The Waterfall Concept

The Waterfall Concept

By Roger Stark

For those who are stuck in their addictions this book is a godsend. The Waterfall Concept was written by a recovering addict himself who became an addiction counselor wanting to help addicts and their families.

Roger Stark explains in simple language the process in which anyone struggling with any kind of addiction can return to recovery.

From three basic phases: discovery, recovery and maintenance, addicts learn to heal themselves to a life of happiness and fulfillment.

With the idea of water flowing over a falls and the understanding that the pull of an addiction is as powerful as a waterfall, those dealing with addictions can learn to move safely up stream. This book also includes the 12-step process from the LDS Recovery Program workbook and a checklist of mental, emotional, physical, behavioral and spiritual aspects of a recovering addiction.

The Waterfall Concept would be very helpful for all involved in an addict's life and can give new insight on a life without addiction.

The Star Prophecy

Once again, Joan Sowards has published another book I could not put down. If you are LDS or just familiar with the stories of the Book of Mormon, Joan Sowards captures the essence of those times in a wonderfully woven story about a boy named Enoch called The Star Prophecy.

This story grabs your attention as you read of Enoch's attempts to take the journey of his life. Sword fighting, romance, sailing across the sea are all a part of the adventure and I could not stop reading until the end. A wonderful treat for any age, this story will be a family favorite in no time.

The adventure begins with the

blog tour for

The StarProphecy

by

Joan Sowards

It's easy to enter.

1. Visit the fabulous reviews and leave a comment letting us know why

you're excited to read The Star Prophecy. Remember to include your email address.

2. If you tweet about the blog tour, or post about it on your blog or

facebook, leave the link in the comments section and you'll receive an

additional entry.

Good Luck! Entries close at midnight (MST) on January 28.

*****

From the back cover:

You are crazy. No Nephite has ever

returned.

Most people laugh when they hear of Enoch's dream of returning to Jerusalem to find the infant Messiah. Even Enoch's future father-in-law mocks him when he asks for a postponement of his long-awaited wedding to his beloved Rebekah. A few take Enoch seriously - the shipbuilder Omnihah, Enoch's teacher David, and the prophet Nephi.

Five years before, a Lamanite named Samuel had stood on the wall of Zarahemla and prophesied that "five years more cometh" and the Christ would be born in Jerusalem. Time is running out! Enoch knows he must set sail across the great waters in search of his dream - to see the face of

the Messiah.

The Star Prophacy is a surprising story of courage and love, faith and fortitude. Sail with Enoch and his friends across the sea through hardship and adventure in search of the Christ child.

January 10

I Am A Reader, Not A

Writer

January 11

Totally Tina

January 12

Peggy Urry

January 13

Tangled Words and Dreams

January 14

Kaylee Baldwin

January 17

Of Writerly Things

January 18

Writers Mirror

January 19

Bonnie Gets a Say

January 20

The Blessing of Family

Life

January 21

Anna del C. Dye's Blog

Renee S. Clark

Cyberspace: A Tricky Place But Should be Free-Editorial

Just lately the Internet has been the cause of much discussion. This choice of communication is the last option we have with absolutely no regulation or law dictating what we can and cannot do. It would be a great feat if we could leave it this way but unfortunately there are plans being made to gain control over it.

Back in August of 2009, our Administration created a “cybersecurity” office in the White House and a new military command dedicated to cyber security in the Defense Department. Even worse, a U.S. Senate bill (S.773) was proposed in handing the Obama Administration the power to disconnect private-sector computers from the Internet. The idea is preposterous even if there were a “cybersecurity emergency” as it states in the bill; there would be no reason for anyone to seize control of any privately owned computer. The wording is vague and leaves too much open for abuse in control. Besides, there are too many big businesses which have a hand in the internet that would totally reject any kind of government regulation.

So far any legislation put forth has not been passed through mainly because of technical difficulties and privacy concerns. There are certain aspects in government activity that are secured from internet intrusion but overall the cyber world is still free to reign in information and business.

With this freedom there are certain cautions we must take. For example, I have seen companies hirer unsuspecting employees for computer work and after completing their tasks, payment was stolen away from them from their own bank accounts. Or websites post and advertise for certain services or goods when in reality there was money stolen out of a customer’s account and no services or goods rendered. We are wise in taking any kind of employment carefully and with precaution especially from someone we don’t know who lives out of state or out of country for that matter.

