Yowza long post. Read and share your thoughts though! I'd love to hear. Maybe. Unless they are mean.

I chatted with a friend last night. She has been a friend for maybe 8 years now....? I think? She is a bit reserved in the getting to know her process, but watch out...once you do you have a friend for life.  She has been a great friend to me. She has helped me out materialistically and emotionally.

Camy recently just went with one of our other BFF's to a church education week. It is at the local college and it is three days full of classes on things from running your home better, raising your kids, increasing your testimony, music.....everything. I use to love to go but just haven't for years. I miss it.

So Camy was telling me about this great class she and Linda took and I haven't been able to get the concept out of my mind. Linda had also told me that this class was a life altering class.
It was taught by a man named Ronald E. Bartholomew. We are going to call him R.B.  Let me get back to that in a second....

As some of you may know, sometimes people think us Mormons are kinda kooky. And one of the reasons for that has to do with a fourteen year old boy named Joesph.

Okay...you ready for it? Mormons believe.....and yes, I believe it with all my heart.....that in the spring of 1820 a fourteen year old boy named Joseph was confused about religion. He prayed to God in a grove of trees that is known to us as "The sacred grove". A little grove of trees. A quiet place Joseph sought out for the purpose of prayer, communion and searching for answers from God.
And God did indeed appear. With His Son, Jesus Christ. And He directed Joesph. And with that direction began the "Mormon" church.

And it sounds kooky. But to us it's not. To us it's beautiful. To us it makes perfect sense that God would answer the sincere prayer of a humble boy. To us it shines with truth and love and comfort. We love Joseph. We love that if God knew a 14 year old boy and answered his humble prayer...then God knows us. And will answer our humble prayers.

"I had actually seen a light, and in the midst of that light I saw two Personages, and they did in reality speak to me; and though I was hated and persecuted for saying that I had seen a vision, yet it was true. . . . I knew it, and I knew that God knew it, and I could not deny it." Joseph Smith—History 1:25.

So "The Sacred Grove" is the part of the story that I want to mention in regards to R.B's talk, told to me by my buddy, Camy.

I told you that my beloved Kristopher called me entitled? I think I did. And that it didn't settle well with me because that is a naughty word. But then I went home and in a few days it was shown to me that I was indeed entitled. I have been wanting intelligence and inspiration that I had not been working for or earning. Really, barely even trying for it. But I was frustrated I haven't been given it.

And Kristopher in his super heroish, brain fortune teller ways, called me out on it.

Then God has been reinforcing it ever since with different experiences. Slow and steady. Which seems to be the way God is working with me lately. Gentle and steady. Through the mouths of others with many reinforcements. I appreciate the slow and steady. Letting me work out a lot of it in my brain week by week. I can't tolerate too much stimulation right now. He must know that. I get enough stimulation living with full time ADHD family members. And I am just frankly WORN down. And therefore I believe Heavenly Father is being gentle with me. Thankful.

So back to Camy's story about the talk.  Here are the notes she shared with me on the topic. And HERE is also a great article on it.

She said that R.B said we CAN have a personal relationship with our Heavenly Father. But that is takes effort on our part. You have to invest, you have to work. Relationships take time. Communication is work.

He said you need to find you own "Sacred Grove". A place where you can study and pray and meditate. A place that does not have distractions. A place that is not filled with electronics and things.

His "Sacred Grove"? Under the basement stairs! He has a little lamp and a chair and it is all set up as his place to commune with Heavenly Father. 

He brings a notebook and writes things down. Whatever he feels to do. When he feels an impression he writes it down. If he is inspired about a scripture, he searches the scripture.

Here are some steps...record impressions, ask if you got it right, study it out in your mind, ask if there is more to be given.

Change prayer from something you do... to a relationship. It's all about your relationship with God.  Don't try to rush the relationship. Believe God will talk to you. Ask in faith and believe God will tell you. Gradually your faith will be replaced with knowledge.

