Bev Psalm 3: Why this Date Really Matters

 In WWII after a 10 day Battle, the Allies sent the Germans into retreat on February 25, 1944. It was called the Battle of the Bulge, the largest and deadliest battle of the war. The losses were great.

We came to earth to receive a body, learning lessons in this millisecond of mortality.

The scales of eternity balance our body's cravings with our body as a temple.

Bev's battle of the bulge, waged over a lifetime of poor decisions, is the final feat of enduring to the end.

Note that I said "feat" not "defeat" as the war winds down, I see my battle is shared with millions in America.

Obesity is the not just a personal battle, but is a cultural one, too.

The slip into fast food, over the counter quick meals and sedentary lifestyles has taken its toll.  

I want to share my winning strategies.

Now is the time to weigh in on weighty matters.

We are told to understand ourself because we are made in God's image.

We cannot battle the bulge alone. Our family must unite in this goal.

Therefore, each family member must write down their strengths and weaknesses.

List what are your comfort foods: salty, crunchy, chocolate, fruits, sweets, certain flavors, etc.

Determine what is time of day when you overeat, snack or eat when you're not hungry.

How are you feeling when you have a craving for something? Stress, boredom, sadness, habit, pain?

Do you overeat because of social situations, such as potlucks, birthday parties or friends?

Write down your current age, weight, height and blood pressure.

Then find out what the doctor recommended weight for your age and height is.

Each person should have a "Food Log" to write down every bite and drink that goes into your mouth.

After a week or so, then begin logging sodium mg, calorie, and carbohydrate mg by each item.

This means you must look on the can, bottle or package for ONE serving.

Shop wisely, buying lowest foods/drinks in each category.

Family's can keep a poster of various foods and what is in a serving, to aid keeping logs.

REMEMBER: IF YOU BUY IT, YOU'LL EAT IT!

Be honest and help one another with weakness. Be forgiving, but repent and start again.

You will be hungry until your stomach shrinks. It won't happen overnight. Be patient.

Healthy family food choices, saves lives in the long run.

New habits win the Battle of the Bulge with great "losses" in pounds.

Walk more, exercise more, have fund doing family "activities."

I testify these strategies work! 330 to 255 and maintaining. I am winning the battle.

Bev Psalm 2: Dates Matter

 The Anniversary of Receiving My Patriarchal Blessing

Beverly Elaine is my name.

Ephraim's promised blessings proclaimed.

Verily, my gifts, talents and purpose

Exposed from darkness, to the light of known.

Reveals an open-ended Heavenly Tutorial,

Loving guidance, understanding Who I really Am.

You are cherished, a blessed being of light.

Eternal in nature, on earth for a brief moment.

Look unto Christ in all your thoughts, Walk with Him.

Abraham quoted here, reminds me, "Will

I do as God Commands?

Never give up, be aware, seek knowledge and obey.

Elect of the Lord, ascending up to exaltation.

Bev's Psalm 1 "The Greatest Gift of All"

 In Tennessee, memories of stark tall trees, glistening snow, toy reindeer and shivering child, born December twenty-five.

In Arizona, remember the desert, favored cowboy hat, denim jeans, red boots made for walking, growing up with family and friends?

Remember O Remember, long, long ago on Judea’s plains, another child was born that day. God’s gift to mankind who lived, taught, healed and walked humbly, obediently and willingly.

He ministered to the poor and needy, sick and afflicted, blessing as he went. Then walking the sands of time, he gave the greatest gift of all, His life, that we might live with Heavenly Father again.

Unlocking the Secrets in My Personal Liahona

Fifteen years ago I started this blog. Why? 

The Bee goes from flower to flower collecting pollen, and while doing this, helps produce fruit. This is my goal. The study of my patricarchal blessing has produced abundant fruit in  my own life. 

I want to share the benefits of studying your patriarchal blessing more often and deep diving into it, recognizing it as your own personal scripture or "Liahona". I am not an accomplished writer, but want to share my insights with my fellow associates and friends. It is your own personal Liahona.  Over the many years after receiving mine, I've drawn closer to Jesus Christ and received daily revelations to guide my life.

On December 28th, one of those came "bursting" through the veil. God asked me to start writing Bev's Psalms. Oh, my goodness! "But, I'm not a writer!" I said. Then came the command, "Just DO it." The 2026 theme that I've chosen from studying my blessing is "Serve" and combining these two has led me to begin posting here again. 

