DAY 1

Question:  How can I follow in His steps?
Read:  1 Peter 2:21, Abraham 1:2, Moroni 7:48
Ponder:  How can I follow in Christ's steps today?  
In all my decisions I will ask: "WHAT WOULD CHRIST DO?"  
 I will think of myself as a disciple and sister of Jesus Christ.

"A woman of faith is fearless.  She stays away from the evil influences and the unclean thing.  A fearless woman of faith has the courage to talk with her children about the practices which would destroy them.  They not only hear her discuss her commitment, but they see her commitment in her daily living, in the way she dresses, what she reads and watches, how she spends her leisure time, what she loves and laughs at, whom she attracts, and how she acts at all times, in all things, and in all places.  She has a certain style of her own that is attractive and joyful and bright and good.  Our little girls and young women can safely trust in her example."  
                                                      - Sister Margaret D. Nadauld

YW Theme poster 2011

Do those who know you, 

But don't know Christ, 

Want to know Christ,    

Because they know you?

A nice rendition of Come Follow Me.  Sorry, no captions on this :(

Link to Come Follow Me on LDS.org. You can listen/read lyrics here or follow link on to the ASL version. 

DAY 2

Question: Am I seeking Christ's help?
Read: Proverbs 3:5-6, Corinthians 12:9-10, Jacob 4:7, Ether 12:27
Ponder:  Am I seeking the Lord's help in all I think and do?  
Do I pray enough? Do I pray with integrity?  
How can He help  me overcome my weaknesses? 


Nothing brings more peace and comfort 
into our lives than spending a little time 
each day in the presence of our Father

There are 1440 minutes in a day. How many

minutes do you spend talking to Him? 

Or are your prayers measured in seconds?

Spend half a  hour each day with the Lord

and you will spend eternity with Him

                             ~Brother Stephen R. Covey

Come to Jesus by Chris Rice (sung by Kenneth Cope)
Lyrics here

Come unto Jesus   LDS.org

DAY 3

Read: Alma 22:15-16, Moroni 10:32-33 
Ponder: What would you need to give up to be closer to Christ?

"The Covenants we make with Heavenly Father 
are performed one on one.  
We do many things in groups in the church - 
the most important things are done individually.  
(Howard W. Hunter)

"Coming unto Christ" 

means walking 

away from 

the world.

"Those who 'shine as lights in the world' have no need to seek the spotlight. The worlds spotlights are not only fleeting, 
but they employ inferior light!"

     --Elder Neal A. Maxwell

More Holiness Give Me  - Music by Michelle Wills
(no captions on this one)
More Holiness Give Me - LDS.org

 

DAY 4

Question:  Do I really love Christ?
Read:  John 13:34-35, John 14:15, 3 Nephi 13:20-21, 24, 33.
Ponder:  Do I keep all the commandments or 
am I guilty of "selective" obedience?
Have I put another God before Christ?

"Latter-day Saints are not obedient because they are compelled to be obedient.  They are obedient because they know certain spiritual truths and have decided, as an expression of their own individual agency, to obey the commandments of God."

~  Elder Boyd K. Packer

Lost Lamb by Del Parson

"The submission of one's will is really the only uniquely personal thing we have placed on God's altar.  The many other things we 'give', brothers and sisters, are actually the things he has already given or loaned to us.  However, when you and I finally submit ourselves, by letting our individual wills be swallowed up in God's will, then we are really giving something up to Him.  It is the only possession which is truly ours to give.  Consecration thus constitutes the only unconditional surrender which is also a total victory."
                          ~ Elder Neal A. Maxwell

Savior, Redeemer of My Soul by  Vocal Point
(no captions)

Savior, Redeemer of My Soul - LDS.org

DAY 5

Question:Who am I? 
Read: Psalms 82:6, Acts 17:27-28, 
Ponder: Why does Christ care about me?
In what ways do I see His hand in my life?

