Run From That Past: Different Chapter

Hello Readers! I hope your Sunday is treating you well :)

I have some good news and some bad news. We'll start with the good news because it kinda has to do with the bad news...if that makes any sense.

I've started working on a book! Now, I don't know any publishers or anything, so I honestly don't know where it will go once I finish it, but I've decided to do it anyway. I've been told by people close to me that I should write a book and now I'm going to :) 

The bad news is that means my time invested in writing will go to the book, and not necessarily the blog :( I'll still have posts to share and poems etc, but it won't be as regular as it has been. I realize that I do this every time I start a scheduled posting...but I really want to complete a full book! So I had to make some sacrifices. Like I said, I'll still post on here every now and then.

To those of you who have always kept up on my blog and have read it, thank you!! Your views mean more than you know :) I really appreciate the support. This has been a fun "series" to do and write and has really helped me deal with some real life challenges. Thank you for being a great outlet to me, and I'm excited for my new writing adventure. 

I guess this blog is going back to what it was before the "series", so not abandoned!! 

Until next post!

-Allison S. Dahl

RFTP: I Stayed with the LDS Church, and Here's Why

So, lately I have been seeing a lot of leaving-the-LDS-church articles circulating the internet. Each one is a personal story of someone who decided to leave the faith, and they always include a lengthy explanation as to why. Well, I decided that I too will join this, but from the opposite side. Here is why I choose to be a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, and why I will always stay.

First, I don't go to church for the people. I have met a lot of close friends in my church, yes, but they aren't the basis of my testimony. I go to church because of the spirit I feel there. I also enjoy learning about the Bible and the Book of Mormon. I believe everyone is entitled to their own opinions, but I don't let that affect how I feel about God. If someone says something that offends me at church, I choose to let it roll off my shoulder. I'm not there to win approval or make sure I meet someone else's standards. I am there to take three hours out of my week to feel closer to Heavenly Father and my Savior. Church has always been a safe place for me, and a place to feel loved. I can learn and help my own testimony grow by listening to the quiet promptings of the Holy Ghost and the lessons taught there. Church was never meant to be a social get together. As soon as we make it such, we will notice our testimonies weaken.

Secondly, I love the church because it offers me something no one else can: forever. I can be with Lucas for the rest of time and all eternity. We can go to the temple together and feel peace that no other place can bring us. I know what happens there is real and sacred, and definitely not made up. I love going to the temple and each time, it makes me want to be a better person. It also strengthens my faith and I know I am going to the right church.

Next, I believe in the prophet Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon. I know he didn't make up the book. I know they are true stories of things that happened long ago. I know Joseph Smith saw Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ, and was therefore able to restore the Gospel. Joseph Smith suffered a great deal for the things he was bringing forth, and I know he wouldn't have if it were all a lie. He sacrificed everything for this church, and I am so grateful he did. I also sustain our current prophet, Thomas S. Monson. I know he and the other leaders of our church are called of God and are loving, honest, and devoted men.

With all of these things, the last reason I will always be a Latter-Day Saint is because I simply know this church is true. All of the teachings, all of the doctrine, everything...I just know it is true. I have been to some pretty dark places in life, and the one thing that has always remained constant is my Savior. He has never let me down, even when I repeatedly let Him down. Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ never forgot about me, and their love lifted me when I couldn't stand on my own. There is no way I would have been able to get through some of my trials without Them. Even now, I know that Heavenly Father and my Savior are watching out for us. We feel it everyday. Through the Atonement, I was able to be made whole again. I was able to be forgiven of my sins, and one day I can return to live with my Heavenly Father.

I am proud to be a member of this church. I am proud that my husband is a worthy Priesthood holder, and I am so grateful we got married for time and all eternity. I know this church is true and I will stay with the LDS church for the rest of forever.

-Allison S. Dahl