Apr 092010
 


I love watching General Conference and hearing from our prophet. I love President Monson and his loving manner. I can’t help but still miss President Gordon B. Hinckley. He had been a part of our lives so long, it was hard to let him go. So, I decided to read a quote every night from his book, “One Bright Shining Hope: Messages for Women from Gordon B. Hinckley”. This book came out in 2006. I received this book soon after I had miscarried a baby at 11 weeks. Little did I know, that I would need this book even more now in my life.



Product Description

“When you save a girl, you save generations. I see this as the one bright shinning hope in a world that is marching toward moral self-destruction,” said President Gordon B. Hinckley. Heavenly Father treasures His daughters, and through His prophet has encouraged them to be a force for good in the world. President Hinckley’s words of encouragement and counsel to women are paired with beautiful visual images in this lovely gift book. A perfect companion volume to Sister Hinckley’s Small and Simple Things, the book is a thoughtful reminder to women everywhere of how much God loves and needs them.

Here are some of my favorite quotes from the book:

“You did not come into this world to fail. You came into this world to succeed. You have accomplished much so far. It is only the beginning. As you move forward on the trail of life, keep the banner of faith in self ever before you…And you will be amazed at what might happen when in faith you take a step forward.”


“Cultivate an attitude of happiness. Cultivate a spirit of optimism. Walk with faith, rejoicing in the beauties of nature, in the goodness of those you love, in the testimony which you carry in your heart concerning things divine.”

This quote is my favorite:

“We know not what lies ahead of us. We know not what the coming days will bring. We live in a world of uncertainty For some, there will be great accomplishment. For others, disappointment. For some, much rejoicing and gladness, good health and gracious living. For others, perhaps sickness and a measure of sorrow, We do not know. But one thing we do know. Like the polar star in the heavens, regardless of what the future holds, there stands the redeemer of the world, the Son of God, certain and sure as the anchor of our immortal lives. He is the rock of our salvation, our strength, our comfort, the very focus of our faith.”

If you have never read this book you should. If you already have this book, get it out and read it again. Whenever we hear the words of any prophet we know their words are true and come from our Father in Heaven. These messages encourage us, lift us up and remind us of our divine nature.

You can order this book here. This would be a perfect gift for someone on Mother’s Day or just a gift for yourself.

Nov 102009
 

On the front cover of this book it says, “True beauty is felt more than it is seen.” This is a message that too few women/girls hear or believe in.

Jodi quotes President Gordon B. Hinckley:

“Of all the creatures of the almighty there is none more beautiful, none more inspiring than a lovely daughter of God who walks in virtue with an understanding of why she should do so.”

Jodi has written a book that we should share with our children; especially our daughters. Today, more than any time in history, we need to spread the word why virtue should be something that we strive for in our lives. I love that this book outlines the many facets of virtue; much more than just sexual purity. For example, here are some of the chapter titles:

    In the World But Not of the World
    The Virtue of God’s Word
    The Beauty of Purity, Not Perfectionism
    The Greatest Virtue is Charity
    A Modest Women is Beautiful
    The Body is Sacred and Divine
    Walking Away From Vanity
    The Beauty of Working Together as Sisters in Christ

I wish that I could share with you the many things I felt were written for me to specifically read. Every time I turned the page, something jumped out that made me stop and ponder, “Be happy living your not-so-fairy-tale life.” Sad, but I do need that reminder some days to try to be happy while I am “enduring” my trials. I also learned a fabulous new idea, to put together a “Scripture Basket,” to help my family try to do a better job with scripture reading.

Believe me when I say, that whatever you are looking for concerning any of the principles related to virtue, it can be found here. I wish that this book could be a companion piece to the Young Women’s manual, now that “Virtue” has been added to the Young Women Theme. This can be found on LDS.org

A Return to Virtue
“Now is the time for a return to virtue!”

The attribute and value of Virtue has been added to the Young Women theme. “Virtue is a pattern of thought and behavior based on high moral standards. It encompasses chastity and moral purity.”

The time has come for the young women of the Church to lead the world in a return to virtue. This is the time to be pure and to qualify for the guidance of the Holy Ghost. In the coming year, it is our desire that all young women and their leaders focus on the meaning of virtue, what young women can do to accept and act upon this value, and how this attribute can strengthen young women as they prepare to be worthy to make and keep sacred covenants and receive temple ordinances.

This all means more to me now that my daughter will be turning 12 soon. I want so much for her to have a happy life and I know that the road to the future is not an easy one. I want her to learn to believe in herself. I want her to learn to love herself. I want her to learn the value of living a good life. I know that I will be using this book for many future discussions that we will be having as Mother and daughter.

I hope that you will read Women of Virtue. This book is written so you can pick it up and read any chapter that you want, in any order. Jodi’s style of writing is easy and free flowing. I also loved how many personal stories she shared throughout the book.

As you read this book, you will feel as I did, that Jodi was inspired from above in writing every page of this book.

Feel free to go visit Jodi’s blog at http://www.jodimarierobinson.blogspot.com

Her book can be purchased at http://www.cedarfort.com and at http://www.amazon.com.

This book would make a great Christmas present for any women that you know. If you would like a copy of this book before Christmas, enter the drawing to win a copy at Why Not Because I Said So or at LDS Womens Book Review. There is only one copy available and the name will be drawn from the entries placed at both blogs. All that you need to do is comment on this post and you will be entered into the drawing. Good luck! You will have a week to enter the drawing and a winner will be chosen next Tuesday, November 17, 2009.

I want to thank Cedar Fort publishing for sending the free copies of Women of Virtue for me and the one lucky winner.

Aug 192006
 
Podcast for August 19, 2006
Episode 7, Part 1

In this segment of Episode 7, we discuss The Christ Commission by Og Mandino and how it compares and contrasts to The Da Vinci Code and our LDS beliefs.  We also drew the name of the lucky winner of an autographed copy of The Believer by Stephanie Black.  Congratulations!

[podcast]http://www.ldswomensbookreview.com/shows/2006-08-19/ldswbr_episode7seg1_8-19-06.mp3[/podcast]


Episode 7, Part 2

In segment 2, we discussed Left Behind by Jerry B. Jenkins and Tim LaHaye.  We moved our discussion of Copycat to next month.  Sheila’s Children’s Literature section features books about the first day of school.

[podcast]http://www.ldswomensbookreview.com/shows/2006-08-19/ldswbr_episode7seg2_8-19-06.mp3[/podcast]