Author Archives: April Sorbonne

Loving Others… When It Isn’t Pretty

There are times when loving others asks a lot of us. When our own hearts are broken because of the choices of others, it can be difficult to extend our hearts to those who have caused us the pain.

The best description I have found on charity comes from Larry Barkdull…

“All of the gospel learning in the world does not compensate for failure to live without charity. Both Paul and Mormon – two witnesses taught us that without charity we are nothing. Charity is a different kind of love; it is the celestial quality of love — saving love. “Charity is the pure love of Christ,” meaning the type of love that comprises the power of Christ to search out, seek, wait patiently, reinstate and rejoice.”

“True sons and daughter of God test their love against the “even if” list:

I will love you even if you . . . lie.

I will love you even if you . . . steal.

I will love you even if you . . . yell at me.

I will love you even if you . . . abandon your covenants.

I will love you even if you . . . drink, smoke, take drugs.

I will love you even if you . . . commit sexual sin.

I will love you even if you . . . choose an alternative lifestyle.

I will love you even if you . . . leave home and don’t talk with me for years.

I will love you even if you . . . betray me.

I will love you even if you . . . are committed to prison.”

CLICK HERE to open this file as a pdf.
CLICK HERE to open this file as an image.

“We might ask ourselves where our love ceases for a family member. Where does our love cease for a non-family member? Where, would we suppose, does God’s love cease? One of the exacting prices of becoming like God is to learn to love “even if.”

I love the “even if” list and wanted to put it on a little something beautiful to remind me that while loving other’s may not always be easy or pretty, it is how God loves us. He loves us even if…

{I happen to be a big fan of Larry Barkdull’s writing and often refer friends to his blog….}

Happy Valentines!

xoxo April

Take Your Family to Rootstech Family Discovery Day – It’s FREE!

Have you noticed how busy our temples have become? Don’t you just love it when you see youth from your ward or your children’s friends there?

My eighteen year old son likes to go bright and early Saturday morning. He often returns home to say that he ran into several of his friends there. Seeing his peers serving in the temple increases his desire to serve there. I’ve seen his service do this same thing to some of his peers. There is power, synergism and increased joy when we do things together.

If you children have not caught onto how fun Family History & Temple Work can be, consider taking them to Family Discovery Day at Rootstech — February 6th. {You will need to register online but it’s FREE!}

This year Rootstech is doing a fun “Armed with Power” Treasure Quest. Imagine your children along with 1,000 other children finding excitement and joy as they hunt for different activities around the event center that perk their interests into their own family history.

Hope to see you {and your children} there. Be sure to stop by the Sugardoodle booth for your children to play “Find-A-Grave.” It’s part of the treasure quest and is a fun computer hunt where the youth have the find the graves of 8 famous people. How fast can they find them?

xo, April

Strengthen Your Core

Be Found Doing the Work of the Lord!

Be Found Doing the Work of the Lord!

Last week a friend and I worked out together at the gym. While we sat rowing away we shared our 2016 goals. I confided that I didn’t make my typical long list this year. I decided to just focus on the core. She asked what I meant….

I shared that this year instead of writing out a list of new goals, I just adopted a simple mantra… I want to be found doing the work of the Lord. Whether it’s lifting other’s spirits, forgiving more quickly, doing more serious scripture study or being more consistent about my temple attendance. The central or most important part of my daily living will be to focus on the core teachings of the prophets.

To help me remember to consistently attend the temple, I created a temple attendance chart so I could have a visual reminder to help me get there every month. To help me remember to focus daily on the core, I’ve added planks and sit-ups whenever I exercise — my physical reminder to strengthening my core in 2016!

I love sharing printables and hope that this one will help you strengthen your core as you do the work of the Lord.

Click to Download Here {pdf}

Click to Download Here {image}

xo – April