A Lack of Blogging & a Birthday

 I haven't felt much like blogging in 2014, and frankly, I am not sure why. Hence, the lack of posts lately. But here are some guesses:

• Life has been busier than ever. 
• With Ben in class and with his busy homework load, we have done less out-of-the-ordinary things. And as much as people would love hearing about our occasional break of watching The Andy Griffith Show, I feel like there's less to write about in terms of the extraordinary.
• I have had many blog posts I've almost written, but I second guess myself because they seem too personal or too boring.  
• My old friend and roommate, Charlotte, who writes an amazing blog here, and I used to have discussions about output modes vs. input modes. Some days I feel like interacting, socializing, creating and making things, whether it be food, a blog post, singing a song--those are output days. Then, there are the days where I feel much more content staying home, reflecting and quietly reading and watching a BBC classic--those are input days. And I have been in input mode more often than not the last few months. I love both outputing and inputing for several reasons, but, for now I'm on "input." If that made any sense to you...

But now...I do have something fun to write about (for once!) Ben turned thirty this Easter Sunday! It was so fun celebrating with him and family! We keep joking on how he has entered this new decade and, before long, the next decade celebration will be 40! For this big birthday, I invited both of our families over to celebrate Easter and Ben's birthday simultaneously. It was so fun to have everyone over!

Death by Chocolate Trifle

 The setup--can I just say, I love hosting! 

For the first time ever, I "made" Ben something! I put together a tie felt blanket with Ben's mom's help. He even made a fake "tie" out of the extra material :) 

Our first pictures together with Ben as a 30 year old...

It was so wonderful to have everyone over! 

Sam and Nat have some serious parenting multi-tasking skills!

It was so fun to have Kim, Steve, and Everett out from Vermont for a few days. Everett got to meet "the cow," which I will post about later...

It was a wonderful day :)

Why I Believe That Joseph Smith Was a Prophet

One beautiful spring morning a fourteen year old boy, Joseph Smith, walked into a grove of trees in Palmyra, New York, in the year of 1820. He walked into that grove with a purpose. 

He wanted to discover what church he should join. The 1800's was a time of prevalent religious fervor, revivals and religious discord--with all religions claiming that they had the truth.  Joseph had been reading in James 1:5 "If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, which giveth to all men liberally and upbraideth not."  He knew that God would direct him in his quest of finding the true church.  So he walked into that grove of trees, knelt down and uttered a prayer that changed his life, and mine. 

What happened next was miraculous. God the Father and Christ appeared to Joseph, told him that the current religions had pieces of the truth but not the full truth. From there, began Joseph's lonely road of discipleship. You can read Joseph's account in his own words here. Find the story told in its twenty minute video simplicity here.

Throughout my life, many people have asked how I could believe that a fourteen year old boy had sparked the flame that restored the true Church of Christ on the earth, which now claims fifteen million in its membership. He was young, un-learned and had no appealing social status. 

BUT...what about Samuel, the boy prophet, from the Old Testament, what about David when he conquered Goliath? What about Christ, as a young boy, who was teaching the scholars at the temple? What about Daniel? Paul said: “Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers. …” (1 Tim. 4:12.) For followers of Christ, age is not a consideration. In fact, I have often thought that Joseph, in his pure and youthful state, was in a perfect position to humbly submit and serve the Lord. 

As a church, we do not worship Joseph Smith; we worship Christ. BUT we revere and admire Joseph Smith for what he did. So what did he do? 

He was told by an angel to restore the Church of Christ on the earth, with modern day apostles. With that direction, Joseph became the first prophet of the restored gospel, following in the pattern of Noah, Moses and other prophets in The Bible.  

He was told by an angel where to go to find hidden gold plates, an ancient history of the American continent, which recounts Christ appearing to the Americas after his resurrection. He was then told to translate the plates, The Book of Mormon, which acts as another witness to the Bible and testifies of Christ's life, Atonement and mission.

Leading and guiding a new church was no easy task, especially when, at every turn, he was mocked and persecuted. Enduring tarring and featherings, false imprisonment, the betrayal of friends, being driven from state to state, Joseph suffered much in his role as prophet, eventually giving his life for the gospel he loved so dearly as he was murdered by a band of enemies.  You can read about one of his most testing moments in jail here.

But through it all, Joseph remained faithful and true. He remained charitable and forgiving. As boldly as he defended the gospel, he did so with kindness. 

So why does Joseph Smith matter to me, Katie Browning, who lives almost two hundred years later? Without him, the church to which I belong would not be restored, there would be no Book of Mormon and, finally, his unwavering example would not be there to boost me in my darkest hours. For some reason, I have never struggled in knowing that Joseph Smith was a prophet. When I have read his account, I have felt with absolute certainty: it is true. And the fact is, if it wasn't true, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints wouldn't be true either because he restored it. The two go hand in hand. I have stood where Joseph took his last breath as the bullets entered his body. In that prison room, I felt no doubt of Joseph's mission in which he sealed his testimony with his blood. 

I know that I belong to a true church today, which began because Joseph asked one little question that changed the world and, in turn, changed me.