"One of the greatest challenges is to overcome the feeling that we are unimportant, that we are not special and unique.  Do you think for a moment that Heavenly Father would have sent one of His children to the earth by accident, with out the possibility of significant work to perform?...My dear friends, you are a royal generation... Not just a few of you, but all of you.  There are things for each of you to do that no one else can do as well as you.  If you do not prepare to do them, they will not be done.  Your mission is unique and distinctive for you.  Please don't make another have to take your place.  He or she can't do it as well as you can.  If you will let Him, I testify that our Heavenly Father will walk with you through the journey of life and inspire you to know your special purpose here."
          ~Bishop H. Burke Peterson

Precious in His sight by Greg Olson

Who are we? We are children of God.  Our potential is unlimited. Our inheritance is sacred. May we always honor that heritage - in every thought and deed.
   ~Elder Russell M. Nelson

Art by Del Parson

Talk to yourself today as the royal daughter of God and sister of Christ that you are.

Walk Tall, You're a Daughter of God (not captioned)
Here's the lyrics 

DAY 6

Question:  How can the Holy Ghost help me be more like Christ?
Read:  3 Nephi 27:20, D&C 11:12, D&C 46:11-26, D&C 8:12, Moroni 10:4, D&C 121:45-46, John 14:16-17, John 14:26
Ponder:  Do I really desire the Holy Ghost to be my constant companion? 
Do I listen and act when I hear the still small voice?

"The Holy Ghost is a sanctifier, the means by which waywardness and rebellion and stubbornness, sin and iniquity and vice are burned out of our souls as though by fire.  That sanctifying or cleansing influence can be ours as we make up our minds to do things the way the Lord would have us do them.  Too many people in today's world want to go to their graves singing with gusto, "I did it my way."  A peculiar people is a purchased people. That is, we are not our own; we have been bought with a price."
                        ~Brother Robert L. Millet

If you keep doing
What you're doing...
You'll keep getting
What you're getting.
Is That A Good Thing?

DAY 7

Read: 2 Nephi 9
Ponder: Do I accept the Atonement of 
Jesus Christ for my sins?

Jesus' glorious Atonement is
the central act

Jesus in Gethsemane-H. Anderson

in all of human history! It provides the universal resurrection; it makes our personal repentance and forgiveness possible.Since all of us "have sinned and come short of the glory of God," (Rom 3:23) the need for repentance is universal.  

Mark Mabry- Reflections of Christ

Mercifully, Christs Atonement fits sins of all sizes- whether the smaller sins of omission or major transgressions.  Hence, when we turn away from our sins, the required arc of that turning varies from person to person but it is necessary and possible for all.

Mark Mabry - Another Testament collection

Today, forgive yourself 

of past mistakes 

and accept the atonement 

of Jesus Christ in your behalf.

DAY 8

Question:  Wherein lies the power of Christ?


Mark Mabry: Reflections of Christ

Read:  D&C 19:15-24, Mosiah 3:5, Mosiah 4:2-3, Mosiah 5:7-9
Ponder:  How can I get rid of guilt?  Do I honestly believe the power of the atonement covers my sins?

“Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. “But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you.” (Matt. 5:43–44.)  Most of us have not reached that stage of compassion and love and forgiveness. It is not easy. It requires a self-discipline almost greater than we are capable of. But as we try, we come to know that there is a resource of healing, that there is a mighty power of healing in Christ, and that if we are to be His true servants we must not only exercise that healing power in behalf of others, but, perhaps more important, inwardly.                                                                                                                                                           ~Gordon B. Hinckley            

Lead Kindly Light - Simon  Dewey

"It is essential to have Christ at the core of our lives. In these 'perilous times,' oh, how we need Him!  He is the source of strength and safety.  He is the light. He is life. His peace 'passeth all understanding.' As our personal Savior and Redeemer, He invites us, one by one, with outstretched arms to 'come unto Him.'  I testify that He is always there, His merciful loving arms outstretched."
            ~Sister Anne C. Pingree

DAY 9

Question: How do I guard against pride?
Read: Proverbs 6:16-21, Proverbs 8:13, Alma 5:27-28, D&C 38:39
Ponder:  Am I being truly honest with others? 
Do I guard against pride?
Do I do the right things for the right reasons?



