How Jesus Showed up at a Swim Meet

Posted on July 21, 2023 by treeoflifemama

Wow, I had such a wonderful weekend recently! We had two family reunions, one with my side of the family, and one with my DH’s side. All during the same weekend! DH’s reunion was for four days! I know it sounds crazy, but it was to make up for having the last reunion four years ago. The reunions used to be every 2-3 years. My husband is one of nine siblings. Eight out of the nine were there, along with many of their descendants. On Sunday, my DH’s family reunion official meeting didn’t start until 5 PM so I was able to squeeze in a reunion for my side from 1-4 PM, since my sister from Maine was in town with her DH and kiddos. I had all three of my married children with each spouse in town for DH’s reunion as well, so they got to see my sister and their cousins. I am still basking in the glow of enjoying all these family connections in one weekend!

On Sunday, we went to church with my two married sons and each wife of the respective son. One of the speakers at the church service, Joy, told the most amazing story which we all got to hear.

She said that as a child she fell in love with swimming. As she grew she asked for more and more swimming lessons. In high school she joined the swim team. She realized early on in her athletic career that she wasn’t very athletic. She worked and worked to achieve her goal to go to the district swim meet her senior year. She drilled to do the 100 yard race at the swim meet. Just a few minutes before the big race, a girl who had been mean to her, one of her teammates, asked if she would switch races with Joy. The girl proposed to do the 100 yard and have Joy do the 200 yard race. At first, Joy was about to say, “no!” She was irked that this girl would dare ask to trade when she had been so mean to her. She also felt like she was letting her chance of winning a race slip away because she had only trained for the 100, not the 200. But then she heard the Holy Spirit repeat a three word phrase that Susan had read in the scriptures, “Love your enemies.” So she said “yes,” before she even realized she was saying it.

Joy swam the race and ended up getting her best time yet! She was shocked! Immediately after finding out, she went to the locker room and knelt on the cold slimy cement floor and gave thanks to God for helping her. She shared three lessons from this story:

  1. Jesus really is our shepherd. He really is in the details of our lives. He wants to bless us. Sometimes He does give us things we are dreaming about and don’t even ask for.
  2. Special blessings come to us when we love our enemies. Joy says she feels she wouldn’t have received that blessing of getting her best time ever if she hadn’t followed the prompting to show love to her enemy.
  3. The Law of the Harvest is real. When we practice, we plant seeds to get results.

To top off the goodness of the church services, my oldest son discovered one of his missionary companions was there at church because the speaker, Joy, turns out be his aunt! He was there to listen to her speak. My son and his friend had a great time reconnecting.My son was able to introduce his new bride to his old friend. It was just such a wonderful day all around!

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Tree of Life Mama’s Picture Book of the Week: Will You Sign Here, John Hancock? by Jean Fritz

Posted on July 21, 2023 by treeoflifemama

I just love this book, written by Jean Fritz and illustrated by Trina Schart Hyman. It is such a great introduction to the founding of the United States. After you read it, preferably out loud to your children 8 and up, you will know the following:

  • what John Hancock’s childhood was like
  • how did John Hancock get to be the richest man in New England
  • how did Samuel Adams and John Hancock meet
  • how was John involved in the Stamp Act of 1765
  • how John Hancock got to be so popular in Boston
  • what interrupted John’s wedding to Dolly Quincy in the spring of 1775
  • why John was chosen to be the president of the First Continental Congress
  • why John was the first to sign the Declaration of Independence of the USA
  • John’s involvement in the Revolutionary War of the USA
  • how many times John was elected to be governor of Massachusetts
  • that sadly John had no children who survived him

and many more tidbits of the Founding Era of the United States of America. Stories help us remember facts, so I heartily recommend you read this book to your children at least once a year, to help them remember some of the facts involved in the Revolutionary War. That’s such a better, organic way of learning than studying dry textbooks and taking quizzes and tests. It’s a great addition to your Morning Basket during the month of July, if you have a scholar engaging with the Key of Liberty project, or any time you are studying the Revolutionary War in your homeschool. I give it 5 out of 5 stars!

