I love to see the temple!

Sunday I gave a lesson on the temple and the 'Living Waters' that flow from it's doors. It really made me reflect on how well I take advantage of the powers of heaven we receive by serving in the temple. A good friend of mine has been a blessing in this regard. He has helped me realize how much I NEED the temple. I need to go not to just 'fill my quota' or to 'get on the good list', but I truly need it. I need the strength and power it gives me to carry on in this life. I need the spirit it gives me to help know when I can bless the lives of others. I need the peace it brings when I feel like things are spiraling out of control. I need to feel that love of God that comes by serving in His holy house. Now don't get me wrong, I'm not perfect at all this. There are times I go just to go, or fall asleep or run into steel bars (long, but funny story), but every time I go I gain a greater love for that holy ground and sacred building. Bit by bit, visit by visit, name by name, I become more like my Savior. And that is ultimately what I need to focus on and what I need to be happy in this life and in the life to come.

Russell M. Nelson said "...each holy temple stands as a symbol of our membership of the church, as our sign of our faith in life after death, and as a sacred step toward eternal glory for us and our eternal families."

So to help our family focus on the temple my wife asked me to take a picture of the temple to hang in our home. It is a wonderful reminder to me, my wife, and my children to live a 'temple centered life'. And to share and help others, even if just a little, to make the temple part of their home, I am offering the image below to anyone who would like it...for free! I will even customize it with any text you would like. Just email me at 'beensogood@gmail.com' with the size you would like, any text requests and I will send you the file to print off. We printed our 16x20 copy at good ol' Sam's Club and it turned out just great.

And to finish off, I encourage you to watch this video from Mormon Messages.

p.s. For those of you who would like a picture of other temples I apologize, Logan is all I've got right now. But stay tuned, you will likely see other temples pop up now and then. I think I need to go on a temple trip!

Hello World

Anyone that knows me knows that I am a music fanatic. Music speaks to me in a way that moves me. The song "Hello World" from Lady Antebellum is one of those songs. There are so many things that are wanting our attention. But in reality God and our family should come before anything else. That is what I hear when I listen to this song.

Traffic crawls, cell phone calls
Talk radio screams at me
Through my tinted window I see
A little girl, rust red minivan
She's got chocolate on her face
Got little hands, and she waves at me
Ya, she smiles at me

Hello world
How've you been?
Good to see you, my old friend
Sometimes I feel cold as steel
Broken like I'm never gonna heal
I see a light, a little hope
In a little girl
Hello world

Every day I drive by
A little white church
It's got these little white crosses
Like angels in the yard
Maybe I should stop on in
Say a prayer
Maybe talk to God
Like he is here
Oh I know he is there
Ya, I know he's there

Hello world
How've you been?
Good to see you, my old friend
Sometimes I feel as cold as steel
And broken like I'm never going to heal
I see a light
A little grace, a little faith unfurled
Hello world

Sometimes I forget what living's for
And I hear my life through my front door
And I'll be there
Oh I'm home again
I see my wife, little boy(s), little girl
Hello world

All the empty disappears
I remember why I'm here
Just surrender and believe
I fall down on my knees
Oh hello world
Hello world

Why, oh why?!

So you are probably wondering what this blog is about. Truthfully, I'm not sure I even know what this blog is ALL about, or what it will evolve into. But the title gives me a starting point. The phrase "Because God has been so good to me" comes from a book a good friend of mine let me borrow. A son was asking his aging father why he was still paying tithing, even when he had spent a good part of his 70+ year life sacrificing and serving for the Lord. Why not keep the money? It's not all the much in the 'grand scheme of things'. The elderly man had very little as far as material possessions go. Even keeping up with the bills and keeping food in his fridge was becoming difficult. The son's intentions were good, he didn't want to see his father struggle financially. But when asked why he continued paying tithing, even after all the sacrifices he had made in the name of his God, he simply said, "Son, I pay my tithing because God has been so good to me".

This phrase hit me to the core. If you really think about it, it could be the answer to every question, doubt or struggle we may have.

Q: Why do I have to go home teaching EVERY month?

A: Because God has been so good to me.

Q: My kid is such a pain during Sunday School! Why shouldn't I take my kid home for a nap during church?

A: Because God has been so good to me.

You get the picture. Really and truly there are so many things we 'rationalize' our way out of. I am guilty as charged. But I am trying to remember this phrase as I get those overwhelming urges to cut corners, skip out, or just plain be lazy spiritually.

I am sure I am not the only one that feels at times like a failure parent. At least I hope I am not. Those times when all I want to do is put myself in time out and let my crying, fighting and ornery kids just duke it out and then I come out of my sound proof room (I wish!) and deal with the bloody aftermath. What's a few bloody noses or broken bones, right?! But during those times when my patience is thinner than my 33yr old hair, I try to remind myself how patient God has been with me. Why should I muster all the patience I can and treat my kids with love and kindness? Why should I be good to them? Answer: because God has been so good to me.

So let me remove all doubt right up front. I am not perfect. I repeat, I AM NOT PERFECT. Just like everyone else I am an imperfect being trying his best to live a perfect gospel given by a perfect God to help us become perfect like him. So this blog is one way for me to reflect on my blessings, share my talents, and perhaps even help others along their way. At times I will give away designs (similar to my blog header above) I have made or give options for people to request custom designs. Feel free to comment, give advice or just say hi.

But overall this blog is to remind me that yes, God has been good to me.