Jesus Washing Apostles Feet by Del Parson

"To be like Christ! What
an ambitious goal! What a lofty ideal! The Savior had a pleasing personality, He was kind, He was pleasant, He was understanding, He never went off on tangents, He was perfectly balanced.  No eccentricities could be found in His life. He was no ostentation and show, but He was real and humble and genuine.  He made no play for popularity. He made no compromises to gain favor.  He did the right thing always, regardless of how it might appeal to men."
                                                       ~President Spencer W. Kimball

Too often we are willing to give up when, 

if we could only see a bit farther down the road, 

we would be thrilled at what was waiting for us.

"Is it possible to be happy when life is hard?  Can we feel peace amid uncertainty, or hope in the midst of cynicism?  Yes. The answer is an unqualified yes because of Jesus Christ, whose Atonement and Light ensure that we need not bear the burdens or darkness of mortality alone."            
                                                       ~Sister Sheri Dew

Be Thou Humble

DAY 10

Question:  How is the Lord my light?
Read:  Helaman 5:12, 1 Peter 2:21, D&C 84:43-47
Ponder:  In the last 10 days have I tried to make decisions based on the question  "What would Christ do if He were here?  What have I improved on?

"I feel to invite women everywhere to rise to the great potential within you.  I do not ask that you reach beyond your capacity.  I hope you will not nag yourselves with thoughts of failure.  I hope you will not try to set goals far beyond your capacity to achieve.  I hope you will simply do what you can in the best way you know how.  If you do so, you will witness miracles come to pass.

                   ~President Gordon B. Hinckley

Photography by Mark Mabry

"Some mistake the Church for a place where perfect people gather to say perfect things, think perfect thoughts, and feel perfect feelings.  May I quickly dispel such a thought? The Church is a place where imperfect people gather to help and strengthen each other as we strive to return to our Heavenly Father. Every one of us will travel a different road in mortality.  We will each progress at different rates."  

                ~Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin 

We can grow even in seemingly impossible places

Hang in there, but know the Lord will catch us when we fall.

DAY 11

Question:  How do I control my physical passions or addictions?
Read: Matthew 5: 21-48
Ponder:  Can I set a righteous example for others which will help me control my passions better?

Peace comes from fitting 

into God's plan...

Stress comes from trying to 

fit God into our plan!

"Sometimes we will not let Him help us because we do not trust Him.  I learned a valuable lesson about trusting Him from a member of our branch who came to see me as a friend because she was not willing to see me as her Branch President.  Her life was filled with problems, doubt, sin and confusion.  She asked me what she should do.  I suggested that she let the Savior help her make sense of her life.  She resisted "If I let the Savior into my life," she said, "He will tell me all the stuff I am doing wrong.  He will start to make a bunch of demands and insist that I entirely clean up the place.  I don't need that kind of help."  A suggestion came to mind.  I suggested that the next time she felt Him knocking at her door, then open the door of her life to Him but tell Him that He can come in only to the linen closet of her life and He can stay for only ten minutes.  Then He must leave without resistance.  She was aghast at the presumption.  But, with encouragement she resolved to try.  The same woman returned to my office a week later, subdued and peaceful.  She closed the door and sat down.  "I invited Him in and told Him He could stay only for a few minutes," she said.  She paused for a long time.  "I have never known such joy.  He taught me.  He loved me.  He encouraged me.  Why didn't anyone ever tell me that the Savior was like that?"
                              (Joyous Family Life - Goddard)

DAY 12

Read: D&C 78:19
Ponder: What are the things in my life for which I am especially grateful?

Write down 10 things you are grateful for.  Be sure to share some of them in the comments below!

DAY 13

Question:  How can I improve my thoughts?

Read:  D&C 6:16, Alma 37:35-37, D&C 121:45-46

Ponder:  Do I strive to keep all idle, unclean or negative thoughts out of my mind?

Do my thoughts affect my attitude?

