My Title of Liberty

I know this is probably obvious from references I have made in previous posts, but I don't think I've ever come out and said it:

I am a member of The Church of JESUS CHRIST of Latter-day Saints.

I believe in God the eternal Father, his son Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost. I believe that they are three separate beings with distinct roles and purposes. I believe that Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ have bodies of flesh and bone. I believe that I can have the Holy Ghost with me at all times, as long as I am following the commandments of God.

I am a Christian. I believe that Jesus is the God of the Old Testament and that He came to this earth as a babe, and that He suffered in the garden of Gethsemane and died on Calvary. I believe He did this for me, and for all people.

I believe that Heavenly Father still speaks to living prophets. Miracles are not just something that happened in the Bible. Prayers always get answered. These may not be the big events we read about in scripture, but they do happen.

I believe the Book of Mormon is the word of God. It testifies of Christ, and is a second witness of Him along with the Bible. ("Out of the mouth of two witnesses . . . ") I also believe that there are more records that we don't know about, because I believe that God and Jesus Christ spoke and testified to all men, of every nation. They still do.

I believe in the saving power of repentance. All of us can be forgiven. All of us have the opportunity to make it back to live with our Heavenly Father.

I believe in families. I believe in marriage between a man and a woman.

I am an American. I believe in following the law of the land as long as it is not immoral or contradictory to the commandments of God.

I believe that I chose to be sent to this earth, even though I knew the trials I would face. I believe that I have divine gifts and a divine purpose. I believe that I can receive heavenly help in completing that purpose.

I am a child of God.

I'm A Winner!

I have never won anything in my life. I have entered drawings, and contests. All for nothing. Until today! I won two books from Janette Rallison's give away today! I have been entering the give away every day, and never thought anything would come of it, but just take a look at this!

Being persistent pays off!

(BTW, y'all can now enter, since I won)

Free? Yes Please!

If you're like me and like books and free stuff, you should check this out!

I love Janette Rallison's books. They are sweet, funny, heartwarming, and unique. Take a look at the link above and see what you think!

(But don't enter to win, because I want to win! ;) )

Vampires in the Closet

I don't remember being the kind of kid who had her parents check under the bed and in the closet for monsters. I think I was scared of witches for, like, a day after I had a bad dream about them. And I once asked my mom if anyone had died in our house because I was scared of it being haunted. There was also a time when I was a little afraid of burglars (funny story, I used to try to make myself as small as I could in my bed so that if burglars ever did get in our house, maybe they wouldn't see me and kill me. I had a little too vivid of an imagination as a kid, but I digress). These weren't long lasting fears; usually a day, at most a week.

There was one time in my childhood, though, when I became terrified of something. Vampires. I don't know what it was, I don't even remember reading or seeing anything with vampires at that age. I had to have been between 5 and 7, and I just remember thinking that a vampire was going to sneak up on me, chomp their sharp teeth on my neck and suck my blood. Somehow, I even knew that vampires didn't have reflections, so in the bathroom while I was looking in the mirror, I would keep a hand behind my back in case a vampire came up behind me so I could feel them if they were there (because I also was certain that they could go through walls). I don't know how long this fear lasted--in my imperfect memory it was at least two months if not longer. I never told anyone about my fear of vampires, I just went through it alone.

This was a completely irrational fear. There are no such things as vampires (sorry Twihards, but it's true). I lived in fear of having my blood sucked and never talked to anyone who could have calmed my fear. Though I no longer have a fear of vampires, I find myself doing almost the exact same thing in other cases.

These are just as irrational fears as being scared of the big V. And yet, there they are, making me put my figurative arm behind my back as protection, all the while not sharing my fears with another person who could possibly help me calm them. I'm sure I'm not the only one with this problem too. What makes us so afraid of nonexistent things while not paying attention to the real things in our lives? And why don't we tell anyone?

I have learned a little bit that there is someone I can always rely on. I have knelt on my knees many times and described to my Father the fears I have of life's vampires. Sometimes it doesn't get rid of that fear, but it does give me the courage to put down my arm and go about my life with only a small fear in my brain. But by putting down my hand, I am able to see past my fear and face it.

We all have vampires in our lives. We just need to learn how to turn to our Father for help in calming that fear, and for the courage to face it.

Josh Groban

Yeah, I'm totally going to it. :)

Movie Review: I Am Number Four

Okay, first off, I was so excited to go see this movie. That last movie I saw in the "regular" theatres was The Dawn Treader, which was great, but there was something about me taking the initiative of going to a movie that I wanted to see, when I wanted to see it and not feeling like I had to wait until there was someone to go with me. Yes, that's right, I went to this movie by myself. Another thing before I went, I had already read the book by Pitticus Lore and I had surprisingly liked it. Okay, with that in your mind, here is my review:

Title: I Am Number Four

MPAA rating: PG-13 for violence

My rating: Four stars

There were some changes from the book to the movie, obviously. But it didn't really bother me, because the book dealt with a lot of internal revelations and issues which would be very difficult to put across in a film.

I walked into the movie with some expectations from reading the book. I was pleased that all my expectations were met, and then some, which is why I enjoyed this movie so much. I was very impressed with Alex Pettyfer who played John, and now can't wait to see him in Beastly (which comes out this month). I was pleasantly surprised by Dianna Agron, of Glee fame, who played Sarah. I was glad to see her step out of her Glee role and was impressed with her acting.

If you like action movies, with a bit paranormal fantasy thrown in, I think you'll like this movie. Also, read the book!