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Judaism is to Christianity as Christianity is to the Restored Gospel

Posted on July 10, 2023 by treeoflifemama
Photo Credit: Jared Halverson’s Unshaken YouTube Channel

I started watching Jared Halverson’s video from his Unshaken YouTube Channel for this upcoming Sunday’s Come Follow Christ lesson and love it! It covers Acts 6-9.

In it, he says (around the 27:18 mark) “What would you as a Jew in the first century A.D. be missing if somebody back in the first century had not been willing to say, wait a minute, these apostles agree with our scripture, and this additional scripture already confirms what we already have? Huh, maybe Jesus was serious when he said ‘I have come to fulfill and not to destroy.’ “

Then he gives a simple syllogism:

“Judaism is to Christianity as Christianity is to the restored gospel.”

What is this restored gospel? It is truly “a marvelous work and a wonder.” Isaiah foretold that this happen, see Isaiah 29:14 and watch this video here.

You can learn more here. I have felt the Holy Spirit witness to me that God the Father chose Joseph Smith to restore the gospel of Jesus Christ. It’s true!

You can watch both parts of Jared’s video on Acts 6-9 below. Check out his IG page here. He has such a gift for explaining gospel truths.

If you have believed in the restoration and feel you are facing a faith crisis, watch Jared’s video at the very bottom of this blog post. It’s all sooooo good!

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Tree of Life Mama’s Book of the Week: Homeopathy Basics by Priscilla Medders, and how to get it FREE!

Posted on July 8, 2023 by treeoflifemama

Have I got a treat for you! If you are into homeopathy you are going to love this book! If you aren’t into homeopathy, may I introduce it to you? Watch below if you want a quick introduction, then read the rest below.

You can get a free copy of the book here. The author, Priscilla Medders, is so passionate about the book that she is giving the PDF away. She wants as many people as possible to learn about it!

This book is so wonderful! In this book you will learn the following:

-the difference between acute and chronic illnesses

-what homeopathic provings are

-why homeopathy is not the placebo effect

-why and how homeopathy works

-how to choose an acute remedy

-why you should choose classical homeopathy

-how to get the best results when home prescribing

-how to dose the remedy

-how to find a professional homeopath

-how to work with a professional homeopath to get the best results

-cell salts, what they are, how to dose them, etc.

-non-complementary therapies to homeopathy

-lots of homeopathy resources

Enjoy! If you want a basic course in homeopathy, then come join me in Paola Brown’s Homeopathy for Moms Book Club. Round up 5 other friends and I will facilitate the group for you.

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Tree of Life Mama’s Picture Book of the Week is Flags Over America: A Star-Spangled Story by Cheryl Harness

Posted on July 8, 2023 by treeoflifemama

This week’s picture book ties into the patriotic theme of last Tuesday’s Independence Day. If you’ve ever wondered why people started using flags, and what flags have flown over America, this book is for you and your kiddos. It’s a great Morning Basket read!

What are the names of the flags below, that are featured in the book? They each have a name, such as The Taunton Flag and the Fort Moultrie flag. After reading the above book, you will know! I snapped these photos when visiting Colonial Days this past week.

I give this book 5 out of 5 stars! The author/illustrator Cheryl Harness has such a beautiful style. I love that she tells the story of how flags in general got started, and then the different flags involved in the American Revolutionary War. Then she explains the beginning of the U.S. flag, Francis Hopkinson, Betsy Ross, and the story of the Star-Spangled Banner anthem and flag. It’s such a beautiful book! I highly recommend it for ages 8 and up. With younger ages you could still use it, but just point to pictures in the book and talk about them or read one sentence per page.

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Short Review of The Sound of Freedom Movie

Posted on July 5, 2023 by treeoflifemama

One of my adult sons texted me last Monday asking me if I was going to see Sound of Freedom. I replied with “Oh you mean Cries of Freedom? We saw that on Saturday.” I thought he had mixed up the title, since he knows I love to go see Cries of Freedom every year around Independence Day.

Cries of Freedom is one of my Independence Day “must-do” traditions. I’d rather give up eating hot dogs and hamburgers on the summer holiday, which I’ve done, when I was on my 70 pound weight-loss journey, eating a special diet, than give up watching Cries of Freedom, which I’ve also done. When we lived in AZ I had to give up watching it in person and only watch it on YouTube. Missing the real thing made me almost cry every year! This is our third summer back in UT so I’ve been watching it annually again. It’s so good to be back in the land where I can drive to see Cries of Freedom every year! It never fails to move me to tears.