WHAT WOULD CHRIST THINK ABOUT?

O Jerusalem by Greg Olsen

What problems, concerns, worries, plans or ideas consume the greatest amount of your thinking time?

Try today to
"Let virtue garnish thy thoughts unceasingly."

When negative thoughts come, replace them with thinking about the Savior.

DAY 14

Question: How do I forgive someone who has really betrayed or hurt me?
Read: Colossians 3:12-17
Ponder: Am I as good at forgiving myself as I am at forgiving others?  Self-condemnation keeps us from experiencing the full joy of Christ.  Am I living there?

A sister who had been through a painful divorce write of her experience drawing from the Atonement.  She said: "Our divorce...did not release me from my obligation to forgive. I truly wanted to do it, but it was as if I had been commanded to do something of which I was simply incapable."  Her bishop gave her some sound advice:  "Keep a place in your heart for forgiveness, and when it comes, welcome it in."  Many months passed as this struggle to forgive was continued.  She recalled:  "During those long prayerful moments...I tapped into a life-giving source of comfort from my Heavenly Father.  I sense that he was not standing by glaring at me for not having accomplished forgiveness yet; rather he was sorrowing with me as I wept. ..."

"Forgiven" by Greg Olsen

In the final analysis, what happened in my heart is for me an amazing and miraculous evidence of the Atonement of Christ.  I had always viewed the Atonement as a means of making repentance work for the sinner. I had not realized that it also makes it possible for the one sinned against to receive into his or her heart the sweet peace of forgiving."  
(James E. Faust, "Our Greatest Hope," Ensign Nov 2001)

DAY 15

Question:  How do I guard my speech?
Read:  D&C 88:121, 3 Nephi 12:33-37, Matthew 5:11, Leviticus 19:16, Proverbs 31:10; 25-28
Ponder: I will speak only kind, uplifting thoughts to everyone I talk to today.

I will defend my priesthood leaders against evil speaking with my speech.

WOMEN OF GOD

can never be like women of the world.

The world has enough women who are tough:

we need women who are tender.

There are enough women who are coarse;

we need women who are kind.

There are enough women who are rude;

we need women who are refined.

We have enough women with fame and fortune;

we need more women of faith.

We have enough greed;

we need more goodness.      

We have enough vanity;

we need more virtue

We have enough popularity;

we need more purity.   

~Sister Margaret D. Naudauld

Jesus was the one who distinguished  between the success of the world and the false achievements of fame and fortune, (see Mark 8:36.)
 

Nay Speak No Ill - LDS.org 

DAY 16

Congratulations!! You have completed half of your 30 day walk with Christ. 

Take a moment to look through the past 15 day's posts.  If you skipped a day, do that one today.

If you have done a lesson each day, which of these lessons was the most difficult for you to do?
Use that post again and try once more.


Write your experience 
of your 2nd attempt 
in your journal.

DAY 17

Question: Am I valiant in my testimony of Christ?
Read: D&C 121:29-32, 3 Nephi 6:20
Ponder: Do people know I am a member of the Church or am I embarrassed to share my beliefs with others?

Mary and Martha with Jesus by Del Parson

"We may not be the first generation of sisters to be influenced by the world but we need to be the last. We've just got to the be last.  It is high time for us to arise and have the influence God intended us to have.  It is high time for us to lead the women of the world.  It is high time for us to model the distinctiveness and happiness that set true followers of Jesus Christ apart."                    
 ~Sister Sheri Dew

DAY 18

Question:  How do I know my Heavenly Father loves me?
Ponder: What times in my life have I especially felt the love of the Savior surround me?

Sing "My Heavenly Father Loves Me (childrens songbook #228) to yourself and feel the truth of the words: (click on the link below for a lovely you tube rendition)

Awesome Wonder

My Heavenly Father Loves Me 

DAY 19

Question:  How do I show gratitude to the Lord and those He sends to bless my life?
Read:  Alma 34:38
Ponder: Am I living in thanksgiving daily?