As one FBI agent told me, “criminals are getting very creative in the way they steal other people’s money”. We have to be careful. It’s better to stick to the well known and safe bigger companies when dealing with buying goods or hired on as employment than risk being taken by smaller unknown sites unless they can prove their honesty. I have personally bought from certain sites when I needed replacement parts for my gadgets but it is a risk.

In the mean time, we are free to roam any where we want on the internet and proudly post our opinions in whatever we see fit. We can take online educational classes, read mostly untouched news reports from anywhere in the world and keep track of the weather and our bank accounts. It’s a freedom we can all enjoy as it is the American way!!!

More on To The Rescue

Just found my notes from the original presentation of this painting and want to post it here:

If you look closely you will see:

The Storm, a lighthouse, water, Harbor with Dock, Wrecked ship, lifeboat.

The understanding we came to in this discussion.

Representations:

The Storm is the World we live in

Lighthouse: The Holy Ghost

Water: Satan

Harbor with Dock: Safety /the Gospel

Ships: All Families

Ships at the Dock: Those converted in the Gospel

Lifeboats: Saints who save the One

Wrecked ship: destroyed families who fall away from the Gospel.

Women and children on shore: Visiting Teachers who encourage us

Very interesting analogy by President Monson.

To The Rescue.....

Greater love no man has than to lay down his life for another man.....Those were the words of President Thomas S. Monson today at a Stake Conference broadcast on the gulf coast area. In four different states: Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida. Twenty-one LDS stakes were involved and we all got to listen to the words of our prophet.

He mostly spoke of saving others. Those members who were baptized but fell away from church activity. He spoke of a painting he saw in London, England when there at an art museum which was by Joseph Turner or as he is listed on line, Joseph Mallard William Turner. He painted a particular painting in 1831 which caught his attention. He called the painting To The Rescue because it depicted a raft boat rowing against the waves to save the people off of a bigger ship. On the shore was a women and two children calling to them.

It took me a while but I found the painting listed under William Turner called "Lifeboat and Manby Apparatus Going off to a Stranded Vessal Making Signal of Distress. It's a very interesting painting. The more you look at it the more you see.

As President Monson told us... Those on the stranded vessal are those members lost from the Gospel. We should try to rescue them as the people in the lifeboat with those on the shore shouting encouraging words.

Be ye doers of the word and not hearers only........ James 1 :22. Ours is the duty to reach out to others and admonished us all to help those lost to come back to Christ.

You might not be able to tell by this small copy of the picture exactly what is going on but President Monson is using it as a reminder that we should be rescuing others. Great lesson learned today.

Small Acts of Kindness: A Good Way to Start the New Year

After a nice break from work and school in the last two weeks, we are returning to our real life. It’s back to business this week but it’s a new year and a new beginning. Of course we are patiently awaiting the Auburn/Oregon confrontation…..War eagle is heard loud and clear from our house. Other than that, we are finding ourselves facing another week of back to what is our normal operating procedure: get up, eat breakfast, go to work, come home, relax, eat dinner and go to bed. We might have a few bumps in the road we follow but this is basically the norm. I wonder what can put the zing back into our life after a month of preparation and partying?

Over the weekend, I have been reading interesting stories from a Christian magazine of what people have done to put that good feeling back into their life. What makes life exciting and how can we feel better about ourselves? The stories I read were simple in nature and warmed my heart because all that these people did was help someone else in need. It is amazing how when we think about others and act on that thought how much better we feel in our own life.

A good example of acting on a thought to help others is the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. In just a few short years, this foundation has helped thousands of people all over the world on every continent. From agriculture improvements for farmers in growing food to donating medicine in wiping out polio, setting up libraries and funding education in third world countries, they are the largest philanthropic organization in the world. It is truly amazing what they have done.

Of course we aren’t all in a position to do all of that. Our own community needs every day people to do small acts of kindness for neighbors and friends. How many times have you seen a need somewhere and followed up on it? It does leave a great feeling of acceptance and warmth in our hearts. It’s actually the payback for helping other people.

So, whether you are a patriot and want to contribute to bettering the country (like me) or like to attend church to find service in the community or just know your neighbors, small acts of kindness is the way to go for a better year.