We also attend the festival in the park near the showing of Cries of Freedom, called Colonial Days. I just love it all! All these pictures here are from that. We spent parts of two days there because I wanted to take in as much as I could. It’s like some people carve out a bit of Colonial Williamsburg VA and transplant it to Orem UT every summer for a few days. We did that on Saturday and Monday.

On Sunday my husband and I attended the Freedom Festival Patriotic Service. I like to stretch out holidays as much as I can (Christmas being king of course, with Easter second) so I’m thrilled I could do that this again with Independence Day.

Anyway, it turns out my son was talking about the new movie, The Sound of Freedom, based on Timothy Ballard’s story of fighting human trafficking.

I haven’t watched it yet and don’t know if I will since I avoid PG-13 movies as even movies like Edward Scissorhands give me nightmares. That’s the last PG-13 movie I saw. My sister-in-law and brother-in-law, however, saw it yesterday on opening day and loved it.

Here’s a short review of the movie. Then below is a video from Angel Studios, the distributor, about the premiere.

I like that at the end of the review the two guys say that yes it’s true, as Timothy says in the movie, that “God’s children are not for sale.” Where do we get this truth? From the Bible, which is part of the Judeo-Christian faith tradition. I’m so grateful for this faith tradition. I’m grateful for absolute truth from God, found in the Bible, (The Old Testament here, and New Testament here) and other scriptures I believe in, that teach us who we are, children of God. These scriptures teach us where we came from and what our destiny can be. It was people believing in the Bible that abolished slavery in the U.S. It is people believing in God and his word now that will abolish human trafficking, if enough of us do so and work on this faith.

Below is a new interview of the actor who played Timothy Ballard, Jim Caviezel, along with Timothy Ballard himself, with Jordan Peterson.

(Just in case anyone is wondering, For Independence Day half of us went to the parade then we went to have a picnic with my parents up in the mountains. It was about an hour drive each way. I made the drive more patriotic for all of us by listening to some of Stephen Pratt’s stuff at libertyandlearning.com, on the way there. Then on the way home I quizzed my husband and myself with trivia cards about America from an All-American Trivial Pursuit game I picked up while thrifting years ago for $3. Then we listened to Jim Weiss’ story of Thomas Jefferson’s America. It’s soooo good!)

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Connections Between the U.S. Founding Fathers and Freemason Symbols

Posted on June 26, 2023 by treeoflifemama

It’s that time of year when I feel like learning all I can about the glorious heritage of liberty that the U.S. Founding Fathers worked to enshrine in the documents of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. So I check out all these books from the library about liberty, the American Revolutionary War, and the Founding Fathers. I put them in my morning basket and get out my own books to share with my children. I also pull out the movie National Treasure because, even though it’s not true, it generates a ton of excitement about the Declaration of Independence and American history in general.

My son watched it for the second time last week. I have let my children watch it after taking the LEMI Key of Liberty class. Almost six years ago, my two kiddos who are 18 months apart took Key of Liberty together. So, after the school year was over, we watched the movie, but my daughter didn’t even want to watch it. Because she is super picky about the movies she watches, she often just sits movies out, reading books in her room. My youngest child did Key of Liberty this past year so we pulled out the movie again and this time my daughter watched it, for her first time, at age 17. Yay!!! It’s just such a fun movie. (Except the part where he drops her to save the Declaration….yeah, I take issue with that.) We all know the story isn’t true but the movie does make one wonder about the fact vs. fiction.

Four years ago I got to go on this wonderful trip that I call my personal “National Treasure” tour. I blogged a bit about it here and here. As part of a group of homeschoolers, I visited Philadelphia, Washington D.C., Mount Vernon, Colonial Williamsburg, Yorktown, and Valley Forge. It was soooo amazing!

On this trip, I discovered a few things I consider as “national treasures,” because they promote liberty and faith in God, connected to U.S. history. Here are two of them:

First, the National Memorial Arch in Valley Forge PA. It was built in the 1910s to commemorate George Washington’s leadership of his army, specifically, while the army stayed in Valley Forge, the winter of 1777-1778.

