Hello
friends,
It’s
time to dust off those running shoes and pull out your scriptures because we
start the challenge tomorrow! Are you ready? Are you as excited as I am? I hope
so!! We have a great group! Included in our ranks are wonderful men and women of
all different ages, stages of life and even different faiths. Some are close by
and some are spread around the country! I hope you will share your experiences
with each other along the way and cheer each other on. Each and every one of
you are here for a reason and I’m so glad you are part of this group! I really,
truly am. I’m praying that each of you that you will find the answers you seek,
and I can’t wait to learn from you!!
Let’s
get started… This challenge is supposed to stretch us, but not stress us.
Tailor it to your needs and do the best you can. It’s supposed to be uplifting
and fun, not a burden in your life. We will all get something different out of
it and at different times. But I do hope you will try new things and go out on
a limb with me (pun intended) as we search out our Father in Heaven and taste
of the fruit of the Tree of Life. It’s something we can have every day!
A
thought: As I speak so much about Heavenly Father or God, please remember that
not only does He love us and care deeply about our happiness, but so does our
Savior, Jesus Christ, who died for us, as does the Holy Ghost, who is the
messenger of all light and truth and love. Together they are the Godhead and a
perfect team of perfect beings that work in perfect unison to help us find JOY
in this life and return to them one day. When we draw close to any member of
the Godhead, we draw close to all of them. They ALL love us and are cheering us
on!
Prayer: During these12 weeks our
goal is to pray daily in the morning and the evenings, but this week our ROTATING
CHALLENGE is on prayer itself. Prayer really is the key to this whole
challenge. The Lord is so happy, ready and willing to bless us, we just need to
ask, and have faith.
“Behold, I say unto
you that whoso believeth in Christ, doubting nothing, whatsoever he shall ask
the Father in the name of Christ it shall be granted him; and this promise is
unto all, even unto the ends of the earth.” Morm. 9:21
(Book of Mormon)
What
an amazing promise! Some of you will be stretching yourselves by praying
morning and evening, but some may already be in that habit. To earn your extra
points this week for the rotating challenge (focusing on prayer) I want you to try
several of the ideas in the list in this link, to make your prayers more
meaningful. Give yourself a point each day that you try any of these ideas. I
promise you these will make your prayers so much more meaningful and powerful! Meaningful
Prayer Idea List. (I attached also
this list to this email)
One
more thing I would like to add to the list is to be bold and be specific
in your prayers. Don’t be afraid to ask him to change your heart, to heal you,
to help you get rid of a certain bad habit, or develop a new good habit. Pray
for strength, for wisdom, to be able to recognize his answers. If it’s
important to you, it’s important to Him, nothing is too small (help me to NOT
want to eat m&m’s every day). Now, my prayer for these last few difficult
months was to be able to see myself as He sees me. To understand how he saw me
as His daughter, and to know how he viewed me as a mother to my children. Was
he pleased with the way I’ve been living my life? Does He still love me even
though I’m so flawed? How can I fulfill my potential? I think these are some of
the most important questions we can ask. Knowing who we really are and feeling
God’s astounding love for us, centers us, gives us incomparable peace, helps us
endure any trial, and it naturally leads us to share His love with others. But
you need to make this challenge YOUR OWN. What do you really need to know from
our Heavenly Father? Make that the basis of your prayers. Keep it in your heart
all day long, every day, and ask Him about it morning and night. He’s
listening. He loves his children. He loves YOU, his child.
Scripture- One
very direct and powerful way that God communicates to us is through our
scriptures! We will have a full week focusing more on the scriptures later, but
let me testify that the single most powerful source of healing in my life has
been the scriptures, specifically the Book of Mormon. Reading the Book of
Mormon (30 min.) every day was the key in my recovery from bulimia exactly ten
years ago. I could see my life changing as I read and got closer to Heavenly
Father. I have come so far and that’s where it all started! Please read at
least 15 minutes a day (or one chapter) and read with a prayer in your heart
that you will learn and grow each time you open your scriptures. You will! They
will become like dear friends to you. PLEASE start your scripture study this
week with the story of Lehi’s dream and the Tree of Life. It’s in the Book of
Mormon, 1st
Nephi Chapter 8. Then read Nephi’s vision of the same dream and see all the
new details and explanations he gives. 1st
Nephi Chapter 11 and Chapter 15. We
will talk about all of this much more over the next 12 weeks! J The rest of the challenge
you can read where you were before, or wherever you are led, or what interests
you. I LOVE the Bible and know we can learn so much from it as well!