Do You Have a Plan for Studying your Patriarchal Blessing?

WHY REPEAT WHAT I'VE ALREADY SAID? Under this blog's search box, put in Patriarchal Blessing, and many of my previous posts, that are so labeled, will come up especially from the year 2012. Read them and see if anything there pops out to you as something you'd like to use in your study. My mother worked for Lockheed in Burbank California during the WWII years. She used her gifts, skills and talents as well as her current passionate interest to create my birth announcement. It shows different ways of looking at a project. We might do the same with our blessing. If we read it like scripture (that is prayerfully) the Lord will not only state explictly our talents and gifts, but sometimes subtly whisper them as we read. If we are currently passionate about a topic that is not covered in our blessing, not to worry. These blessings are not meant to be a dictatorial declaration, or a list of what to do and not to do. God has granted us AGENCY. It has been my experience that men and women will only read their blessings occassionaly. I didn't really understand mine when I first received it as a 24 year old newlywed. I divorced that husband and we had no children. But I am eternally grateful for him introducing me to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He has since married two more times and is not an active member. So, when I married my second husband and was sealed to him in the Washington D.C. temple, and began more vigorously journaling, I reformated my blessing when re-typing it so that it reflected my name change. Now I read it, and when it says "husband" I think of him. I challenge you to look at each sentence in your blessing with an eye for different elevations. Is it temporal? then look at it from a spiritual view. Or if it is scriptorial, look at it by studying it in our Study Helps located in the Scriptures. Or maybe it is just puzzling to you, study each word as a noun, verb, adjective and see where the action words lead when so modified. Yep, look at it from a new elevation. I became fascinated by chiasmus and found the "center" of my blessing using that method of scriptural structure. Have I become a geek? Some might say so. But, I still find myself with that burning witness as a I read my personal scripture or come close to tears when I realize that God is talking to me. May He do the same for you.

Valentine's Day 2024

What’s in a Name?

Romeo is quoted as saying to Juliet, “A Rose by any other name…” and we all swoon! Well at least the women do. Shakespeare wrote poetry and the names he used remain in the public mind hundreds of years later. A name is very symbolic and has meaning. Were you named for an ancestor? I was named Beverly because the name Barbara was already taken in my family. I only found this out a few years ago.

Russell M Nelson talks about the Blessings of the Abrahamic Covenant in his book “Daily Joy” p. 286 “Patriarchal Blessings reveal our linkage to the great patriarchs Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. We are the seed of Abraham through whom all the nations of the earth will be blessed. That identity merits our precious priority, which in turn brings to us the blessings of heaven. The ultimate blessings of the Abrahamic covenant are conferred in a holy temple.” Make a list of ALL the names you find in your patriarchal blessing. The first time I did this, I forgot the man who gave me the blessing. Now, study out the meaning of each of those names. Looking in the Bible Dictionary we find that Abram meant exalted father, but when he received his divine calling from God he received a new name: Abraham, meaning Father of a multitude. Have you received a new name?

The Power of Scripture

Patriarchal blessing as scripture Although not about Patriarchal blessings I found Elder Richard G. Scott’s Talk on ““The Power of Scripture” Ensign, Nov 2011 page 6-8 especially uplifting because he emphasizes the words of the prophets. “Throughout the ages, Father in Heaven has inspired select men and women to find, through the guidance of the Holy Ghost, solutions to life’s most perplexing problems.” He continues, “He has inspired those authorized servants to record those solutions as a type of handbook for those of His children who have faith in His plan of happiness and in His Beloved Son, Jesus Christ.” “Because scriptures are generated from inspired communication through the Holy Ghost, they are pure truth. We need not be concerned about the validity of concepts contained in standard works since the Holy Ghost has been the instrument which has motivated and inspired those individuals who have recorded the scriptures.” “Scriptures are like packets of light that illuminate our minds and give place to guidance and inspiration from on high. They can become the key to open the channel to communion with our Father in Heaven and His Beloved Son, Jesus Christ.” “Learning, pondering, searching, and memorizing scriptures is like filling a filing cabinet with friends, values, and truths that can be called upon anytime, anywhere in the world.