"Saying thank you, thank you in his own special way."

I wanted to share a song that I had heard while serving in my ward's primary last year. I love how it shows that no matter what language you speak, He hears your prayers and loves you all the same.

1. All over the world at the end of day,

Heav’nly Father’s children kneel down and pray,

Each saying thank you in his own special way,

Saying thank you, thank you in his own special way.

“Gracias.” (grah-see-ahs) “Malo.” (mah-loh) “Wir danken dir.” (veer don-ken deer)

All over the world tender voices hear.

Some say “tak,” (tahk) others “merci,” (mare-see)

“Kansha shimasu,” (kahn-shah shee-mah-sue) we thank thee.

Our Heavenly Father hears them;

He understands each tongue.

Our Heav’nly Father knows them;

He loves them, loves them, ev’ry one.

Source: Children's Songbook, Page 16

"Our Heavenly Father hears them; He understands each tongue. Our Heav'nly Father knows them; He loves them, loves them, ev'ry one." Such a sweet and true message.

We were watching a movie the other night called "Mom's Night Out", where a mom is having a rough time keeping up with being a mother and needs a night out. In the end she finds out that being a mother is the best blessing someone could have even though you will rough times.

Children are a blessing from God. He listens to every one of them and loves every one of them. This I know in my heart.

A "Good Boy"

Recently I heard the term "good boy" used for me since I don't drink alcohol or get drunk. I was at work when it happened, and it got me thinking of how people notice what I do and how I am and act...that it's a good thing to be thought of as a "good boy" in that reference. As Christ taught in the Bible, we need to be a light on the hill. I have standards I try to live by and I feel I am blessed for doing so. I as a "good boy" try to set an example by how I think Christ would want me to be and act. I love the Lord and try to emulate how he would me like to live. I hope I can continue to live by the commandments I have been taught throughout my life as asked by God so that I can know of His love more fully and have his protection from those things that can hurt my body and mind. I know that as I strive to do this that I will be able to have an abundance of blessings both physically, mentally, and spiritually. I love my God, and hope that I can continue to be a good example to others so that they can see God's and Christ's light in my life and desire to obtain the same. I promise it is worth it :)

New Couch!

Got a new couch yesterday! Our old red sectional had broken springs and fabric, so we replaced it with a new grey one! We got it on sale from Big Lots a couple weeks ago. They didn't have any on stock so we ordered one and it arrived earlier this week. A friend helped us toss the old one and pick up the new one, and then my wife and I got the new ready to go for use by cutting the plastic off and getting the feet on. It's a gray Redding sofa.

In with the new!

Orson Scott Card's Women of Genesis

I just finished listening to the last of three books Orson Scott Card named the "Women of Genesis". It's a trilogy of books that focus on Sarah, Rebekah, and Rachel & Leah. Part fiction, they follow the stories of those courageous, faithful women who dealt with hardships like not being able to have children, marrying in the Covenant of Abraham, and self-worth. He writes inspiring stories with fictional stories mixed with what is written in the Bible while staying true to the bible.

The three hardships I listed were what stood out to me. Some of them also had strong desires to read the Word of God that Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob had been granted as a birthright. All four are things that I loved about those books.

The desire to be a a good mother is something I see in those women that are close to me. It's a real desire, and I can't imagine how tough it must have been not only for Sarah in the Bible but all other women out there today who have that same struggle. My heart and prayers go out to them.

Self-worth is something that all of us can relate to. We can be insecure of how we look, about our physical weaknesses, our spiritual weaknesses, and our emotional weaknesses. Orson Scott Card does a great job making the women of Genesis relatable to us in those ways. I love that the way they overcome those trials is by turning to God.

Last, but not least, is the desire to read the Word of God and marrying those who share their same religious values and beliefs. They want to feel God's love and have His strength with Him. I'm grateful for the decision I made to marry someone who shares my beliefs and values so that we can grow even stronger together. That was the desire of the women of Genesis as well, and they were blessed for doing so.

