Start and end with prayer. This invites the Spirit, increases love, and teaches your family how to pray.
Learn from the scriptures and the words of latter-day prophets to help your family live the gospel.
Add music, such as hymns and Primary songs, to create an atmosphere of love, peace, and joy. Visit the music site →
Make it fun by playing games, acting out scripture stories, and making treats. Keep the atmosphere light and loving.
Be consistent. Monday nights are set aside by the Church for family home evening. If that doesn’t work, find a night that does.
Add variety. Help a neighbor in need, hold a lesson at the park, or go for a walk as a family.
We cannot afford to neglect this heaven-inspired program. It can bring spiritual growth to each member of the family, helping him or her to withstand the temptations which are everywhere. The lessons learned in the home are those that last the longest.”
The one that comes to mind for me is when I was a teenager; we had a family home evening that had to do with repentance.
I remember my dad saying, ‘You know, we are all in this together, and we can’t be a forever family unless each of us keeps the commandments and repents of our sins.’ It helped me to understand how much my parents … ”
Obesity is on the rise in America. According to our textbook, “obesity has increased by more than 50% during the last decade, with more than two-thirds of Americans being either overweight or obese” (Morris 267). “The number of overweight children and adolescents has increased sharply in recent years. From 1980 to 2002, the percentage of overweight adolescents tripled” (Morris 267). This could lead to cardiovascular disease, hypertension, and diabetes in the majority of these young people. Let us focus on the physical and psychological dangers of obesity, the changes over the last fifty years that contributed to the problem, and steps parents, schools, the community, or the government have taken in dealing with this dilemma.
Obviously, the physical damages of obesity and overweight can affect anyone, but children are especially in danger of early development of diabetes, as well as coronary artery disease, high blood pressure, depression and cancer. What is really shocking is “15% of Americans youth ages six to nineteen are overweight” (Campbell 136). “Students at Lincoln University with a body mass index of 30 or above, reflective of obesity, must take a fitness course that meets three hours per week. Those who are assigned to the class but do not complete it cannot graduate” (“College’s too-fat-to-graduate rule under fire”). This could be true psychological damage, because someone planning on graduating but cannot, according to their weight.
Decades have changed how we receive and get our food. All the fast food industries have made a huge impact on our food supply. There is much research on how fast food has harmed our bodies; just watch Super Size Me for an example. What is of most concerning with all this negative data is the majority of Americans still order a Big Mac daily. Playing video games, and watching TV, and other issues that will and have cause the on going with this challenge of the epidemic in America. These have shown that the lack of exercise and the lack of time spent outside, has directly affected this issue of the body weight of American youth. Kids have always been teased, but because of their weight it leads to a new symptom. The symptom is depression. This is a another a great sadness of our society. This can lead to the death of young people by suicide.
There are some things parents and the government are doing to correct the issue. The government improved the food pyramid. The government says on their website “One size doesn’t fit all” (“My pyrandmid.gov steps to a healthier you”). Improving the food choices and making more home cooked meals will reduce the obesity epidemic. These things have helped, but there are so many other things we need to do to fix the problem and save the children.
Obesity has made a huge problem in our world today, especially in America. Our children have been affected the most. The physical and psychological problems and dangers that occur with obesity are numerous. Some of the effects that are physical include high blood pressure and cancer. These problems have occurred over the last several years. The way we eat today is far different than those of a generation or two ago. There have been improvements over the last few years. The government has implemented new standards to help individual diets. There’s always room for improvement, though, we need to teach the kids why eating healthy is important and that our body is a gift we should not waste it.
Works cited
Campbell, T. Colin. The China study startling implications for Diet, Weight Loss and Long-term Health. Dallas, Texas: Benbella Books, 2004. 135-6.
“CNN health.” College’s too-fat-to-graduate rule under fire. Cable News Network, November 30, 2009. Web. 31 Mar 2011. <http://www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/11/30/lincoln.fitness.overweight/index.html>.
“usda.gov.” My pyramid.gov steps to a healthier you. Cable News Network, homeowner nine DeSmet, February 22, 2011. Web. 31 Mar 2011. <http://www.mypyramid.gov/>.
As Dan walked down the road to his favorite market near his home he saw a black blur in the corner of his eye. He froze as something soft brushed his pant leg. The curious skunk looked up at him. It seemed to last forever, though it was only a few seconds to a minute of Dan’s life. His eyes watched this creature with great angst wondering if by chance that this animal would use its natural defenses to stink up the one work uniform he owned. “What to do?” Dan thought, “ Oh great, I might be fired soon, and I have all these other problems in my life. I do not need this!” As he was thinking the skunk scattered across the asphalt into the bushes. After the skunk left he thought, “Maybe my luck has changed.” He heads into the market and grabs his favorite pint of ice cream then heads home.
