior and lead us to Him.

Elder Neil L. Andersen, Apostle