You can read about it here.

The second thing is something you will rarely see anywhere. It’s a nearby monument. A few steps away from the arch you will see a smaller structure, a monument featuring freemason symbols. It’s called The Pennsylvania Freemason’s Revolutionary War Monument.

Photo Credit: waymarking.com

The symbols on it include the square and the compass. I’m sorry and sad that I accidentally cut off the compass superimposed over a book at the bottom in the photo below. Anyway, what do these symbols mean and why are they there? The short answer is that they are there because George Washington was a Freemason, and Pennsylvanian Freemasons donated money and labor to refurbish the arch, $1.5 million, in 1996. They did this to honor George because they love him and his leadership so much. As it says on the page here:

“We, as Freemasons, believe our children and their children need to know that the men in 1777 cared about freedom. They need to know that Freemasons in 1996 still care about freedom.”
Edward O. Weisser, R.W. Grand Master, Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of Pennsylvania, March 15, 1996

These symbols are on the Freemason Revolutionary War Monument, close to the National Memorial Arch in Valley Forge PA.

Why were some of the Founding Fathers Freemasons? What do the symbols mean? Such interesting questions! You can learn more in Tim Ballard’s book below.

Hannah Stoddard of the Joseph Smith Foundation also created the documentary, Statesmen and Symbols, a few years ago about the topic and how the symbols fit in with the founding of our nation and the founding of Washington D.C. The trailer is below, and you can buy the DVD here.

Last but not least, Hannah did an interview on the radio with a few insights about the Freemason links to early American history in the podcast below.

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We Are All Going to Fail: More Insights into Peter, Christ, and Us

Posted on June 18, 2023 by treeoflifemama

Here’s a follow-up to my recent post about Peter’s denial of Christ. This comes from Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin, a former apostle of Jesus Christ, who passed away in 2008. It’s a talk he gave in General Conference October 1992, called “Spiritual Bonfires.” You can read it here or watch it below. It’s so good!

What he says makes so much sense! Here are some excerpts:

“Imagine for a moment that you are Peter. Three years ago a holy stranger invited you to set aside your fishing boat and nets, your means of support for yourself and your family, and then asked you to follow Him. You did so without hesitation, and for three years you have continued to follow and to love and support and sustain Him. You have seen Him confound the wise, comfort the weary and the afflicted, heal the sick, and raise the dead to life. You have seen Him conquer evil spirits, calm the troubled seas, and for a few minutes, at least, you even walked on the water toward Him. You were at His side when Moses and Elias appeared to Him; you saw Him transfigured before your very eyes. You have committed your entire life to Him. And now He questions you by instructing you to strengthen your brethren ‘when thou art converted.

“Peter was surprised. He assured the Lord, ‘I am ready to go with thee, both into prison, and to death.’ (Luke 22:33.) But Jesus knew and understood. He was not condemning Peter for a lack of conviction; Peter demonstrated his conviction during the Lord’s arrest. Rather, the Savior was telling Peter what he needed to do when his testimony became more secure.

“As He knew Peter, the Lord understands you and me when our testimonies may not be the brightly burning bonfire you may think they are or want them to be. Perhaps in some cases, that testimony is constructed unwisely, built on a social foundation of programs and personalities instead of the sure rock of personal revelation. Or perhaps you have allowed your testimony to flicker gradually through the years of disuse and spiritual complacency.

“Regardless of the reason your testimony may be growing dim, the Savior lovingly urges you to come unto Him and become strengthened in Him. Said He to Moroni: “If men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; … for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them.” (Ether 12:27.)”

Brother Hank Smith quotes the above talk from Elder Wirthlin in the video below. In reply, Brother Belnap acknowledges that we are all going to be like Peter. We are all going to fail in our faith some time, just like Peter. Jesus knows this! How all-knowing, patient, and merciful He is to us. When we fail, that doesn’t mean our faith is wrong, it just means we are human. Part of our faith needs to be faith that Jesus has faith in us to realize our failure and start over. The enemy wants us to think we can’t come back to Jesus.