On the day of our experiment I, Walter Powers, dressed up with a suit and Christmas tie. The plan was to have everyone dress up and have a fancy lunch in the student center next to the grill. The day arrived and I was the only one who dressed up. I rented a white table cloth to dress up one of the circled tables in the center. I brought my own silverware and grabbed a paper plate from the PTK table and some napkins from the grill. Two students from my group came to observe. I ordered a cheeseburger and fries and ate it as if it was a five coarse meal.
As I was so called breaking the social norm, I received many weird and concerned verbal and nonverbal comments. I was talked about with looks and sayings as “Walter, What are you doing? People are staring at you, you do know that right?” I would say “Well no, why would they be staring at me? I am just having my lunch.” A friend of mine that is also in the class came up to me and said, “Walter, what are you doing?” I responded, “What do you think I am doing? We are in the same Sociology Class.” A security guard talked to me afterwards and he thought it was hilarious and stated, “It was a nice change from watching how the usual savages ate.”
One of the students from the class, not from my group gave me some notes that she wrote up about what she observed and I quote.
“An older lady sat staring – while she was eating alone. Didn’t vocalize, just stared with an amused and confused look. She continuously stared the whole time she ate.
A male student walking down the hall paused came over to see what Walter was doing and then slowly walked away.
A group of six guys eating spoke softly among themselves, asking ‘what the
-Hell- is that guy doing?’
A guy hesitating walks by the table taking quick glances as he passed.”
This experiment definitely was a violation in the folkway norm. The fact that I was wearing none traditional school wear and giving such an eloquent presentation of a student eating a typical student lunch.
I felt as the one who was doing the breaking of the social norm, that it was fun. I enjoyed all the attention that I was receiving. As a blind person I get a lot of this kind of attention any way. I felt as though I was important. I was talked to from all most everyone throughout the campus. I think I would do it again any day.
Social norms are a set of behavioral models and rules that are assimilated within a society. (Definition of social, 2011) The norms govern our life by creating boundaries with laws and rules of conduct, so that we, as a people, can be safer and happier living together as a society. Some norms are harmless and to change them have no threat to the population. It is implied by society that you should do it a certain way because everyone else does it that way. We as Americans are damaging our youth by the examples of “High Living Holly Wood Stars” which creates unrealistic social norms in our society.
Work cited
Definition of social norm. In (2011). definition of social norm didtionary.com LLC. Retrieved from http://ask.reference.com/web?q=Definition of Social Norms&qsrc=6&o=10616&l=dir
In my eighth grade year, I had the worst class in my entire intermediate schooling. Besides being a hard year, I also had a difficult teacher that I had to deal with. This class was suppose to be a time for me and other students with disabilities to work on our homework from previous classes. The funny thing is in previous school years my teachers and staff worked with me. She, on the other hand, would do the complete opposite by making us do busywork before we could work or get help on assignments from the other classes. She did a lot of things backward; and ironically her name was Mrs. Backwards. On one occasion she told me, “You have to write in pencil, or even if the answer is right it will be counted as wrong.” Even though my IEP , Individual Education Plan,clearly stated that I should write in pen because I see better in ink. Other things that she would not allow me to do were: use big print books, magnifiers, and those erasable pens in her class. As I look back, I still don’t understand why she did those things. I hope that future teachers will take the time to work with the students, and let the students use what tools they have to magnify their strengths and abilities.
Agency is the ability and privilege God gives us to choose and to act for ourselves. Agency is essential in the plan of salvation. Without it, we would not be able to learn or progress or follow the Savior. With it, we are “free to choose liberty and eternal life, through the great Mediator of all men, or to choose captivity and death, according to the captivity and power of the devil” (2 Nephi 2:27).
God’s children have power to choose; they had this ability even before they were born. In the premortal life, Heavenly Father presented His plan, which included the principle of agency. Lucifer rebelled and “sought to destroy the agency of man” (Moses 4:3). As a result, Lucifer and all those who followed him were denied the privilege of receiving a mortal body. All who have been or will be born on earth chose to follow Heavenly Father’s plan.
In this life, people continue to have agency; even if their personal freedoms are restricted or taken away, they can choose how to feel and react. Their use of their agency determines their happiness or misery in this life and in the life to come. People are free to choose and act but are not free to choose the consequences of their actions. The consequences may not be immediate, but they will always follow. Choices of good and righteousness lead to happiness, peace, and eternal life, while choices of sin and evil eventually lead to heartache and misery.
A couple from Minneapolis decided to go to Florida for a long weekend to thaw out during one particularly icy winter. Because both had jobs, they had difficulty coordinating their travel schedules. It was decided that the husband would fly to Florida on a Thursday, and his wife would follow him the next day. Upon arriving as planned, the husband checked into the hotel. There he decided to open his laptop and send his wife an e-mail back in Minneapolis. However, he accidentally left off one letter in her address, and sent the e-mail without realizing his error.
