Measuring Up...Testimony Quotes

Some people succumb to the taunt [of the crowd] because thy are not converted enough to their own beliefs of right to give them power they need.  ~Caroline Eyring Miner

Rebellious people are those who either have never heard the gospel of Jesus Christ or have not understood it.  Receptive people think the gospel is true--but their actions lag behind.  Righteous people know Christ and practice what he preached.  ~Elaine Cannon

Seek for a testimony, as you would...for a diamond concealed.  If someone told you by digging long enough in a certain spot you would find a diamond of unmeasured wealth, do you think you would begrudge time or strength, or means spent to obtain that treasure?  Then I will tell you that if you will dig in the depths of your own hearts you will find, with the aid of the Spirit of the Lord, the pearl of great price, the testimony of the truth of this work.  ~Zina D.H. Young

Often we spend great effort in trying to increase the activity levels in our stakes.  We work diligently to raise the percentages of those attending sacrament meetings.  We labor to get a higher percentage of our young men on missions.  We strive to improve the number of these marrying in the temple.  All of these are commendable efforts and important to the growth of the kingdom.  But when individual members and families immerse themselves in the scriptures regularly and consistently, these other areas of activity will automatically come.  Testimonies will increase.  Commitment will be strengthened.  Families will be fortified.  Personal revelation will flow.  ~President Ezra Taft Benson, (The Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson,[1988], 44)

Latter-day Saint women must be strong and immovable in their faith.  They can and should excel in living and sharing their testimonies of the Lord Jesus Christ and His restored gospel.  We do this as we:

1. Make and keep covenants with Him.
2. Are worthy and worship in His temples. 
3. Study His doctrine in the scriptures and the words of prophets.
4. Qualify for, recognize, and follow the Holy Ghost.
5. Share and defend His gospel.
6. Participate in sincere personal and family prayer.
7. Have family home evening.
8. Live principles of self-reliance and provident living.

Measuring Up: Integrity Quotes
Measuring Up: Improvement Quotes
Measuring Up: Time and Preparation
Measuring Up: Service and Empathy Quotes
Measuring Up: Sabbath Quotes

And the Lord Planted a Garden...Gen. 2:8

Favorite Gardening Quotes

Life begins the day you start a garden.  ~Chinese Proverb

How hard would you work to defend your spirit?  Nourish with prayer, scriptures, etc. so your testimony grows.  The most important things that ever happened in the world, happened in a garden:  The Garden of Eden; The Garden of Gethsemane; and the Garden Tomb.

To grow a testimony, you don't have to look much further than the Bible, The Book of Mormon, and the Back Yard. 

To grow your testimony, sometimes you have to weed your brain.  Why put weeds in your spiritual garden when there's so much good out there that we'll never even have time to get to.  Why would we put weeds in our spiritual garden?  If you want good things in your heart, you've got to put them there.  Weeds on the other hand will come out of nowhere spontaneously.  Some folks keep weeding, other's won't, Some folks have testimonies, other's don't. ~Jon Bytheway

Gardens are heaven - gardens and churches have a lot in common.  ~Susan Branch

The farther we get away from the land, the greater our insecurity.  ~Henry Ford

Nature Nourishes

Grass--The fresh, rich scent, the tickle of blades, the jolt of vibrant green.  Grass fills your senses and transports you back to the carefree summer days of childhood.

Soil--"It's brimming with restorative powers," says Elizabeth Murray, author of Cultivating Sacred Space:  Gardening for the Soul (Pomegranate, 1997).  When you feel and smell soil, it connects you to the earth.  "That's what calms and refreshes you."

Water--"Moving water creates negative ions, which energize," says Murray.  Still water calms.  If invigoration is what you seek, sit near a waterfall or watch the rain from your porch.  If your spirit craves tranquility, relax by a pond or head outdoors after a downpour when water is at rest. (Family Circle Bonus, 5/11/99)

In the spring, at the end of the day, you should smell like dirt. ~Margaret Atwood

Gardening Tips

All year long, I keep a compost heap, which is simply a heap on the edge of my yard where all my kitchen scraps, leaves and grass clippings go.  I learned from Rachael Ray to keep a "garbage bowl" on my counter as I prepare food each day.  Fruit and veggie scraps are collected in the bowl and dumped on my compost heap daily.  


I also add egg shells to my compost heap.  Egg shells are a wonderful addition to bulb gardens.  Rinse the shells and store in the egg carton until full.  Then smash the shells with your hand and sprinkle over the bulb garden--or any garden really.  It provides calcium to the soil.  The herb garden pictured above has been a recipient of egg shells and the plants love them!

Who loves a garden still his Eden keeps, perennial pleasures, plants, and wholesome harvest reaps. ~Amos Bronson Alcott