Faith and Obedience

I am not faithful. I'm not saying this in a "forgive me because I've sinned" way but because over the past year I have realized that faith is not my strong suit. When the chips are down, my first inclination is not to believe God will guide me but to earn my way out. My confusion was that I believed simply making good choices, praying more, studying more and attending church more would rid me of trial whereas I have learned that those acts are simply a token of faith.

I have learned that I am obedient. I can follow directions and instructions and guidelines and commandments and anything else that comes my way that I know will better my life. I think that it has finally begun to come together for me to know that in moments of fear, when I act in obedience, that I am cultivating my faith. Perhaps in the years to come the talents of faith and obedience will grow equally in me and I can become a master of both.

The Year That Was A Miracle

I know this will sound more like an end of the year post but with Thanksgiving here, I could not help but to express my gratitude about the preceding year.
2010 has proved to be the hardest year of my life. Never before have I felt so much fear and uncertainty about what my future holds and requested so much from God. I have buffeted between despair, confusion, anger, elation and awe. This has been an ongoing theme for the past 11 months. It's at the end of this time that I have the luxury of looking back and it is with deep gratitude that I can count the miracles of 2010.
We began this year as struggling entrepreneurs, uncertain as to the viability of the small company for which we worked. I have, on several occasions, seen the deadline of self sufficiency approach and wondered if we could care for ourselves and our needs in the weeks to come. I have also been amazed when, as they say, God opens a window. I do not know what our future holds, as it seems as precarious now as it has been through this year and yet I hold fast to the knowledge that God is aware of me, He knows my needs and He has always filled them.
So it is with gratitude that I write today, the day before Thanksgiving, and share a small portion of my story with you in the hope that even though we may suffer, indeed be tried to the limits of what we thought possible, we can find the miracles God works on our behalf.

May your Thanksgiving be filled with the giving of thanks and may you find the miracles you seek.

Lula Mae

Skip The Mess

I have a measuring cup that requires a bit of concentration. You know the kind; glass, with a handle and small pour spout. It's a four cup liquid measure and the unfortunate thing is that when said liquid needs to be poured out it's nigh unto impossible to empty the contents without making a liquid mess. I discovered something the other day though, if I pour out the contents without trying to be too careful everything comes out fine. Really, I've got to commit! I've been successful in several attempts now and am quite confident that I am the master of my measuring cup! (I claim small victories!)

So you ask, "Why are we talking about a measuring cup?" Well let me tell you what I decided, sometimes we just need to commit to making something go right. If the right ingredients are all there and in the right proportions, determination can be the deciding factor between success or mess!

Grandin Press

After months of hard work, lots of worrying and hours of meetings, it's official! Grandin Press, our new company, is now online and taking orders! We're a publishing company which will feature digital printing but our first products off the press are the LDS classics. These books are now affordable, reader friendly and available at grandinpress.com !

We hope that this will inspire members of the LDS faith to either get re-aquainted with the tenets of our faith or give readers a new opportunity to "stir their soul" with the teachings of the early leaders of the church.

Give it a look!

I have to wonder, when I see a cart collectors gathering shopping carts in the parking lot of my local stores, do they feel like moms? You spend your day gathering up everything, putting it away, only to come back an hour later and see it's all a mess again.