A Slice of Zion

February 14th of this year will mark two years of me being a member. I’m so thankful for the people that helped bring me to this church and the love the Lord shows me every single day. I’m very excited to be in the YSA ward at my university. Everyone seems very nice and I can't wait to make new friends. Also, I'm very excited to announce I have been called as the Assistant Ward Chorister! Man, I knew I should've tried out for drum major in high school. This past week I debuted as the Assistant Ward Chorister and I got to speak in sacrament meeting. First lesson of the day is...don't ever, ever, ever pray to have a calling and to speak in sacrament. Don't even think about it.  In this post, I really wanted to talk about the topic I spoke about in church. My bishop asked me to speak about what we need to do to see the Lord's hand in our lives. I couldn't think of a more perfect topic for me to speak about. I love the Lord so much and finding the ...

Merry Christmas, everyone! Like always, this post seems closer to the New Year instead of Christmas. I honestly have no excuse this time. Uni is on break and I have become a regular ole lounge lizard. Believe it or not, but I've been clocking a healthy 9 hours of sleep almost every night. My body is thinking, "Oh, yay! She's stopped doing those late nights! We can rest!"  Don't tell my body, but it's in for a cruel awakening in about a week. I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas season. I know I did. The week leading up to Christmas was a whirlwind of fun and activity including a trip to Louisiana and to the Birmingham, AL Temple. The day after finals ended, I was waking up early to go to the temple. It was a beautiful day and I was able to be baptised for my Mimi (mother's mother). Also, it was my boyfriend's first temple trip! How awesome is that? Chrismas was on a Sunday this year so my ward held a beautiful sacrament meeting filled with ...

A year and a half ago, I was baptised and confirmed into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Sister Stratton claimed that I was overdosed on the Spirit. However, I have come to know of the huge importance of baptism by fire. In Matthew 3:11 it says, "I indeed baptise you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptise you with the Holy Ghost, and with  fire."  Often, baptism is referred to the cleansing of our spirits. This allows our souls to be worthy vessels of His Spirit. Receiving the Holy Ghost completes the sacred covenant of baptism in my mind. It is our baptism by fire. The fire of the Spirit is often likened unto a refiner's fire. By receiving the sacred gift of His spirit, we are able to be more aptly shaped and guided by His will. His Spirit confirms and testifies of our identity as beautiful sons and daughters of a gracious Heavenly Father.  When you think about...