Do I recognize and acknowledge the tender mercies of God in my daily life?

Gratitude requires awareness and effort, not only to feel it but to express it.  Frequently we are oblivious to the Lord's hand.  We murmur, complain, resist, criticize:  so often we are not grateful.  In the Book of Mormon, we learn that those who murmur do not now "the dealings of that God who...created them."  The Lord counsels us not to murmur because it is then difficult for the Spirit to work with us.


Gratitude is a Spirit-filled principle. It opens our minds to a universe permeated with the richness of a living God. Through it, we become spiritually aware of the wonder of the smallest things, which gladden our hearts with their messages of God’s love. This grateful awareness heightens our sensitivity to divine direction. When we communicate gratitude, we can be filled with the Spirit and connected to those around us and the Lord. Gratitude inspires happiness and carries divine influence. “Live in thanksgiving daily,” said Amulek, “for the many mercies and blessings which he doth bestow upon you.” ⁴
~ Sister Bonnie Parkin (Ensign May 2007 p.35)

DAY 20

Question: What is the pure love of Christ?
Read: Moroni 7:40-48
Ponder:  Have I felt these past 20 days a greater love for my Savior? Have I felt His love?  
Can I commit myself to live each day as 
Christ would live for the rest of my life?

Beside Still Waters by Simon Dewey 

"Jesus asked his disciples, 'Whom do men say that I am?'
And Peter answered with words of conviction and power, nothing wavering:'Thou are the Christ, the Son of the living God.'  We, too, can know in our hearts that Jesus is the Christ, that He died for us and lives for us.  He is our Advocate with the Father. He is the reason we celebrate Christmas and Easter.  His work is what the Church of Jesus  Christ of Latter-Day Saints is about.  His Kingdom is nigh.  He is Jehovah, our elder brother in the premortal world.  His  name is Wonderful, Counselor, the mighty God, the everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace.  His name stirs our souls.  His work stirs our consciousness.  He stands with a perfect love for us, and all he asks in return is our obedience, our devotion, our time and our love.  When He shows us how to love- both ourselves and our fellow beings - we glimpse, however briefly, how life with Him - eternal life with Him - will be."   (Church News 3/88)

DAY 21

Question:  Do I spend as much time learning about the Savior and the Gospel as I do reading other books and watching TV?
Read:  Rom 10:14, 2 Peter 1:3-9, D&C 131:6

Ponder:  What books about the Savior could I read this year to increase my knowledge?

Suggestions include Jesus the  Christ and The Mortal Messiah.  There are countless other books written by our prophets and apostles that teach the Gospel and testify of Him.  Find one that interests you so you will have a desire to read it and it wont just be a duty.  Have one you have read that you really loved? Please share it with us in the comments below.

Before Sunday this week, read the Sunday School lesson and your Relief Society lesson.


After church on Sunday write in your journal what you experienced in your classes by having read the lessons beforehand.

DAY 22

Question:  How do I resist the temptations and subtle enticements to stray from the things I know are right?
Read:  Look up the words "strength" & "strengthen" in the Topical Guide and read some of the scriptures referenced there.

"Huldah:  Treasure the Word" by Elsbeth Young 

"Being steadfast and immovable on the Lord's side of the line is the only strategy that works long-term against Lucifer.  If the adversary can't get us to succumb to blatant evil, he tries to wear us down, weaken our resolve, and dim our memory of who we are.  He promotes the Sin Now, Pay Later Plan.  He feeds our vanity with promises of popularity and power.  He tells us that life is supposed to be easy and that if we experience undeserved pain, the gospel must not be true.  He always promises shortcuts, though there are no shortcuts to anywhere worth going.  But he cannot duplicate joy or peace.  That is why there is such safety on the Lord's side of the line, where the power of the priesthood and Holy Ghost protect us!"  (Sister Sheri Dew)

In the Shadow of Your Wings by Daniel Gerhartz 

Prayerfully ask the Lord to help you overcome the things that are stumbling blocks in your life.  Be open to receive His answers and His miracles.