Today's Favorite Verse: Psalms 101:5-6

Today's Favorite Verse: Psalms 101:5-6
"Whoso privily slandereth his neighbour, him will I cut off: him that hath an high look and a proud heart will not I suffer.
Mine eyes shall be upon the faithful of the land, that they may dwell with me: he that walketh in a perfect way, he shall serve me."

In verse five I could not help but think of those that point the finger at others and accuse them of terrible things, all the while they are doing the same. Then I laughed at myself because I was pointing my finger at them in my mind. Yeah, I totally see the "shame culture" going on that Elder D. Todd Christofferson spoke of in his April 2017 General Conference talk "The Voice of Warning".

I have been trying really hard not to get caught up in this vice. It's getting harder and harder for me to find anything in the main stream media that I can watch or listen to. I just don't want to get caught up in judging others. The other night I finally found something that satisfied me. I found so many wonderful stories to listen to on the Mormon Channel. Truly it has set "mine eyes upon the faithful of the land." As I pondered over this I see that instead of looking for those to shame, I need to look towards those that will be good examples. Those that I can make a joyful noise about.

Day 1154

Today's Favorite Verse: Psalms 9:9-11

Today's Favorite Verse: Psalms 9:9-11
"The Lord also will be a refuge for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble.
And they that know thy name will put their trust in thee: for thou, Lord, hast not forsaken them that seek thee.
Sing praises to the Lord, which dwelleth in Zion: declare among the people his doings."

I cannot help but think about the recent school shooting in Florida and the words of 14-year-old Alaina Petty's family about her being slain.

"We are heartbroken by the loss we feel in the tragedy that unfolded yesterday at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. Our hearts go out to the families of all impacted by this tragedy, and our prayers are for their comfort and healing. We wish to thank our family, friends, and the community for the love and support demonstrated to our family.

It is important to sum up all that Alaina was and meant to her family and friends. Alaina was a vibrant and determined young woman, loved by all who knew her. Alaina loved to serve. She served her community through her participation in the Marjory Stoneman Douglas JROTC program and her countless hours of service as a volunteer for the "Helping Hands" program of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Alaina was part of hundreds of volunteers that rushed to the most heavily impacted areas of Florida to clean up and help rebuild the lives of those devastated by Hurricane Irma. Her selfless service brought peace and joy to those that had lost everything during the storm. While we will not have the opportunity to watch her grow up and become the amazing woman we know she would become, we are keeping an eternal perspective. We are grateful for the knowledge that Alaina is a part of our eternal family and that we will reunite with her. This knowledge and unabiding faith in our Heavenly Father's plan gives us comfort during this difficult time.

Over the past 24 hours, our family has been touched by hundreds of acts of service. Words cannot convey the gratitude we have in our hearts for each of those acts. We wish to thank the staff at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School for the bravery that we understand they showed in protecting and ultimately saving many lives. We would also like to especially thank the first responders for their courage and bravery by running toward harm's way and for bringing an end to yesterday's violence."

They just experienced and did everything these verses just said.

Day 1062