Welcome to 2016- the year of the New President!
Who will it be? I am sure you are asking yourself that very question, right now. Will it be someone you choose or will it be someone the “others choose?” Who are the “others?” They are the ones that spend no time researching the candidates, in fact, they don’t even care to know what the platform is for the candidate they will vote for in the election. They just vote for gender or for someone who promises to give them phones or someone who “best of all” says one thing and does another, knowingly.
Well, next week, at the request of my supporters, I will address some non-economic issues that face our nation. But tonight, I am changing course for one week, to do what my esteemed colleagues will not do and that is to address religion and spiritual goals for the year.
As we were returning home from Muleshoe, Mom, Cody and I read the first lesson for Gospel Doctrine. The Book of Mormon is the ‘keystone” of our religion. Now, this is not new to most of us but, there were quotes that I thought were pertinent to making 2016 a good, better, maybe perfect year for our families. We know the Book of Mormon was written for our time so what does it tell us? What conditions did Moroni foresee would exist in the world when the BOM was again brought forth?
“The power of God shall be denied” (verse 28) Is this true today? We had an active discussion in the car and each of us enumerated ways God is denied His rightful place in our world. It’s interesting to note that in the movie, “Unbroken” the crux of the movie is on Zamperini’s extraordinary life and survival during wartime. What Hollywood didn’t show, was that the Lord intervened in his life when he was at, perhaps the worst time of his life, after the war.
“There shall be great pollutions upon the face of the earth.” (verse 31). We discussed whether this was literal pollution or a pollution of spirit among today’s people. Cody said one of his professor’s at BYU stated, in many cases, these types of verses refer to both.
People will “lift themselves up in the pride of their hearts” (verse 36). Is this apparent today? What does entitlement mean today?
People will “love money…more than they will love the poor and the needy” (verse 37) That’s funny! Don’t we see more and more, that every decision that is made, in corporate America, and in local America, is all about money? Why do they start college games at 9:00 pm at night? Who really comprises the poor and needy?
People will be “ashamed to take upon themselves the name of Christ.” Do we find as Elder Perry stated, “the minority masquerading as the majority” when it comes to taking down nativity scenes in towns, making sure we say Happy Holidays instead of Merry Christmas because we don’t want to offend people on Christ’s Birthday. For Heaven’s Sake, whose birthday is it anyway, Happy Holidays? If they don’t like us saying Merry Christmas, then they don’t have to celebrate the 25th. Maybe, these people can celebrate someone else’s birthday in June, if they like.
As I stated, each of the major writers of the BOM testified that he wrote for future generations. …If they saw our day and chose those things which would be of greatest worth to us, is not that how we should study the Book of Mormon? We should constantly ask, ourselves, “Why did the Lord inspire Mormon or Moroni or Alma to include that in his record?
Now for goals: Mom and I have found through the years that if, in January, we set spiritual goals, family goals, financial goals, business or work goals and personal goals (e.g.) reading a book we’ve wanted to read or exercise etc., we do better. For us these goals are simple, just something we want to accomplish that year. In most years, we have progressed far more than in years we haven’t written down these goals. We don’t try to get to elaborate or write too many goals under each category but, even one goal makes you feel a sense of accomplishment, if you achieve it, at the end of the year. You might try it, if you aren’t already.
And finally, attached is a blank copy of our Budget Tracker. You may need to eliminate certain rows that don’t fit your specific needs. Our tracker has become quite lengthy through the years because of the size of our family. Obviously, mortgage can change to rent for some of you. I then put in the formulas to add rows left to right or top to bottom. The top section is basic, monthly costs, whereas the bottom third of the page are expenses that happen occasionally. It’s interesting that every financial planner told us that 90% of people don’t keep track of their monthly/yearly expenses so they don’t really know how much they spend per month or what they spend it on. This may be a good, simple document to start a budget and tracking your expenses. I’m sure there are other good documents but this one has worked for us.
Well, my fellow lemonade drinkers, all is well in Zion! Have a fun week and keep your chin up!
Love and vote, Donald