In Houston, a widow had just returned from her husband’s funeral. He was a minister of many years who had been ‘called home to glory’ following a heart attack. The widow checked her e-mail, expecting messages from relatives and friends. Upon reading the first message, she fainted and fell to the floor. The widow’s son rushed into the room, found his mother on the floor, and saw the computer screen which read:
To: My Loving Wife
From: Your Departed Husband
Subject: I’ve Arrived!
I’ve just arrived and have checked in. I see that everything has been prepared for your arrival tomorrow. Looking forward to seeing you then! Hope your journey is as uneventful as mine was.
My dog chewed the tongue on one of my new, expensive running shoes. I hoped to save my investment, so I took the sneakers to a shoe repair shop. I placed them on the counter and told the man, “My dog got hold of this.”
The repairman picked up the shoe, looked it over, and placed it back down on the counter. “Well, what do you recommend?” I asked.
He looked at me and replied, “Give your dog the other shoe.”
Thought you like a joke for the day. It has been another busy week at school. We went to the University of Arkansas (U Of A ) with the student support services (S.S.S.) or they go by as Trio as well. I liked the school and I think it will be the place i go for my doctoral degree for Social Work.
We are going on week 10 of the semester oh yeah!! I am planing to take the C.L.E.P. test in November. I feel I will pass it and I will graduate this semester and not have to come back any more at Crowder. I am working on an essay for graduation as well. I have to write a 750 + word essay about my experience at college. This should and will be easy for me. I hope you all will have a great weekend and see you next eek.
We, the First Presidency and the Council of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, solemnly proclaim that marriage between a man and a woman is ordained of God and that the family is central to the Creator’s plan for the eternal destiny of His children.
All human beings—male and female—are created in the image of God. Each is a beloved spirit son or daughter of heavenly parents, and, as such, each has a divine nature and destiny. Gender is an essential characteristic of individual premortal, mortal, and eternal identity and purpose.
In the premortal realm, spirit sons and daughters knew and worshipped God as their Eternal Father and accepted His plan by which His children could obtain a physical body and gain earthly experience to progress toward perfection and ultimately realize their divine destiny as heirs of eternal life. The divine plan of happiness enables family relationships to be perpetuated beyond the grave. Sacred ordinances and covenants available in holy temples make it possible for individuals to return to the presence of God and for families to be united eternally.
The first commandment that God gave to Adam and Eve pertained to their potential for parenthood as husband and wife. We declare that God’s commandment for His children to multiply and replenish the earth remains in force. We further declare that God has commanded that the sacred powers of procreation are to be employed only between man and woman, lawfully wedded as husband and wife.
We declare the means by which mortal life is created to be divinely appointed. We affirm the sanctity of life and of its importance in God’s eternal plan.
Husband and wife have a solemn responsibility to love and care for each other and for their children. “Children are an heritage of the Lord” (Psalm 127:3). Parents have a sacred duty to rear their children in love and righteousness, to provide for their physical and spiritual needs, and to teach them to love and serve one another, observe the commandments of God, and be law-abiding citizens wherever they live. Husbands and wives—mothers and fathers—will be held accountable before God for the discharge of these obligations.
The family is ordained of God. Marriage between man and woman is essential to His eternal plan. Children are entitled to birth within the bonds of matrimony, and to be reared by a father and a mother who honor marital vows with complete fidelity. Happiness in family life is most likely to be achieved when founded upon the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ. Successful marriages and families are established and maintained on principles of faith, prayer, repentance, forgiveness, respect, love, compassion, work, and wholesome recreational activities. By divine design, fathers are to preside over their families in love and righteousness and are responsible to provide the necessities of life and protection for their families. Mothers are primarily responsible for the nurture of their children. In these sacred responsibilities, fathers and mothers are obligated to help one another as equal partners. Disability, death, or other circumstances may necessitate individual adaptation. Extended families should lend support when needed.
We warn that individuals who violate covenants of chastity, who abuse spouse or offspring, or who fail to fulfill family responsibilities will one day stand accountable before God. Further, we warn that the disintegration of the family will bring upon individuals, communities, and nations the calamities foretold by ancient and modern prophets.
We call upon responsible citizens and officers of government everywhere to promote those measures designed to maintain and strengthen the family as the fundamental unit of society.
School is half way over. I am so glad. What a day. I have been having a great day. Everyone has been saying nice things to me all day about how good I look. I have a bank wit to go to tonight. I Can not drive and so I wanted to look nice and not have to change. I am enjoying reading the Magic of Believing. I love in reality and suggest anyone and everyone to read it. I got an 80% on my first test in government class. I was so proud of myself. I even got all my points on my paper in that class as well. 60 out of 60. I hope to keep my A in this class. I am doing better than I was planing in this class. My tutoring has been a great help. The info I haven been studing also has been a hug help.
Remember this is a quote but I can not remember form who but here it is anyway. ” All is well all is well though everythings a mess all is well.”
Here is another one from Napoleon Hill “You can do it, if you believe you can.”
Have a get day , week, month, year and keep a smile on your face. Spiritauly minded is life eternal.