Exercise-
Although this is a largely spiritual challenge, our spiritual health and our
physical health are inseparably connected. There is an incredible feeling that
comes from taking care of our whole soul and doing the things we know we should
be doing for our bodies. Exercise gets our hearts pumping, our bodies moving,
our brains get more oxygen and we release endorphins. It’s nature’s way of just
helping us feel better! We also live longer and have less aches pains and injuries
as we regularly exercise. The list goes on and on…For me, one of the best parts
of exercise is getting outside (when weather permits) and feeling God’s love
through nature as well. Try and make your exercise FUN! Think outside the box
if you don’t think you can find the time or if you are bored with the same old
thing. You don’t have to belong to a gym! Walking your dog can be exercise, or
you can watch a zumba video online and follow along in the privacy of your own
home. Run up and down your stairs in your jammies if that’s all you can find
the time for, but move your body! Your spirit is in there and it wants to move
too!!
Eat Healthier- Right
now, I bet you are already thinking of one thing you can improve on relating to
your eating habits! For me, it’s ending my addiction to m&m’s. Haha! Now,
if I can just keep from replacing it with more chocolate… Maybe you need to eat
more veggies, or not eat so late at night. Do you skip breakfast? Maybe you
need to stop drinking soda and drink water instead (I’m going to do this too).
So choose something that will be the most beneficial to you and DECIDE that
that is your new way of eating, and follow through on your decision. And if you
mess up? Let it go (cue music from Frozen). Try again the next day! Pray for
help! He will help you! It’s worth it because it’s harder to feel the Spirit
when you are feeling like junk!
MYSTERY
CHALLENGE: Normally
I would tell you the mystery challenge in the survey, but since our first
survey won’t be till next week, here is this week’s challenge: Buy (or find)
yourself a small notebook to keep in your purse or pocket or desk (somewhere
close by). Don’t stress out… this is not a journal (per se) it’s just a handy
place where you can write down little “ah ha!” moments, or scriptures that
speak to you, or something important that happens or that someone says. When I
am on a journey I want to write down everything I learn and remember every
special feeling I get. Jotting them down will be great blessing to you now and
in the future! Don’t forget to actually USE IT!
ART
PROJECT:
Perhaps the thing I am MOST excited about with this challenge is the art
project!!! Don’t be scared! It’s going to be a very unique and special way for
you to remember our time together with each other and with God. Creating
something unique and beautiful (it doesn't have to be perfect) out of raw
materials is an incredibly rewarding experience and was an important part of my
journey recently. Actually, it was a pivotal point! Seeing your finished
product, that YOU CREATED and seeing how you can add beauty to the world, is
one way to feel closer to God. Doesn’t he do this all the time? Isn’t He the
Ultimate Creator?
I
want you to be thinking of your tree and creating it in your mind from the
beginning. I want it to be special to you because it’s about you and your
relationship with your Father in Heaven, and bout things you learned that you
want to always remember. You can start working on it whenever feels right.
That’s another reason your little notebook is so important. You can write down
thoughts and ideas that you want to be part of your tree, of your story. Your
tree can be ANY size and out of ANY materials! Here are some ideas to get your
brain going…
-
Photography (search out your favorite trees)
-
Sew
-Modge
podge fabric or scrapbook paper to a board, canvas, cardboard or any surface.
-
Make a collage of food, materials from nature (moss, grass, sand, rocks)
-
Draw, paint, crayon, pastels
-
sculpture
-
Write a poem, or essay describing your tree
-
Make a cake! Decorate it and eat it!
-
needlepoint, crochet, knit, latch hook! (I just found a bunny that my grandpa
made with a latch hook kit this morning. It’s been tucked away for years)
-
Use recycled materials and make a sculpture.
-
Get actual tree branches and paint them. Hang things from them.
-
Do a mosaic of beads, glass, anything!
-
Make a scrapbook page. Use card stock and pictures.
- More
ideas? Search Tree of Life on Pinterest or anywhere online.
Anything
is possible when you put your mind to it and ask for help from above! You’re
last two weeks will be devoted to this challenge, but you can start now. Also-
It would be nice to share these with each other but YOU DON’T HAVE TO!!
CHEERLEADERS
NEEDED- If there is an area in our 12 weeks of rotating challenges that you
feel a special connection to our have a testimony of, or experience with PLEASE
let me know and you can write up your thoughts and ideas and I will share them
with the group that week. Please please help!!!! I know you all have so much to
offer! Thanks!
POINTS-
I attached a tracking chart to help you keep track of points. Print it up and
keep it close by and notice I added ONE BONUS point each week for just being
YOU! That brings the total possible each week to 40. You will report your
points to me in the survey, but just to me. I won’t be sharing them with the
group. Have fun!!
Ok…..I’m
finally done! Email me with any questions. I love you so much and I am so
grateful to you! Talk to you again in a few days. GOOD LUCK! You can do this!
Love, Sarah
p.s. Please join our Facebook group "Tree of Life Challenge"