I love that Brother Belnap explains what conversion involves. Jesus told Peter “When thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren.” Brother Belnap says that conversion involves two things: 1. Knowing why we need to have faith in Christ, and 2. Knowing that Christ has faith in us. The evidence that He has faith in us is in His giving His life for us. He atoned for our sins and died on the cross for us. So we can rejoice and go forward, constantly repenting, knowing that Jesus saves us from our sins as we consistently fail but always turn back to Him. What great news!

We surely have reason, as Nephi says, to glory in our Jesus! See 2 Nephi 33:6:

“I glory in plainness; I glory in truth; I glory in my Jesus, for he hath redeemed my soul from hell.”

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Insight into Peter’s Denial and Betrayal of Jesus Christ

Posted on June 15, 2023 by treeoflifemama
Image Credit: Jared Halverson’s Unshaken YouTube Channel

This week for my church’s Come Follow Christ study we are reading the accounts in the New Testament of Christ’s suffering in Gethsemane. We are also reading about Peter’s denial and betrayal of Christ. I’ve always felt sad and slightly confused about that. Jared Halverson, affectionately known as “Bro Hal,” gives much insight into the suffering of the Savior and Peter’s actions. See videos below. They are soooo good! So many insights!

Part 1 is above, Part 2 is below.

He quotes a lot from the talk President Spencer W. Kimball gave at BYU in 1971 about Peter. You can listen to the audio of the text here. I’ve copied and pasted excerpts that Bro Hal shares in the videos below.

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A Beautiful Story About What to Do When Partaking of the Sacrament

Posted on June 5, 2023 by treeoflifemama
Image Credit: Jared Halverson’s Unshaken YouTube Channel

Last week’s videos for Come Follow Christ by Jared Halverson were amazing, as always! Watch below. They were all about the Last Supper. I love how he honors other churches and their ceremonies, and explains transubstantiation, and what we as members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints believe about the tokens of the sacrament. It’s not the bread and water that transform us, it’s what they represent, Christ’s sacrifice, that changes us. It’s so wonderful that Jesus gave us these tokens to remember Him. The image above reminds me that I want to always remember the value of the tokens and remember Christ’s counsel to always remember Him.

It just so happened that I came across this beautiful story from a Latter-day Saint about what she thinks about during the partaking of the sacrament to keep her mind on Jesus. It’s by Isabelle Alpert. Here is the story, copied and pasted from the Ensign magazine, June 2008:

“Recently my husband and I had dinner with some friends. The conversation turned to religion, and one friend, a less-active member of the Church, began telling me why the Church was not true.

“In the course of his explanation, he became adamant, hostile, and angry. The entire time I sat and listened. At first I felt like crying, but then I became angry and wanted to tell him off. The still, small voice, however, told me to be quiet.

Our friend didn’t finish his tirade until we had finished our dinner and paid the bill. Then he paused, as if waiting for my rebuttal. I sat there for a moment in silent prayer. Then, in a soft voice, I calmly said, “Do you know what I like best about going to church on Sunday? The sacrament. It allows me the opportunity to quietly bow my head and pray to Heavenly Father. I tell Him all the ways in which I could have done things differently during the past week, and I seek for ways to improve.”

“Then I added, “I think of all the people I tried to be a blessing to during the past week, and I ask Heavenly Father to help me find more people to bless during the coming week. I am thankful that I have time during the sacrament each week to do this and to become the best I can be.”

“Our friend looked at me and said nothing. We left the restaurant and walked to the car. I then asked him if he remembered all of the self-help books I had on my bookshelf at home. He did. I told him that since I had joined the Church, I had never read another self-help book. I said the only book I get my answers from anymore is the Book of Mormon.

“A few days later he called to apologize.

“Come unto Christ … and love God with all your might, mind and strength” (Moroni 10:32), Moroni counsels us. As I have tried to follow that counsel, my love for God’s children has increased—even for those who try to be my enemy.”

I love her example! The Come Follow Me study guide had the question this past week of what to do make sacrament more meaningful. I loved being able to share this story during our devotional time to give them some ideas. I am going to start thinking the same things during the partaking of the sacrament.

Want more faith-promoting stories? Go here to get my Celestial Family Devotionals Ebook and share these stories with your family.

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