Prepare your mind and heart to be able and willing to receive. Listen trust respond. Don't assume your will and God's will are the same. We are attached to our will. We need to give that up. Say, "Heavenly Father you know what I want...is that what you want?" Ask if you have something you want to know. Ask for gifts of scriptures.

Never ever ever assume. What if one of the most important aspects of mothering was mislead because you assumed or didn't ask. That just reminds me to consult with God about everything. If our children are most important in our lives why are we (meaning me) not taking more of what pertains to them to prayer?

 Remember to pause, mediate, think about people, ponder. Take your decision to the Lord but be willing to let it go if you get a different answer.  Don't diss God or revelation because it's not happening the way you want. Don't give up. To accelerate the process ask is there more.

Do it at a time when your not rush. R.B gets up at 4 am! This single change of metaphorically going to your "Scared Grove" will have dramatic change in you life.

 R.B says he needs this more than AIR!!!!!

Today I was thumbing through Kassidy's scriptures. She is a girl after my own heart. She loves to stick keepsakes and mementos in her scriptures. I found this quote. Another way Heavenly Father is gently prodding me. Don't you agree?

As you feel the need to confide in the Lord or to improve the quality of your visits with him—to pray, if you please—may I suggest a process to follow: go where you can be alone, go where you can think, go where you can kneel, go where you can speak out loud to him. The bedroom, the bathroom, or the closet will do. Now, picture him in your mind’s eye. Think to whom you are speaking, control your thoughts—don’t let them wander, address him as your Father and your friend. Now tell him things you really feel to tell him—not trite phrases that have little meaning, but have a sincere, heartfelt conversation with him. Confide in him, ask him for forgiveness, plead with him, enjoy him, thank him, express your love to him, and then listen for his answers. Listening is an essential part of praying. Answers from the Lord come quietly—ever so quietly. In fact, few hear his answers audibly with their ears. We must be listening so carefully or we will never recognize them. Most answers from the Lord are felt in our heart as a warm comfortable expression, or they may come as thoughts to our mind. They come to those who are prepared and who are patient.-Burke Peterson

So Kristopher has told me I like to do all the easy things as far as therapy goes. But I necessarily don't want to do all the hard things. It is true. I feel like hard is overrated. Lol. I get all excited about the fun things in Kristopher's book. I have the vision board, the gratitude journal, the 100 fun things, the success book...I got all that creative fun stuff DOWN!

Same with the Sacred Grove concept. I have my place picked out! I have plans to decorate it a bit and make it "mine", I want to hang quotes, I have plans to use a blanket and a pillow and a lamp....I like to do all the fun creative stuff. But actual communion and scripture study? Taking  time from my day? Trying to sit in the quiet and commune? Frankly, being alone with my thoughts like that scares the bajeejee's out of me! Anyone who knows me knows I don't like silence. At. All.

But I think of R.B. saying he needed that time more than air???? WOW!!! WOW!!!!

And Kristopher has a whole section in his book about communing with God. Which I will share another day. He calls it "A walk in the wilderness" Scary sounding, I know! But we all know I trust him so what is a girl to do!

For my own personal record....Here are the ways Heavenly Father has been guided in this aspect...

1)Reading about Walk in the Wilderness from Kristopher's book
2)Being called Entitled. What the chicken???
3)Going to Cedar Badge in mountains and thinking for once I really should do a Walk in the Wilderness
4)Seeing Kristi at girls camp, study and work and turn to prayer.
5)receiving quote from Tate about working on your relationship with God
6)Having Solo time in the woods at girls camp. Laying on a blanket and having peace and wanting more.
7)Discussing with Kristopher about how it was time to go on my own Walk in the Wilderness
8)Listening to Camy talk about R.B's talk
9)Thinking and thinking about my own Sacred Grove.
10)Flipping through Kassidy's scriptures. Looking at all her "treasures" she has stashed in it. Finding the quote from above.

Do you think Heavenly Father is telling me it is time to get with the program? Alright already! I get the picture! Just kidding. Thanks for the help.

Go HERE for more of the story of Joesph Smith. You know you want to know. :)