If you haven't read them, I recommend them. They are not perfect and make some decisions that are not the best, but they try their best to be be righteous women of God.

To The Black Hills

One of my favorite vacations with my parents and siblings was going to the Black Hills in South Dakota.

The summer after my mission, we camped at the Black Hills and saw sites like Mount Rushmore, Crazy Horse Memorial, and one of the nearby caves along with some amazing wildlife :)

I loved seeing all that with my family and having quality recreational fun together. My dad regularly took us camping and on annual vacations during which we enjoyed time together and created memories


Source: http://www.theblackhills.com/

Some of my favorite memories from that trip:

• Waking up early in the morning reading a book outside my parents' trailer with my dad.
• Seeing Mount Rushmore with my family. The size of the monument was breathtaking.
• Visiting the Crazy Horse Memorial along with it's museum. Learning of the native americans who call that their mother home.
• Going on hikes and admiring the wildlife with my family.

Those hills are a beautiful sight to see, and I'm grateful that I had the chance to go with my family to see them. My goal is take my own wife and children there one day to my kids the same beauty that I loved seeing.

My Loving Heavenly Father

I'm going to try to post more on this blog in the coming weeks after being inspired by my brother- and sister-in-law about using social media. So I will try to be more regular in my blogging. Comment on if there is any thing special you would want to see me share about on my blog! Thank you in advance for all input!

Today being the sabbath day, I just wanted to share my view on God...that I know he is my Heavenly Father. You and I are spiritual children of him. I love him and his infinite grace and love. As we realize our eternal identity, we will find that we are treasured by Him. Our spirits have no end. We are loved by Him and our Savior, Jesus Christ. Like it says in the Bible, Christ was sent to this Earth more than 2000 years ago to live by example and atone for our sins and trials of pain. By faith in God's plan, we can have eternal life by His grace through the Savior's Atonement. I love the Lord, and I am not ashamed of my testimony of Him.

Reference from the Bible...

"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved." -John 3:16-17

Then There Were 5

Life Update:

We had our third child on October 25, 2017. She's a girl who is growing into a toddler now at 16 months old. She's a light of our life when she's not being Miss Grumpy :) I had always wanted a daughter. Seeing the relationship my twin sisters had with my dad and the relationship between my brother and his oldest daughter both spurred the desire I had to have a little girl of my own. I have loved a little girl since before she was born. Her desire to come to me for comfort when Mom is not available melts my heart :)

She can be a bother at times to my two boys but I know they love her still :)

Thoughts on the MCU

I'm going to share a few of my thoughts on the Marvel Studios' Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU)!

#1 has and might always will be The Avengers. I don't know what it is but every movie since has not lived up to it. The might and power that happens when 6 heroes are brought together to save the Earth is done very well in that film. Avengers: Age of Ultron and Avengers: Infinity War are good films but are not as well-done as the original.

The character developments they have accomplished through strings of films is great as well (#2). What they have done is unprecedented. As far as I've seen, no one else has been able to do what Marvel Studios has been able to do. They have taken a variety of directors with different types of films and heroes and meshed them into a 20-film continuous story. DC/Warner Brothers has tried but have not succeeded like Marvel. I think they tried to push too soon. I hear their movies are getting better, so I'm interested to see the direction they go. Sure there can be little flaws in the flow of the MCU but they are not things that bother me nor do I go looking for. I enjoy the Universe for what it is.

Some films are definitely as good for me as others in the MCU, but I still regard them as well-done films.

One last thing I wanted to talk about was how cleaner the MCU movies are compared to many other films out there. They do have some foul language but minimal compared to alot of other stuff you'll see.

I'm excited to see "Captain Marvel" hopefully this weekend. The trailers themselves show what should be an exciting ride. If I have time, I'll quickly share my thoughts on this blog afterwards.